Digital Commons Network^™

Cosmic Consciousneess And Rawlings's The Soujourner, Ashley Andrews Lear

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

The Osi And The Nazis: America's Struggle To Expel Nazi War Criminals And Their Allies Decades After The Second World War, Evan S. Murray

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis examines the history of the Office of Special Investigations' campaign to identify, denaturalize, and deport Nazis and Nazi collaborators. By analyzing documents from the work of the Office's predecessor, the Special Litigations Unit, in 1977, up to and including the case of George Lindert in 1995, this research aims to provide an understanding of the Office's origins, methods, and motivations. This work was done through the consultation of court records, internal memos, letters, an official government report on the Office's activities, other literature written on this topic, and interviews conducted by the author with two former members of …

Study On Technology And Learning, Jeremy Bramwell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this research thesis is to investigate technologies effects on learning. Specifically the researchers studied the usability of intelligent personal assistant-enabled devices for learning assistance. It is assumed that using technology in educational context helps both students and educators because there is a positive effect on engagement which increases learning curves. Although, this is not always the case. The present study yielded results that were not consistent with the assumption that using any type of technology as an aid for learning has a positive effect. Further research will seek to investigate other intelligent personal assistant devices for classroom …

How Change Started To Come: Examining Rhythm And Blues And Southern Identity, Jennifer Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project seeks a better understanding on how blackness has been peripheral to our understanding of the term Southerner. The purpose of this work is to examine an area where the intersection of race and region exists to more fully understand how blacks in the South have presented their sense of Southern identity. The chosen area of examination is the music of rhythm and blues. Rhythm and blues as a genre rose to prominence in the years following World War II. The main reason for analyzing rhythm and blues as an intersecting point of race and region is that the …

Making Our Voices Heard: Power And Citizenship In Central Florida's Black Communities, Gramond Mcpherson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the impacts of government policies on community mobilization in Orlando's Parramore neighborhood and the all-black town of Eatonville in Central Florida. The scope of this thesis covers the history of both communities from their formation in the 1880s to the end of the twentieth century. This research reveals the relationships between the predominantly black residents of Parramore and Eatonville and the largely white government officials over the development and maintenance of each community. By understanding the social creation of both communities during the era of Jim Crow, this thesis reveals the differing levels of power each community …

Central Florida School Districts' Responses To Hispanic Growth, 1980-2010, Kendra Hazen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1980s, Hispanics have been the fastest growing minority in the United States and have been moving into rural, Southern areas where there have previously not been populations of Hispanics. Studies of these demographic changes have concentrated on how communities impacted by the influx of Hispanics have created or adjusted socioeconomic and political infrastructures to accommodate the linguistic and cultural needs of the Hispanic population. The public-school system is a sociopolitical structure that has affected and has been affected by the increase in Hispanics. Whereas the modern Civil Rights movement had created legal precedence for students' language rights and …

Selecting Methods To Teach Controversial Topics: A Grounded Theory Study, Sean Loomis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This grounded theory study examined the perceptions of 14 high school social studies teachers from three school districts in the Central Florida area. They were interviewed to uncover the decision-making process that high school social studies teachers use to choose methodologies when teaching controversial public issues (CPIs). The result was a three-phase model, the CPI Decision-Making Model, in which teachers move through three conceptual phases to decide on a particular methodology. By working through this process, teachers analyze the benefits and drawbacks of different methods for teaching controversial public issues. Significant results from this study included: (a) teachers were choosing …

Florida's Rising Tide: Income Inequality Effects By County, Alyson E. Johnson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Income inequality in Florida is higher than in many states and has been getting worse over time. Inequality has been argued as responsible for a wide-ranging array of economic and social problems, including suppression of lower- and middle-income growth, social fragmentation and separatism, urban sprawl, poor health and mental illnesses, violence, and shortened life expectancy. What explains variance in Florida county income inequality as measured by the GINI coefficient? Bivariate and multivariate weighted least square regressions are conducted for the years 2000 and 2016, and for the change between 2000 and 2016. Three variables achieve statistical significance in all three …

