Digital Commons Network^™

Bilingualsim In The Workplace: How Work Attitudes Influence Burnout And Turnover Intentions, Andrea Del Aguila

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Understanding whether language status functions as a risk or protective factor for employee well-being and retention is essential for developing organizational policies that support workers from varied demographic backgrounds. This study examined how work attitudes such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work engagement are seen among bilingual and monolingual workers and how these outcomes relate to employee burnout and turnover intentions. An outside researcher from Talent Metrics Consulting collected data via an online survey utilizing previously validated measures of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, burnout, work engagement, and turnover intentions. Participants were recruited through online advertising and social sampling obtaining …

Artificial Intelligence In Cybersecurity: Applications, Threats, And Implications, Brandon A. Rodriguez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The point of this thesis is to analyze the growth of artificial intelligence in the world of cyber security, highlighting the specific impacts it has in the use of defense and offensive misuse. The way that this research was done was by using three main methods, those being interviewing cybersecurity specialists, testing the uses of public AI models and by reviewing peer-reviewed studies. Some of the findings that were discovered with the research were that AI can be a great asset in supporting defensive systems with such things as assisting in the creation of scripts, but there are also negatives …

Investigating The Relationship Between Metacognition And False Feedback, Sarah M. Grillo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Accepting false feedback may lead to performance decreases and skewed confidence. Identifying who is more susceptible to false feedback can help us understand how to prevent performance declines and overconfidence. We believe that individuals with low metacognition may be more susceptible to blindly accepting false feedback because they often rely on external sources of feedback for self-evaluation, whereas high metacognitive individuals may be protected because they often rely on accurate internal judgements for self-evaluation. Feedback is important for successful task execution; it can highlight errors (negative feedback) or successful behaviors (positive feedback) to guide future behavior. Individuals with higher metacognition …

Quantifying Ai Hallucinations In Legal And Financial Documents, Emily M. Mcguigan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence, it has become recognized that hallucinations may be interwoven into documents. Hallucinations are statements that do not have a basis in fact, even though they appear to be true. My thesis will be centered on how hallucinations can be quantified in financial documents and legal documents. These two areas were chosen because they have an immeasurable effect on business. Recently, there have been several court cases in which an attorney included case citations that were hallucinations rather than being real cases. The attorney was fined by the judge. A new development might be for …

Comparative Analysis Of Left Ventricular Sympathetic Axons In Shr And Wky Rats, Parker R. Tyson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and is strongly associated with dysregulation of the sympathetic nervous system, which plays a central role in controlling heart rate, vascular tone, and blood pressure. Although increased sympathetic activity has been widely documented in hypertensive disease, the precise structural organization of sympathetic innervation within the hypertensive heart remains incompletely characterized. This study investigates whether chronic hypertension is associated with structural remodeling of sympathetic axons in the left ventricle by comparing autonomic innervation patterns between spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). Hearts were collected following transcardial perfusion …

Relationships Between Quadriceps Neuromuscular Function And Time From Surgery Following Acl Reconstruction Are Sex-Specific, Tatiana Restrepo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is associated with persistent quadriceps dysfunction, including muscular weakness and altered spinal and cortical excitability. While recovery has been widely studied, most investigations focus on isolated domains and fixed postoperative time points. Emerging evidence suggests females often experience slower or less complete quadriceps recovery compared to males, yet the time-dependent nature of these sex-specific outcomes remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to examine whether relationships between time since ACLR and quadriceps neuromuscular outcomes differ by sex across muscular, spinal, and cortical domains. Adults aged 18–35 with a history of primary, unilateral ACLR were …

The Design And Analysis Of Robust Mems Devices For Extreme Space Environments, Joshua Taggart

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze aluminum nitride (AlN) micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators designed for extreme-environment applications. The devices of study are Lamb wave, piezoelectric resonators designed and fabricated using conventional semiconductor manufacturing processes and operating around various frequencies in the megahertz range. The purpose of this study is to advance understanding of MEMS devices in extreme-temperature and radiated environments for outer-space applications.

