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Pages
- Title
- Destination Image and Tourist's Imagination: The Forgotten Component.
- Creator
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Khalilzadeh, Jalayer, Pizam, Abraham, Fyall, Alan, Tasci, Asli, Hancock, Peter, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The objectives of this dissertation was to 1) develop a comprehensive scale to measure visitors' imagination, 2) investigate the structural relationship between imagination and tourism destination image (TDI) components of cognitive, affective, and conative, 3) compare and contrast the various qualities of vividness, richness, saliency, control, and spatial between imagination and prospection, and 4) study the impact of different information sources on the evolving process of prospection to...
Show moreThe objectives of this dissertation was to 1) develop a comprehensive scale to measure visitors' imagination, 2) investigate the structural relationship between imagination and tourism destination image (TDI) components of cognitive, affective, and conative, 3) compare and contrast the various qualities of vividness, richness, saliency, control, and spatial between imagination and prospection, and 4) study the impact of different information sources on the evolving process of prospection to imagination. By conducting four different studies and seven data collection phases, the imagination scale was developed, validated, and utilized to test the proposed structural and differential hypotheses. In study 1, the phenomenology approach was employed and through a series of interviews, the internal experience of the imagination process was extracted. In study 2, which is composed of two focus groups, the potential manifest variables to measure imagination/prospection were developed and the structure of the questionnaire was designed. In study 3, through 3 data collection phases, two versions of long and short imagination scale questionnaire were validated and the structural relationships between imagination and destination image was investigated. In the final study, utilizing experimental design, hypotheses related to five qualities of imagination were compared to those of prospection. Finally, by adopting an exploratory approach, the impact of different information sources on imagination was investigated. The results of this dissertation indicated that the imagination scale is a reliable and valid scale to be used in various hospitality and tourism consumption contexts. It shows a high discriminant validity with TDI and structurally moderates the inter-relationships of the TDI components. In addition, findings of this dissertation support the theoretical discussions on the differences between imagination and prospection. Finally, the results revealed significant distinctions among image, video, and textual information sources regarding their impact on the quality of the mental image.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007207, ucf:52279
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007207
- Title
- Development of a Single Sensor Approach for Capturing Three-Dimensional, Time Resolved Flame and Velocity Information.
- Creator
-
Reyes, Jonathan, Ahmed, Kareem, Kassab, Alain, Kapat, Jayanta, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Performing non-intrusive measurements is the key to acquiring accurate information representative of what is being observed. The act of measuring often changes the environment being observed altering the information that is being obtained. Due to this, the community of fluid scientists have gravitated towards using laser-based measurements to observe the phenomena occurring in their experiments. The study of fluids has advanced since this point, utilizing techniques such as planar laser...
Show morePerforming non-intrusive measurements is the key to acquiring accurate information representative of what is being observed. The act of measuring often changes the environment being observed altering the information that is being obtained. Due to this, the community of fluid scientists have gravitated towards using laser-based measurements to observe the phenomena occurring in their experiments. The study of fluids has advanced since this point, utilizing techniques such as planar laser induced florescence (PLIF), particle image velocimetry (PIV), laser doppler velocimetry (LDV), particle doppler anemometry (PDA), etc. to acquire chemical species information and velocity information. These techniques, though, are inherently two-dimensional and cannot fully describe a flow field. In the area of reacting flow fields (combustion) acquiring the local fuel to air ratio information is increasingly important. Without it, scientist must rely on global one-dimensional metering techniques to correlate the fuel to air ratio of their flow field of interest. By knowing the fuel to air ratio locally and spatially across a flame, the location of products and reactants can be deduced, giving insight into any inefficiencies associated with a burner. Knowing the spatial fuel air field also gives insights into the density gradient associated with the flow field. Discussed in this work will be the development of a non-intrusive local fuel-air measurement technique and an expansion of the PIV technique into the third dimension, tomographic PIV, utilizing only one camera to do so for each measurement. The local fuel-air measurement is performed by recording two species (C2* and CH*) simultaneously and calibrating their ratio to the known fuel-air field. Tomographic PIV is performed by utilizing fiber coupling to acquire multiple viewpoints utilizing a single camera.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007523, ucf:52602
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007523
- Title
- DEVELOPMENT OF OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY FOR TISSUE DIAGNOSTICS.
- Creator
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Meemon, Panomsak, Rolland, Jannick, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Microvasculature can be found in almost every part of the human body, including the internal organs. Importantly, abnormal changes in microvasculature are usually related to pathological development of the tissue cells. Monitoring of changes in blood flow properties in microvasculature, therefore, provides useful diagnostic information about pathological conditions in biological tissues as exemplified in glaucoma, diabetes, age related macular degeneration, port wine stains, burn-depth, and...
