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Title: SOLUTION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC SCATTERING PARAMETERS AND RADIATION PATTERNS OF ARBITRARY BODY OF REVOLUTION RADIATORS.
Creator: Brokaw, Wendell, Wu, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: A novel full wave analysis method to determine the scattering parameters and the radiation field intensities of arbitrary Body of Revolution (BOR) radiators consisting of impenetrable media is explored through derived components of modal analysis and the method of moments (MoM). Modal excitation is utilized to excite the structural feed; allowing for a more accurate measure of the scattering parameters of the total structure as opposed to the use of external excitation sources. The derivation...
Show moreA novel full wave analysis method to determine the scattering parameters and the radiation field intensities of arbitrary Body of Revolution (BOR) radiators consisting of impenetrable media is explored through derived components of modal analysis and the method of moments (MoM). Modal excitation is utilized to excite the structural feed; allowing for a more accurate measure of the scattering parameters of the total structure as opposed to the use of external excitation sources. The derivation of the mode matching method introduces a novel approach to achieving a frequency independent coupling matrix that will reduce the computational requirements for iterations utilized in the solution of multi-step discontinuous junctions. An application of interpolation functions across a single element of the MoM's traditional basis function approach allows for the ability to facilitate the meshing of complex structures. The combined field integral equation method is implemented in the analysis method to assure the mitigation of spurious solutions that can be problematic for electric field integral equation solutions that are predominant in many MoM based codes. The structures of interest represent bodies of revolution (BOR), which maintains that the structures must exhibit rotational symmetry about the longitudinal, or directional, axis. The complexity of the domain of structures that can be treated with the analysis method will be significantly reduced through the use of BOR symmetry of the structure. The proposed method for the solution of structures will include the comprehensive treatment of Boundary Value Problems (BVP's) through modal analysis, aperture treatment, and an application of the method of moments. Solutions for BOR radiating structures can be divided into two regions of analytical concern, the inner guided wave region and the outer radiating region. Modal analysis will be used to determine the scattering matrix of the inner guided wave region. The modal analysis will consist of subdividing the inner region into a number of finite step discontinuities, and the method of mode matching will be implemented to numerically solve the BVP's at each step discontinuity for a finite number of modal field distributions. The surface field equivalence principle will be applied to treat the aperture in order to produce an equivalent problem that supplants a source magnetic current density and an induced electric current density across the aperture that will radiate in the presence of the outer structural material of the BOR radiator. An algorithm utilizing the MoM is applied to solve integral equations that are defined to treat the surfaces of the BOR structure using electromagnetic boundary conditions. The application of the MoM will develop the field intensities on the aperture with complete consideration of the outer structural boundaries of the BOR radiator. The field intensities on the aperture will be related to the inner guided wave region through electromagnetic boundary conditions, and an admittance matrix will be numerically calculated. The admittance matrix will then apply to the inner guided wave region's scattering matrix to determine the reflection and transmission coefficients at the input of the BOR radiator. The comprehensive solution method will be applied to a variety of BOR structures; the electromagnetic solutions of the structures as obtained by the proposed method shall be verified for accuracy against comparative analysis of the structures using known computational packages that have been generally accepted throughout industry with respect to design capabilities.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000747, ucf:46588
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000747

Title: DESIGNING OF ENERGY EFFICIENT INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS USING A LOCALIZED RADIAL BASIS FUNCTION MESHLESS METHOD.
Creator: Huayamave, Victor, Divo, Eduardo, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Around the world, the energy over consumption issue has been one of the key socio-economic and political challenges, which has drastically worsened over the last few years. Over the years engineers and environmentalists have proposed several approaches to improve energy efficiency. One is to reduce energy demand by improving consumption habits and a second approach is to introduce the use of a "greener" concept by using biomaterials in a diverse and more efficient manner in engineering...
Show moreAround the world, the energy over consumption issue has been one of the key socio-economic and political challenges, which has drastically worsened over the last few years. Over the years engineers and environmentalists have proposed several approaches to improve energy efficiency. One is to reduce energy demand by improving consumption habits and a second approach is to introduce the use of a "greener" concept by using biomaterials in a diverse and more efficient manner in engineering construction to create energy efficient environments. This work will investigate the effects of using "green" stabilized earth materials to provide and enhance thermal regulation for indoor environments. This effects can be compared to what skin does to regulate body temperature in humans, animals, and plants. On this effort the thermal behavior of several biomaterials will be analyzed using a computational tool in order to test the mechanical properties of biomaterials and also several geometry configurations to minimize the energy needed for heating and cooling an environment. In this research a localized radial basis function (LRBF) meshless method, developed by the Computational Mechanics Lab (CML) at the University of Central Florida, has been implemented to test several wall geometrical configuration using known biomaterials such as clay. The advantage of using the LRBF meshless method in this particular research is based in the accuracy of the numerical method and also because it decreases computation time regardless of model complexity geometry without the need of mesh generation. This research includes a complete description of the LRBF meshless method, as well as a quantification of cooling methods that have been used by past civilizations and recent construction standards but have not been validated on scientific basis. Results are presented which will demonstrate the effectiveness of using integrated sheets of biomaterials in engineering construction to increase energy efficiency in indoor environments.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003335, ucf:48478
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003335

