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After Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rican Migrants And Residential Segregation In The Orlando Msa, Gabriella Ospina Jan 2019

After Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rican Migrants And Residential Segregation In The Orlando Msa, Gabriella Ospina

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to analyze the racial attitudes of residents in the Orlando MSA towards Puerto Rican migrants that have moved as a result of Hurricane Maria and analyze the effects these attitudes may have on racial residential segregation in Central Florida. As the state with the third largest population of Latinos, Florida's residential landscape continues to be uniquely formed by a diverse, and markedly Latino, population. Florida's location in relation to South American and Caribbean countries has made it an opportune destination for immigrants and refugees. Therefore, it came as no surprise that when Hurricane Maria …

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Reinforcement Learning For Optimal Control Of Network Epidemic Processes, Alec H. Kerrigan Jan 2019

Reinforcement Learning For Optimal Control Of Network Epidemic Processes, Alec H. Kerrigan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Our society is increasingly interconnected, making it easy for cascades/epidemic (diseases, disinformation etc). Current epidemic control efforts are based on approximate network epidemic models, which often ignore the unique complexity and rich information embedded in the complex interconnections of real-world networks/populations.Deep reinforcement learning (RL) is a powerful tool at learning policies for these nonlinear, complex processes in high-dimension. To control an epidemic outbreak on a Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible network epidemic model, we design a RL framework with a custom reward structure using the node2vec embedding technique. Results indicate deep RL is able to determine and converge on an optimal intervention policy in …

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Evaluating Lactobacillus Acidophilus As A Model Organism For Co-Culture Cancer Studies, Samuel A. Mikhail Jan 2019

Evaluating Lactobacillus Acidophilus As A Model Organism For Co-Culture Cancer Studies, Samuel A. Mikhail

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The causality dilemma between dysbiosis and cancer has given rise to numerous studies both exploring the mechanisms behind cancer progression and the associative shifts in the microbiota upon carcinogenesis. Aside from the hallmark study of Dr. Barry Marshall in establishing the true causal relationship between Helicobacter pylori and gastric adenocarcinoma, studies have only been successful in adding associative links of carcinogenesis mediated by bacteria to the literature. The current field is limited in its ability to establish causative relationships, and further work is needed to construct a reference community whose physiological responses reflect global community responses. In this thesis, the …

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The Honorary White Population: Fighting For Self-Identification, Reina E. Chehayeb Jan 2019

The Honorary White Population: Fighting For Self-Identification, Reina E. Chehayeb

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore the history of classification of Arab-Americans within the United States, showcase how Arab-Americans have encountered systematic racism, and give reasons why Arab-Americans should be able to self-identify. Currently, according to the Census definition, Middle Easterners fall under the "White" category. This is a misrepresentation of Middle Easterners as they should be considered a minority in light of societal treatment and policies set forth by policy makers. Even though much research has been conducted by the Census, they have elected to withhold the Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) category from the 2020 …

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A Survey Of Dissociation, Identity Distress, And Rejection Sensitivity In Adult Adoptees, Lee J. Mclamb Jan 2019

A Survey Of Dissociation, Identity Distress, And Rejection Sensitivity In Adult Adoptees, Lee J. Mclamb

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study quantitatively measures dissociation, rejection sensitivity, and identity distress among adults who experienced adoption as a child and the relationship between these factors. This study also compares groups of adoptees recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and social media to assess whether these two recruitment methods achieve similar results. An online survey was conducted of adopted adults and non-adopted adults to serve as controls using both MTurk and social media. A total of 539 participants were recruited representing 151 non-adopted individuals recruited exclusively through Mturk, and 388 adoptees, 247 of whom were recruited through MTurk and 141 through social …

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An Examination Of Oppression Via Anti-Abortion Legislation, Saphronia P. Carson Jan 2019

An Examination Of Oppression Via Anti-Abortion Legislation, Saphronia P. Carson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis utilizes a reproductive justice framework to discuss the impact of anti-abortion legislation and the anti-abortion movement on women of color and low-income women, arguing that reduced access to abortion is oppressive to minority women. Chapter 1 outlines the theoretical framework of this thesis, focusing on feminist Marxism, Intersectionality, Critical Race Theory, and radical and third wave feminist perspectives. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the anti-abortion movement and the major state and federal laws and court cases that have defined women's access to abortion in the United States, including Roe v Wade, the Hyde Amendment, Planned Parenthood v …

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Anti-Lgbt Backlash And The Shifting Public Opinion On Lgbt Rights In Contemporary Russia: A Case Study, Sean T. Skillings Jan 2019