Show moreMicrovasculature can be found in almost every part of the human body, including the internal organs. Importantly, abnormal changes in microvasculature are usually related to pathological development of the tissue cells. Monitoring of changes in blood flow properties in microvasculature, therefore, provides useful diagnostic information about pathological conditions in biological tissues as exemplified in glaucoma, diabetes, age related macular degeneration, port wine stains, burn-depth, and potentially skin cancer. However, the capillary network is typically only one cell in wall thickness with 5 to 10 microns in diameter and located in the dermis region of skin. Therefore, a non-invasive flow imaging technique that is capable of depth sectioning at high resolution and high speed is demanded. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), particularly after its advancement in frequency domain OCT (FD-OCT), is a promising tool for non-invasive high speed, high resolution, and high sensitivity depth-resolved imaging of biological tissues. Over the last ten years, numerous efforts have been paid to develop OCT-based flow imaging techniques. An important effort is the development of phase-resolved Doppler OCT (PR-DOCT). Phase-resolved Doppler imaging using FD-OCT is particularly of interest because of the direct access to the phase information of the depth profile signal. Furthermore, the high speed capability of FD-OCT is promising for real time flow monitoring as well as 3D flow segmentation applications. However, several challenges need to be addressed; 1) Flow in biological samples exhibits a wide dynamic range of flow velocity caused by, for example, the variation in the flow angles, flow diameters, and functionalities. However, the improvement in imaging speed of FD-OCT comes at the expense of a reduction in sensitivity to slow flow information and hence a reduction in detectable velocity range; 2) A structural ambiguity so-called 'mirror image' in FD-OCT prohibits the use of maximum sensitivity and imaging depth range; 3) The requirement of high lateral resolution to resolve capillary vessels requires the use of an imaging optics with high numerical aperture (NA) that leads to a reduction in depth of focus (DOF) and hence the imaging depth range (i.e. less than 100 microns) unless dynamic focusing is performed. Nevertheless, intrinsic to the mechanism of FD-OCT, dynamic focusing is not possible. In this dissertation, the implementation of PR-DOCT in a high speed swept-source based FD-OCT is investigated and optimized. An acquisition scheme as well as a processing algorithm that effectively extends the detectable velocity dynamic range of the PR-DOCT is presented. The proposed technique increased the overall detectable velocity dynamic range of PR-DOCT by about five times of that achieved by the conventional method. Furthermore, a novel technique of mirror image removal called ÂÂ'Dual-Detection FD-OCTÂÂ' (DD-FD-OCT) is presented. One of the advantages of DD-FD-OCT to Doppler imaging is that the full-range signal is achieved without manipulation of the phase relation between consecutive axial lines. Hence the full-range DD-FD-OCT is fully applicable to phase-resolved Doppler detection without a reduction in detectable velocity dynamic range as normally encountered in other full-range techniques. In addition, PR- DOCT can utilize the maximum signal-to-noise ratio provided by the full-range capability. This capability is particularly useful for imaging of blood flow that locates deep below the sample surface, such as blood flow at deep posterior human eye and blood vessels network in the dermis region of human skin. Beside high speed and functional imaging capability, another key parameter that will open path for optical diagnostics using OCT technology is high resolution imaging (i.e. in a regime of a few microns or sub-micron). Even though the lateral resolution of OCT can be independently improved by opening the NA of the imaging optics, the high lateral resolution is maintained only over a short range as limited by the depth of focus that varies inversely and quadratically with NA. Recently developed by our group, ÂÂ'Gabor-Domain Optical Coherence MicroscopyÂÂ' (GD-OCM) is a novel imaging technique capable for invariant resolution of about 2-3 microns over a 2 mm cubic field-of-view. This dissertation details the imaging protocol as well as the automatic data fusion method of GD-OCM developed to render an in-focus high-resolution image throughout the imaging depth of the sample in real time. For the application of absolute flow measurement as an example, the precise information about flow angle is required. GD-OCM provides more precise interpretation of the tissue structures over a large field-of-view, which is necessary for accurate mapping of the flow structure and hence is promising for diagnostic applications particularly when combined with Doppler imaging. Potentially, the ability to perform high resolution OCT imaging inside the human body is useful for many diagnostic applications, such as providing an accurate map for biopsy, guiding surgical and other treatments, monitoring the functional state and/or the post-operative recovery process of internal organs, plaque detection in arteries, and early detection of cancers in the gastrointestinal tract. Endoscopic OCT utilizes a special miniature probe in the sample arm to access tubular organs inside the human body, such as the cardiovascular system, the lung, the gastrointestinal tract, the urinary tract, and the breast duct. We present an optical design of a dynamic focus endoscopic probe that is capable of about 4 to 6 microns lateral resolution over a large working distance (i.e. up to 5 mm from the distal end of the probe). The dynamic focus capability allows integration of the endoscopic probe to GD-OCM imaging to achieve high resolution endoscopic tomograms. We envision the future of this developing technology as a solution to high resolution, minimally invasive, depth-resolved imaging of not only structure but also the microvasculature of in vivo biological tissues that will be useful for many clinical applications, such as dermatology, ophthalmology, endoscopy, and cardiology. The technology is also useful for animal study applications, such as the monitoring of an embryoÂÂ's heart for the development of animal models and monitoring of changes in blood circulation in response to external stimulus in small animal brains.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003442, ucf:48392
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003442
- Title
- GABOR DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE MICROSCOPY.
- Creator
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Murali, Supraja, Rolland, Jannick, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Time domain Optical Coherence Tomography (TD-OCT), first reported in 1991, makes use of the low temporal coherence properties of a NIR broadband laser to create depth sectioning of up to 2mm under the surface using optical interferometry and point to point scanning. Prior and ongoing work in OCT in the research community has concentrated on improving axial resolution through the development of broadband sources and speed of image acquisition through new techniques such as Spectral domain OCT ...
