Digital Commons Network^™

Study On Ductile Fracture With Anisotropic And Strain Rate Effects In Manufacturing Processes, Hao Pan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Ductile fracture is a topic of great importance in automotive and aerospace industries. Prediction of ductile fracture in engineering structures relies on developing robust material models under complex loading conditions. This dissertation addresses the anisotropic and strain rate effects in constitutive and ductile fracture models of lightweight metals. In the present modeling framework, the anisotropic plasticity behavior is modeled by combination of an initial anisotropic yield function and an isotropic hardening correction by Lode dependence. A new all-strain based anisotropic fracture model is proposed based on the approach of linear transformation on plastic strain rate tensor. The strain rate effects …

Pathological Tremor As A Mechanical System: Modeling And Control Of Artificial Muscle-Based Tremor Suppression, Christopher Kelley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Central nervous system disorders produce the undesired, approximately rhythmic movement of body parts known as pathological tremor. This undesired motion inhibits the patient's ability to perform tasks of daily living and participate in society. Typical treatments are medications and deep brain stimulation surgery, both of which include risks, side effects, and varying efficacy. Since the pathophysiology of tremor is not well understood, empirical investigation drives tremor treatment development. This dissertation explores tremor from a mechanical systems perspective to work towards theory-driven treatment design. The primary negative outcome of pathological tremor is the undesired movement of body parts: mechanically suppressing this …

In Pursuit Of Low-Dimensional Manifold Structures In High-Dimensional Data, Mahlagha Sedghi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The ever-increasing availability of large-scale and high-dimensional data offers unprecedented opportunities for data-driven studies across widely differing domains ranging from marketing and web mining, to bioinformatics and space exploration. Yet, it also poses formidable challenges in face of storing, organizing and analyzing such data. Often though, high-dimensional data tend to lie close to some low-dimensional structures. Aside from substantial computational and storage conservations, discovering such structures also contributes to improved learning and inference performance. A majority of existing work assume linear data models which fail to effectively capture the complex patterns of real-world problems. Non-linear models on the other hand …

Creation And Analysis Of An Enhanced Rascal-Lvc Framework Capable Of Simulating Ionizing Radiation Damage To Emergency Responders During A Nuclear Power Plant Disaster: A Case Study In Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Electronic System Survivability, Buder Shageer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study developed and analyzed the use of a live virtual constructive (LVC) framework capable of simulating ionizing radiation damage to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) during a nuclear power plant disaster. UAV response promises greater safety to humans over helicopters as well as provides longer survivability in the presence of irradiated environments. However, electronics in unmanned systems are subject to radiation damage and over time eventual failure. A LVC simulation framework may offer an independent and low-cost assessment of equipment life expectancy. Knowing life expectancy of equipment for operational scenarios is critical for emergency management planners. This research creates an …

An Experimental Validation Of A Revised Paschen's Law Relating To The Esd Of Aerospace Vehicle Surfaces, Manuela Morales

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The experimental validation of a new theoretical model of Paschen’s law was developed. In order to do so, a supersonic wind tunnel apparatus was designed and fabricated to voltage discharge between two electrodes at different pressures and distances. This was possible using interchangeable nozzle and test sections. The wind tunnel included the implementation of an automated recording of current and voltage data via a LabVIEW™ program collected relevant data, which once analyzed, was used to support the revised Paschen Law developed by Dr.Houge et.al. Results showed that the modified Paschen’s law is consistent with experimental results.

The Gamification Framework Of Military Flight Simulator For Effective Learning And Training Environment, Daeho Noh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a framework for the gamification of flight simulators to provide an active learning and training environment for military jet pilots. Currently, with the development of visual displays and computer processing capabilities, the modern simulator has made great progress in visual and auditory terms that is incomparable to the past. In addition, functions that were previously implemented through supercomputers and complex hardware devices are now available through desktop computers at an affordable cost. Despite these advances, the simulators so far are thought to have been negligent in building an active learning and training …

Human Performance In Virtual Reality Environments And Its Exploration With Engineering Analytics, Fahad Alasim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Engineering Analytics (EA) is a technique used to derive meaningful insight from gathered data. It is an approach that has arisen, and it includes the process of analyzing data using analytics tools from fields such as Big Data, Machine Learning (ML), traditional operations research, statistics, and numerical methods. Industrial Engineering is an engineering field concerned with how to design better, improve, and install integrated systems, uses EA to understand and continually improve, innovate, and build new processes. Therefore, EA and Virtual Reality (VR) technology can be used in combination with Electroencephalography (EEG), a physiological measurement, to investigate human areas. The …

