Digital Commons Network^™

Dual Frequency Comb Mid-Ir – Thz Spectroscopy, Dmitrii Konnov

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The optical frequency comb is a coherent light source whose spectrum consists of hundreds of thousands perfectly equidistant narrow frequency components and precisely expressed in just two radio frequencies. Even though optical frequency combs were developed 25 years ago, that led to the Nobel Prize in Physics 2005, only recently there was a significant progress in generating broadband optical frequency combs in the mid-infrared. These achievements became possible due to the development of new types of robust fiber and solid-state lasers and the efficient downconverting of their frequencies through different techniques based on advanced nonlinear crystals. In this dissertation, I …

Understanding Health-Seeking Decision-Making Process And Behavior Among Haitian Immigrants: A Grounded Theory Approach, Shelleta Ladonice

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Black people in the U.S. die at younger ages, have significantly higher rates of death from treatable medical conditions, are more likely to have late-stage breast and colon cancer diagnoses and more likely to die from these cancers, and are at higher risk for chronic illnesses compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Accessing healthcare is crucial to health and well-being; however, U.S. immigrants' use of healthcare services is far less than native-born Americans. Haitian immigrants experience health disparities at the highest rate compared to other Black immigrants in the U.S. Given their unique history, culture, and immigration experience, it …

Human Visual Search Performance For Close Range Detection Of Static Targets From Moving Sensor Platforms, Jennifer Hewitt

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Search models based on human perception have been developed by military researchers over the past few decades and have both military and commercial applications for sensor design and implementation. These models are created primarily for static imagery, and accurately predict task performance for systems with stationary targets and stationary sensors, if the observer is given infinite time to make targeting decisions. To account for situations where decisions must be made on a shortened time scale, the time-limited search model was developed to describe how task performance evolves with time. Recent variations of this model have been made to account for …

Interaction Of Sexual Orientation, Racial, And Gender Discrimination On Mental Health Outcomes, Rebekah Kanefsky

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Experiencing discrimination is associated with greater risk of developing mental health symptoms. Important theories on the mental well-being of people who identify with underrepresented groups suggest that poorer outcomes are not simply associated with identifying with an underrepresented group. Rather, “minority stressors” (e.g., discrimination) drive poor mental health outcomes. Despite the connection between mental health and discrimination, there has been less research focused on the combined impact of multiple forms of discrimination and how they interact for individuals who possess multiple, underrepresented identities. Further, significantly less research has been conducted utilizing quantitative methodology. To investigate the relationship between different forms …

Enhancing Scanning Tunneling Microscopy With Automation And Machine Learning, Darian Smalley

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is one of the most advanced surface science tools capable of atomic resolution imaging and atomic manipulation. Unfortunately, STM has many time-consuming bottlenecks, like probe conditioning, tip instability, and noise artificing, which causes the technique to have low experimental throughput. This dissertation describes my efforts to address these challenges through automation and machine learning. It consists of two main sections each describing four projects for a total of eight studies.

The first section details two studies on nanoscale sample fabrication and two studies on STM tip preparation. The first two studies describe the fabrication of …

Towards Energy-Efficient In-Memory Computing Systems Using Electronic Design Automation, Muhammad Rashedul Haq Rashed

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The exponential growth in digital data has fueled the emergence of data-intensive applications like large language models, digital twins, and metaverse. These applications have unprecedented computing demands that exceed the capabilities of today's high-performance computing systems. To address this challenge, new computing paradigms are being explored. One promising solution is to perform processing in memory (PIM) using emerging hardware. However, PIM paradigms are still in their infancy. A major obstacle to the widespread adoption of PIM paradigms is the lack of advanced electronic design automation (EDA)-based designs to ensure the system is both robust and energy-efficient.

This dissertation presents electronic …

Social Cognition, Anhedonia, And Support In Relation To Depression Severity In Individuals With Breast Cancer, Samantha D. Simpson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Breast cancer is associated with significant disruption in social support, social cognition, and depression. This study seeks to explore social and emotional factors using the integrative model for social reward processing. To better understand these relationships, 103 women with breast cancer (e.g., stage I – IV; mean age = 58.74, SD = 11.48; range 25 - 82) completed the Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale, Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System - Depression Scale, Medical Outcomes Study- Social Support Survey, and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. Path analysis, controlling for current breast cancer stage and history of …

Exploring The Challenges Of First Grade Students' Non-Exit From Mathematics Intervention: A Comparative Analysis Of Mathematics Instruction And Best Practices During Intervention, Lori Hart