Title: Simulation study of guest procedures in a resort hotel complex.
Creator: Barraclough, Bradley, null, null, Engineering
Abstract / Description: Florida Technological University College of Engineering Thesis; At this time there is an increasing emphasis in Florida on developing large, multipurpose complexes which include shopping, entertainment, and accommodations for tourists. In all cases a major design problem is people transportation. For best efficiency the primary mode of transportation, the car, must be exchanged for other people movers within the complex, which will afford more security, flexibility, and better movement of...
Show moreFlorida Technological University College of Engineering Thesis; At this time there is an increasing emphasis in Florida on developing large, multipurpose complexes which include shopping, entertainment, and accommodations for tourists. In all cases a major design problem is people transportation. For best efficiency the primary mode of transportation, the car, must be exchanged for other people movers within the complex, which will afford more security, flexibility, and better movement of people to their ultimate destination. Economically speaking, this would not only conserve fuel, but would allow consolidation of automobile parking into a less desirable area and the grouping of facilities for more shopping and recreation convenience.
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Date Issued: 1974
Identifier: CFR0003468, ucf:53029
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFR0003468

Title: Analytical solutions to nonlinear differential equations arising in physical problems.
Creator: Baxter, Mathew, Vajravelu, Kuppalapalle, Li, Xin, Mohapatra, Ram, Shuai, Zhisheng, Kassab, Alain, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Nonlinear partial differential equations are difficult to solve, with many of the approximate solutions in the literature being numerical in nature. In this work, we apply the Homotopy Analysis Method to give approximate analytical solutions to nonlinear ordinary and partial differential equations. The main goal is to apply different linear operators, which can be chosen, to solve nonlinear problems. In the first three chapters, we study ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with one or two...
Show moreNonlinear partial differential equations are difficult to solve, with many of the approximate solutions in the literature being numerical in nature. In this work, we apply the Homotopy Analysis Method to give approximate analytical solutions to nonlinear ordinary and partial differential equations. The main goal is to apply different linear operators, which can be chosen, to solve nonlinear problems. In the first three chapters, we study ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with one or two linear operators. As we progress, we apply the method to partial differential equations (PDEs) and use several linear operators. The results are all purely analytical, meaning these are approximate solutions that we can evaluate at points and take their derivatives.Another main focus is error analysis, where we test how good our approximations are. The method will always produce approximations, but we use residual errors on the domain of the problem to find a measure of error.In the last two chapters, we apply similarity transforms to PDEs to transform them into ODEs. We then use the Homotopy Analysis Method on one, but are able to find exact solutions to both equations.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005303, ucf:50527
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005303

Title: AN INTERACTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR MESHLESS METHODS ANALYSIS IN COMPUTATIONAL MECHANICS AND THERMOFLUIDS.
Creator: Gerace, Salvadore, Kassab, Alain, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In recent history, the area of physics-based engineering simulation has seen rapid increases in both computer workstation performance as well as common model complexity, both driven largely in part by advances in memory density and availability of clusters and multi-core processors. While the increase in computation time due to model complexity has been largely offset by the increased performance of modern workstations, the increase in model setup time due to model complexity has continued to...
Show moreIn recent history, the area of physics-based engineering simulation has seen rapid increases in both computer workstation performance as well as common model complexity, both driven largely in part by advances in memory density and availability of clusters and multi-core processors. While the increase in computation time due to model complexity has been largely offset by the increased performance of modern workstations, the increase in model setup time due to model complexity has continued to rise. As such, the major time requirement for solving an engineering model has transitioned from computation time to problem setup time. This is due to the fact that developing the required mesh for complex geometry can be an extremely complicated and time consuming task. Consequently, new solution techniques which are capable of reducing the required amount of human interaction are desirable. The subject of this thesis is the development of a novel meshless method that promises to eliminate the need for structured meshes, and thus, the need for complicated meshing procedures. Although the savings gain due to eliminating the meshing process would be more than sufficient to warrant further study, the proposed method is also capable of reducing the computation time and memory footprint compared to similar models solved using more traditional finite element, finite difference, finite volume, or boundary element methods. In particular, this thesis will outline the development of an interactive, meshless, physically accurate modeling environment that provides an extensible framework which can be applied to a multitude of governing equations encountered in computational mechanics and thermofluids. Additionally, through the development of tailored preprocessing routines, efficiency and accuracy of the proposed meshless algorithms can be tested in a more realistic and flexible environment. Examples are provided in the areas of elasticity, heat transfer and computational fluid dynamics.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001913, ucf:47484
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001913

