Digital Commons Network^™

The Use Of Stable Isotopes To Assess Potential Effects Of Algal Blooms On Seagrass And Macroalgae Communities In The Indian River Lagoon, Florida, Alexandra Azcona

HIM 1990-2015

Algal blooms have caused significant losses in seagrass and macroalgae in the Indian River Lagoon, FL. To gain an understanding of these effects, samples of Gracilaria sp., Halodule wrightii, pinfish, and white mullet were taken throughout October and November of 2013. Samples from 2001 of Gracilaria sp., Halodule wrightii, Syringodium filiforme, Thalassia testudinum, pinfish, spotted seatrout, and white mullet were also obtained. Stable isotope data were obtained from these samples and compared by year and species. Halodule wrightii and pinfish had a significantly larger 2013 [delta]C13 values. Halodule wrightii also displayed lower total %C and total %N averages for 2013 …

Sexual Offender Treatment: A Paradigm Analysis Of Academic Journals, Vijay Chillar

HIM 1990-2015

Many criminologists and psychologists have theorized the possible causes behind an individual who engages in sex offenses; some of which will be reviewed. Through this paradigm analysis, I hope to identify how each discipline addresses the causes of sex offending and what treatments they offer in response to their theories. Additionally, this thesis will examine the Good Lives, Relapse Prevention, and the Risks, Need, Responsivity (RNR) models of treatment. The main objective of this thesis is to address the different facets of sex offending, so that the importance of finding an effective treatment model can be understood. By raising awareness …

The Incompatibility Of Freedom Of The Will And Anthropological Physicalism, Ariel Gonzalez

HIM 1990-2015

Many contemporary naturalistic philosophers have taken it for granted that a robust theory of free will, one which would afford us with an agency substantial enough to render us morally responsible for our actions, is itself not conceptually compatible with the philosophical theory of naturalism. I attempt to account for why it is that free will (in its most substantial form) cannot be plausibly located within a naturalistic understanding of the world. I consider the issues surrounding an acceptance of a robust theory of free will within a naturalistic framework. Timothy O’Connor’s reconciliatory effort in maintaining both a scientifically naturalist …

Exploring The Correlation Between Theory Of Mind And Drive For Thinness, Sarah Hudak

HIM 1990-2015

Research suggests that, similar to individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, people with Anorexia Nervosa demonstrate an inability to utilize Theory of Mind concepts. Theory of Mind allows healthy control populations to attribute mental states to others by accurately predicting and understanding the behavior of others. This study's intent was to further explore the relationship between eating disorders and Theory of Mind. Using an online survey management system (Qualtrics), 210 female students from a large metropolitan southeastern university completed the Drive for Thinness subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task. It was …

A Model Of Hip Dysplasia Reductions In Infants Using The Pavlik Harness, Wissam Hadri

HIM 1990-2015

Hip dysplasia, also known as congenital dysplasia of the hip (CDH) or Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH), is a mal-alignment of the hip joint. Left untreated within the first nine months, DDH could lead to permanent disability. Luckily however, this condition is diagnosed at an early age and is usually treated without surgery through the use of the Pavlik harness. In this thesis, a 3D computational model and dynamic finite element analysis of the muscles and tissues involved in hip dysplasia and the mechanics of the Pavlik harness, as rendered by Dr. Alain J. Kassab’s research group in the …

Panua Partners In Hope, Naivasha, Kenya: Legal And Domestic Related Challenges, Keisha Holman

HIM 1990-2015

The complexities of issues existing in Kenya create a domino effect directly affecting not only the effective management and economic growth of Kenya, but also social and legislative constraints to the lower socioeconomic classes. Land dispossession, proof of ownership to property and nationality are ongoing troubling issues affecting increased orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Kenya, most noticeably within predominantly poverty stricken rural enclaves. This research focuses on the bold move of stakeholders of Trinity United Methodist Church in Naivasha, Kenya partnering with First United Methodist Church of Winter Park, Orlando, United States of America. In 2010, they conceptualized Panua …

Exploring The Vicious Cycle Of Pediatric Asthma And Anxiety, Taylor Irwin

HIM 1990-2015

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Children diagnosed with asthma are twice as likely to have a comorbid anxiety disorder as their non-asthmatic peers. The presence of both asthma and anxiety in the pediatric patient creates an environment of poor asthma control, and places them at risk for a variety of negative health events. Little is known about comorbid anxiety’s role in asthma health maintenance. Research has identified the link between these two conditions but causation is difficult to conclude. The aim of this thesis is to assess the current state of the science regarding pediatric asthma …

