Digital Commons Network^™

Building A Life Science Transfer Community: The Transfer-Student Research And Integration Program (Trip), Ken Teter, Ian Biazzo, Kimberly Schneider, Ken Fedorka

Florida Statewide Symposium: Best Practices in Undergraduate Research

The Transfer-student Research and Integration Program (TRIP) prepares life science students for placement in graduate school or the STEM workforce by supporting their professional development and integration into the UCF community. TRIP students also receive a team-based research experience and an opportunity to present at regional conferences. An $8,000 scholarship distributed over the course of the 2-year program reduces financial barriers and encourages students to spend more time on campus and in a research environment. This poster provides an overview of the challenges facing transfer students, the solutions offered by TRIP, and early outcomes from the first cohort of our …

Seminole State College Cure Research Program: From The Classroom To Collaboration, Maya Patrice Byfield Phd

Florida Statewide Symposium: Best Practices in Undergraduate Research

It is believed that if students are taught inductively in their first 2 years, it could induce many of them to seek research experiences later in their academic careers. To do this, we initiated an effort to promote engagement in research topics and faculty development. First, collaboration between one faculty member at SSC and a Principal Investigator at the Sanford-Burnham Institute was developed. This collaboration resulted in the creation of several internships at the Institute for students in the newly developed STEM research class. Second, to increase student engagement, the biology department developed a research focused colloquium series. Each fall …

Leveraging Embedded Undergraduate Research To Bolster Research Culture: A Multi-Pronged Approach Case Study, Marshall Jones, Darby Proctor

Florida Statewide Symposium: Best Practices in Undergraduate Research

Introducing research into UG curriculum is critical toward the development of empirically informed future researchers and practitioners. Developing mechanisms to embed research into curriculum and culture can be challenging. To address these challenges, our UG psychology program has implemented initiatives to increase research participation. We will discuss several which include embedded class research, laboratory experiments, poster opportunities, and faculty research team participation. We also facilitate UG through research centers, partnering with public and private organizations, and novel approaches such as Roach Lab (roachlab.org). We will specifically highlight outcomes attributed to engaging students in research.

How Does Free Help Me? Mind-Blowing Things Like The Mapping Our Dna, Open Access Week Committee, Ucf Libraries

Open Access Week

How does free help me? Mind-blowing things like the mapping our DNA

Posted: October 24th, 2019

Ever hear of a little company called 23andMe? For around $100, you can get a breakdown of your global heritage. You can even get it for your dog or cat.

The availability to learn more about our own ancestry or genetic health markers is a result of the Human Genome Project. The original mapping of human DNA took thirteen years to complete, and involved 20 institutions around the globe. It is considered the world’s largest collaborative biological project, with a price tag of …

Stereotypic Pacing In Two Imprinted Florida Black Bears (Ursus Americanus Floridanus), Crystal Gagne

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Stereotypic pacing is a common occurrence in captive carnivorans. Although stereotypic pacing is typically associated with poor welfare, the cause of pacing is not fully understood. In this study, two captive Florida black bears (Ursus americanus floridanus) were observed twice a week for ten weeks, along with zookeeper presence as well as the location and number of guests. Zookeeper presence was associated with a decrease in time spent pacing (P < 0.05). The male bear in the study spent a larger percent of time pacing in front of guests (average: 43.2% ± 1.0% SD) compared to the female (average: 6.2% ± 1.4% SD), P < 0.05). Male dominance is the most likely explanation for the variance seen in pacing in front of guests. Observing how guests and zookeepers impact stereotypic pacing can help provide an understanding of the cause of stereotypic pacing and improve the welfare of captive animals.