Show moreTime domain Optical Coherence Tomography (TD-OCT), first reported in 1991, makes use of the low temporal coherence properties of a NIR broadband laser to create depth sectioning of up to 2mm under the surface using optical interferometry and point to point scanning. Prior and ongoing work in OCT in the research community has concentrated on improving axial resolution through the development of broadband sources and speed of image acquisition through new techniques such as Spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT). In SD-OCT, an entire depth scan is acquired at once with a low numerical aperture (NA) objective lens focused at a fixed point within the sample. In this imaging geometry, a longer depth of focus is achieved at the expense of lateral resolution, which is typically limited to 10 to 20 µm. Optical Coherence Microscopy (OCM), introduced in 1994, combined the advantages of high axial resolution obtained in OCT with high lateral resolution obtained by increasing the NA of the microscope placed in the sample arm. However, OCM presented trade-offs caused by the inverse quadratic relationship between the NA and the DOF of the optics used. For applications requiring high lateral resolution, such as cancer diagnostics, several solutions have been proposed including the periodic manual re-focusing of the objective lens in the time domain as well as the spectral domain C-mode configuration in order to overcome the loss in lateral resolution outside the DOF. In this research, we report for the first time, high speed, sub-cellular imaging (lateral resolution of 2 µm) in OCM using a Gabor domain image processing algorithm with a custom designed and fabricated dynamic focus microscope interfaced to a Ti:Sa femtosecond laser centered at 800 nm within an SD-OCM configuration. It is envisioned that this technology will provide a non-invasive replacement for the current practice of multiple biopsies for skin cancer diagnosis. The research reported here presents three important advances to this technology all of which have been demonstrated in full functional hardware conceived and built during the course of this research. First, it has been demonstrated that the coherence gate created by the femtosecond laser can be coupled into a scanning optical microscope using optical design methods to include liquid lens technology that enables scanning below the surface of skin with no moving parts and at high resolution throughout a 2×2×2 mm imaging cube. Second, the integration the variable-focus liquid lens technology within a fixed-optics microscope custom optical design helped increase the working NA by an order of magnitude over the limitation imposed by the liquid lens alone. Thus, this design has enabled homogenous axial and lateral resolution at the micron-level (i.e., 2 µm) while imaging in the spectral domain, and still maintaining in vivo speeds. The latest images in biological specimens clearly demonstrate sub-cellular resolution in all dimensions throughout the imaging volume. Third, this new modality for data collection has been integrated with an automated Gabor domain image registration and fusion algorithm to provide full resolution images across the data cube in real-time. We refer to this overall OCM method as Gabor domain OCM (GD-OCM). These advantages place GD-OCM in a unique position with respect to the diagnosis of cancer, because when fully developed, it promises to enable fast and accurate screening for early symptoms that could lead to prevention. The next step for this technology is to apply it directly, in a clinical environment. This step is underway and is expected to be reported by the next generation of researchers within this group.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002771, ucf:48137
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002771
- Title
- SEXUAL CONTENT IN MUSIC'S RELATIONSHIP WITH CONSUMERS' BODY IMAGE, SEXUALIZATION AND OBJECTIFICATION.
- Creator
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Gilbert, Marika, Wright, Chrysalis, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The current study examined the relationship between sexual content in popular pop, rap, and R&B music videos and female consumers' body image, self-objectification, the objectification of other women, and self-esteem. The current study had two main hypotheses: (1) exposure to sexual content in music videos would be negatively correlated with women's body image, self-objectification, and the objectification of other women and (2) Women's body image and self-objectification would mediate the...
Show moreThe current study examined the relationship between sexual content in popular pop, rap, and R&B music videos and female consumers' body image, self-objectification, the objectification of other women, and self-esteem. The current study had two main hypotheses: (1) exposure to sexual content in music videos would be negatively correlated with women's body image, self-objectification, and the objectification of other women and (2) Women's body image and self-objectification would mediate the relationship between exposure to sexual content in music videos and self-esteem. Participants included 308 female college students who answered questions related to the study aims online. Exposure to sexual content in music videos was estimated by the use of self-report viewing habits and content analysis using the frequency method of popular songs performed by artists highly rated by participants. Results indicated that there was a negative association between exposure to sexual content in R&B music videos and participants' objectification of other women as well as exposure to sexual content in rap music videos was associated with negative body image. Results also indicated that exposure to sexual content in rap music videos was related to increased self-objectification, which, in turn was related to decreased self-esteem among participants. Negative body image was also found to be related to decreased self-esteem among participants.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFH2000130, ucf:45950
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000130
- Title
- FAST ALGORITHMS FOR FRAGMENT BASED COMPLETION IN IMAGES OF NATURAL SCENES.
- Creator
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Borikar, Siddharth Rajkumar, Pattanaik, Dr.Sumanta, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Textures are used widely in computer graphics to represent fine visual details and produce realistic looking images. Often it is necessary to remove some foreground object from the scene. Removal of the portion creates one or more holes in the texture image. These holes need to be filled to complete the image. Various methods like clone brush strokes and compositing processes are used to carry out this completion. User skill is required in such methods. Texture synthesis can also be used to...
