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Title: Reproductive Rights and Justice Advocacy in Central Florida: Who is Represented?.
Creator: Hager, Mary, Mishtal, Joanna, Harris, Shana, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis examines the racial understanding and social relationships of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida staff and volunteers. As well, this research explores how Planned Parenthood supporters organize and promote diverse advocacy work to promote reproductive justice in social media and volunteer education. Planned Parenthood has been at the forefront of reproductive rights campaigns for over a century, and their work has often tied into contemporary feminist and...
Show moreThis thesis examines the racial understanding and social relationships of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida staff and volunteers. As well, this research explores how Planned Parenthood supporters organize and promote diverse advocacy work to promote reproductive justice in social media and volunteer education. Planned Parenthood has been at the forefront of reproductive rights campaigns for over a century, and their work has often tied into contemporary feminist and political issues. Of note, feminists of color have called for a shift from advocacy for (")reproductive choice(") to (")reproductive justice(") as a way to identify the needs and predicaments of a wider range of women and to promote advocacy that is more representative of the population it aims to serve. Yet, how key non-governmental organizations such as Planned Parenthood engage with intersectional issues of ethnicity, race, sex, gender, and socioeconomic class in their advocacy work has been understudied. Using ethnographic methods of participant observation and semi-structured interviews, this research examines how volunteers and staff apply their understandings of racial disparities and inclusive advocacy efforts to better aid Central Florida's marginalized communities and communities of color. This project contributes to the greater call for policy and organizational analysis through applied anthropology and feminist studies in the United States and addresses how organizations balance the desires of their funders against the diverse needs of their patients.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007011, ucf:52048
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007011

Title: Macroscopic Crash Analysis and Its Implications for Transportation Safety Planning.
Creator: Siddiqui, Chowdhury, Abdel-Aty, Mohamed, Abdel-Aty, Mohamed, Uddin, Nizam, Huang, Helai, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Incorporating safety into the transportation planning stage, which is often termed as transportation safety planning (TSP), relies on the vital interplay between zone characteristics and zonal traffic crashes. Although a few safety studies had made some effort towards integrating safety and planning, several unresolved problems and a complete framework of TSP are still absent in the literature. This research aims at examining the suitability of the current traffic-related zoning planning...
Show moreIncorporating safety into the transportation planning stage, which is often termed as transportation safety planning (TSP), relies on the vital interplay between zone characteristics and zonal traffic crashes. Although a few safety studies had made some effort towards integrating safety and planning, several unresolved problems and a complete framework of TSP are still absent in the literature. This research aims at examining the suitability of the current traffic-related zoning planning process in a new suggested planning method which incorporates safety measures. In order to accomplish this broader research goal, the study defined its research objectives in the following directions towards establishing a framework of TSP- i) exploring the existing key determinants in traditional transportation planning (e.g., trip generation/distribution data, land use types, demographics, etc.) in order to develop an effective and efficient TSP framework, ii) investigation of the Modifiable Aerial Unit Problem (MAUP) in the context of macro-level crash modeling to investigate the effect of the zone's size and boundary, iii) understanding neighborhood influence of the crashes at or near zonal boundaries, and iv) development of crash-specific safety measure in the four-step transportation planning process.This research was conducted using spatial data from the counties of West Central Florida. Analysis of different crash data per spatial unit was performed using nonparametric approaches (e.g., data mining and random forest), classical statistical methods (e.g., negative binomial models), and Bayesian statistical techniques. In addition, a comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS) based application tools were utilized for spatial data analysis and representation.Exploring the significant variables related to specific types of crashes is vital in the planning stages of a transportation network. This study identified and examined important variables associated with total crashes and severe crashes per traffic analysis zone (TAZ) by applying nonparametric statistical techniques using different trip related variables and road-traffic related factors. Since a macro-level analysis, by definition, will necessarily involve aggregating crashes per spatial unit, a spatial dependence or autocorrelation may arise if a particular variable of a geographic region is affected by the same variable of the neighboring regions. So far, few safety studies were performed to examine crashes at TAZs and none of them explicitly considered spatial effect of crashes occurring in them. In order to understand the clear picture of spatial autocorrelation of crashes, this study investigated the effect of spatial autocorrelation in modeling pedestrian and bicycle crashes in TAZs. Additionally, this study examined pedestrian crashes at Environmental Justice (EJ) TAZs which were identified in compliance with the various ongoing practices undertaken by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and previous research. Minority population and the low-income group are two important criteria based on which EJ areas are being identified. These unique areal characteristics have been of particular interest to the traffic safety analysts in order to investigate the contributing factors of pedestrian crashes in these deprived areas. Pedestrian and bicycle crashes were estimated as a function of variables related to roadway characteristics, and various demographic and socio-economic factors. It was found that significant differences are present between the predictor sets for pedestrian and bicycle crashes. In all cases the models with spatial correlation performed better than the models that did not account for spatial correlation among TAZs. This finding implied that spatial correlation should be considered while modeling pedestrian and bicycle crashes at the aggregate or macro-level. Also, the significance of spatial autocorrelation was later found in the total and severe crash analyses and accounted for in their respective modeling techniques.Since the study found affirmative evidence about the inclusion of spatial autocorrelation in the safety performance functions, this research considered identifying appropriate spatial entity based on which TSP framework would be developed. A wide array of spatial units has been explored in macro-level crash modeling in previous safety research. With the advancement of GIS, safety analysts are able to analyze crashes for various geographical units. However, a clear guideline on which geographic entity should a modeler choose is not present so far. This preference of spatial unit can vary with the dependent variable of the model. Or, for a specific dependent variable, models may be invariant to multiple spatial units by producing a similar goodness-of-fits. This problem is closely related to the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem which is a common issue in spatial data analysis. The study investigated three different crash (total, severe, and pedestrian) models developed for TAZs, block groups (BGs) and census tracts (CTs) using various roadway characteristics and census variables (e.g., land use, socio-economic, etc.); and compared them based on multiple goodness-of-fit measures.Based on MAD and MSPE it was evident that the total, severe and pedestrian crash models for TAZs and BGs had similar fits, and better than the ones developed for CTs. This indicated that the total, severe and pedestrian crash models are being affected by the size of the spatial units rather than their zoning configurations. So far, TAZs have been the base spatial units of analyses for developing travel demand models. Metropolitan planning organizations widely use TAZs in developing their long range transportation plans (LRTPs). Therefore, considering the practical application it was concluded that as a geographical unit, TAZs had a relative ascendancy over block group and census tract.Once TAZs were selected as the base spatial unit of the TSP framework, careful inspections on the TAZ delineations were performed. Traffic analysis zones are often delineated by the existing street network. This may result in considerable number of crashes on or near zonal boundaries. While the traditional macro-level crash modeling approach assigns zonal attributes to all crashes that occur within the zonal boundary, this research acknowledged the inaccuracy resulting from relating crashes on or near the boundary of the zone to merely the attributes of that zone. A novel approach was proposed to account for the spatial influence of the neighboring zones on crashes which specifically occur on or near the zonal boundaries. Predictive model for pedestrian crashes per zone were developed using a hierarchical Bayesian framework and utilized separate predictor sets for boundary and interior (non-boundary) crashes. It was found that these models (that account for boundary and interior crashes separately) had better goodness-of-fit measures compared to the models which had no specific consideration for crashes located at/near the zone boundaries. Additionally, the models were able to capture some unique predictors associated explicitly with interior and boundary-related crashes. For example, the variables- 'total roadway length with 35mph posted speed limit' and 'long term parking cost' were statistically not significantly different from zero in the interior crash model but they were significantly different from zero at the 95% level in the boundary crash model.Although an adjacent traffic analysis zones (a single layer) were defined for pedestrian crashes and boundary pedestrian crashes were modeled based on the characteristic factors of these adjacent zones, this was not considered reasonable for bicycle-related crashes as the average roaming area of bicyclists are usually greater than that of pedestrians. For smaller TAZs sometimes it is possible for a bicyclist to cross the entire TAZ. To account for this greater area of coverage, boundary bicycle crashes were modeled based on two layers of adjacent zones. As observed from the goodness-of-fit measures, performances of model considering single layer variables and model considering two layer variables were superior from the models that did not consider layering at all; but these models were comparable. Motor vehicle crashes (total and severe crashes) were classified as 'on-system' and 'off-system' crashes and two sub-models were fitted in order to calibrate the safety performance function for these crashes. On-system and off-system roads refer to two different roadway hierarchies. On-system or state maintained roads typically possess higher speed limit and carries traffic from distant TAZs. Off-system roads are, however, mostly local roads with relatively low speed limits. Due to these distinct characteristics, on-system crashes were modeled with only population and total employment variables of a zone in addition to the roadway and traffic variables; and all other zonal variables were disregarded. For off-system crashes, on contrary, all zonal variables was considered. It was evident by comparing this on- and off-system sub-model-framework to the other candidate models that it provided superior goodness-of-fit for both total and severe crashes.Based on the safety performance functions developed for pedestrian, bicycle, total and severe crashes, the study proposed a novel and complete framework for assessing safety (of these crash types) simultaneously in parallel with the four-step transportation planning process with no need of any additional data requirements from the practitioners' side.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004191, ucf:49009
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004191