A Look Into The Activity Budgets Of Captive Cotton-Top Tamarins (S. Oedipus), Jessica Phagan

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) are a species of New World Monkey that are small in size. They live in groups that typically contain family members, including a breeding pair and their offspring. Seven related individuals were observed for this study, which was designed to ensure and evaluate the activity budgets of each tamarin. The aim of the study was to determine whether the older tamarins possessed different activity levels than the younger offspring. Each cotton-top tamarin was observed for an hour per week over a ten-week period. Each activity— playing with other tamarins, active in general, eating, grooming or being …

The Impact Of Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (Egcg) On Ts65dn Down Syndrome Mouse Models, Nicole Santana

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Down syndrome (DS) is caused by the trisomy 21 genetic disorder, which produces a unique craniofacial phenotype. The purpose of this research is to better understand how Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (ECGC) influences the development of DS craniofacial phenotypes. Ts65Dn DS mouse models have been genetically modified to have 3 copies of numerous genes found on human chromosome 21, including DYRK1A, which plays a role in bone and brain development. EGCG is a known inhibitor of Dyrk1a activity. For this study, pregnant Ts65Dn mice were treated with 200 mg/kg of ECGC twice daily on days 7 and 8 of pregnancy. It was …

Taking An Earth Day Winning Hand To The Next Level, Sandy Avila, Christina C. Wray, Kelsie Johnson

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Presentation was delivered on May 17, 2019 at the Florida Library Association Annual Conference held in Orlando, FL May 15-17th, 2019.

Abstract:

Join a team of two librarians, a faculty member and one of their support staff as they discuss the ins and outs of creating a well-attended group of library programming events about Earth Day and local habitat awareness. Attend this session if you want to learn more about how to create winning partnerships and make your programming a hit around campus or in your local community!

Bending The Binary: Effects Of Nonbinary Gender Media Representations On Disposition Formation And Media Enjoyment, Diana Higley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, the issue of gender plays a larger role in our social discussions than in the past. Over the last decade, new and groundbreaking television shows and movies that showcase gender nonconforming characters and plots that challenge traditional gender roles have become more common. The aim of the present study was to examine the potential effects of gender-neutral representations in media programming and particularly whether different representations of gender might influence audience attitudes toward characters and overall enjoyment of the media. Affective Disposition Theory and Moral Foundations Theory were used as a framework for understanding people's perceptions of gender-neutral media …

Methodological Improvements In The Mrna Profiling Assays For Incorporation Into Dna Casework Workflows, Paris Volk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently, DNA profiling is the gold standard to identify an individual. However, determining body fluid origin is important in criminal investigations, offering additional information surrounding the circumstances of a crime. However, crime labs can only definitively identify blood and semen and presumptively saliva using techniques that consume time and sample and do not simultaneously identify all forensically relevant body fluids. This causes many crime labs to want to bypass body fluid identification altogether. Therefore, advances into more definitive molecular-based body fluid methods are necessary. One such technique is mRNA profiling because it provides a highly sensitive and specific approach to …

Analysis Of Hydrodynamic And Bathymetric Gradients In Canaveral National Seashore Following Living Shoreline And Oyster Restorations, David Spiering

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal vulnerability has been gaining recognition as a critical issue, especially with the increasing predictions of sea level rise. Susceptibility to extreme events, eutrophication, and shoreline modification has left many coastal regions in a degraded state. Shoreline protection has traditionally taken the form of seawalls and offshore breakwaters which can be detrimental to both the local ecosystems and adjoining shorelines. The objective of this thesis is to analyze the hydrodynamic and bathymetric variation that occurs within Mosquito Lagoon, Florida following living shoreline and oyster reef restorations. The shoreline sites were sampled using a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design and data were analyzed …

Classifying And Predicting Walking Speed From Electroencephalography Data, Allen Rahrooh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electroencephalography (EEG) non-invasively records electrocortical activity and can be used to understand how the brain functions to control movements and walking. Studies have shown that electrocortical dynamics are coupled with the gait cycle and change when walking at different speeds. Thus, EEG signals likely contain information regarding walking speed that could potentially be used to predict walking speed using just EEG signals recorded during walking. The purpose of this study was to determine whether walking speed could be predicted from EEG recorded as subjects walked on a treadmill with a range of speeds (0.5 m/s, 0.75 m/s, 1.0 m/s, 1.25 …

