Digital Commons Network^™

Paralysis Rehabilitation At Nextstep Orlando, Ben John

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

My project at NextStep Orlando was to support the rehabilitation of individuals living with paralysis, aiding them in achieving improved mobility and quality of life. Paralysis affects 1.7% of the U.S. population, profoundly changing the lives of those impacted. At NextStep Orlando, we focused on helping clients maintain physical activity, prevent muscle atrophy, and foster a sense of independence. My key activities included assisting clients with rehabilitative exercises, which targeted muscle tone and enhanced mobility. These exercises allowed clients to feel more in control and hopeful about potential physical improvements, with some projected to walk again with consistent effort.

One …

"Addressing Sexual Abuse: Unveiling Hidden Realities", Shanzida Toha

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2024

My inspiration was from my IDS 4939 course where we had to present about a topic that we are devoted towards. It could be conveyed through PowerPoint, video, etc. but for me I chose to write a research paper about the indiscriminate circumstances that influence Sexual Abusers behavior, and how it profoundly directs their course of action. After an endless time spent on gaining data, this sensitive topic sent me to a black hole of no return. With boundless sources of support with the help of the internet I was feeling guilty as to what I could do with this. …

Slow Glycolysis Exercise Responses On The Body When Fueled By Short-Term Differing Carbohydrate Levels, Skylar Gayman

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

Dieting fads have been a fascination across America for many years. “Have you tried the keto diet?” “What about a low carb diet?” But what many people may not know, or consider, is the physiological effects that these may have on the body. Dieting faddists often find themselves in “bad moods” or “irritable”, lacking the energy necessary to maintain physical activity. Weight loss, although necessary for borderline obese and obese populations, has become a hyper fixation of our population. Often leading us to find “quick fixes” to the very simple, yet well-disciplined answer of a healthy diet and exercise to …

The Special Olympics Florida: A Service Learning Experience, Brooke M. Leggiero

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2024

In serving with the Special Olympics Florida to provide sports and training to athletes with intellectual dissabilities, there were three key insights learned. The first is that unexperienced willingness is more valued than unengaged talent. Then, communication is the road that good leadership travels on. Last, organization and preparation are important, but flexibility makes them golden. Each of these key insights is important in having good citizenship as a leader. Being willing is an essential piece to taking responsibility for your community. Communication allows you to lead as a community member, not just a solo leader. Flexibility allows you to …

Unlocking The Path To Psychology: A Guide To Building A Career In The Field, Kazi S. Salsabil

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2025

The Psychology 3074: Career Readiness 2 course offers an integrative learning experience aimed at enhancing students' professional development. This project reflects my journey as a student in building a solid foundation in professional communication, self-presentation, job market navigation, and the continuous growth fostered by embracing feedback. Throughout the course, we developed essential career readiness skills, including refining resumes and cover letters, participating in mock interviews, cultivating resilience in response to feedback, and crafting compelling elevator pitches. Additionally, resources such as the UCF Writing Center and Handshake played a pivotal role in advancing my resume, cover letter, and interview preparation, contributing …

The Association Between Disease Burden And Alzheimer's Hospitalization Rates In Older Adults., Autumn Johnson

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Spring 2025

Dementia refers to symptoms that impair daily life, including social and intellectual abilities, with memory loss being a key feature. Conditions such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Huntington’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are major causes of memory loss. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disorder that deteriorates memory and thinking skills, characterized by withdrawal from social activities, mood changes, and confusion about time or place.

