Digital Commons Network^™

Methodologies For Evaluating Interaction Cues For Virtual Reality, Xinyu Hu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Virtual reality (VR) games and educational systems commonly employ interaction cues to provide information on how to take appropriate actions at particular moments. Interaction cues can be employed for different purposes, such as informing the user to look, go, pick, and operate. Additionally, different types of interaction cues can directly affect usability and user experiences. In our early research, we conducted two ecologically valid empirical studies with a preexisting VR training application and evaluated the effects of delayed interaction cues, in addition to comparing the purposes of interaction cues for learning and retention. Our results indicated that immediate interaction cues …

From Human Behavior To Machine Behavior, Zerong Xi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

A core pursuit of artificial intelligence is the comprehension of human behavior. Imbuing intelligent agents with a good human behavior model can help them understand how to behave intelligently and interactively in complex situations. Due to the increase in data availability and computational resources, the development of machine learning algorithms for duplicating human cognitive abilities has made rapid progress. To solve difficult scenarios, learning-based methods must search for solutions in a predefined but large space. Along with implementing a smart exploration strategy, the right representation for a task can help narrow the search process during learning. This dissertation tackles three …

Comparing Phosphorus Removal Efficiencies And Mechanisms Via Two Cost-Effective Specialty Adsorbents In A Cascade Upflow Filtration System, Sydney Kilgus-Vesely

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Finding solutions to treat water that contains phosphorus is an important effort due to the harmful impacts it presents to both human health and the environment. Phosphorus is considered a limiting factor in water oftentimes and therefore controls the growth of algal bloom in a water body. The increase of algal populations due to wastewater effluent, stormwater runoff, and agricultural discharge in Florida waters has a direct link to the event of harmful algal blooms such as red tide in coastal regions, eutrophication of waterbodies, and fish kills. Finding low cost, energy efficient, and low maintenance green sorption media (GSM) …

Globally Distributed Teams: The Between-Team Barriers That Impede The Successful Delivery Of Agile Software Development, Ben Park

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Software development projects fail far too often, costing companies billions in revenue, loss of the intended purpose and damage to both customers and suppliers in the process (A. Shenhar & V. Holzmann, 2017a). Understanding the challenge of ever-failing globally distributed software development projects is the goal and research conducted in this dissertation. The vision guiding the direction of this research is "What are the betweenteam barriers that impede the successful delivery of Agile software development in Globally Distributed Teams?" Through the literature review, a model was created and refined. A Mixed-Method Sequentially Replicated Case Study Research was performed to determine …

Variational Autoencoder And Sensor Fusion For Robust Myoelectric Controls, Keith A. Currier

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Myoelectric control schemes aim to utilize the surface electromyography (EMG) signals which are the electric potentials directly measured from skeletal muscles to control wearable robots such as exoskeletons and prostheses. The main challenge of myoelectric controls is to increase and preserve the signal quality by minimizing the effect of confounding factors such as muscle fatigue or electrode shift. Current research in myoelectric control schemes are developed to work in ideal laboratory conditions, but there is a persistent need to have these control schemes be more robust and work in real-world environments. Following the manifold hypothesis, complexity in the world can …

Modeling Individual Activity And Mobility Behavior And Assessing Ridesharing Impacts Using Emerging Data Sources, Jiechao Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Predicting individual mobility behavior is one of the major steps of transportation planning models. Accurate prediction of individual mobility behavior will be beneficial for transportation planning. Although previous studies have used different data sources to model individual mobility behaviors, they have several limitations such as the lack of complete mobility sequences and travel mode information, limiting our ability to accurately predict individual movements. In recent years, the emergence of GPS-based floating car data (FCD) and on-demand ride-hailing service platforms can provide innovative data sources to understand and model individual mobility behavior. Compared to the previously used data sources such as …

Musical Form Reconstruction In Printed And Handwritten Lead Sheets Via Optical Recognition Of Chord Symbols, Nashir A. Janmohamed

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Optical music recognition (OMR) is the field of study which seeks to use computer vision to extract musical information from images. Most OMR work focuses on music symbols (such as notes, time signatures, clefs, etc.); to date, only two prior works pay attention to chord symbols (shorthand notation commonly used in jazz and popular music lead sheets to describe the harmony of the music) in musical documents. Chord symbols lay the foundation for jazz improvisation - a sequence of chord symbols is repeated during the improvisatory section, and the soloist and accompaniment (primarily, though not exclusively) use the chord symbols …