Anti-Lgbt Backlash And The Shifting Public Opinion On Lgbt Rights In Contemporary Russia: A Case Study, Sean T. Skillings

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The wealth of literature which intends to explain various aspects of LGBT rights, politics, and activism in Eastern Europe has been well established (Swimelar, 2017, p. 912). There are currently two opposing theories on the effect of backlash on LGBT attitudes and activism. One theory, purported by O'Dwyer, suggests that backlash is beneficial to the visibility of LGBT issues and for attracting international attention and support. Rosenberg argues that right-wing backlash is detrimental to attitudes and activism (Rosenberg 2008, p. 344-347). These two arguments for and against the "benefits to backlash" approach are clearly defined and testable. With this paper, …

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Perceived Factors That Contributed To The Success Of College Students With Dyslexia, Jessica Doyle Jan 2019

Perceived Factors That Contributed To The Success Of College Students With Dyslexia, Jessica Doyle

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this pilot project was to determine the factors or supports that college graduates perceived as helping them to thrive and attempt higher education, despite having a learning disability, specifically dyslexia. Based on the literature review, this pilot study examined the four main kinds of support that most students receive while growing up; including family support, peer support, teacher support, and support from other programs and resources. The specific research question explored: What encouraged or discouraged these now adults in their pivotal growing years in regards to dyslexia? This pilot study used a mixed-methods research design which included …

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Quantifying The Shortage Of Mental Health Care In Venezuela Through Media Content Analysis, Andrea B. Alfonsi Jan 2019

Quantifying The Shortage Of Mental Health Care In Venezuela Through Media Content Analysis, Andrea B. Alfonsi

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The aim of this thesis was to assess the gaps and deficits in the mental health care staffing and related prescription drug or therapeutic intervention availability in Venezuela using media content analysis. This thesis also assessed the measures suggested by Venezuelan medical professionals for addressing the population's needs for mental health services amid the nation's crisis. The shortage of mental health care in Venezuela was assessed because various stressors, including life events, chronic stressors, and daily hassles, are substantially less than optimal among Venezuelans. The mental health consequences of these factors, along with the detrimental psychosocial demands commonly faced by …

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21st Century Engagement Among Ucf Students: Exploring Metrics & Platforms, Daniel N. Robles Duprey Jan 2019

21st Century Engagement Among Ucf Students: Exploring Metrics & Platforms, Daniel N. Robles Duprey

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research analyzes the political and social engagement of UCF College of Business students in order to grasp a better understanding of what youth engagement looks like in the 21st century. Through the implementation of a survey, data is collected on the level of students' social involvement, political participation, and civic engagement – the three vital metrics of citizen engagement. These metrics are then split across the online and offline realm, as well as across key demographics of race, gender identity, political ideology, and party affiliation. Data is also collected about which social media platforms students engage most on, …

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Elucidating The Role Of Oxygen And Biotype In The Environmental Persistence Of Vibrio Cholerae, Amy M. Freiberg Jan 2019

Elucidating The Role Of Oxygen And Biotype In The Environmental Persistence Of Vibrio Cholerae, Amy M. Freiberg

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Vibrio cholerae is a natural inhabitant of aquatic environments and serves as the etiological agent for the severe diarrheal disease, cholera. Cholera epidemics follow a regular seasonal pattern, which account for tens to hundreds of thousands of deaths in a given year. V. choleraenaturally persist between epidemics through entry into a dormant state known as viable but nonculturable (VBNC). Research has shown that V. choleraein this VBNC state experience drastic morphological and metabolic changes, which serve as survival mechanisms until environmental conditions become suitable again. The natural marine ecosystem that V. cholerae inhabitis comprised of a complex …

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Superforecasting Or Snafu: The Forecasting Ability Of The Us Military Officer, David Raugh Jan 2019

Superforecasting Or Snafu: The Forecasting Ability Of The Us Military Officer, David Raugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What is the impact of military institutional tendencies and habits on U.S. Army senior officer forecasting accuracy and how does this forecasting ability shape success in battle? Military leaders plan operations based on the forecasted strengths and vulnerabilities of their adversary. Negative habits, such as limited option development, confirmation bias, doctrinal overreliance, and over-consideration of sunk costs, inhibit effective forecasting. The tempo of the modern battlefield, hierarchical culture, and institutional tendencies of the US Army may promote and reinforce these habits. I surveyed Colonels in US Army War College programs to measure their individual tendencies, levels of education, and accuracy …

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Unraveling The Role Of Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase (Pnmt+) Cells In-Vivo, Sanjana Manja Jan 2019

