Digital Commons Network^™

From Crisis To Classroom: Evaluating Academic Success In Vulnerable Populations During The Covid-19 Emergency Education Era, Jake Novak

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study investigated school closures' impact on students from vulnerable populations in elementary classrooms. The research places an emphasis on the importance of an equitable and effective educational system in every community. It highlights the role of formal education in providing opportunities for social advancement and promoting the development of individuals and nations. The impact of the COVID-19 Emergency on access to quality education and the challenges and inequities faced by vulnerable populations are emphasized. This research also discusses the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations in 2015 to ensure inclusive and equitable education for all children …

Impacts Of Professional Development On Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Implementation Of Cognitively Demanding Tasks, Maria Porras Monroy

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study provided insight into the impact a professional development series on cognitively demanding tasks had on teachers’ identification and implementation of tasks, as well as, determined which aspects of the professional development were beneficial to participants’ understanding of cognitively demanding tasks. The professional development included five sessions and was centered on the Instructional Quality Assessment (IQA) Potential of the Task and Implementation of the Task Rubrics (Boston et al., 2019). As part of the study, participants submitted tasks and student artifacts pre and post professional development. The investigation included an analysis of tasks, student artifacts, and a thematic analysis …

Examining The Impact Of A Video Review Guide On Robotic Surgical Skill Improvement, Mary Mansour Soliman

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Surgical education has the arduous task of providing effective and efficient methods of surgical skill acquisition and clinical judgment while staying abreast with the latest surgical technologies within an ever-changing field. Robotic surgery is one such technology. Many surgeons in practice today were either never taught or were not effectively taught robotic surgery during training, leaving them to navigate the robotic learning curve and reach mastery independently. This dissertation examines the impact of a video review guide on improving robotic surgical skills. Using Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory as a framework, the literature review argues that video review can be used …

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training: Exploring Implementation Factors Of Delivering Training In Florida Schools, Lakaysia Smith

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

To address the concern of school violence and mental health, the state of Florida implemented a statewide mandate requiring school personnel to be trained in strategies to identify and respond to the mental health needs of students. Existing research supports the effectiveness of Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA), the training program selected by the Florida Department of Education to implement in public schools. To date, limited research has explored the implementation experiences of YMHFA trainers. This qualitative descriptive study explored trainers’ experiences implementing YMHFA within school settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 YMHFA trainers employed in Florida public …

Exploring The Benefits Of The Integration Of Xr And Bim For Retrofitting Projects, John Sermarini

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Rapidly changing population dynamics and increased energy needs have reduced demand for building renovation in favor of more wasteful complete demolition and reconstruction. This dissertation aims to enhance the accessibility and ease of use of challenging retrofitting methodologies to mitigate adverse effects of urbanization, increasing resource use, and aging building stock within the United States. Retrofitting is a process focused on upgrading a component or feature of a structure that was not initially constructed or manufactured, and it is often done to modernize, restore, or repurpose a structure. These renovations are difficult and costly to plan and implement, frequently contributing …

Examining Factors Associated With Secondary Trauma Through Lived Experiences Of K-12 School Leaders And Their Impact On School Leadership Practices., Shakelia M. Henderson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This dissertation delves into the intricate examination of factors associated with secondary trauma as experienced by K-12 urban school leaders and the subsequent influence on their leadership practices. A primary objective of this research is to comprehend the contributing factors leading to post-traumatic growth among school leaders while also investigating their perceptions of the school district's role in fostering this growth. Set within an urban school district, this study focuses explicitly on Title 1 schools, where the impact is expected to be pronounced. Existing literature highlights a dearth of knowledge regarding the nuanced effects of secondary trauma on school leaders, …

Efficient And Effective Deep Learning Methods For Computer Vision In Centralized And Distributed Applications, Matias Mendieta

