Digital Commons Network^™

The Psychological Impact Of An Intensive Care Admission On Survivors Of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome And Covid-19 Ards, Leah K. Shinn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background:

With the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an influx of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), an inflammatory lung condition. ARDS survivors are at high risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to intensive care unit (ICU) medical treatments/procedures. They are known to have traumatic memories triggered by their sensorium months to years after being discharged from the ICU. One study found that 23% of ARDS survivors experienced long-term PTSD symptoms 2-3 years after hospital discharge (Bienvenu et al., 2018). Unknown is whether there are similarities in the memories and sensory triggers of PTSD amongst ARDS and …

How Mental Health Impacts The Relationship Between Aesthetics, Perceived Usefulness, And The Intention To Follow Self-Help Social Media Accounts, Quang Hong Phuoc Thai

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Mental health self-help accounts on social media often provide tips and strategies for individuals struggling with mental health difficulties to improve mental health outcomes. As mental health poses a public health concern that causes economic and physical problems worldwide, this self-help approach offers a potential solution to help millions of people at risk. In accordance with Technology Acceptance Models, how useful an individual finds a social media account should predict their intent to follow such accounts. Additionally, since social media accounts are highly visual content-driven, aesthetics may be a significant driver of intent to follow social media accounts. The present …

Silver Doped Nanoceria (Agcnp) Integrated Silk Scaffold For Chronic Wound Healing, Architha K. Venkatesan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Chronic wound healing can be seriously impeded by the formation of biofilms, infections, peri-wound edema, hematoma, osteomyelitis, and the formation of reactive oxidative species (ROS). We hypothesize that a scaffold created from Silver-Doped Nanoceria (AgCNP) embedding silk can be beneficial to aid the wound healing process, inhibit inflammation and prevent microorganisms from forming a biofilm over the wound. Current wound healing methods such as intradermal injections are not advantageous to use since they can cause unwanted responses elsewhere in the body other than the wound site. Silk, however, has a positive impact on the wound healing effect and can be …

Perceptions Of Music Performance Anxiety Throughout The Covid-19 Pandemic And Their Predictors, Caroline E. Villacis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Performance anxiety affects individuals across many fields, from sports to medicine to music. Research in the area of Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) has been of particular importance to instrumental and vocal soloists and ensemble members for several decades. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many musicians have been required to change the format and location of their performances. These adjustments, as well as musicians' existing unique characteristics and life experiences, may have impacted their experience of MPA. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors on MPA. Participants (N = 251) were …

Hypersonic Scramjet Inlet Development For Variable Mach Number Flows, Zachary P. White

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hypersonic propulsion has become an increasingly important research field over the past fifty years, and subsequent interest in propulsion systems utilizing supersonic combustion has emerged. Air-breathing engines are desirable for such applications as hypersonic flight vehicles would not need to carry an oxidizer. Therefore, hypersonic air-breathing propulsion systems require an inlet with high mass capture and compressive efficiency. The present work seeks to outline the development and validation of a novel design tool for producing air inlet designs for hypersonic vehicles at variable flight conditions. A Busemann inlet was chosen for its high compressive efficiency, geometric flexibility, and existing experimental …

Exploring Bibliotherapy And Creating Family Literacy Bags In Response To Community Violence, Sierra Urbaez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis sought to aid children in coping with community violence. As violent crimes terrorize communities near and far, children are hearing about them. Children might learn about this violence on the news or by overhearing adults' discussions. Regardless, this thesis sought to help students navigate a world that may be anxiety filled. This thesis includes an exploration of bibliotherapy and discussions of the use of books in a therapeutic manner to delve deeper into its profound effects. The topics of this thesis surround social-emotional learning, which is also investigated and explained. The benefits of combining bibliotherapy and social-emotional learning …

Personality And Social Media Use, Joshua Pearson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study seeks to examine the connection between social media usage and the Enneagram personality model. This connection will aid in a better understanding of what motivates individuals to use social media. The information found in this study will be applied to understanding behavioral addiction. This understanding will allow more personalized treatment for individuals already subject to these behaviors and preventive treatment for those more susceptible to behavioral addiction to social media. In order to find the connection between social media use and the Enneagram personality model, a survey including an Enneagram personality inventory, a social media use inventory, and …

The Impact Of Countries' Leaders' Responses On Covid-19 Deaths, Kate Rumisek

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented health crisis with consequences felt worldwide. While every country was impacted, each leader had a different response resulting in different consequences per nation. This paper evaluates the responses of three countries' leaders to the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to COVID-19-related deaths. The countries analyzed are New Zealand, Brazil, and the United States. New Zealand's Prime Minister's response was characterized as proactive and strict. Under the leadership of Bolsonaro, Brazil ignored the magnitude of the pandemic, leading to a lack of a cohesive national plan. The United States, led by President Trump, responded with a …

