Digital Commons Network^™

Theme Park Visitors Prefer Human-Like Robots In Customer Service Interactions, Ady Milman, Asli D.A. Tasci

Rosen Research Review

Service robots are becoming increasingly popular in many industries and social settings, including education, childcare, elderly therapy centers, and even theme parks. Tourism and hospitality industries are adopting robots enthusiastically and are being closely studied to observe guest engagement and reaction to robotic services. Service robots are becoming increasingly popular in many industries and social settings, including education, childcare, elderly therapy centers, and even theme parks. Tourism and hospitality industries are adopting robots enthusiastically and are being closely studied to observe guest engagement and reaction to robotic services. UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management researchers, Dr. Ady Milman and Dr. …

Vertebrate Animal Behaviors And Abundances On Estuarine Shorelines Stabilized With Biodegradable Materials Utilizing Wildlife Cameras, Katherine Guise

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Living shoreline stabilization is a restoration technique that utilizes natural materials as breakwaters, plus vegetation landward of the breakwaters, to protect coastlines. This research does not provide information about how new, biodegradable restoration materials affect vertebrates that utilize these shorelines. For this project, I monitored 18 restoration sites along Canaveral National Seashore with wildlife trail cameras: 3 made with cement-infused jute breakwaters, 3 with metal gabion oyster shell breakwaters, and 4 with previously used breakwaters manufactured from plastic mesh oyster shell bags. This project used 4 sites as positive controls (intact vegetation) and 4 as negative controls (highly eroded, no …

Data Set: Themes In Health Sciences Librarianship Literature, 2016-2020: A Keyword And Subject Analysis, Shalu Gillum, Terri Gotschall, Pamela Herring, Deedra Walton, Natasha Williams, Nadine Dexter

Research Data and Datasets

Data set for Themes in Health Sciences Librarianship Literature, 2016-2020: A Keyword and Subject Analysis.

Ulysses At 100, Chris Ackerly, Vitor Alevato Do Amaral, M. Teresa Caneda-Cabrera, Bradley D. Clissold, Luca Crispi, Stephen Dilks, Katherine Ebury, Cheryl Herr, Scott W. Klein, Onno Kosters, Peter Kuch, Ronan Mcdonald, Vicki Mahaffey, Katy Mullin, Stephen Ross, Enrico Terrinoni, David Thorburn, Joseph Valente, Jolanta Wawrzycka

James Joyce Literary Supplement

The year 2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses. The following reflections express different sentiments and thoughts about the novel that gave T. S. Eliot “all the surprise, delight, and terror that I can require.”

Cinema And Its Others, Nicholas Andrew Miller

James Joyce Literary Supplement

No abstract provided.

More Than Just Captions: Using Universal Design For Learning (Udl) Guidelines To Create Accessible Videos, Rachel E. Trnka

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The presentation at the 2023 Designing for Digital Conference explains the value of using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines proactively to design accessible videos in response to a new policy adopted at one librarian’s university; it challenges a common view that adding captions is all that is required to create accessible videos.

Vulnerability And Resilience In A Tourism Destination, Sergio Alvarez, Alan Fyall

Rosen Research Review

In an industry that is critically vulnerable to hazards, some destinations are hit harder than others by the same or similar events. UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management researchers, Dr. Sergio Alvarez and Dr. Alan Fyall, have developed a conceptual model that sees the destination's vulnerability as the sum of its physical, social-cultural, economic, ecological/environmental, and institutional vulnerabilities, nestled within its level of exposure to different hazards. Their framework offers to better equip destination management organizations (DMOs) by identifying vulnerabilities and facilitating more effective planning and decision making.

Diamond's Hidden Gems - Chinese Lunar New Year, Diamond Williams, Ucf Libraries

Libraries' Documents

Whether you're visiting the John C. Hitt library or simply walking through, you've probably noticed the latest exhibit on the art wall, as well as several exhibit cases. This display depicts the Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year exhibit, and will be up until the end of January!

