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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 …

Beyond Weight Loss: Effects Of Trx Suspension Training Combined With Caloric Restriction On Thyroid Function And Mental Well-Being In Obese Hypothyroid Women, Siavash Naddafha, Christopher Taber

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Background

The rate of metabolism decreases in hypothyroid patients; hypothyroidism is associated with body mass increases; due to this and other factors, depression, anxiety, and stress increase, which, alongside the disease state and psychological problems, causes the quality of life to suffer.

Objectives

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of caloric restriction along with TRX exercise on body mass, thyroid hormones, and psychological measures in obese and overweight women with hypothyroidism.

Methods

34 women aged 18–50 with hypothyroidism and a body mass index above 25 participated in this study. They were divided into three groups: a …

Accuracy Of Voluntary Force Modulation During The Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull, S. Alexander Long, Olivia Vadas, Stephanie Balint, Michael H. Stone, Christopher Taber

Exercise Science Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate voluntary force modulation accuracy during the isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) and to investigate biological sex and relative strength as factors relating to error. Strength-trained males (n = 18) and females (n = 18) completed ascending (ASC) (25%, 50%, 75%) or descending (DESC) (75%, 50%, 25%) submaximal testing followed by maximal testing. Subjects rested before completing the opposite submaximal testing sequence. External feedback was not provided during testing. Measured and intended (INT) forces were analyzed with two-way repeated-measures ANOVAs with within- (ASC, DESC, and INT) and between-subject factors (male or female). Independent-samples t-tests …

Investigating The Association Between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (Pcos) And Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (Iih): A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Savannah L. Adams

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) are chronic conditions that disproportionately affect women of reproductive age and share several metabolic risk factors, including obesity, insulin resistance, and hormonal dysregulation. Despite growing clinical interest in a potential relationship between these conditions, limited research has examined awareness, knowledge, symptom presentation, and barriers to healthcare among young adult populations. The purpose of this study was to investigate awareness, knowledge, perceived healthcare barriers, and potential associations between PCOS and IIH among college-aged individuals. A cross-sectional survey was administered to students aged 18-25 at the University of Central Florida through classroom recruitment …

Robust Linking Estimation In Item Response Theory Using Quantile Regression: Applications To The Graded Response And Generalized Partial Credit Models, Ibrahim Almansour

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation investigates robust estimation of linking coefficients in Item Response Theory (IRT) using quantile regression and its extensions. Linking procedures are essential for placing item and ability parameters from different test forms onto a common scale, thereby ensuring comparability of examinee scores across administrations. Traditional approaches such as moment methods, characteristic curve methods, and mean-based regression procedures like Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Generalized Least Squares (GLS) perform adequately under ideal conditions but tend to lose accuracy when ability distributions deviate from normality or include outliers.

To address these limitations, this research proposes a quantile-based regression framework that estimates …

Turbine Exhaust Cylinder And Manifold Wake Interactions At High Swirl Angle, Christian A. Anzalotta

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

A commonly observed flow interaction in industrial gas turbine (IGT) exhaust diffuser configurations is investigated, where upstream structural wakes interact with downstream airfoil-like components, potentially leading to unsteady loading. To better understand the mechanisms contributing to this behavior, a scale-model is designed. Dynamic similarity is achieved by matching the Strouhal number (St) of the vortex shedding from the strut. A bell-mouth followed by a swirler is installed in front of the strut to mimic the flow angles at the inlet section of the turbine exhaust. Experiments are conducted for three swirl angles, namely, 30°, 45°, and 60°. Power spectra computed …

A Test Of The Three-Step Theory: Examining Pain, Hopelessness, And Suicidal Desire Among College Students, Shelby Baker