The Relationship Between Evening Screen Time Use And Objectively Measured Sleep Outcomes In U.S. College Students, Donya Sedaghat

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Research suggests that elevated levels of screen time in the evening can negatively impact sleep outcomes (sleep duration, quality, and latency). Yet, there is a lack of evidence exploring if this relationship exists in college students. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between evening screen time use and objectively measured sleep outcomes in US college students. College students (N = 29) junior or senior standing in a Health Sciences major were recruited to participate in this cross-sectional study. Participants wore accelerometers on their wrist for 24hr/day for seven days to capture sleep duration, efficiency, awakenings, and …

The Effects Of Head-Centric Rest Frames On Egocentric Distance Perception In Virtual Reality, Yahya Hmaiti

Honors Undergraduate Theses

It has been shown through several research investigations that users tend to underestimate distances in virtual reality (VR). Virtual objects that appear close to users wearing a Head-mounted display (HMD) might be located at a farther distance in reality. This discrepancy between the actual distance and the distance observed by users in VR was found to hinder users from benefiting from the full in-VR immersive experience, and several efforts have been directed toward finding the causes and developing tools that mitigate this phenomenon. One hypothesis that stands out in the field of spatial perception is the rest frame hypothesis (RFH), …

Parental Divorce Effects On Young Adults Romantic Relationships In College, Hanna Mcadam

Honors Undergraduate Theses

With divorce rates at an all-time high, many young adults have gone through a parental divorce. Divorce has many negative effects on children like their development, the parent-child relationship, and overall health (mental and physical). There have been a variety of studies conducted about the effects of parental divorce on individuals, but a lack of research has been done on young adults' relationships in college. The purpose of this study is to explore more how parental divorce affects young adults in college romantic relationships, by investigating students raised in divorced families' relationship satisfaction and life satisfaction. This will be based …

Bilingual Switch Cost Effect On Language Processing, Ancuta Rader

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Recent reports suggest that over half of the world's population regularly uses two or more languages (or dialects) in their daily lives. The U.S. Census Bureau reports 21.6% of the population communicates in a language other than English within their homes. Thus, it is essential to methodically investigate how language processing and learning vary between monolingual and bilingual individuals. To date, research on the effects of bilingualism on language processing has been inconsistent or conflicting. The present study was designed to empirically examine if bilingual speakers differ in language processing and comprehension compared to their monolingual counterparts. It was hypothesized …

Chemical Analysis For Phytochemical Residues On Ceramics From Cape Canaveral Archaeological Sites, Jacob Woodard

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study aims to contribute to the field of paleoethnobotany in Florida archaeology by presenting a novel approach to chemical residue analysis using UV-vis spectroscopy. The project's main goals are to develop a spectroscopic method for analyzing ceramics to identify phytochemical residues and present the findings of chemical analysis applied to ceramics from the Cape Canaveral archaeological mitigation project (CCAMP). The study focuses on two sites, the Penny site (8BR158) and Burns site (8BR85) in Florida's Indian River region.

While organic residue analysis (ORA) has been applied to various materials and regions, limited research ORA on has been conducted within …

Components Of Athletic Identity In Participating Ncaa Athletes: Academic, Demographic, Sport, And Psychological Considerations, Alana C. Torres

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study presents a systematic literature review of research evaluating components of athletic identity in participating NCAA Division I, II, and III athletes. Publications were gathered from six databases: APA PsycINFO, APA PsycARTICLES, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, ERIC, MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus. 26 records met the criteria for inclusion. Four themes were analyzed in the research: academic factors, demographic factors, sport-specific factors, and psychological factors. Study limitations and recommendations for future research are assessed, such as challenges associated with self-report instruments and benefits of employing a longitudinal research design. Recommendations for practitioners and staff are also discussed.

Aerobic And Anaerobic Exercises In Relation To Anxiety And Depression, Ethan D. Mote

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The use of exercise is crucial as a means of treatment for various psychological disorders. However, as more research is being done, there seems to be a lack of consensus as to which type of exercise is most effective, aerobic or anaerobic. 232 students participated in this study via Qualtrics, and were asked to participate in the study by answering 9 questionnaires: the Demographics Questionnaire, GAD7, Beck Depression Inventory, PCL5, QOLS, Exercise History and Attitudes Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Healthy Eating Assessment, and the RYFF Psychological Well-being Scales. The results found that a combination of aerobic, anaerobic, and …

Post, Share, Like: The Role Of Facebook In The Russo-Ukrainian War, Hannah Michelle Snyder