Student Community Detection And Recommendation Of Customized Paths To Reinforce Academic Success, Yuan Shao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educational Data Mining (EDM) is a research area that analyzes educational data and extracts interesting and unique information to address education issues. EDM implements computational methods to explore data for the purpose of studying questions related to educational achievements. A common task in an educational environment is the grouping of students and the identification of communities that have common features. Then, these communities of students may be studied by a course developer to build a personalized learning system, promote effective group learning, provide adaptive contents, etc. The objective of this thesis is to find an approach to detect student communities …

Forward Osmosis For Algae Dewatering And Electrical Field-Driven Membrane Fouling Mitigation, Faris Munshi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Efficient and low-energy microalgae harvesting is essential for sustainable biofuel production. Forward osmosis (FO) can provide a potential alternative for algae separation with low energy consumption by using osmotic pressure. In this study, an aquaporin-based polyethersulfone (PES) membrane was evaluated for algae dewatering using FO with three different types of draw solutions (DSs: NaCl, KCl and NH4Cl), and under different cross flow velocities (CFVs). 81% of algae dewatering was achieved with a 29% flux drop. Among three different DSs, although NH4Cl was the best candidate for improved water flux and low reverse salt flux (RSF), it could accelerate cell division, …

Grandma Got Passed Over By A Manager: The Intersection Of Age And Gender In Hiring, Alyssa Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has demonstrated how age stereotypes influence judgment and decision making at work, but older workers are more than just older. All individuals are members of multiple demographic categories, yet we know surprisingly little about how multiple category membership affects judgments and decision making at work. Competing models have been suggested, such as the category activation and inhibition model (Kulik et al., 2007) and the intersectional salience of ageism at work model (Marcus & Fritzsche, 2015). However, empirical tests of these models are scarce. In the present study, the age and gender of job applicants were manipulated in a mock …

Designosaurs: Technological Evolution And De-Extinction Through An Advancing Medium, Sean Vanzyl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an examination of my imperative need to understand dinosaurs and their role in science and art, acting as prehistoric symbols for science and imagination. Like our understanding of dinosaurs, my body of work is evolving simultaneously with the technology of our time. Through the synthesis of artistic language with science and technology, I create dynamic experiences allowing a viewer to witness an extinct living being in its entirety, an otherwise lost experience. By utilizing digital modeling, animation techniques, and interactive video games, my work speaks to the power and diversity of digital media's role in visualizing artifacts …

Pine, Aphids, And Parasitoid Wasps: Patterns Of Cospeciation And Host Switches In A Tri-Trophic System, Amber Bass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ecological interactions may drive speciation events, and the processes that drive these speciation events can leave behind patterns in the phylogenies of interacting taxa. These patterns have been studied extensively in herbivores and host plants, as well as parasites and their hosts, but rarely in tri-trophic systems. Here, we examine three closely related groups of interacting taxa, including parasitoid wasps (Pauesia), aphid herbivores (Cinara), and pine trees (Pinus) to determine if the patterns between each interacting taxa indicate that cospeciation or host switches are more dominant. We create phylogenies of Cinara and Pauesia in the southeastern United States using ddRADseq …

Do Per-Capita Impact Or Abundance Dominate The Impact Of An Invader? Interactions Among Neighboring Species In Context-Dependent Competition, Haoyu Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evaluating relative species competitive strength is a central question in community ecology, with strong implications for invasion ecology. Models assessing invader success consider three components: distribution, abundance and per-capita impact. However, relative strength and interactions among these factors remain unclear when applying to specific invasion scenarios. We hypothesized that performance of native and non-native species will vary as a function of direct and indirect effects at different abundances and scales. We conducted a replacement experiment between two dominant grasses in subtropical grasslands (the native Axonopus fissifolius and the non-native Paspalum notatum) in central Florida, USA. Thirty fenced plots (1 m …

