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Monitoring Pathological Gene Expression And Studying Endogenous Epigenetic Architecture By Crispr/Cas9-Based Tool Development Using Alpha-Synuclein As A Model, Levi Adams Jan 2020

Monitoring Pathological Gene Expression And Studying Endogenous Epigenetic Architecture By Crispr/Cas9-Based Tool Development Using Alpha-Synuclein As A Model, Levi Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Until recently, complete understanding of the endogenous activity of pathologically relevant genes was out of reach and research was confined to in situ work, plasmid-based constructs and artificial model systems. The development and expansion of the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technique has enabled us to explore the molecular underpinnings of gene activation using the cell's own endogenous regulatory environment. In this work, we report on the development of a novel tool to monitor the endogenous activity of a causative gene in Parkinson's disease, a-synuclein. We use CRISPR/Cas9 to insert a highly sensitive engineered luciferase at the C-terminal of a-synuclein and assessed …


Mechanical Behavior Assessment Of Ti-6al-4v Alloy Produced By Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Asif Mahmud Jan 2020

Mechanical Behavior Assessment Of Ti-6al-4v Alloy Produced By Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Asif Mahmud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The present work correlates quasi-static, tensile mechanical properties of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 23) alloy to the phase constituents, microstructure and fracture surface characteristics that changed with post-heat treatment of stress relief (670 °C for 5h) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP with 100MPa at 920 °C for 2h). Ti-6Al-4V alloy tensile specimens in both the horizontal (i.e., X and Y) and vertical (Z) directions were produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technique. Mechanical properties were determined using quasi-static, tensile testing for both the as-stress-relieved (ASR) and HIP specimens. For the ASR and HIP samples built in X, Y and …


Development And Characterization Of A Novel Serum Free Human Ipsc Motoneuron-Primary Human Schwann Cell Model Of Myelination, Aakash Patel Jan 2020

Development And Characterization Of A Novel Serum Free Human Ipsc Motoneuron-Primary Human Schwann Cell Model Of Myelination, Aakash Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Myelination and node of Ranvier formation play an important role in saltatory conduction of axonal action potentials in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Degeneration or damage of this myelin can lead to impairment in the conduction of signals by the axons, and cause deficits in sensory and motor function. Currently, animal-based models are the primary method used to study myelination; however, data generated in animal models generally translate poorly to humans, especially as applied to drug discovery. In order to accurately study myelination in humans without having to rely on human testing, an engineered in vitro model of myelination could …


The Role Of Notch1, Il-6 And Mir-146a In Inflammation And Infection In Crohn's Disease Non-Responders To Anti-Tnf-Alpha Therapy, Esra'a Keewan Jan 2020

The Role Of Notch1, Il-6 And Mir-146a In Inflammation And Infection In Crohn's Disease Non-Responders To Anti-Tnf-Alpha Therapy, Esra'a Keewan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Despite the extensive research on Notch signaling involvement in inflammation, its role in macrophage response in autoimmune diseases and defense mechanisms against bacterial infection such as Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP) remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the molecular role of Notch-1 signaling and its downstream modulation in the macrophage response during infection and disease treatment. We demonstrated that MAP infection significantly upregulated Notch-1 and IL-6, which hijacked myeloid cell leukemia sequence-1 (MCL)-1 dependent inhibition of apoptosis and caused chronic MAP persistence and significantly led to successive inflammation. Blocking Notch signaling with gamma-secretase inhibitor (DAPT) decreased MAP survival and burden, …


Identifying Suicidality Correlates Among People Incarcerated In Jail, Frances Abderhalden Jan 2020

Identifying Suicidality Correlates Among People Incarcerated In Jail, Frances Abderhalden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The rate of suicidality in jail is estimated to be eight times greater than that of the general population, yet the identification of risk factors for suicidality among people incarcerated in jail has not been explored by researchers (Fazel, Grann, Kling & Hawton, 2011; Hayes, 1999; Noonan & Ginder, 2013). To date, the breadth of the literature on suicidology almost exclusively deals with the prison population or general public, and official data of completed suicides. However, when analyzing suicidality in jail and prison populations, it is evident they are not interchangeable and suicidal behaviors include more than just completed suicides. …