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Suicide is a leading cause of death, and suicidal thoughts are prevalent among emerging adults and undergraduate students. Still, many prominent risk factors remain understudied. Guided by the Three-Step Theory of Suicide (3ST), this study examined the roles of hopelessness, psychological pain, and physical pain in prediction of suicidal desire among undergraduate college students (N = 1,705) recruited from UCF’s SONA system and CloudResearch’s Connect platform. Participants completed an online, cross-sectional survey that included measures of suicidal thoughts and behaviors, hopelessness, psychological pain, physical pain, and other psychological variables of interest. Psychological pain and physical pain were tested as moderators …

Investigating Effects Of The Macroalga Caulerpa Prolifera On Restoration Of The Seagrass Halodule Wrightii In The Indian River Lagoon, Florida, Luciana M. Banquero

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Seagrass restoration efforts have been motivated by global decreases in coverage associated with anthropogenic influences on the environment. In the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), FL, seagrass declined by 75% between 2011 and 2021. During this time, abundance of the macroalga Caulerpa prolifera increased substantially in the IRL. The macroalga is native to this estuary, however C. prolifera abundance has fluctuated widely in the past few decades. Being highly opportunistic, C. prolifera took advantage of areas formerly inhabited by seagrass. It is not known how dense, continuous beds of C. prolifera impact seagrass restoration projects or natural recovery of seagrass. Previous …

Learning-Based Optimization For Collaborative Truck-Drone Routing And Scheduling, Ahmad A. Bany Abdelnabi

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Modern delivery networks increasingly rely on innovative technologies such as drones working alongside trucks to meet rising demands for fast and efficient last–mile transportation. Hybrid truck–drone delivery offers strong potential, but its effectiveness depends on careful synchronization between trucks and drones. Although drones provide fast, direct travel, their limited endurance and the need to coordinate launch and recovery with trucks create tightly coupled routing and scheduling interactions. Poor dispatch decisions can cause truck waiting, reduce parallelism, and increase mission completion time. These challenges motivate decision frameworks that explicitly model synchronization and develop scalable methods for coordinated truck–drone operations. This dissertation …

An Integrated Framework For Last-Mile Delivery Optimization Using Reinforcement Learning And Social Media-Based Traffic Prediction In Underdeveloped Megacities, Vasanth Bhat

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Supply chain management has become increasingly critical as transportation costs rise and urban delivery systems place additional pressure on already congested networks. Last-mile delivery—the movement of goods from distribution centers to end users—represents the most expensive and operationally complex segment of the logistics process, particularly in underdeveloped megacities characterized by unpredictable traffic, limited infrastructure, and sparse real-time data. This dissertation proposes an integrated framework for optimizing last-mile delivery in such environments by combining social media–based traffic intelligence, machine learning, and deep reinforcement learning. The framework leverages unstructured, real-time data from social media platforms to enhance traffic prediction and incorporates these …

Reframing “Southern Justice”: Public History And The Cultural Legacy Of The Civil War In Orlando, Sarah M. Boye

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Civil War memory has shaped historical consciousness throughout the American South, sometimes in surprising and unexpected ways. An unusual example of this phenomenon can be found in Orlando, Florida. Unlike in other Southern cities, in Orlando, Civil War memory did not grow out of wartime experience. Instead, it developed decades later during the post-Reconstruction period as generations removed from the war itself constructed their own understanding of the war’s history and its meaning. As the city grew, Greenwood Cemetery became a key site where Civil War remembrance functioned in Orlando. Women’s organizations played a major role in shaping Civil War …

A Reconstruction Method For The Anisotropic Electrical Conductivity In A Hybrid Planar Inverse Problem, Athanasios Dimitriadis

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Some single-physics medical imaging methods fail to reliably discriminate benign from malignant biological tissue. In partial response, a new class of inverse problems employ multi-physics phenomena, coupling methods of high resolution with methods of high contrast. In this thesis we are concerned with one such problem in which an anisotropic electrical conductivity is to be recovered from some internal knowledge of the current density field generated by maintaining a fixed boundary voltage. This internal data is obtained by the method of Current Density Impedance Imaging (CDII), which combines Maxwell's equations with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) measurements. The anisotropy class is …