Devices were tested under vacuum at temperatures ranging from room temperature (~21°C) to 800°C. Under these conditions, the device was measured both as a resonator and in an oscillator circuit. Results show that the resonant …

Being-Online: Towards A Phenomenological Account Of Virtual Place And Narrative Selfhood, Ben Runey

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore and explicate a phenomenology of virtual place by investigating how environments motivated by computers and smart devices appear within lived experience as well as how these virtual places found and mediate interpretative narratives of self-identity. Many individuals today spend vast portions of their waking hours concerned with or engaged within virtual domains. While contemporary scientific research aims to uncover the effects of this on human psychology, physiology, and social structures, phenomenology must be utilized to reveal the existential, lived dimensions of virtual places. This investigation will be founded upon, but not limited …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Youtube-Based Dietary Messaging On Type 2 Diabetes For South Asians, Sukhmani K. Dhaliwal

Honors Undergraduate Theses

While South Asians experience a disproportionately high risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), culturally tailored dietary guidance remains limited within healthcare settings. As digital platforms increasingly serve as sources of health information, YouTube has grown as a prominent space for the publishing and consumption of dietary advice. This study examines how diet-related messaging about T2DM is communicated in YouTube videos directed at South Asian populations.

Using qualitative thematic analysis, 21 videos published between 2016 and 2025 by influencers with a wide reach were analyzed. Videos were selected based on relevance to South Asian audiences, focus on dietary management of …

The Effects Of Bicultural Identity On Risk-Taking And Moral Decision-Making In South Asian American College Students, Meera Puthukkudy

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis was to explore how biculturalism in South Asian American college students impacts their behaviors, specifically moral decision-making and risk-taking behaviors. Bicultural individuals must navigate the complexities of their identity by integrating norms, values, and expectations from both their heritage culture and their dominant Western culture, which inherently creates a unique cognitive and psychological framework for evaluating choices. Participants in this study completed a survey online and were asked to complete three measures. First, the extent to which participants feel cultural harmony or conflict between their respective cultural identities was measured using the Bicultural Identity Integration …

Customer Perceptions Of Tipping In Minimal-Service Food Settings, Fabian R. Rodriguez Gomez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

As digital payment systems and point-of-sale technologies become increasingly common, customers are encountering more frequent requests to tip in minimal-service food settings, such as coffee shops, pizza parlors, and quick-service restaurants. These changes have prompted discussions regarding the fairness of tipping, customer willingness to tip, and the growing phenomenon of tipping fatigue. The purpose of this study was to examine how employee effort, social pressure, and social obligation influence customer perceptions of tipping in minimal-service food settings.

A quantitative experimental research design was used with 328 participants recruited through the online platform Prolific. Participants were randomly assigned to scenarios manipulating …

To Print A Remake: An Analysis Of Hollywood Remakes And Their Cultural Value, Connor F. Seaton

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In recent years, audiences and movie critics have expressed concern that Hollywood’s growing reliance on remakes, sequels, franchises, and similar adaptations has led to a broader worry that originality is fading from modern cinema and that the industry is instead focused on using adaptations to maximize profits. Although adaptation is often seen as a commercially driven framework for reproducing existing intellectual property in a new media format, this thesis argues that it should be recognized as an autonomous cultural category with its own artistic, historical, and social significance and merit. By analyzing adaptation scholarship and reviewing its complex historical development, …

Complexity Theory And Environmental Conservation Management: A Case Study With Coyote And Red Wolf Hybridization, Gretchen E. Mahalic

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Conservation biology and invasion biology are value-led scientific disciplines founded on environmental advocacy, operating at the intersection of research and action. Though these disciplines are known for their scientific veracity, unexamined values are often promulgated without scrutiny and drive decisions that work against good ecological outcomes. A case in point is that coyotes migrating into southeastern territory are framed as the greatest threat to the conservation of the endangered red wolf because hybridization is seen as diminishing their species integrity. Applying Val Plumwood’s ecofeminist account of dualistic frameworks, I will use this case to show how the vilification of the …