Mechanotransduction Of Leukocyte Transmigration, Cynthia Aguilar Jan 2020

Mechanotransduction Of Leukocyte Transmigration, Cynthia Aguilar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The endothelium is among the most mechanically enriched environments in the body. It is exposed to a range of hemodynamic-induced and extracellular forces. Of these extracellular forces, the migration of leukocytes through the endothelium will contribute both to classic immune response and development of certain pathologies. While the path of migration across the endothelium will depend on leukocyte and vascular bed type, recent evidence has suggested that the intercellular mechanical microenvironment and forces are also equally as important to this process. Therefore, we present here a model that mimics specific physiological states of a stagnant hemodynamic flow in which we …


Analyzing And Detecting Internet Of Things Malware Using Residual Static Graph- And String-Based Artifacts, Hisham Alasmary Jan 2020

Analyzing And Detecting Internet Of Things Malware Using Residual Static Graph- And String-Based Artifacts, Hisham Alasmary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Recently, the Internet of Things (IoT) has become wider and adopted many features from social networks and mainly uses sensing devices technologies, causing a rapid increase in production and adoption. However, security and privacy are serious threats that users usually take precautions to protect their devices and information. Thus, understanding the security shortcomings at first stage will educate IoT users to protect their connected things. Understanding IoT software through analysis, comparison (with other types of malware), and detection (from benign IoT) is an essential problem to mitigate security threats. We focus on two central perspectives, the graph and string representations …


Afrofuturism In Animation: Self Identity Of African Americans In Cinematic Storytelling, Dana Barnes Jan 2020

Afrofuturism In Animation: Self Identity Of African Americans In Cinematic Storytelling, Dana Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

My work addresses the importance of self-identity within the Black culture of the United States of America through the depiction of an African American boy who must look into himself to overcome a difficult bullying situation. Animation as a medium is an ideal tool for interrogating the Western perspective of identity through cinematic storytelling. Using established animation methods, I created a visual narrative to portray the impact self-identity has on an individual's actions in certain social conditions. The film expands the medium of animation to subvert the narrative expectations of bullying and presents the idea of identity as a nonconforming …


The Synthesis Of Palladium-Platinum Core-Shell Nanoparticles With High Catalytic Peroxidase Activities For Biosensing Applications, Edwin Davidson Jan 2020

The Synthesis Of Palladium-Platinum Core-Shell Nanoparticles With High Catalytic Peroxidase Activities For Biosensing Applications, Edwin Davidson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In recent years, peroxidase mimic nanostructures have attracted special interest due to their low cost, high stability, and high catalytic activity. Herein, we demonstrate the use of Pd-Pt nanocubes (NCs) to achieve the rapid and sensitive colorimetric detection of ascorbic acid (AA), commonly known as vitamin C. The colored signal generated by the catalyzed oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is quenched in the presence of AA based on its antioxidant property. This colorimetric method attains a detection limit of 0.40 µM and a linear range from 0 to 15 µM, with good linearity. To …


Assessing Stress Outcomes Of Interpersonal Helping: An Application Of Hindrance Stress Appraisals, Michael Distaso Jan 2020

Assessing Stress Outcomes Of Interpersonal Helping: An Application Of Hindrance Stress Appraisals, Michael Distaso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), including interpersonal helping, have traditionally been framed as explicitly positive behaviors with positive outcomes. The present study extended both theory on negative outcomes of OCB and the challenge-hindrance framework by applying the appraisal perspective of the challenge-hindrance framework to the study of helping events. The study employed an event sampling method that asked participants to report critical incidents of helping events that occurred at work. Results showed that perceived help difficulty predicted hindrance appraisals of help, but daily workload did not. This suggests that the content of helping event is more important than circumstantial factors surrounding …


Understanding The Role Of Social Networks In Influencing Adult's Participations In Physical Activity In Unequal Physical And Social Environment, Ting Du Jan 2020

Understanding The Role Of Social Networks In Influencing Adult's Participations In Physical Activity In Unequal Physical And Social Environment, Ting Du

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Physical inactivity has become a public health crisis which can be the trigger to many other chronic diseases. Participation in physical activity is correlated with a variety of factors at multiple levels, including individual physical and psychological health, interpersonal social support, and community physical and social environments. Previous studies found that individuals' social networks influenced health behaviors, including physical activity. However, it remains unclear how social networks at different life stages affect adult engagement in physical activity among different socio-demographic groups. Built upon a theoretical framework which integrates the social-ecological model, social cognitive theory and social network theory, this study …


What Do You Do When You Are Bored? Outcomes And Moderators Of Job Boredom, Mitchell Eid Jan 2020

What Do You Do When You Are Bored? Outcomes And Moderators Of Job Boredom, Mitchell Eid