Title: EFFECTS OF REAL ESTATE CYCLES ON RESIDENTIAL AMENITY VALUES FOR WATER RESOURCES.
Creator: Hillard, Amy, Milon, Walter, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Little research has been conducted on the effects of housing price cycles on preferences for environmental landscape attributes over time (Cho, Kim, & Roberts, 2011). If the economic value of scarce resources like water resource amenities depends on consumer preferences, then it is useful to address possible effects of cyclical variation in the housing market on these values. This issue is addressed in the primary research question for this thesis: Did the 2007-2009 recession and consequent...
Show moreLittle research has been conducted on the effects of housing price cycles on preferences for environmental landscape attributes over time (Cho, Kim, & Roberts, 2011). If the economic value of scarce resources like water resource amenities depends on consumer preferences, then it is useful to address possible effects of cyclical variation in the housing market on these values. This issue is addressed in the primary research question for this thesis: Did the 2007-2009 recession and consequent real estate bust affect marginal willingness to pay for water resource amenities for properties in proximity to the lower St. Johns River (SJR) in Duval County, FL? Prior published studies on the most recent real estate cycle were used to evaluate the timing of housing market impacts during the most recent recession. Also, sales price and sales volume distributions for Duval County were evaluated to compare trends. Based on prior research and results, three separate hypotheses were generated and tested using the hedonic pricing method for residential properties in Duval County. The first hypothesis was that the recent recession impacted the implicit prices of water resource amenities for residential properties in proximity to the SJR. Two separate regression models were developed to test different recession periods (2007-2012 and 2008-2012) based on sample data. Time fixed effect binary variables were used to construct recession interaction effects with water related amenities (proximity to the SJR as well as tributary and riverfront properties). Results showed that during the recession period, sales prices for houses further away from the river experienced a greater negative impact than those closer to the river. This result is similar to research by Cohen, Coughlin, and Lopez (2012) who suggest that, higher priced or high tier residential houses (in this case, those closer to river) tend to hold their value more than low tier residential houses. Also, consistent with research by Bin, Czajkowski, Jingyuan, and Villarini (2015), sales prices for tributary and riverfront homes were not impacted by the recession. A second hypothesis was developed to test whether sales prices for houses in Duval County recovered to pre-recession levels. A regression model was constructed with a separate recession interaction effect variable for 2013-2015 and results indicated that the housing market did not make a full recovery from the recession. A final hypothesis was developed on the significance of interaction variables water quality indicator Chlorophyll-A and a recession effects binary variable. All water quality interaction variables introduced within the model were not significant at the 1% or 5% levels. Future research might include testing interactions with parcel land area and recession time effects and also examining other water quality indicators including Secchi Disk, dissolved oxygen, or turbidity. It may also be useful in the future to use an alternative method of measuring implicit prices of environmental characteristics, such as the repeat sales method.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFH0004890, ucf:45423
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004890

Title: EVALUATION OF COMPUTER-BASED SIMULATION FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION.
Creator: Gerardi, Nicole, Allred, Kelly, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Effective pain management is an elusive concept in the acute care setting. Improving nurses' knowledge about optimal pain management is one way to improve the patient's pain experience. A computer-simulation game was developed as an alternative method of teaching the subject of pain management to nursing students. In the game, two patient scenarios are presented, one male and one female. Both patients present with acute pain and request help from the nurse. The player progresses through a...
Show moreEffective pain management is an elusive concept in the acute care setting. Improving nurses' knowledge about optimal pain management is one way to improve the patient's pain experience. A computer-simulation game was developed as an alternative method of teaching the subject of pain management to nursing students. In the game, two patient scenarios are presented, one male and one female. Both patients present with acute pain and request help from the nurse. The player progresses through a series of nine questions as the scenarios unfold, each with one best or correct answer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the game's potential as a teaching method compared to traditional methods of teaching, such as a lecture. A total of 30 nursing students participated in the study. After playing through the game, each student was asked to complete a post-game survey consisting of 10 standard 5-point Likert scale items and five open-ended questions. The survey was used to evaluate the students' enjoyment of the game, educational benefits, preference compared to traditional teaching methods, and perceived potential to change nursing practice. Results of the survey show that the majority of nursing students enjoyed playing the game and found it captured their attention more than traditional teaching methods. Nine out of the ten Likert scale items received universal high scores. Nursing students were receptive to the computer-simulation game as a teaching method and found it preferable to traditional methods.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFH0004347, ucf:44981
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004347

Title: A HEDONIC ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF EXPERT WINE RATINGS ON PRICE AND RETAILER PROFITS.
Creator: Neill, Kaitlin, Caputo, Michael, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: During the last few decades, economists have become interested in the wine industry and several of them have focused on the determinants of price. One characteristic that has been identified as an important determinant is expert wine ratings. Much of the previous research on this topic has focused on relating expert grades to the retail price of wine. Using proprietary data, this paper will test whether these grades influence retail prices as well as retailer profits and wholesale pricing. By...
Show moreDuring the last few decades, economists have become interested in the wine industry and several of them have focused on the determinants of price. One characteristic that has been identified as an important determinant is expert wine ratings. Much of the previous research on this topic has focused on relating expert grades to the retail price of wine. Using proprietary data, this paper will test whether these grades influence retail prices as well as retailer profits and wholesale pricing. By analyzing an individual wholesale firm in South Florida and their distribution network, this paper determines the effect expert ratings have on these dependent variables. Empirical evidence confirms that expert ratings have a positive effect on wholesale and retail wine prices and that they exhibit a parallel influence on retailer profits. This thesis aims to contribute new information to aid both the end consumers purchasing decisions as well as busi-ness pricing strategies.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFH0004129, ucf:44879
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004129

Title: The Invisible Men: Analyzing the Virtual Subculture of England's Punters.
Creator: Christensen, Ashley, Huff-Corzine, Lin, Corzine, Harold, Reckdenwald, Amy, Bain, Andrew, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Research on prostitution has flourished over the last few decades with a new emphasis on the online sex market. To study the online market, researchers have utilized qualitative methods to investigate escort review websites. Coding for violent rhetoric and perceived intimacy are two conventional techniques that have been utilized using qualitative methods. Other areas investigated include the overall characteristics of sex buyers, price variation, and socialization of buyers. What has lacked...
Show moreResearch on prostitution has flourished over the last few decades with a new emphasis on the online sex market. To study the online market, researchers have utilized qualitative methods to investigate escort review websites. Coding for violent rhetoric and perceived intimacy are two conventional techniques that have been utilized using qualitative methods. Other areas investigated include the overall characteristics of sex buyers, price variation, and socialization of buyers. What has lacked in current literature has been the use of quantitative methods to study what factors influence the presence of positive reviews. To expand on limited existing literature utilizing quantitative methods, the current study used data from an escort review website titled Punternet.com for the years 2015 through 2017. Punternet is a public website where sex buyers (punters in the UK) can review sex workers and discuss aspects of sex buying culture in community forums. Factors that influence the presence of positive reviews were investigated including various sexual acts (oral, anal, vaginal, manual, group sex), session variables (length, cost, location, climax, condom usage, and intimacy), and a factor related to the type of sex worker (escort). Symbolic interactionism theory was used to explain the presence of intimacy within the reviews. The results from a binary logistic regression indicate that a variety of different factors are significant in regard to influencing the presence of positive reviews. For example, the odds that positive reviews occurred were increased when intimacy, or perceived intimacy, occurred throughout the sessions and whether at least one climax occurred. Future research in this area should continue to use quantitative methods to investigate what factors influence intimacy within the sessions, due to the high significance finding in the present research.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007614, ucf:52517
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007614