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This qualitative study aimed to examine the challenges surrounding the non-exit of first grade students from mathematics intervention programs, particularly focusing on Atlantic Elementary School within the Gulf County Public School District. Against the backdrop of declining mathematics proficiency, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigates the effectiveness of mathematics intervention and its alignment with best practices in mathematics instruction. While mathematics intervention aims to support students needing additional support with mathematical concepts, there exists a notable gap in understanding why many primary students do not transition successfully from mathematics intervention on grade level prior to advancing to the …

Millimeter-Wave Software-Defined Radios With Programmable Directionality, Marc H. Jean

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Fifth generation (5G) networks are currently being deployed at millimeter wave (mmWave) bands, beyond 22 GHz. The wireless node density and gigabit-per-second demands of 5G Internet-of Things (IoT) devices are pushing for more spatial reuse and higher frequency bands, which can be achieved by directional beamforming methods. Over the years, researchers have relied on synthetic data and simulation for studying directionality and beamforming, due to the lack and high cost of mmWave hardware. Hence, there is a major need for software-defined radio (SDR) platforms that enable programmable directionality in wireless studies and experimentation. Recently, more affordable and commercially available mmWave …

Introducing Mindful Micro-Practices To Reduce Job Stress And Turnover Intention In High-Volume Restaurants, Vicki Lavendol

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Employee turnover has long been the most complex problem in the hospitality and tourism industry and Florida is home to over 1 million restaurant and food service jobs. This mixed methods study evaluated the effectiveness of a mindfulness program introduced to reduce job stress and turnover intention at multiple locations of a mid-size restaurant company in Florida. Managers were trained on mindful micro-practices and then introduced those practices to their teams over a four-week intervention. Pre- and post-surveys measured team member job stress, stress-reducing behaviors, turnover intention, self-determination, and mindful awareness. The quantitative data was underpowered and showed no statistically …

Examining Changes In Pain Sensitivity Following 8 Minutes Of Cycling At Varying Exercise Intensities, Brandi B. Antonio

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study assessed the effect of an eight-minute cycling intervention using varying intensities on exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH). Generally, current research examines EIH using protocols that last for more than 10 minutes and reach 75% of an individual's VO2 peak. The main objective of this study was to examine the effect of varying intensities on pressure pain threshold (PPT) and heat pain threshold (HPT) at the thigh and forearm, tested pre- and post-cycling intervention.

Healthy male participants (n=16) performed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer to establish their peak power output (PPO). In subsequent visits, participants completed five different …

Enhancing Oil-In-Water Emulsified Bildgwater Treatment Using Electric Field Forward Osmosis (Effo), Nareg Krikorian

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Bilgewater discharge needs to meet the existing regulations with an oil concentration of less than 15 ppm. Among many treatment options, forward osmosis (FO) can be an economic-environmental method utilizing an osmotic pressure gradient between feed solution (FS) and draw solution (DS) which are separated via a semipermeable membrane. However, FO membrane foundling is still challenging. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of electric field forward osmosis (EFFO) to mitigate membrane fouling and thus improve oil-in-water emulsion separation. Standard bilge mix (SBM) was used as representative bilgewater and mineral oil (MO) was used as control. …

Advancing Policy Insights: Opinion Data Analysis And Discourse Structuring Using Llms, Aaditya Bhatia

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The growing volume of opinion data presents a significant challenge for policymakers striving to distill public sentiment into actionable decisions. This study aims to explore the capability of large language models (LLMs) to synthesize public opinion data into coherent policy recommendations. We specifically leverage Mistral 7B and Mixtral 8x7B models for text generation and have developed an architecture to process vast amounts of unstructured information, integrate diverse viewpoints, and extract actionable insights aligned with public opinion. Using a retrospective data analysis of the Polis platform debates published by the Computational Democracy Project, this study examines multiple datasets that span local …

An Examination Of Religious Leaders' Perceptions Of Scrupulosity, Nicole K. Hale

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Religious obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or scrupulosity is a subtype of OCD consisting of religious-themed obsessions and/or compulsions. Individuals with scrupulosity are most likely first to disclose symptoms and seek help from their religious leaders. As a result, religious leaders’ responses to disclosed symptoms may have a substantial impact on the course of the disorder, including how individuals interpret their symptoms and whether they decide to seek assistance from a mental health provider. Despite the potentially important role of religious leaders in the course of scrupulosity, research focused on the religious leaders’ perceptions of scrupulosity is limited. Further, little is known …

Impact Of Social Support On Turnover Intentions And Burnout Among Hispanic Religious Leaders, Sandra Montenegro

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

In some cases, role stressors force members of the clergy to rely on social support to maintain themselves serving in ministry. In this study, the Job Demands and Resources (JD-R) model is applied to investigate the interaction between vocational demands (role stressors and occupational distress) and resources (social support) in predicting burnout and turnover intentions in Florida clergy. A cross-sectional survey design was used to assess the buffering role of social support systems in mitigating turnover intentions and the overall impact on clergy burnout. The findings suggest that role overload, role conflict, and occupational distress are significantly related to burnout, …

