Digital Commons Network^™

Artful Ambitions: Integrating Arts Entrepreneurship Into Childhood Dance Training, Bristen Groves

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines the integration of arts entrepreneurship into childhood dance education, leveraging my extensive teaching experience. Addressing an existing gap in pedagogy, it explores how entrepreneurial skills can enhance short and long-term curricula, empowering young dancers beyond technical training. This research emphasizes a holistic approach, aiming to foster adaptability, resourcefulness, and innovation in creative minds. By equiping teachers to infuse entrepreneurial concepts into the dance curriculum, it enriches artistic training and cultivates crucial life skills early in students' journeys. Through theory and practical application, this research advocates for positioning arts entrepreneurship as a fundamental aspect of childhood dance education, …

Role Of Mct1 In The Progression Metabolism Of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Saiyid Ibtehaj Shariq

Theses & ETDs

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) arises from the mucosal surface and is the most common type of head and neck cancer. Despite treatment, it often recurs, leading to high patient mortality. Most OSCC advances from precancerous dysplasia to early invasive cancer, but the process is not fully understood, hindering effective interventions. Monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) is a membrane protein that transports L-lactate and pyruvate across the plasma membrane. Because increased MCT1 expression is linked to OSCC progression, we hypothesized that MCT1 promotes progression by supporting metabolic coupling between cancer cells and the surrounding stroma. To test this hypothesis, we knocked …

Alone Time: How Motivation For And Quality Of Solitude Impact Workplace Performance, Alyssa Sampson

Theses & ETDs

Research has found that social isolation, especially in the case of ostracism, can have many negative effects on individuals. However, some factors decrease the extent of the negative effects. One such factor is an individual’s motivation for solitude: the reasons one seeks experiences of solitude and how they use them. Two studies expand solitude research into the workplace setting. The first study used a cross-sectional survey and examined how motivation for solitude related to relationship quality and satisfaction among coworkers, and how the association between ostracism and negative mental health is related to self-determined motivation for solitude. Self-determined motivation for …

Nematodes As A Model For Drug Addiction: Using Dopamine Dependent Locomotor Behavior In C. Elegans To Investigate Psychostimulants, Lila Marlowe

Theses & ETDs

This thesis discusses drug addiction research, particularly focusing on psychostimulants like amphetamines and their effects on the brain's dopamine pathway. It explores Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model organism to study drug addiction and highlights its advantages, such as its fully mapped nervous system and highly conserved dopamine pathway. This research tests the effectiveness of the swimming induced paralysis (SWIP) assay in C. elegans treated with ephedrine, a psychostimulant. Results indicated a significant increase in paralysis (52.5% to 82.9%) with higher ephedrine concentrations (5.0 mM to 7.0 mM), suggesting its potential as a model for studying drug addiction and …

Tampa Bay Twitter Environmental Analytics Dashboard, Fehmi Neffati

Theses & ETDs

This paper presents a web-based Twitter analytics dashboard developed to aggregate and visually display public discourse on environmental issues in Tampa Bay, emphasizing events like red tides caused by Karenia brevis. The dashboard collects over 63,000 tweets from 30,000 accounts between 2018-2022, offering an extensive overview of public conversations and sentiments. Employing a three-tiered labeling process, we categorized user accounts into academia, government, media, tourism, and the general public. This categorization facilitates an organized presentation of Twitter activities and trends. Our use of Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms achieved a 94% accuracy rate in classifying these accounts, enhancing the dashboard's …

‘The Boy’ Album Production And Analysis, Connor Park

Theses & ETDs

This thesis delves into the intricacies of the musical landscape through a comprehensive analysis of the concept album titled "The Boy." Embracing themes of depression, negative self-image, self-improvement, and introspection, the album unfolds a poignant narrative centered around the protagonist's journey of self-discovery. Employing a multifaceted approach, the research combines musical analysis, lyrical scrutiny, and personal perspectives to unravel the nuanced layers embedded within the album. An examination of the musical elements provides insight into the emotional resonance carefully crafted by the artist. This analysis not only deciphers the artistic intentions and technical prowess behind "The Boy" but also underscores …