Age is the leading risk factor for Alzheimer’s, alongside non-modifiable factors like genetics and family history. Modifiable factors include physical activity, smoking, education, and social engagement. The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2024 fact sheet emphasizes the need for more research …

Certified Impact: Organization Design For Zero Waste Certification And Its Impact On Organizational Identity, Sumner Byrne

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined how organizations, primarily in the manufacturing and distribution industries, approached the change process to achieve a third-party verified zero waste certification. It investigated how the change process impacted employees’ sense of organizational identity, and what challenges they faced in pursuing certification. Sixteen participants from seven recently certified organizations agreed to be interviewed about their experience. Challenges stemmed most consistently from fiscal misalignment with leadership’s priorities, capacity struggles, and employee disconnection to the certification’s purpose. Participants reported that the most impactful organizational change strategies included clear, positive messaging, investment in employee empowerment and leadership, and consistency throughout …

Disability Representation In Contemporary Playwriting, Caroline Hull

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Is it possible for a playwright to authentically capture the disabled experience without it becoming privy to stereotypes or utilized as a catalyst for the plot? The thesis aims to challenge the prevalent notion that making the disability intrinsic to a theatrical plot is essential for authentic representation, and instead asserts that authentic portrayal of the disabled experience can exist independently of making the disability a central plot device. To support this claim, In Chapter One, I engage with relevant work in the field of playwriting and narrative media studies, such as the workshop "Inaccessible: Writing Plays with Characters who …

Theatrical Tools To Support The Community Agreement, Bethany E. Post

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

When working with a new group of people, it is common practice to create a Community Agreement in pursuit of quality outcomes. This tool uses dialogue to methodically outline the desired educational or creative environment, democratically articulating the commitments and expectations to remain in place throughout the duration of the group's existence and setting all participants in accord with the work to come. However, the Community Agreement can fail to support individual participants during moments of inevitable tension. In such moments, participants may experience unplanned emotional or physical reactions in response to triggering material or ideas. To navigate these reactions …

Creating Connection: Utilizing Dramaturgical Collaboration To Engage Young People In Theatre Making In A Post-Pandemic World, Gabrielle Lawlor

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the theatrical landscape, prompting theatre artists to reinvent how they connect with audiences and each other in physical spaces. While research has delved into post-pandemic theatre making, much of this area remains unexplored, particularly concerning young people, how the loss of community has impacted them, and what society can do to help. This thesis investigates how professional directors and dramaturgs can effectively engage young people in theatre making post-pandemic by drawing on three specific productions — Camelot and Camelittle, WROL (Without Rule of Law), and Alice and the Wonderland Parties. Utilizing theories drawn …

Theatre As Resistance: Application Of Queer And Feminist Theories To Theatrical Practice And Pedagogy, Chanel H. Gomaa

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Throughout my time at UCF, I have committed my studies to better understanding my positionality as someone who both benefits and suffers from systems of oppression. I have dedicated my pedagogy and artistry to questioning how I can apply theatre as a tool to resist these systems through my work, as well as wondering how I may communicate my thoughts and concerns to the colleagues I collaborate with as I am to hold myself accountable for my involvement in works that I recognize as being in need of revision in order to resist systems of oppression. I conceptualize that to …

Nailed It: Creative Nonfiction Essays, Kristi M. Dao

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Nailed It is a collection of personal essays that follow the life of the narrator as an unlovable outsider raised by parents who are Vietnam War refugees. This collection is made up of seven essays, each focusing on the relationships that have shaped the speaker's identity and ideas about how love works. “Lost in Translation” opens the collection and explores the narrator's attempts to make sense of parental relationships defined by communication errors. The next several essays consider the father and mother as both parents and business owners, as well as relationships with people beyond the immediate household and family. …

In Vitro Metabolite Identification Of Indole 3-Ylcycloalkyl Ketones, Inez M. Jacobs-Hinton