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

In the rapidly advancing field of computer vision, deep learning has driven significant technological transformations. However, the widespread deployment of these technologies often encounters efficiency challenges, such as high memory usage, demanding computational resources, and extensive communication overhead. Efficiency has become crucial for both centralized and distributed applications of deep learning, ensuring scalability, real-world applicability, and broad accessibility. In distributed settings, federated learning (FL) enables collaborative model training across multiple clients while maintaining data privacy. Despite its promise, FL faces challenges due to clients' constraints in memory, computational power, and bandwidth. Centralized training systems also require high efficiency, where optimizing …

A Multiscale Meshless Method For Simulating Cardiovascular Flows, Kyle Beggs

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The rapid increase in computational power over the last decade has unlocked the possibility of providing patient-specific healthcare via simulation and data assimilation. In the past 2 decades, computational approaches to simulating cardiovascular flows have advanced significantly due to intense research and adoption of methods in medical device companies. A significant source of friction in porting these tools to the hospital and getting in the hands of surgeons is due to the expertise required to handle the geometry pre-processing and meshing of models. Meshless meth- ods reduce the amount of corner cases which makes it easier to develop robust tools …

Neurogaze In Virtual Reality: Assessing An Eeg And Eye Tracking Interface Against Traditional Virtual Reality Input Devices, Wanyea Barbel

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

NeuroGaze is a novel Virtual Reality (VR) interface that integrates electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye tracking technologies to enhance user interaction within virtual environments (VEs). Diverging from traditional VR input devices, NeuroGaze allows users to select objects in a VE through gaze direction and cognitive intent captured via EEG signals. The research assesses the performance of the NeuroGaze system against conventional input devices such as VR controllers and eye gaze combined with hand gestures. The experiment, conducted with 20 participants, evaluates task completion time, accuracy, cognitive load through the NASA-TLX surveys, and user preference through a post-evaluation survey. Results indicate that …

The Effects Of Sexual Assault On Identity And Interpersonal Relationships Among Male And Female Victims, Ishara Jean-Francois

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The current study aimed to examine the effect of sexual assault on identity and interpersonal relationships. Although previous studies have examined the connection between sexual assault and interpersonal relationships following assault, there is a lack of research that examines possible gender differences. Further, the effect of sexual assault on identity has been understudied. Male victims are less likely to report their assault for various reasons. Therefore, it is important to focus on this demographic so their stories and experience do not go untold, and they can get the proper help and resources. College students (N= 505) completed an anonymous online …

The Color Of Disease: Race Science, Pandemic Influenza, And The Rise Of Epidemiology In The Segregated South, Andrew Kishuni

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This thesis evaluates the relationship between race science and eugenics, statistical epidemiology and Southern public health thought, African American health, and the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic. Historians have neglected the flu as an important epidemiological event in Southern history and historiography. To demonstrate the significance of the flu, this thesis makes several arguments based on research from new qualitative and quantitative evidence. The chief argument is that African Americans suffered disproportionately compared to whites in the South, challenging the consensus that the flu affected both races equally. Segregation did not protect African Americans from the flu. In some cases, African Americans …

Adapting Models For Florida’S Public Secondary Schools: A Case Study Of Collegiate Writing Centers, Erin M. Shorthill

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

While working for four years in a college writing center, often with dual enrolled high school students, I began asking myself why our local high schools do not have writing centers of their own. The effectiveness of writing centers in helping students advance their critical thinking and written communication skills is well documented, and yet students of diverse geographical locations and socio-economic status often arrive at college under-prepared for the rigor of academic written discourse. Employing a combination of institutional analysis and constructivist grounded theory, I conducted case studies on three Florida college writing centers, focusing on staffing models, training …

Opto-Electronic Oscillator Driven Electro-Optic Modulator Based Optical Frequency Comb, Lawrence Trask