A Chicken Model For Non-Invasive Diagnosis Of Infant Developmental Dysplasia Of The Hip (Ddh) Using Acoustic Transmission Measurements, Aliza Shah

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a condition characterized by abnormal development and stability of the hip joint. In a healthy infant, the femoral head (ball) fits securely within the acetabulum (socket of the pelvis), allowing for proper joint function. In DDH, the relationship is disrupted, ranging from mild acetabular dysplasia to partial (subluxation) or complete dislocation of the femoral head. This condition represents a range of structural abnormalities that develop during early growth. The integrity of the hip joint is essential for physical mobility, and disruption of this structure can lead to significant functional impairment. DDH may result …

From Recruitment To Breach: The Impact Of Employment-At-Will On Psychological Contracts, Krystal N. Porlles

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Employment-at-will is the default legal framework governing most private-sector employment relationships in the United States, yet little research has examined how explicit employment-at-will language influences applicants’ psychological expectations before organizational entry. Drawing on signaling theory and psychological contract theory, the present study investigated whether the inclusion of an employment-at-will statement in a job advertisement affected relational psychological contract development, anticipated job insecurity, organizational attractiveness, perceptions of psychological contract breach, emotional reactions, and withdrawal intentions. Undergraduate students (N = 253) were recruited through the University of Central Florida’s SONA research participation system. After data screening, the final analytic sample consisted of …

A Systematic Literature Review Of The Menstrual Cycle And Its Impact On Aerobic Performance In Female Athletes, Jaymie G. Loidolt

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this systematic review is to examine existing literature regarding the menstrual cycle and its impact on aerobic performance in female athletes. This comprehensive review was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 method of analysis. All studies included involved normally menstruating females conditioned in endurance sport. Studies analyzing anaerobic sports, abnormally menstruating females, or physically inactive females were excluded. The databases used included: PubMed, Sport Discus, and Web of Science. The results of these were imported into JBIsumari for deduplication, title and abstract, and full text screening. The results conclude objective performance variables are unchanged regarding the phase of …

Investigating The Role Of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine For Cancer Symptom Management In Older Adults: A Rapid Review, Isabelle C. Karshner

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Patients with cancer often experience symptoms related to disease, complications, and treatment. One potential method of alleviating these symptoms is traditional Chinese herbal medications (TCHM). This rapid review explores the role of traditional Chinese herbal medications in treating cancer-related symptoms in older adults.

Purpose: The purpose of this rapid review is to gain and provide a better understanding of the effects of TCHM on cancer-symptom management in the older adult population. This review explores the association between TCHM and effects on cancer symptoms in older adults, including interactions, toxicity, and signs/symptoms of TCHM use that may be useful information …

Healthcare Access And Community Nursing Outreach Effectiveness In Underserved Zip Codes In Central Florida, Miah Sanchez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Access to healthcare depends on more than whether healthcare services are available. A person’s ZIP code, income, education, transportation options, health literacy, and neighborhood resources can all affect whether care is reached at the right time and in an appropriate setting. This literature review examines healthcare access and the role of community nursing outreach in underserved ZIP codes across Central Florida. The review synthesizes current literature on social determinants of health, geographic disparities, medically underserved populations, and community-based nursing interventions to better understand how these factors shape access to care. Across the literature, poverty, limited transportation, lower educational attainment, neighborhood …

Dna Half-Adder Based Calculator Driven By 4j Molecular Switches, Andrea Gissele Canizalez Covaleda

Honors Undergraduate Theses

DNA nanostructures have computing functions due to the predictable base pairing of nucleic acids (Watson–Crick). This property allows the programming of DNA circuits that integrate DNA logic gates capable of recognizing oligonucleotides. This molecular device offers the advantages of biocompatibility and potential applications in personalized medicine for diagnosis and therapies.