Title: A Place in the Pew: Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Individuals' Perceptions of Religious Traditions.
Creator: Barringer, Mandi, Gay, David, Jasinski, Jana, Corzine, Harold, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Research shows that sexual minorities have been criticized and rejected by nearly every major religious group in the United States. The cumulative alienation that sexual minorities experience from mainline religious groups may leave them feeling disillusioned and even hostile toward religious organizations which have historically rejected them. However, research to date has not explored sexual minorities' perceptions of religious collectives in the United States. The current study examines...
Show moreResearch shows that sexual minorities have been criticized and rejected by nearly every major religious group in the United States. The cumulative alienation that sexual minorities experience from mainline religious groups may leave them feeling disillusioned and even hostile toward religious organizations which have historically rejected them. However, research to date has not explored sexual minorities' perceptions of religious collectives in the United States. The current study examines the variations between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals regarding their religious beliefs and perceptions of religious collectives' attitudes toward the LGB and transgender (LGBT) population. Utilizing data from the 2013 Pew Research Center of LGBT adults, I conduct four separate binary logistic regression analyses examining evangelical Protestant churches', the Catholic Church's, the Jewish religion's, and mainline Protestant churches' acceptance of the LGBT population. The findings from this study offer rare insight from the perspectives of LGB individuals regarding four major religious collectives and illustrates that sexual minorities do indeed have a complex relationship with religious groups. Ultimately, the findings from this research demonstrate the importance of further examining sexual minorities' attitudes and interactions with religious collectives.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006718, ucf:51881
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006718

Title: The Effects of Assumption on Subspace Identification Methods Using Simulation and Experimental Data.
Creator: Kim, Yoonhwak, Yun, Hae-Bum, Catbas, Fikret, Mackie, Kevin, Nam, Boo Hyun, Behal, Aman, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In the modern dynamic engineering field, experimental dynamics is an important area of study. This area includes structural dynamics, structural control, and structural health monitoring. In experimental dynamics, methods to obtain measured data have seen a great influx of research efforts to develop an accurate and reliable experimental analysis result. A technical challenge is the procurement of informative data that exhibits the desired system information. In many cases, the number of...
Show moreIn the modern dynamic engineering field, experimental dynamics is an important area of study. This area includes structural dynamics, structural control, and structural health monitoring. In experimental dynamics, methods to obtain measured data have seen a great influx of research efforts to develop an accurate and reliable experimental analysis result. A technical challenge is the procurement of informative data that exhibits the desired system information. In many cases, the number of sensors is limited by cost and difficulty of data archive. Furthermore, some informative data has technical difficulty when measuring input force and, even if obtaining the desired data were possible, it could include a lot of noise in the measuring data. As a result, researchers have developed many analytical tools with limited informative data. Subspace identification method is used one of tools in these achievements.Subspace identification method includes three different approaches: Deterministic Subspace Identification (DSI), Stochastic Subspace Identification (SSI), and Deterministic-Stochastic Subspace Identification (DSSI). The subspace identification method is widely used for fast computational speed and its accuracy. Based on the given information, such as output only, input/output, and input/output with noises, DSI, SSI, and DSSI are differently applied under specific assumptions, which could affect the analytical results. The objective of this study is to observe the effect of assumptions on subspace identification with various data conditions. Firstly, an analytical simulation study is performed using a six-degree-of-freedom mass-damper-spring system which is created using MATLAB. Various conditions of excitation insert to the simulation test model, and its excitation and response are analyzed using the subspace identification method. For stochastic problems, artificial noise is contained to the excitation and followed the same steps. Through this simulation test, the effects of assumption on subspace identification are quantified.Once the effects of the assumptions are studied using the simulation model, the subspace identification method is applied to dynamic response data collected from large-scale 12-story buildings with different foundation types that are tested at Tongji University, Shanghai, China. Noise effects are verified using three different excitation types. Furthermore, using the DSSI, which has the most accurate result, the effect of different foundations on the superstructure are analyzed.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004703, ucf:49822
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004703