Benchmarking And Advancing Heterogeneous Data Reasoning With Large Language Models, Yebowen Hu

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Large language models (LLMs) increasingly face complex real-world tasks requiring complex reasoning over heterogeneous inputs, including text, numbers, and structured data. This dissertation first investigates the capability boundaries of LLMs under such scenarios. Through the MeetingBank and SportsMetrics benchmarks, we show that while LLMs exhibit linguistic fluency, they struggle with factual accuracy, information density, and quantitative cross-referencing in meeting summarization and sports analysis. Using DecipherPref, a pair-wise evaluation framework grounded in the Bradley-Terry-Luce model, we further probe LLMs' inherent preferences for information-rich and lengthy inputs, and we identify critical deficiencies in financial decision-making through DeFine, where models lack precise insight …

Odd Colorings Of Graphs With Maximum Degree And Surface Conditions, Matthew Kyle

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

A proper vertex coloring of a graph is said to be odd if, for each vertex, there is a color that is present an odd number of times in its neighborhood. Introduced as a softening of other coloring problems, this problem has recently seen much research interest. It has been conjectured that all planar graphs are odd-5-colorable. Further research has suggested bounds for odd coloring numbers of graphs with different maximum degree conditions, different girths, and on different surfaces; we progress results in all of these areas. We improve an upper bound for odd coloring numbers of graphs of maximum …

Numerical Simulation Of Micro-Cutting Processes For The Estimation Of Material Fracture Toughness, Juan J. Lainez

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Accurate determination of plane-strain fracture toughness is essential for structural integrity assessments of engineering components, yet conventional ASTM standardized testing methods require large, notched specimens that are impractical in many industrial and research contexts. This thesis presents a finite element method-based approach for estimating the mode I plane-strain fracture toughness of engineering materials from orthogonal micro-cutting simulations if the continuum damage mechanics-based fracture locus is calibrated. This method will eliminate the need for pre-cracked specimens while maintaining physically grounded fracture mechanics principles. The methodology applies to the Atkins energy-based cutting force model, in which the depth-independent intercept of the specific …

Viral Dynamics Across Managed And Wild Pollinators: Integrating Immunity, Ecology, And Community Structure, Allison Malay

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Managed honey bees (Apis mellifera) are critical agricultural pollinators, yet colonies continue to experience persistently high losses across North America and Europe. These declines are driven by interacting stressors, including parasites, pathogens, nutrition, and landscape context. Viral pathogens are key contributors to colony morbidity and mortality, but the processes governing variation in viral prevalence, load, and host response remain incompletely understood. This dissertation investigates how viral dynamics in honey bees emerge from interactions among host immunity, colony condition, environmental context, and pollinator community structure. By integrating measures of viral prevalence, viral load, and immune gene expression across multiple …

Chemical Kinetic Experiments Of Monomethyl Hydrazine Combustion Products At High Pressures And High Temperatures In A Shock Tube, Cooper Q. Mills

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This study presents experimental shock tube laser absorption spectroscopy data to validate high-pressure and high-temperature chemical kinetic mechanisms for mixtures of H₂/air, NH₃/air, and H₂/CO/NO₂/air diluted in argon (95-98%) at high pressures (5, 10, 25 bar) and high temperatures (1000 to 2150 K). The mixtures were at equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 to cover the range of possible conditions experienced throughout practical combustors. Laser absorption spectroscopy data was measured for NH₃, H₂O, CO, and NO using a novel multi-species setup. Chemical kinetic mechanisms contain the fundamental …

Cfd Investigation Of Heat Transfer Enhancement In Pipes Using Gyroid Tpms Structures For Industrial Steam Generation, Alejandro Moreno Escribano

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Industrial heating processes account for nearly 28\% of global CO2 emissions, and fossil fueled boilers predominate in high temperature applications. Industrial electrification can be an effective solution when combined with renewable energy sources. Increasing steam generation efficiency and at the same time maintaining system compactness is a significant challenge in industrial thermal processes. Traditional smooth pipes offer limited heat transfer surface area, which constrains boiling heat transfer performance and reduces the overall efficiency of steam generation systems. Advanced internal geometries have the potential to significantly enhance heat transfer by increasing surface area and promoting fluid mixing. This work presents a …

