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Lightning Flowers, Nickalus Rupert Jan 2015

Lightning Flowers, Nickalus Rupert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lightning Flowers traces the psychological collapse of Waylan Dranger, an East Texas construction worker / folk artist. Waylan suffers from hallucinatory encounters with Reeve, his missing brother. Reeve often blames Waylan for his disappearance and implied death. Waylan also worries that Sam, his live-in girlfriend, will leave him before he can resolve his own increasingly erratic behavior. Largely, Lightning Flowers is preoccupied with the consequences of nostalgic thinking. Among others, the novel grapples with the following questions: What defines contemporary notions of "brotherhood"? To what extent does one's survival necessitate self-delusion? How do social stigmas inform our experience of mental …


Broadband Coherent Perfect Absorption In One-Dimensional Optical Systems, Massimo Maximilian Villinger Jan 2015

Broadband Coherent Perfect Absorption In One-Dimensional Optical Systems, Massimo Maximilian Villinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Absorption plays a critical role in a variety of optical applications – sometimes it is desirable to minimize it as in optical fibers and waveguides, or to enhance it as in solar cells and photodetectors. We describe here a new optical scheme that controllably produces high optical absorption over a broad wavelength range (hundreds of nm) in systems that have low intrinsic absorption over the same range. This effect, 'coherent perfect absorption' or CPA, arises from a subtle interplay between interference and absorption of two beams incident on a weakly absorbing medium. In the first part of this study, we …


Synchrotron Based Infrared Microspectroscopy Of Carbonaceous Chondrites., Mehmet Yesiltas Jan 2015

Synchrotron Based Infrared Microspectroscopy Of Carbonaceous Chondrites., Mehmet Yesiltas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Relationships between organic molecules and inorganic minerals are investigated in five carbonaceous chondrites, Northwest Africa 852 (CR2), Tagish Lake (C2-ungroupped), Orgueil (CI1), Sutter's Mill (CM), and Murchison (CM2), with micron spatial resolution using synchrotron-based imaging micro-FTIR spectroscopy. Correlations based on absorption strength for various constituents are determined using statistical correlation analysis. Silicate band is found to be positively correlated with stretching modes of aliphatic hydrocarbons in NWA 852 and Tagish Lake. The former is highly correlated with the hydration band in all meteorites. Negative correlation is observed between water+organics and carbonate bands in all meteorites. Two dimensional infrared maps for …


Nanoarchitectured Energy Storage Devices, Zenan Yu Jan 2015

Nanoarchitectured Energy Storage Devices, Zenan Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Supercapacitors, the devices that connect the gap between batteries and conventional capacitors, have recently attracted significant attention due to their high specific capacitance, substantially enhanced power and energy densities, and extraordinary cycle life. In order to realize even better performance with supercapacitors, rejuvenated effort towards developing nanostructured electrodes is necessary. In this dissertation, several strategic directions of nanoarchitecturing the electrodes to enhance the performance of supercapacitors are investigated. An introduction and background of supercapacitors, which includes motivation, classification and working principles, recent nanostructured electrode materials studies, and devices fabrication, are initially presented. A facile method, called Spin-on Nanoprinting (SNAP), to …


Drinking Water Infrastructure Assessment With Teleconnection Signals, Satellite Data Fusion And Mining, Sanaz Imen Jan 2015

Drinking Water Infrastructure Assessment With Teleconnection Signals, Satellite Data Fusion And Mining, Sanaz Imen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adjustment of the drinking water treatment process as a simultaneous response to climate variations and water quality impact has been a grand challenge in water resource management in recent years. This desired and preferred capability depends on timely and quantitative knowledge to monitor the quality and availability of water. This issue is of great importance for the largest reservoir in the United States, Lake Mead, which is located in the proximity of a big metropolitan region - Las Vegas, Nevada. The water quality in Lake Mead is impaired by forest fires, soil erosion, and land use changes in nearby watersheds …


Women On The Line: A Qualitative Study Of Women's Experience Of Work In The Meat Industry, Jessica Jacques Jan 2015

Women On The Line: A Qualitative Study Of Women's Experience Of Work In The Meat Industry, Jessica Jacques

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the experiences of women who work in the meat industry. Drawing from symbolic interaction and standpoint theory frameworks, this research focuses on how gender, race, and nationality influence work experiences and family life for women in comparison to men in the meat industry. This study is based on 15 in-depth interviews with men and women who work in management positions and in the processing rooms of meat companies where non-human animals are disassembled in the production of food. Data collection and analysis were performed using grounded theory methods of inquiry. Participants' stories highlight women's experience in adapting …