Application Of Artificial Intelligence In The Study Of Saturated And Unsaturated Hydraulic Properties Of Compacted Soil Barriers In Landfills, Poyu Zhang

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Machine learning models (MLMs) were developed to predict the saturated hydraulic conductivity of compacted soil barriers and help to identify appropriate soils for the construction of landfill liners and covers. Three machine learning algorithms (random forest, gradient boosting decision tree, and neural network) were used to develop MLMs, and multiple linear regression was used to compare the precision of predictions with the MLMs. Results from this study showed that the random forest model provided the best prediction of the hydraulic conductivity of compacted soil barriers, with 100% of predicted hydraulic conductivity within 100-time differences to measured hydraulic conductivity and 93% …

Diagnostic In Neuroimaging: A Comparative Study Of Deep Learning And Traditional Approaches, Amina Issoufou Anaroua

Data Science and Data Mining

In the realm of medical diagnostics, precise classification of brain tumors is pivotal. This study conducts a comprehensive comparative analysis of a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) against traditional machine learning models, Logistic Regression (LR) and Support Vector Machines (SVM) on a dataset of MRI scans for multi-class brain tumor classification. The CNN, tailored for image recognition, is evaluated alongside LR and SVM, which have established benchmarks in classification tasks. The investigation reveals that the traditional models hold their ground in terms of precision and interpretability, with the SVM, in particular, achieving remarkable accuracy. However, the CNN distinguishes itself by demonstrating …

Volume Xxxi (2024)

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

What Effect Does Helminth Infection Have On An Adult's Immune System?, Shanzida Toha

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

The research question is, how does the prevalence of helminth infections impact the immune system of adult patients? To clarify this subject: How does the prevalence of helminth infections affect the immune system of adult patients? Specifically, can helminth exposure help individuals reactivate T-cells to improve immunity and mitigate TB while providing preventative benefits for metabolic conditions?

This concept suggests that we could explore helminth-based therapies to treat or even prevent metabolic conditions that are precursors to cardiovascular disease. Such a therapeutic approach could be revolutionary, especially for populations without access to costly medications like insulin or blood pressure drugs. …

Love Serving Autism, Zephaniahn Torres

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

My name is Zephaniahn Torres, I am in the LEAD Scholars Academy where my Service-Learning class 3215 is focused on healthcare in the community. My project encapsulates the volunteer work I did with a non-profit organization called Love Serving Autism. This organization focuses on teaching children and adults with autism how to play tennis. This is very beneficial to the kids as they learn vital life lessons as well as engage in physical activity that's fun. I indulged in this service weekly on Saturdays at the UCF Tennis Courts. In my project I discuss my role as a volunteer and …

The Impact Of Gun Violence: A Study On Mass Killings In The United States, Abigail Wright, Oma Persaud, Tindrew Chen

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

This study examines the impacts of gun violence in the United States from 2006 to October 2024, focusing on factors influencing the casualties in mass shooting incidents. Utilizing the predictors: number of offenders, region, location, incident type, and gun type we employed a Negative Binomial Regression Model due to its suitability for handling high variance and over-dispersion in the response variable. The dataset "Mass Killings in America" reports 1,018 casualties from over 100 incidents in the past four years alone. This research sheds light on correlations between the predictors and response, providing valuable insights to enhance community vigilance and prevention …

Decoding And Generating Poetry: Using Feminist Theory And Digital Media To Demonstrate Maya Angelou's Writing As Activism, Emery Beckman

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis will demonstrate how rhetorical strategies can present social change through descriptive elements of persuasion. Using foundational rhetorical concepts, including ethos, logos, and pathos, it will connect concerns of inequality to the work of Maya Angelou, who can validate the impact intersectionality has within the use of rhetoric. Having been a victim of racism, sexual abuse, and economic disadvantages, she used her voice to break the silence for women. This thesis will showcase the impact of rhetorical techniques through digital media by creating a website featuring visual data and mapping by decoding Maya Angelou's work to demonstrate the power …

Fourth And Fifth-Grade Teacher Experiences With Els In The Science Classroom, Kiana Cheverez

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Science classrooms are places where students build knowledge through interacting with others and building new experiences by experimenting (Lee et al., 2009). English Learners (ELs) are students learning English, and the population of ELs has steadily risen in America (Tran, 2015). Although ELs are learning English, they are still expected to participate in conversations, exams, and learning in the Science classroom, regardless of their English abilities. This project focused on understanding teachers’ perspectives and experiences teaching ELs in the Science classroom. To do this, the researcher completed a phenomenological study and interviewed teachers to gain insight into their experiences. Afterward, …