Show moreTextures are used widely in computer graphics to represent fine visual details and produce realistic looking images. Often it is necessary to remove some foreground object from the scene. Removal of the portion creates one or more holes in the texture image. These holes need to be filled to complete the image. Various methods like clone brush strokes and compositing processes are used to carry out this completion. User skill is required in such methods. Texture synthesis can also be used to complete regions where the texture is stationary or structured. Reconstructing methods can be used to fill in large-scale missing regions by interpolation. Inpainting is suitable for relatively small, smooth and non-textured regions. A number of other approaches focus on the edge and contour completion aspect of the problem. In this thesis we present a novel approach for addressing this image completion problem.Our approach focuses on image based completion, with no knowledge of the underlying scene. In natural images there is a strong horizontal orientation of texture/color distribution. We exploit this fact in our proposed algorithm to fill in missing regions from natural images. We follow the principle of figural familiarity and use the image as our training set to complete the image.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000053, ucf:46078
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000053
- Title
- HYBRID AND HIERARCHICAL IMAGE REGISTRATION TECHNIQUES.
- Creator
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Xu, Dongjiang, Kasparis, Takis, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
A large number of image registration techniques have been developed for various types of sensors and applications, with the aim to improve the accuracy, computational complexity, generality, and robustness. They can be broadly classified into two categories: intensity-based and feature-based methods. The primary drawback of the intensity-based approaches is that it may fail unless the two images are misaligned by a moderate difference in scale, rotation, and translation. In addition,...
Show moreA large number of image registration techniques have been developed for various types of sensors and applications, with the aim to improve the accuracy, computational complexity, generality, and robustness. They can be broadly classified into two categories: intensity-based and feature-based methods. The primary drawback of the intensity-based approaches is that it may fail unless the two images are misaligned by a moderate difference in scale, rotation, and translation. In addition, intensity-based methods lack the robustness in the presence of non-spatial distortions due to different imaging conditions between images. In this dissertation, the image registration is formulated as a two-stage hybrid approach combining both an initial matching and a final matching in a coarse-to-fine manner. In the proposed hybrid framework, the initial matching algorithm is applied at the coarsest scale of images, where the approximate transformation parameters could be first estimated. Subsequently, the robust gradient-based estimation algorithm is incorporated into the proposed hybrid approach using a multi-resolution scheme. Several novel and effective initial matching algorithms have been proposed for the first stage. The variations of the intensity characteristics between images may be large and non-uniform because of non-spatial distortions. Therefore, in order to effectively incorporate the gradient-based robust estimation into our proposed framework, one of the fundamental questions should be addressed: what is a good image representation to work with using gradient-based robust estimation under non-spatial distortions. With the initial matching algorithms applied at the highest level of decomposition, the proposed hybrid approach exhibits superior range of convergence. The gradient-based algorithms in the second stage yield a robust solution that precisely registers images with sub-pixel accuracy. A hierarchical iterative searching further enhances the convergence range and rate. The simulation results demonstrated that the proposed techniques provide significant benefits to the performance of image registration.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000317, ucf:46294
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000317
- Title
- FAR-INFRARED/MILLIMETER WAVE SOURCE AND COMPONENT DEVELOPMENT FOR IMAGING AND SPECTROSCOPY.
- Creator
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Du Bosq, Todd, Boreman, Glenn, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The far-infrared and millimeter wave (FIR/mmW) (wavelength 75 micrometer to 10 mm) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is fairly underdeveloped technologically, owing to the large amount of atmospheric attenuation in that range. At present, the FIR/mmW region is lacking in compact, high-brightness radiation sources and practical imaging systems. This dissertation focuses on development of two complementary technologies in this area – an active mmW imaging system and high-reflectivity...
Show moreThe far-infrared and millimeter wave (FIR/mmW) (wavelength 75 micrometer to 10 mm) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is fairly underdeveloped technologically, owing to the large amount of atmospheric attenuation in that range. At present, the FIR/mmW region is lacking in compact, high-brightness radiation sources and practical imaging systems. This dissertation focuses on development of two complementary technologies in this area – an active mmW imaging system and high-reflectivity Bragg mirrors for the FIR p-Ge laser. The imaging system uses a vector network analyzer in the frequency range of 90-140 GHz as the radiation source and receiver. Raster scanning is used to map a two-dimensional field of view, demonstrating the detection and imaging of buried plastic landmines. Principal components analysis is used for hyperspectral signal processing, where a series of images is taken at discrete frequencies. Results are obtained as a function of depth and disturbance of the soil surface. In support of this study, various types of soils were characterized for scattering loss across the mmW/FIR region, with measured results compared to theory. This mmW imaging system was also used to demonstrate imaging through walls and other obscuring materials, as well as for imaging of rocks beneath volcanic sand, simulating the conditions encountered by an imaging system on a Mars rover vehicle. Furthermore, a high-reflectivity Si-etalon FIR mirror design was developed and demonstrated as a cavity mirror for the p-Ge laser. These components stand to have a number of systems-level impacts on FIR imagers. In the context of an active illuminator, they may allow narrowband selection from the broad emission spectrum of the p-Ge laser source. These mirrors can also be used in a Fabry-Perot FIR scanning spectrometer, where the resulting high finesse would give discrimination advantages in chemical sensing and astrophysical spectroscopy applications.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001665, ucf:47222
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001665
- Title
- PERCEIVED INFLUENCE OF THE PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN BEAUTY AND FASHION MAGAZINES ON BODY IMAGE.
