Digital Commons Network^™

The Idea Model As An Effective Instructional Crisis And Risk Communication Framework To Analyze The Cdc’S Messages Aimed At Hispanics In The Covid-19 Era, Sofia E. Salazar

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

This study explores, through a thematic analysis, the messages published in Spanish in the Holiday Celebrations and Small Gatherings [Celebraciones y pequeñas reuniones por las fiestas] section of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website (CDC). To analyze these messages, this study used the IDEA model. The conclusions suggest CDC prioritized internalization and action messages over distribution and explanation in this section of the website. The conclusions also show that although the CDC incorporated all elements of the IDEA model in the messages, the information shared was a mere translation of the English version of the Holiday Celebrations and …

Navigating Troubled Waters: Applying The Idea Model To The Flint Water Crisis, Monica Mayer

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

This study examines the instructional crisis communication surrounding the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Although pre-crisis government communications were widely criticized for their failure to adequately warn the public about dangerous levels of lead and other carcinogenic chemicals in Flint’s water, instructional messaging during the crisis has not received the same level of attention. This study employs qualitative content analysis to examine the website content from the EPA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan governor’s office, Genesee County Health Department, and Flint mayor’s office through the lens of the IDEA model during the height of the crisis. The …

Unbranding: Disenfranchising Terrorism, Disenchanting Terror, David H. Waterman

International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference

The Theory of Brand Reduction (TBR), or unbranding, genericizes an organizational brand in order to reduce or limit its impact within its category or brand group. Unbranding asserts a product is identified by its brand and is perceived by stakeholders based on the characteristics of that brand. For example, terror is a product of some organizations - a means to an end - usually political in natural. Unbranding posits the center of gravity (COG) of an extremist group or organization is its brand. Current and previous counter-terrorism efforts have addressed elements of products but not the source of power of …

Covid Couples: The Impact Of The Novel Coronavirus Pandemic On Intimate Relationships, Victor E. Blocker

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Global crises are associated with significant shifts in the relationship functioning of romantic couples. The novel Coronavirus pandemic has caused financial distress which may pose a threat to the wellbeing of romantic couples. Previous studies show economic declines cause damaging strain on relationship functioning, specifically the relationship satisfaction, conflict resolution, and commitment influencing variables. To study the effects of the pandemic on these relationship functioning variables, researchers recruited and divided 228 participants into two groups – individuals in relationships that began before the outbreak of the COVID pandemic (Before January 2020 – pre-COVID; N= 148), and individuals in relationships …

Predicting Objective Career Success: An Examination Of Leadership And Proactive Personality, Isabella M. Guerrero

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The overall purpose of this study is to examine whether proactive personality and leadership style (transactional and transformational) of university students help predict their academic and professional success. Students from the University of Central Florida were recruited through SONA to participate in an online Qualtrics survey. Proactive personality was measured using the Proactive Personality Scale developed by Crant and Bateman (1993). Leadership was measured using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) created by Bernard M. Bass (1985). Academic success was measured using GPA. Professional success was measured by the given promotions (raises) a student experienced in their specific job divided by …

Human Trafficking And Its Evolution Into Cyberspace: How Has Technology Transformed Human Trafficking Over Time?, Gabriela Landron

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Over the past few years, with the rise of technology, human trafficking has transformed into one of the largest clandestine crimes globally. Though the relationship between human trafficking and technology has gained attention over recent years, the empirical research on this topic is still underdeveloped. As such, the relationship between technological developments and the rise of human trafficking remains unanswered. Within this frame of reference, this research aims to explore this relationship to better understand how human trafficking has flourished in cyberspace and is beginning to depend on technological advancements for predation by using a content analysis of newspaper articles. …

The College Experience In The Eyes Of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Andrea I. Olmeda Santiago

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events experienced by children and adolescents ages zero to 17 that can have a long-lasting effect on a person's overall mental and physical health. Recent studies have shown that the rate of students entering college with one or more ACEs has increased, potentially resulting in a lower rate of college completion. The purpose of this study is to gain insight into how college students with multiple ACEs navigate the college experience despite their barriers. College students are a unique population due to their range of diversity in every aspect of a student's life, including …

Neuroglobin And Its Role In The Recovery Of Neuronal Cells In Hypoxic Conditions Using Hypoxia Inducible Factor– 1, Riya Shah