Understanding Sediment Biogeochemistry And The Role Of Juvenile Oysters On Recently Restored Eastern Oyster Reefs, Bryan Locher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent decades, goals for the restoration of eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations along the eastern coast of the United States have shifted from increasing harvestable oyster fisheries to enhancing the range of ecosystem services provided by oyster reefs. By filtering large volumes of water and releasing nutrient-rich feces and pseudofeces, oysters can locally enhance sediment biogeochemical cycling compared to that of unstructured benthic environments. An ongoing restoration program in Mosquito Lagoon, FL was leveraged to assess the immediate impacts ( < 1 year) of restoration on sediment biogeochemical properties of oyster reefs. The first study measured both short-term and long-term pools of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus on dead, natural and restored reefs periodically over one year. The second study investigated one of the contributions to sediment nutrient pools by comparing feeding and feces/pseudofeces nutrient content of juvenile and older oysters. Results show that inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus pools can change within weeks after restoration and total nutrient pools by 6 months post-restoration. Restored reefs experienced a 136 % increase in ammonium, 78 % increase in total nitrogen, 46 % increase in total phosphorus, and 75 % increase in organic matter concentrations after 12 months of restoration. These nutrient increases were all positively correlated with oyster density, shell length and reef height measured on each reef. When standardized to grams of dry tissue weight, juvenile oysters showed significantly higher rates of chlorophyll-a removal, release of ammonium, and biodeposits with higher concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, nitrite + nitrate, and ammonium. The short-term changes to biogeochemical cycling on eastern oyster reefs within the first year of restoration are important to managers seeking to monitor ecosystem service recovery and overall coastal ecosystem health.

A Grounded Theory Survey Study Of Teachers Perception Perpetuating The Deficit Narrative About Marginalized Students Of Color, Cavel Austin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The deficit narrative about marginalized students of color attributes their failure in school to some nature of innate cognitive deficiency, cultural, social, and familial dysfunctions among other schools of thoughts. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to provide a rich description about this phenomenon and to propose theoretical pedagogical adjustments in the classroom as it relates to educating students of color. The study applies Charmaz (2014) Constructivist approach to grounded theory methods to examine the following research questions: (RQ1) How do teachers' narratives about students of color depict their teaching experiences and (RQ2) How do teachers' narratives about …

Informe Parcial Proyecto “Paleobotánica Y Paisaje En El Amazonas Sudoccidental: Prospección, Excavaciones Arqueológicas Y Obtención De Muestras De Suelo En Los Llanos De Mojos, Bolivia”, John H. Walker, Neil Duncan, Juan Carlos Chávez Quispe, Thomas Warren Lee, Danielle Young, Hanna Park, Mabel Ramos Fernandez, Lizeth Duran Vargas, Andrea Cruz Diez, Jaime Bocchietti Arias

ProSIGAB Documents

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Flow Field Structures In A Rectangular Channel With A Pin Fin Array, Patrick Tran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pin fin arrays are commonly found in heat exchangers, turbine blades, and electronic heat sinks. Fin arrays are extended surfaces that are used as turbulence promoters by inducing horseshoe vortex (HSV) and von Karman vortex (KV) structures. The horseshoe vortex are primarily studied in the leading edge of the blunt body, whereas the KV are formed in the trailing side. This study presents an experimental investigation of flow field structures and pressure loss on staggered pin fin array in the wake region, where KV are dominate. These flow structures increase the local levels turbulence and generate eddies that promote flow …

A System Dynamics Approach On Sustainability Assessment Of The United States Urban Commuter Transportation, Tolga Ercan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transportation sector is one of the largest emission sources and is a cause for human health concern due to the high dependency on personal vehicle in the U.S. Transportation mode choice studies are currently limited to micro- and regional-level boundaries, lacking of presenting a complete picture of the issues, and the root causes associated with urban passenger transportation choices in the U.S. Hence, system dynamics modeling approach is utilized to capture complex causal relationships among the critical system parameters affecting alternative transportation mode choices in the U.S. as well as to identify possible policy areas to improve alternative transportation mode …

Theme Park Experience: Factors Explaining Amount Of Pleasure From A Theme Park Visit, Time Allocation For Theme Park Activities, Perceived Value, Queuing Quality, Satisfaction, And Loyalty, Maksim Godovykh, Ady Milman, Alsi D.A. Tasci

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

A considerable amount of literature describes concepts that predict theme park visitor behavior. Although previous studies made an effort to measure the impact of several variables on theme park visitors’ loyalty, there is a lack of empirical attention on the impact of some consumption variables such as previous experience, perceived queuing quality, waiting time, using of virtual queuing, and the role of anticipating and remembering the visit. The current study introduces several new experience concepts that were not previously discussed in the literature: the amount of pleasure from anticipation, visiting, and remembering the experience, and time allocation for waiting in …

Domestic Violence In Rural & Non-Rural Areas: A Study On The Influence Of Population Density On Arrest Rates In The State Of Florida, Kiara Gonzalez Cruz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Domestic violence (DV) is a global issue that can affect anyone regardless of what role they play in a family household. It does not discriminate by education, age, religion, etc. DV includes any type of violence or abuse that occurs within a domestic setting. For the purposes of this study, this content primarily focuses on intimate partner violence (IPV) as the main form of DV and is used interchangeably throughout the text. This study examines the influence of population density on arrest rates for DV and some factors behind the likelihood of arrests in urban and rural areas. The literature …