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Facebook is being used by both Russia and Ukraine as a tool of war, for very different purposes. This demonstrates that the platform no longer serves the sole function of connecting communities together. Existing literature has recognized that social media is being used in the current Russo-Ukrainian war but has yet to conduct comparative and contrastive analyses of Russian and Ukrainian social media strategies and effects. Conducting these analyses will illustrate not only what strategies are being used, but how they can be simultaneously advantageous and disadvantageous for belligerents. By focusing on one platform, Facebook, one can not only learn …

Biological Versus Social Factors Of Juvenile Sex Offenders: A Meta-Analysis, Katherine M. Phillips

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Juvenile sex offending is not a new phenomenon but is one of limited research, with only a slight increase in research in the past decade. This meta-analysis used 5 articles to determine which holds a greater influence on juvenile sex offenders, biological or social factors. Biological factors were divided into impulsiveness, psychosis/mental health diagnosis (excluding paraphilic disorders), and sexual deviance/paraphilia. Social factors were divided into antisocial behavior, prior criminal activity, prior exposure to sexual activities/pornography, and history of being sexually abused. This meta-analysis found that biological factors have a slightly greater effect on Juvenile sex offenders, but it was not …

The Opioid Epidemic And Florida's Policies To Address It., Elizabeth L. Barnum

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

The Opioid Epidemic was ignited by Purdue Pharmaceutical’s prescription opioid Oxycontin in 1997, which initiated a nearly tenfold increase in non-cancer pain prescriptions by 2002 (Bhattacharya). This exponential growth had devastating effects on the United States, with millions of opioid addictions and almost 280,000 deaths from prescription opioids alone (“Opioid Overdose”). Florida emerged as the epicenter of this crisis, hosting 90 of the top 100 physicians ordering opioids (Reuter) and purchasing 85% of oxycodone sold to medical practitioners nationwide in 2010 (“Remarks at the Operation Pill Nation II Announcement”). State policies and DEA operations were initiated from 2010 to 2012 …

Tort Reform In Florida: The Impact Of Hb837, Kara E. Burns

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Legislative policies play a pivotal role in shaping the socio-political landscape of a nation, addressing critical issues, and reflecting the values and priorities of its citizens. This case study examines the implementation of Florida's House Bill 837 (HB837), a significant piece of legislation that has generated substantial interest and debate. The study aims to shed light on the practical implications of this policy within the context of its introduction, passage, and subsequent results. The research of this case study explores the historical and political backdrop against which HB837 was enacted. It examines the motivations behind the bill, the debates that …

The Influence Of Genetics, Insulin Resistance, Oxidative Stress, And Energy Deficit On Migraine, Victoria Dm Maldonado Llinas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The pathomechanism of migraine attacks is not understood well, however, is currently believed to be a brain disorder. Migraine is a multifactorial disorder that needs to be investigated in multiple research areas to shed light into its mechanism and find ways to treat it effectively. Migraine episodes come from one or many things at the same time, and such vary from person to person. However, sufficient evidence in recent studies show there is a strong relationship between genetics with patients having specific genes that may be responsible for the disease or a genetic sequence passed down through generations in families, …

Attention, Working Memory, And Adaptive Functioning In Emerging Young Adults With Psychometrically-Defined Schizotypy, Parth Nakirikanti

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Schizotypy, a complex construct linked to schizophrenia-related traits, encompasses positive, negative, and disorganized symptoms. This study offers a review of the concept of schizotypy, including its historical evolution, tracing it from Bleuler's early mention in 1911 to Meehl's continuum model. Embracing a dimensional perspective, this research underscores the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding schizotypy. Deficits in sustained attention and working memory within schizotypy remain underexplored, with prior studies yielding inconsistent results. Adaptive functioning deficits in individuals with schizotypy are also inadequately understood. Examining a college student population, this investigation utilized scores on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire …

An Advocacy Resource Guide To Address The Growing Reality Of Youth Homelessness: Identifying Interventions For Education, Healthcare, And Housing In Central Florida, Venerina M. Costanza

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Today, there are children sleeping under bridges with no food to eat and nowhere to go. Without our help someone's daughter will continue to cry herself to sleep as she sleeps in the woods with only a blanket, someone's son will feed himself with trash from a dumpster, someone's granddaughter sleeping under a bridge will be raped and someone's grandson will commit suicide because he lost all hope. These children need our help. (Enough is Enough, 2022). Although there are some government agencies and organizations that try to identify what can be done to help the homeless youth population, minimal …

Effect Of Estrogen On Chondrogenesis In Female Articular Chondrocytes, Ebony R. Parsons

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As women age and transition into menopause they face a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis leading to total joint replacements. Estrogen is the primary female reproductive hormone. As a woman approaches menopause, estrogen production decreases by 100-fold. Previous research has shown that Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT) reduced joint replacements in post-menopausal women. However, there is a lack of research surrounding ERT's effect on chondrocyte proliferation and extracellular matrix production, particularly 3D culture extracellular matrix production. Chondrogenesis is a process of skeletal development resulting in the formation of cartilage. Chondrocytes, derived from mesenchymal progenitors, serve as the fundamental cellular component in …