Unraveling The Role Of Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase (Pnmt+) Cells In-Vivo, Sanjana Manja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (Pnmt) is the enzyme that N-methylates norepinephrine to produce the stress hormone/neurotransmitter, epinephrine, which is abundantly expressed in adrenal glands. Developmental studies have also identified Pnmt expression in the embryonic heart and several areas of the brain, including brainstem, cerebellum, and hypothalamus. Thus, we hypothesize that selective ablation of Pnmt+ cells will have detrimental effects on cardiovascular, neuromuscular, and metabolic processes. To uncover the importance of Pnmt+ cells in vivo, we generated a novel Diphtheria Toxin A (DTA) suicide model (Pnmt+/Cre; R26+/DTA) to selectively ablate Pnmt-expressing (Pnmt+) cells in mice. Appearing normal at birth, Pnmt-Cre/DTA mice began to …

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A Comparison Of Sixth-Grade English Language Arts And Mathematics Achievement Between Middle Schools And K-8 Schools, Brennan Asplen Jan 2019

A Comparison Of Sixth-Grade English Language Arts And Mathematics Achievement Between Middle Schools And K-8 Schools, Brennan Asplen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the academic achievement of sixth grade students enrolled in a traditional middle school model versus those enrolled in a K-8 school model by analyzing English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics scores. Developmental Scale Score (DSS) data from the 2017 Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) were collected from three K-8 schools and three middle schools in one high-performing Florida school district. Results from an independent samples t-test revealed that middle school student scores were slightly higher in overall ELA and mathematics proficiency, but the differences were not substantive. Cross-tabulation was utilized to compute the …

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Bridging The Gap Between Hospital And School: Addressing The Academic And Social-Emotional Needs Of Students With Chronic Illness, Nicole Eggert Jan 2019

Bridging The Gap Between Hospital And School: Addressing The Academic And Social-Emotional Needs Of Students With Chronic Illness, Nicole Eggert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice examined the literature and a sample of existing programs that addressed the educational and social-emotional challenges of students with chronic illness in order to bridge the gap between hospital discharge and school re-entry. Literature showed that the hospital homebound setting was problematic for chronically ill students due to minimal hours of academic instruction and little interaction with peers. Students with chronic illness were at higher risk for maladaptive behaviors, lower educational attainment, and higher use of social services. Programs created at other facilities to address this problem were visited and reviewed for pertinent information such as …

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Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 Inhibits Pyroptotic Cell Death In Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Of Atherosclerotic Apolipoprotein E -/- Mice, Kaley Garner Jan 2019

Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 Inhibits Pyroptotic Cell Death In Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Of Atherosclerotic Apolipoprotein E -/- Mice, Kaley Garner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Atherosclerosis (ATH) is an inflammation-mediated disease in which cell death underlies the formation of lesions along the intima layer of vascular walls resulting in vessel narrowing, decreased blood flow, and increased risk of lesion rupture leading to myocardial infarction and stroke. The current study was undertaken to investigate whether inflammation in ATH can induce pyroptosis in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC's). We therefore hypothesized that pyroptosis occurs and is inhibited by bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7). We examined SMC pyroptosis at acute (D5) and midstage (D28) following disturbed flow-induced hemodynamic injury to the vascular wall using our partial left carotid …

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The Wonder Women: Understanding Feminism In Cosplay Performance, Amber Grissom Jan 2019

The Wonder Women: Understanding Feminism In Cosplay Performance, Amber Grissom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Feminism conjures divisive and at times conflicting thoughts and feelings in the current political climate in the United States. For some, Wonder Woman is a feminist icon, for her devotion to truth, justice, and equality. In recent years, Wonder Woman has become successful in the film industry, and this is reflected by the growing community of cosplayers at comic book conventions. In this study, I examine gender performativity, gender identity, and feminism from the perspective of cosplayers of Wonder Woman. I collected ethnographic data using participant observation and semi-structured interviews with cosplayers at comic book conventions in Florida, Georgia, and …

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The Role Of Resilience On Second-Victim Outcomes: Examining Individual And External Factors Of Medical Professionals, Claudia Hernandez Jan 2019

The Role Of Resilience On Second-Victim Outcomes: Examining Individual And External Factors Of Medical Professionals, Claudia Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present work is intended to bring awareness to medical professionals impacted by the occurrence of errors they have committed or witnessed (i.e., second-victims) and highlight the negative effects that may result from such errors. The purpose of this research is to test whether resilience and negative affect that is experienced after a medical error are related. Additionally, four variables are tested as moderators of this relationship, two of which are considered individual variables (i.e., self-efficacy and work meaningfulness), and two of which are characterized as external variables (i.e., co-worker support and organizational support). Twenty-two healthcare professionals from a hospital's …