Title: Detecting Semantic Method Clones in Java Code using Method IOE-Behavior.
Creator: Elva, Rochelle, Leavens, Gary, Johnson, Mark, Orooji, Ali, Hughes, Charles, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The determination of semantic equivalence is an undecidable problem; however, this dissertation shows that a reasonable approximation can be obtained using a combination of static and dynamic analysis. This study investigates the detection of functional duplicates, referred to as semantic method clones (SMCs), in Java code. My algorithm extends the input-output notion of observable behavior, used in related work [1, 2], to include the effects of the method. The latter property refers to the...
Show moreThe determination of semantic equivalence is an undecidable problem; however, this dissertation shows that a reasonable approximation can be obtained using a combination of static and dynamic analysis. This study investigates the detection of functional duplicates, referred to as semantic method clones (SMCs), in Java code. My algorithm extends the input-output notion of observable behavior, used in related work [1, 2], to include the effects of the method. The latter property refers to the persistent changes to the heap, brought about by the execution of the method. To differentiate this from the typical input-output behavior used by other researchers, I have coined the term method IOE-Behavior; which means its input-output and effects behavior [3]. Two methods are defined as semantic method clones, if they have identical IOE-Behavior; that is, for the same inputs (actual parameters and initial heap state), they produce the same output (that is result- for non-void methods, and final heap state).The detection process consists of two static pre-filters used to identify candidate clone sets. This is followed by dynamic tests that actually run the candidate methods, to determine semantic equivalence. The first filter groups the methods by type. The second filter refines the output of the first, grouping methods by their effects. This algorithm is implemented in my tool JSCTracker, used to automate the SMC detection process. The algorithm and tool are validated using a case study comprising of 12 open source Java projects, from different application domains and ranging in size from 2 KLOC (thousand lines of code) to 300 KLOC. The objectives of the case study are posed as 4 research questions:1. Can method IOE-Behavior be used in SMC detection?2. What is the impact of the use of the pre-filters on the efficiency of the algorithm?3. How does the performance of method IOE-Behavior compare to using only input-output for identifying SMCs?4. How reliable are the results obtained when method IOE-Behavior is used in SMC detection? Responses to these questions are obtained by checking each software sample with JSCTracker and analyzing the results.The number of SMCs detected range from 0 45 with an average execution time of 8.5 seconds. The use of the two pre-filters reduces the number of methods that reach the dynamic test phase, by an average of 34%. The IOE-Behavior approach takes an average of 0.010 seconds per method while the input-output approach takes an average of 0.015 seconds. The former also identifies an average of 32% false positives, while the SMCs identified using input-output, have an average of 92% false positives. In terms of reliability, the IOE-Behavior method produces results with precision values of an average of 68% and recall value of 76% on average.These reliability values represent an improvement of over 37% (for precision) of the values in related work [4]. Thus, it is my conclusion that IOE-Behavior can be used to detect SMCs in Java code with reasonable reliability.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004835, ucf:49689
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004835

Title: AUTOMATED ADAPTIVE DATA CENTER GENERATION FOR MESHLESS METHODS.
Creator: Mitteff, Eric, Divo, Eduardo, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Meshless methods have recently received much attention but are yet to reach their full potential as the required problem setup (i.e. collocation point distribution) is still significant and far from automated. The distribution of points still closely resembles the nodes of finite volume-type meshes and the free parameter, c, of the radial-basis expansion functions (RBF) still must be tailored specifically to a problem. The localized meshless collocation method investigated requires a local...
Show moreMeshless methods have recently received much attention but are yet to reach their full potential as the required problem setup (i.e. collocation point distribution) is still significant and far from automated. The distribution of points still closely resembles the nodes of finite volume-type meshes and the free parameter, c, of the radial-basis expansion functions (RBF) still must be tailored specifically to a problem. The localized meshless collocation method investigated requires a local influence region, or topology, used as the expansion medium to produce the required field derivatives. Tests have shown a regular cartesian point distribution produces optimal results, however, in order to maintain a locally cartesian point distribution a recursive quadtree scheme is herein proposed. The quadtree method allows modeling of irregular geometries and refinement of regions of interest and it lends itself for full automation, thus, reducing problem setup efforts. Furthermore, the construction of the localized expansion regions is closely tied up to the point distribution process and, hence, incorporated into the automated sequence. This also allows for the optimization of the RBF free parameter on a local basis to achieve a desired level of accuracy in the expansion. In addition, an optimized auto-segmentation process is adopted to distribute and balance the problem loads throughout a parallel computational environment while minimizing communication requirements.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001321, ucf:47032
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001321

Title: THE CHORUS: A LINE TO CROSS.
Creator: Santiago, Marco, Huaixiang, Tan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: ABSTRACT This thesis project will provide an in depth examination into the musical theater role of Paul, the male Puerto Rican dancer in A Chorus Line, as performed by Marco Antonio Santiago. The performance will take place at Cohoes Musical Theater in Albany, New York. This examination will reveal how the application of Stanislavski's methods on acting and his views in preparing a character can be used on musical theatre roles to achieve well rounded, fully developed and completely...
Show moreABSTRACT This thesis project will provide an in depth examination into the musical theater role of Paul, the male Puerto Rican dancer in A Chorus Line, as performed by Marco Antonio Santiago. The performance will take place at Cohoes Musical Theater in Albany, New York. This examination will reveal how the application of Stanislavski's methods on acting and his views in preparing a character can be used on musical theatre roles to achieve well rounded, fully developed and completely believable characters. The thesis will contain a structural analysis of the script, scene and role analysis, a performance journal to log the growth/challenges of each role, and other vital information charting the application of Stanislavski's methods on acting. In addition to Stanislavski's methods other well known acting teachers and their methods such as Richard Boleslavski and Sanford Meisner, will be viewed and applied throughout the process. Furthermore, a performance critique/analysis will be provided by Lani Harris, Tan Huaixiang, and Nicholas Wuehrmann, who serve as the acting committee members for this thesis project. The role of Paul helps propel the action of the play forward allowing the audience to truly realize the themes provided by the playwright, lyricist, and composer. This thesis project will reveal that an actor's training can be applied in almost any venue of theatre in some form or fashion and successfully make a well-rounded character.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001415, ucf:47035
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001415