External Boundary Conditions For Solidification Process Modeling Of Equiaxed Investment Castings, Weston Olson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The equiaxed investment casting process is a multi-physics problem which requires knowledge from engineers who have expertise in materials, metallurgy, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer. Process modeling is a tool used by foundries to help predict casting defects such as shrinkage porosity, hot tears, dimensional distortion, and poor grain structure. ProCAST is the numerical simulation suite used in this dissertation and is considered an industry standard due to its extensive proven track record. The reliability of these predictions is strongly dependent on the accuracy of the thermal boundary conditions set in the model. This dissertation consists of two studies. …

Design And Optimization Of Temperature-Stable Mems Resonators For Timing Applications Based On Thin-Film Lithium Tantalate, Yasaman Majd

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

All radio devices require a highly accurate frequency reference with superb temperature stability. While quartz-based oscillators meet accuracy demands, they cannot be easily miniaturized for higher frequencies. Silicon-based MEMS resonators offer a promising alternative due to their small size, and low power consumption, though they suffer from significant temperature drift.

This research proposes a silicon-based MEMS device that exhibits low-frequency variations across wide temperature ranges, high-quality factors, and low insertion loss, meeting modern communication system requirements. Two main research avenues are explored.

Firstly, the thermal behavior of S₀ Lamb wave X-cut Lithium Tantalate (LT) resonators is investigated, demonstrating a …

Numerical And Analytical Evaluations Of Impact Of Atmospheric Particles On Aircraft, Brendon A. Cavainolo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The Volume-of-Fluid method, an Eulerian multiphase flow model that adds a volume fraction transport equation to the CFD governing equations, is widely used for any fluid-fluid interface tracking problem. There are important aspects of multiphase flow that impact aircraft flight, especially flight in extreme environments. These extreme environments can range from wet, icy conditions to sandstorms, and volcanic debris. The problems posed by these harsh environments are only exacerbated by aircraft that tend to travel at higher Mach-numbers. The specific aims of the proposed research include application of the Volume-of-fluid method to the following aspects of aircraft flight: shock-droplet interactions, …

A Framework For Improving Employee Experience In The Hospitality Industry, Scott Hall

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation explores the unique aspects of employee experience within the hospitality industry. By conducting in-depth interviews with 40 employees, both within and outside of the hospitality sector, this research aims to identify the factors that distinguish the employee experience in hospitality and to lay the groundwork for future improvements in this field.

The study employs a thematic analysis to uncover key themes that define the hospitality employee experience. The findings reveal that job satisfaction in hospitality is significantly influenced by factors such as workplace culture, career development opportunities, and the intrinsic satisfaction derived from serving guests. Moreover, the research …

Shock Tube Measurements Of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Sooting Tendencies For Supersonic Commercial Transport, Koby D. Rouviere

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Sustainable Aviation fuels (SAFs) have been launched to the forefront of the aviation industry as the desire to push the boundaries of flight continues to grow. The Concorde, a symbol of cutting-edge aerospace technology, was decommissioned due to its extreme inefficiency, as it formed high levels of soot, carbon monoxide (CO), and ethylene (C₂H₄), among other emissions. The UCF shock tube experiments aim to investigate the variation between sustainable aviation fuel and traditional commercial jet fuel under supersonic conditions similar to those seen on the Concorde. The test mixtures were formulated using Jet-A, Gevo’s Alcohol-to-Jet sustainable fuel, a 50/50 blend …

Heat Transfer And Pseudo-Boiling Of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide In A Parallel-Flow Microchannel And A Micro-Jets Impingement Device, Pranzal Ahmed

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is increasingly being used as a highly efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable refrigerant/heat transfer fluid. Because of its high specific heat and cooling capacity, supercritical CO₂ has the potential to be widely used in a range of applications, such as power generation and thermal management of data centers/electronics. Near the critical condition, the thermo-physical properties undergo drastic changes, which includes a boiling-like phenomenon in the supercritical region (pseudo-boiling), which can affect the heat transfer performance. Thus, knowledge about the heat transfer process in the supercritical phase of CO₂ is necessary. In this experimental …

Bridging Data And Theory: A Gray-Box Approach To Traffic Flow Dynamics, Shakib Mustavee

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The dissertation demonstrates the applicability of the data-driven dynamical systems (DDS) approach at both macroscopic and microscopic scales to extract mathematical structures from observed traffic data. Firstly, a novel DDS model is developed to capture the evolution of queue lengths in a signalized arterial corridor, dividing the dynamics into quasiperiodic and chaotic components. The proposed model effectively captures nonlinear dynamics from time series data. The Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS) method is employed to estimate mathematically guaranteed Koopman eigenvalues and functions of the system, providing valuable insights into the periodic and chaotic behaviors of the system. Secondly, to further characterize …