A Thermal, Mechanical, And Materials Framework For A Shape Memory Alloy Heat Engine For Thermal Management And Energy Recovery, Maria Chikhareva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Shape memory alloy (SMA) heat engines possess an inherent property of sensing a change in temperature, performing work, and rejecting heat through the shape memory effect resulting from a temperature-induced phase transformation. This work presents a framework for the design and implementation of an SMA-based Stirling heat engine for maximum power or speed incorporating and combining mechanical, thermal, and material aspects. The motivation for this work comes from the growing need for reliable thermal management and energy recovery in both ground and space applications of interest to NASA and commercial space companies. In future lunar and Mars missions, an SMA …

Machine Learning Applications In Advanced Additive Manufacturing: Process Modeling, Microstructure Analysis, And Defect Detection, Peter Warren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques are critical for assessing the integrity, health, and mechanical properties of materials manufactured from various methods. High fidelity NDE techniques are essential for quality control but often lead to massive data generation. Such a vast data load cannot be manually processed, this leads to a severe bottleneck for process engineers. Machine learning (ML) offers a solution to this problem by providing powerful and adaptable algorithms capable of learning patterns, identifying features, and finding hidden relationships in large sets of data. Various ML models are used in this work to improve predictions, improve measurements, detect anomalies, classify …

Gait Strategies While Walking With Discrete Perturbations On A Self-Paced Treadmill, Cesar Castano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Introducing perturbations on a self-paced treadmill allows participants to experience uncertain environments without restricting their ability to continuously change their walking speed and kinematics. In this dissertation, I evaluated how different self-paced treadmill controller sensitivities affected gait parameters and variability on decline, level, and incline slopes. I also investigated how healthy young and older adults adjust their gait strategies when responding to perturbations of varying unpredictability and whether the changes in gait strategies remained once the perturbations were no longer present. Lastly, I evaluated how differences in gait kinematics when responding to visual and mechanical perturbations at varying frequencies. I …

Diverse Expressions Of The Black Identity In Jackson, Mississippi: Stories, Elisabeth Campbell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Diverse Expressions of the Black Identity in Jackson, Mississippi: Stories is a collection of short stories that seeks to focus on the outsiders, the pariahs, and the social outcasts of Black society in Mississippi throughout the 20^th and 21^st centuries. By way of emigrations and immigrations, a race of people of multiple cultures that do not necessarily identify with the ethno-racial term "African-American" has emerged in the city of Jackson. Through the exploration of historically significant events, including America's involvement in WWI, the legislation surrounding Black History Month and the dawn of the AIDS epidemic, this collection represents …

Avicenna's Doctrine Of Emanation And The Sphere Of The Heavens, Brian C. Manere

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Avicenna argues that the celestial spheres each have a soul, termed the motive soul, which is emanated by the first celestial intellect––a body of knowledge which knows itself. Despite outlining the powers of the motive soul, Avicenna does not formally investigate the psychology of the spheres nor their volition. Rather, he presents their volition as a mystery and leaves it to posterity to solve. In an attempt to resolve this mystery, I will argue that it is a direct result of Avicenna having purposefully written a repeated gap into his account of emanation such that there is no clear account …

Korean Poetry: A Discussion And Translation, Kassidy N. Menk

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Korea's history has had a deeply influential and significant impact on its modern language, and concomitantly, on the country's modern poetry and prose. Despite the artistic and literary value, there is a substantial lack of English translations available for Korean works. The continued rapid development of Korean and its considerably different grammar and syntax often pose difficulties for English translators. Korean poetry, specifically, follows a form unfamiliar to English readers which makes interpretation for translation challenging. This thesis hopes to provide context for the lack of scholarly translations of Korean poetry by discussing the historical and linguistic context of the …

Wild Wild Country: Netflix, Orientalism, And The Guru, E. K. D. Wood

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Recent years have produced an influx of popular documentaries of Indian gurus who founded transnational spiritual communities and became embroiled in various forms of controversy. One example of this is Wild Wild Country, a 2018 Netflix documentary that depicts the rise and fall of a spiritual community, started by an Indian guru named Osho (1931-1990) in a failed attempt to build a utopian commune in Oregon. American representations of Asian religious figures have historically been a complex, and often prejudiced, affair. This thesis will attempt to assert the best fit theoretical framework with which to interpret Wild Wild Country …

An Exploration On The Spanish Caribbean Dialectical Community: ¿Unidos O Separados?, Bryan J. Jimenez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Latin America holds a diverse array of people and language. Even regions and countries that speak the same language tend to speak it differently. This leads to interesting variations in language and speech. Most people of Latin American origin are able to note that Mexican Spanish and Puerto Rican Spanish are different in terms of intonation, speech pattern, vocabulary, and more. Most popular theories that section Latin America off by dialects group the entirety of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean into a single dialectical community. Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic each hold unique histories and are home to a fascinating …

