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Catalog 2025-2026, University Of North Florida

UNF Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Spiral Of Extraction, Lili Mulder

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

"My project, "Spiral of Extraction," uses broken iPhones and iPhone parts arranged in a spiral pattern to explore how digital devices simultaneously connect and disconnect us from place. The installation demonstrates how our relationship with place in the digital age..."

Navigating Energy Transition: Eu’S Lessons In The Wake Of The Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Sharmistha Hazra, Pramod Kumar

Journal of Strategic Security

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 disrupted the European Union’s energy landscape, exposing its heavy reliance on Russian fuels. The ongoing crisis prompted a shift in the EU’s policy, accelerating efforts toward energy self-sufficiency and diversification of energy sources. The REPowerEU Plan, launched in March 2022, aimed to reduce Russian dependence by boosting renewables, enhancing energy efficiency, and diversifying suppliers, including Norway, the U.S., and Qatar. Despite progress in reducing gas demand and increasing wind and solar capacity, challenges such as slow policy implementation, internal divisions, and continued Russian energy imports remain significant concerns. Geopolitical tensions and reliance on …

De Acordo Com A…: Lexical Bundles And Disciplinary Variation In Academic Brazilian Portuguese, Larissa Goulart

Department of Linguistics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Research on formulaic language has shown that few lexical bundles overlap across disciplines in expert academic writing, with disciplinary writing being characterized by specific bundles. This was proven to be the case in both English (Hyland, 2008) and Spanish (Cortes, 2008). This paper explores the use of lexical bundles in Portuguese academic writing in two disciplinary groups, life sciences and humanities. Using a corpus of research articles written by Brazilian scientists, four-word bundles were extracted and compared for their function (Biber; Conrad; Cortes, 2004) and structure (Biber; Johansson; Leech; Conrad; Finegan, 1999). The results of this study indicate that writing …

Comparison Of Machine Learning Models For Colon Cancer Survival: Predictive Modeling Approach, Reuben Adatorwovor, Motolani E. Ogunsanya, Bin Huang, Richard Charnigo, Olufunmilola Abraham

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Background: Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with survival influenced by risk factors, treatment type, and patient characteristics. Traditional statistical models, such as Kaplan-Meier curves, have been widely used to estimate survival probabilities. However, these models often have difficulty handling complex interactions, covariates, and nonlinear relationships between risk factors. Recently, machine learning (ML) techniques have emerged as promising tools for improving survival prediction by handling large covariates and capturing complex patterns.

Objective: This study compares several ML models to accurately estimate colon cancer survival by leveraging data from the Kentucky Cancer Registry. By identifying key risk …

Off The Rails: A Path Forward For High-Speed Rail In The Northeast Corridor, Evan Link

Honors Program Theses

This thesis seeks to determine the major factors hindering the development of high-speed rail (HSR) in the Northeast Corridor of the United States. After conducting a PESTL analysis to determine the political, economic, social, technological, and legal roadblocks to HSR, the author discovered a myriad of inefficiencies and areas of concern. These included partisan gridlock, inadequate funding for Amtrak, American exceptionalism, outdated infrastructure, nonenforcement of laws regarding the preference of passenger rail over freight rail on shared railways, and, perhaps most critically, a lack of a unified and comprehensive vision for HSR. After analyzing these factors, the author proposed two …

Social Determinants Of Health And Aging In Africa: Structural Inequality, Vulnerability, And The Future Of Care, Aremu Umor Lukman, Sunkanmi Folorunsho, Abdulrauf Olaitan Taofeeq

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Population aging is accelerating across Africa yet remains underrepresented in research, policy, and public health planning. This review critically examines how social determinants shape aging experiences across the continent, focusing on health, care systems, and structural inequalities. While traditional African societies have historically valued older adults, modernization, migration, and economic hardship have eroded support systems, leaving many to face old age with limited resources. Older Africans, particularly women and rural residents, contend with lifelong disadvantages including low education, informal labor, poverty, and gendered caregiving roles that contribute to poor health and social vulnerability. Health systems remain poorly equipped to address …

