Digital Commons Network^™

The Perceived Impact Of Restorative Practice Implementation On Exclusionary Discipline Practicce And The Role Of School Administrators On The Effectiveness Of Implementation, Courtney E. Tomasi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Restorative Practices is a behavior management system that focuses on root cause analysis and repairing harms caused by those infractions. This study focused on the correlation between the knowledge that stakeholders possessed regarding Restorative Practices and their perceived impact on the school disciplinary program. In addition, the study sought to determine which aspects of Restorative Practices were most effective as well as examine the viewpoints of disciplinary stakeholders regarding Restorative Practices as a large, urban school district in central Florida.

Recent literature shows that punitive and exclusionary discipline practices have an adverse impact on minoritized populations as the students are …

Using Advocacy Coaches To Examine Trauma-Informed Classroom Practices Used To Support Students With Disabilities: A Qualitative Study, Fanica Young

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Childhood trauma, often referred to as America’s hidden crisis, significantly impacts the learning and behavior of students with disabilities (SWD), in particular. SWD who experience or witness trauma face challenges related to discipline, academic achievement, absenteeism, and social and emotional well-being. According to the National Survey on Children’s Health (2021), 16.3% of children served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have encountered two or more adverse childhood experiences by age 18, with over half of the states surpassing the national average. Addressing this urgent concern is difficult due to a shortage of qualified service providers, such as nurses, psychologists, …

Resilient Cooperative Control Of Cyber-Physical Systems: Enhancing Robustness Against Significant Time Delays And Denial-Of-Service Attacks, Deepalakshmi Babu Venkateswaran

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

A cyber-physical control system (CPS) typically consists of a set of physical subsystems, their remote terminal units, a central control center (if applicable), and local communication networks that interconnect all the components to achieve a common goal. Applications include energy systems, autonomous vehicles, and collaborative robots. Ensuring stability, performance, and resilience in CPS requires thorough analysis and control design, utilizing robust algorithms to handle delays, communication failures, and potential cyber-attacks.

Time delays are a challenge in CPS, particularly in teleoperation systems, where human operators remotely control robotic systems. These delays cause chattering, oscillations, and instability, making it difficult to achieve …

Advanced Algorithms For Cancer Cell Detection And Tracking, Qibing Jiang

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Microscopy image processing is critical for precision oncology and immunotherapy, two approaches in cancer treatment often combined to enhance patient outcomes. Numerous scientists have studied the effects of drugs on the immune system and tumors. To quantify the impact of various drugs on different immune and cancer cell types, medical researchers conduct ex vivo assays. In these assays, patient-derived live cells are placed in an artificial microenvironment where drug responses are monitored over time. Brightfield microscopy captures one image every half hour of numerous patient-derived cells in an ex vivo reconstruction of the tumor microenvironment treated with 31 drugs for …

A Causal-Comparative Study Of The Relationship Between School Shooter Typologies, Warning Signs, And Targeted School Violence, German R. Taveras

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This research explores the relationship between school shooter typologies, warning signs, and targeted school violence. The study's independent variables are school shooter typologies and warning signs, while the dependent variable is targeted school violence. The research wants to investigate whether a relationship exists between these variables. The null hypothesis states no relationship exists, while the alternative hypothesis suggests that a relationship exists. The research framework is based on Bronfenbrenner's Ecological System Theory, which helps understand how the environment and social interaction influence a child's development. The theory was influenced by Vygotsky's sociocultural theory—which focuses on the roles of human interactions …

Connecting In Crisis: Exploring Online Informal Communications In Florida’S Unemployment Struggle, Anna V. Eskamani

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread unemployment, significantly impacting Floridians who faced delays and systemic issues with the state's unemployment system. This study examines crisis communication within a Reddit community, focusing on how individuals used informal communications to navigate the unemployment benefits crisis. Guided by Rhetorical Arena Theory (RAT) and Uses and Gratification Theory (U&G), the research addresses: (1) How did individuals in the active audience discuss challenges faced when trying to access Florida’s unemployment system? (2) What lessons can be drawn from the analysis of informal communications on social media for improving crisis communication strategies during future crises? A …