Ignition Delay Time Measurements Of Natural Gas/Ammonia Mixtures At Gas Turbine Operating Conditions, Zachary A. Morris

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Natural Gas/Ammonia (NG/NH₃) fuel blends are a promising route to reduce CO₂ emissions from gas turbines while leveraging existing NG infrastructure, but their autoignition behavior at elevated pressures is not yet well constrained. This work reports high-pressure shock tube ignition delay time (IDT) measurements for NG/NH₃/Air mixtures at gas turbine-relevant conditions. Experiments were performed at pressures of 5, 10, and 25 bar, temperatures from 1500 to 2100 K, with equivalence ratios of Φ = 1.0, 1.2, and 1.4, and argon-diluted fuel compositions spanning pure NH₃ to NG-rich blends. Experiments were carried out in two …

Enhancing The Immersive Experience Through The Diversification Of Operational Costuming, Emma Nevitt

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis will be a comparative creative project that analyzes current operational wardrobe options within immersive lands, utilizing case studies and applied research, a neutral proposed immersive land will be created with operational costuming options that provides variety to the operational wardrobe that will enhance the immersive guest experience by creating a more compelling environment through wardrobe diversity. This will be achieved through a kit-of-parts approach where staffing will have a small variety of tops, bottoms, headwear, outerwear, and accessories to create a unique look to their own wardrobe while providing narrative insight. Each piece will be designed specifically for …

Holistic Review In Graduate Admissions: Admissions Professionals’ Evaluation Of Non-Cognitive Traits, Joshua L. Olson

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This basic qualitative study examines how graduate admissions professionals conceptualize, operationalize, and interpret holistic review within graduate admissions processes. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory and Expectancy-Value Theory, the study explores how non-cognitive traits such as motivation, resilience, self-efficacy, and professionalism are evaluated alongside traditional academic indicators in admissions decision-making. Using semi-structured interviews with graduate admissions professionals directly involved in admissions decisions, the study identifies how holistic review is defined and implemented across institutional contexts, which non-cognitive traits are most valued, and the tools and procedures used to assess applicant potential beyond academic metrics. Findings suggest that, for participants in this …

Do Emerging Social Media Platforms Shape The Gender Gap In Surveillance Political Knowledge?, Saskia Papsova

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Abstract

Research shows that men consistently score higher than women on standard political knowledge measures, but as Americans increasingly obtain political information through social media, it is unclear whether different platforms affect this gender gap. This study investigates whether social media platforms shape the gender gap in surveillance political knowledge—knowledge of current political facts and contested claims circulating in the contemporary information environment, and which platforms have the biggest impact. Using data from the ANES 2020 Social Media Study, I estimate weighted OLS regression models testing whether platform-specific usage is associated with surveillance political knowledge and whether these associations differ …

Quantifying The Effects Of Anthropogenic Disturbance On Two Marine Mammal Species With Agent-Based Models, Landon S. Myers

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This dissertation details the construction and results from two agent-based models (ABMs) that quantify the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on very different marine mammals.  Most would agree the anthropogenic effects on animals are “bad”; the unknown is “how bad.”  Chapter 1 describes the ABM assessing the mortality risk from seagrass loss and the potential loss of a warm water refuge on manatees living in Florida ‘s Indian River Lagoon (IRL).  IRL manatees are at the northern habitat limit and susceptible to hypothermic mortality, and utilize natural and artificial warm water refuges to maintain core temperature.  Combined with reduced seagrass availability, …

Come And See: Exploring Complex Dynamics And Abjection Through A Southern Gothic Family Portrait, Lenee N. Peterson