Our lab has developed DNA logic gates formed by the connection of YES strands via DNA four-way junctions (4J), which can function as molecular switches to develop a DNA-based calculator. Our DNA half-adder calculator nanostructure is designed to recognize up to three combinations of DNA inputs using three DNA strands …

Designing Rhetorical Education For Online Audiences, Nicholas Dixon

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This project demonstrates a multimodal education for online audiences through the creation of a YouTube video, What is Rhetoric?   The literature from composition, education, and media asserts that online multimodal media is useful for idea production, civic discussion, and learning. This project follows the idea that online multimodal digital media are valuable forms for meeting audiences with access to rhetorical knowledge, both within academic institutions and in the education of public audiences. In Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture, Henry Jenkins highlights the challenge online participants face in recognizing the ways media shapes perceptions of the world (xii). Rhetoric is …

Analysis Of Alternative Gene Splicing Of Natural Killer Cell Exhaustion Markers During Siv Infection, Soledad B. Zayas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Natural killer cells play a critical role in the innate immune response against Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus infections. During HIV/SIV infection, NK cells undergo functional impairment characterized by an imbalance between activating and inhibitory surface receptors. The upregulation of inhibitory receptors, TIGIT and TIM-3, has proven to contribute to NK cell exhaustion during different retroviral infections. Although alternative splicing regulates immunity related genes, its role in TIGIT and TIM-3 expression during SIV infection remains poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize alternative splicing patterns of TIGIT and TIM-3 and evaluate transcript variant expression during SIV infection in …

The Role Of The Amygdala In Huntington Disease-Associated Aggression, Luis Torres

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a trinucleotide CAG expansion in the huntingtin gene (HTT). HD is characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms that significantly impact patient and caregiver quality of life. Psychiatric symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and irritability, are common manifestations of HD and can emerge years before the onset is clinically diagnosed. Aggression is a common and challenging psychiatric symptom in HD, often misunderstood and associated with caregiver stress, early institutionalization, and reduced quality of life. Despite its clinical impact, aggression in HD lacks effective, targeted treatment options. Similar to HD …

How Religious Priming Affects Morality In Sports, Daniel Prias

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research focuses on filling the hole in existing literature regarding religious priming and how it affects morality in sports. This study examined whether different types of moral priming influenced moral reasoning in undergraduate soccer athletes. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: an external religious prime, an internal religious prime, a secular prime, or a no-prime control group. Moral reasoning was assessed using the Moral Reasoning in Sports Scenarios Questionnaire (MRSSQ), strength of religious faith was measured using the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSRFQ), and personality traits were assessed using the Mini International Personality …

Symbolic Racism And Punitive Policy Preferences In The First Quarter Of The Twenty-First Century, Anthony T. Fulinello

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Despite the decay in the acceptability of explicit racism brought about by the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, implicit racism may continue to inform individual decision making even into the first quarter of the twenty-first century. Utilizing data from 25 years of the General Social Survey, this study examines how indicators of symbolic racism, a form of implicit racism, impact punitive policy preferences among the general United States population using separate logistic regression models isolating each indicator, plus a full model, for each outcome. Punitive policy preferences were operationalized as support for increased spending on crime prevention …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors H2/Z14 And C6/Z96 In Order To Combat Small Cell Lung Cancer, Lauren M. Graves

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The use of ubiquinone inhibitors to combat cancer is a recent development in medicinal science and procedures to efficiently synthesize these drugs remain limited. C6/Z96 and H2/Z14, two succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors, have been previously tested in vitro against NSCLC with positive results. Their similarity to ubiquinone is what makes them a strong candidate for a succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor at the ubiquinone binding site. The heterocyclic scaffolds and substituents are proposed to bind strongly through a combination of electronics, hydrogen-bonding, and fit, allowing them to bind well and prove to be more favorable than ubiquinone when competing for the Q-site. By …