Title: QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS.
Creator: Loerzel, Victoria, Meneses, Karen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Quality of life (QoL) in cancer survivors is an important area of research. While data are available about QoL and breast cancer, there is a paucity of research regarding older breast cancer survivors. The purpose of this research was to examine QoL in older women with early stage breast cancer, within the first year of post-treatment survivorship. The specific aims of this study were to: 1) Describe the changes in overall QoL and the four QoL domains of Physical, Psychological, Social, and...
Show moreQuality of life (QoL) in cancer survivors is an important area of research. While data are available about QoL and breast cancer, there is a paucity of research regarding older breast cancer survivors. The purpose of this research was to examine QoL in older women with early stage breast cancer, within the first year of post-treatment survivorship. The specific aims of this study were to: 1) Describe the changes in overall QoL and the four QoL domains of Physical, Psychological, Social, and Spiritual well-being; 2) Examine the effects of a psychoeducational support intervention on QoL outcomes in older women; and 3) Describe nurses' perceptions of their interactions with older breast cancer survivors. A descriptive, longitudinal design was used to answer the research questions. Data for this study were drawn from the Breast Cancer Education Intervention (BCEI), a longitudinal psychoeducational support intervention for women with early stage breast cancer. Fifty women from the BCEI who were 65 years of age and older were included in this sample, of whom 24 were assigned to the Experimental (EX) Group and 26 were assigned to the Wait Control (WC) Group. Data were collected at three time points: baseline, three months, and six months after study entry. Measurement tools included the BCEI Demographics Form, the Quality of Life-Breast Cancer Survey (QoL-BC), and field notes of the BCEI Research Nurses. The QoL-BC survey is a 50-item scale that measures QoL in women with breast cancer. Descriptive statistics, Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) methods and t-tests were used to answer research questions #1 and #2. Content analysis was used to answer research question #3. Subjects reported good overall QoL at baseline, but QoL declined over six months. Physical and Psychological well-being declined from baseline to six months later. Social well-being initially improved from baseline to three months but declined at six months. Spiritual well-being initially declined at three months and improved at six months. There was insufficient power to detect a difference in the effects of the BCEI Intervention between the two groups. However, the decline in overall QoL was less in the EX Group. Field notes focusing on nurses' perception of their interactions with older women revealed four themes. These themes include: continuing breast-related health, personal health issues, family health issues, and potential stressors. Results from this study suggest that: 1) changes in overall QoL and within the four QoL domains occur over time; 2) decline in overall QoL was lessened by the BCEI Intervention; and 3) concerns after treatment are both breast cancer and non-breast cancer related. Study findings can direct future research in the following areas: 1) identification of specific concerns within each QoL domain that could lead to an increase or decrease in well-being in older breast cancer survivors; 2) interventions tailored to the needs of older breast cancer survivors to maintain, improve, or lessen decline in QoL after treatment; and 3) reconceptualizing QoL in older breast cancer survivors to include non-cancer related factors.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001720, ucf:47298
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001720

Title: AN EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ADOMIAN DECOMPOSITION METHOD IN FLUID DYNAMIC APPLICATIONS.
Creator: Holmquist, Sonia, Mohapatra, Ram, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Since its introduction in the 1980's, the Adomian Decomposition Method (ADM) has proven to be an efficient and reliable method for solving many types of problems. Originally developed to solve nonlinear functional equations, the ADM has since been used for a wide range of equation types (like boundary value problems, integral equations, equations arising in flow of incompressible and compressible fluids etc...). This work is devoted to an evaluation of the effectiveness of this method...
Show moreSince its introduction in the 1980's, the Adomian Decomposition Method (ADM) has proven to be an efficient and reliable method for solving many types of problems. Originally developed to solve nonlinear functional equations, the ADM has since been used for a wide range of equation types (like boundary value problems, integral equations, equations arising in flow of incompressible and compressible fluids etc...). This work is devoted to an evaluation of the effectiveness of this method when used for fluid dynamic applications. In particular, the ADM has been applied to the Blasius equation, the Falkner-Skan equation, and the Orr-Sommerfeld equation. This study is divided into five Chapters and an Appendix. The first chapter is devoted to an introduction of the Adomian Decomposition method (ADM) with simple illustrations. The Second Chapter is devoted to the application of the ADM to generalized Blasius Equation and our result is compared to other published results when the parameter values are appropriately set. Chapter 3 presents the solution generated for the Falkner-Skan equation. Finally, the Orr-Sommerfeld equation is dealt with in the fourth Chapter. Chapter 5 is devoted to the findings and recommendations based on this study. The Appendix contains details of the solutions considered as well as an alternate solution for the generalized Blasius Equation using Bender's delta-perturbation method.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001735, ucf:47318
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001735