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Optical frequency combs (OFC) are now a well-known tool for utilizing broad optical bandwidths with electronic resolution. Several applications including spectroscopy, metrology, ultra-wideband signal processing, and communications are being propelled forward by optical frequency combs. The advent of high repetition rate optical frequency combs for use in astrophotonics has elucidated the need for newer architectures. This dissertation discloses a self-oscillating, self-stabilizing, and self-referenced opto-electronic oscillator (OEO) driven electro-optic modulated (EOM) based optical frequency comb. We demonstrate a new path towards high repetition rate OFCs with two major developments. The use of a photonically filtered OEO simultaneously stabilizes the optical carrier …

Students' Perceptions Of Hospitality And Tourism Internships On Career Pathways: Transformational Versus Transactional Internships, Jessica L. Wickey

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Internships provide a platform for students to apply theoretical knowledge in a practical setting and to gain hands-on experience (Simons et al., 2012). Moreover, internships can help students build networks and connections within their chosen industry, which can later prove valuable in their career development. This qualitative exploratory study investigated students' perceptions of their hospitality and tourism internships on how they perceive their career pathways after completing an internship in a four-year degree program. For this study, a group of Junior and Senior hospitality and tourism university students from a major university were interviewed. The researcher utilized a phenomenological approach …

Cultivating Green Public Spaces And Backyard Gardens Amid Covid-19: An Anthropological Study Of Metro-Orlando Gardeners, Chelsea N. Daws

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This dissertation critically analyzes home and community gardens within Metro-Orlando by considering the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic impacts residents' garden participation and access to green public spaces. The study utilizes an ethnographic approach to produce informed understandings of participants' experiences within local gardens, alternative food networks, and community supported agriculture analyzed using Marxian theoretical frameworks. Findings are primarily grounded in qualitative information derived from interviews, participant observation, and photovoice. Data were collected both prior to the global COVID-19 outbreak and over subsequent months of lockdown and public health mitigation measures. Primarily focusing on local community garden organizers, community garden …

A Meta-Analysis Of Cannabis Research: Is There Evidence Of Lasting Neurocognitive Effects?, Mark J. Crisafulli

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Cannabis use in the United States has generally increased over the past decade as more States have legalized recreational use. In conjunction with changes to the chemical makeup, which has made available cannabis more potent, the long-term effects experienced by cannabis users may have changed, and more individuals may be effected. The current study replicated the methods used in Schreiner & Dunn (2012) and Grant et al. (2003) to conduct a meta-analysis examining the neurocognitive effects of cannabis after abstinence lasting a period of at least 25 days. Previous research has found mixed results, with some studies finding significant differences …

Giving Voice To The Voiceless: Health Communication And Female Fieldworkers In Central Florida, Sofia Salazar

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This qualitative research project examined health experiences of female agricultural workers in central Florida. Specifically, this study identified the most common physical and mental health illnesses and issues reported by female agricultural workers, their health-related decision-making processes, methods used to access health-related information, and the challenges they encounter when attempting to access health-related information, support, and services. In total, 21 interviews were conducted with women who had worked for at least one year as an agricultural worker in central Florida. The data was analyzed for emergent themes based on a codebook developed using the IDEA model as a theoretical framework. …

Addressing Challenges In Utilizing Gpus For Accelerating Privacy-Preserving Computation, Ardhi Wiratama Baskara Yudha

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Cloud computing increasingly handles confidential data, like private inference and query databases. Two strategies are used for secure computation: (1) employing CPU Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) like AMD SEV, Intel SGX, or ARM TrustZone, and (2) utilizing emerging cryptographic methods like Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) with libraries such as HElib, Microsoft SEAL, and PALISADE. To enhance computation, GPUs are often employed. However, using GPUs to accelerate secure computation introduces challenges addressed in three works.