A Deep Learning Approach To Diagnosing Schizophrenia, Justin Barry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this article, the investigators present a new method using a deep learning approach to diagnose schizophrenia. In the experiment presented, the investigators have used a secondary dataset provided by National Institutes of Health. The aforementioned experimentation involves analyzing this dataset for existence of schizophrenia using traditional machine learning approaches such as logistic regression, support vector machine, and random forest. This is followed by application of deep learning techniques using three hidden layers in the model. The results obtained indicate that deep learning provides state-of-the-art accuracy in diagnosing schizophrenia. Based on these observations, there is a possibility that deep learning …

Zika Virus-Induced Lysis Of Cervical Cancer Cells, Harini Krishnapura

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women with an estimated 570,000 new cases globally in 2018. Treatment of advanced cervical cancer is often unsuccessful leading to high cancer-related mortality rates, especially in under-resourced countries. Recently, a possible role for the cell surface glycoprotein CD24 in host cell specificity of Zika virus was reported. As an extension of this work, Zika viruses have been proposed as oncolytic therapy for the treatment of neuroblastoma and other CD24 positive tumors. To determine the permissiveness of cervical cancer cells to Zika virus infection and its association with CD24, we assessed cytopathic …

Concerning The Perceptive Gaze: The Impact Of Vision Theories On Late Nineteenth-Century Victorian Literature, Lindsay Rushworth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines two specific interventions in vision theory—namely, Herbert Spencer's theory of organic memory, which he developed by way of Lamarckian genetics and Darwinian evolution in A System of Synthetic Philosophy (1864), and the Aesthetic Movement (1870s–1890s), famously articulated by Walter Pater in The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry (1873 and 1893). I explore the impact of these theories on late nineteenth-century fiction, focusing on two novels: Thomas Hardy's Two on a Tower (1882) and Edith Johnstone's A Sunless Heart (1894). These two authors' texts engage with scientific and aesthetic visual theories to demonstrate their anxieties concerning the …

Decentralized Consensus-Based Control Allocation For Some Dynamical Systems, August Mark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, three separate studies, wherein techniques from graph theory and consensus control are used to address control allocation problems, are presented. In the first study, a decentralized allocator is presented for synthetic jet actuators and control surfaces onboard a small unmanned aerial vehicle to cooperatively generate desired aerodynamic moments. First order linear dynamics are assumed for both the synthetic jet actuators and control surfaces. A weighted consensus algorithm with limited feedback is used for the aerodynamic moment contribution allocator considering constraints. In the second study, the same allocation problem as in the first study is considered, but the …

Synergistic Visualization And Quantitative Analysis Of Volumetric Medical Images, Neslisah Torosdagli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The medical diagnosis process starts with an interview with the patient, and continues with the physical exam. In practice, the medical professional may require additional screenings to precisely diagnose. Medical imaging is one of the most frequently used non-invasive screening methods to acquire insight of human body. Medical imaging is not only essential for accurate diagnosis, but also it can enable early prevention. Medical data visualization refers to projecting the medical data into a human understandable format at mediums such as 2D or head-mounted displays without causing any interpretation which may lead to clinical intervention. In contrast to the medical …

Heterogeneous Reconfigurable Fabrics For In-Circuit Training And Evaluation Of Neuromorphic Architectures, Ramtin Mohammadizand

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A heterogeneous device technology reconfigurable logic fabric is proposed which leverages the cooperating advantages of distinct magnetic random access memory (MRAM)-based look-up tables (LUTs) to realize sequential logic circuits, along with conventional SRAM-based LUTs to realize combinational logic paths. The resulting Hybrid Spin/Charge FPGA (HSC-FPGA) using magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) devices within this topology demonstrates commensurate reductions in area and power consumption over fabrics having LUTs constructed with either individual technology alone. Herein, a hierarchical top-down design approach is used to develop the HSCFPGA starting from the configurable logic block (CLB) and slice structures down to LUT circuits and the …