- Creator
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Shrader, Melissa, DeLorme, Denise, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This investigation examines how women perceive that magazines influence the body image of self and others. Seventeen audio-taped in-depth interviews were conducted with college women who read beauty, fashion, and grooming magazines frequently. These interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed and the data developed into topics of importance. The findings indicated that informants perceived other women were influenced more by images of women in the media than they themselves were...
Show moreThis investigation examines how women perceive that magazines influence the body image of self and others. Seventeen audio-taped in-depth interviews were conducted with college women who read beauty, fashion, and grooming magazines frequently. These interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed and the data developed into topics of importance. The findings indicated that informants perceived other women were influenced more by images of women in the media than they themselves were influenced. However, informants did not advocate behavior changes for others or hold pro-censorship attitudes. Other findings include favorable perceptions of magazines utilizing larger sized fashion models, negative attitudes towards advertising, and a reverse third-person effect when the 'other' is male. These findings are consistent with existing research on the third-person effect.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001592, ucf:47159
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001592
- Title
- IMAGE-SPACE APPROACH TO REAL-TIME REALISTIC RENDERING.
- Creator
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Shah, Musawir, Pattanaik, Sumanta, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
One of the main goals of computer graphics is the fast synthesis of photorealistic image of virtual 3D scenes. The work presented in this thesis addresses this goal of speed and realism. In real-time realistic rendering, we encounter certain problems that are difficult to solve in the traditional 3-dimensional geometric space. We show that using an image-space approach can provide effective solutions to these problems. Unlike geometric space algorithms that operate on 3D primitives such as...
Show moreOne of the main goals of computer graphics is the fast synthesis of photorealistic image of virtual 3D scenes. The work presented in this thesis addresses this goal of speed and realism. In real-time realistic rendering, we encounter certain problems that are difficult to solve in the traditional 3-dimensional geometric space. We show that using an image-space approach can provide effective solutions to these problems. Unlike geometric space algorithms that operate on 3D primitives such as points, edges, and polygons, image-space algorithms operate on 2D snapshot images of the 3D geometric data. Operating in image-space effectively decouples the geometric complexity of the 3D data from the run-time of the rendering algorithm. Other important advantages of image-space algorithms include ease of implementation on modern graphics hardware, and fast computation of approximate solutions to certain lighting calculations. We have applied the image-space approach and developed algorithms for three prominent problems in real-time realistic rendering, namely, representing and lighting large 3D scenes in the context of grass rendering, rendering caustics, which is a complex indirect illumination effect, and subsurface scattering for rendering of translucent objects.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001967, ucf:47462
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001967
- Title
- ASSESSING MALE BODY IMAGE: DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE APPEARANCE INVENTORY FOR MEN (AIM).
- Creator
-
Agliata, Daniel, Dunn, Stacey, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Despite evidence suggesting that appearance dissatisfaction among men is on the rise, a void in appropriate forms of body image assessment for males remains. The current study reviews the literature on male body image, identifying the shortcomings and limitations of prior research, and introduces a psychometrically sound, male-specific body image assessment. An initial item-generation study was used to poll 253 males to inquire about their concerns, emotions, behaviors, and related body image...
Show moreDespite evidence suggesting that appearance dissatisfaction among men is on the rise, a void in appropriate forms of body image assessment for males remains. The current study reviews the literature on male body image, identifying the shortcomings and limitations of prior research, and introduces a psychometrically sound, male-specific body image assessment. An initial item-generation study was used to poll 253 males to inquire about their concerns, emotions, behaviors, and related body image topics to be sorted and synthesized into items for scale inclusion. The newly developed Appearance Inventory for Men (AIM) was then administered to 330 males and submitted to exploratory factor analyses, revealing a relatively stable three-factor structure. Weight-Focus (WF), Muscle Focus (MF), and Appearance Motivation (AM) factors emerged, all with good internal consistency and convergent, discriminant, and construct validity. Two additional psychometrically sound subscales were included in the final AIM that assess body area satisfaction for men (Key Attributes of Muscularity; KAM) and the common Strategies for Appearance Management (SAM). Future research and clinical implications are discussed, as are the directions for continued validation of this unique, yet much needed male-specific body image assessment tool.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000564, ucf:46430
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000564
- Title
- AUTONOMOUS ROBOTIC AUTOMATION SYSTEMWITH VISION FEEDBACK.
- Creator
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Rosino, Jeffery, Qu, Zhihua, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In this thesis, a full design, development and application of an autonomous robotic automation system using vision feedback is performed. To realize this system, a cylindrical manipulator configuration is implemented, using a personal computer (PC) based PID controller from National Instruments. Full autonomous control will be achieved via a programmable human machine interface (HMI) developed on a PC using Borland C++ Builder. The vision feedback position control is accomplished using an...