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Stroke is the world's leading cause of adult disability, caused by lack of oxygen and nutrients to the brain due to a blood clot in a major artery. This leads to ischemic damage of neuronal cells that leads to paralysis, motor, and speech deficits. While most stroke therapies aim at removing or reducing the blood clots in the brain, few treatments target cell damage. Neuroglobin (NGB) is a protein in the brain that is able to aid in neuroprotection following oxidative stress. Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that serves as a marker for cell recovery after hypoxia or …

The Impact Of Immersive Virtual Reality On Procedural Pain In Children And Adolescents, Abigail J. Dannels

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Children commonly undergo uncomfortable and often times painful procedures, including those that may not be perceived as painful to adults (Çelikol, Büyük, & Yıldızlar, 2019). It is important to note when a child's pain is poorly managed, it causes adverse effects related to their well-being and reduces their ability to cope effectively with pain in the future (Gates et al., 2020). Virtual reality (VR) has been used in a multimodal approached to manage acute pain in adults, but there is little research related to its use in treating procedural pain in children and adolescents. This thesis reviewed the published research …

Investigating The Role Of Trust And Self-Confidence In Automation, Daniela R. Miele

Honors Undergraduate Theses

A proper calibration of trust in automation is imperative to achieve optimal overall performance in human-machine systems. Previous research has suggested that human operator trust could be influenced by various situational and dispositional factors, as well as operator self-confidence. It is critical to examine what traits and factors will influence how likely a person is to trust autonomous vehicles as they become more prevalent on today's roadways. The goal of this study was to further examine the relationship between individuals' level of self-confidence in their own driving abilities and their reported trust in automation when driving semi-autonomous cars. It was …

Implicit Bias And Discrimination In Healthcare As Experienced Through An Intersectional Lens, Angela Yen

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to better understand the way that intersectional identities affect one's perception of one's healthcare experience. Many previous studies focus on one facet of the minority experience, such as race or sexual orientation, and even then, limit it to a comparison between the majority population and one small subsection of the population of interest (ex: studying only African-Americans as racial minorities and disregarding other minority races). This study was more of a broad survey that sought to account for the unique intersection of different minority identities that one may possess and which ultimately affects how …

The Impact Of Art Style On Video Games, Eric Sarver

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The focus of this thesis is to explore the impact of art styles on video-games. This was done so that I could contribute something more to the digital media industry regarding this topic, and show people unique data sets that may help guide them in the right direction if they are looking for answers to questions they may have about art styles and their impact on the success of games. This was done through a study that was conducted via an online survey, where results were taken from student participants over the age of 18 in the GAIM program at …

Conflicts In Communication And Academic Needs For Virtual Education Gifted Students, Sarah M. Finley

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Modern education has to take on various roles and contingencies over the last decade – both for good and worse. Public school systems are competing with private and now charter schools for student enrollment and virtual or online learning schools. A question many parents and educators struggle with – how do we grow and develop children and young adults' academic needs through the use of technology?

The question may be simple; however, the answer is far complicated. Technology provides help in various ways a human being cannot, including instant gratification of Google searches, video education, synchronous education game formats, distant …

Technology Or Taboo?: An Analysis Of Emerging Technology Weapons And Weapon Taboos, Mia R. Wilson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Technology tends to evolve over time, leading over things to evolve with it. One example may be the evolution of weapons with technological advancement. When these weapons change, it changes how war is conducted. This paper seeks to delve into the specifics of this phenomena. With technological advancement, the world has seen new threats such as lethal autonomous weapons (LAWs) and cyber weapons. New weapons have been, at times, too threatening. They have created so much stigma around themselves the international community ultimately decided against their use. These weapons may then receive a weapon taboo, discouraging their use. This paper …

Using Dialogic Reading To Facilitate Intergenerational Interactions In Persons With Aphasia: A Feasibility Study, Gillian I. Anderson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching dialogic reading (DR) strategies to patients with aphasia (PWA) as measured by DR strategy use during virtual training sessions. The secondary purpose was to improve psychosocial factors, including communicative participation, perceived stress, and confidence. A single subject multiple baseline across behaviors research design was employed via a telehealth model to examine a training program in DR strategies on expressive linguistic abilities and aspects of quality of life (QoL) in a PWA. Treatment was given four to five times a week and the session length varied based on the …

Evaluating The Nutritional Adequacy Of Peruvian-American Children, Delainey Dietz