Mechanical Properties Of Brittle Ceramics: Case Study Of Boron Rich Ceramics And Acropora Cervicornis Coral Skeleton, Alejandro Carrasco-Pena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ceramics are ubiquitous in man-made and natural structures. Their mechanical properties highly depend on their composition, microstructure and level of defects in the bulk of the material, the latter affecting the integrity of the components; such is the case of boron-rich ceramics where large agglomerates create high stressed regions, or coral skeleton where porosity determines their strength against hydrodynamic forces present in the ocean tides. Therefore, studying the properties of ceramic materials using invasive and non-invasive methods helps in the understanding of the link between the properties and the performance of the structures. The aim of this research was to …

Federal, State And Local Law Enforcement Agency Interoperability Capabilities And Cyber Vulnerabilities, Tyrone Trapnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The National Data Exchange (N-DEx) System is the central informational hub located at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Its purpose is to provide network subscriptions to all Federal, state and local level law enforcement agencies while increasing information collaboration across all domains. The National Data Exchange users must satisfy the Advanced Permission Requirements, confirming the terms of N-DEx information use, and the Verification Requirement (verifying the completeness, timeliness, accuracy, and relevancy of N-DEx information) through coordination with the record-owning agency (Management, 2018). A network infection model is proposed to simulate the spread impact of various cyber-attacks within Federal, state …

Predicting Students' Academic Performance With Decision Tree And Neural Network, Junshuai Feng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educational Data Mining (EDM) is a developing research field that involves many techniques to explore data relating to educational background. EDM can analyze and resolve educational data with computational methods to address educational questions. Similar to EDM, neural networks have been utilized in widespread and successful data mining applications. In this paper, synthetic datasets are employed since this paper aims to explore the methodologies such as decision tree classifiers and neural networks to predict student performance in the context of EDM. Firstly, it introduces EDM and some relative works that have been accomplished previously in this field along with their …

Variable Fluid Flow Regimes Alter Endothelial Adherens Junctions And Tight Junctions, Dilshan Ranadewa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Variable blood flow regimes influence a range of cellular properties ranging from cell orientation, shape, and permeability: all of which are dependent on endothelial cell-cell junctions. In fact, cell-cell junctions have shown to be an integral part of vascular homeostasis through the endothelium by allowing intercellular signaling and passage control through tight junctions (TJs), adherens junctions (AJs), and gap junctions (GJs). It was our objective to determine the structural response of both AJs and TJs under steady and oscillatory flow. Human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) were cultured in a parallel plate flow chamber and exposed to separate trails of …

Leveraging The Intrinsic Switching Behaviors Of Spintronic Devices For Digital And Neuromorphic Circuits, Steven Pyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With semiconductor technology scaling approaching atomic limits, novel approaches utilizing new memory and computation elements are sought in order to realize increased density, enhanced functionality, and new computational paradigms. Spintronic devices offer intriguing avenues to improve digital circuits by leveraging non-volatility to reduce static power dissipation and vertical integration for increased density. Novel hybrid spintronic-CMOS digital circuits are developed herein that illustrate enhanced functionality at reduced static power consumption and area cost. The developed spin-CMOS D Flip-Flop offers improved power-gating strategies by achieving instant store/restore capabilities while using 10 fewer transistors than typical CMOS-only implementations. The spin-CMOS Muller C-Element developed …

Conceptualization And Fabrication Of A Bioinspired Mobile Robot Actuated By Shape Memory Alloy Springs, Lietsel Richardson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is an experimental study and fabrication of design concepts to validate the feasibility of smart materials and their applications in bio-inspired robotics. Shape-Memory Alloy (SMA) springs are selected as the smart material actuators of interest to achieve locomotion in the proposed mobile robot. Based on a previous design of the robot, this work focuses on both implementing a new locomotion concept and reducing size and weight of the previous design, both using SMA based actuators. Objectives are met in consideration of the conceptual mechanics of circular robot locomotion. The first prototype is a variation of the original design. …