Show moreIn this thesis, a full design, development and application of an autonomous robotic automation system using vision feedback is performed. To realize this system, a cylindrical manipulator configuration is implemented, using a personal computer (PC) based PID controller from National Instruments. Full autonomous control will be achieved via a programmable human machine interface (HMI) developed on a PC using Borland C++ Builder. The vision feedback position control is accomplished using an ordinary "off-the-shelf" web camera. The manuscript is organized as follows; After Chapter 1, an introduction to automation history and its role in the manufacturing industry, Chapter 2 discusses and outlines the development of the robotic kinematics and dynamics of the system. A control strategy is also developed and simulated in this chapter. Chapter 3 discusses color image processing and shows the development of the algorithm used for the vision feedback position control. Chapter 4 outlines the system development, which includes the hardware and software. Chapter 5 concludes with a summary, and improvement section. The process used as a basis for the design and development of this thesis of this thesis topic was constructed from a manual capacitor orientation check test station. A more detailed definition and objective is presented in the introduction.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000277, ucf:46220
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000277
- Title
- IMAGE QUALITY ANALYSIS USING GLCM.
- Creator
-
Gadkari, Dhanashree, Clarke, Thomas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Gray level co-occurrence matrix has proven to be a powerful basis for use in texture classification. Various textural parameters calculated from the gray level co-occurrence matrix help understand the details about the overall image content. The aim of this research is to investigate the use of the gray level co-occurrence matrix technique as an absolute image quality metric. The underlying hypothesis is that image quality can be determined by a comparative process in which a sequence of...
Show moreGray level co-occurrence matrix has proven to be a powerful basis for use in texture classification. Various textural parameters calculated from the gray level co-occurrence matrix help understand the details about the overall image content. The aim of this research is to investigate the use of the gray level co-occurrence matrix technique as an absolute image quality metric. The underlying hypothesis is that image quality can be determined by a comparative process in which a sequence of images is compared to each other to determine the point of diminishing returns. An attempt is made to study whether the curve of image textural features versus image memory sizes can be used to decide the optimal image size. The approach used digitized images that were stored at several levels of compression. GLCM proves to be a good discriminator in studying different images however no such claim can be made for image quality. Hence the search for the best image quality metric continues.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000273, ucf:46223
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000273
- Title
- NONDESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION OF THERMAL BARRIER COATINGS WITH THERMAL WAVE IMAGING AND PHOTOSTIMULATED LUMINESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY.
- Creator
-
Franke, Barbara, Sohn, Yong-ho, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Gas Turbine manufacturers strive for increased operating temperatures of gas turbine engines to improve efficiency and performance. One method of increasing the temperature beyond material limits is by applying thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) to hot section components. TBCs provide a thermal gradient between the hot gases and metallic substrate, and allow an increase in turbine inlet temperatures of 100-150ºC. However, spallation of TBCs can cause catastrophic failure of turbine engines...
Show moreGas Turbine manufacturers strive for increased operating temperatures of gas turbine engines to improve efficiency and performance. One method of increasing the temperature beyond material limits is by applying thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) to hot section components. TBCs provide a thermal gradient between the hot gases and metallic substrate, and allow an increase in turbine inlet temperatures of 100-150ºC. However, spallation of TBCs can cause catastrophic failure of turbine engines by incipient melting of the substrate. To prevent such an occurrence, non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques are critical for quality control, health monitoring, and life assessment of TBCs. Two techniques in development for this purpose are thermal wave imaging (TWI) and photostimulated luminescence (PL) spectroscopy. TWI is a promising NDE technique with the ability to detect integrity and thickness of TBCs. In this study, TWI was employed as an NDE technique to examine as-coated TBCs with varying thicknesses, and thermally-cycled TBCs for initiation and progression of subcritical-subsurface damage as a function of thermal cycling. TWI and thermal response amplitude were correlated to the microstructural characteristics and damage progression of TBCs based on phenomenological expressions of thermal diffusion. The TBC specimens examined consisted of air plasma sprayed ZrO2 - 7wt.% Y2O3 on NiCoCrAlY bond coats with Haynes 230 superalloy substrate. As-coated specimens of varying thicknesses were evaluated by TWI to examine its applicability as a thickness measurement tool. It was found that heat dissipation through the TBC following pulsed excitation by xenon flash lamps initially followed the 1-D law of conduction and deviated from it as a function of thickness and time. The deviation resulted from quick dissipation of heat into the conductive metallic substrate. Therefore, with calibration, TWI can be used as a tool for YSZ thickness measurements of APS TBCs in the as-coated condition for quality control measures. Specimens of uniform thickness were evaluated as a function of thermal cyclic oxidation for subcritical-subsurface damage detection. Thermal cycling was carried out in air with 30-minute heat-up, 10-hour dwell at 1150°C, 30-minute air-quench and 1-hour hold at room temperature. During thermal cycling, TBC specimens were evaluated non-destructively by TWI at room temperature every 10 to 20 thermal cycles, and selected specimens were removed from thermal cycling for microstructural analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Higher thermal response amplitude associated with disrupted heat transfer was observed where localized spallation at or near the YSZ/TGO interface occurred. The health of the TBC was monitored by a rise in thermal response amplitude which may indicate a coalescence of microcracks to a detectable level. PL has been developed to measure stress, and detect subsurface damage and polymorphic transformation within the thermally grown oxide (TGO) of TBCs. PL was employed in this study as an NDE technique for TBCs to correlate subsurface damage as a function of thermal cyclic oxidation. The TBCs consisted of ZrO2 – 7 wt.% Y2O3 applied by electron beam physical vapor deposition with an as-coated (Ni,Pt)Al bond coat on a CMSX-4 superalloy substrate. Specimens were thermally cycled with a 10 minute ramp to a peak temperature of 1121°C, 40 minute hold at peak temperature, and 10 minute forced air quench. The TBCs were periodically removed from thermal cycling for NDE using PL until failure. Two specimens were removed from thermal oxidation after 10% and 70% of the average lifetime for microstructural analysis by SEM. During initial thermal cycling, metastable phases and polymorphic transformations of the Al2O3 scale were examined by PL. The polymorphic transformation from a metastable phase to equilibrium a-Al2O3 was detected. Since metastable phases are thought to be detrimental to coating lifetime, detection of these phases by PL can be used as a quality control tool. Nearing end-of-life, relief of the TGO from the compressive residual stress arising from thermal expansion mismatch was detected with PL and confirmed with microstructural analysis that revealed damage initiation (e.g. microcracking within the TGO scale parallel to the interfaces.) Rise in luminescence near the R-line frequency for polycrystalline a-Al2O3 without any residual stress (i.e. n = 14402 cm-1 and n = 14432 cm-1) corresponded to regions where cracked TGO was adhered to YSZ and not exposed to compressive stresses from thermal expansion mismatch upon cooling.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000717, ucf:46613
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000717
- Title
- THE ASSOCIATION OF BODY IMAGE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AS IT RELATES TO HAPPINESS.