Toward A Model Of Team Decision Making Under Stress, Alyssa Marshall

HIM 1990-2015

Today's organizations are increasingly relying on teams, rather than individuals, to complete tasks in the workplace. For some teams, these tasks require them to make high stakes decisions under stressful conditions. In military, medical, and emergency response fields, for example, workers are regularly asked to make decisions under high time pressure, uncertainty, and risk. The purpose of this study is to summarize previous team decision-making perspectives and create a model for team decision-making under stress. A literature review was conducted to examine the current state of team decision-making research. Several existing models of the team decision-making process were identified, representing …

Factors That Influence Implementation Of Pain Management Strategies In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Geraldine Martinez

HIM 1990-2015

In the United States, 10% to 15% of newborns are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Painful procedures are unavoidable during NICU care; the neonate experiences approximately 12 painful procedures per day. Inconsistent and/or inappropriate pain management in the NICU remains a problem. The purpose of this study is to identify the prevalent factors that influence the implementation of pain management strategies among nurses who work in a NICU setting in a Central Florida hospital. This study was conducted using a voluntary and anonymous electronic survey. The survey was divided into two sections; the first section designed to …

Comparative Differences Between Traditional Chinese Medicine And Western Medicine In Treating Type Two Diabetes Mellitus, Neley Morales

HIM 1990-2015

In the United States alone, there were 25.8 million people suffering from diabetes in 2010. The prevalence of diabetes is expected to markedly increase worldwide over the next 30 years, an estimated 2.8% in 2000 and 4.4% in 2030. For individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), treatment is essential to control adverse effects such as hypertension and diabetic neuropathy. The focus of this study is to examine various approaches to maintain and improve the lifestyle of individuals suffering from T2DM. A comparative approach has been used to evaluate the differences in the treatment of T2DM with the use …

Social Work Student Perceptions Of Labor Trafficking, Margaret Mulhern

HIM 1990-2015

Human Trafficking in Florida is a growing issue that affects individuals and communities on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. Although legislative efforts and changes in agency policies have raised awareness about this problem, limited awareness and research examines awareness of labor trafficking as one form of human trafficking. This exploratory-descriptive study used a convenience sampling technique to explore the perceptions of 45 Bachelors (BSW) and Masters (MSW) level social work students on the prevalence and nature of labor trafficking. The findings from the research show students have a general idea of labor trafficking and believe in equal access to …

Use Of Complementary And Alternative Therapies: A Pilot Survey, Hector Ortiz-Cintron

HIM 1990-2015

Meeting patient expectations in relation to pain management is an essential component of palliative and end-of-life care. However, previous research has demonstrated that pain is highly prevalent, especially during the four months prior to death. Poorly controlled pain contributes to cognitive failure, depression and an inability to complete daily activities. Unfortunately, pain and symptom management are often inadequate for patients placed in hospice care. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perspectives of hospice nurses on complementary and alternative therapies to determine if there is an educational need in order to aide in the management of chronic pain …

The Oppression And Sexism Of African-American Women: Then And Now: Substantial Contributions To The History Of Musical Theatre, Kelli Owens

HIM 1990-2015

A wise Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Freedom is never given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed (King 1)." For as long as men and women have shared the planet, sexism has been a universal issue in civilization. In a social justice context, American society has found ways to oppress people for centuries. The Oxford Dictionary defines sexism as a "prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex ("sexism")." Voting rights in America were established in 1790, but it took years of petitioning at various women's rights conventions before the Nineteenth …

Positive Individualism, Rebecca Perdomo

HIM 1990-2015

I will present and defend the notion of what I call Positive Individualism. Its purpose is to set forth a standard by which people are to treat others and themselves. I consider a common conception of individualism, its flaws, and a process of refining it. I formulate Positive Individualism, an idea in which every individual is valuable and therefore ought to be treated with respect and dignity by others. If this conception and the standards set forth were to be applied, communities would be able to function successfully and without compromising the individual since, as I argue, the individual is …

Addressing Need For Research-Focused Nurses By Increasing Interest And Socialization At The Undergraduate Level, Sarah Thomas