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

While little research on job boredom currently exists, most has focused on its connection to outcomes which are harmful to organizations. However, there is research that suggests boredom may have a positive relationship to creativity. The current study hypothesized that job boredom would be positively related to workplace creativity and that this relationship would be moderated by openness to experience. The current study also attempted to replicate previous research linking job boredom to counterproductive work behavior with boredom proneness as a moderator. Data were collected from 219 participants through a self-report survey on MTURK and analyzed with moderated regression analyses. …


Under Pressure: Analysis Of An Undergraduate Intervention For Stem Students In Academic Decline, Dena Ford Jan 2020

Under Pressure: Analysis Of An Undergraduate Intervention For Stem Students In Academic Decline, Dena Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Students who successfully persist in STEM majors often gain positive attention highlighting their preparation and ability, though far too often, students who struggle while persisting in the major go unnoticed. This research analyzed demographics and characteristics of select undergraduate STEM majors with a focus on biology and forensic science who were not reaching the major GPA benchmark requirements. These students were persisting while in academic decline. Characteristics of interest in this study include self-reported level of familial pressure to be in the major, anxiety level of current declared major, and course workload anxiety level as well as admit type (either …


Drug Availability And Disparities In Arrests, Robert Hellmuth Jan 2020

Drug Availability And Disparities In Arrests, Robert Hellmuth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Racial disparities in arrests in the United States are well-documented. Particularly, young black males are arrested at inordinately higher rates than other demographics. In this research, we investigated whether an unresearched variable—drug availability—could explain these discrepancies found in the US criminal justice system. Research suggests race is an extralegal (unrelated to the law) factor associated with arrest rates. Until this study, no research has investigated whether an individuals' access to illegal drugs might be related to likelihood of being arrested. If illicit substances might be more easily obtained by individuals of a specific race, could this explain inequalities in arrest …


Experimentation And Simulation Of Pulsed Eddy Current Thermography Of Subsurface Aircraft Corrosive Defects, Johnathan Hernandez Jan 2020

Experimentation And Simulation Of Pulsed Eddy Current Thermography Of Subsurface Aircraft Corrosive Defects, Johnathan Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

During the life cycle of aircraft, external structures are under constant attack from environmental degradation in the form of corrosion. Corrosive defects consist of multiple types of surface and subsurface damage that are often undetectable due to surface coatings or insulation leading to loss in structural integrity. Non-destructive techniques for corrosion detection typically require the removal of paint. Detection of corrosion under insulation (CUI) is highly valuable for cost and time effectiveness. Although techniques have been developed for detection of CUI, not many of these satisfy the criteria for portability and hangar operation. To address this, multiple techniques were investigated …


Move Your Body, Change Your Mind: Physical Activity In The Morning And Its Implications For Work, Charlotte Holden Jan 2020

Move Your Body, Change Your Mind: Physical Activity In The Morning And Its Implications For Work, Charlotte Holden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Drawing upon the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (Fredrickson, 2001), this study examines the links between morning physical activity, subsequent positive emotions, broadened thinking, and psychological resource accumulation at work. Fifty-two participants who worked full-time completed a daily diary for 10 workdays that included measures of their emotions and physical activity each morning and measures of broadened thinking each afternoon. Psychological resources were assessed at the beginning and end of the 10-day period. Data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) with Mplus. Results did not support the mediating role of positive emotions and broadened thinking between morning physical …


Incels And The Manosphere: Tracking Men's Movements Online, Annie Jones Jan 2020

Incels And The Manosphere: Tracking Men's Movements Online, Annie Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Throughout history, men have responded to feminist progress with political backlash. Pre-internet men's groups used biological constructions of gender as a method of reinforcing patriarchal power by restricting the rights of women. Today, the same methods are used in a loose collection of men's rights groups online called 'the manosphere'. Within the manosphere, men who identify as involuntarily celibate (incels) blame women for their perceived loss of masculine power. Some incels have taken their anti-feminist backlash offline through acts of mass violence, suggesting an emergent need for social science research into the incel identity. This paper outlines the theoretical orientation …


Factors Related To Physical Education Course Enrollment At The Community College Level, Jennifer Katz Jan 2020

Factors Related To Physical Education Course Enrollment At The Community College Level, Jennifer Katz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study was designed to evaluate the factors related to Physical Education course enrollment at a predominately two-year state college operating under a community college model in the state of Florida as it pertains to enrollment declines in electives focused on health and wellness. The mixed-methods study included a survey of current students at the college (n =177) perceptions and reasons for enrolling in physical education classes. Further, a historical data analysis (n = 87,399) of students' institutional records was conducted to investigate the relationship between student success and physical education. Groups included those who took physical education courses and …


