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University Of North Florida Environmental Center Annual Report 2016, Natalie Sassine, Tiffany Torres, James W. Taylor, Maria Mark

Annual Reports

2016 Annual Report of the Environmental Center at the University of North Florida

Spyglass 2015-2016, Florida Southwestern State College

Spyglass: The Magazine of Florida SouthWestern State College

Spyglass: The Magazine of Florida SouthWestern State College. 2015-2016.

The Meaning Of Educational Travel In The Lives Of Urban Middle School Students In A Low-Income Neighborhood: A Transformative, Sequential Mixed Methods Study, Carrie Arlene Olson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This transformative, explanatory, sequential mixed methods study addresses a gap in the literature regarding the meaning of educational travel in the lives of urban youth in a low-income neighborhoods. The framework for this study stems from educational travel, culturally responsive teaching, effective middle level education (AMLE), and experiential learning. First, a quantitative phase examined data from former travelers (n = 344) compared to non-travelers (n = 6,100) at Harold Middle School from 2003 to 2011. Academic achievement data examined consist of: American College Test (ACT) scores, Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) scale scores, and grade point averages (GPA). School engagement …

Conception Des Cordes D’Assurance Horizontales Pour La Protection Contre Les Chutes De Hauteur : Mise À Jour Du Guide Technique, Bertrand Galy, André Lan

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les chutes de hauteur sont encore aujourd’hui une des causes majeures d’accidents du travail. Trop souvent, les travailleurs ne s’attachent pas, faute de point d’ancrage disponible, ou parce qu’ils trouvent que les points d’attache fixes restreignent trop leurs mouvements. Cette restriction peut toutefois être levée grâce aux systèmes de corde d’assurance horizontale (SCAH). Le présent rapport constitue la mise à jour du guide technique T-18 publié en 1991 et rend ce dernier caduc. Cette mise à jour était devenue nécessaire à la suite de l’introduction, en 2001, au Code de sécurité pour les travaux de construction (CSTC), de l’obligation d’équiper …

Research Outlook : January 2016, Office Of Research & Graduate Studies

Office of Research and Graduate Studies

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Peer Misbehavior Effects In The Classroom, Alex Hwung

CMC Senior Theses

This paper seeks to evaluate the effects of peer misbehavior in the classroom on student learning outcomes--namely, if there is any truth behind the old saying that “one bad apple ruins the bunch”. Using experimental data, I show that there is a strong initial relationship between the level of misbehavior in a given classroom and performance on a mathematics evaluation; however, the inclusion of lagged peer achievement in the model causes most of that relationship to be absorbed away, suggesting that the bulk of peer effects stem more from the academic performance of other students than from their behavior.

Fog Computing With Go: A Comparative Study, Ellis H. Butterfield

CMC Senior Theses

The Internet of Things is a recent computing paradigm, de- fined by networks of highly connected things – sensors, actuators and smart objects – communicating across networks of homes, buildings, vehicles, and even people. The Internet of Things brings with it a host of new problems, from managing security on constrained devices to processing never before seen amounts of data. While cloud computing might be able to keep up with current data processing and computational demands, it is unclear whether it can be extended to the requirements brought forth by Internet of Things.

Fog computing provides an architectural solution to …

Bikei Cohomology And Counting Invariants, Jake L. Rosenfield

CMC Senior Theses

This paper gives a brief introduction into the fundaments of knot theory: introducing knot diagrams, knot invariants, and two techniques to determine whether or not two knots are ambient isotopic. After discussing the basics of knot theory an algebraic coloring of knots knows as a bikei is introduced. The algebraic structure as well as the various axioms that define a bikei are defined. Furthermore, an extension between the Alexander polynomial of a knot and the Alexander Bikei is made. The remainder of the paper is devoted to reintroducing a modified homology and cohomology theory for involutory biquandles known as bikei, …

The Numerous Forms Of Occam’S Razor And Their Effect On Philosophy Of Mind, Mikayla L. O'Neal

CMC Senior Theses

In the first chapter of this paper I focus on the general overview of Occam's Razor, and develop several interpretations and adaptations of Occam's Razor as a principle of simplicity. In the second chapter I apply these different interpretations in the Physicalism/Dualism debate, and critically assess the validity of these implementations of Occam's Razor in philosophy of mind. In the final chapter I give an overview of my discussion thus far, and make assertions about what my paper means for the usage of Occam's Razor's as a whole.