The Ecology Of Central Florida's Thief Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Solenopsis), Leo Ohyama

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thief ants of the genus Solenopsis are a diverse group of ants that are found in ant communities throughout the world. They have long been purported to practice lestobiosis, an interaction between small and larger-bodied ants, where small ants cryptically tunnel into larger-bodied ant nests within the subterranean environment and steal brood or eggs for consumption. Thief ants are extremely small, measuring 1-2 mm in length and many of the species within this group practice a subterranean life history, where they live the entirety of their lives exclusively belowground. Due to these key characteristics, the ecology and natural history of …

Analyzing Pre-Inhumation Breakage Ceramics At Lamanai, Belize: A Conjunctive Approach, Ryan Enger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the Terminal Classic period (9th-10th centuries A.D.), the ancient Maya at Lamanai, Belize, began to practice pre-inhumation breakage of ceramics in mortuary contexts. Previously, the custom had been to bury whole vessels with the deceased. This conspicuous shift in behavior suggests important changes in beliefs regarding the role of ceramics in death and interment at a pivotal moment in ancient Maya culture history. Despite this significant change, there has been no published research conducted specifically on these vessels. In fact, there has been no clearly delineated set of characteristics for what qualifies as a pre-inhumation breakage vessel (PBV). This …

Building Unity Through State Narratives: The Evolving British Media Discourse During World War Ii, 1939-1941, Colin Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The British media discourse evolved during the first two years of World War II, as state narratives and censorship began taking a more prominent role. I trace this shift through an examination of newspapers from three British regions during this period, including London, the Southwest, and the North. My research demonstrates that at the start of the war, the press featured early unity in support of the British war effort, with some regional variation. As the war progressed, old political and geographical divergences came to the forefront in coverage of events such as Prime Minister Chamberlain's resignation. The government became …

Acoustic Ecology And Sound Mapping The University Of Central Florida Main Campus, Robert Clarke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Acoustic Ecology and Sound Mapping the University of Central Florida Main Campus" explores the intersection of place and space, sound studies and acoustic ecology, visualization, and archives. The end result consists of a collection of "soundwalk" and stationary recordings conducted from 2016-2019 at the University of Central Florida (UCF) main campus in Orlando presented as an online Sound Map. This archive previously did not exist and provides a snapshot of the various sounds heard throughout the campus as well as a starting point and context for future research into this still-emerging field of acoustic ecology and sound studies. While the …

Mapping Addiction: A Digital Psychogeographic Approach To America's Addiction Epidemic, Clayton Benjamin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Focusing on policy consultation, my dissertation consults on the current US addiction epidemic and aims to answer, "What is our disposition to addiction?" Borrowing and clarifying Ulmer's MEmorial method, as established in his text Electronic Monuments, the dissertation combines the ancient Greek practice of theoria, Deleuzian theory, and psychogeographic counter-mapping methods to trace ways in which ideological apparatuses construct addiction. The aim of the dissertation is to reveal an abject value by constructing MEmorials which provide space for individuals to mourn loss and see their relation to that loss. Through mourning, individuals strengthen their ties to other community members and …

Comparative Analysis Of The Relationship Between State Security And Ethnic Minority Oppression, Grayson Lanza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the relationship between the state economic outlook, state security apparatus and the presence of ethnic minority oppression within the state's borders. Modern states have developed extensive security apparatuses as they have developed their economies and this research intended to identify the possibility of a connection between the development of these aspects of the state in relation to ethnic minority repression. The research is broken up into a research design and introductory section, a case study section, and a final analysis and conclusion section. Each of the four case studies studied a and ethnic minority relationship, and in …

Legends Of The Fabricated Wild: An Experimental Representation Of Natural Landscapes Through The Utilization Of Analog Film Techniques, Nicholas Twardus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Legends of the Fabricated Wild is a feature-length body of work of landscape films. Voice-Destroy, Self-Portrait: Impermanence and the titular Legends of the Fabricated Wild are the experimental films that comprise my body of work. Keep your Distance, a single-channel installation, is a supplemental piece. Legends of the Fabricated Wild frames the complex interaction between a filmmaker and the collective unconsciousness of the natural environment, a theory outlined by Carl Jung, considering the implications and discoveries along the way. Subtle movement and precise compositions provide a transcendental perspective on the natural Florida landscape. Images of landscapes devoid of human figures …