Investigating The Effect Of Technological Innovation On Countries' Green Production Capabilities Evolution And Spillover, Hanin Alhaddad

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This dissertation presents a novel methodology to examine the evolution of green production capabilities for 226 countries between 2003 and 2017 based on spillovers between the sectors. It identifies the growth potential of sectors and the key sectors driving the spillovers of production capabilities. Moreover, it delves into the patterns observed in the evolution of these capabilities, considering the diverse economic classifications. Lastly, it focuses on 72 developing countries that face unique challenges in pursuing green economic growth, exploring the effect of technological innovations on the spillovers of production capabilities within their green sectors. Three key hypotheses are investigated: the …

High-Performance Integrated Photonic On Thin-Film Lithium Niobate, Farzaneh Arab Juneghani

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Integrated photonics is in high demand for various applications, such as optical communication, microwave photonics, optical sensing, and quantum information processing. Different material platforms have been explored for implementing photonic integrated circuits (PICs), such as silicon, indium phosphide, lithium niobate (LN), and more recently thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN). Choosing a platform depends on the specific requirements of the application. TFLN offers numerous advantages, including very strong electro-optical and nonlinear optical effects, and a broad spectral range without significant material loss. Particularly, TFLN is suitable for high-speed and low-power electro-optical modulation. LN is a widely used electro-optic material in telecommunication and …

Examining How Pejorative Stereotypes About Black Women Shape Their Experiences In Physics Ph.D. Programs, Camille A. Coffie

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This research study is part of a larger study that examines the experiences of Black women in physics graduate programs to identify priorities for departmental change initiatives to remove structures that keep out and/or push out Black women. This research also reinforces the ongoing necessity to raise awareness about the impact of stereotypes on how Black women are perceived and how stereotypes affect the matriculation of Black women in physics graduate programs. Black women represent the lowest percentage of students in physics graduate programs and often contend with stressors like microaggressions, bias, and stereotype threats that impede their success and …

Spectral Approaches For Characterizing Heterogeneity In Infectious Disease Models, Seoyun Choe

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Heterogeneity, influenced by diverse factors such as age, gender, immunity, behavior, and spatial distribution, plays a critical role in the dynamics of infectious disease transmission. Discrete mathematical structures, including matrices and graphs, can offer effective tools for modeling the interactions among these diverse factors, resulting heterogeneous epidemiological models. This dissertation explores analytical approaches, specifically utilizing eigenvalues and eigenvectors of discrete structures, to characterize heterogeneity within mathematical models of infectious diseases. Theoretical results, along with numerical simulations, enhance our understanding of heterogeneous epidemiological processes and their significant implications for disease control strategies.

In this dissertation, we introduce a unified approach to …

Scalable Transactions In Decentralized Networks, Zachary M. Painter

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The study of shared memory concurrency is extensive. There exist many state-of-the-art strategies for dealing with fundamental concurrency problems, such as race conditions or deadlocks, to leverage massive performance boosts out of modern multiprocessors. With the introduction of blockchain technology as a popular financial tool, we observe many decades-old concurrency problems re-emerge within the context of decentralized networks. These challenges introduce additional constraints, such as the lack of hardware atomic instructions like Compare-And-Swap, or the potential for malicious clients to join the network. In this dissertation, we propose key algorithms which adapt knowledge from the domain of shared memory concurrency …

Dexterous Manual Actions: Motor Learning, Visuomotor Control, And Effect Of Aging, Kimia Kiani

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The human hand is critically important for the performance of many activities of daily living (ADL). This dissertation used three human subject studies to investigate how different types of motor repetition interact with the process of sensorimotor adaptation and learning in complex dexterous manipulation tasks that depend on finger force control or bimanual coordination. Moreover, these investigations were conducted in both young adults (YA) and older adults (OA) to reveal the extent to which the process of aging may alter such interactions. In the first study, it was found that the repetition of simple ballistic force exertion allowed YA to …