Using A Data Warehouse As Part Of A General Business Process Data Analysis System, Amit Maor

CMC Senior Theses

Data analytics queries often involve aggregating over massive amounts of data, in order to detect trends in the data, make predictions about future data, and make business decisions as a result. As such, it is important that a database management system (DBMS) handling data analytics queries perform well when those queries involve massive amounts of data. A data warehouse is a DBMS which is designed specifically to handle data analytics queries.

This thesis describes the data warehouse Amazon Redshift, and how it was used to design a data analysis system for Laserfiche. Laserfiche is a software company that provides each …

Topic Analysis Of Tweets On The European Refugee Crisis Using Non-Negative Matrix Factorization, Chong Shen

CMC Senior Theses

The ongoing European Refugee Crisis has been one of the most popular trending topics on Twitter for the past 8 months. This paper applies topic modeling on bulks of tweets to discover the hidden patterns within these social media discussions. In particular, we perform topic analysis through solving Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) as an Inexact Alternating Least Squares problem. We accelerate the computation using techniques including tweet sampling and augmented NMF, compare NMF results with different ranks and visualize the outputs through topic representation and frequency plots. We observe that supportive sentiments maintained a strong presence while negative sentiments such …

The Effects Of Musical Intervals From Consonant To Dissonant On The Neural Activity Of Earthworms, Charley L. Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

Music is generated through vibrations of a medium creating what is perceived as tone. Two frequencies played simultaneously create intervals, and those ratios of frequencies determine what is consonant and dissonant. Studies have shown a greater neural response in human participants to consonant intervals (Bidelman and Heinz 2011, Bidelman and Krishnan 2009). In this study, the ventral nerve cord of Lumbricus terrestris was exposed to six dichotic intervals in the form of vibrations through a bass actuator. Nerve activity was recorded for amplitude (mV), duration (ms), and maximum depolarization (mV) of the action potential. There was no significant difference in …

Liberal Arts, Religion, And Irreligion: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Student Religiosity And Secularity At The Claremont Colleges, Jennie Frishtick

Scripps Senior Theses

This study measures levels of religiosity and secularity among students at the Claremont Colleges, including students’ (ir)religious affiliations, beliefs, and practices. The religious landscape in the U.S. is shifting in multiple ways, and young adults feature prominently in these changes. Using data from an online survey of students, the present study addresses the following research questions: What is the (ir)religious makeup of the student body at the Claremont Colleges? Do the observed patterns mirror those of the general U.S. population? The results of this study show that the sample population at the Claremont Colleges is much less religious than the …

Examination Of An Independent School’S Site-Based Summer Program, Susan W. Keogh

All Theses And Dissertations

This study examined the summer program offered by a pre-kindergarten through grade twelve independent school. Three levels of theory, individual, group, and organizational, were utilized to analyze the experiences of students and instructors. The variety of opportunities and instructional design elements, the intentional alignment to the traditional school year, collegial discussions connecting summer learning and the school year, and evidence of the school’s mission were examined.

Findings revealed a wide-range of educational experiences and the benefits of continuous learning that are evident the following school year. Class designs incorporated instructional elements supported by individual learning theories. Academic standards and expectations …

Feeling And Healing Eco-Social Catastrophe: The "Horrific" Slipstream Of Danis Goulet's Wakening, Salma Monani

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Cree/Métis filmmaker Danis Goulet’s science fiction short Wakening (2013) is set in Canada’s near future, yet the film reveals a slipstream of time where viewers are invited to contemplate the horrors of ecosocial crises—future, past, and present. I argue Wakening, as futuristic ecohorror, produces horrific feelings in the moment of its viewing that are inevitably entangled with the past, inviting its audiences to experience the monstrous contexts of Indigenous lives across time. To articulate this temporal dynamism, I overlay two key conceptual understandings: Walter Benjamin’s critiques of Western progress and historicism, and Indigenous notions of a Native slipstream. When brought …

In God’S Land: Cinematic Affect, Animation And The Perceptual Dilemmas Of Slow Violence, Salma Monani

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

In this paper, I argue that Indian independent filmmaker Pankaj Rishi Kumar's documentary In God’s Land (2012) blends animation and live-action to illuminate the destructive nuances of postcolonial literary scholar, Rob Nixon's notion of slow violence. In turning to cinema, I also suggest that In God’s Land’s “aesthetic strategies” further eco-film scholarship’s recent interests in animation, which have tended to highlight the mode's "feel good affect." I draw attention to In God's Land's hybrid of dark, discordant animation spectacle interspliced in the documentary live-action to articulate the potential of eco-animation outside of this affect. Ultimately, the film not only draws …

Lifetime And Efficiency Improvement Of Organic Luminescent Solar Concentrators For Photovoltaic Applications, Yamna El Mouedden

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In order to achieve the goal of zero net-energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings, substantial research has been devoted to developing methods for energy harvesting from window glass that is capable of passing visible light through the windows of buildings while converting the unwanted invisible solar radiation into electricity. Research has focussed on two particular aspects, namely (i) the integration of thin-film technology for solar radiation transmission control and (ii) light guiding structures for solar radiation routing towards the edges of the glass window.

