Digital Commons Network^™

Practices And Perceptions Of Social Media Among Leaders In Higher Education: A Quantitative Study, Melissa Elizabeth Holmes

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This quantitative dissertation study explored the social media practices and perceptions of 452 leaders of 142 public and private non-profit four-year degree granting institutions in the western United States. Descriptive statistics were calculated for gender, position title, age, social media use, and attitudes regarding themes revealed in a review of current literature. Then, a Spearman Rho analysis was used to measure the strength of correlation between hours using social media and rank scores of social media attitudes. The study revealed that about 85% of leaders use social media for an average of 4.54 hours per week (SD=5.59, N=452). Social media …

An Architecture For Qos-Enabled Mobile Video Surveillance Applications In A 4g Epc And M2m Environment, Mohammad Abu-Lebdeh, Fatna Belqasmi, Roch Glitho

All Works

© 2016 IEEE. Mobile video surveillance applications are used widely nowadays. They offer real-time video monitoring for homes, offices, warehouses, airports, and so on with live and pre-recorded on-demand video streaming. Quality of service (QoS) remains a key challenge faced by most of these applications. In this article, we propose an architecture for mobile video surveillance applications with a guaranteed and differentiated QoS support. The architecture relies on the 3GPP 4G evolved packet core (EPC). The main components are the QoS enabler, media server, and machine-to-machine gateway and surveillance application. To demonstrate its feasibility, a proof of concept prototype has …

Assessment Of Online Information Literacy Learning Objects For First Year Community College English Composition, Mara Bordignon, Alana Otis, Adele Georgievski, Jennifer Peters, Gail Strachan, Joy Muller, Rana Tamin

All Works

© 2016 Bordignon, Otis, Georgievski, Peters, Strachan, Muller, and Tamin. Objective - The main objective was to determine whether information literacy (IL) learning objects (LOs) impact student IL competency, specifically in a foundational first year English composition course. The primary research question was: What is the effectiveness of IL LOs compared to face-to-face instruction in terms of students' skill acquisition? Methods - The methods involved testing student IL competency through a multiple-choice test given pre- and post-IL intervention. Effectiveness was measured by assessing whether IL competency improves after exposure to one of two interventions: online IL LOs or face-to-face librarian-led …

Transcriptional Regulation Of Dual-Specificity Phosphatase 4 (Dusp4) By Muscle Ring Finger 1 (Murf1) And Myogenic Regulatory Factors, Ashley Noel Haddock

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Skeletal muscle atrophy can occur at any age and as a result of numerous physiological conditions and thus, it was necessary to better identify the molecular underpinnings of the atrophy cascade so that new therapeutic targets to treat muscle wasting might be identified. MuRF1 was first identified as a marker of skeletal muscle atrophy over a decade ago; however, recent work suggests that this E3 ubiquitin ligase may participate in muscle wasting by regulating the transcriptional activity of genes differentially expressed in response to muscle atrophy. Dusp4, a dual-specificity phosphatase and member of the MAPK cascade, is induced in response …

San Antonio De Pocotalaca: An Eighteenth-Century Yamasee Indian Town In St. Augustine, Florida, 1716-1752, Amanda A. Hall

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Following the Yamasee War of 1715, many of the Yamasee Indians rekindled alliances with the Spanish and returned to La Florida. San Antonio de Pocotalaca (1716 to 1752) was one of three initial Yamasee Indian towns to relocate from South Carolina and settle on the fringes of St. Augustine. In South Carolina, Pocotalaca (referred to there as Pocotaligo) served as the primary upper town of six Yamasee towns and was the political center for conferences and council meetings between Yamasees, their Indian allies, and South Carolina officials. When Pocotalaca relocated to St. Augustine after the Yamasee War, the town …

Comparative Study Of School And Science Teacher Technology Leaderships In High And Middle Schools In The United States And China, Ying Tang

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Researchers found that various schools took different technology leadership approaches and that school leadership practices were empirically associated with outcomes for teacher performance and student learning. To date, few studies systematically examined the salient aspects of school technology leadership (STL) and science teacher technology leadership (STTL), and the effects of country and grade-level on school and science teacher technology leaderships. A comprehensive technology leadership model was lacking for secondary school science education. Therefore, this research study focused on the status of school technology leadership, science teacher technology leadership, and their relationships and differences across country and grade. In this study, …

Safety Implications Of Transit Operator Schedule Policies, Hung Hoang

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the bus transit community, driving long hours or spending extra hours at work are very common. This is true in the State of Florida, where bus transit is a very popular mode of public transportation. Although the correlation between a bus driver’s schedule and a crash event appears intuitive, further study regarding the effects of operator driving schedules on accident rates is needed to evaluate safety measures. The focus of this research is on the examination of bus driver schedules, and the effects of scheduling on accident rates in Florida. Data were collected at five bus transit agencies including …

Characterization Of Tensile Deformation In Az91 Mg Alloy Castings, Ogun Unal

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Tensile deformation characteristics of cast aluminum alloys have been investigated extensively. Cast Mg alloys have remained mostly neglected by researchers, despite their potential for weight savings. This present study is motivated by this gap in the literature and consists of two stages; in Stage 1, analysis of tensile data gathered from literature were reanalyzed, and in Stage 2, data generated from tensile testing of 60 specimens of AZ91 Mg alloy castings in both T4 and T6 conditions were analyzed to characterize work hardening behavior.