Leading On An Uneven Playing Field: How Systems Of Race And Gender Shape African American Women’S Leadership Advancement, Nikki Goins-Hughes

DSW Capstone Projects

Systemic barriers to leadership for African American women are deeply rooted in historical and structural inequities within the United States. Intersecting identities of race and gender have historically shaped access to leadership advancement opportunities for African American women. Despite efforts to prioritize gender and racial equity in leadership, African American women continue to experience exclusion or are highly scrutinized in decision-making spaces, contributing to their continued marginalization in leadership. Therefore, this capstone draws on a systematic literature review, conceptual framework, and practice application to examine the systemic barriers that limit access to leadership advancement opportunities for African American women and …

Navigating Mental Wellness: A Peer-Led Journey Into Adult Services, Kristin G. Haberek

DSW Capstone Projects

Students with severe emotional disturbances (SED) occupy one of the most underserved intersections in American education and mental health care. As they age out of children’s services, they face abrupt service discontinuation, disrupted therapeutic relationships, and adult systems ill-equipped to meet their needs. These vulnerabilities, including heightened risks of crisis, hospitalization, homelessness, and justice involvement, constitute a central practice problem. This capstone addresses these transitions across three scholarly products: a systematic literature review, a theoretical concept paper, and a practical application paper, tracing a unified arc from diagnosing structural failures to proposing an evidence-informed, equity-oriented clinical response. Synthesizing key findings …

Recruitment Agency-Mediated Onboarding, Acculturation, And Contract Completion Among Internationally Educated Nurses In The United States: A Questionnaire Survey, Jasper Erwin Tolarba, Jennifer Orbeso, Reynaldo R. Rivera

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background

Internationally educated nurses play a vital role in addressing global nursing workforce shortages and supporting healthcare systems across many high-income countries. As international nurse migration continues to increase worldwide, effective transition, onboarding, and acculturation practices have become important determinants of workforce integration and retention. In the United States, internationally educated nurses comprise a growing segment of the nursing workforce; however, variability in onboarding practices may affect successful integration and retention.

Aim

To examine recruitment agency–mediated onboarding and acculturation practices and their association with contract completion among internationally educated nurses in the United States.

Design

Cross-sectional descriptive correlational study.

Methods …

The Effect Of In-Game Cervical Exercises On Shoulder Internal Rotation Range Of Motion And External Rotator Strength In Baseball Pitchers, Vincent Ceasrine, Christine Ferraro, Jason K. Grimes

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background

Consensus is lacking regarding the underlying cause of two prevalent risk factors for shoulder and elbow pain in overhead throwing athletes: loss of shoulder internal rotation (IR) range of motion (ROM) and strength of the external rotators (ER). Consideration of cervical spine contribution may have important implications for rehabilitation and coaching of overhead throwers.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of performing active cervical retraction and retraction with extension exercises between innings of pitching a simulated game on shoulder IR ROM and ER strength following completion of the game.

Study Design

Randomized controlled study …

Planning A Clinical Practice Guideline Revision For A Core Set Of Outcome Measures In Adults Undergoing Neurologic Physical Therapy, Part 1: Assessing Dissemination And Scholarly Uptake, Jennifer Moore, Jane E. Sullivan, Marghuretta D. Bland, Wendy Romney, Elizabeth Anderl, Zeynep Gulen Erkoc, Kristen Potter

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Introduction

Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) facilitate evidence-based decision-making and standardising care, yet their dissemination and scholarly uptake vary widely. The Core Set of Outcome Measures for Adults With Neurologic Conditions Undergoing Rehabilitation CPG (Core Set) has been broadly referenced within neurologic physical therapy. As the next revision approaches, understanding its scholarly influence, citation patterns, and published feedback is essential. This study evaluated the dissemination and use of the Core Set across the peer-reviewed literature and identified areas for refinement.

Methods

A medical librarian conducted comprehensive searches of Web of Science, CINAHL, and Scopus to identify peer-reviewed English-language articles citing the …