An Approach To Modeling Simulated Military Human-Agent Teaming, Maartje Hidalgo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

With the rise of human-agent teaming (HAT), a new cycle of scientific discovery commenced. Through scientific discovery, a number of theories of constructs in HAT were developed, however, an overarching model is lacking that elucidates the relative importance of these constructs in relation to human performance. The main objective of this research was to develop a model of simulated military HAT and to validate it against selected empirical data. Experimental data borrowed from four simulated military HAT studies were used to test the proposed Core model. The Core model was assumed to be directly affecting task performance and consisted of …

Empress Theophanu: The Politics Of Power At The Intersection Of Byzantium And The Ottonian Empire, Harper J. Norris

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis seeks to theorize the rhetoric, power dynamics, agency, and rulership of Theophanu and contextualize it through the frame of an intersection of the Byzantine and Ottonian political culture. By analyzing the unique sources surrounding Theophanu – from charters written during her consortship to chronicles written about her posthumously – this thesis seeks to push scholarship to examining Theophanu at the intersection of these two hegemonic cultures. This thesis will analyze the rhetoric of transgression surrounding the empress, the politics of power in the Ottonian court, as well as the gender of Theophanu to bring a nuanced frame of …

Addressing The Elephant On The Stage: Mental Health In Theatre Education, Alexandra M. Meridionale

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis examined the ways in which present-day 6^th through 12^th grade theatre educators approach the topic of mental health, both implicitly and explicitly, in theatre education. Through a survey of existing literature, as well as interviews with 6^th through 12^th grade theatre educators, the researcher examined ways in which theatre educators were aware of the mental health needs of their students in any of the following capacities: explicit discussions regarding mental health, theatre curriculum, show selection, script analysis, and casting choices.

The reveal the educator perception that mental health issues are increasingly relevant to 6 …

A Pre-Structural Center: Deconstructing Classical Social Theory, Darius F. Irani

Honors Undergraduate Theses

For theory and literature to evolve parallel to the subject matter which it associates, it recurrently progresses through admittance of variably incremental, yet critical, entries. This is the nature of modernism. This thesis reflects on one important point in the life of modernism, the advent at which society is first formalized and assimilated into theory: the origin of social theory, a point indisputably influential to twentieth century philosophy, but just eclipsed by one of that century's most noticeable theoretical features. The past century saw the rise and fall of a universalizing framework called structuralism. Informing the disciplines, especially the social …

Doctors And "Dopefiends": Perspectives On The U.S Opiate Crisis, 21st Century, John C. Foerster

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This article examines the socio-political intricacies of the United States Opiate Crisis. By first addressing the pharmaceutical origins of Oxycontin and its pain relief benefits within the United States, I construct a framework by which a conversation about substance abuse can move forward. Within the first chapter I provide background into the arguments for medicalization against personal responsibility as it relates to opiate withdrawal and seeking treatment for the prior. Furthermore, I include subheadings to further provide insight into Medically Assisted Treatment Centers and their function on the local level. I contrast these modern treatment models with the Reagan War …

Visual Rhetorics And Rally Signs: A Study Of Feminist Theory And Progression, Rachel Casey

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research explores the current directions of the U.S. Women's Movement and the beliefs encompassed by 21^st century feminism through a study of participant rally signs displayed at the 2020 Women's March on Washington. Currently, there is much ambiguity surrounding the values for which feminism stands and further contestation about whether a U.S. Women's Movement exists at all. This study examines public feminist activism in an established social rally to extrapolate goals of the present women's agenda and underlying manifestations of feminist philosophy. Through analysis of personal messages and examination of feminist directions, further implications concerning rational dialogue and …

Rethinking Causality: Thomas Aquinas' Argument From Motion & The Kalām Cosmological Argument, Derwin Sánchez Jr.

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Ever since they were formulated in the Middle Ages, St. Thomas Aquinas' famous Five Ways to demonstrate the existence of God have been frequently debated. During this process there have been several misconceptions of what Aquinas actually meant, especially when discussing his cosmological arguments. While previous researchers have managed to tease out why Aquinas accepts some infinite regresses and rejects others, I attempt to add on to this by demonstrating the centrality of his metaphysics in his argument from motion. Aquinas cannot be properly understood or debated with a contemporary view of causality, but rather must wrestle with the concepts …

Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Echoes: Digital Political Discourse And Vectors Of Ideological Propagation, Devon Razey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study analyzes the discursive strategies used by participants in online non-political spaces to negotiate and propagate political ideologies. Through the use of Critical Discourse Analysis in rhetorical studies (Huckin et. al.), this study produced a theory of political ideological vectors in digitally connective social network platforms. The analysis uses discussions taken from Twitter and Reddit surrounding the introduction of an Asian female character, Nagini, in the Fantastic Beats: Crimes of Grindelwald trailer immediately following its release in September 2018. Ultimately, this study found that participants are less likely to isolate themselves within politically congenial echo chambers than previously theorized …

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

Honors Undergraduate Theses

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

"It’S Just A Bad Period" And Other Ways Of Dismissing Women's Pain: An Ethnographic Look Into The Experience Of Endometriosis, Selina Hays

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis uses online ethnographic methods to analyze the impact of patriarchal values on the illness experiences of women with endometriosis. Current literature suggests that negative impact on patients with endometriosis with regard to cultural discourse surrounding menstruation and chronic illness. Utilizing a combination of critical discourse analysis and constructivist grounded theory, the results of this research demonstrate that patients engage in a form of performance that is reactive to normalization and dismissal of pain by doctors and wider social support due in part to cultural stigmas of menstruation and chronic pain, as well as the inherent power imbalance in …

Thermal-Hydraulic Optimization Of The Heat Exchange Between A Molten Salt Small Modular Reactor And A Super-Critical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle, James Sherwood

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The next generation of nuclear power sources, Gen. IV, will include an emphasis on small, modular reactor (SMR) designs, which will allow for standardized, factory-based manufacturing and flexibility in the design of power plants by utilizing one or several modular reactor units in parallel. One of the reactor concepts being investigated is the Molten Salt Reactor concept (MSR), which utilizes a molten salt flow loop to cool the reactor and transfer heat to the power conversion cycle (PCS).Here, the use of a supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) Brayton cycle is assumed for that PCS. The purpose of this thesis is to …

Understanding Medical Error In Surgical Stapler Use: A Philosophical And Scientific Analysis, Jacob E. Howard

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Classified for decades as a “least risk medical device,” surgical staplers have been recently associated with at least 41,000 injuries and 360 deaths in the last ten years (FDA Letter to Healthcare Providers, 2019). This shocking development has generated calls for a broad investigation into the errors involved in surgical stapler use and reform of the regulatory protocol for medical devices. Current regulatory infrastructure and framework operate with understandings that combine risk inherent to the device and that which is born by the operator (FDA Classification Call, 2019). This thesis explores the aforementioned classification error and its adverse outcomes from …

Some Southern Waters, Julian Baner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Some Southern Waters is a microbudget feature-length film written, directed, and produced by Julian Baner as part of the requirements for earning a Master of Fine Arts in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema from the University of Central Florida. The film is a black and white, semi-abstract narrative mainly in the mystery genre, with elements of thriller, horror, and black comedy throughout. This thesis is a description of the creative impetus behind the project, as well as the technical process from pre-production through production, and post-production.

Design And Visual Servo Control Of A Mechanical Gripper For Autonomous Strawberry Harvesting, Jonah Mapes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

With rising labor costs and high consumer demand, economic conditions are becoming increasingly favorable for mechanization in the strawberry industry. However, virtually all strawberry crops are still picked by hand because the harvesting process is very challenging to automate, and strawberries are susceptible to bruising. For these reasons, the development of a harvester which can avoid damaging the fruit is of interest. Conventional designs for robotic grippers are less than ideal, as precise positioning or force feedback capabilities are required to reduce the risk of bruising. As an alternative, a novel "camera-in-hand" gripper design is presented which effectively avoids bruising …

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study On Thermal Conduction Of Cnt-Cu/Al Composites With New Meam Potentials Between C And Cu/Al, Luyang Ren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been a promising material for thermal management applications including micro/nano-electromechanical system (MEMS/NEMS) due to their extremely high thermal conductivity values. CNTs-reinforced Cu/Al (CNT-Cu/Al) composites are attractive to meet all-around requirements on high thermal performance materials to be applied in many areas, such as aerospace, automotive and electronic packaging. However, the experimental results on resultant thermal conductivity of these composites are far from expectation due to the law of mixture. In this research, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is used to study the thermal conduction of CNT-Cu/Al composites. Before the simulation is conducted, new inter-atomic potentials for the …

Production And Elastomer Compatibility Of Renewable Fuels, Alan Felix

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Hydrocarbon fuel plays an essential role in modern day society and significant research effort is put forth for fuel characterization, performance optimization, and new procedures for synthesis. Despite the eventual and inevitable shift away from hydrocarbon fossil fuels to more renewable energies, investigations into liquid hydrocarbons remain useful while governments slowly adopt and integrate alternative energies. Many hydrocarbon fuel alternatives can potentially bridge the gap between today's heavy reliance on fossil fuels and future complete adaptation of clean energy. One such alternative is biofuel, which is still hydrocarbon based but is made from bio-materials, most notably plants. Widespread use of …