The Study Of Crisis Narratives Over Time: Mayfield, Ky In The Aftermath Of The 2021 Tornadoes, Rebecca Freihaut

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study was a year-long longitudinal qualitative research project using the case study of Mayfield, KY after the catastrophic tornado event that impacted their community on December 10, 2021. Oral histories were collected from 18 participants who lived in or were closely connected to Mayfield at the six month and 1.5 year marks after the disaster. Later, after the oral histories were archived and made available to the public, the transcripts were used to extract the crisis narratives from the oral histories and the data was thematically analyzed using the existing theory and theoretical framework of Narratives of Crisis: Telling …

Revisiting The Vigilance Taxonomy: Are Findings Consistent In A Remote Environment?, Grace E. Waldfogle

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Previous research has highlighted key taxonomic factors that have been found to influence human performance on vigilance tasks. However, previous literature has focused on research conducted in laboratory settings but has not examined vigilance tasks in remote environments. The present dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by examining human performance on a remote vigilance task, as well as workload and stress associated with the task. Qualitative data were collected to further understand the environment and distractions that participants experienced. Across three experiments, 372 participants were asked to complete a vigilance task and answer surveys pertaining to stress, workload, and …

Preparing College Students With Adhd For Online Job Interviews: Self-Regulation & Psychophysiology, Tahnee L. Wilder

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This dissertation investigates the complex dynamics of digital communication, highlights the unique stressors it places on college students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and advocates for adopting interdisciplinary methods to enhance their participation in online communication environments. While online interviewing has become increasingly common in the employment domain, it poses unique difficulties for individuals with ADHD, who may struggle with self-regulation and communication skills. Due to the absence of physical presence, online interviews pose a significant challenge to individuals in perceiving and responding to the nuanced range of non-verbal cues, which can greatly impact the effectiveness of their communication. To advance …

Safety Evaluation Of Active Traffic Management Strategies On Freeways By Short-Term Crash Prediction Models, Md Tarek Hasan

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Traditional crash frequency prediction models cannot capture the temporal effects of traffic characteristics due to the high level of data aggregation. Also, this approach is less suitable to address the crash risk for active traffic management strategies that typically operate for short-time intervals. Hence, this research proposes short-term crash prediction models for traffic management strategies such as Variable Speed Limit (VSL)/Variable Advisory Speed (VAS), and Part-time Shoulder Use (PTSU). By using high-resolution traffic detectors and VSL/VAS operational data, short-term Safety Performance Functions (SPFs) are estimated at weekday hourly and peak period aggregation levels. The results indicate that the short-term SPFs …

Adversarial Attacks, Coarse Robustness, And Dataless Neural Networks: Novel Techniques For Improved Classification And Combinatorial Optimization, Ismail Alkhouri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Neural networks (NN) have become a central component in most machine learning systems. However, studies have shown that these models are not robust against adversarial attacks. As such, in this dissertation, we explore four directions. In the first direction, we investigate adversarial attacks on two hierarchical classification (HC) models: the Flat HC (FHC), and the Top-Down HC (TDHC). In particular, we formulate attacks against these models by using convex programming. Through experimental results, it is shown that FHCs are more robust than TDHCs. Second, we formalize a new notion of coarse robustness that is defined with respect to a specified …

Bench- And Pilot-Scale Corrosion Control Inhibitor Effectiveness Studies For A Community's Blended Surficial And Brackish Groundwater Supply, Paula Campesino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The United States Environmental Protection Agency regulates the lead and copper content of a public water system's finished water at the consumer's tap, through the Safe Drinking Water Act's Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), promulgated in 1991. This rule was recently changed through the LCR Revisions (LCRR), that took effect in 2021. The more stringent requirements of the LCRR motivated the City of Sarasota, Florida (City), to work with the University of Central Florida (UCF) on a study of the municipality's finished water corrosivity. Initially, this evaluation investigated the City's existing finished water corrosivity using linear polarization resistance (LPR) measurements …

The Development Of Computational Models For Melting-Solidification Applications Using The Volume-Of-Fluid Method, Brendon Cavainolo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Fluids-related issues in the Aerospace industry are often multiphase in scope. Numerical modeling, such as computational fluid dynamics, is used to describe these problems, as they are difficult or impossible to describe analytically. This research uses computational fluid dynamics to describe multiphase problems related to melting-solidification and particle impingement. Firstly, a numerical model was established that uses the Volume-of-Fluid method to resolve a melting/solidifying particle. This model was verified against experiments and simplified analytical models, and a mesh independence study was done to ensure the results were independent of the mesh sizing. Next, the model was applied to two separate …