In Stage 1, more than 1600 data were collected from the literature for various Mg alloy …

Humanitarian Intervention: Moral Perspectives, Tyrome Clark

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses primary concepts in the humanitarian intervention debates. I argue that humanitarian intervention is a perfect duty. The global community has a moral obligation to act decisively in the face of extreme human rights abuses. There are two contrasting theoretical perspectives regarding international relations and humanitarian intervention: statism and cosmopolitanism. These contrasting perspectives contest the relative value of state sovereignty and human rights. Some of the most prominent ethicists in the debate have determined states have a “right” to intervene militarily in the internal affairs of other states to halt severe human rights abuses but there is no …

The Ultimate Irony: An Information Age Without Librarians, Dawn S. Ady

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the continuing relevance of the profession of librarianship in the digital age is explored and assessed. After defining the library as information itself, the thesis establishes that electronic formats replacing printed matter is not an indication of libraries becoming extinct. Further, various aspects of the profession of librarianship—including library ethics, information extraction skills, and information literacy instruction—are discussed. Additionally, the potential for librarians to play an important role in a largely “jobless” society (as forecast by some experts and scholars as well as in a recent Oxford University study) is evaluated. Finally, a proposal is made for …

Ability And Abnormality, Jessica West

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses questions relating to perceptions of abilities and abnormalities found in everyday life. Abilities in this paper range from a total lack of ability to function in extreme disability to a level of ability expected by society to enhanced and radically enhanced abilities and their place in the realm of abnormality. We begin by establishing the differences between abilities and enhancements. Following this is a discussion regarding the ethical concerns of human enhancement. After this we turn to a discussion of abnormality and the social experience of abnormality. These discussions lead into establishing a basis for how many …

Functional Characterization Of A Novel Disaccharide Membrane Transporter In The Digestive Tract Of The American Lobster, Homarus Americanus, Olivia Scheffler

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In animals, the accepted model of carbohydrate digestion and absorption involves reduction of disaccharides into the simple sugars glucose, fructose and galactose. Previous studies have shown the presence of disaccharides maltose and trehalose in the blood of several crab species, the crayfish and the American lobster. In 2011, a gene for a distinct disaccharide sucrose transporter (SCRT) was first found in Drosophila melanogaster and characterized using a yeast expression system. The purpose of the current study was to identify and characterize a putative disaccharide transporter analog in crustaceans using the American lobster, Homarus americanus. Brush border membrane vesicles purified …

Analysis Of A Long-Term Record Of Nearshore Currents And Implications In Littoral Transport Processes, Carolina Burnette

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A seasonal and long-term analysis of the vertical structure of currents in the nearshore is conducted to determine the role of the wind in driving currents and consequently affecting littoral transport processes. Approximately ten years (January, 2002 – October, 2011) of nearshore current profiles are examined using the data collected with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) installed off of Spessard Holland North Beach Park located in Melbourne Beach, Florida. Additionally, wind data collected with a directional anemometer from September, 2002, until October, 2008, are used to further characterize the long-term hydrodynamic forcing. With the shoreline oriented nominally 17^{o …}

The Mechanics And Fixed Operations Of Human Experience, James Dominick Di Netta

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper will use the natural laws of the universe and amassed evidence to support a dynamic systems theory approach to explain the mechanics and fixed operations of the human experience taking place inside a causally determined universe without the possibility of free will. By reductionary methods, the universe and all its’ contents, including human agents, will be exemplified as complex dynamic systems. In so doing, the human experience is reduced to being comprised of information acting and reacting with other information existing in the universe, specifically ideas. Allowing ideas to take on a physical manifestation shows how the feedback …

The Influence Of Sea-Level Rise On Salinity In The Lower St. Johns River And The Associated Physics, Teddy Mulamba

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The lower St Johns River is a low-gradient coastal river with tidal hydrodynamics that remain active from the Atlantic Ocean through to the upstream end of Lake George (river km 200). Salinity in the lower St Johns River is spatially and temporally variable, whereby the salinity distribution is driven primarily by the combination of ocean processes of tides and storm surges and hydrological processes of watershed runoff. This study examines the probability distributions and modes of behavior of salinity for present-day conditions using data, numerical modeling and eigen-analysis. The hypothesis is that long-term changes (decadal scale) in the ocean processes …

