Digital Commons Network^™

Women As Nontraditional Terrorists, Giorgi Beruashvili

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Terrorist organizations have always been predominantly dominated by male members in numbers of participants, supporters, and leaders. Despite men having the majority of the roles, oftentimes the world witnesses attack executed by female terrorists which deal a substantial amount of damage to the infrastructure and the peaceful civilians surrounding them. Furthermore, the sense of unpredictability and unpreparedness from the counterterrorist forces and the general public adds up to the overall advantage women possess in the field of terrorism over men. Considering these observations, one can argue that women have grown to be far more dangerous and successful in the field …

Color And Color Placement Effects On Purchase Intent Of Loot Boxes In Video Games, Mackenzie Bland

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Research on the effects of color associations in gambling situations has especially come to the forefront in recent times with the rise of casinos and other sales techniques in which consumers do not know the outcome of their purchases. Loot boxes are a unique form of micro-transactions in video games where players are uncertain about the objects they will receive with their monetary purchase. The aim of this study is to explore the effects of color and color placement in ads on loot box purchase intent. It will contribute to research about color perception in marketing and will, more specifically, …

Public Opinion On Intellectual Property, Danielle K. Buckles

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Several studies have tracked the rise in music piracy following the creation of Napster, analyzing the attitudes and behaviors associated. But new developments, such as streaming services and social media, have transformed the relationship between creators and users. This paper seeks to revisit the topic, reexamine past results, and evaluate public opinion in this current technological landscape. Understanding the new attitudes and behaviors associated with illegal music downloading through a questionnaire reveal important implications for the future of intellectual property legislation. These findings give some insight into the perceptions of ownership over intangible property to hopefully improve consumer and industry …

Development Of An Environmental Disposition Scale: A Guide For Fostering Sustainable Behavior, Jady Chen

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Promoting sustainable behavior or environmentally responsible behavior poses challenges because there is no overarching solution for behavior changes. Both surveys and interventions are context specific, meaning behaviors do not necessarily influence other behaviors and the same values, norms, and beliefs do not necessarily translate to the same level of sustainable behavior. Because there are regional differences in ideologies in the United States, a country level approach to encourage sustainable behavior would not be as effective as having interventions that directly correlate with the motivations that encourage environmentally responsible behavior. A survey will be conducted with University of Central Florida undergraduate …

Sexual Assault Disclosure And Gender: Relationship Between Survivor Gender And Disclosure, Christian Thomas Clevenger

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to explore whether the gender of a sexual assault survivor influenced to whom they disclosed the sexual assault. Previous research indicates that barriers to disclosure could differ based both on the gender of a sexual assault survivor and characteristics of the disclosure recipient. Examining how disclosure is influenced by survivor gender could help better identify which groups could benefit most from educational resources. Participants (n = 160) were college students who experienced a sexual assault in adolescence or adulthood. Disclosure to a range of different formal and informal supports was assessed. Findings indicated that …

Lights, Camera, Inaction: Relationship Management In The Film Industry Following Sexual Misconduct Accusations, Autumn Crouch

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, how society responds to sexual misconduct allegations has greatly changed. It has had an effect on policy from the federal to the organizational level. Looking at overarching changes that came about after the movement is one thing but taking a look at consequences brought upon certain individuals who had allegations put against them is another. This thesis explores public relations (PR) strategies executed by prominent individuals in the film industry and their publicity teams following sexual misconduct accusations. PR at its core is about relationship management. So, this line of thought leads one …

Detection Of A Peptide Hormone - Somatostatin - Label-Free Split-Aptameric Probes, Charles A. Dowis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Peptide hormones are important biomolecules that transduce downstream effects such as cell proliferation, regulation, and gene expression. Their levels have been upregulated in various disorders such as cancer, yet detection methods are lacking. We designed two split aptamer-based assays for the detection of a peptide hormone – Somatostatin (SST) – with different signal readouts: fluorescent readout based on light-up aptamers and the colorimetric readout of ABTS peroxidation from a G-quadruplex. We used an already selected split-aptamer –SSTA5–for SST for our designs and we had expected the developed detection systems to exhibit detection and quantification capabilities that would hopefully allow their …

The Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Mental Health And Neurological Disorders, Gabriella Victoria Fernandez De Salvo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Sleep deprivation is defined as an individual sleeping less than 6 hours per night. It is a common behavior amongst individuals who live in industrialized nations.Along with industrialization, its prevalence is also expected to rise with age. Despite this, there has been a shift in recent years with sleep deprivation increasing in the youth, likely related to the increased use of technology during the nighttime. Sleep deprivation and chronic sleep disruption are behaviors commonly observed amongst patients suffering from neurological and psychiatric disorders, like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and anxiety. Many of these patients suffer from sleep disorders like …

Hospital Footwear As A Vector For Organism Transmission, David J. Frederick

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In the United States healthcare system, nearly one in 31 patients contract a nosocomial infection. Footwear worn in these hospital settings are a factor that should be considered when determining contributing agents and methods for organism transmission. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the current research on hospital footwear as a vector for organism transmission. Eight studies were included in this review to examine the impact of wearable interventions on footwear-related contamination in the hospital setting and organism transfer as it relates to footwear and hospital environments. The link between the organism load and diversity on hospital worn …

A Model Experiment To Investigate The Possibility Of Glyphosate Contamination In St. Kitts And Nevis, Winston Fu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that is used globally to combat the spread of weeds among crops. Not all countries around the world have been using the herbicide. For example, island countries such as Dominica and St. Kitts and Nevis do not use the herbicide on their crops. However, St. Kitts and Nevis imports food and other agricultural products from around the world, leading to the hypothesis that glyphosate is contaminating the soil through those imported products. The aim of this research project was to determine if glyphosate is present in the island country of St. Kitts and Nevis. A …

Performance In Vr, Gabriela N. Gonzalez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Psychologists once believed that memory was the result of a single-unitary memory system, and that memory was representative of a video recording. However, recent research has found that memory is malleable, and different factors can attribute to the accuracy of memory. Factors include internal bias, time since event, level of rehearsal, and outside influences. Specifically, the concept of false memories in regards to eyewitness testimony has garnered the attention of researchers. Prior research regarding false memories has looked at the impact of leading questions on memory accuracy. This study aims to explore the impact of leading questions on false memories …

Musical Cryptography Using Long Short-Term Memory Networks, Curtis Helsel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Musical cryptography is a technique in which plain text messages are enciphered into a musical composition. Recently, a surge of music composition by means of machine learning have produced natural-sounding music that can be deemed as composed by humans. The combination of machine-generated music and enciphering a message into the composition is a logical step in musical cryptography. Outlined in this thesis is a method that incorporates the use of a specific type of recurrent neural network, Long Short-Term Memory, and a variant of the substitution cipher to form of symmetric-key cryptography system. Exploration was also completed to determine how …

The Effect Of A Senolytic Drug On Messenger Rna And Micro Rna Expression In Perigonadal Adipose Tissue Of Young And Old Mice, Catalina Hernandez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As we face an expanding elderly population and increased age-related chronic diseases, we must seek solutions that address interconnected problems. Dasatinib plus quercetin (D+Q), a novel combination drug, is a proposed solution to improve the health and longevity of aged individuals with minimal side effects, exceptional efficacy, and maximum convenience. In this experiment, intermittent D+Q treatment was completed on young and old mice. RNA was extracted from perigonadal adipose tissue and cDNA libraries of mRNA and miRNA were made. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to assess relative gene expression for mRNA and miRNA pertaining to cell senescence, inflammation, …

Predicting Structures Of 2d Materials Enabled By Machine Learning, Sonali Joshi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Prediction of stable structures of two-dimensional (2D) materials that have not been experimentally realized is an important pre-requisite step for the development of these materials for various technological uses without the extensive trial-error experiments. Traditional methods such as density functional theory (DFT) can be used to find the energies of structures computationally, however, calculating the energies of the total number of structures possible would be daunting timewise as well. We propose using machine learning methods to reduce the search time for 2D materials’ geometric structures. Our case study for this process consists of hexagonal graphene-like boron–carbon–nitrogen (h-BCN). Our …

The Evolution Of Substantive Due Process Throughout Time, Vitoria Olivo Factor

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Substantive due process has been of great importance to the decision of many Supreme Court cases since its beginning. Since its inception in Lochner v. New York,[1] the Supreme Court has used the theory of substantive due process in order to grant numerous rights to individuals and this theory has been interpreted differently by each Justice that has crossed its path.