- Creator
-
Chen, Michelle, Azimi, Cyrus, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
As one of the most important emotional goals pertaining to humankind, achieving happiness has been the central focus of scientists, philosophers, and the general population alike since the beginning of recorded history. This study strove to examine the association of body image satisfaction and relationship quality as it relates to happiness. Four hundred college-age participants completed the Subjective Happiness Scale, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (Appearance...
Show moreAs one of the most important emotional goals pertaining to humankind, achieving happiness has been the central focus of scientists, philosophers, and the general population alike since the beginning of recorded history. This study strove to examine the association of body image satisfaction and relationship quality as it relates to happiness. Four hundred college-age participants completed the Subjective Happiness Scale, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (Appearance Scales), and the Network of Relationships Inventory (Relationships Quality Version) for close friendships of the same-sex and opposite-sex. Statistical analysis indicated that while body image satisfaction was significantly correlated with happiness, quality of interpersonal relationships was not. The results of this study emphasize the importance of one's satisfaction with one's body in the cultivation and maintenance of subjective well-being and the need to examine other potential predictors of happiness.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004880, ucf:45430
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004880
- Title
- ''ALL DOLLED UP": SELF-OBJECTIFICATION, GROOMING BEHAVIORS, AND BODY IMAGE DISTURBANCE AMONG COLLEGE WOMEN.
- Creator
-
Piercey, Cianna, Brophy-Ellison, James, White, Grace, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The relationship between self-objectification, grooming behaviors, and body image disturbance was examined among 389 female students at the University of Central Florida. Self-objectification positively predicted body image disturbance, as well as the average amount of time and money that women reported investing into grooming behaviors (i.e. hair-styling, hair-removal, makeup application, nail adornment and other grooming behaviors). Body mass index (BMI) was also found to positively predict...
Show moreThe relationship between self-objectification, grooming behaviors, and body image disturbance was examined among 389 female students at the University of Central Florida. Self-objectification positively predicted body image disturbance, as well as the average amount of time and money that women reported investing into grooming behaviors (i.e. hair-styling, hair-removal, makeup application, nail adornment and other grooming behaviors). Body mass index (BMI) was also found to positively predict body image disturbance and time spent on grooming, however, no relationship was found between self-objectification and BMI. Furthermore, lower socioeconomic status (SES) was found to be associated with body-dissatisfaction and more frequent negative body image emotions in comparison to participants with higher SES. A significant negative correlation was also found between time spent on grooming and grade point average (GPA).
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFH2000582, ucf:45698
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000582
- Title
- THE ROLE OF MENTORING ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF ETHNIC IDENTITY AS IT RELATES TO BODY IMAGE CONCERNS IN ETHNIC MINORITY WOMEN.
- Creator
-
Cokley, Raven, Murdoch, Erin, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Emerging literature emphasizes the importance of mentoring in the development of minority youth. In particular, mentoring influences the development of youths' sense of self and self-concept. By examining the conceptual frameworks of both mentoring and racial socialization, this study summarizes the theoretical processes associated with youth development and how such development relates to young women's ethnic/racial identity including their body image. The mentoring relationship is examined...
Show moreEmerging literature emphasizes the importance of mentoring in the development of minority youth. In particular, mentoring influences the development of youths' sense of self and self-concept. By examining the conceptual frameworks of both mentoring and racial socialization, this study summarizes the theoretical processes associated with youth development and how such development relates to young women's ethnic/racial identity including their body image. The mentoring relationship is examined with a small pool of ethnic-minority, college-aged female participants to explore whether there is a relationship between having received positive mentoring and the participant's current body image perceptions.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004395, ucf:44984
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004395
- Title
- WHAT DO YOU THINK OF OTHERS WHO PURSUE COSMETIC SURGERY? INFLUENCES ASSOCIATED WITH PERCEPTIONS OF COSMETIC SURGERY.