Analysis Of Lepilemur Edwardsi Seasonal Acoustic Activity, Samantha Henry

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) has historically been used as a noninvasive technique to study biodiversity, activity patterns, distribution, and species dispersal. The use of acoustic data has expanded in ecological research; however, studies focusing on primates are underrepresented, especially for nocturnal species. This study seeks to increase the understanding of acoustic activity in the nocturnal Milne-Edwards' sportive lemur (Lepilemur edwardsi). This species is endangered and endemic to the lowland dry forests in northwest Madagascar. Specifically, this study aims to describe the daily and annual acoustic activity patterns of the L. edwardsi. The PAM survey was conducted using …

Ivermectin On Twitter: Investigating Early Advocacy For Covid-19 Vaccine Alternatives, Daniel Gabriel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

An emerging pattern of public doubt in scientific and political authorities has been seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, where numerous alternatives to vaccinations have gone viral. Ivermectin's growth from a relatively known specialist drug to a political controversy is a striking example of the amplification that social media can provide. Doubt in the dangers of illness has occurred in regard to previous diseases with limited impact, including the Zika virus, Ebola, and H1N1. However, the COVID-19 pandemic's impact in the United States is a much larger example of the gaps in current risk assessments and methods of public health authorities. …

Evaluation Of The Violence And Stigmatization Against Children With Disabilities: A Literature Review, Nmesoma Ozougwu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Violence and Stigmatization against children with disabilities are critical public health issues. Children with disabilities are a vulnerable population as they are exposed to various forms of discrimination and violence globally. The forms of abuse include, but are not limited to, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The experiences of Children with disabilities are massively undocumented and there is also a lack of existing literature addressing the issue. The abuse and violence against children with disabilities are also underreported specifically in cultures where this abuse is socially accepted. There are gaps in the literature regarding the condition of children with disabilities …

The Role Of Mental Health Evaluations In The Prevention And Intervention Of School Shootings, Livine Saint-Louis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In 2022, there were forty-two mass school shootings, a record that surpassed the previous years. As of April 2023, there have already been fourteen school shootings that have resulted in injury or death. Each year, the frequency of mass school shootings and the number of victims continue to rise. Regarding the shooters' characteristics, some have reported a history of mental illness, instability within the home, poor academic performance, and more. In the United States (U.S.), one out of five children and adolescents are diagnosed with mental health disorders (Brookman, 2017). This study will examine four significant perpetrators that committed mass …

Soft Skills In Stem, Mariana Sorroza Aguilar

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Those working in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields are delivering world-changing solutions to the problems we face and are saving lives every day. Some of them do surgeries, some design airplanes and cars, others study the wildlife around us, and others create processes to facilitate the manufacturing of devices we use often. In order to do this, the engineers, scientists, doctors, and other professionals in STEM disciplines need to possess hard skills. Hard skills are often called technical skills and are measurable abilities and skills that are needed to perform tasks effectively. The tasks done share something in …

The Efficacy Of Treatment Of Symptoms Of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome And Associated Health Risks Using Insulin Sensitizers: A Meta-Analysis, Isabella J. Wong

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is common among women of reproductive age (ages 15-49), and it can put patients at higher risk for diseases such as type II diabetes or coronary heart disease. While the mechanisms behind PCOS are poorly understood, it is diagnosed using two characteristics: hyperandrogenism and anovulation. Once diagnosed, many patients are also tested for insulin resistance (IR). While IR is thought of as a symptom of PCOS, this study will examine the effects of treatment of IR to manage symptoms of PCOS rather than treatment of hyperandrogenism. This meta-analysis used data from studies previously published by searching …

Diet Change Over Time In The Ais Community Of Cape Canaveral, Florida, Allyson Shenkman

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Diet change over time is assessed for a Malabar II period (900 C.E. to 1565 C.E.) Ais indigenous community in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at the Penny Plot site (8BR158). To this end, 7,760 faunal fragments were examined, with 1,876 identified at the species, genus, or family level. Through identification and analysis of faunal remains, it can be concluded that, while the amounts of overall remains left behind as a whole increased, there were no significant changes in the types of fauna utilized or patterns of consumption. This suggests that the indigenous people who occupied this site managed their resources very …

Propaganda, Criticism, And War: A Study Of Regime Criticism By Propagandists In War, Jack C. Seay

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper investigates when propagandists criticize their country's war effort, examining instances where propagandists openly criticize the regimes they are expected to support during an armed conflict. This is a unique and relatively unexplored angle on propaganda, differing from widespread research on the range of effects that propaganda has on a target population, the reasons behind using propaganda on a target population, and the methods propagandists use to raise support for a political authority. Understanding when propagandists criticize their country's war effort can mitigate their influence by helping audiences identify when and how propagandists use criticism to their advantage. The …