Modeling Recreational Risk Factors On The Landscape: A Predictive Gis Analysis Of Recreation Accident Response Near North Bend, Washington., Naomi S.J. Van Roon

All Master's Theses

Search and Rescue (SAR) teams in Washington respond to approximately 900 incidents annually, many stemming from outdoor recreation near Interstate 90 surrounding North Bend. This study utilized predictive GIS analysis to identify areas of concern within state lands, including Mount Si and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Natural Resource Conservation Areas, Raging River State Forest, and Rattlesnake Mountain Scenic Area. The predictive model was calibrated using SAR responses to hiking-related incidents between March and November from 2020 to 2023, and incorporated an analysis of risk factors influencing recreationalist incident probability. This research then developed a decision support system to aid land managers …

Las Pintas Interview Project 2025, Beth Gulley, Luz Alvarez, Vallerie Rogers, Gabrielle Rock, Danielle Mullins, Nina Mcnay, Jayda Diaz, Audrey Weaver, Haisie Halperin, Rita Terrones, George Newham, Esmeralda Monroy

The Las Pintas Collection

In May of 2025, after a five-year hiatus, Johnson County Community College (JCCC) resumed sending students to Las Pintas, Mexico. Traditionally, JCCC sent student from Nursing, Dental Hygiene, and Solar Energy to practice their acquired skills and serve the community at Centro Integral Comunitario (CIC). This latest trip, though, was for Spanish language students to enhance their cultural competency, language practice, and learn about opportunities to study away.

This collection contains stories from eight former JCCC Study Abroad trip members, five people who live and work in Las Pintas, and the ten current JCCC students who traveled to Las Pintas …

Practices Of North Dakota Vocal Music Educators With Exemplary Implementations Of Culturally Responsive Education, Allyse L. Dunnigan

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the culturally responsive practices of exemplary vocal music educators in North Dakota, with a focus on understanding how they implement culturally responsive education in their classrooms. As student populations become increasingly diverse, educators remain predominantly White, leading to cultural disconnects that can hinder student engagement and academic success. Utilizing a qualitative, phenomenological research design framed by culturally responsive music education, this study captures the lived experiences of five vocal music educators identified for their exemplary use of culturally responsive practices. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, analyzed to identify practices, challenges, and impacts on students. Findings reveal that …

Visible, Invisible: (Levantine) Arab American Men On Mental Health, Nesreen Jaber

Theses and Dissertations

To address the dearth in psychological research and practice in regards to Arab American men, this study examined the lived experiences of seven Levantine (Belad Al Sham) Arab American men with origins in Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq. Semi-structured interviews, Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), and a Liberation Psychology framework were utilized to explore their definitions of mental health, their experiences of stigma, their experiences with mental health therapy, and their attitudes towards psychology and therapy. A total of seven superordinate themes emerged that highlighted the roles of gendered stigma, cultural incongruence in therapeutic praxis, Eurocentric norms in psychology, and conceptualizations of …

Studentification And Off-Campus Housing: A Case Study Of Grand Forks Near-Campus Neighborhoods, Alva Lindstroem

Theses and Dissertations

With national trends in higher education experiencing dwindling enrollments and personal economies increasingly strained, the University of North Dakota (UND) has grown to become the biggest public higher education institution in North Dakota, having effectively bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic drop in enrollment. Grand Forks, North Dakota, is the host of UND and home to a student body of over 14,000 as of 2023 fall semester. This study focuses on; to what extent is studentification taking place in Grand Forks, ND; and how the observed housing- and demographic patterns in Grand Forks align with, or diverge from, the broader …

The Wicked Problem Of Moral Distress: Exploring The Experiences Of Rural Clinic Nurses, Sydney Rae Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Moral distress is an occupational hazard for nurses that can negatively impact nurses, patients, and the healthcare system. Moral distress has been well documented in high-risk care environments. Each nursing care environment has its own unique triggers for moral distress, but these triggers are unknown in rural clinic nurses. Design and Purpose: This convergent mixed methods study sought to gain a broader understanding of moral distress in nurses working in rural clinic settings.