Title: THE RHETORIC OF THE REGIONAL IMAGE: INTERPRETING THE VISUAL PRODUCTS OF REGIONAL PLANNNING.
Creator: Torres, Alissa, Bowdon, Melody, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The Rhetoric of the Regional Image: Interpreting the Visual Products of Regional Planning investigates the manner in which visual conventions and visual contexts of regional visioning scenarios affect their interpretation by urban and regional planners, who use visual communication to meet the technical and rhetorical demands of their professional practice. The research assesses Central FloridaÃ‚Â's Ã‚Â"How Shall We Grow?Ã‚Â" regional...
Show moreThe Rhetoric of the Regional Image: Interpreting the Visual Products of Regional Planning investigates the manner in which visual conventions and visual contexts of regional visioning scenarios affect their interpretation by urban and regional planners, who use visual communication to meet the technical and rhetorical demands of their professional practice. The research assesses Central FloridaÃ‚Â's Ã‚Â"How Shall We Grow?Ã‚Â" regional land use scenario using focus groups and interviews with planning professionals, a corresponding survey of community values, and rhetorical analysis to explore the Ã‚Â"How Shall We Grow?Ã‚Â" scenario as persuasive communication. The Rhetoric of the Regional Image proposes specific recommendations for technology-based visual communication and scenario development in urban and regional planning practice, while contributing to literature in technical communication and rhetoric by examining plannersÃ‚Â' professional communication within their discourse community.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003511, ucf:48943
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003511

Title: POST-IMPLEMENTATION SUCCESS FACTORS FOR ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP) STUDENT ADMINISTRATION SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS.
Creator: Sullivan, Linda, Bozeman, William, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This research study investigated the post-implementation experiences of 6 higher education institutions following the initial implementation of a Student Administration ERP system and explored how these institutions used the post-implementation phase to maximize the benefits from the ERP system. A mixed-method approach consisting of an online survey and qualitative case study was utilized for data collection; within-case and cross-case analyses were performed to generate the research results...
Show moreThis research study investigated the post-implementation experiences of 6 higher education institutions following the initial implementation of a Student Administration ERP system and explored how these institutions used the post-implementation phase to maximize the benefits from the ERP system. A mixed-method approach consisting of an online survey and qualitative case study was utilized for data collection; within-case and cross-case analyses were performed to generate the research results and findings. The overall post-implementation experiences of the case study institutions were found to be similar in nature, regardless of institution size. Several post-implementation characteristics were also found to be shared in varying degree among all case studies. Customizations and third-party software were used by all case studies in post-implementation to meet operational needs not provided by the Student ERP system. The number of customizations and enhancements completed or under consideration by the case study institutions indicate that there are many areas in which current Student ERP systems do not fit the needs of higher education institutions. The results of this research can inform and guide higher education administrators on the institutional impacts and changes that will occur in the ERP post-implementation environment. Administrators will be enabled to better evaluate the overall success of their project based upon post-implementation characteristics and experiences of the institutions in this study and apply the outcomes to improve planning for future ERP system projects.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: CFE0002698, ucf:48226
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002698

Title: EMERGENCY EVACUATION ROUTE PLANNING CONSIDERING HUMAN BEHAVIOR DURING SHORT- AND NO-NOTICE EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
Creator: Kittirattanapaiboon, Suebpong, Geiger, Christopher, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Throughout United States and world history, disasters have caused not only significant loss of life, property but also enormous financial loss. The tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004 is a telling example of the devastation that can occur unexpectedly. This unexpected natural event never happened before in this area. In addition, there was a lack of an emergency response plan for events of that magnitude. Therefore, this event resulted not only in a natural catastrophe for the people...
Show moreThroughout United States and world history, disasters have caused not only significant loss of life, property but also enormous financial loss. The tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004 is a telling example of the devastation that can occur unexpectedly. This unexpected natural event never happened before in this area. In addition, there was a lack of an emergency response plan for events of that magnitude. Therefore, this event resulted not only in a natural catastrophe for the people of South and Southeast Asia, but it is also considered one of the greatest natural disasters in world history. After the giant wave dissipated, there were more than 230,000 people dead and more than US$10 billion in property damage and loss. Another significant event was the terrorist incident on September 11, 2001 (commonly referred to as 9/11) in United States. This event was unexpected and an unnatural, i.e., man-made event. It resulted in approximately 3,000 lives lost and about US$21 billion in property damage. These and other unexpected (or unanticipated) events give emergency management officials short- or no-notice to prevent or respond to the situation. These and other facts motivate the need for better emergency evacuation route planning (EERP) approaches in order to minimize the loss of human lives and property in short- or no-notice emergency situations. This research considers aspects of evacuation routing that have received little attention in research and, more importantly, in practice. Previous EERP models only either consider unidirectional evacuee flow from the source of a hazard to destinations of safety or unidirectional emergency first responder flow to the hazard source. However, in real-life emergency situations, these heterogeneous, incompatible flows occur simultaneously over a bi-directional capacitated lane-based travel network, especially in short- and no-notice emergencies. After presenting a review of the work related to the multiple flow EERP problem, mathematical formulations are presented for the EERP problem where the objective for each problem is to identify an evacuation routing plan (i.e., a traffic flow schedule) that maximizes evacuee and responder flow and minimizes network clearance time of both types of flow. In addition, we integrate the general human response behavior flow pattern, where the cumulative flow behavior follows different degrees of an S-shaped curve depending upon the level of the evacuation order. We extend the analysis to consider potential traffic flow conflicts between the two types of flow under these conditions. A conflict occurs when flow of different types occupy a roadway segment at the same time. Further, with different degrees of flow movement flow for both evacuee and responder flow, the identification of points of flow congestion on the roadway segments that occur within the transportation network is investigated.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: CFE0002645, ucf:48229
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002645