Vulnerabililty Analysis Of Multi-Factor Authentication Protocols, Keith Garrett

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the author hypothesizes that the use of computationally intensive mathematical operations in password authentication protocols can lead to security vulnerabilities in those protocols. In order to test this hypothesis: 1. A generalized algorithm for cryptanalysis was formulated to perform a clogging attack (a formof denial of service) on protocols that use computationally intensive modular exponentiation to guarantee security. 2. This technique was then applied to cryptanalyze four recent password authentication protocols, to determine their susceptibility to the clogging attack. The protocols analyzed in this thesis differ in their usage of factors (smart cards, memory drives, etc.) or …

The Relationship Between High-Cycle Fatigue And Tensile Properties In Cast Aluminum Alloys, Huseyin Ozdes

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cast aluminum alloys are common in automotive and aerospace applications due to their high strength-to-density ratio. Fracture data for cast aluminum alloys, such as fatigue life, tensile strength and elongation, are heavily affected by the structural defects, such as pores and bifilms. There have been numerous studies in which either fatigue performance or tensile deformation were characterized and linked to casting defects. However, a comprehensive study that correlates tensile and fatigue properties has not been reported. The present study is motivated to fill this gap. The main objective of the investigation is to analyze the link between tensile and fatigue …

Potential Wave Impacts On Shorelines In Intertidal Waterways, Collin Ries

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coastal erosion is caused by a deficit in the sediment balance along coastal shorelines. Within the intertidal waterway of Jacksonville, Florida, the primary processes acting on the shoreline are tidal currents and waves generated by winds and passing vessels. This study focuses on the analysis of vessel-generated waves and their possible effects on different shoreline types. The experiment conducted herein examines variations in turbidity related to passing boats at a specifically selected site location, at which different tidal stages expose three different shoreline types, a non-vegetated scarp, a vegetated scarp and a vegetated area with no scarp in the breaking …

Challenging The Efficient Market Hypothesis With Dynamically Trained Artificial Neural Networks, Kevin M. Harper

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A review of the literature applying Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) based Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to market forecasting leads to three observations: 1) It is clear that simple ANNs, like other nonlinear machine learning techniques, are capable of approximating general market trends 2) It is not clear to what extent such forecasted trends are reliably exploitable in terms of profits obtained via trading activity 3) Most research with ANNs reporting profitable trading activity relies on ANN models trained over one fixed interval which is then tested on a separate out-of-sample fixed interval, and it is not clear to what extent these …

Severity Of Spinal Cord Injury Influences Diffusion Tensor Imaging Of The Brain, Michael B. Jirjis, Aditya Vedantam, Matthew D. Budde, Benjamin Kalinosky, Shekar N. Kurpad

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine whether DTI changes in the brain induced by a thoracic spinal cord injury are sensitive to varying severity of spinal contusion in rats.

Methods: A control, mild, moderate, or severe contusion injury was administered over the eighth thoracic vertebral level in 32 Sprague-Dawley rats. At 11 weeks postinjury, ex vivo DTI of the brain was performed on a 9.4T Bruker scanner using a pulsed gradient spin-echo sequence.

Results: Mean water diffusion in the internal capsule regions of the brain and pyramid locations of the brainstem were correlated with motor function (r …

Automated Selection Of The Optimal Cardiac Phase For Single-Beat Coronary Ct Angiography Reconstruction, Daniel Stassi, S. Dutta, H. Ma, A. Soderman, D. Pazzani, E. Gros, D. Okerlund, Taly Gilat-Schmidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: Reconstructing a low-motion cardiac phase is expected to improve coronary artery visualization in coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) exams. This study developed an automated algorithm for selecting the optimal cardiac phase for CCTA reconstruction. The algorithm uses prospectively gated, single-beat, multiphase data made possible by wide cone-beam imaging. The proposed algorithm differs from previous approaches because the optimal phase is identified based on vessel image quality (IQ) directly, compared to previous approaches that included motion estimation and interphase processing. Because there is no processing of interphase information, the algorithm can be applied to any sampling of image phases, …

Material And Structural Aspects Of Bone In Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Carolyne Albert, John Jameson, Peter Smith, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Bone fragility is a fundamental problem in individuals with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). The mechanisms behind this fragility, however, are not yet well understood. Multiple factors appear to contribute to the increased fracture risk in OI. At the structural level, bone mass deficiency can result in increased stress levels within bones. The underlying mineral and collagen abnormalities that define OI are also believed to result in compromised material-level properties. The variability of collagen biochemical irregularities causing OI and the corresponding heterogeneity of disease severity result in abnormalities that are not easily generalized within the OI population.