In the first work, we tackle GPU acceleration for secure computation with CPU TEEs. While TEEs perform computations on confidential data, extending their capabilities to GPUs …

Validating Machine And Human Decision-Making In Forensic Fire Debris Analysis, Frances A. Whitehead

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This work presents a background on the chemical complexity of fire debris analysis, including an ever-present matrix of pyrolysis products as the catalyst that led to the creation of the National Center for Forensic Science's Fire Debris Database. A selection of these 1,000+ casework-relevant ground truth samples was used to create two newly proposed analyst workflows to connect the current method of categorical reporting with evaluative reporting practices reflective of the strength of the evidence. Both workflows use linear sequential unmasking to help mitigate bias, a discrete scoring system for quantification of the analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves …

An Analysis Of Teacher Characteristics And Perceptions Of Grading Practices On Student Grade Outcomes, Michael B. Meechin

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship, if any, between teachers' grade distributions and other moderating factors (i.e., teacher perceptions of grading practices as indicated on the Teacher Perceptions of Grading Practices Survey (TPGPS), grade level taught, enrollment in teacher preparation program, and grading practice methodology). A Pearson correlation was used to research statistical significance in the relationship of a teacher’s perceptions of grading practices as measured by the TPGPS and their grade distribution (as measured by an average of scores, calculated on a 4.0 scale, in one course over one academic quarter). A one-way ANOVA was …

Internet-Of-Things Privacy In Wifi Networks: Side-Channel Leakage And Mitigations, Mnassar Alyami

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

WiFi networks are susceptible to statistical traffic analysis attacks. Despite encryption, the metadata of encrypted traffic, such as packet inter-arrival time and size, remains visible. This visibility allows potential eavesdroppers to infer private information in the Internet of Things (IoT) environment. For example, it allows for the identification of sleep monitors and the inference of whether a user is awake or asleep.

WiFi eavesdropping theoretically enables the identification of IoT devices without the need to join the victim's network. This attack scenario is more realistic and much harder to defend against, thus posing a real threat to user privacy. However, …

Novel Phase Shifters Using Reconfigurable Filters, Georgiy Brussenskiy

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Phase shifters play a crucial role in radar, satellite communications, and 5G networks. Recently, the idea of using filters as phase shifters have attracted much interest due to providing many benefits such as smaller area, lower noise figure, easier fabrication method as compared with other technologies, reduced cost, and the ability to work as multi-functioning device. This work focuses on the implementation of bandstop-based and bandpass-based filtering phase shifters. For the bandstop-based approach, some of the resonating structures that were examined are stubs, LC tanks, L-shaped/U-shaped half wavelength resonators and many others. Periodic stub loading filter design method was compared …

Understanding Health-Seeking Decision-Making Process And Behavior Among Haitian Immigrants: A Grounded Theory Approach, Shelleta Ladonice

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Black people in the U.S. die at younger ages, have significantly higher rates of death from treatable medical conditions, are more likely to have late-stage breast and colon cancer diagnoses and more likely to die from these cancers, and are at higher risk for chronic illnesses compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Accessing healthcare is crucial to health and well-being; however, U.S. immigrants' use of healthcare services is far less than native-born Americans. Haitian immigrants experience health disparities at the highest rate compared to other Black immigrants in the U.S. Given their unique history, culture, and immigration experience, it …

Interaction Of Sexual Orientation, Racial, And Gender Discrimination On Mental Health Outcomes, Rebekah Kanefsky

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Experiencing discrimination is associated with greater risk of developing mental health symptoms. Important theories on the mental well-being of people who identify with underrepresented groups suggest that poorer outcomes are not simply associated with identifying with an underrepresented group. Rather, “minority stressors” (e.g., discrimination) drive poor mental health outcomes. Despite the connection between mental health and discrimination, there has been less research focused on the combined impact of multiple forms of discrimination and how they interact for individuals who possess multiple, underrepresented identities. Further, significantly less research has been conducted utilizing quantitative methodology. To investigate the relationship between different forms …

Enhancing Scanning Tunneling Microscopy With Automation And Machine Learning, Darian Smalley

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is one of the most advanced surface science tools capable of atomic resolution imaging and atomic manipulation. Unfortunately, STM has many time-consuming bottlenecks, like probe conditioning, tip instability, and noise artificing, which causes the technique to have low experimental throughput. This dissertation describes my efforts to address these challenges through automation and machine learning. It consists of two main sections each describing four projects for a total of eight studies.