Title: CONTROL OF NONHOLONOMIC SYSTEMS.
Creator: Yuan, Hongliang, Qu, Zhihua, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Many real-world electrical and mechanical systems have velocity-dependent constraints in their dynamic models. For example, car-like robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles and hopping robots, etc. Most of these systems can be transformed into a chained form, which is considered as a canonical form of these nonholonomic systems. Hence, study of chained systems ensure their wide applicability. This thesis studied the problem of continuous feed-back control of the...
Show moreMany real-world electrical and mechanical systems have velocity-dependent constraints in their dynamic models. For example, car-like robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous underwater vehicles and hopping robots, etc. Most of these systems can be transformed into a chained form, which is considered as a canonical form of these nonholonomic systems. Hence, study of chained systems ensure their wide applicability. This thesis studied the problem of continuous feed-back control of the chained systems while pursuing inverse optimality and exponential convergence rates, as well as the feed-back stabilization problem under input saturation constraints. These studies are based on global singularity-free state transformations and controls are synthesized from resulting linear systems. Then, the application of optimal motion planning and dynamic tracking control of nonholonomic autonomous underwater vehicles is considered. The obtained trajectories satisfy the boundary conditions and the vehicles' kinematic model, hence it is smooth and feasible. A collision avoidance criteria is set up to handle the dynamic environments. The resulting controls are in closed forms and suitable for real-time implementations. Further, dynamic tracking controls are developed through the Lyapunov second method and back-stepping technique based on a NPS AUV II model. In what follows, the application of cooperative surveillance and formation control of a group of nonholonomic robots is investigated. A designing scheme is proposed to achieves a rigid formation along a circular trajectory or any arbitrary trajectories. The controllers are decentralized and are able to avoid internal and external collisions. Computer simulations are provided to verify the effectiveness of these designs.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: CFE0002683, ucf:48220
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002683

Title: Closing the reading achievement gap between African American students and their peers at a suburban middle school: The impact of school improvement plans.
Creator: Hutchins, Jason, Hopp, Carolyn, Robinson, Edward, Vitale, Thomas, Hayes, Grant, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The goal of this Dissertation in Practice was to design a School Improvement Plan focused on improving reading performance of African American students at Suburban Middle School (SMS). The problem of practice was that African American students at Suburban Middle School have performed significantly lower than their White peers over the course of the 2009-2013 school years in reading performance. The reading deficiencies of African American students needed to be directly addressed in a new...
Show moreThe goal of this Dissertation in Practice was to design a School Improvement Plan focused on improving reading performance of African American students at Suburban Middle School (SMS). The problem of practice was that African American students at Suburban Middle School have performed significantly lower than their White peers over the course of the 2009-2013 school years in reading performance. The reading deficiencies of African American students needed to be directly addressed in a new School Improvement Plan (SIP). The literature review of this study found that there are many different components that influence the reading performance of African American students. For this Dissertation in Practice, a new School Improvement Plan focused primarily on 6 different areas will be the end result. The components that will be examined are: 1) school climate, 2) utilization of data, 3) parental involvement, 4) professional development, 5) instructional strategies, and 6) collaboration. While these are the 6 key elements of successful models, there were also additional sub groupings within each element that also had an influence on student achievement levels.In addition to examining previous School Improvement Plans at SMS, the end result and final deliverable was a School Improvement Plan designed to close the existing achievement gap in reading between African American students and their peers at SMS. Suggested use for the new model of the School Improvement Plan was to focus specifically on the 6 key elements to address the reading performance of African American students.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005351, ucf:50478
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005351