Motivational Factors And Barriers Affecting Seniors' Decision To Relocate To A Senior Living Facility, Suja Chaulagain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to explore factors affecting seniors' intention to relocate to a senior living facility. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of push and pull motivational factors and perceived barriers on seniors' intention to relocate to a senior living facility (SLF). In addition, the mediating role of perceived barriers on the relationships between push motivational factors and intention to relocate and pull motivational factors and intention to relocate were explored. The data of the study was collected from 363 seniors. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted to test the study hypotheses. The …

Featured Bookshelf: 2018 Ucf Celebrates Diversity, Megan M. Haught

Featured Bookshelf

Every October UCF celebrates Diversity Week. This year’s dates are October 15 – 19, and the theme is A New Day Dawns. University-wide departments and groups champion the breadth and culture within the UCF community, and work to increase acceptance and inclusion for everyone at UCF and the surrounding communities.

One of the fantastic things about UCF is the wide range of cultures and ethnicities of our students, staff, and faculty. We come from all over. We’re just as proud of where we are from as we are of where we are now and where we will be heading in …

Assistant Editors' Interview With Dr. Berkeley Franz And Dr. Dan Skinner, Cathryn Molloy, Erin Trauth

Rhetoric of Health & Medicine

RHM Assistant Editor Cathryn Molloy interviews Dr. Berkeley Franz (Ohio University) and Dr. Dan Skinner (Ohio University) on their article, "From Patients to Populations: Rhetorical Considerations for a Post-Patient Compliance Medicine"

An Analysis Of 8th Grade Student Achievement Of Private And Public Schools In The Dominican Republic In Rural And Urban Settings, Daniel Boyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in student academic achievement in private and public schools in the Dominican Republic in rural and urban settings. The 2016 8th Grade National Exams school mean scale scores were analyzed to determine if statistically significant differences existed among the different school types and school settings. There was a lack of literature on student academic achievement in the Dominican Republic, in particular on private and public school and rural and urban school students. The extant literature indicated that in the Dominican Republic, private school students historically had higher academic achievement on …

Intermodel Comparison Between Switch 2.0 And Ge Maps: Evaluating A New Tool For Integrated Modeling Of Electric Vehicles And High-Renewable Power Systems, Florida Solar Energy Center, Matthias Fripp

FSEC Energy Research Center®

This report presents an inter-model comparison between the Switch and GE Energy Consulting, (GE) Multi Area Production Simulation (MAPS) power system models. This work was conducted as part of the project on the "Effect of Electric Vehicles on Power System Expansion and Operation" under a sub award to the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH), from the Electric Vehicle Transportation Center (EVTC) at the Florida Solar Energy Center, University of Central Florida. The EVTC is a University Transportation Center funded by the Research and Innovative Technology Administration of the US Department of Transportation. The EVTC is …

Storytelling: For Public Organizations, Jeffrey Valcin, Brittany Wilson, Vivian Miley

Media Literacy: How the Era of Fake News Affects Public Service

By definition, storytelling is just that – one who tells or writes stories (Dictionary.com, 2018). Why is this an important aspect in the public sector? Simply because it is universal. Stories are generated on a daily basis from government employees, politicians, citizens, and, of course, the media outlets (Van Hulst, 2014). While the end result of each story may vary, it is critical that as an individual or organization in the public sector you have the tools and support to not only share your own story, but to do it in the most effective manner possible. A quote attributable to …

Electric Vehicle Interaction At The Electrical Circuit Level, Florida Solar Energy Center, Shawyun Sariri

FSEC Energy Research Center®

A large growth in energy demand has increased renewable energy penetration into existing power grid infrastructures, as well as spurring increased research into demand response programs. But before implementing an efficient demand response program, it is first necessary to understand the power usage behaviors of a consumer. This paper presents a real-time data acquisition system for the collection and storage of power data that will allow the study of demand response in an urban area, which can be applied to the efficient use of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). Demand response programs are an ideal alternative to costly energy storage …

The Impact Of Culture On Students' Motivation To Acquire A Second Language, Irina Pidberejna

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

In accordance with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, goals for foreign language learning include communities, communication, comparisons, connections, and cultures. Each teaching goal is interlinked and serves an essential component in language development. However, culture has been largely limited by stereotypical biases, which misrepresent the culture studied, and the native culture's sociological roles and perceptions of that target culture. The experiments and theories of Vygotsky (1934; 1956), and Leontyev (1978) indicate that second language learning can reconstruct self-identity and redevelop behaviors appropriate to the second language's respective culture. Personal investment and openness to a foreign language …