The first section details two studies on nanoscale sample fabrication and two studies on STM tip preparation. The first two studies describe the fabrication of …

Towards Energy-Efficient In-Memory Computing Systems Using Electronic Design Automation, Muhammad Rashedul Haq Rashed

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The exponential growth in digital data has fueled the emergence of data-intensive applications like large language models, digital twins, and metaverse. These applications have unprecedented computing demands that exceed the capabilities of today's high-performance computing systems. To address this challenge, new computing paradigms are being explored. One promising solution is to perform processing in memory (PIM) using emerging hardware. However, PIM paradigms are still in their infancy. A major obstacle to the widespread adoption of PIM paradigms is the lack of advanced electronic design automation (EDA)-based designs to ensure the system is both robust and energy-efficient.

This dissertation presents electronic …

Exploring The Challenges Of First Grade Students' Non-Exit From Mathematics Intervention: A Comparative Analysis Of Mathematics Instruction And Best Practices During Intervention, Lori Hart

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This qualitative study aimed to examine the challenges surrounding the non-exit of first grade students from mathematics intervention programs, particularly focusing on Atlantic Elementary School within the Gulf County Public School District. Against the backdrop of declining mathematics proficiency, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigates the effectiveness of mathematics intervention and its alignment with best practices in mathematics instruction. While mathematics intervention aims to support students needing additional support with mathematical concepts, there exists a notable gap in understanding why many primary students do not transition successfully from mathematics intervention on grade level prior to advancing to the …

Lesson Study As A Catalyst For Including Concepts And Procedures In Planning And Implementing Fraction-Based Mathematics Lessons: An Elementary School Case Study, Nisha A. Phillip Malahoo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This qualitative case study investigated how lesson study influenced teachers’ pedagogical strategies and content knowledge by leveraging the interplay between conceptual understanding and procedural fluency, with conceptual knowledge forming the foundation for procedural fluency in the planning and implementation of fraction-based mathematics tasks. The study aimed to address two research questions: (1) How does the engagement of teachers in the creation and analysis of fraction-based mathematics tasks in lesson study influence their instructional decision-making processes? and (2) How do teachers construct pedagogical strategies that integrate procedural and conceptual knowledge through lesson study? The sample size consisted of seven elementary school …

Millimeter-Wave Software-Defined Radios With Programmable Directionality, Marc H. Jean

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Fifth generation (5G) networks are currently being deployed at millimeter wave (mmWave) bands, beyond 22 GHz. The wireless node density and gigabit-per-second demands of 5G Internet-of Things (IoT) devices are pushing for more spatial reuse and higher frequency bands, which can be achieved by directional beamforming methods. Over the years, researchers have relied on synthetic data and simulation for studying directionality and beamforming, due to the lack and high cost of mmWave hardware. Hence, there is a major need for software-defined radio (SDR) platforms that enable programmable directionality in wireless studies and experimentation. Recently, more affordable and commercially available mmWave …

Investigating K–12 Teachers’ Attitudes, Beliefs, And Self-Efficacy After Implementation Of Problem-Based Learning, Paulina Bzdun

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This mixed-methods study investigated the factors that impact K–12 teachers' perceived self-efficacy, attitudes, and beliefs regarding the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL), with a specific focus on the influences within a K–11 schoolwide setting. The first part of the study analyzed 21 responses to the pre- and post- Teacher PBL Self-Efficacy, Attitude, and Implementation Questionnaires; the second part analyzed three individual teachers’ interview responses gathered during one-on-one Zoom interviews with the researcher.

The quantitative data questionnaires covered relationships between teachers’ perceived attitudes and beliefs, self-efficacy, and implementation of problem-based learning. Findings showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between …