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) have emerged as a complex and evolving class of compounds designed to mimic the effects of natural cannabinoids, targeting the endocannabinoid system. Despite their widespread recreational use and therapeutic potential, the safety and pharmacokinetic properties of synthetic cannabinoids remain inadequately understood. This study examines the in vitro drug metabolism of a prominent class of SCs—indole-3-ylcycloalkyl ketones—by identifying and characterizing their metabolites. Human liver microsomes were used to investigate the metabolism of several SCs, including (2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl)[1-(4,4,4-trifluorobutyl)-1H-indol-3-yl]-methanone (XLR-12), 1-[2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl]-1H-indol-3-yl-methanone (A-796260), 1-[(1-methyl-2-piperidinyl)methyl]-1H-indol-3-yl-methanone (AB-005), 1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indazol-3-yl-methanone (FAB-144), and 1-[(tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-yl)methyl]-1H-indol-3-yl-methanone (A-834735). Several time points were chosen to assist in elucidating the dynamics of …

Examining Anti-Racist Attitudes In Maternity Care Workers, Angelina Aduke Toluhi

All ETDs from UAB

Racism in maternity care has been identified as one of the major contributors to the persistent racial disparities in maternal health outcomes in the United States (US). Antiracism is a term used to describe the practice of actively identifying and opposing racism with the goal of changing policies, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs that continue to foster racist ideas and actions. The results of this convergent mixed method research study reveal that racism and other forms of racial discrimination during maternity care may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes in Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) pregnant patients in Southern US. In the first aim, …

Non-Catalytic Regulators Of The Secretory Pathway, Peyton Vanwinkle

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis focuses on two key questions: 1) how are bone development and regeneration regulated by the CREB3L1 transcription factor; and 2) what is the mechanism of action of the endoplasmic reticulum resident protein JAGN1, which when dysregulated, causes severe congenital neutropenia (SCN)? CREB3L1 regulates bone development and regeneration in mammalian models by facilitating the expression of COL1A1 and components of the secretory pathway required for collagen secretion. We generated two zebrafish models of Creb3l1 dysfunction (creb3l1ΔbZIP/ΔbZIP and creb3l1TA+/TA+). Both models showed that Creb3l1 functions in regulating col1a1a transcription and overall regenerate size are conserved in zebrafish. However, we also …

Screening For And Addressing Social Determinants Of Health In Hospitals Participating In Accountable Care Organizations, Heather Lee

All ETDs from UAB

There is a growing recognition among hospitals, payers, and policymakers in the United States that addressing social needs of patients is important to improving quality of care, patient outcomes, and lowering health care spending. Accountable care organizations (ACOs) may be especially incentivized to address social needs of patients to meet population health goals related to patient outcomes and costs. This cross-sectional study used data from the American Hospital Association Annual Survey to explore to explore how hospitals participating in or leading ACOs are screening for and addressing individual-level HRSNs of patients and to understand the extent to which ACOs are …

The Multifaceted Role Of Neutrophil Heterogeneity In Covid-19 Pathogenesis, Marcus Darrell Davis

All ETDs from UAB

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The disease is characterized by an excessive inflammatory response and dysfunction of the immune system triggered by immunopathological mechanisms. Neutrophils are the most abundant circulating leukocytes, playing a critical role in the pathogenesis of multiple inflammatory conditions. Several studies have demonstrated that neutrophils are key contributors to COVID-19 disease pathogenesis; however, their role in disease progression remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate immune dysregulation in COVID-19 patients characterized by a significant expansion of neutrophil numbers and reduced frequency of T-cell populations. We identify an immature …

Knocking At The Door: The Life And Legacy Of Dr. James Montgomery, Haley Eloise Wells

All ETDs from UAB

The life and work of Black Birmingham cardiologist, Dr. James T. Montgomery, demonstrates the importance of viewing the history of health activism and Birmingham civil rights history as two interconnected histories that influenced each other. Traditionally, secondary scholarship on the Birmingham civil rights movement and scholarship on the history of healthcare have been treated as two separate areas of study. Scholars such as Glenn Eskew and Diane McWhorter have written extensively on the civil rights movement in Birmingham, but their scholarship excludes any comprehensive discussion of the fight for racial justice within Birmingham’s medical field. Conversely, scholars such as Thomas …

Unmasking Molecular Mechanisms Of Multiple Maladies Through Multiomic Methodologies, Luke Potter