This thesis will explain how recent changes in the composition of the United States Supreme Court make it likely that judicial opinions involving substantive due process will be decided differently. The United States Supreme Court’s future substantive …

Coping Mechanisms In Graduate School Discipline Specific Comparison, Sandra P. Montenegro

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Psychological research has studied the effects of college academic demands on students' wellbeing through the moderating role of coping mechanisms. This study provides further insight by focusing on coping mechanisms among graduate students from different fields, including humanities, STEM, and social sciences. Participants were recruited at the University of Central Florida (n=97). They answered an online survey assessing the prevalence of academic stressors, the use of different coping mechanisms, and strain outcomes, including somatic symptoms, insomnia, and burnout. STEM students reported higher organizational constraints and higher interpersonal conflict compare to students in other fields. Arts and humanities students reported higher …

The Effects Of Roundup On The Life History, Stress Response, And Immune Function Of The Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes Aegypti, Lindsay E. Martin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, vectors for many human diseases, begin life as larvae developing in water, potentially exposed to runoff with herbicides and pesticides. This study serves as a novel investigation into the transstadial effects of exposure to Roundup on A. aegypti life history, immunity, and stress response and aims to account for these effects in an R0 model for vectorborne disease transmission. Prior work has shown that Roundup negatively affects mosquito life history. I hypothesized that larval exposure to the maximum sublethal dose of Roundup (7189µg/L) would negatively impact A. aegypti life history, immunity (candidate gene approach), and stress response …

Australian And New Zealand Army Corps (Anzacs) In World War One: The Making Of National Identity And Erasure Of Women And People Of Color, Simran Pawar

Honors Undergraduate Theses

My work seeks to understand the origins of national identity as it pertains to the Anzacs of Australia and New Zealand, their service at the Battle of Gallipoli, and its use in the establishment of a white, male creation myth in both nations following the end of World War One. I furthermore plan to examine how this Anzac myth excluded and even erased the place of marginalized communities in the birth of Australia and New Zealand as modern nations. In other words, my thesis explores both the insiders and the outsiders of the Anzac myth. My cutting-edge research aims to …

Goodness In Gaming: A Survey On Gamers And Their Altruism, Daniel Amaral

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The psychological inquiry into the effects of videogames and the internet on behavior is still a relatively new field. The question of whether playing violent videogames directly contribute to violent behavior, particularly in reference to its influence in mass shootings, is an important one that needs answers. A plethora of research purportedly shows the negative effects of (violent) videogames, but research showing positive effects, particularly on prosocial behaviors within the virtual world and reality, are less common. If specific videogame preferences are associated with altruistic behaviors, such a finding could elucidate how videogames might contribute to prosocial behavior. In this …

Inter-Rater Reliability And Intra-Rater Reliability Of Synchronous Ultrasound Imaging And Electromyography Measure Of The Lumbopelvic-Hip Muscle Complex, Courtney Caputo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of synchronous ultrasound imaging and electromyography measures of lumbopelvic-hip muscle activity performed by a novice and an experienced investigator in healthy individuals. Electromyography (EMG) has served as the gold standard for quantification of onset of muscle activation; however, ultrasound imaging can visualize muscle activity when collected simultaneously. Methods: A novice and experienced investigator collected a series of 3 ultrasound images at rest and 3 M-mode clips during contraction of each muscle while EMG electrodes collected muscle activity. Muscles collected included: external oblique, erector spinae, rectus abdominis, gluteus …

Algebraic And Combinatorial Approaches For Counting Cycles Arising In Population Biology, Brian Chau

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Within population biology, models are often analyzed for the net reproduction number or other generalized target reproduction numbers, which describe the growth or decline of the population based on specific mechanisms. This is useful in determining the strength and efficiency of control measures for inhibiting or enhancing population growth. The literature contains many algebraic and combinatorial approaches for deriving the net reproduction number and generalized target reproduction numbers from digraphs and associated matrices. Finding, categorizing, and counting the permutations of disjoint cycles, or cycles unions is a requirement of the Cycle Union approach by Lewis et al. (2019). These cycles …

Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles And Beneficial Bacteria: Two Novel Treatments For Eradicating Bacteria Associated With Prosthetic Infection?, Etta Conteh

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate new possible compounds that can be used to treat orthopedic implant infections caused by bacterial pathogens. Current treatment includes the use of antibiotics and the DAIR procedure, which stands for debridement, antibiotic therapy, irrigation, and retention. However, antibiotics are becoming less effective as a treatment due to bacteria gaining antibiotic resistance. Two bacterial species involved in orthopedic implant infections are P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. This thesis investigated cerium oxide nanoparticles and L. fermentum, a beneficial bacterium, as possible treatments to stop bacterial growth and the formation of biofilm. This …