The Role Of Adiponectin In Gustatory Perception Of Fat, Fangjun Lin

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Taste is a major driving force that influences food choice and dietary intake. Animals' taste abilities vary due to genetics, sex, age, and hormonal status. There is evidence that several appetite-regulating hormones can modulate gustatory detection of fat, and this hormonal modulation of fat taste likely influences food palatability and selection, thereby altering fat intake. Adiponectin is a key metabolic hormone predominantly released from adipose tissue, which enhances insulin sensitivity and stimulates glucose and fatty acid metabolism. Adiponectin receptors are highly expressed in the taste system, indicating that adiponectin signaling may play an important role in the modulation of gustatory …

Sexual Assault Victimization In Virtual Worlds, Narim Lee

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The current dissertation investigated sexual assault victimization in virtual worlds – environments, where individuals engage through avatars, offering a deep level of immersion and interactivity. As the usage of these virtual spaces grows, so does the concern for negative experiences that mirror the sexual assault encountered in the physical world. Despite this, there is a notable gap in the quantitative analysis of virtual sexual assault (VSA) victimization. This research aimed to fill this void by exploring the prevalence of VSA victimization over the previous year and identifying potential predictors of VSA victimization through the lens of cyberlifestyle-routine activity theory. To …

Globalizing Tele-Support Coaching: Exploring The Impact Of Online Adaptations Of Practice-Based Coaching For Special Education Teachers And Related Personnel, Danica Tania Moise

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The global prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents significant challenges, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) where there is a lack of trained professionals, limited access to evidence-based practices, and insufficient government support. This dissertation explores the potential of technology-based interventions to bridge the knowledge gap and improve the quality of services for children with ASD in LMIC.

The first chapter provides an overview of the current landscape of educator preparatory programs and highlights the limitations of traditional clinical experiences in preparing special education teachers and related personnel. It introduces the Tele-Support Coaching Framework (TCF) as a promising …

Mitigation Of Reliability Risks Associated With Accelerated Thermal Cycling And High Current Density Electromigration In Ball Grid Array Solder Joints, Vishnu R. Shukla

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Ball Grid Array (BGA) solder joints are an array of solder alloy spheres sandwiched between package substrate and printed circuit board (PCB). These solder joints provide electrical connections and mechanical integrity to the assembly of package and PCB. Upcoming advanced packaging applications will involve heavier components, higher service temperatures and higher current densities, which will result in additional stresses on BGA joints accelerating their failure. Additionally, mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the substrate, solder balls and PCB results in fracture near the solder-substrate interface posing a reliability risk. Moreover, higher current densities at elevated temperatures, also …

Evidence Of Positive Associations Between Intertidal Shoreline And Subtidal Seagrass Communities In A Subtropical Ecotone, Gabriel Benson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Fringing seagrass beds are important components of coastal ecotones. Their association with shoreline morphology and shoreline restoration, however, is poorly understood. We combined GIS analyses with field-based monitoring to better understand intra-ecotone associations between shorelines and fringing seagrass beds. Using GIS analyses of aerial imagery, shoreline characterization models, and seagrass coverage models, the relationship between shoreline morphology, erosion, and fringing seagrass persistence was examined in Mosquito Lagoon, FL between 2011 and 2021. For the field-based portion of the study, fringing seagrass beds growing adjacent to restored, living shoreline segments were monitored throughout the 2023 growing season (March – November). All …

Mesmerizing Moon Mysteries: Unraveling The Compositions Of Irregular Mare Patches (Imps) Using Remote Observations, Nicholas G. Piskurich

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Compositional characterization of lunar surface features informs our understanding of the Moon's thermal and magmatic evolution. We investigated the compositions of hypothesized volcanic features known as irregular mare patches (IMPs) and their surroundings to constrain formation mechanisms. We used six datasets to assess the composition of 12 IMPs: 1) Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M³) derived spectral parameters (e.g., band center positions, shapes), 2) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Diviner Radiometer Experiment (Diviner) measured Christiansen feature (CF) position, 3) SELENE (Kaguya) Multiband Imager (MI) FeO abundance, 4) Clementine 5-band (Ultraviolet/Visible)-derived FeO abundance, 5) LRO Wide Angle Camera (WAC) TiO₂ abundance, …