All ETDs from UAB

Much modern biomedical research is invested in determining causative molecular mechanisms and identifying potential therapeutics within human disease or injury. Traditional experiments such as over-expressing or “knocking out” the level of a gene’s abundance can determine the specific contribution of a single gene to a pathology and are a vital component of scientific research. However, taking a big picture approach through the application of ‘omics technologies can lead to a broader overall understanding of a pathology and can potentially generate numerous specific hypotheses to be tested using the more traditional molecular approaches. In this dissertation, transcriptomic and epigenomic technologies, measuring …

Entity Information Extraction And Normalization From Scientific And Clinical Texts, Abdullateef Ibrahim Almudaifer

All ETDs from UAB

In the analysis of scientific and clinical texts, the extraction of named entities and their relevant information, such as modifiers, play a pivotal role. Recent advancements in natural language processing (NLP), particularly through the application of transfer learning from pre-trained Transformer models, have greatly enhanced the performance of entity extraction tasks. However, challenges persist with nested entities. This thesis investigates the impact of transfer learning on extracting nested entities and their modifiers, using Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) as a prototype. By adopting a multi-task training strategy, this work enhances the model's capacity to discern and categorize overlapping entities, a task …

Associations Of Religious Involvement And Cultural Justifications With Depressive Symptoms And Burden Among Caregivers, Maizonne Fields

All ETDs from UAB

With the advancement of medicine, life expectancy has increased globally. As a result, the need for a caregiver by an older adult has also risen. A caregiver is often a spouse, child, or friend of an older adult that assists an older adult that is experiencing changes in their ability to complete activities of daily living and/or instrumental activities of daily living. Caregivers are often unpaid for their assistance and can be at heightened risk for negative mental health outcomes. This study used the Stress Process Model to investigate the associations of high levels of religious commitment or involvement (RCI) …

Physical And Optical Properties Of Material Used For Injection Molding, Nadia Christine Farias Machado

All ETDs from UAB

Background: This project investigates the materials used in injection molding dental resin composites which involves injecting flowable composite into a clear mold. Understanding the physical and optical properties of both the resin composite and the clear mold material is crucial for successful clinical outcomes. For the clear mold material, its translucency, curing light transmission, and rigidity are vital factors. Correlations may be present between trans-lucency and curing light transmission. For the resin composite, comparing wear, hardness, translucency, radiopacity, shrinkage stress, flexural strength, and modulus will affect mate-rial performance. Finally, the depth of cure of the material will be dependent on …

Does Plastic Pollution Knowledge Play A Role In Recycling Rates, Natasha Whipple

Honors Theses - Providence Campus

Plastic pollution is a serious problem causing the planet to face irreversible damage. The oceans and air quality are changing for the worse. A substantial amount of research has been conducted on plastic pollution and its effects through the use of scientific studies; however, very little research has been conducted on the impacts of regional knowledge of plastic pollution. In this thesis, a study was conducted that contributed to understanding the relationship between knowledge about plastic pollution and people's recycling habits. This was determined through an online survey using participants from New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The data collected from …

Assessment Of Caretaker Resources And Motivation In The Wean-To-Market Phase Of Swine Production, Joshua W. Holtkamp

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study is a novel application of I/O Psychology principles to the U.S. swine industry. The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) recently identified caretaker motivation related to compliance with biosecurity behaviors as a priority needing to be better understood. This exploratory study seeks to identify if there is indeed a worker motivation issue within the industry that is impacting compliance with biosecurity, and if so, establish both a baseline of motivation and a better understanding of the primary influencing factors. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Job Demands/Resources Model of Burnout as a framework, an online survey was …

Development And Validation Of The Nicotine Vaping Expectancy Questionnaire: Item Generation, Scale Construction, Reliability And Validity, Gabrielle Lynch