Recently, photovoltaic (PV) solar cells have been investigated and promoted as products for converting solar …

Predicting The Impact Of Future Climate On Ecologically Important Macroalgae, Charlie Phelps

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Macroalgae play an important role in coastal reef systems and are often referred to as ecosystem engineers. They serve as primary producers, supporting a diverse range of organisms, and are a sink for atmospheric CO2. Water acidification and ocean warming caused by anthropogenic activities are affecting many marine flora and fauna, potentially impacting the physical and chemical performance of macroalgae and the consumption rates of associated herbivores. Many studies have focused on ocean acidification or ocean warming individually but there is an overall lack of research investigating the combined effects and the ensuing repercussions on consumer-prey relationships.

Three species of …

An Algorithm For Extracting The Ppg Baseline Drift In Real-Time, Tuan Ngoc Nguyen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Photoplethysmography is an optical technique for measuring the perfusion of blood in skin and tissue arterial vessels. Due to its simplicity, accessibility and abundance of information on an individual’s cardiovascular system, it has been a pervasive topic of research within recent years. With these benefits however there are many challenges concerning the processing and conditioning of the signal in order to allow information to be extracted. One such challenge is removing the baseline drift of the signal, which is caused by respiratory rate, muscle tremor and physiological changes within the body as a response to various stimuli.

Over the years …

Influence Of Increased Sediment Exposure On Suspension-Feeder Assemblages In A Temperate Seagrass Meadow, Pierre Bouvais

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The impact of increased sediment exposure on coastal marine ecosystems is one of the most important contemporary environmental issues. Sediment exposure is defined as the concentrations of sediment particles suspended in the water column and the amount of sediment depositing on the seabed. In addition to natural events, such as land erosion, rainfall, and tidal currents, anthropogenic activities such as land use, road building, logging, mining, port maintenance and dredging, contribute to the discharge of a great amount of sediment in the water column. As sessile suspension-feeder assemblages play a critical role in marine ecosystems through their active transfers of …

An Evaluation Of Exposures To Respirable Particulates, Environmental Pm2.5, Pahs And Metal Compounds In Western Australia, Desmond D. Menon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

It has been well established that air pollution is associated with health impacts. This study investigated the relationship between exposure to air pollutants and potential biomarkers of health effects. The research project was conducted in 2 separate study locations and cohorts.

Study 1: An Evaluation of Children’s Exposures to Respirable Particulates, Environmental PM2.5, PAHs and Metal Compounds in The South West of Western Australia. A cross sectional study to evaluate the exposures of children (n=18), and controls (n=15) to respirable particulates PAHs and metal compounds in the South West of Australia during 2011. Ambient particulate matter (PM2.5) samples were found …

Web Accessibility Compliance For E-Government Websites In The Gulf Region, Muhammad Saleem

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The World Wide Web is a digital platform that helps people access and retrieve information in an accessible and equitable manner. However, people with disabilities can face a number of challenges when it comes to using the Web and accessing content on websites. According to Henry, web accessibility means “that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web” (2005, para.1). While different countries across the globe tackle issues of equitable access to the web via …

Gene Flow And Genetic Structure Of The Seagrass Thalassia Hemprichii In The Indo-Australian Archipelago, Udhi Eko Hernawan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

How genetic variation is distributed across space (genetic structure) and what factors influence the spatial genetic structuring is one of the primary questions in population genetics. The interaction between species biology (e.g. life-history traits) and physical processes operating in the seascape over time, including palaeo-historical events (e.g. sea level fluctuations) and contemporary processes (e.g. ocean currents), have been predicted to influence the extent of gene flow and the spatial genetic structuring in marine organisms. However, the relative contribution of each factor in governing the genetic pattern remains unclear. This study examined the pattern of genetic structure and the factors influencing …

Transient Analysis Of Lumped Circuit Networks-Loaded Thin Wires By Dgtd Method, P. Li, Y. Shi, Lijun Jiang, H. Bagci