HIM 1990-2015

The U.S. shortage of qualified nursing teachers and researchers is affecting national health care outcomes. Methods such as fast-tracking Baccalaureate nurses into graduate programs and embedding leadership development early into nursing curricula have been proposed to address faculty and research shortages. Early interest in nursing research careers increases likelihood of enrollment in graduate education. One way undergraduate nursing students may develop an interest in research careers is through a mentored apprenticeship with research-active faculty. In this thesis, the author uses an autoethnography methodology to examine the benefits that a mentored research apprenticeship model brought to her undergraduate experience. Her experience …

Scalable Nano Particle Production Of Low Bioavailability Pharmaceuticals For Augmented Aqueous Solubility, Aaron Madden

HIM 1990-2015

The billion dollar pharmaceutical research and development pipeline suffers greatly from high attrition rates of novel therapeutic compounds within pre-clinical and clinical trials. Poor bioavailability in many new drugs, originating in the various methodologies of high throughput screening, may explain part of these growing failure rates. One interpretation of this phenomenon relies on bioavailability's correlation with aqueous solubility; much modern processing allows chemicals to fully develop without touching water, yielding upwards of 90% of new chemical entities practically insoluble in aqueous media. Thus, one approach to alleviating bioavailability and potentially clinical attrition rates necessitates augmented aqueous solubility. The amorphous nanoparticle …

Native American And Alaskan Native Youth Suicide, Emily Yurasek

HIM 1990-2015

Indigenous populations in the U.S. have been suffering from a youth suicide epidemic for decades. The epidemic and risk factors associated with it can be connected to the mistreatment of Native Americans throughout history which has caused their communities to suffer from numerous inequalities such as poverty, inadequate housing, loss of land, and destruction of culture. Using the concepts of biopolitics, post-colonialism, and structural violence, I argue that the social and political institutions forced upon Native American communities have led to increased alcohol and drug abuse, poverty, and disempowerment, all important factors that aid in the youth suicide epidemic. I …

Christian Hope Among Rivals: Life-Organizing Stories As Narrative Theodices, Michael Zeigler

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Zeigler, Michael. W. “Christian Hope among Rivals: Life-Organizing Stories as Narrative Theodicies.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2014. 270 pp.

This dissertation answers the following: How is Christian hope distinct from others? The answer given is that Christian hope is distinct from its rivals because it expects the God of Jesus to bring the world to conform to the word of the promise he made to Abraham. This answer arises from an approach to Christian eschatology that differs from what has become typical. Current studies in eschatology focus on an internal use attributes, that is, a use fitted for derivation and …

Suicide Curriculum For American Indian Youth, Rose Gaikowski

Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is a national public health concern which can result in emotional and physical devastation for individuals, families, and communities. Suicide leads to unanswered questions for families and communities directly impacted by suicide. There are approximately 30,000 suicidal deaths nationally in the United States; however in the American Indian population the suicide rate is 1.7 times higher than all races in the United States (Wexler & Gone, 2012). Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the 15-24 age groups in the American Indian/Alaskan Native (AVAN) population. Some American Indian communities experience suicidal clusters which results when one suicide …

Reflective Tales : Tracing Fairy Tales In Popular Culture Through The Depiction Of Maternity In Three “Snow White” Variants., Alexandra O'Keefe

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

From Hip To Hypocrisy : An Exploration Of The Hipster And The Cooptation Of Style., Melissa Rothman

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

A Retrospective Study On The Effect Of Immunotherapy Treatment On Nasal Polyposis., Johanna Haejean Yun

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Inside the paranasal sinuses, multiple saclike masses protrude from the lining, blocking one’s sense of taste and smell, clogging one’s nose with nasal congestion, and causing a continuous runny nose with postnasal drip. This is a common case of nasal polyposis. Nasal polyposis affects up to four percent of the general population, making it one of the most common chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract (Settipane 1996). Moreover, in cadaveric studies, the prevalence has been as high as 40% (Larson et al 1994). Nasal polyps commonly occur in adults over the age of 40, predominantly in males—with a 2:1 …

Racial-Ethnic Identity Development In Hispanic Young Adolescent Students : Synthesis Of Literature., Katherine Elizabeth Stemle

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

This paper serves as a meta-analytic analysis of the research published on the development of racial-ethnic identity development in young adolescent Hispanic students. The purpose of the analysis of the peer-reviewed literature is to help support the instruction and development of young adolescent Hispanic students in the classroom. The major emphases of this paper are the definition of racial-ethnic identity, the background and major theories connected to racial-ethnic identity development, the major factors unique to the racial-ethnic identity of Hispanics students, and a list of research based methods teachers can use to help Hispanic students explore and establish a strong …