Title: A Systems Approach to Sustainable Energy Portfolio Development.
Creator: Hadian Niasar, Saeed, Reinhart, Debra, Madani Larijani, Kaveh, Wang, Dingbao, Lee, Woo Hyoung, Pazour, Jennifer, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Adequate energy supply has become one of the vital components of human development and economic growth of nations. In fact, major components of the global economy such as transportation services, communications, industrial processes, and construction activities are dependent on adequate energy resources. Even mining and extraction of energy resources, including harnessing the forces of nature to produce energy, are dependent on accessibility of sufficient energy in the appropriate form at the...
Show moreAdequate energy supply has become one of the vital components of human development and economic growth of nations. In fact, major components of the global economy such as transportation services, communications, industrial processes, and construction activities are dependent on adequate energy resources. Even mining and extraction of energy resources, including harnessing the forces of nature to produce energy, are dependent on accessibility of sufficient energy in the appropriate form at the desired location. Therefore, energy resource planning and management to provide appropriate energy in terms of both quantity and quality has become a priority at the global level. The increasing demand for energy due to growing population, higher living standards, and economic development magnifies the importance of reliable energy plans. In addition, the uneven distribution of traditional fossil fuel energy sources on the Earth and the resulting political and economic interactions are other sources of complexity within energy planning. The competition over fossil fuels that exists due to gradual depletion of such sources and the tremendous thirst of current global economic operations for these sources, as well as the sensitivity of fossil fuel supplies and prices to global conditions, all add to the complexity of effective energy planning. In addition to diversification of fossil fuel supply sources as a means of increasing national energy security, many governments are investing in non-fossil fuels, especially renewable energy sources, to combat the risks associated with adequate energy supply. Moreover, increasing the number of energy sources also adds further complication to energy planning. Global warming, resulting from concentration of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, influences energy infrastructure investments and operations management as a result of international treaty obligations and other regulations requiring that emissions be cut to sustainable levels. Burning fossil fuel, as one of the substantial driving factors of global warming and energy insecurity, is mostly impacted by such policies, pushing forward the implementation of renewable energy polices. Thus, modern energy portfolios comprise a mix of renewable energy sources and fossil fuels, with an increasing share of renewables over time. Many governments have been setting renewable energy targets that mandate increasing energy production from such sources over time. Reliance on renewable energy sources certainly helps with reduction of greenhouse gas emissions while improving national energy security. However, the growing implementation of renewable energy has some limitations. Such energy technologies are not always as cheap as fossil fuel sources, mostly due to immaturity of these energy sources in most locations as well as high prices of the materials and equipment to harness the forces of nature and transform them to usable energy. In addition, despite the fact that renewable energy sources are traditionally considered to be environmentally friendly, compared to fossil fuels, they sometimes require more natural resources such as water and land to operate and produce energy. Hence, the massive production of energy from these sources may lead to water shortage, land use change, increasing food prices, and insecurity of water supplies. In other words, the energy production from renewables might be a solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it might become a source of other problems such as scarcity of natural resources.The fact that future energy mix will rely more on renewable sources is undeniable, mostly due to depletion of fossil fuel sources over time. However, the aforementioned limitations pose a challenge to general policies that encourage immediate substitution of fossil fuels with renewables to battle climate change. In fact, such limitations should be taken into account in developing reliable energy policies that seek adequate energy supply with minimal secondary effects. Traditional energy policies have been suggesting the expansion of least cost energy options, which were mostly fossil fuels. Such sources used to be considered riskless energy options with low volatility in the absence of competitive energy markets in which various energy technologies are competing over larger market shares. Evolution of renewable energy technologies, however, complicated energy planning due to emerging risks that emanated mostly from high price volatility. Hence, energy planning began to be seen as investment problems in which the costs of energy portfolio were minimized while attempting to manage associated price risks. So, energy policies continued to rely on risky fossil fuel options and small shares of renewables with the primary goal to reduce generation costs. With emerging symptoms of climate change and the resulting consequences, the new policies accounted for the costs of carbon emissions control in addition to other costs. Such policies also encouraged the increased use of renewable energy sources. Emissions control cost is not an appropriate measure of damages because these costs are substantially less than the economic damages resulting from emissions. In addition, the effects of such policies on natural resources such as water and land is not directly taken into account. However, sustainable energy policies should be able to capture such complexities, risks, and tradeoffs within energy planning. Therefore, there is a need for adequate supply of energy while addressing issues such as global warming, energy security, economy, and environmental impacts of energy production processes. The effort in this study is to develop an energy portfolio assessment model to address the aforementioned concerns.This research utilized energy performance data, gathered from extensive review of articles and governmental institution reports. The energy performance values, namely carbon footprint, water footprint, land footprint, and cost of energy production were carefully selected in order to have the same basis for comparison purposes. If needed, adjustment factors were applied. In addition, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) energy projection scenarios were selected as the basis for estimating the share of the energy sources over the years until 2035. Furthermore, the resource availability in different states within the U.S. was obtained from publicly available governmental institutions that provide such statistics. Specifically, the carbon emissions magnitudes (metric tons per capita) for different states were extracted from EIA databases, states' freshwater withdrawals (cubic meters per capita) were found from USGS databases, states' land availability values (square kilometers) were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, and economic resource availability (GDP per capita) for different states were acquired from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.In this study, first, the impacts of energy production processes on global freshwater resources are investigated based on different energy projection scenarios. Considering the need for investing on energy sources with minimum environmental impacts while securing maximum efficiency, a systems approach is adopted to quantify the resource use efficiency of energy sources under sustainability indicators. The sensitivity and robustness of the resource use efficiency scores are then investigated versus existing energy performance uncertainties and varying resource availability conditions. The resource use efficiency of the energy sources is then regionalized for different resource limitation conditions in states within the U.S. Finally, a sustainable energy planning framework is developed based on Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and Post-Modern Portfolio Theory (PMPT) with consideration of the resource use efficiency measures and associated efficiency risks.In the energy-water nexus investigation, the energy sources are categorized into 10 major groups with distinct water footprint magnitudes and associated uncertainties. The global water footprint of energy production processes are then estimated for different EIA energy mix scenarios over the 2012-2035 period. The outcomes indicate that the water footprint of energy production increases by almost 50% depending on the scenario. In fact, growing energy production is not the only reason for increasing the energy related water footprint. Increasing the share of water intensive energy sources in the future energy mix is another driver of increasing global water footprint of energy in the future. The results of the energies' water footprint analysis demonstrate the need for a policy to reduce the water use of energy generation. Furthermore, the outcomes highlight the importance of considering the secondary impacts of energy production processes besides their carbon footprint and costs. The results also have policy implications for future energy investments in order to increase the water use efficiency of energy sources per unit of energy production, especially those with significant water footprint such as hydropower and biofuels.In the next step, substantial efforts have been dedicated to evaluating the efficiency of different energy sources from resource use perspective. For this purpose, a system of systems approach is adopted to measure the resource use efficiency of energy sources in the presence of trade-offs between independent yet interacting systems (climate, water, land, economy). Hence, a stochastic multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) framework is developed to compute the resource use efficiency scores for four sustainability assessment criteria, namely carbon footprint, water footprint, land footprint, and cost of energy production considering existing performance uncertainties. The energy sources' performances under aforementioned sustainability criteria are represented in ranges due to uncertainties that exist because of technological and regional variations. Such uncertainties are captured by the model based on Monte-Carlo selection of random values and are translated into stochastic resource use efficiency scores. As the notion of optimality is not unique, five MCDM methods are exploited in the model to counterbalance the bias toward definition of optimality. This analysis is performed under (")no resource limitation(") conditions to highlight the quality of different energy sources from a resource use perspective. The resource use efficiency is defined as a dimensionless number in scale of 0-100, with greater numbers representing a higher efficiency. The outcomes of this analysis indicate that despite increasing popularity, not all renewable energy sources are more resource use efficient than non-renewable sources. This is especially true for biofuels and different types of ethanol that demonstrate lower resource use efficiency scores compared to natural gas and nuclear energy. It is found that geothermal energy and biomass energy from miscanthus are the most and least resource use efficient energy alternatives based on the performance data available in the literature. The analysis also shows that none of the energy sources are strictly dominant or strictly dominated by other energy sources. Following the resource use efficiency analysis, sensitivity and robustness analyses are performed to determine the impacts of resource limitations and existing performance uncertainties on resource use efficiency, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicates that geothermal energy and ethanol from sugarcane have the lowest and highest resource use efficiency sensitivity, respectively. Also, it is found that from a resource use perspective, concentrated solar power (CSP) and hydropower are respectively the most and least robust energy options with respect to the existing performance uncertainties in the literature.In addition to resource use efficiency analysis, sensitivity analysis and robustness analysis, of energy sources, this study also investigates the scheme of the energy production mix within a specific region with certain characteristics, resource limitations, and availabilities. In fact, different energy sources, especially renewables, vary in demand for natural resources (such as water and land), environmental impacts, geographic requirements, and type of infrastructure required for energy production. In fact, the efficiency of energy sources from a resource use perspective is dependent upon regional specifications, so the energy portfolio varies for different regions due to varying resource availability conditions. Hence, the resource use efficiency scores of different energy technologies are calculated based on the aforementioned sustainability criteria and regional resource availability and limitation conditions (emissions, water resources, land, and GDP) within different U.S. states, regardless of the feasibility of energy alternatives in each state. Sustainability measures are given varying weights based on the emissions cap, available economic resources, land, and water resources in each state, upon which the resource use efficiency of energy sources is calculated by utilizing the system of systems framework developed in the previous step. Efficiency scores are graphically illustrated on GIS-based maps for different states and different energy sources. The results indicate that for some states, fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas are as efficient as renewables like wind and solar energy technologies from resource use perspective. In other words, energy sources' resource use efficiency is significantly sensitive to available resources and limitations in a certain location.Moreover, energy portfolio development models have been created in order to determine the share of different energy sources of total energy production, in order to meet energy demand, maintain energy security, and address climate change with the least possible adverse impacts on the environment. In fact, the traditional (")least cost(") energy portfolios are outdated and should be replaced with (")most efficient(") ones that are not only cost-effective, but also environmentally friendly. Hence, the calculated resource use efficiency scores and associated statistical analysis outcomes for a range of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources are fed into a portfolio selection framework to choose the appropriate energy mixes associated with the risk attitudes of decision makers. For this purpose, Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and Post-Modern Portfolio Theory (PMPT) are both employed to illustrate how different interpretations of (")risk of return(") yield different energy portfolios. The results indicate that 2012 energy mix and projected world's 2035 energy portfolio are not sustainable in terms of resource use efficiency and could be substituted with more reliable, more effective portfolios that address energy security and global warming with minimal environmental and economic impacts.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0005001, ucf:50020
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005001