A High-Content Multiplexed Screening Platform For The Evaluation And Manipulation Of Force And Fatigue Of Adult Derived Skeletal Muscle Myotubes In Defined Serum-Free Medium, Christopher Mcaleer Jan 2015

A High-Content Multiplexed Screening Platform For The Evaluation And Manipulation Of Force And Fatigue Of Adult Derived Skeletal Muscle Myotubes In Defined Serum-Free Medium, Christopher Mcaleer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall focus of this project has two parts: First, was to develop a protocol utilizing serum-free media formulations and defined plating and culture techniques to create functional in vitro myotubes derived from adult skeletal muscle satellite cells. The second was to manipulate the inherent muscle parameters such as force output and fatigue of these myotubes by employing exercise regimes or by small molecule application. The importance of serum-free medium use for in vitro cultures is becoming increasingly important in creating functional systems that can be validated for drug testing by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also, the study …


Way Of The Butterfly: A Journey Towards Transformation Through Self-Portraits In-Between, Masami Koshikawa Jan 2015

Way Of The Butterfly: A Journey Towards Transformation Through Self-Portraits In-Between, Masami Koshikawa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has not been easy for me to talk about myself or describe my feelings or thoughts. Coming from Japan, a collective society, we typically are not raised to do so. Throughout the MFA program at UCF, I have shared my feelings and thoughts through my work. It is important to discuss and inform others of our cultural similarities and differences so that we may gain a better understanding of each other. This process has helped me grow not only on an artistic level, but also on a personal level. My journey towards integration has led me to a meaningful …


Systems Design: Academic Advising System Implementation, A Case Study Of User Centered System Design At The University Of Central Florida, Tracy Jones Jan 2015

Systems Design: Academic Advising System Implementation, A Case Study Of User Centered System Design At The University Of Central Florida, Tracy Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a case study in user-centered design completed at the University of Central Florida. Leadership in the College of Graduate Studies at UCF realized the need for an advisement tool to assist advisors in the academic colleges to track the success of their students. After an advisement product was selected, the user-centered design approach started to be implemented. End-users were shown the basic functionality and known benefits of the product. Then they were asked how they could make it standardized across programs. The users selected the order in which information and degree requirements should display. The users asked …


The Branding, Creation, And Promotion Of A Solo Comedienne, Anna Mccorison Jan 2015

The Branding, Creation, And Promotion Of A Solo Comedienne, Anna Mccorison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Comedy exists as a stronghold in American culture as a coping mechanism throughout history, but is often limited to the male headliner. From Charlie Chaplin to Jackie Gleason and Bill Cosby to Will Ferrell, men have kept us laughing from stages to screen throughout the last century. Thus, I inquire: who are the prominent women who rose to the top of this male-dominated industry and how did they create a brand for themselves that was distinguishable and celebrated? What is it about being a woman in the last century that made making a name in comedic entertainment more cumbersome, and …


Differential Parenting And Parents' Perceptions Of Their Children: Can Attachment Help Explain This Relationship?, Meagan Mcswiggan Jan 2015

Differential Parenting And Parents' Perceptions Of Their Children: Can Attachment Help Explain This Relationship?, Meagan Mcswiggan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has suggested that the differential experiences of children in the same family were often greater than those of children across different families. Although studies identified potential moderators (e.g., age, gender) associated with differential parenting, there has been less investigation of mediators. The current study examined attachment as a mediator in the relationship between differential parenting and parents' perceptions of their children. As part of this study, 132 culturally diverse mothers with children who ranged in age from 2- to 10-years rated how differently they treat their own children, their children's attachment, their parenting characteristics, and their children's functioning (i.e., …


Almost Mirror Image: Exploring The Similarities And Dissimilarities Of Identical Twins In Theatrical Solo Performance, Elizabeth Mignacca Jan 2015

Almost Mirror Image: Exploring The Similarities And Dissimilarities Of Identical Twins In Theatrical Solo Performance, Elizabeth Mignacca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Almost Mirror Image: Exploring the Similarities and Dissimilarities of Identical Twins in Theatrical Solo Performance Is an exploration of the psyche of identical twins within the context of devised solo performance. The author, an identical twin herself, has long been interested in twins' ability to cultivate both highly independent personalities as well as intensely co-dependent tendencies during development. What can twins tell us about the way we create close relationships and how is their upbringing radically different from the majority of the world that is born alone? Equally intrigued by society's growing technological dependence, the author would like to delve …


The Role Of A Highly Conserved Eubacterial Ribosomal Protein In Translation Quality Control, Anusha Naganathan Jan 2015