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Over the past two decades, cigarette smoking has decreased among teenagers and young adults, but nicotine vaping has increased dramatically. Liquid vape products contain harmful chemicals ingested when vapor is inhaled, and vaping is associated with lung damage and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There has been relatively little research on nicotine vaping and effective prevention and intervention methods have yet to be developed. Changing expectancy processes has been successful in preventing early alcohol use and cigarette smoking, but little is known about nicotine vaping expectancies. An appropriately developed nicotine vaping expectancy measure is necessary to better understand vaping behavior and …

The Effect Of Perceived Discrimination On Alcohol Use Behaviors: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Among Hispanic/Latinx Drinkers, Ardhys N. De Leon

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Hispanic/Latinx drinkers are more likely to experience adverse alcohol-related consequences and have less access to treatment services. Research indicates that discrimination has a unique effect on drinking behaviors. The Minority Stress Model depicts how discrimination places individuals at a heightened risk for adverse health outcomes. Emotion regulation and alcohol craving are also known to impact alcohol use. This study investigated the impact of perceived discrimination on emotional disturbance, alcohol craving, and alcohol use using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). The following were proposed: H1: Emotional disturbance will predict alcohol craving in the moment (Level 1). H2: The association between perceived discrimination …

Is My Team As Passionate As Me? Effects Of Perceived Dissimilarity Of Occupational Passion-Intensity On Key Outcomes Among Working Adults, Moses Rivera

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation explores the impact of perceived self-to-team dissimilarity in occupational passion-intensity on individual-level outcomes among workgroup members in organizational contexts. Grounded in need-to-belong theory, moralization theory, and equity theory, the outcomes examined include job satisfaction, turnover intentions, involvement in task-conflict, and psychological safety. Additionally, results via three methods for measuring self-to-team similarity and/or dissimilarity were compared. Two self-report online questionnaires separated by one week were administered to 530 adult workers from the US, Canada, and the UK, across a wide variety of industries. Based on a final sample of N = 483, structural equation models—each corresponding to one method …

Economic, Environmental, And Social Characteristics Of E-Scooters On Lsu Campus, Mostafa Elseifi, Md Afif Rahman Chowdhury

Publications

This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of e-scooter technology, with a focus on its environmental, economic, and social impacts, particularly within university settings at the Louisiana State University (LSU) campus. A life-cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to assess the environmental sustainability of e-scooters, encompassing all stages from raw materials acquisition to end-of-life. The analysis determined that the total CO₂ emissions for an e-scooter over a five-year lifespan were approximately 389 kg, with significant reductions possible by improving the lifespan of e-scooters, integrating recycled materials, and utilizing renewable energy sources for charging batteries. The study also compared the environmental and …

Vehicle Classification Technologies For Toll Collection, Samir Ahmed

Publications

Toll facilities (roads, bridges, and tunnels) are intended for revenue generation to pay off the long-term debt issued to finance construction, capacity expansion, operations, and maintenance of these facilities. Tolls are one form of a broad concept known as road pricing. In addition to revenue generation, road pricing is used for other reasons including transportation demand management to reduce peak hour travel and the recurring traffic congestion on some corridors. The aim of this study is to provide the tolling industry with detailed analysis of the suitability of various non‐ pavement‐intrusive vehicle classification technologies (imaging using radar, Lidar, thermal profiling, …

Monitoring Of Transportation System Assets Using Synthetic Aperture Radar (Sar) Satellite Data, Anand Puppala, Nripojyoti Biswas, Amit Gajurel

Publications

This research harnessed both high and medium resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to delve into infrastructure health assessment. High resolution SAR analyses capable of identifying differences between asphalt and concrete pavement surfaces. Particularly, it was found that Normalized Radar Cross Section (NRCS) values can deftly distinguish pavement types and detect surface anomalies such as alligator cracks in asphalt ahead of conventional methods. On the other hand, Time-Series Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) insights, extracted from medium resolution SAR, established a direct linkage between environmental factors and ground deformations. Such findings were corroborated by optical images collected during May 2017 …