- Creator
-
Vergara, Angela, Negy, Charles, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In the current climate in which it seems like popular media determines normality, it is not surprising to find that reality television, especially programs geared towards elective cosmetic surgery, are correlated with the decision making processes associated with actually pursuing cosmetic surgery. Research suggests that attitudes towards cosmetic surgery have changed dramatically due to the public's exposure to reality makeover shows; these shows have increased the popularity of such...
Show moreIn the current climate in which it seems like popular media determines normality, it is not surprising to find that reality television, especially programs geared towards elective cosmetic surgery, are correlated with the decision making processes associated with actually pursuing cosmetic surgery. Research suggests that attitudes towards cosmetic surgery have changed dramatically due to the public's exposure to reality makeover shows; these shows have increased the popularity of such procedures and have highlighted and implied that cosmetic surgery is associated with little pain and risk. In this study, I sought to determine if attitudes toward cosmetic surgery vary as a function of ethnicity and gender, as well as examine the influence of the media on openness to pursuing cosmetic surgery. Examining how others view those who pursue elective cosmetic surgery and the variables associated with those who obtain cosmetic surgery will shed light on the processes associated with the decision to pursue the procedures.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004137, ucf:44887
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004137
- Title
- GREEN CHAIRS, FICTIONAL PHALLUSES, INFILTRATION, AND LOVE ON THE ROCKS: MEDICAL IMAGING ARTIFACTS BLOWN UP.
- Creator
-
Koller, Lynn, Bowdon, Melody, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This text outlines and applies a methodology for deciphering problems and producing new information by analyzing the artifacts produced by medical imaging technologies – text and images – using practices gleaned from Surrealists, semiologists, and visual artists, emphasizing its own form as being the product of the apparatuses that produce it and therefore untrustworthy. Its basic assumption is that every text contains the information necessary to solve problems of all sorts, though...
Show moreThis text outlines and applies a methodology for deciphering problems and producing new information by analyzing the artifacts produced by medical imaging technologies – text and images – using practices gleaned from Surrealists, semiologists, and visual artists, emphasizing its own form as being the product of the apparatuses that produce it and therefore untrustworthy. Its basic assumption is that every text contains the information necessary to solve problems of all sorts, though because of the limitations of this text in both form and authorial intellect, we may only reach a starting point for a solution herein. In this regard, we are deciphering rather than solving. Further, this text illustrates primarily through narratives how digital imaging technologies mediate our relationship with our doctors, illnesses, and our bodies. It explores how the artifacts produced by medical imaging technologies create a data stream that replaces the corporal patient, shifting the physician's focus from the whole body to pieces and parts. It is a study of texts and technologies. The method evolved from a rhetorical approach to examining the medical imaging artifacts and the processes by which those artifacts come into existence, with the method and form becoming part of the story, producing a wide array of new information that transcends disciplinary constraints.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002193, ucf:47916
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002193
- Title
- FLOW VISUALIZATION IN MICROFLUIDIC EXPANSION AND MIXING.
- Creator
-
Yakhshi Tafti, Ehsan, Kumar, Ranganathan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Micro particle image velocimetry (microPIV) is a non-intrusive tool for visualizing flow in micron-scale conduits. Using this investigative instrument, two experimental studies were performed to understand flow behaviors in microfluidic channels - a sudden expansion step flow and laminar velocity profile variation in diffusion driven mixing. First, flow in a backward facing step feature (1:5 expansion ratio) in a microchannel was taken as the subject of microPIV flow visualization. The onset...
Show moreMicro particle image velocimetry (microPIV) is a non-intrusive tool for visualizing flow in micron-scale conduits. Using this investigative instrument, two experimental studies were performed to understand flow behaviors in microfluidic channels - a sudden expansion step flow and laminar velocity profile variation in diffusion driven mixing. First, flow in a backward facing step feature (1:5 expansion ratio) in a microchannel was taken as the subject of microPIV flow visualization. The onset and development of a recirculation flow was studied as a function of flow rate. This flow pattern was further used to investigate two major parameters affecting microPIV measurements; the depth-of-focus and recording time-intervals between images in a microPIV image pair. The onset of recirculation was initiated at flow rates that correspond to Reynolds numbers, Re>95, which is well beyond the typical working range of microfluidic devices (Re=0.01-10). The recirculation flow has a 3D structure due to the dimensions of the microchannel and the effect of no slip condition on the walls. Ensemble cross-correlation was found not to be sensitive to variations of depth-of-focus and the output flow fields were similar as long as the overall optical focus remained within the upper and lower bounds of the microchannel. However, variations of time intervals between images in a microPIV pair, resulted in quantitatively and qualitatively different flow patterns for a given constant flow rate and depth-of-focus. In the second experiment, the effect of the laminar velocity profile and its variation on mixing phenomena at the reduced scale is studied. It is shown that the diffusive mass flux between two miscible streams, flowing in a laminar regime in a microchannel, is enhanced if the velocity at their diffusion interface is increased. Based on this idea, an in-plane passive micromixing concept is proposed and implemented in a working device (sigma micromixer). This mixer shows considerable mixing performance by periodically varying the flow velocity profile, such that the maximum of the profile coincides with the transversely progressing diffusion fronts repeatedly throughout the mixing channel. microPIV has been used to visualize the behavior of laminar flow inside the micromixer device and to confirm the periodic variation of the velocity profile through the mixing channel.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002826, ucf:48079
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002826