The Role Of A Highly Conserved Eubacterial Ribosomal Protein In Translation Quality Control, Anusha Naganathan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The process of decoding is the most crucial determinant of the quality of protein synthesis. Ribosomal protein L9 was first implicated in decoding fidelity when a mutant version of L9 was found to increase the translation of a T4 phage gene. Later studies confirmed that the absence of L9 leads to increased translational bypassing, frameshifting, and stop codon readthrough. L9 is part of the large subunit of the prokaryotic ribosome and is located more than 90 Å from the site of decoding, making it difficult to envision how it might affect decoding and reading frame maintenance. Twenty years after the …


Assessing Approximate Arithmetic Designs In The Presence Of Process Variations And Voltage Scaling, Adnan Aquib Naseer Jan 2015

Assessing Approximate Arithmetic Designs In The Presence Of Process Variations And Voltage Scaling, Adnan Aquib Naseer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As environmental concerns and portability of electronic devices move to the forefront of priorities, innovative approaches which reduce processor energy consumption are sought. Approximate arithmetic units are one of the avenues whereby significant energy savings can be achieved. Approximation of fundamental arithmetic units is achieved by judiciously reducing the number of transistors in the circuit. A satisfactory tradeoff of energy vs. accuracy of the circuit can be determined by trial-and-error methods of each functional approximation. Although the accuracy of the output is compromised, it is only decreased to an acceptable extent that can still fulfill processing requirements. A number of …


Post Conversion Correction Of Non-Linear Mismatches For Time Interleaved Analog-To-Digital Converters, Charna Parkey Jan 2015

Post Conversion Correction Of Non-Linear Mismatches For Time Interleaved Analog-To-Digital Converters, Charna Parkey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Time Interleaved Analog-to-Digital Converters (TI-ADCs) utilize an architecture which enables conversion rates well beyond the capabilities of a single converter while preserving most or all of the other performance characteristics of the converters on which said architecture is based. Most of the approaches discussed here are independent of architecture; some solutions take advantage of specific architectures. Chapter 1 provides the problem formulation and reviews the errors found in ADCs as well as a brief literature review of available TI-ADC error correction solutions. Chapter 2 presents the methods and materials used in implementation as well as extend the state of the …


Temperament, Emotion Regulation, And Distress Tolerance As Related Correlates Of Psychological Symptoms, Catherine Pearte Jan 2015

Temperament, Emotion Regulation, And Distress Tolerance As Related Correlates Of Psychological Symptoms, Catherine Pearte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have postulated that those with difficult temperament are at risk for difficulties with regulating emotions, are less tolerant of distressing stimuli, have characteristic difficulty coping with distress, and are (at some periods of development) more apt to experience clinically significant psychological symptoms. This study used exploratory factor analyses and structural equation modeling to compose and test a model that explained how emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and coping skills interact to explain how certain temperament features translate into psychological symptoms. Because those with difficult temperament were thought to be at a unique risk for psychological maladjustment, mean-based criterion were used …


A Multi-Scale Cfd Analysis Of Patient-Specific Geometries To Tailor Lvad Cannula Implantation Under Pulsatile Flow Conditions: An Investigation Aimed At Reducing Stroke Incidence In Lvads, Ray Prather Jan 2015

A Multi-Scale Cfd Analysis Of Patient-Specific Geometries To Tailor Lvad Cannula Implantation Under Pulsatile Flow Conditions: An Investigation Aimed At Reducing Stroke Incidence In Lvads, Ray Prather

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) is a mechanical pump that provides temporary circulatory support when used as bridge-to-transplantation and relieves workload demand placed on a failing heart allowing for myocardia recovery when used as destination therapy. Stroke is the most devastating complication after ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation, with an incidence of 14-47% over 3-6 months. This complication due to thrombus formation and subsequent transport through the vasculature to cerebral vessels continues to limit the widespread implementation of VAD therapy. Patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis may elucidate ways to reduce this risk. We employed a multi-scale model of …


"What We Eat Matters": Perspectives On Food And Health In The Mexican Im/Migrant Farmworker Communities In Indian River County, Florida, Hugo Puerto Jan 2015

"What We Eat Matters": Perspectives On Food And Health In The Mexican Im/Migrant Farmworker Communities In Indian River County, Florida, Hugo Puerto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dramatic increase of type-2 diabetes within the Latino community is of great concern in the U.S., especially among Mexican im/migrant farmworkers. Anthropological scholarship shows that health issues within im/migrant groups in the U.S. are poorly understood from a sociocultural and local perspective. In Indian River County, Florida, farmworker leaders created a community garden in response to health problems in this community. This initiative was launched to educate families about the health and economic benefits of growing their own food. The Indian River County Health Department and the local leaders are working collaboratively to inform the community about the risks …