Title: MODELING OF LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY AND PHOTONIC DEVICES.
Creator: Ge, Zhibing, Wu, Shin-Tson, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Liquid crystal (LC) materials have been widely applied in electro-optical devices, among which display is the most successful playground and numerous new applications in photonic areas (such as laser beam steering devices) are also emerging. To well guide the device design for optimum performance, accurate modeling is of prior and practical importance. Generally, the modeling of LC devices includes two parts in sequence: accurate LC molecule deformation extraction under external electric...
Show moreLiquid crystal (LC) materials have been widely applied in electro-optical devices, among which display is the most successful playground and numerous new applications in photonic areas (such as laser beam steering devices) are also emerging. To well guide the device design for optimum performance, accurate modeling is of prior and practical importance. Generally, the modeling of LC devices includes two parts in sequence: accurate LC molecule deformation extraction under external electric fields and optical calculation thereafter for the corresponding electro-optical behaviors. In this dissertation, first, hybrid finite element method and finite difference method are developed to minimize the free energy of the LC systems. In this part of study, with computer-aided derivation, the full forms of the LC free energy equations without any simplification can be obtained. Besides, Galerkin's method and weak form technique are further introduced to successfully degrade the high order nonlinear derivative terms associated with the free energy equations into ones that can be treated by first order interpolation functions for high accuracy. The developed modeling methods for LC deformation are further employed to study display structures, such as 2D and 3D in-plane switching LC cells, and provides accurate results. Followed is the optical modeling using extended Jones matrix and beam propagation method to calculate the electro-optical performances of different devices, according to their amplitude modulation property or diffractive one. The developed methods are further taken to assist the understanding, development, and optimization of the display and photonic devices. For their application in the display area, sunlight readable transflective LCDs for mobile devices and the related optical films for wide viewing angle are developed and studied. New cell structure using vertically aligned liquid crystal mode is developed and studied to obtain a single cell gap, high light efficiency transflective LCD that can be driven by one gray scale control circuit for both transmissive and reflective modes. And employing an internal wire grid polarizer into a fringe field switching cell produces a single cell gap and wide viewing angle display with workable reflective mode under merely two linear polarizers. To solve the limited viewing angle of conventional circular polarizers, Poincaré sphere as an effective tool is taken to trace and understand the polarization change of the incident light throughout the whole LC system. This study further guides the design of high performance circular polarizers that can consist of purely uniaxial plates or a combination of uniaxial and biaxial plates. The developed circular polarizers greatly enhance the viewing angle of transflective LCDs. Especially, the circular polarizer design using a biaxial film can even provide comparable wide viewing angle performance for the same vertically aligned cell as it is used between merely two linear polarizers, while using circular polarizers can greatly boost the display brightness. As for the beam steering device modeling, the developed LC deformation method is taken to accurately calculate the associated LC director distribution in the spatial light modulator, while beam propagation method and Fourier transformation technique are combined to calculate the near and far fields from such devices. The modeling helps to better understand the origins and formations of the disclinations associated with the fringe fields, which further result in reduced steering efficiency and output asymmetric polarizations between positive and negative diffractions. Optimization in both voltage profile and driving methods is conducted to well tune the LC deformation under strong fringe fields and improve the light efficiency.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001908, ucf:47481
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001908

Title: A HIGH-RESOLUTION STORM SURGE MODEL FOR THE PASCAGOULA REGION, MISSISSIPPI.
Creator: Takahashi, Naeko, Hagen, Scott, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The city of Pascagoula and its coastal areas along the United States Gulf Coast have experienced many catastrophic hurricanes and were devastated by high storm surges caused by Hurricane Katrina (August 23 to 30, 2005). The National Hurricane Center reported high water marks exceeding 6 meters near the port of Pascagoula with a near 10-meter high water mark recorded near the Hurricane Katrina landfall location in Waveland, MS. Although the Pascagoula River is located 105 km east of the...
Show moreThe city of Pascagoula and its coastal areas along the United States Gulf Coast have experienced many catastrophic hurricanes and were devastated by high storm surges caused by Hurricane Katrina (August 23 to 30, 2005). The National Hurricane Center reported high water marks exceeding 6 meters near the port of Pascagoula with a near 10-meter high water mark recorded near the Hurricane Katrina landfall location in Waveland, MS. Although the Pascagoula River is located 105 km east of the landfall location of Hurricane Katrina, the area was devastated by storm surge-induced inundation because of its low elevation. Building on a preliminary finite element mesh for the Pascagoula River, the work presented herein is aimed at incorporating the marsh areas lying adjacent to the Lower Pascagoula and Escatawpa Rivers for the purpose of simulating the inland inundation which occurred during Hurricane Katrina. ADCIRC-2DDI (ADvanced CIRCulation Model for Shelves, Coasts and Estuaries, Two-Dimensional Depth Integrated) is employed as the hydrodynamic circulation code. The simulations performed in this study apply high-resolution winds and pressures over the 7-day period associated with Hurricane Katrina. The high resolution of the meteorological inputs to the problem coupled with the highly detailed description of the adjacent inundation areas will provide an appropriate modeling tool for studying storm surge dynamics within the Pascagoula River. All simulation results discussed herein are directed towards providing for a full accounting of the hydrodynamics within the Pascagoula River in support of ongoing flood/river forecasting efforts. In order to better understand the hydrodynamics within the Pascagoula River when driven by an extreme storm surge event, the following tasks were completed as a part of this study: 1) Develop an inlet-based floodplain DEM (Digital Elevation Model) for the Pascagoula River. The model employs topography up to the 1.5-meter contour extracted from the Southern Louisiana Gulf Coast Mesh (SL15 Mesh) developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 2) Incorporate the inlet-based floodplain model into the Western North Atlantic Tidal (WNAT) model domain, which consists of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the entire portion of the North Atlantic Ocean found west of the 60 degree West meridian, in order to more fully account for the storm surge dynamics occurring within the Pascagoula River. This large-scale modeling approach will utilize high-resolution wind and pressure fields associated with Hurricane Katrina, so that storm surge hydrographs (elevation variance) at the open-ocean boundary locations associated with the localized domain can be adequately obtained. 3) Understand the importance of the various meteorological forcings that are attributable to the storm surge dynamics that are setup within the Pascagoula River. Different implementations of the two model domains (large-scale, including the WNAT model domain; localized, with its focus concentrated solely on the Pascagoula River) will involve the application of tides, storm surge hydrographs and meteorological forcing (winds and pressures) in isolation (i.e., as the single forcing mechanism) and collectively (i.e., together in combination). The following conclusions are drawn from the research presented in this thesis: 1) Incorporating the marsh areas into the preliminary in-bank mesh provides for significant improvement in the astronomic tide simulation; 2) the large-scale modeling approach (i.e., the localized floodplain mesh incorporated into the WNAT model domain) is shown to be most adequate towards simulating storm surge dynamics within the Pascagoula River. Further, we demonstrate the utility of the large-scale model domain towards providing storm surge hydrographs for the open-ocean boundary of the localized domain. Only when the localized domain is forced with the storm surge hydrograph (generated by the large-scale model domain) does it most adequately capture the full behavior of the storm surge. Finally, we discover that while the floodplain description up to the 1.5-m contour greatly improves the model response by allowing for the overtopping of the river banks, a true recreation of the water levels caused by Hurricane Katrina will require a floodplain description up to the 5-m contour.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002476, ucf:47719
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002476