Spatial Variability Of Hydrodynamics Within Crassostrea Virginica (Eastern Oyster) Reefs: Investigating The Effect Of Canopy Density On Flow And Turbulence., Manisha Thenuwara

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Oysters are ecosystem engineers that shape coastal aquatic environments through hydrodynamic influence, which is governed by the reef structure. Hydrodynamic studies have investigated effects of oyster reefs as whole systems, overlooking the spatial variability inherent in canopy structures. In this research, a field investigation was undertaken to characterize spatial variability of flow dynamics within a single eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reef and query how the local canopy density influences the hydrodynamic environment. High-resolution flow measurements were taken within and above the oyster canopy over a range of flow conditions. Hydrodynamics were compared across reef locations as the oyster …

Climate Change And Coastal Development Impacts On Oyster Abundances In Mosquito Lagoon, Fl, Emily Suchonic

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Live eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs have declined by 62.6% in Mosquito Lagoon (ML) along the eastern Florida coast since 1943. While this species creates reefs by successive generations of oysters recruiting to conspecific shells, C. virginica can also attach to non-reef substrates including mangrove roots and armoring (e.g., seawalls), which may help counteract reef habitat loss. In recent decades, warmer winters have enabled red (Rhizophora mangle) and black (Avicennia germinans) mangrove expansion in subtropical salt marshes and temperate estuaries where oyster reefs occur. Additionally, 11.8% of ML's shorelines have been armored as of …

What Fishing Tackle Should I Bring Today?: Safety Harbor Resource Collection Tools As Adaptations To Aquatic Environments, Richard J. Davis Iii

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This thesis reports on the results of research conducted to determine whether technological adaptations to local environmental conditions can be observed through geospatial and artifact analysis of Safety Harbor collections from the Tampa Bay region of Florida. Past artifact and spatial analysis did not take advantage of modern technological advancements when studying how human-environmental interactions can influence certain adaptations to local conditions. In this project, GIS was used to reconstruct local aquatic environmental conditions of waterways adjacent to Safety Harbor sites. New statistical software programs have also proven themselves useful to archaeologists seeking to conduct hypothesis testing of artifact data. …

Sectarianism And Elite Strategies In Fueling Conflict: Evidence From Iraq Under Saddam Hussein And Nouri Al Maliki, Mohammed Al Awwad

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

What contributes to sectarian conflict? Some existing literature essentializes sectarian identities and blames ancient hatred between different groups as the cause of conflict, this thesis argues that sectarian conflict occurs when sectarianism is politically employed by elite actors facing state weakness. The proposed theory suggests that a drop in state capacity regardless of the cause, can motivate political elite actors to instrumentalize the salience of sectarian identities as a form of either repression or cooptation targeting the sectarian outgroup for the purposes of regime survival. The theoretical claims in this study are examined using a qualitative comparative case study analysis …

Optical Seed Development For Yb-Fiber Laser, James G. Brutus

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Master Oscillator Power Amplifiers (MOPA) are laser systems that utilize a seed and pump amplification system to boost the output power of high-quality lower power seeding signals. MOPAs can generate high gain while avoiding many of the nonlinearities that negatively affect resonance-based lasers that are known to feature higher internal intensities. Additionally, MOPAs provide an easy alternative to the construction of novel laser technologies for higher output power as they can be easily combined with existing laser sources to amplify their output power.

This thesis outlines the design of an ytterbium-doped fiber laser (YDFL), featuring a MOPA architecture. The YDFL …

Dress To Impress: New Composition Instructors' Interpretations And Embodiment Of Professionalism As Displayed Through Dress, Jacqueline C. Cano Diaz

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

While previous research in rhetoric and composition investigates how novice composition instructors negotiate the boundaries of professionalism and identity (Dall'Alba; Grouling; Restaino), the role of dress, or "performative strategic attire" (Mckoy), in crafting these teaching personas has not yet been explored. Viewing everyday dress choices through the lens of embodied rhetoric allows for a deeper understanding of the complex decision-making process of choosing what to wear (Woodward). Further, analyzing dress choice through embodied rhetoric showcases how clothing becomes a tool to craft a persona and inhabit an identity or role. Through positioning instructor's self-identity and naming their experiences and influences …