"Auto"-Exploitation: A Marxist Examination Of Self-Driving Cars, Parker Duvall

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In this thesis, I argue that a neo-Marxist critical theory perspective on self-driving cars shifts critical conversations from risks and benefits to concerns about the commodification of free time necessary for our human experience of autonomy. First, I outline that neo-Marxist perspective by charting the different types of power exercised by a capitalist in order to increase their surplus. I then analyze Karl Marx's conception of time in economic exchange to show that, under capitalism, power is exercised over labor through the commodification of workers' free time. I then introduced Michel Foucault's concept of biopower to transition to the commodification …

The Viking Age As A Themed Experience: Representing Hitorical Narrative Through Research Based Design, Edward D. Macpherson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

I intend to design an interactive educational experience that teaches guests about the culture, society, and beliefs of Scandinavian peoples during the Viking age. The concepts are illustrated through a dynamic narrative designed to be experienced through exploration of a themed environment. Immersion into the narrative is intended to instill a sense of active participation with the culture itself. This interaction is intended to inspire guests to further investigate the culture and history outside the limits of the experience. These qualities, unique to an immersive environmental themed experience, capture the lasting attention of an audience such as other mediums may …

Changing Public Opinion On Socialism, Claudette A. Medina

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This introduction leads to the literature review, beginning with an explanation and description of socialism and political ideologies. I also touch upon historical events that shaped the perspectives of the respective generations, such as the Civil Rights movement and 9/11. After the literature review is a theory section emphasizing the life-cycle effect and period effects relevant to the research conducted later. Then comes the hypothesis and methodology section. My research hypothesis is that period effects will make Gen Z more receptive to Socialism than the Baby Boomer/Traditionalist Generation. This is soon proven correct with supporting data from opinion surveys about …

Speech-Language Pathologists' And Speech-Language Therapists' Role Working With Youth In The Juvenile Justice System, Maria Cuza

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to examine and provide insight into how speech-language pathologists and speech-language therapists (SLP/SLT) in Australia (AUS), the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (USA) work with youth in the Juvenile Justice System (JJS). Currently, many youth involved in the JJS struggle with language barriers and need proper services to overcome them. Studies have shown that an SLP/SLT positively affects young people in the system. This study aimed to examine the demographic, educational, and occupational backgrounds of SLPs/SLTs working with youth in the JJS and the services provided to these youth by …

Save The Drowning Child: Stories, Kayla Cayasso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Save the Drowning Child is a collection that explores place, power, and the way collective trauma trickles down through history and families. These stories bridge the author's African American Studies scholarship and love for language. Set against the North Florida landscape, the collection moves readers across time and begs one question again and again: how does one reconcile characters' deplorable choices with the horrific reality of their lives within the Diaspora. On the outskirts of Nassau County, a pig farmer and his wife face addiction and starvation during the Great Depression, but the return of an estranged daughter might signal …

Implications Of An Exogenous Shock (Covid-19) On Wine Tourism Business: A Portuguese Winery Perspective, Alexandre Guedes, Britta Niklas, Robin M. Back, Joao Rebelo

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study investigates the impact of an exogenous and unexpected shock (COVID-19) on the wine tourism business from the winery's perspective. A sample of 146 Portuguese wineries was surveyed. The econometric results show that the share of wine tourism sales, the amount of dependence on exports and the assertiveness of brand recognition have a structural effect on direct-to-consumer tasting room wine sales, even when the winery's business is disrupted by a shock that degrades the dynamics and flows of international trade. The research establishes a starting point that allows to understand the implications of an exogenous shock on the structure …

Distracted U.S. Foreign Policy Sector: The Effects Of Strategic Prioritization Towards A Rising Chinese State In East Asia, Liliana Ramos

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The question of the stability of American hegemony has consumed U.S. International Relations discourse since the Post-Cold War narrative. With the rapid changes in the international realm and the countless U.S. humanitarian and military operations around the globe, it is no surprise that many well-known researchers have taken the time to look at the impact of American hegemony under strict observation. However, more analysis must be made of these operations' strategic purpose and success. This thesis strives to fill this gap by conducting in-depth case studies on various U.S. military operations from the early 2000s to the present in the …

Exploring The Impact Of Cultural Background Among Asian And Non-Hispanic White Populations On Organ Donation, Doyoung Ahn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: The demand for organ donation is increasing but there is always a lack of organ donor supply. To receive an organ donation, specific criteria must be met. Matching criteria between the donor and the recipient is critically important. The likelihood of having a capable organ increases when the donors and recipients have the same ethnicity. However, the number of organ donors differ significantly based on ethnicity.