The aims of this chapter …

Motion Analysis Strategy Appropriate For 3d Kinematic Assessment Of Children And Adults With Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Jeffrey D. Kertis, Jessica M. Fritz, Sergey Tarima, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Human motion analysis provides a quantitative means of assessing whole body and segmental motion of subjects with musculoskeletal pathologies. This chapter describes a low cost motion analysis appropriate for complete three-dimensional (3D) assessment of upper and lower extremity kinematics. The system has been designed to support lower cost outreach efforts that require accuracy and resolution on the order of classical fixed lot systems such as Vicon. The focus of this work addresses the assessment needs typically seen in adults and children with osteogenesis imperfect (OI) experiencing ambulatory and upper extremity challenges.

Quantitative Assessment Of Children With Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Adam Graf, Joseph Krzak, Angela Caudill, Ann Flanagan, Peter Smith, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Assessments of children with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) are typically limited to a physical exam and observations from a clinician during a hospital visit. Often quantitative information such as bone mineral density and outcome questionnaires is obtained, but with the increasing prevalence of motion analysis and other performance type laboratories, there are many other tools available, which could be beneficial to this patient population. These laboratories can provide date supplementary to morphologic and radiographic data that is helpful in tracking changes in the patient’s functional abilities, recover from fracture, and treatment outcomes. This chapter will cover some useful evaluation methods for …

Walker Design For Kinetic Assessment Of Upper Extremity Joint Demands In Children With Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Katherine A. Konop, Kelly M.B. Strifling, Mei Wang, Jeffrey P. Schwab, Jeffrey D. Ackman, Peter A. Smith, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Spatial Relationship Between Fixation And Foveal Specializations, Melissa A. Wilk, Adam M. Dubis, Robert F. Cooper, Phyllis Summerfelt, Alfredo Dubra, Joseph Carroll

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Increased cone photoreceptor density, an avascular zone (FAZ), and the displacement of inner retinal neurons to form a pit are distinct features of the human fovea. As the fovea provides the majority of our vision, appreciating how these anatomical specializations are related is important for understanding foveal development, normal visual function, and retinal disease. Here we evaluated the relationship between these specializations and their location relative to the preferred retinal locus of fixation (PRL). We measured foveal pit volume, FAZ area, peak cone density, and location of the PRL in 22 subjects with normal vision using optical coherence tomography and …

Motor Output Variability Impairs Driving Ability In Older Adults, Neha Lodha, Hwasil Moon, Changki Kim, Tanya Onushko, Evangelos A. Christou

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background: The functional declines with aging relate to deficits in motor control and strength. In this study, we determine whether older adults exhibit impaired driving as a consequence of declines in motor control or strength.

Methods: Young and older adults performed the following tasks: (i) maximum voluntary contractions of ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion; (ii) sinusoidal tracking with isolated ankle dorsiflexion; and (iii) a reactive driving task that required responding to unexpected brake lights of the car ahead. We quantified motor control with ankle force variability, gas position variability, and brake force variability. We quantified reactive driving performance with a combination …

Democratizing Startups, Seth C. Oranburg

Scholarly Articles

President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (“JOBS Act”) of 2012 into law to “help entrepreneurs raise the capital they need to put Americans back to work and create an economy that’s built to last.” The goal is to “democratize startups” by making capital available to diverse entrepreneurs in new geographies. Yet the net effect of securities regulations and market conditions is the opposite. Startup companies are encouraged to stay private so capital is consolidating in large, mature firms instead of recycling into new startups. Evidence of consolidation is that once-rare “Unicorns” (billion-dollar startups) now number at least 170. …

Contributions Of Glacier Melting To The Upper Watershed Of The Pita River, Ecuador, Teresa Munoz Martinez

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Evidence suggests that a changing global climate is accelerating glacial retreat around the world. However, there are not many studies that help to understand the influence of climate change on glaciers in the tropical Andes. In many Andean countries, populations use the water that come from the high altitude mountains, especially mountains that are ice covered. Glacial reduction minimizes water resource availability. This report focuses on better understanding the relationship between glacier meltwater, surface water runoff, and the groundwater flowing into and under the Pita River upper watershed, which crosses the base of the northeast foothills of the Cotopaxi volcano. …

Learning To Notice And Use Student Thinking In Undergraduate Mathematics Courses, Anna Pascoe

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The goal of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of an intervention focused on developing mathematics graduate teaching assistants’ skills of noticing and effectively responding to instances of student mathematical thinking that have significant potential to further students’ learning. Four mathematics graduate teaching assistants participated in a semester-long intervention in which video of undergraduate mathematics lessons was individually analyzed and then discussed collectively with the researcher on a weekly basis. The MOST Analytic Framework (Leatham, Peterson, Stockero, & Van Zoest, 2015; Stockero, Peterson, Leatham, & Van Zoest, 2014) was introduced as a tool to aid in the analysis and …