Title: Online Path Planning and Control Solution for a Coordinated Attack of Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in a Dynamic Environment.
Creator: Vega-Nevarez, Juan, Qu, Zhihua, Haralambous, Michael, Xu, Yunjun, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The role of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has significantly expanded in the military sector during the last decades mainly due to their cost effectiveness and their ability to eliminate the human life risk. Current UAV technology supports a variety of missions and extensive research and development is being performed to further expand its capabilities. One particular field of interest is the area of the low cost expendable UAV since its small price tag makes it an attractive solution for...
Show moreThe role of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has significantly expanded in the military sector during the last decades mainly due to their cost effectiveness and their ability to eliminate the human life risk. Current UAV technology supports a variety of missions and extensive research and development is being performed to further expand its capabilities. One particular field of interest is the area of the low cost expendable UAV since its small price tag makes it an attractive solution for target suppression. A swarm of these low cost UAVs can be utilized as guided munitions or kamikaze UAVs to attack multiple targets simultaneously. The focus of this thesis is the development of a cooperative online path planning algorithm that coordinates the trajectories of these UAVs to achieve a simultaneous arrival to their dynamic targets. A nonlinear autopilot design based on the dynamic inversion technique is also presented which stabilizes the dynamics of the UAV in its entire operating envelope. A nonlinear high fidelity six degrees of freedom model of a fixed wing aircraft was developed as well that acted as the main test platform to verify the performance of the presented algorithms
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004613, ucf:49925
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004613

Title: MODELING AUTONOMOUS AGENTS IN MILITARY SIMULATIONS.
Creator: Kaptan, Varol, Gelenbe, Erol, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Simulation is an important tool for prediction and assessment of the behavior of complex systems and situations. The importance of simulation has increased tremendously during the last few decades, mainly because the rapid pace of development in the field of electronics has turned the computer from a costly and obscure piece of equipment to a cheap ubiquitous tool which is now an integral part of our daily lives. While such technological improvements make it easier to analyze well-understood...
Show moreSimulation is an important tool for prediction and assessment of the behavior of complex systems and situations. The importance of simulation has increased tremendously during the last few decades, mainly because the rapid pace of development in the field of electronics has turned the computer from a costly and obscure piece of equipment to a cheap ubiquitous tool which is now an integral part of our daily lives. While such technological improvements make it easier to analyze well-understood deterministic systems, increase in speed and storage capacity alone are not enough when simulating situations where human beings and their behavior are an integral part of the system being studied. The problem with simulation of intelligent entities is that intelligence is still not well understood and it seems that the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a long way to go before we get computers to think like humans. Behavior-based agent modeling has been proposed in mid-80's as one of the alternatives to the classical AI approach. While used mainly for the control of specialized robotic vehicles with very specific sensory capabilities and limited intelligence, we believe that a behavior-based approach to modeling generic autonomous agents in complex environments can provide promising results. To this end, we are investigating a behavior-based model for controlling groups of collaborating and competing agents in a geographic terrain. In this thesis, we are focusing on scenarios of military nature, where agents can move within the environment and adversaries can eliminate each other through use of weapons. Different aspects of agent behavior like navigation to a goal or staying in group formation, are implemented by distinct behavior modules and the final observed behavior for each agent is an emergent property of the combination of simple behaviors and their interaction with the environment. Our experiments show that while such an approach is quite efficient in terms of computational power, it has some major drawbacks. One of the problems is that reactive behavior-based navigation algorithms are not well suited for environments with complex mobility constraints where they tend to perform much worse than proper path planning. This problem represents an important research question, especially when it is considered that most of the modern military conflicts and operations occur in urban environments. One of the contributions of this thesis is a novel approach to reactive navigation where goals and terrain information are fused based on the idea of transforming a terrain with obstacles into a virtual obstacle-free terrain. Experimental results show that our approach can successfully combine the low run-time computational complexity of reactive methods with the high success rates of classical path planning. Another interesting research problem is how to deal with the unpredictable nature of emergent behavior. It is not uncommon to have situations where an outcome diverges significantly from the intended behavior of the agents due to highly complex nonlinear interactions with other agents or the environment itself. Chances of devising a formal way to predict and avoid such abnormalities are slim at best, mostly because such complex systems tend to be be chaotic in nature. Instead, we focus on detection of deviations through tracking group behavior which is a key component of the total situation awareness capability required by modern technology-oriented and network-centric warfare. We have designed a simple and efficient clustering algorithm for tracking of groups of agent suitable for both spatial and behavioral domain. We also show how to detect certain events of interest based on a temporal analysis of the evolution of discovered clusters.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001494, ucf:47099
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001494