Title: PERFORMANCE OF INTERFACE ELEMENTS IN THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD.
Creator: Rabadi, Kairas, Nicholson, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The objective of this research is to assess the performance of interface elements in the finite element method. Interface elements are implemented in the finite element codes such as MSC.NASTRAN, which is used in this study. Interface elements in MSC.NASTRAN provide a tool to transition between a shell-meshed region to another shell-meshed region as well as from a shell-meshed region to a solid-meshed region. Often, in practice shell elements are layered on shell elements or on solid elements...
Show moreThe objective of this research is to assess the performance of interface elements in the finite element method. Interface elements are implemented in the finite element codes such as MSC.NASTRAN, which is used in this study. Interface elements in MSC.NASTRAN provide a tool to transition between a shell-meshed region to another shell-meshed region as well as from a shell-meshed region to a solid-meshed region. Often, in practice shell elements are layered on shell elements or on solid elements without the use of interface elements. This is potentially inaccurate arising in mismatched degrees of freedom. In the case of a shell-to-shell interface, we consider the case in which the two regions have mismatched nodes along the boundary. Interface elements are used to connect these mismatched nodes. The interface elements are especially useful in global/local analysis, where a region with a dense mesh interfaces to a region with a less dense mesh. Interface elements are used to help avoid using special transition elements between two meshed regions. This is desirable since the transition elements can be severely distorted and cause poor results. Accurate results are obtained in shell-shell and shell-solid combinations. The most interesting result is that not using interface elements can lead to severe inaccuracies. This difficulty is illustrated by computing the stress concentration of a sharp elliptical hole.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: CFE0000291, ucf:46209
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000291

Title: A framework for prioritizing opportunities of improvement in the context of business excellence model in healthcare organization.
Creator: Aldarmaki, Alia, Elshennawy, Ahmad, Lee, Gene, Rabelo, Luis, Darwish, Mohammed, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In today's world, the healthcare sector is facing challenges to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations. More and more improvement projects are being adopted to enhance healthcare services, making it more patient-centric, and enabling better cost control. Healthcare organizations strive to identify and carry out such improvement initiatives to sustain their businesses and gain competitive advantage. Seeking to reach a higher operational level of excellence, healthcare...
Show moreIn today's world, the healthcare sector is facing challenges to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations. More and more improvement projects are being adopted to enhance healthcare services, making it more patient-centric, and enabling better cost control. Healthcare organizations strive to identify and carry out such improvement initiatives to sustain their businesses and gain competitive advantage. Seeking to reach a higher operational level of excellence, healthcare organizations utilize business excellence criteria to conduct assessment and identify organizational strengths and weaknesses. However, while such assessments routinely identify numerous areas for potential improvement, it is not feasible to conduct all improvement projects simultaneously due to limitations in time, capital, and personnel, as well as conflict with other organization's projects or strategic objectives. An effective prioritization and selection approach is valuable in that it can assist the organization to optimize its available resources and outcomes. This study attempts to enable such an approach by developing a framework to prioritize improvement opportunities in healthcare in the context of the business excellence model through the integration of the Fuzzy Delphi Method and Fuzzy Interface System. To carry out the evaluation process, the framework consists of two phases. The first phase utilizes Fuzzy Delphi Method to identify the most significant factors that should be considered in healthcare for electing the improvement projects. The FDM is employed to handle the subjectivity of human assessment. The research identifies potential factors for evaluating projects, then utilizes FDM to capture expertise knowledge. The first round in FDM is intended to validate the identified list of factors from experts; which includes collecting additional factors from experts that the literature might have overlooked. When an acceptable level of consensus has been reached, a second round is conducted to obtain experts' and other related stakeholders' opinions on the appropriate weight of each factor's importance. Finally, FDM analyses eliminate or retain the criteria to produce a final list of critical factors to select improvement projects. The second phase in the framework attempts to prioritize improvement initiatives using the Hierarchical Fuzzy Interface System. The Fuzzy Interface System combines the experts' ratings for each improvement opportunity with respect to the factors deemed critical to compute the priority index. In the process of calculating the priority index, the framework allows the estimation of other intermediate indices including: social, financial impact, strategical, operational feasibility, and managerial indices. These indices bring an insight into the improvement opportunities with respect to each framework's dimensions. The framework allows for a reduction of the bias in the assessment by developing a knowledge based on the perspectives of multiple experts.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007304, ucf:52158
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007304

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