Comparison Of Low Carbohydrate Diets On Renal And Glucose Function In Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Garrett A. Couch

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background - Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a growing crisis that can lead to more problems if left untreated. One of these problems includes diabetic nephropathy or Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). While there have been many advances in the field of treating CKD with medication, there are currently no medications with the capability of stopping the progression of or reversing diabetic nephropathy; however, recent studies have shown that diabetic nephropathy can be stopped and even reversed through dietary interventions. One of these studies went through the effects of a low protein diet on diabetic nephropathy and found very promising …

Exploring Arts Integration In Language Arts Instruction For Elementary Education, Mary A. Dehner

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to provide insight on how arts integration in English language arts education increases engagement and achievement in students and teachers alike. Throughout my analysis of literature, local field research in two Central Florida public elementary schools, and my creation of a five-day arts-integrated writing unit, I found that arts integration, especially when utilizing Leonard Bernstein’s Artful Learning Method was observed to show a positive impact on students. Arts integration allowed for a child’s natural curiosity and instinct to create to take over, which created authentic learning experiences for the students. The research also demonstrated …

Effort Reward Imbalance In The Nursing Profession - A Novel Way Of Gathering Data, Dorailys Fagundo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The effort-reward imbalance model allows us to see disparity in effort and reward and how this can be a predictor for a variety of constructs. The present study seeks to gather data utilizing the ERI modal in the nursing profession. Previous research has utilized the ERI model but methods for gathering data were not quick and efficient. This study seeks to utilize a database called Glassdoor to rapidly and effectively gather data. The researchers are interested in seeing the likelihood of nurses to recommend their company to a friend based on perceived effort and rewards. The sample included a random …

Using Cellphones To Advance Diabetic Foot Care Practice: A Review Of The Literature, Qiuna Fang

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Preventing diabetic foot ulcers among patients diagnosed with diabetes is an important element of care as diabetic foot ulcers present major medical, psychosocial and economic threats. In addition, about 20% of the diabetic foot ulcer cases will ultimately require amputation and cause greater mortality rates. The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate cellphone use to promote diabetic foot care practices among patients with diabetes. Six electronic databases were searched for articles which included text messaging and or phone interventions geared at improving foot care practices. A total of 14 articles dated 2009-2019 met the inclusion criteria and were …

Using Integrated Thematic Units To Teach Social Studies In The Intermediate Grades Classroom, Noelle Frantz

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Teachers are asked every day to teach a variety of subjects to their students, but it is often challenging to find enough time in the day to teach every subject. Often, social studies is the subject that gets left out of the curriculum. The purpose of this project was to examine the research behind thematic units and determine their role as a strategy to teaching social studies in the intermediate grades classroom. I researched thematic units including how to create them and their benefits and challenges. Using the research, I then made a resource for teachers to create their own …

Evaluating The Nutritional Status Of Peruvian Born Children, Chantelle Garcia Medina

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Rural areas of Peru lack access to healthcare resources and poor nutritional knowledge of what should be given to their children throughout their growth and development. The majority of the rural areas rely on a high carbohydrate, moderate vegetable diet, and lacking a protein source. Lower protein intake can lead to problems of malnutrition and growth stunting. Families rarely have monetary resources to provide a protein at every meal for the entire family. There is also a lack of a clean water supply, free of parasites and helminths. Caregivers often rely on replenishing intake with other fluids high …

A Transnational Look At The Modern Women, Isabella Hardesty

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Spanning forty years apart, the short story “Miss Sophia’s Diary” (1926) by Ding Ling and The Bell Jar (1963) by Sylvia Plath can speak to one another in revealing the position of women in a revolutionary new era. The two stories may be generationally and geographically distant, yet both hold a collective female consciousness in the context of the emerging modernist epoch. By examining these two pieces of literature in relation to one another, similar attitudes and stylistic trends emerge regarding the treatment of women. The common archetypes, for each respective time and country, imprinted onto women are at some …

Restortive Effects Of Meditation Apps, Kyle Hart

Honors Undergraduate Theses

We have investigated two different smartphone meditation apps to determine if they have any effects on stress and check if they are a viable tool that users can engage with to cope with stress during a work break. The dependent variables being measured include affective and cognitive restoration. The control group performed a coloring activity using a mandala figure. The experimental conditions engaged in app guided meditation through either 10% Happier or Calm. Both are health apps that are intended to help users practice a variety of mindfulness meditation exercises and help build healthy habits. This research focused on a …