Title: Closing the Gaps in Professional Development: A Tool for School-based Leadership Teams.
Creator: Sampayo, Sandra, Boote, David, Hayes, Grant, Vitale, Thomas, Flanigan, Jacquelyn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The field of professional learning in education has been studied and added to extensively in the last few decades. Because the importance of learning in authentic contexts through professional dialogue has become so important, high quality, school-based professional learning is vital to building capacity at the school level. Unfortunately, the literature on professional development (PD) does not provide much guidance on how to bridge theory and practice at the school level, creating a gap....
Show moreThe field of professional learning in education has been studied and added to extensively in the last few decades. Because the importance of learning in authentic contexts through professional dialogue has become so important, high quality, school-based professional learning is vital to building capacity at the school level. Unfortunately, the literature on professional development (PD) does not provide much guidance on how to bridge theory and practice at the school level, creating a gap. With the goal of PD ultimately being to improve teacher performance and student learning, the problem with this gap is that school-level professional development is arbitrarily planned, resulting in variable outcomes. I propose the reason for this is schools lack a comprehensive framework or tool that guides the design of a quality professional learning plan. This problem was identified in Orange County Public School and this dissertation in practice aims at developing a solution that accounts for the district's specific contextual needs. My proposed solution is the design of an integrative tool that school leaders can use to guide them through the professional development planning process. The School-based Professional Learning Design Tool incorporates the professional development standards in planning, learning, implementing, and evaluating outlined in the Florida Professional Development System Evaluation Protocol. It also guides leaders in taking an inventory of the culture and context of their school in order to plan PD that will be viable given those considerations. The components of the Tool guide teams through assessing school teacher performance and student achievement data to help identify focus groups; determining gaps in learning through root cause analysis; creating goals aligned to gaps in performance; and selecting strategies for professional learning, follow-up support, and evaluation. The development of the Tool was informed by the extant literature on professional development, organizational theory, state and national standards for professional development, and principles of design. The Tool is to be completed in four phases. Phases one and two, the focus of this paper, include the literature review, organizational assessment, design specifications, and the first iteration of the Tool. In the next phases, the goals are to solicit feedback from an expert panel review, create a complete version of the Tool, and pilot it in elementary schools. Although the development of the Tool through its final phases will refine it considerably, there are limitations that will transcend all iterations. While the Tool incorporates best practices in professional development, the lack of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of specific PD elements in the literature renders this Tool only a best guess in helping schools plan effective professional development. Another limitation is that the Tool is not prescriptive and cannot use school data to make decisions for what strategies to implement. Taking these limitations into consideration, the use of this Tool can significantly impact the quality and effectiveness of professional development in schools.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005883, ucf:50889
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005883

Title: EXAMINING EMPLOYEE USE OF FAMILY-FRIENDLY BENEFITS WITH THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR.
Creator: Seiser, Heather, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the factors that may be related to employees' decisions to use the family-friendly benefits (e.g., maternity/paternity leave, flexible work schedule) that are offered to them by their employers. Research has shown that both employees and organizations benefit when employees use family-friendly benefits. However, research has also shown that many employees do not take advantage of such benefits. Studies examining this issue are limited,...
Show moreThe purpose of the present study was to investigate the factors that may be related to employees' decisions to use the family-friendly benefits (e.g., maternity/paternity leave, flexible work schedule) that are offered to them by their employers. Research has shown that both employees and organizations benefit when employees use family-friendly benefits. However, research has also shown that many employees do not take advantage of such benefits. Studies examining this issue are limited, and much of the research that has been conducted is anecdotal and atheoretical. The present study overcame this problem by empirically examining the use of family-friendly benefits within the theoretical context of Ajzen's (1991) theory of planned behavior. The results of this study support the theory of planned behavior. Specifically, the results indicated that whether an individual perceived he/she had control over the use of family-friendly benefits was the most predictive of whether he/she intended to use them. Whether the individual perceived that others would approve of these behaviors was also predictive of intention to perform the behaviors. In addition, an individual's intention to take leave or use a flexible work schedule was the most predictive of whether he or she actually engaged in the behaviors. Implications for practice as well as future research directions are also discussed.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001399, ucf:46959
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001399

Title: THE EFFECT OF NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE ON FOOD CHOICES AND BODY MASS INDEX PERCENTILE RANKINGS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN: RESULTS FROM AN IN-SCHOOL NUTRITION EDUCATION PROGRAM.
Creator: Ellis, Nancy, Abel, Eileen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The prevalence of overweight and obese children has increased dramatically in the United States over the past 20 years and is a symptom of multiple systemic and cultural changes that have significantly influenced alterations in energy intake, energy expenditures, and the energy balance of children across the nation. School-based obesity prevention programs addressing nutrition and healthy eating behaviors within the school environment and cultural context provide a unique opportunity to...
Show moreThe prevalence of overweight and obese children has increased dramatically in the United States over the past 20 years and is a symptom of multiple systemic and cultural changes that have significantly influenced alterations in energy intake, energy expenditures, and the energy balance of children across the nation. School-based obesity prevention programs addressing nutrition and healthy eating behaviors within the school environment and cultural context provide a unique opportunity to educate and engage students in healthy food consumption practices. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a three-year elementary school nutrition education program for students in grades kindergarten through fifth using a longitudinal analysis of two separate data sets, a nutrition skills behavior assessment survey of self-reported eating behaviors, and body mass index (BMI) scores derived from height and weight measurements of program participants. Nutrition survey results indicated that students reported making healthier food choices from August 2001 to November 2004, with a significant decrease in reported consumption of fats/oils/sweets and significant increases in reported consumption of milk, meat, vegetables, fruit and grains. BMI results indicated a 7.8% decline in the percentage of students in the "overweight" and "at-risk for overweight" categories between August 2001 and October 2004. The combined results of both measures indicate that the nutrition education program appeared to positively affect eating behaviors and body mass index percentages. Implications of the study and strategies for further research are proposed.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001745, ucf:47311
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001745

Title: TECHNIQUES FOR IMPROVING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND COMPREHENSION THROUGH THE PAIRING OF YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE WITH CLASSIC LITERATURE IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT OR HONORS TWELFTH GRADE CLASSROOMS.
Creator: Kopp, Julie, Kaplan, Jeffrey, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Classics remain important to high school curriculum; however, they are also not palatable to today's students. This problem can be addressed by the use of young adult literature to help engagement and comprehension when paired with classic literature. By connecting the two, a student has the chance to learn something they will enjoy before moving on to what would be seen as efferent reading This thesis contains a review of literature on integrating young adult literature in the classroom in...
Show moreClassics remain important to high school curriculum; however, they are also not palatable to today's students. This problem can be addressed by the use of young adult literature to help engagement and comprehension when paired with classic literature. By connecting the two, a student has the chance to learn something they will enjoy before moving on to what would be seen as efferent reading This thesis contains a review of literature on integrating young adult literature in the classroom in order to view its effects on the students' engagement and comprehension. This study focuses on twelfth grade students taking Advanced Placement and Honors courses. Much of the research covers from the middle grades up to ninth grade. No direct research has been found for the twelfth grade level to have students become more avid readers past graduation. The thesis contains sample unit schedules with at least three sample lesson plans within each unit. There are explanations of how these lessons can used in conjunction with young adult literature and classical literature. Each unit covers a different classic novel list and provides the best way to engage students with increased comprehension when put into practice in any twelfth grade Advanced Placement and Honors classroom.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFH0004465, ucf:45099
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004465