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

“COME AND SEE: Exploring Abject Theory Through a Southern Gothic Family Portrait” examines the artist’s complex familial upbringing through the visual and narrative traditions of Southern Gothic art. Drawing upon abject theory and the cultural references of folk horror and Southern Gothicism, this thesis positions the family portrait where intimacy, trauma, and cultural inheritance collide. The project argues that direct confrontation with abjection can foster recognition, shared experience, and the possibility of collective healing. Grounded in practice-based research, this work functions as a critical and creative response to familial strain shaped by scarcity, social oppression, and emotional precarity. Through a …

A Theoretical Study Of Molecular Photoionization: Applications To Molecules Of Astrophysical And Atmospheric Interest, Conner Penson

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis is devoted to the development of the model for total molecular photoionization spectra which is general to diatomic molecules and the application of this model to two benchmark systems, CH and N2, for verification. This model combines multi-channel quantum defect theory, first-principles ab initio molecular calculations, and vibrational frame transformation to accurately model molecular photoionization and electron impact including vibrational dynamics. The scattering data and transition dipole moments for the molecular systems were calculated using R-matrix method through the UKRMol+ codes. A vibrational frame transformation is then performed and multi-channel quantum defect theory is used to calculate closed …

Evaluation Of Electroencephalography Processing Methods For Estimating Metabolic Energy Expenditure During Walking, Stephanie L. Pinelo

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

In this study, three EEG datasets, created via different levels of pre-processing, were used to train VO2 prediction models whose performance was tested and compared. Understanding the link between EEG and VO2 during walking is important when working in rehabilitation or studying metabolic energy optimization. Common methods of measuring these two bio-signals tend to be bulky, uncomfortable, and inefficient, so finding a way to predict VO2 from EEG via 1D CNN model training is a worthy pursuit.  It was hypothesized that, due to a CNN needing more data to find patterns for prediction, a minimally processed EEG dataset would have …

Adaptability And Applications Of Advanced Laser Absorption Diagnostics In High-Pressure Shock Tube Environments, Lucas R. Pitts

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Theoretical application and physical implementation of various laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) diagnostics are examined within a high-pressure shock tube facility. Research focuses on the rationale behind the specific optical alignment layouts used across three distinct experimental campaigns, detailing the methodology required to maintain signal integrity in varied reacting flow environments. The first research campaign addresses the pyrolysis of hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) solid propellant binders for solid fuel ramjet (SFRJ) applications by measuring the species time histories of alkenes and aromatics. Alignment configurations prioritized beam stability and signal strength for the decoupling of overlapping absorption features to ensure measurements accurately …

Examining Attrition In Rtms For Smoking Cessation: The Roles Of Perceived Research Burden And Delay Discounting, Miranda Proctor

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This secondary analysis examined predictors of attrition in a randomized clinical trial conducted by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center evaluating repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for cigarette smoking cessation. Smoking cessation reduces cancer risk and mortality and improves mental health outcomes. Although rTMS shows promise for supporting sustained abstinence by targeting neurobiological mechanisms underlying nicotine dependence, participant attrition threatens statistical validity, reduces power, and limits generalizability. Identifying predictors of attrition is therefore critical for optimizing trial design and retention.

Research examining predictors of attrition in smoking cessation trials remains limited. Prior work in other clinical populations suggests that higher perceived …

A Sensory Ecology Of Fear: Moonlight-Mediated Predation Risk And Foraging Behavior In Neotropical Electric Fish, Chiu Lok Poon

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Animals must forage to acquire energy for survival and reproduction, yet foraging exposes them to predators. This creates a trade-off between energy intake and safety, wherein the perception of predation risk alone can alter activity patterns. Within this trade-off, risk, energetic needs, and sensory adaptations vary, shifting the balance and favoring different foraging strategies. Using Neotropical electric fish as a study system, I investigated how foraging under predation risk is shaped across biological scales, including environmental dynamics, interspecific sensory differences, activity-timing mechanisms, and intraspecific variations. These nocturnal fish emit continuous electric signals to sense their environment, allowing non-invasive monitoring of …