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

With the purpose of avoiding very fine mesh cells in the proximity of a thin wire, the modified telegrapher’s equations (MTEs) are employed to describe the thin wire voltage and current distributions, which consequently results in reduced number of unknowns and augmented Courant–Friedrichs–Lewy (CFL) number. As hyperbolic systems, both the MTEs and the Maxwell’s equations are solved by the discontinuous Galerkin time-domain (DGTD) method. In realistic situations, the thin wires could be either driven or loaded by circuit networks. The thin wire–circuit interface performs as a boundary condition for the thin wire solver, where the thin wire voltage and current …

Fossil Fuel Abolition: Legal And Social Issues, Karl S. Coplan

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article will examine the practical, ethical, legal, and socio-political implications of fossil fuel abolition. First, the Article will consider the practical, ethical, and legal arguments in favor of fossil fuel abolition. Then, the Article will examine possible legal means and authorities to implement abolition in the United States, as well as potential legal objections to fossil fuel abolition. Finally, the Article will consider legal abolition’s capacity to effect the far-reaching changes in our socioeconomic system that a ban on fossil fuels will entail. The Article also will compare the climate reform movement to other social law reform movements in …

Plain Meaning, Precedent, And Metaphysics: Lessons In Statutory Interpretation From Analyzing The Elements Of The Clean Water Act Offense, Jeffrey G. Miller

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

This Article, the fifth in a series of five, completes the author’s detailed analysis of how federal courts have interpreted each element of the Clean Water Act (CWA) offense. Compiling statistics across the four prior articles, it draws conclusions about statutory interpretation in general, finding that the depth of legal analysis increases with the level of court; that environmentally positive results decrease with the level of court; that courts use only a small number of canons and other interpretive devices; that their uses of interpretive devices change over time; and that interpretive devices are not all outcome-neutral. The author also …

Who’S Afraid Of Response Bias?, Megan A. K. Peters, Tony Ro, Hakwan Lau

Publications and Research

Response bias (or criterion) contamination is insidious in studies of consciousness: that observers report they do not see a stimulus may not mean they have absolutely no subjective experience; they may be giving such reports in relative terms in the context of other stimuli. Bias-free signal detection theoretic measures provide an excellent method for avoiding response bias confounds, and many researchers correctly adopt this approach. However, here we discuss how a fixation on avoiding criterion effects can also be misleading and detrimental to fruitful inquiry. In a recent paper, Balsdon and Azzopardi (Absolute and relative blindsight. Consciousness and Cognition 2015; …

Case Study: Moral And Ethical Decisions Some Students Make Pursuing Their Doctoral Degrees From Accredited For-Profit Universities, Anne Pinchera

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study is to identify issues some doctoral students face in obtaining their Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from accredited for-profit colleges and universities. The three participants attended for-profit universities in the past five years and failed to obtain their doctoral degrees. Data collection is through an initial demographics survey, qualification survey, vignettes, and the interview itself. Data analysis from the Coding Manual for Qualitative Research by Johnny Saldana is used to analyze the data collected from problems doctoral students encounter in pursuit of their doctoral degree (Saldana, 2013). The theoretical foundations for this project come …

Plugging The Rabbit Hole: The Supreme Court's Decision In Alice, Steven Swan

Utah Law Review

The two-step analysis in Mayo is insufficient to objectively analyze and make consistent determinations on patent eligibility. The effects of Alice are prime exhibits of this conclusion. Uncertainty and confusion in the realm of patents and software technology have risen to such a level that there is a telling impact on the economy and perhaps far greater devastation to the economy on the horizon. At the same time, the patent prosecution process has become increasingly expensive and difficult for both the client and drafting attorney provided the sheer number of Section rejections that are challenging to overcome. Consequently, this Note …

A Verified Information-Flow Architecture, Arthur Azevedo De Amorim, Nathan Collins, André Dehon, Delphine Demange, Cătălin Hriţcu, David Pichardie, Benjamin C. Pierce, Randy Pollack, Andrew Tolmach

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

SAFE is a clean-slate design for a highly secure computer system, with pervasive mechanisms for tracking and limiting information flows. At the lowest level, the SAFE hardware supports fine-grained programmable tags, with efficient and flexible propagation and combination of tags as instructions are executed. The operating system virtualizes these generic facilities to present an information-flow abstract machine that allows user programs to label sensitive data with rich confidentiality policies. We present a formal, machine-checked model of the key hardware and software mechanisms used to dynamically control information flow in SAFE and an end-to-end proof of noninterference for this model. We …