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As people move and integrate cultures, nutritional trends may change from those of their native country to those of their new country. With today's increasing global immigration, studies have only scratched the surface of the impact of acculturation on children's health and nutrition. Specifically, the Peruvian-American diet is one that has garnered minimal research. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the common foods and drinks that Peruvian-American children consume, assess the children's physical health, and discuss the possible causative factors of any diet trends. The population sampled is children under 18 years living in the United States whose …

Molten Regolith Electrolysis Processing For Lunar Isru: Financial And Physics Analysis Of Spacex Starship Transportation, Cheyenne Harper

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of the following research is to explore molten regolith electrolysis (MRE) methodology for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) of Highlands lunar regolith, to be explored during the initial Artemis missions. An analysis of potential commercial launch providers for MRE-equipment based on technology-readiness level (TRL), payload mass support, and $ USD/kg payload price is provided. SpaceX is ultimately proposed as a launch provider of MRE equipment following multi-factorial analysis, with the SpaceX Starship human landing system (HLS) variant proposed for supporting MRE payload. Finally, customers of regolith-derived oxygen, aluminum, and silicon are distinguished to form the business case for operating …

Exploring Factors That Contribute To Bereaved Parents' Perceptions Of Neonatal Palliative Care: A Systematic Literature Review, Marie Hamel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Neonatal palliative care (NPC) is an emerging subset of care in United States (US) neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) that provides relief for both infants and families at the end of life for infants with terminal diagnoses. Families play a large role in the decision-making process for their infant, but their experiences with and perceptions of the support and care provided to them via NPC is unclear. This literature review summarizes the state of knowledge on parents' perspectives of NPC while focusing on the specific factors that influence their experiences and satisfaction with NPC. This literature review was conducted following …

An Examination Of The Research Related To American Physicians' Prescription Of Opioid Analgesics Before And After The Joint Commission Pain Standards For 2001, Valory Anne S. Vailoces

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the literature regarding physicians’ prescriptions of opioid analgesics before and after The Joint Commission Pain Standards for 2001. Opioids are a last resort treatment for chronic pain due to their high potential for tolerance, dependency, and misuse. The establishment of The Joint Commission Pain Standards for 2001 was the culmination of several movements to address the underassessment and undertreatment of pain. The Joint Commission Pain Standards for 2001 focused on improving pain assessment, management, and treatment through a systematic approach. The Joint Commission (TJC), formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of …

Misinformation In The Media And Its Influence On Racism, Jared Champa

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of the current study was to examine how the media's positive and negative portrayals related to racism impact the viewer's attitudes regarding African Americans. Previous research has shown how misinformation in the media can implicitly affect one's level of racism. Previous research has also shown that gender and one's sociodemographic status can affect the way individuals perceive misinformation. This study aimed to address the relationship between misinformation depicting racist views directed toward African Americans and consumer's attitudes toward African Americans. It was hypothesized that exposure to misinformation will have a significant impact on participants' level of racism. A …

Identifying Pathways Affected By The Hrpa Rna Helicase, Brandon Simons

Honors Undergraduate Theses

HrpA is a poorly characterized DEAH-box helicase found in many enterobacteria, including Escherichia coli. For unknown reasons, HrpA causes sickness in cells lacking Elongation Factor P, a transpeptidation enhancer that prevents ribosome stalling at proline-rich motifs during protein synthesis. HrpA's C-terminal RNA binding motifs and association with the degradosome suggest this protein interferes with an important translational process. Deletion of hrpA does not produce an overt phenotype, obscuring its role in cellular physiology. This thesis sought to identify pathways affected by this highly conserved protein. A bioinformatic analysis of HrpA's predicted interactome was conducted using a database called STRING. In …

College Men's Sexual Aggression Perpetration: Understanding The Role Of Child Abuse, Romantic Rejection, And Self-Worth, Alexandra C. Sabal

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Sexual aggression is a pervasive issue on college campuses, and many risk factors have been studied in an attempt to understand and reduce perpetration. In the current study, I focus on men's history of child abuse, romantic rejection, and sources of self-worth as potential predictors of sexual aggression perpetration. As part of an ongoing online cross-sectional study (target N = 600), data were analyzed for 72 college men. Descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations were used to characterize the current sample describe patterns of relationships between study variables. Results indicate that all forms of child abuse were significantly positively associated with …