Ruffled: Examining Feminism & Femininity Through Animation, Savannah Berry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The animated short film Ruffled confronts the subjects of Feminism and Femininity through the after-hour musings of a young seamstress. Sewing to patterns and working from their papered paradigms she discovers her unique voice that is both referential of the past while remaining distinctly modern. The struggle twenty-first century Feminists may encounter when determining their place within a history rich with prejudice, confrontation, and triumph is metaphorically represented in each of the character's attempts at garment creation. Within the film, not only does this clothing harken back to vintage apparel but whimsically transforms her surroundings to reflect three visually distinct …

Preclinical Assessment Of Psychoplastogens For Treatment Of Psychiatric Symptoms And Neuroplasticity Deficits In Huntington Disease, Nicholas Skiados

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Huntington disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. HD manifests as a triad of psychiatric, cognitive, and motor symptoms, the latter of which defines symptomatic onset of the disease. Psychiatric symptoms including aggression and depression often emerge decades prior to motor symptom onset. Psychiatric disorders are closely linked with dysregulated neural plasticity, the ability of the brain to form new synaptic connections. Neural plasticity is impaired in HD, potentially playing a role in psychiatric symptoms. However, the association between plasticity and psychopathology in HD has yet to be thoroughly …

A Pilot Study Of An Immersive Folktale User Experience, Iulia Popescu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Immersive media provides new avenues for preserving and sharing traditional folktales. To keep up with modern generations and continue to cultivate an interest in the arts as well as different cultures, this researcher argues that storytellers need to keep on adapting by conveying stories in new ways. Virtual Reality (VR) offers an interesting medium to present and preserve folktales. The goal of this study is to evaluate the user and learner experience of an immersive digital media application design using a think aloud protocol, surveys, and tests to document what worked and what did not in the design, including if …

Investigating Mobility Across The Life Course Through Stable Isotope Analysis At The Early Medieval Site Of Berettyóújfalu Somata, Hungary, Brianna Jayne Muir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Migration Period (375 to 568 CE) of Central and Eastern Europe was a tumultuous time politically, culturally, and socially. Historical and archaeological evidence provide support for the large-scale movement of multiple tribes and groups, including the Gepids and Avars, although biogeochemical evidence for mobility is currently limited for these populations. Mobility can impact individual and group health and identity, and has socio-political implications for broader regions involved. As such, identifying the extent and scale of mobility within a given population can provide nuanced insights into multiple aspects of life and society in the past. To investigate mobility in a …

Responses Of A Pine Flatwoods Specialist Treefrog To Prescribed Fire, Ian Biazzo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Coarse outcomes of prescribed fires are well-understood, but fine scale impacts on many assemblages are still unknown. When fire approaches, animals escape to unburned areas, hide in place, or are killed by fire. Treefrogs are unique in their use of trees for most of their adult nonbreeding activities. This reliance on uplands and three-dimensional landscape composition makes them a great model to study prescribed fire impacts. We focused analyses on an upland flatwoods specialist comprising 99% of our captures, the pinewoods treefrog Dryophytes femoralis. We assessed this species' responses to prescribed fire using two separate before-after-control-impact replicated field experiments in …

Refining The Use Of Stable Isotope Analysis In Detecting Wildlife Laundering, Kevin Guilfoyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The international wildlife trade has caused significant declines in wild populations. Captive breeding can reduce the pressure on wild populations caused by overcollection, but if not properly monitored, wildlife laundering can lead to further population declines. Improving the forensic ability to detect wildlife laundering will assist in monitoring the wildlife trade and enforcing regulations, thereby aiding recovery of wild populations. Stable isotope analysis has grown in importance as a forensic tool, but improvements are needed. Here, stable isotope analysis (δ13C) on eggshells of captive bred and wild sourced island apple snails (Pomacea maculata) distinguished between the two; eggshells of captive …

Variation In Genetic Structure And Dispersal Of Juvenile Green Turtles, Gustavo Stahelin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Sea turtles are long-lived, globally distributed animals with a complex life-history. Individuals from different populations often share the same foraging areas (mixed stock aggregations). Understanding patterns of dispersal and connectivity between reproductive populations and mixed stock aggregations is fundamental for the development of effective conservation plans. Recently, green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) populations in several reproductive areas have increased, providing an opportunity to evaluate how demographic changes in reproductive areas impact dispersal to, and the composition of, mixed stock aggregations. In this dissertation, I evaluated how dispersal from reproductive populations in the Greater Caribbean to mixed stock aggregations may have …