Interactions Between Human Neutrophils And Mycobacterium Smegmatis : A Comparative General Analysis., Irina Miralda

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Mycobacteria smegmatis is an abundant soil and water inhabitant with which humans are continuously in contact. Despite the fact that it is typically considered non-­‐pathogenic, a few rare cases of M. smegmatis-­‐caused infections have been reported and it has been shown that M. smegmatis is able to modulate inflammatory responses in macrophages. Neutrophils are the innate immune system’s first line of centralized defense against invading microbes, especially the frequently encountered M. smegmatis. However, very little information is known of the mechanism by which neutrophils eliminate environmental bacteria. In this study, the hypothesis that M. smegmatis regulates neutrophil functional responses, and …

A Mindfulness-Based Intervention To Reduce Stress In Undergraduates., Dirk Anthony Dorsel

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

This study piloted a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce stress in university undergraduates, and explore effects on psychological and biological indicators of stress. Mindfulness is “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment-by-moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). The one week mindfulness intervention used audiobased mindfulness tracks recorded by Clinical Psychologist Paul Salmon. These tracks taught the basics of mindfulness. Participants were asked to listen to the tracks for 30 minutes a day for five days of the intervention. Perceived stress, self-reported anxiety, self-reported depression, heart rate and skin conductance were …

Epidemiology And Virulence Of Clostridium Difficile : An Evolutionary Perspective., Lindsey E. Hastings

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

The emergence of virulent, antibiotic-resistant Clostridium difficile ribotypes over the past thirty years has greatly concerned both the medical and research communities. As of 2010, C. difficile has surpassed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a cause of nosocomial infections and is now found in both healthcare settings and outside communities in the United States. Attendant-borne transmission in hospitals has been associated with the evolution of increased virulence in other nosocomial pathogens, but evolutionary theory has yet to be applied to the epidemiology and virulence of C. difficile. Differences between nosocomial C. difficile infections (CDI) and community-associated CDI (CA-CDI) mortality and …

Some Place To Be That's Not On The Map : Chuck Palahniuk's Demarginalization Of The Gothic Monster., Morgan Blair

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

Multi-Muscle Fes Force Control Of The Human Arm For Arbitrary Goals, Eric M. Schearer, Yu-Wei Liao, Eric J. Perreault, Matthew C. Tresch, William D. Memberg, Robert F. Kirsch, Kevin M. Lynch

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

We present a method for controlling a neuroprosthesis for a paralyzed human arm using functional electrical stimulation (FES) and characterize the errors of the controller. The subject has surgically implanted electrodes for stimulating muscles in her shoulder and arm. Using input/output data, a model mapping muscle stimulations to isometric endpoint forces measured at the subject’s hand was identified. We inverted the model of this redundant and coupled multiple-input multiple-output system by minimizing muscle activations and used this inverse for feedforward control. The magnitude of the total root mean square error over a grid in the volume of achievable isometric endpoint …

Self Esteem In Pre-Teen Girls, Carrie Webb Jacob Mccormick

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Low self-esteem in young girls is on the rise. A review of the literature reveals that low self-esteem has been linked to addictions including drinking, drug abuse, bullying, disordered eating, cutting, depression, promiscuity, and suicide. What are the issues facing preteen girls today that have led to such rampant and widespread negative thought patterns and destructive behavior in their teen years? This study employs a qualitative approach. Information was gathered from a purposive sample from two professionals. Data were gathered from their responses to a questionnaire that addressed contemporary issues that young girls face regarding self-esteem. Results indicated that young …

Through The Looking Glass: Examining The Practice Of Science Classroom Dissection With A Multi-Faceted Lens, Melissa Marie Witte

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Dissection of lab specimens is a common procedure in science classrooms, yet there are many unasked and unexamined questions relating to this practice. In addition to ethical considerations, there are personal and environmental health impacts of using conventional dissection, which has historically included animals and animal organs embalmed in preservative chemicals. The efficacy of using dissection as a learning tool is worth examining. The purpose of this thesis is to ask, analyze, and examine the multi-faceted questions associated with the use of dissection in the general science classroom. In addition, it is an invitation to engage a discussion about the …