Where's The Water? Indigenous Sovereignty And Co-Management In The Everglades, Colin Jefferis

Theses & ETDs

This thesis looks at the degradation and restoration of the Everglades ecosystem, through the framework of settler colonialism. The Everglades region has a unique settler colonial structure, known as the South Florida Water Management District, which controls water resources and the livelihood of indigenous people in the Everglades. The settler colonial structure has created water quantity conflict between the stakeholders in the Everglades, revolving around the closing of flood gates to protect the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, as water quality conflicts revolving around agricultural pollutants in the Everglades, in the present day. This thesis attempts to address these issues of …

The Restorative Benefits Of Green Spaces In The College Student Experience, Alexandra Gorman

Theses & ETDs

More and more of the global population is starting to live in cities, where they may have limited access to meaningful interactions with nature. This not only reduces empathy and concern for the climate as a whole, but also produces tangible effects on the wellbeing of individuals. Incorporating nature into urban landscapes through public green spaces (such as parks) improves mental health and functioning by reducing stress and alleviating mental strain. The current study examines green spaces on a college campus to analyze how the benefits of interacting with nature can be maximized for this specific group. An established scale …

Chī Guā To Hē Chá, Nǐ Dǒng Ma? A Study Of Chinese Internet Slang And Online Communities, Suher Mostafa

Theses & ETDs

No abstract provided.

Color, Power, And Meaning, Xin Zhang

Theses & ETDs

Through a comprehensive analysis of historical texts, artistic artifacts, and contemporary interpretations, this thesis examines the multifaceted role of color as a symbol of power, a carrier of meaning, and a reflection of cultural identity. It explores the philosophical basis of color in Chinese thought, primarily through the perspective of the Yin-Yang theory and its impact on understanding the historical evolution of color symbolism in Chinese culture; it also introduces the norms for the use of color in clothing in the history, seeking to reveal the complex relationship between color, power, and meaning in Chinese culture and highlighting its significant …

The Modern Political Revolution: Why Is Right Wing Populism So Successful In The Post-Industrial West, Isaac Presberg

Theses & ETDs

The last 10-15 years has seen a rise in Populist Radical Right Parties (PRRPs) support in many “western” democracies. This has led to the obvious question of why these parties have seen such an explosion of support. Answering this question creates several frustrating dilemmas. To start off, each ascendant PRRP is situated in its own national context. Some are independent parties, such as the AFD in Germany, while others are factions that have gained power and influence within pre-existing parties, such as the rise of Donald Trump within the American Republican party. Not every PRRP has the same agenda, policy …

Effects Of American Colonialism On The Hawaiian Islands, Sydney Lingenfelser

Theses & ETDs

In this Thesis I will discuss the Environmental and Cultural Effects of the colonization by the United States on the Hawaiian Islands. By reviewing large industries such as the Military and Tourism industries, I examine the rules and laws set in place since the “discovery” of the Hawaiian Islands in 1778 that led to a change in the culture and lifestyle of Hawai’i. Actions such as land privatization led to massive areas of land to be developed for both military and tourism purposes which led to massive development of infrastructure and in turn, a loss of biodiversity and native life. …

Causes Of Modern-Day Financial Crises: A Case Study Of Ftx And The Silicon Valley Bank, John Stephens

Theses & ETDs

The economy is a complex, living being constantly going through change on a daily basis, and with these changes come the potential for crisis. These crises can harm individuals and firms alike with damages ranging from a small fiscal loss to a lucrative business going belly up overnight. This study analyzes the theoretical reasons behind some of the leading financial crises impacting our modern economy. It questions how and why these issues occur, and what actions in particular led to FTX and the Silicon Valley Bank’s catastrophic failures. It studies the circumstances behind their collapse applying theoretical answers to the …