Title: THE IMPACT OF A NURSE-DRIVEN EVIDENCE-BASED DISCHARGE PLANNING PROTOCOL ON ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY AND PATIENT SATISFACTION IN PATIENTS WITH CARDIAC IMPLANTS.
Creator: King, Tracey, Sole, Mary Lou, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Purpose: Healthcare organizations are mandated to improve quality and safety for patients while stressed with shorter lengths of stay, communication lapses between disciplines, and patient throughput issues that impede timely delivery of patient care. Nurses play a prominent role in the safe transition of patients from admission to discharge. Although nurses participate in discharge planning, limited research has addressed the role and outcomes of the registered nurse as a leader in the...
Show morePurpose: Healthcare organizations are mandated to improve quality and safety for patients while stressed with shorter lengths of stay, communication lapses between disciplines, and patient throughput issues that impede timely delivery of patient care. Nurses play a prominent role in the safe transition of patients from admission to discharge. Although nurses participate in discharge planning, limited research has addressed the role and outcomes of the registered nurse as a leader in the process. The aim of this study was determine if implementation of a nurse-driven discharge planning protocol for patients undergoing cardiac implant would result in improved organizational efficiencies, higher medication reconciliation rates, and higher patient satisfaction scores. Methods: A two-group posttest experimental design was used to conduct the study. Informed consent was obtained from 53 individuals scheduled for a cardiac implant procedure. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a nurse-driven discharge planning intervention group or a control group. Post procedure, 46 subjects met inclusion criteria with half (n=23) assigned to each group. All subjects received traditional discharge planning services. The morning after the cardiac implant procedure, a specially trained registered nurse assessed subjects in the intervention for discharge readiness. Subjects in the intervention groups were then discharged under protocol orders by the intervention nurse after targeted physical assessment, review of the post procedure chest radiograph, and examination of the cardiac implant device function. The intervention nurse also provided patient education, discharge instructions, and conducted medication reconciliation. The day after discharge the principal investigator conducted a scripted follow-up phone call to answer questions and monitor for post procedure complications. A Hospital Discharge Survey was administered during the subject's follow-up appointment. Results: The majority of subjects were men, Caucasian, insured, and educated at the high school level or higher. Their average age was 73.5+ 9.8 years. No significant differences between groups were noted for gender, type of insurance, education, or type of cardiac implant (chi-square); or age (t-test). A Mann-Whitney U test (one-tailed) found no significant difference in variable cost per case (p=.437) and actual charges (p=.403) between the intervention and control groups. Significant differences were found between groups for discharge satisfaction (p=.05) and the discharge perception of overall health (p=.02), with those in the intervention group reporting higher scores. Chi square analysis found no significant difference in 30-day readmission rates (p=.520). Using an independent samples t-test, those in the intervention group were discharged earlier (p=.000), had a lower length of stay (p=.005), and had higher rates of reconciled medications (p=.000). The odds of having all medications reconciled were significantly higher in the intervention group (odds ratio, 50.27; 95% CI, 5.62-450.2; p=.000). Discussion/Implications: This is the first study to evaluate the role of the nurse as a clinical leader in patient throughput, discharge planning, and patient safety initiatives. A nurse driven discharge planning protocol resulted in earlier discharge times which can have a dramatic impact on patient throughput. The nurse driven protocol significantly reduced the likelihood of unreconciled medications at discharge and significantly increased patient satisfaction. Follow-up research is needed to determine if a registered nurse can impact organizational efficiency and discharge safety in other patient populations.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002188, ucf:47915
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002188

Title: Investigating Instructional Designers' Decisions Regarding The Use Of Multimedia Learning Principles in E-learning Course Design.
Creator: Arguelles, Victor, Hartshorne, Richard, Gill, Michele, Vitale, Thomas, Swan, Bonnie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study employed a qualitative research design using the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior (DTPB) to investigate instructional designers' use of multimedia learning principles (MLPs) in e-learning course design. While MLPs have been extensively studied in educational research and are largely associated with positive results, evidence suggests that instructional designers are not uniformly implementing these strategies when designing e-learning environments. The purpose of this study...
Show moreThis study employed a qualitative research design using the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior (DTPB) to investigate instructional designers' use of multimedia learning principles (MLPs) in e-learning course design. While MLPs have been extensively studied in educational research and are largely associated with positive results, evidence suggests that instructional designers are not uniformly implementing these strategies when designing e-learning environments. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to understand better the alignment between instructional designers' knowledge and demonstrated implementation of MLPs; and (b) to understand the factors that influence instructional designers' intent and actual implementation of MLPs in their e-learning course design. Based on two interviews conducted with seven instructional designers and an analysis of representative work samples, this study produced seven findings. Participants were recruited using homogenous purposive sampling method from two small corporate organizations whose primary business is the development of e-learning environments. Overall, these findings suggest that, despite being exposed to MLPs and holding positive behavioral beliefs regarding the usefulness of them, instructional designers may hold negative beliefs and face constraining conditions that pose significant barriers to the utilization of MLPs in e-learning course design. Other findings regarding MLP use in design are discussed and future directions for practice, policy, and research are offered.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006716, ucf:51898
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006716

Title: Decision-making for Vehicle Path Planning.
Creator: Xu, Jun, Turgut, Damla, Zhang, Shaojie, Zhang, Wei, Hasan, Samiul, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation presents novel algorithms for vehicle path planning in scenarios where the environment changes. In these dynamic scenarios the path of the vehicle needs to adapt to changes in the real world. In these scenarios, higher performance paths can be achieved if we are able to predict the future state of the world, by learning the way it evolves from historical data. We are relying on recent advances in the field of deep learning and reinforcement learning to learn appropriate...
Show moreThis dissertation presents novel algorithms for vehicle path planning in scenarios where the environment changes. In these dynamic scenarios the path of the vehicle needs to adapt to changes in the real world. In these scenarios, higher performance paths can be achieved if we are able to predict the future state of the world, by learning the way it evolves from historical data. We are relying on recent advances in the field of deep learning and reinforcement learning to learn appropriate world models and path planning behaviors.There are many different practical applications that map to this model. In this dissertation we propose algorithms for two applications that are very different in domain but share important formal similarities: the scheduling of taxi services in a large city and tracking wild animals with an unmanned aerial vehicle.The first application models a centralized taxi dispatch center in a big city. It is a multivariate optimization problem for taxi time scheduling and path planning. The first goal here is to balance the taxi service demand and supply ratio in the city. The second goal is to minimize passenger waiting time and taxi idle driving distance. We design different learning models that capture taxi demand and destination distribution patterns from historical taxi data. The predictions are evaluated with real-world taxi trip records. The predicted taxi demand and destination is used to build a taxi dispatch model. The taxi assignment and re-balance is optimized by solving a Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) problem.The second application concerns animal monitoring using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to search and track wild animals in a large geographic area. We propose two different path planing approaches for the UAV. The first one is based on the UAV controller solving Markov decision process (MDP). The second algorithms relies on the past recorded animal appearances. We designed a learning model that captures animal appearance patterns and predicts the distribution of future animal appearances. We compare the proposed path planning approaches with traditional methods and evaluated them in terms of collected value of information (VoI), message delay and percentage of events collected.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007557, ucf:52606
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007557