Life Narratives As Technologies Of Self: Explorations Of Agency In A Son Of The Forest And The Autobiography Of Malcolm X, Tiffanie Kelley Jan 2020

Life Narratives As Technologies Of Self: Explorations Of Agency In A Son Of The Forest And The Autobiography Of Malcolm X, Tiffanie Kelley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In A Son of the Forest (1829) and The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), the narrators describe their most formative experiences in relation to addiction and their respective religions. Though these narratives emerged at different periods (almost a century apart) in North American history, there are considerable similarities between them. As William Apess describes his struggle with alcoholism, he also appropriates both the language of popular literature and print culture in the Methodist movement, and in turn criticizes the white supremacist ideals ingrained in early American culture. Similarly, Malcolm X details his experience with substance abuse while criticizing white supremacist …


An Investigation In To Resume Construction And Hiring Decisions: Perceptions Of Black Womens Natural Hair, Cassandra Kroon Jan 2020

An Investigation In To Resume Construction And Hiring Decisions: Perceptions Of Black Womens Natural Hair, Cassandra Kroon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This research examined how black women's natural hair was perceived in a professional setting. Expectancy violation theory (EVT) suggests that people create patterns of communication but that these patterns can be disrupted when a person violates the established expectations. The theory was applied to perceptions of black women's natural hair in a professional setting. An experimental survey was used to assess whether participants viewed natural hair in the workplace as a positive or negative expectancy violation. Participants were asked to view a resume and complete Likert-type scale items to evaluate the resume. The items measured the candidate's professionalism, likeability, attractiveness …


Additive Manufacturing Of Copper-Based Alloy By Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Binghao Lu Jan 2020

Additive Manufacturing Of Copper-Based Alloy By Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Binghao Lu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Copper (Cu) and Cu-alloy are good candidates for the engineered components that require good thermal and electrical conductivity. Since industry often needs sophisticated components that cannot be made easily by traditional methods, such as casting, forging and machining, research for additive manufacturing of copper-based alloy is on demand. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the optimization of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of Cu-10 wt.% Sn alloy and pure Cu based on their characteristics such as relative density/porosity, surface roughness, phase constitutes, melt pool dimension, and dendrite arm spacings dimension, determined by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Scanning electron microscope. LPBF, …


An Examination Of The Quality And Development Of Educational Plans For Gifted Students, David Maddock Jan 2020

An Examination Of The Quality And Development Of Educational Plans For Gifted Students, David Maddock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This two-phase mixed-methods study applied a researcher-created instrument (Education Plan Quality Assessment) to extant documents created by teachers in a single central Florida school district. A true random sample of 337 student educational plans was drawn from a gifted population of 2,370 students. A snowball sample, which utilized the student sample to recruit a teacher sample, was created from teachers who worked on the plans and those teachers were contacted to complete the Opinions about the Gifted and their Education (OGE) opinionnaire which provided teacher opinion scores related to giftedness. Teachers were surveyed as to their opinions of giftedness to …


Video Content Understanding Using Text, Amir Mazaheri Jan 2020

Video Content Understanding Using Text, Amir Mazaheri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The rise of the social media and video streaming industry provided us a plethora of videos and their corresponding descriptive information in the form of concepts (words) and textual video captions. Due to the mass amount of available videos and the textual data, today is the best time ever to study the Computer Vision and Machine Learning problems related to videos and text. In this dissertation, we tackle multiple problems associated with the joint understanding of videos and text. We first address the task of multi-concept video retrieval, where the input is a set of words as concepts, and the …


Improving Usability Of Genetic Algorithms Through Self Adaptation On Static And Dynamic Environments, Reamonn Norat Jan 2020

Improving Usability Of Genetic Algorithms Through Self Adaptation On Static And Dynamic Environments, Reamonn Norat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

We propose a self-adaptive genetic algorithm, called SAGA, for the purposes of improving the usability of genetic algorithms on both static and dynamic problems. Self-adaption can improve usability by automating some of the parameter tuning for the algorithm, a difficult and time-consuming process on canonical genetic algorithms. Reducing or simplifying the need for parameter tuning will help towards making genetic algorithms a more attractive tool for those who are not experts in the field of evolutionary algorithms, allowing more people to take advantage of the problem solving capabilities of a genetic algorithm on real-world problems. We test SAGA and analyze …