Echolocating And Non-Echolocating Whales Have Conserved Ascending Auditory Pathways But Differentially Lateralized Auditory-Cerebellar Connections, Sophie Flem

Theses & ETDs

In the inaugural analysis of structural connectivity in a baleen whale (suborder Mysticeti) brain, we compared the white matter tracts of a non-echolocating sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) against those of three echolocating delphinids (suborder Odontoceti). Brains were opportunistically collected from stranded animals and imaged post-mortem at high resolution with a specialized acquisition sequence optimized for dead tissue. We then conducted probabilistic tractography to compare the qualitative features, white matter tract strength, and lateralization of potential ascending and descending auditory paths in the mysticete versus odontocete brains. Tracts were seeded in the inferior colliculi (IC), a nexus for ascending auditory information, …

Four Cases Of Smart City Development And Redevelopment: A Comparative Analysis Of Berlin, Boston, Busan, And Shanghai, Spencer Opal-Levine

Theses & ETDs

The concept of Smart Cities, originating in 2009 and solidified by ISO 37120:2018, has piqued global interest as cities strive to adapt to future technology, urban design, and sustainability. This paper explores the intricate dynamics between state and private funding in Smart City transitions, as well as the technological choices, focusing on comparing cities with historical infrastructure and those rebuilt after being devastated. Cities with special administrative status and major ports naturally aligned with the criteria for mature smart cities during the filtering process. Four mature Smart Cities - Berlin, Boston, Busan, and Shanghai - were selected for their relatively …

Ringling’S Artist Academy: The Development Of A Sequential Museum Education Program For Homeschool Visitors, Rosa Martinez

Theses & ETDs

In my thesis I developed an educational program plan entitled Ringling’s Art Academy, which delves into the elements of art as a foundation to art making. Inspired by the constructivist theory and approaches currently used in the Ringling Museum’s youth and family programs, I designed the program as a series of sessions that would facilitate sequential learning: learning goals that build on one another through scaffolding methods. This format consists of four weekly sessions that introduce different elements of art over the course of the program, exploring these elements in a historical context, as well as through art-viewing and art-making …

That's The Way Of The World: A Study Of Performance And Ritual Within The Peoples Temple And Jonestown, Julia Cole

Theses & ETDs

No abstract provided.

You Can’T Judge A Book By Its Cover: Finding Beauty As A Chinese Transracial Adoptee, Lianna Mcdonald

Theses & ETDs

In America, the Chinese transracial adoptee sits in a unique position between two cultures with few opportunities to properly explore that position. As a Chinese transracial adoptee myself, I explore my own cultural identity through my artwork and dissect the many facets of my upbringing that have contributed to my sense of identity. Lack of Asian, and specifically adoptee, representation in the media paired with conflicting expectations of Chinese women in America fuel an ongoing feeling of being an outsider that has informed my work and discussion. Artists like Xu Bing and Rina Banerjee, who similarly work with culturally significant …

Biological Connections Between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus And Alzheimer's Disease: A Review Of Insulin Resistance, Oxidative Stress, And Accumulation Of Amyloid-Β And Tau, Nayelis Cardenas

Theses & ETDs

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) are becoming more widespread as the aging population expands. Researchers have recently investigated the physiological links between T2DM and AD due to their co-occurrence. Insulin resistance plays a pivotal role in both, impacting cognitive function. Additionally, oxidative stress increases over time in both T2DM and AD, potentially impacting their progression. The accumulation of amyloid-β and tau is a central hypothesis in understanding AD, with T2DM suggesting a possible connection to amyloid-β accumulation. This paper explores the key connection between T2DM and AD, with a focus on insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and …