Exploring Delphi Method Generated Synthetic Natural Environment (Sne) Visual Aesthetic Quality (Vaq) Factor Forecasts And Preferences Through Conjoint Analysis Of End User Assessments, Thomas Kehr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Traditional techniques used for verification, validation, and accreditation (VV&A) of Synthetic Natural Environments for military applications are time consuming, subjective, and often costly. Due to varying levels of common visual factors, Synthetic Natural Environments (SNE) vary widely in appearance and use case. Early identification of these factors in the SNE life cycle may improve its Visual Aesthetic Quality (VAQ) while reducing VV&A issues downstream and informing future development. This research explores supplementing existing VV&A techniques with the Delphi Method during the conceptualization phase of an interoperable SNE development in order to identify the level of importance of SNE VAQ factors …

Separating Content Selection From Surface Realization In Neural Text Summarization, Logan Lebanoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Text summarization is a rapidly growing field with many new innovations. End-to-end models using the sequence-to-sequence architecture achieve high scores according to automatic metrics on standard datasets. However, they frequently generate summaries that are factually inconsistent with the original article -- a vital problem to be solved before the summaries can be used in real-world applications. In addition, they are not generalizable to new domains, especially those with few training examples. In this dissertation, we propose to explicitly separate the two steps of content selection and surface realization in summarization. Content selection is the process of choosing important words/phrases/sentences from …

Wave-Optics Simulation Of Correlated Speckle Fields, Derek Burrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Laser speckle poses an ongoing challenge to optical systems that utilize coherent light for active illumination, including applications in holography, free-space communications, remote sensing and target tracking. Speckle averaging offers one potential path forward by reducing the contrast, thereby boosting signal-to-noise ratios. This approach becomes limited, however, by the degree of correlation between successive frames. Wave-optics simulations help to characterize performance gains through speckle averaging, and so it is important that existing models properly account for decorrelation rates of dynamic speckle. With that goal in mind, this research seeks to build a suite of computational wave-optics experiments that verify speckle …

An Exploration Of Interactions Between Institutional Agents And College Students Who Are Undocumented In The U.S., Doris Alcivar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the awareness, knowledge, and skills of institutional agents who interact with college students who are undocumented, to inform professional development and practice. Through a survey and interviews, participants revealed familiarity with students who are undocumented and discussed the support provided to them. All interview participants understood the experience of assisting students who are undocumented, as evidenced by six major themes: (a) an understanding of student financial needs, (b) recognizing students' anxiety, (c) providing consistent guidance, (d) establishing supportive collaborations, (e) gaining foundational knowledge, and (f) sharing professional development with others. Participants …

Access And Utilization Of Prenatal Care In Florida And Its Effects On Preterm Birth, Corinne Audette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Preterm birth in the United States is the leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. The United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other nation in the world, and still perinatal outcomes are disappointing when compared to other industrialized nations. Research and current clinical practice guidelines support the use of early and consistent prenatal care to lower risks for preterm birth, by acting as a key mechanism to monitor pregnancy and provide timely and appropriate interventions. Significant research has been completed to identify causative factors that lead to preterm birth. Overall, this literature has not had a …

Determining And Assessing Fault Attribution In Collisions Involving Autonomous Vehicles, Alexandra Kaplan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

There exists considerable research concerning how humans attribute fault to each other, both in cases of accidents and those instances of intentional harm. There also exist studies involving blame attribution towards robots, when such robots have caused harm through operational failure or lack of safety features. However, relatively little work has, to date, examined the ways in which fault is attributed to self-driving vehicles involved in collisions, despite many newspaper and popular articles which both report past incidents and warn of future risk. This dissertation examined fault attribution in collisions involving autonomous vehicles by conducting three separate experiments. The first …

Novel Computational Approaches For Multidimensional Brain Image Analysis, Harish Raviprakash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The overall goal of this dissertation is focused on addressing challenging problems in 1D, 2D/3D and 4D neuroimaging by developing novel algorithms that combine signal processing and machine learning techniques. One of these challenging tasks is the accurate localization of the eloquent language cortex in brain resection pre-surgery patients. This is especially important since inaccurate localization can lead to diminshed functionalities and thus, a poor quality of life for the patient. The first part of this dissertation addresses this problem in the case of drug-resistant epileptic patients. We propose a novel machine learning based algorithm to establish an alternate electrical …