Watch Me Disappear: Gendered Bodies, Pro-Anorexia, And Self-Injury In Virtual Communities, Leandra Preston-Sidler Jan 2015

Watch Me Disappear: Gendered Bodies, Pro-Anorexia, And Self-Injury In Virtual Communities, Leandra Preston-Sidler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project examines the relationship between gendered identities, virtual communities, and material bodies, with an emphasis on eating disorders and self-injury practices. The use of the internet to represent and foster particular categories of material bodies, such as the anorexic, the fitness buff, and the self-injurer, has gained substantial visibility due in part to the proliferation of visual imagery presented through social networks. I analyze written and visual texts within specific social networks to assess their function and potential impact on individuals and larger communities. Drawing from Donna Haraway's cyborg theory, N. Kathryn Hayles' posthuman, Judith Butler's performativity, feminist poststructural …


The Subjective Gameplay Experience: An Examination Of The Revised Game Engagement Model, Katelyn Procci Jan 2015

The Subjective Gameplay Experience: An Examination Of The Revised Game Engagement Model, Katelyn Procci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of the subjective gameplay experience spans multiple disciplines, from teachers who want to harness the power of gameplay to enhance instruction to game developers hoping to create the next big hit. Despite decades of interest, little agreement has been found regarding the way constructs—such as immersion, involvement, presence, and flow—are used to describe the subjective gameplay experience. Without the consistent usage of well-defined constructs, it becomes impossible to further scientific understanding of this domain. This dissertation examined the theoretical evolution of the key subjective gameplay experience constructs. From this, definitions for immersion, involvement, presence, and flow were extracted. …


Principals' Lived Experiences In Childhood Poverty Impacting Resiliency Of Students In Poverty, Jonathan Rasmussen Jan 2015

Principals' Lived Experiences In Childhood Poverty Impacting Resiliency Of Students In Poverty, Jonathan Rasmussen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of children living in poverty within the United States is on the rise, which translates to more public school students experiencing those risk factors associated with poverty. Given the severity of the negative effect living in poverty has on the likelihood of academic success, paired with the current climate of accountability in U.S. public schools, it is imperative that educational leaders understand how to create a school culture that fosters resilience in students from poverty. The purpose of this study was to examine principals' lived experiences in childhood poverty impacts the decisions they make. More precisely, it examines …


Policy Implications Of A Teacher Evaluation System: The Relationship Of Classroom Observations, Levels Of Feedback, And Students Achievement Outcomes, Shana H. Rafalski Jan 2015

Policy Implications Of A Teacher Evaluation System: The Relationship Of Classroom Observations, Levels Of Feedback, And Students Achievement Outcomes, Shana H. Rafalski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to determine the relationship between the number of classroom observations and teacher VAM scores and (b) to identify the relationship between the types of feedback provided to teachers and student achievement outcomes as measured by VAM scores. De-identified data for the sample set of teachers in a large urban school district was gathered for the 2013-2014 year from iObservation by administrators observing teachers using the domains of the Marzano instructional model. The number of observations were compared to VAM scores to determine if teachers with a greater number of observations received higher …


Reasoning Tradeoffs In Implicit Invocation And Aspect Oriented Languages, Jose Sanchez Salazar Jan 2015

Reasoning Tradeoffs In Implicit Invocation And Aspect Oriented Languages, Jose Sanchez Salazar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To reason about a program means to state or conclude, by logical means, some properties the program exhibits; like its correctness according to certain expected behavior. The continuous need for more ambitious, more complex, and more dependable software systems demands for better mechanisms to modularize them and reason about their correctness. The reasoning process is affected by the design decisions made by the developer of the program and by the features supported by the programming language used. Beyond Object Orientation, Implicit Invocation and Aspect Oriented languages pose very hard reasoning challenges. Important tradeoffs must be considered while reasoning about a …


A Framework For Safety Training Using Virtual Reality Software, Rana Riad Jan 2015

A Framework For Safety Training Using Virtual Reality Software, Rana Riad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Safety training is a vital component to the well-being of individuals in all industries. With technology advancing at the current pace, conventional training methods are no longer the most effective way to communicate information. There is a strong need for safety training that incorporates new methods and forms of communication to obtain higher levels of comprehension. Virtual reality systems offer a highly customizable and interactive form of delivering information to users. This research addresses major gaps in the field of safety training using virtual reality systems and provides a design framework for creating a virtual safety-training system. A model for …