Title: PREDICTING INTENTIONS TO DONATE TO HUMAN SERVICE NONPROFITS AND PUBLIC BROADCASTING ORGANIZATIONS USING A REVISED THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR.
Creator: Brinkerhoff, Bobbie, Kinnally, William, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Different types of nonprofit organizations including human service nonprofits like homeless shelters, public broadcasting organizations, and the like thrive on donations. Effective fundraising techniques are essential to a nonprofit's existence. This research study explored a revised theory of planned behavior to include guilt and convenience in order to understand whether these factors are important in donors' intentions to give. This study also examined the impact of two different kinds of...
Show moreDifferent types of nonprofit organizations including human service nonprofits like homeless shelters, public broadcasting organizations, and the like thrive on donations. Effective fundraising techniques are essential to a nonprofit's existence. This research study explored a revised theory of planned behavior to include guilt and convenience in order to understand whether these factors are important in donors' intentions to give. This study also examined the impact of two different kinds of guilt; anticipated guilt and existential guilt to determine if there was any difference between the types of guilt and the roles that they play as predicting factors in a revised TPB model. This study also explored how human service nonprofits and public broadcasting organizations compare in the factors that help better predict their donating intentions. An online survey was administered to a convenience sample, and hierarchical regression analysis was used to determine significant predicting factors within each revised TPB model. This study confirmed that the standard theory of planned behavior model was a significant predictor of intentions to donate for donors of both human service nonprofits and public broadcasting organizations. However, in both contexts, not all traditional factors of the TPB model contributed to the donation intentions. This study also provides further evidence that guilt can increase the predictive value of the standard TPB model for both types of nonprofits. Anticipated guilt more specifically, was a significant predicting factor for donors' intentions to give to public broadcasting organizations. In contrast, convenience did not affect the explanatory power of the TPB model in either context. The TPB models for the two nonprofits are compared and theoretical and practical explanations are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004000, ucf:49178
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004000

Title: Vision-Based Testbeds for Control System Applicaitons.
Creator: Sivilli, Robert, Xu, Yunjun, Gou, Jihua, Cho, Hyoung, Pham, Khanh, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In the field of control systems, testbeds are a pivotal step in the validation and improvement of new algorithms for different applications. They provide a safe, controlled environment typically having a significantly lower cost of failure than the final application. Vision systems provide nonintrusive methods of measurement that can be easily implemented for various setups and applications. This work presents methods for modeling, removing distortion, calibrating, and rectifying single and...
Show moreIn the field of control systems, testbeds are a pivotal step in the validation and improvement of new algorithms for different applications. They provide a safe, controlled environment typically having a significantly lower cost of failure than the final application. Vision systems provide nonintrusive methods of measurement that can be easily implemented for various setups and applications. This work presents methods for modeling, removing distortion, calibrating, and rectifying single and two camera systems, as well as, two very different applications of vision-based control system testbeds: deflection control of shape memory polymers and trajectory planning for mobile robots. First, a testbed for the modeling and control of shape memory polymers (SMP) is designed. Red-green-blue (RGB) thresholding is used to assist in the webcam-based, 3D reconstruction of points of interest. A PID based controller is designed and shown to work with SMP samples, while state space models were identified from step input responses. Models were used to develop a linear quadratic regulator that is shown to work in simulation. Also, a simple to use graphical interface is designed for fast and simple testing of a series of samples. Second, a robot testbed is designed to test new trajectory planning algorithms. A template-based predictive search algorithm is investigated to process the images obtained through a low-cost webcam vision system, which is used to monitor the testbed environment. Also a user-friendly graphical interface is developed such that the functionalities of the webcam, robots, and optimizations are automated. The testbeds are used to demonstrate a wavefront-enhanced, B-spline augmented virtual motion camouflage algorithm for single or multiple robots to navigate through an obstacle dense and changing environment, while considering inter-vehicle conflicts, obstacle avoidance, nonlinear dynamics, and different constraints. In addition, it is expected that this testbed can be used to test different vehicle motion planning and control algorithms.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004601, ucf:49187
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004601

Title: Virtual Motion Camouflage Based Nonlinear Constrained Optimal Trajectory Design Method.
Creator: Basset, Gareth, Xu, Yunjun, Kassab, Alain, Lin, Kuo-Chi, Cho, Hyoung, Qu, Zhihua, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Nonlinear constrained optimal trajectory control is an important and fundamental area of research that continues to advance in numerous fields. Many attempts have been made to present new methods that can solve for optimal trajectories more efficiently or to improve the overall performance of existing techniques. This research presents a recently developed bio-inspired method called the Virtual Motion Camouflage (VMC) method that offers a means of quickly finding, within a defined but varying...
Show moreNonlinear constrained optimal trajectory control is an important and fundamental area of research that continues to advance in numerous fields. Many attempts have been made to present new methods that can solve for optimal trajectories more efficiently or to improve the overall performance of existing techniques. This research presents a recently developed bio-inspired method called the Virtual Motion Camouflage (VMC) method that offers a means of quickly finding, within a defined but varying search space, the optimal trajectory that is equal or close to the optimal solution.The research starts with the polynomial-based VMC method, which works within a search space that is defined by a selected and fixed polynomial type virtual prey motion. Next will be presented a means of improving the solution's optimality by using a sequential based form of VMC, where the search space is adjusted by adjusting the polynomial prey trajectory after a solution is obtained. After the search space is adjusted, an optimization is performed in the new search space to find a solution closer to the global space optimal solution, and further adjustments are made as desired. Finally, a B-spline augmented VMC method is presented, in which a B-spline curve represents the prey motion and will allow the search space to be optimized together with the solution trajectory.It is shown that (1) the polynomial based VMC method will significantly reduce the overall problem dimension, which in practice will significantly reduce the computational cost associated with solving nonlinear constrained optimal trajectory problems; (2) the sequential VMC method will improve the solution optimality by sequentially refining certain parameters, such as the prey motion; and (3) the B-spline augmented VMC method will improve the solution optimality without sacrificing the CPU time much as compared with the polynomial based approach. Several simulation scenarios, including the Breakwell problem, the phantom track problem, the minimum-time mobile robot obstacle avoidance problem, and the Snell's river problem are simulated to demonstrate the capabilities of the various forms of the VMC algorithm. The capabilities of the B-spline augmented VMC method are also shown in a hardware demonstration using a mobile robot obstacle avoidance testbed.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004298, ucf:49493
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004298

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