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Habituation Trajectory During Exposure Therapy: Comparing Trauma Frequency And Trauma Type, Madeline Marks Jan 2019

Habituation Trajectory During Exposure Therapy: Comparing Trauma Frequency And Trauma Type, Madeline Marks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current DSM-5 criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) affords heterogeneous symptom presentations; however, current treatment fails to consider differences in trauma frequency and trauma type. These different symptom profiles that exist within the PTSD framework lead to questions about the generalizability of treatment outcomes from one group to another group. One group of interest is those that experience multiple traumatic events and report multiple index traumas (trauma frequency). The second group of interest is those with a PTSD diagnosis from occupational exposure to traumatic events (trauma type). Appreciation of the reinforcement schedule may be particularly crucial for understanding treatment …

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Pooling Correlation Matrices Corrected For Selection Bias: Implications For Meta-Analysis, Kenneth Matthews Jan 2019

Pooling Correlation Matrices Corrected For Selection Bias: Implications For Meta-Analysis, Kenneth Matthews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Selection effects systematically attenuate correlations and must be considered when performing meta-analyses. No research domain is immune to selection effects, evident whenever self-selection or attrition take place. In educational research, selection effects are unavoidable in studies of postsecondary admissions, placement testing, or teacher selection. While methods to correct for selection bias are well documented for univariate meta-analyses, they have gone unexamined in multivariate meta-analyses, which synthesize more than one correlation from each study (i.e., a correlation matrix). Multivariate meta-analyses of correlations provide opportunities to explore complex relationships and correcting for selection effects improves the summary effect estimates. I used Monte …

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An Ethnographic Study Examining The Effect Of Teachers' Socio-Political Bias On Latinx Students And School Culture, Jessica Mcmaster Jan 2019

An Ethnographic Study Examining The Effect Of Teachers' Socio-Political Bias On Latinx Students And School Culture, Jessica Mcmaster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academics such as Geneva Gay, Christine Sleeter, Samy Alim, and Django Paris have conducted research that illustrates the importance of educators being not only aware of the culture of their students but implementing curriculum that supports the diverse cultures of their students. A common finding among this research is that a culturally sustaining pedagogy is essential to the inclusion of all students in the classroom and the level of academic success they have in schools. This study aims to investigate the effect of teacher beliefs on the academic performance of Latinx students and on the culture and atmosphere of the …

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Digital Education: The Impact Of Change, Acceleration, And Student Achievement Improvement, Sarah Walsh Jan 2019

Digital Education: The Impact Of Change, Acceleration, And Student Achievement Improvement, Sarah Walsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim is to understand if the implementation plan in place by the public school system is exceeding the expectations of the stakeholders or if it is falling below what is expected. This quantitative research examines the English Language Arts (ELA), Florida Standard Assessment (FSA) scores for the state of Florida with a closer inspection of Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) with relation to their digital implementation plan. With an increase in digital technology and amplified emphasis on technology-based learning, the objective of this research was to determine what impact students and schools are experiencing in regards to test scores …

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Nanoscale Spectroscopy In Energy And Catalytic Applications, Yi Ding Jan 2019

Nanoscale Spectroscopy In Energy And Catalytic Applications, Yi Ding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emerging societal challenges such as the need for more sustainable energy and catalysis are requiring more sensitive and versatile measurements at the nanoscale. This is the case in the design and optimization of new materials for energy harvesting (solar cells) and energy storage devices (batteries and capacitors), or for the development of new catalysts for carbon sequestration or other reactions of interest. Hence, the ability to advance spectroscopy with nanoscale spatial resolution and high sensitivity holds great promises to meet the demands of deeper fundamental understanding to boost the development and deployment of nano-based devices for real applications. In this …

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A Complete Approach To Predict Biodistribution Of Nanomaterials Within Animal Species From In-Vitro Data, Edward Price Jan 2019

A Complete Approach To Predict Biodistribution Of Nanomaterials Within Animal Species From In-Vitro Data, Edward Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Smart drug-design for antibody and nanomaterial-based therapies allows for optimization of drug efficacy and more efficient early-stage pre-clinical trials. The ideal drug must display maximum efficacy at target tissue sites, but to track and predict distribution to these sites, one must have a mechanistic understanding of the kinetics involved with the individual cells of the tissue itself. This process can be tracked through biological simulations coupled with in-vitro approaches, which result in a rapid and efficient in-depth understanding of drug transport within tissue vasculature and cellular environment. As a result, it becomes possible to predict drug biodistribution within live animal …