Social Media Responsiveness In The Public Sector: A Study Of Social Media Adoption In Three Functional Departments Of U.S. Cities, Daniel Seigler Jan 2015

Social Media Responsiveness In The Public Sector: A Study Of Social Media Adoption In Three Functional Departments Of U.S. Cities, Daniel Seigler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Public administration research strongly supports the argument for administrator-citizen collaborations and shows that Web 2.0 social media tools have the potential to increase these collaborations. Some public managers have fully embraced the adoption of social media tools to their fullest collaborative potential while other managers have chosen to limit their full collaborative potential. This study examines four environmental influences to determine if they are the cause of the diverse levels of social media adoption among public administrators. A survey of 157 department managers from 261 large cities across the U.S. shows that 82% of the respondents are currently using some …


Chief Bowlegs And The Banana Garden: A Reassessment Of The Beginning Of The Third Seminole War, John Settle Jan 2015

Chief Bowlegs And The Banana Garden: A Reassessment Of The Beginning Of The Third Seminole War, John Settle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines in depth the most common interpretation of the opening of the Third Seminole War (1855-1858). The interpretation in question was authored almost thirty years after the beginning of the war, and it alleges that the destruction of a Seminole banana plant garden by United States soldiers was the direct cause of the conflict. This study analyzes the available primary records as well as traces the entire historiography of the Third Seminole War in order to ascertain how and why the banana garden account has had such an impactful and long-lasting effect. Based on available evidence, it is …


True Linearized Intensity Modulation For Photonic Analog To Digital Conversion Using An Injection-Locked Mode-Locked Laser, Edris Sarailou Jan 2015

True Linearized Intensity Modulation For Photonic Analog To Digital Conversion Using An Injection-Locked Mode-Locked Laser, Edris Sarailou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A true linearized interferometric intensity modulator for pulsed light has been proposed and experimentally presented in this thesis. This has been achieved by introducing a mode-locked laser into one of the arms of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and injection-locking it to the input light (which is pulsed and periodic). By modulating the injection-locked laser, and combining its output light with the light from the other arm of interferometer in quadrature, one can achieve true linearized intensity modulator. This linearity comes from the arcsine phase response of the injection-locked mode-locked laser (as suggested by steady-state solution of Adler's equation) when it is …


Trihalomethane Removal And Re-Formation In Spray Aeration Processes Treating Disinfected Groundwater, Cassandra Smith Jan 2015

Trihalomethane Removal And Re-Formation In Spray Aeration Processes Treating Disinfected Groundwater, Cassandra Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, chlorination has been widely utilized as a primary and secondary disinfectant in municipal water supplies. Although chlorine disinfection is effective in inactivating pathogenic microbes, the use of chlorine creates the unintentional formation of regulated chemicals. On January 4, 2006, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated the Stage 2 Disinfectants/Disinfection by-product rule (DBPR) that focuses on public health protection by limiting exposure to four trihalomethanes (THM) and five haloacetic acids (HAA5), formed when chlorine is used for microbial pathogen control. This thesis examines post-aeration TTHM formation when employing spray-aeration processes to remove semi-volatile TTHMs from chlorinated potable water …


Connections Between Voice And Design In Puppetry: A Case-Study, Ryan Skiles Jan 2015

Connections Between Voice And Design In Puppetry: A Case-Study, Ryan Skiles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Puppets have been entertaining, educating, and mesmerizing American audiences since the birth of our nation. Both in live theatrical events and TV/film, audiences have watched puppeteers bring their puppet characters to life with clever voice quality choices, unique characterizations, and vivid visual designs. This thesis is a case study that first borrows insight from cartoon character designers, animators, and voiceover actors to provide considerations for voice quality choices, characterizations, and design elements when creating a new puppet character. It then investigates the connections that exist between those three elements once a puppet is fully realized. In order to identify these …


Central Florida Educational Leaders' Professional Perceptions Of Race To The Top Components Concerning Teacher Evaluation And Compensation, Orin Smith Jan 2015

Central Florida Educational Leaders' Professional Perceptions Of Race To The Top Components Concerning Teacher Evaluation And Compensation, Orin Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods replication study was conducted to develop further understanding of the professional perceptions of educational leaders as to the fairness and impact of Race to the Top reforms concerning teacher evaluation and compensation on student achievement and growth. Graduate students in education and educational leadership from a target university were selected to complete an electronic survey to collect quantitative and qualitative data for analysis. Quantitative results from the electronic survey revealed limited diversity in professional perceptions of the five identified components of RTTT based upon professional classification or percentage free and reduced lunch population at the school sites where …