Honorguard, A Visual Novel/Rpg Experience, Damien Razdan

Theses & ETDs

My goal for this project was to create a Visual Novel/Role Playing Game (RPG) in the Unity Game Engine, producing a creative work that would allow me to experiment with branching narratives and my coding capabilities in a game engine used by thousands all over the world. The game itself is a fantasy themed journey across multiple kingdoms, in which the player (you) takes the role of a Military Captain leading their forces to fight against an invading army in a distant land. The game was planned to include readable text supported by background and companion sprites, branching stories, companions …

An Integrated Framework For Video-Based Deepfake Forensic Analysis, Bashaer Mohamed Alsalami

Theses

Deepfakes are AI-generated synthetic media that use AI algorithms to mimic human faces, voices, and actions with high levels of realism. They utilize advanced machine learning and deep learning techniques to generate realistic synthetic media, making the distinction between real and fake content increasingly difficult. Deepfakes were initially developed for entertainment and creative applications. However, they are currently being misused in various domains, posing significant security and ethical challenges. These risks necessitate effective deepfake detection systems to mitigate potential harm and preserve the integrity of digital communication. Nonetheless, the existing detection methods are inadequate and lack a holistic detection mechanism, …

The Problem Of “Feeling” In Whitehead’S Metaphysics, Michael A. Flannery

Libraries Professional Work

This article explores process philosophy through Alfred North Whitehead and John Elof Boodin. Whitehead, known for "Process and Reality," faced criticism from Boodin for his abstract concepts, especially "feeling." Tensions over definitions and clarity in their philosophies reflect broader academic debates that may not influence general understanding.

A revised version of this article may be found at http://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/libraries-pw/27/. The new version has been expanded to include additional material

Teaching And Learning Pedagogies Aligned With Community Engagement, Maria Teresa Torres, Naomi Fertman

Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Population Council Kenya Annual Report 2024: Driving Change Through Research, Community Partnerships And Policy Insights, Population Council Kenya

Population Council Kenya

No abstract provided.

Japanese Maple Scale Biological Control, Alfred Daniel J., Karla M. Addesso

Extension Publications

No abstract provided.

Does Plain Language Guided By The Ruaki Indicator Improve Study Participant Confidence In Their Informed Consent Decision?, Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi, Ifechi Augusta Okonkwo, Ye Chen, Noe Duenas, Timothy Bilodeau, Alice Rushforth, Andreas Klein

REACH: Research Evidence-to-Action for Community Health

Informed consent forms are hard to read and understand, but people need this information to make informed decisions about whether or not to participate in research.

Promoting Civil Discourse In The Honors Forum Through Argument Mapping And Systematic Empathy, Sean Michael Cassidy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study investigated the impact that co-curricular programming delivered by the University Honors Program (UHP) at North Carolina State University through the Honors Forum course had on first-year students’ self-reported knowledge of civil discourse, their assessment of its importance and impact, and their evaluation of their commitment to the skills and values related to it. The Honors Forum is designed to help students develop a broad worldview by exposing them to lectures by scholars and public figures, panel discussions about contemporary societal debates, peer-facilitated discussions about books, films, and current events, and conversations with faculty and UHP graduates. This project …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Goal-Directed Versus Stimulus Driven Visual Search Training At Improving Goalkeepers’ Penalty Kick Save Responses, Annabelle Treacy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Goalkeepers must perceive and analyze many different types of information in a short time to effectively move their bodies to make a save. Skilled goalkeepers enhance their actions by coupling them to information present in their environment. The information in their environment constantly changes, so the goalkeepers must adjust their strategies or positions to match the environmental demands. Goalkeepers use two types of perception and attentional strategies: stimulus-driven and goal-directed. Stimulus-driven perception is fast and compulsory, while goal-directed perception is slower and more methodical. Both visual search strategies direct the goalkeeper’s attention to where it is most needed and can …

Fin 600-102: Corporate Finance I, Xinyuan Tao

School of Management Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Fin 600-002: Corporate Finance I, Michael Ehrlich

School of Management Syllabi

No abstract provided.