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Trouble In Paradise: Impacts Of Theme Park Tourism On The Mental Health Of Employees In Orlando, Florida, Lea Harvey Jan 2019

Trouble In Paradise: Impacts Of Theme Park Tourism On The Mental Health Of Employees In Orlando, Florida, Lea Harvey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tourism is a topic that has gained much attention within the realm of anthropology over the past few decades. Anthropological research of the tourism industry has been largely devoted to the study of the tourist gaze and its subsequent sociocultural impacts as well as the benefits that travelers reap from their colonialist excursions. However, the voices of those who form the foundation of this industry, the laborers, remain almost entirely absent from said discourse. Furthermore, there is a lack of anthropological consideration for the relationship between tourism and mental health experiences of employees within the tourism industry. One specific region …

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Tails In The Wind: An Exploratory Examination Of Media Reports On Nonhuman Animals Throughout Hurricane Maria In Puerto Rico, Nathan Jagoda Jan 2019

Tails In The Wind: An Exploratory Examination Of Media Reports On Nonhuman Animals Throughout Hurricane Maria In Puerto Rico, Nathan Jagoda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On September 20th, 2017, category four Hurricane Maria rattled Puerto Rico, causing extensive damage throughout the island. While the experiences, injuries, and deaths of humans resulting from Hurricane Maria have received both scholarly consideration and large amounts of attention from media sources, one critical area that has been overlooked by many, particularly academics, are the ways in which various media sources have reported on, described and discussed nonhuman animals impacted by the storm. This study aimed to address this gap by analyzing media reports of nonhuman animals throughout the days before, during, and after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Mixed …

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Developing And Validating The Secondary Literacy Professionals Needs Assessment Matrix, Analexis Kennedy Jan 2019

Developing And Validating The Secondary Literacy Professionals Needs Assessment Matrix, Analexis Kennedy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a needs assessment matrix for secondary specialized literacy professionals that identified the professional learning needs of literacy coaches. This tool was developed in order to inform school districts and secondary specialized literacy professionals about the types of professional learning support they will need for them to effectively meet the literacy needs of teachers in secondary schools. The Secondary Literacy Professionals Needs Assessment Matrix (SLPNAM) was created using a variety of methods. A synthesis of literature regarding school improvement, adolescent literacy, 21st century skills, adult learning, literacy coaching and the 2017 …

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Teaching Online And Cyberbullying: Examining Higher Education Cyberbullying Policies In The Florida State University System, Joseph Raditch Jan 2019

Teaching Online And Cyberbullying: Examining Higher Education Cyberbullying Policies In The Florida State University System, Joseph Raditch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The cyberbullying phenomena has been recorded as affecting students and faculty alike in the K-12 and higher education systems. Cyberbullying in higher education has negative effects to the institution and its stakeholders, including faculty turn over and student suicide. While these responses are highly publicized, the effects of cyberbullying on the online classroom remain relatively untouched by researchers. There are very few resources available to faculty who teach online courses for creating strategies to combat cyberbullying in that context. Furthermore, many states, including Florida, defer conduct policies and their enforcement to the individual institution. While there are many aspects of …

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Multi-Level Optimization With Pricing Strategy Under Boundedly Rationality User Equilibrium, Guanxiang Yun Jan 2019

Multi-Level Optimization With Pricing Strategy Under Boundedly Rationality User Equilibrium, Guanxiang Yun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We study multi-level optimization problem on energy system, transportation system and information network. We use the concept of boundedly rational user equilibrium (BRUE) to predict the behaviour of users in systems. By using multi-level optimization method with BRUE, we can help to operate the system work in a more efficient way. Based on the introducing of model with BRUE constraints, it will lead to the uncertainty to the optimization model. We generate the robust optimization as the multi-level optimization model to consider for the pessimistic condition with uncertainty. This dissertation mainly includes four projects. Three of them use the pricing …

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Designing Calorie Counter Smartphone Applications For Effective Weight Loss, Sharlin Milliard Jan 2019

Designing Calorie Counter Smartphone Applications For Effective Weight Loss, Sharlin Milliard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Poor dietary choices and lack of physical activity are two main contributing factors for the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States. Overweight and obese individuals are at risk for developing major life-threatening diseases. Weight loss is an effective means for reversing these adverse health effects, and smartphone applications (apps) may be an effective means for supporting weight loss outside of formal clinical settings. This study involved identifying factors that contribute to effective weight loss to compare with functionality commonly found in a sample of calorie counter apps. A content analysis was performed using a design framework …

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