Construction Of The Social Distance Scale And The Relationship Between Trait Empathy And Social Distancing, Michaela Prachthauser

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper describes the development of a brief self-report screening measure of adherence to social distancing and self-protective behaviors in pandemic situations. It provides initial statistical evaluations of correlations between social distancing behaviors and two trait measures (social desirability and trait empathy). Items measures were designed to quantify behaviors recommended by the CDC as primary strategies to prevent and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 infection. An item pool of 29 questions was generated with the aim of estimating the frequency of specific behaviors and were written to avoid confounding the description of behavioral actions with evaluative judgements. Responses were …

The Effect Of Aerobic Exercise On Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review, Delaney K. Cole

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects that aerobic exercise activities can have on various stereotypical behaviors found in children on the autism spectrum. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong, developmental disability that can impact how an individual communicates, behaves, as well as moves. Physical activity has long been implemented in the treatment plans of children with diagnoses along the autism spectrum; However, specific data relating to the impact of aerobic activity is quite scattered. Aerobic activities require the body to be able to take oxygen from the air around it and circulate it through the …

The Role Of Acculturative Stress In Immigrant Mental Health, Daaman S. Lall

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Acculturative stress, the stress that originates from adapting to a new culture, is investigated for its role in immigrant mental health. Prior research shows that acculturative stress is commonly associated with adverse mental health outcomes, but this relationship is not inevitable and depends upon many in-group and individual characteristics. This survey study intended to determine whether the relationship found in the literature exists among UCF undergraduate immigrants and whether new variables can play a role in this relationship. Valid and reliable scales were used to measure acculturative stress, mental health, social support, subjective wellbeing, bicultural integration, and cultural orientation. Inconsistent …

Teacher Effectiveness In Underserved, Underfunded, And Under-Resourced Elementary Schools, Anais A. Placencia

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Based on previous studies and the author's observations pre-service teachers do not typically consider teaching in underserved areas as their preferred option (Aragon et al., 2014). My goal for this study was to provide PSTs with a different perspective on teaching in urban areas by developing a compendium of evidenced-based practices based on the five major patterns found in effective teaching in underserved elementary schools. A qualitative content analysis of research on teacher effectiveness in underserved, underfunded, and under-resourced elementary schools allowed me to gather data from previous studies to identify evidenced-based best practices for this particular setting. Based on …

Racial Disparities Among Black Women In Maternal Health: A Literature Review, Tatiyana Rich

Honors Undergraduate Theses

African American women are at a higher risk of experiencing maternal health complications than women of other races. Determining the factors that contribute to the severity of their maternal health complications can help bring awareness and exposure to the disparities among black women in maternal health. The purpose of this study was to explore the various elements that contribute to the high pregnancy mortality ratio and infant mortality ratio in black women and black infants. The secondary purpose was to determine the relationship between stereotypes about African American women as healthcare consumers and the disproportionate percentage of black women experiencing …

Self-Affirmation Intervention On Eating Disorders, Stephanie Kaine

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research studied the feasibility of a self-affirmation identity technique as an intervention in the treatment of eating disorders patients. Self-affirmations have been proven successful among various problems so this research examined the effectiveness it'd have on participants with eating disorders.

Using Physical Exercise Interventions To Reduce Depression And Anxiety In People With Lung Cancer, Jordan E. Dubocq

Honors Undergraduate Theses

People with lung cancer are at a high risk of developing anxiety and depression during cancer treatments. Previous research has shown physical activity to be effective in improving psychological symptoms in people with cancer, however, the majority of studies have focused on female breast cancer survivors. The purpose of this literature review was to determine if physical activity interventions can effectively and feasibly reduce anxiety and depression in people with lung cancer who are undergoing treatment. A database search was conducted in CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo, and SPORTDiscus. The search resulted in 265 articles and 9 were selected for …

Sign Language And Language Development: A Meta-Analysis, Yasmin Sanchez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study takes a look at baby signing and its effect on caregiver responsiveness, considering how vital caregiver responsiveness is when it comes to language development. A meta-analytic review that quantitatively combines data was conducted to estimate the effect size between baby signs and caregiver responsiveness. There were no restrictions on geography or culture in which studies were conducted. However, the time period of publication was limited from 2009 to 2020 in an attempt to examine the most recent research possible. The following search terms were used: baby signing, gestures, caregiver responsiveness, caregiver interactions, and caregiver. For a study to …