Lived Experience At Plinkaigalis, Lithuania: An Integrated Approach Using Stable Isotope, Spatial, And Statistical Analyses, Alexandria Orozco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The Migration period (4th-7th century AD) represents a time of major sociopolitical change, but relatively little is known about this time in Lithuania's history (Bliujien?, 2013; Jankauskas & Kozlovskaya, 1999). The focus of this dissertation is to understand the lived experiences of individuals interred in the Migration Period cemetery at Plinkaigalis, Lithuania, through integrated analyses of stable isotope, statistical and spatial methods to assess 253 human bone/tooth samples. Isotopic analysis included assessments of stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotope values. Statistical analysis included a MANOVA (Multivariate Analysis of Variance) test. Spatial methods included buffers, kernel density, spatial statistics (Moran's …

Coalition Formation And Beamsteering Optimization For Directional Software-Defined Radios, Sayanta Seth

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA), also known as Dynamic Spectrum Management, is the method of utilizing a set of spectrum techniques in real time to provide the ability to share wireless channels between Primary (or licensed) users (PUs) and Secondary (or unlicensed) users (SUs). The system is so designed that under normal circumstances, the PUs always get priority, but DSA enables the SUs to use the licensed bands as long as they do not create any interference on the PUs. Hence, the goal of utilizing the spectrum more efficiently can be achieved. Though DSA has been researched extensively as a new …

Painting And Fear: The Creation Of Death's Visage, Mark A. Felbinger

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Death's Visage is a feature film that was created from an idea developed due to a personal relationship with an artist, who was a professional illustrator and painter. The film follows a young woman who becomes entrapped in a demonic sphere and time zone where her fear is the demon's gratification. She questions the events that are unfolding, which creates herpsychological turmoil, while taking place in the family home that is in an older established middle-class neighborhood.

Death's Visage was a micro-budgeted film produced for $20,778. The capital needed for this film meets the University of Central Florida Feature Film …

The Stench Of Miasma And The Fragrance Of Daffodils: Reconstructing Historical Scentscapes In Mesopotamia, Samantha N. Levy

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

My thesis interrogates the role that the sense of smell plays in the experience of place, arguing that scent has been virtually ignored in public history contexts. The thesis will review the foundational scholarship on the history of the senses and relate the findings of interdisciplinary research that demonstrates how the senses alter one's understanding of the environment and even the formation of memories. This work is relevant to the field of public history since smell can be used to captivate the public in a memorable—and potentially more authentic—engagement with the Mesopotamian past. To address gaps in the present scholarship, …

Exploring The Feasibility Of Machine Learning Techniques In Recognizing Complex Human Activities, Shengnan Hu

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This dissertation introduces several technical innovations that improve the ability of machine learning models to recognize a wide range of complex human activities. As human sensor data becomes more abundant, the need to develop algorithms for understanding and interpreting complex human actions has become increasingly important. Our research focuses on three key areas: multi-agent activity recognition, multi-person pose estimation, and multimodal fusion.

To tackle the problem of monitoring coordinated team activities from spatio-temporal traces, we introduce a new framework that incorporates field of view data to predict team performance. Our framework uses Spatial Temporal Graph Convolutional Networks (ST-GCN) and recurrent …

Clay As A Control Technique For Karenia Brevis: Water Chemistry Dynamics And Physiological Impacts On Benthic Invertebrates, Victoria Devillier

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Clay-based compounds are globally the most advanced and widely used method of direct suppression of marine harmful algal blooms, and are currently undergoing investigation as an option to control Karenia brevis blooms in Florida. Before clay may be accepted for widespread use, there are multiple concerns and challenges that must be addressed regarding the environmental safety of this method, such as effects on water quality, the fate of toxins, and potential impacts of clay treatment to non-target organisms. To contribute to ongoing assessments of clay as a potential control method for K. brevis blooms, we conducted experiments with a formulation …

Understanding The Interactions Between Conservation Agencies And Rangers: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Christina M. Burton

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Research describing conservation agencies has generally been exploratory and limited in the use of theory. Similarly, organizational theories can provide an understanding for how organizations change and adapt to their given environments, but they have not been applied to conservation agencies with unique challenges and strains from other public bureaucracies or private corporations. In expanding this body of literature, not only were these theories applied conservation agencies, but they were also explored in what Powell and Colyvas (2008, p. 276) called "microfoundations" of organizations, which focuses on the interplay between individuals and organizations. To explore this, a convergent mixed-methods design …