Mfpa: Mixed-Signal Field Programmable Array For Energy-Aware Compressive Signal Processing, Adrian Tatulian Jan 2020

Mfpa: Mixed-Signal Field Programmable Array For Energy-Aware Compressive Signal Processing, Adrian Tatulian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Compressive Sensing (CS) is a signal processing technique which reduces the number of samples taken per frame to decrease energy, storage, and data transmission overheads, as well as reducing time taken for data acquisition in time-critical applications. The tradeoff in such an approach is increased complexity of signal reconstruction. While several algorithms have been developed for CS signal reconstruction, hardware implementation of these algorithms is still an area of active research. Prior work has sought to utilize parallelism available in reconstruction algorithms to minimize hardware overheads; however, such approaches are limited by the underlying limitations in CMOS technology. Herein, the …


A Legacy Of Community And Mourning: Aids & Hiv In Central Florida, 1983-1993, Andrew Weeks Jan 2020

A Legacy Of Community And Mourning: Aids & Hiv In Central Florida, 1983-1993, Andrew Weeks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Given the primacy of Florida, and in particular Orlando, as an urban center with an above average rate of AIDS and HIV, this study examines how the outbreak of a deadly disease can affect a community. Complicating the response to this scourge, those who were most at-risk were marginalized groups such as those in the LGBTQ community, drug users, and often people of color. As a result, those who occupied positions of political power felt little incentive to curb the epidemic and mocked it by deeming it "the gay disease." As a result of neglect and the lack of investment …


Party For One: A Monologue Of The Importance Of Oneself Through Book Arts, Jacob Zhefu Wan Jan 2020

Party For One: A Monologue Of The Importance Of Oneself Through Book Arts, Jacob Zhefu Wan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis explores the importance of oneself through sexuality, context, and introspection in the art of book arts. I work with memories, imagination, and consciousness in the form of book arts to express the importance of the self from my personal experience. Through the use of colors, materials, spatial compositions, and other visual components to manifest the content of my art, I want to illuminate the awareness of otherness including gender issues and an individual's vulnerability. Playing with the texts of Chinese and English, I intend to create narratives with languages, images, and other mixed media. In addition to crafting …


Breaking The Cycle Of Intergeneration Literacy Deficits: Describing Linguistic Interactions Between Adolescent Mothers And Their Young Children, Diana Abarca Jan 2020

Breaking The Cycle Of Intergeneration Literacy Deficits: Describing Linguistic Interactions Between Adolescent Mothers And Their Young Children, Diana Abarca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this pilot descriptive study was to begin the exploration of adolescent mothers' and their children's sociodemographic characteristics and language and literacy skills, the home literacy environment (HLE) provided by adolescent mothers, and the quality of linguistic interactions between adolescent mothers and their children. Eight adolescent mother-child dyads were recruited from local school counties. Data were collected through demographic and HLE questionnaires, various language standardized measures (i.e., Preschool Language Scales, Fifth Edition and Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Fifth Edition), and scored interactions between mother-child dyads using the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes …


The Precariat And The Pandemic: Assessing The Wellbeing Of Metro Orlando's Hospitality Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Caroline Austin Jan 2020

The Precariat And The Pandemic: Assessing The Wellbeing Of Metro Orlando's Hospitality Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Caroline Austin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In 2018, the Orlando metro area was visited by 126.1 million tourists, a new record which the area has broken for its eighth year (Sanata 2019). As the number of visitors to the area continues to rise, so has the number of people employed by the hospitality industry which currently makes up the largest sector of the area's job market, employing 280,000 workers as of December 2019 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Consistent growth in various insecure and unstable jobs of this kind have prompted the development of theory regarding the emergence of a new class known as the precariat. The …


The Relationship Of Professional School Counselors' Self-Efficacy And Motivation To Their Counseling Service Delivery, Jon Borland Jan 2020

The Relationship Of Professional School Counselors' Self-Efficacy And Motivation To Their Counseling Service Delivery, Jon Borland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between professional school counselors' perceived self-efficacy of mental health counseling skills (as measured by the School-Based Mental Health Survey; developed by A. D. Waliski & A. Barthel; adapted and published by Carlson & Kees, 2013) and level of situational motivation (as measured by the Situational Motivation Scale; Guay et al., 2000) to the extent of counseling services provided to students (as measured by the School Counselor Activity Rating Scale; Scarborough, 2005). Based on the principles of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT; Bandura, 1986) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, 2017), …