Methods: Convergent mixed methodology was used to gain a broader understanding of moral distress in nurses working in rural clinic settings. Following ethical approvals, informed by …

Spatial And Temporal Assessment Of Meteorological Drought Using The Standardized Precipitation Index (Spi) And Its Effect On Crop Yield Over The Corn Belt Region Of The United States From 2000 To 2023, Victor Araya

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change and global warming have contributed to extreme weather events and patterns, including severe flooding, earthquakes, wildfires, and drought. Drought happens to be the deadliest catastrophic event around the world. Drought's impact on ecosystems and local communities has been increasing in many parts of the world, including the United States and, most importantly, the corn Belt, which also happens to be the country's food basket. Understanding drought prediction and mitigation can be investigated through drought indices. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is considered the most reliable in this study. It is used in this study to present the critical …

Editor-In-Chief's Note, Surekha Rao

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Go Birds: Sports Fandom And Civic Identity, Benjamin Rotko , '25

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

No abstract provided.

The Economics Of Healthcare Fraud, Jetson Leder- Luis, Anup Malani

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

Healthcare fraud imposes a sizable cost on U.S. public healthcare budgets and distorts health care provision. We examine the economics of health care fraud and enforcement using theory and data and connect to a growing literature on the topic. We first offer a new economic definition of health care fraud that captures and connects the wide range of activities prosecuted as fraud. We define fraud as any divergence between the care an insurer says a patient qualifies for, the care a provider provides, and the care a provider bills for. Our definition clarifies the economic consequences of different categories of …

The Genesis Of Constitutions: A Natural Language Processing Approach, Tejas Ramdas, Patrick Chung-Chia Huang, Nuno Garoupa, Martin T. Wells, Yun-Chien Chang, Tom Ginsburg

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

The diffusion of constitutional ideas and models has been the subject of extensive scholarship. In this paper, we use natural language processing methods to examine the persistence of constitutional ideas and models, focusing on how 16 core and iconic constitutions influence 572 newer constitutions over a long period (1900–2020). Our findings indicate that “old” core constitutions (such as those of the U.S. of 1789, Spain of 1812, France of 1848, and to a lesser extent France of 1791) have maintained significant influence over those 121 years. Austria of 1920 and France of 1946 are the most influential among the 20th …

The Effect Of Immersive Virtual Reality-Enhanced Experiential Learning On Middle School Students’ Knowledge Retention, Creativity, And Perceptions, Yang Liu, Xiaoxia Huang, Jing Lei

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

While immersive virtual reality (IVR) shows promise as an educational tool, its effectiveness in facilitating cognitive achievement and learning experiences among young learners remains underexplored. This study adapted Kolb’s experiential learning theory to design, develop, implement, and examine an IVR-supported experiential learning model (IVR-ELM) within middle-school Arts lessons. Using a quasi-experimental method, quantitative and qualitative data indicated IVR-supported experiential learning facilitated middle school learners’ cognitive and affective outcomes. Quantitative results revealed significantly higher knowledge retention, creative design abilities, engagement, interest, and perceived competency in the IVR group compared to a traditional classroom. Qualitative data revealed students’ overall positive learning experience …

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

George C. Roberts Award Recipients

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Call For Papers

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility And Molecular Characterization Of Corynebacterium Pseudotuberculosis Isolates Recovered From Caseous Lymphadenitis In Sheep, Mohamed Bakr, Mahmoud E. Hashad, Islam Gomaa

Nanotechnology Research Centre

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a well-recognized etiological agent responsible for caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) and ulcerative lymphangitis (UL) in small and large ruminants, respectively. This pathogen is frequently associated with poor therapeutic outcomes in animals. In the present study, 30 bacterial isolates, recovered from 300 lymph node and pus samples (10%), were identified as Corynebacterium spp. Molecular confirmation using 16S rRNA and pld gene PCR verified 11 of these isolates as C. pseudotuberculosis, while one isolate was identified as C. jeikeium, a first record from sheep in Egypt. The isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility and genotyping using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase …

Middle-Level Teachers’ Attitudes On Disciplinary Literacy Instruction In The Non-Ela Classroom, Katherine E. Bowers

Dissertations

The persistent gaps in student achievement, particularly in the context of discipline-specific literacy skills, across public schools in the United States continue to widen. With a focus on South Carolina, this study investigates how professional development efforts have sought to address these gaps and enhance literacy instruction. Despite many initiatives, testing scores and teacher perceptions reveal limited progress in literacy outcomes. The study discusses a key challenge: the lack of substantial literacy instruction beyond English language arts (ELA) classes, resulting in a growing disparity between literacy mastery and the current reality. The research acknowledges the existence of literacy-focused professional development …

The Role Of Remote Sensing And Gis Techniques In Analysis Of Southern California Wildfires In January 2025, Sara Fitzgibbon

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

California is no stranger to wildfires, with them becoming more frequent and larger in recent years. In early January 2025, Southern California had one of the worst outbreaks of wildfires in its history, with the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Fires being considered among the most destructive in state history. To help prevent this from happening in the future, remote sensing techniques are essential in combating these issues. In this report, geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing data utilized to explore fire behavior by various organizations were investigated. By using this data, this study aims to predict and monitor fire …

Elementary Teachers’ Experiences Of Implementing Culturally Responsive And Inclusive Education In New York State, Grace Pai

Publications and Research

Many states in the United States have adopted culturally responsive sustaining education (CRSE) as a pedagogical framework to promote inclusive education and positive student outcomes for all students, including those from marginalized groups. Yet there is a paucity of knowledge on teachers’ attitudes towards and experiences of implementing these initiatives. This study draws on survey data to explore how urban and rural/suburban elementary school teachers across the state of New York understand and implement the state’s CRSE framework. Results show that although CRSE is not necessarily a top priority of many schools across the state, teachers generally have positive perceptions …

Worker And Consumer Choice In The Process Of Structural Transformation, Matthew Schwartzman

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Economic development encompasses more than just growth of average productivity and income per capita. Growth cannot occur without a broader process of structural transformation that reallocates economic activity across production units, sectors, and locations. This reallocation depends on workers’ choices of where and how to supply their labor and consumers’ choices of what to consume. The three chapters of my dissertation examine different forces that influence worker and consumer choices – such as labor market frictions, market access costs, uninsurable risk, and technological spillovers – and these choices’ implications for the aggregate path of the economy.

Services are the largest …

Testing The Effect Of Source And Environment On Native Seed Germination To Inform Seed-Based Restoration Of Grasslands, Brandon Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet, and they provide a variety of important ecosystem services that people rely on. Losses of grasslands can be mitigated through restoration. Seed-based restoration is a regularly used practice due to its practicality and cost-effectiveness. Planting non-local seed that may not be suitable for its destination environment can have consequences in plant establishment and subsequent restoration success. This experiment tested the response (final germination and germination rate) of seed from 11 perennial tallgrass species sourced from 3 different locations to different germination temperature conditions. Seeds from three sources of each …

Global Spectral Clustering Of Temporally Stable Pixels For Epics Identification, Validation, And Hyperspectral Assignment For Satellite Calibration, Juliana Maria Fajardo Rueda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The "Not Seen" Effect Of International Financial Centers: Innovation In The Global Financial Ecosystem, Charlotte Ku, Andrew P. Morriss

South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business

International Financial Centers (IFCs) are hubs of legal and financial innovation, developing specialized frameworks that facilitate cross-border investment, enhance global capital mobility, and support economic growth. Through jurisdictional competition, professional clustering, and adaptive regulatory frameworks, IFCs have pioneered legal structures that enable enterprises of all sizes to participate in the global economy. Using case studies of the International Business Company, the Limited Liability Company, the Protected Cell Company, and advances in trust law and applying the theoretical frameworks of social scientist Richard Florida and psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, this article illustrates how IFCs serve as laboratories for financial experimentation, generating widely …