Purpose: The purpose of this literature review was to explore the impact of cultural background and education among the Asian and non-Hispanic White population on organ donation and how it impacts individuals' decisions …

The Effect Of E-Cigarette Vape On Oral Cell Proliferation Using 3d Spheroids As A Preclinical Model, Vikram Chinnaiyan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

E-cigarettes have recently become increasingly popular, especially amongst middle and high school students. Although they are marketed as safer alternatives to tobacco cigarettes, they produce toxic metals and carcinogenic nitrosamines. This thesis studies the effects of e-cigarette aerosol on the growth and proliferation of oral epithelial cells because the consequences of vaping, including a potential risk for aberrant growth leading to cancer, are not well understood. Cells were grown in matrigel, causing the formation of three-dimensional spheroids modeling the physiological architecture of the oral epithelium. Those spheroids were chronically exposed to vape with different treatment conditions to study the functional …

The Effect Of Educational Versus Recreational Screen Time On Depression Levels Among University Students, Gage Guettler

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Despite the amount of people currently using technology and the overwhelming amount of data already presented on the topic of how technology affects a person's mental health, there seems to be little information on how the different types of activities on the different types of screens affect university student's mental states. This research study examined the amount of time that a University of Central Florida (UCF) student spends on what was defined as educational activities in front of screens and what was defined as recreational. The definitions of what is educational and what is recreational screen time came from a …

Leaving The European Union: When Euroscepticism Meets Internal Crisis Within Member States, Isabella M. Dimesa

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In the era of global stability, it is crucial to understand the nuances that maintain peace. Neoliberal institutionalism is the ideal that institutions bound together promote peace through sharing stakes and developing positive cost-benefit matrixes that ensure cooperation. The European Union (EU), a neoliberal institution, was developed to establish a peaceful, cooperative European system to further the European agenda and foster power through combined assets. The EU has manifested this success and prosperity—until one of its member states, the United Kingdom, defected from the institution, causing a shock to the EU system. Why would an institution yielding positive returns see …

Long Term Effects Analysis Of Children Exposed To Postpartum Depression, Asheria Foster

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore and understand any correlation between a mother having postpartum depression and her now college-level child having a mental illness. The research question posed for this study was: Is there a correlation between maternal postpartum depression and the development of mental illnesses in college students? Studies have shown that there is a correlation in early childhood development, but there are deficits when it comes to long-term follow-up. Data for this study was collected via online surveys on SONA UCF. The results from the Chi-square test imply a strong association (p = .007) at …

Micro-Credentialing With Fuzzy Content Matching: An Educational Data-Mining Approach, Paul Amoruso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

There is a growing need to assess and issue micro-credentials within STEM curricula. Although one approach is to insert a free-standing academic activity into the students learning and degree path, herein the development and mechanism of an alternative approach rooted in leveraging responses on digitized quiz-based assessments is developed. An online assessment and remediation protocol with accompanying Python-based toolset was developed to engage undergraduate tutors who identify and fill knowledge gaps of at-risk learners. Digitized assessments, personalized tutoring, and automated micro-credentialing scripts for Canvas LMS are used to issue skill-specific badges which motivate the learner incrementally, while increasing self-efficacy. This …

Discovering Vulnerabilities And Designing Trustworthy Defenses In Iot Systems And Devices, Bryan Pearson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Internet of Things (IoT) dominates many functions in the modern world, from sensing and reporting temperature, humidity, and air quality, to controlling and automating homes, commercial buildings, and equipment. However, IoT systems have received scrutiny in recent years due to countless security incidents, which can have physical and even deadly consequences. This research provides a comprehensive assessment of the security of IoT systems and devices, including low-cost microcontroller (MCU) based sensors, cloud services, and Building Automation Systems (BAS). We begin by exploring the current landscape of vulnerabilities and defenses in modern IoT applications. We show that many security needs can …

Auto-Ignition Characteristics Of Hydrogen Enriched Natural Gas For Gas Turbine Applications, Christopher T. Loving

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

A successful transition to clean energy hinges on meeting the world's growing energy demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving this will require significant growth in electricity generation from clean and carbon-free energy sources. Several energy providers have already begun the transition from traditional carbon-based fuels to cleaner alternatives, such as hydrogen and hydrogen enriched natural gas. However, there are still many technical challenges that must be addressed when applying these fuels in gas turbines. The application of hydrogen or hydrogen/natural gas blends to advanced class gas turbines, which have higher operating pressures and temperatures has raised concerns about the …