Three Good Things To Improve Dementia Caregiver Outcomes: Feasibility, Nicole V. Mcclure

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The current study investigated the feasibility of utilizing a positive psychology strategy, Three Good Things, for dementia caregivers who at times may be limited in their ability to access resources due to caregiving role demands. The experimental task asked participants to list three things that went well for the day and their role in these events. Participants were randomized into a control or experimental group. The study was conducted on a sample of self-identified dementia caregivers (N = 45) to help reduce negative outcomes such as depression, burden, burnout, and negative affect. Further, variables thought to be influenced by increases …

Effect Of Acetate And Cell Density On External Proton Supply For Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Biohydrogen Production, Keval V. Patel

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Green microalgae can naturally produce renewable hydrogen gas (H₂) in anaerobic environments by expressing hydrogenase enzymes (HydA). However, H₂ production from microalgae remains low and challenging because HydA are only active in low O₂ conditions. One practical strategy for creating an anaerobic environment is by adding acetate which can disrupt the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) causing the microalgae to switch to respiration of acetate until O₂ is completely depleted. However, by disrupting the OEC, a rich source of protons (H⁺) from water splitting is lost. This may make H⁺ into a limiting …

A Paradoxical Tale: Sodium Taurocholate Counteracts Bactericidal Potency Of Silver-Modified Cerium Oxide Nanoparticle (Agcnp), A Sporicidal Disinfectant Against C. Difficile On Abiotic Surfaces, Deepa Shah

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The nosocomial pathogen Clostridioides difficile colonizes the gut leading to antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and severe inflammation. C. difficile spores—the main agent of transmission—survive for months on contaminated surfaces. Common disinfecting agents such as bleach and peroxides are used to prevent this; however, these chemicals are highly corrosive, toxic and pose serious health concerns. Seeking to address the challenges posed by conventional disinfectants, our research tested the feasibility of redox-active, silver-modified cerium oxide nanoparticles (AgCNP) formulations as a safer alternative. We tested the efficacy of AgCNP in rich culture media on C. difficile NAP1, a known hypervirulent strain associated with hospital endemics, …

The Case For Photothermal Spectroscopy In The Future Of Planetary Science Missions, Christopher T. Cox

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Optical PhotoThermal InfraRed (O-PTIR) is a relatively new spectroscopy method for studying materials. It produces transmission-like spectra using a remote reflectance technique that is rapid, requires little sample preparation, and is well-suited for the technique to be adapted for a space flight instrument. The method involves a tunable pulsed IR laser creating a photothermal effect on the surface of a material and measuring the distortion of a probing visible laser in the same region of the sample, which can be obtained at sub-micron spatial resolutions. A measurement campaign was performed utilizing Photothermal Spectroscopy Corporation's O-PTIR instrument, mIRage®. In this campaign, …

Building Better Homes For Pollinators: How Native Plants Benefit Pollinator Communities In Suburban Landscapes, Mykayla Hagaman

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Pollinators provide key ecological services. With one-third of our global food production dependent on pollinators, maintaining healthy pollinator communities is vital. Bees are the most pervasive and effective pollinator species, yet are currently declining worldwide, with the main cause linked to habitat loss. To combat this decline, researchers are turning to suburban landscapes to aid in pollinator conservation. Incorporating native plants into suburban landscapes has been shown to benefit pollinators. However, there is a lack of information on how different landscape designs and growing conditions influence pollinator communities. To better understand whether native plants can effectively improve suburban pollinator habitats, …

From Crisis To Classroom: Evaluating Academic Success In Vulnerable Populations During The Covid-19 Emergency Education Era, Jake Novak

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study investigated school closures' impact on students from vulnerable populations in elementary classrooms. The research places an emphasis on the importance of an equitable and effective educational system in every community. It highlights the role of formal education in providing opportunities for social advancement and promoting the development of individuals and nations. The impact of the COVID-19 Emergency on access to quality education and the challenges and inequities faced by vulnerable populations are emphasized. This research also discusses the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations in 2015 to ensure inclusive and equitable education for all children …