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Pages
- Title
- BISTRO GIRLS.
- Creator
-
Blakeslee, Vanessa, Rushin, Pat, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
"Bistro Girls" is an interconnected collection of short stories focusing on characters whose lives intertwine in the affluent Floridian town of Bellamy Park. In "Bistro Girls of Bellamy Park," a senior at a privileged college struggles to confront an old friend who has slipped into addiction. In "Bobby Blues," two women's stifling situations with live-in boyfriends give way to a small hope as Valerie casts aside her illusions and leaves to find a new apartment, temporarily freeing herself...
Show more"Bistro Girls" is an interconnected collection of short stories focusing on characters whose lives intertwine in the affluent Floridian town of Bellamy Park. In "Bistro Girls of Bellamy Park," a senior at a privileged college struggles to confront an old friend who has slipped into addiction. In "Bobby Blues," two women's stifling situations with live-in boyfriends give way to a small hope as Valerie casts aside her illusions and leaves to find a new apartment, temporarily freeing herself from the pattern of relying on a man. In these stories people wrestle with flawed concepts of personal identity that create outward limitations in their interactions with those they care about most. In "Disconnect," an eccentric millionaire struggles with spirituality and a romance spoiled by his inability to find satisfaction. In "The Coffee Shop," the emotionally removed Don leaves Valerie in the inevitable position to find contentment through self-reliance. Through trial and error, the obstacles of insecurity and disillusionment can at times be overcome. In "Scout's Honor," a young woman marries under the spell of fateful disillusionment, with tragic results. An annulment is the catalyst for her maturity, yet the road before her promises to be a long, painful one. As the characters come closer to acceptance of the imperfections and possibilities in themselves and the world around them, there is almost always some hope, no matter how difficult the means to get there.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000745, ucf:46576
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000745
- Title
- EPIDEMIOLOGICAL MODELS FOR MUTATING PATHOGENS WITH TEMPORARY IMMUNITY.
- Creator
-
Singh, Neeta, Rollins, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Significant progress has been made in understanding different scenarios for disease transmissions and behavior of epidemics in recent years. A considerable amount of work has been done in modeling the dynamics of diseases by systems of ordinary differential equations. But there are very few mathematical models that deal with the genetic mutations of a pathogen. In-fact, not much has been done to model the dynamics of mutations of pathogen explaining its effort to escape the host's immune...
Show moreSignificant progress has been made in understanding different scenarios for disease transmissions and behavior of epidemics in recent years. A considerable amount of work has been done in modeling the dynamics of diseases by systems of ordinary differential equations. But there are very few mathematical models that deal with the genetic mutations of a pathogen. In-fact, not much has been done to model the dynamics of mutations of pathogen explaining its effort to escape the host's immune defense system after it has infected the host. In this dissertation we develop an SIR model with variable infection age for the transmission of a pathogen that can mutate in the host to produce a second infectious mutant strain. We assume that there is a period of temporary immunity in the model. A temporary immunity period along with variable infection age leads to an integro-differential-difference model. Previous efforts on incorporating delays in epidemic models have mainly concentrated on inclusion of latency periods (this assumes that the force of infection at a present time is determined by the number of infectives in the past). We begin with reviewing some basic models. These basic models are the building blocks for the later, more detailed models. Next we consider the model for mutation of pathogen and discuss its implications. Finally, we improve this model for mutation of pathogen by incorporating delay induced by temporary immunity. We examine the influence of delay as we establish the existence, and derive the explicit forms of disease-free, boundary and endemic equilibriums. We will also investigate the local stability of each of these equilibriums. The possibility of Hopf bifurcation using delay as the bifurcation parameter is studied using both analytical and numerical solutions.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001043, ucf:46801
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001043
- Title
- PREVENTING CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN READING NUTRITION LABELS AND HEALTHY DIETARY BEHAVIORS.
- Creator
-
Bogers, Kimberly S, Quelly, Susan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Childhood obesity is a prevalent problem in the United States. Obesity increases the risk for many diseases. Obese children are likely to become obese adults with additional comorbidities. Studies have reported mixed findings regarding associations between reading nutrition labels and improved dietary behaviors/healthy weight status. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the frequency of children reading nutrition labels is related to frequency of performing 12 dietary behaviors....
Show moreChildhood obesity is a prevalent problem in the United States. Obesity increases the risk for many diseases. Obese children are likely to become obese adults with additional comorbidities. Studies have reported mixed findings regarding associations between reading nutrition labels and improved dietary behaviors/healthy weight status. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the frequency of children reading nutrition labels is related to frequency of performing 12 dietary behaviors. De-identified baseline data from a previous quasiexperimental pilot study were analyzed. Data were collected from 4th and 5th graders (n = 42) at an after-school program. An adapted paper survey was administered to the children to measure the number of days (0�7) they read nutrition labels and performed 12 dietary behaviors over the preceding week. Due to non-normal distribution of data, non-parametric Spearman rho correlations were conducted to determine relationships between frequency of reading nutrition labels and dietary behaviors. Positive correlations were found between frequency of reading nutrition labels and eating fruit for breakfast; eating vegetables at lunch/dinner; eating whole grain/multigrain bread (p less than .05); eating fruit for a snack; eating vegetables for a snack (p less than .01). Frequency of reading nutrition labels was inversely related to drinking soda/sugar-sweetened beverages (p less than .05). Significant relationships were found between frequency of reading nutrition labels and several dietary behaviors associated with childhood obesity prevention. Findings are promising and support the need for further intervention research to determine potential direct influences of children reading nutrition labels on dietary behaviors.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000281, ucf:45722
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000281
- Title
- AN EXAMINATION OF RELATIVE AGE EFFECTS AMONG JUNIOR ELITE WRESTLERS.
- Creator
-
Kelly, Jayla, Fukuda, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this examination was to evaluate relative age effects among junior elite wrestlers across gender, weight class, and competitive rule sets. Using biographical data, this thesis explores trends representing an oversampling of athletes born earlier in the year, accompanied by potential effects for success in sport and an impact on retention rates. Currently, the use of chronological age is the most common form of classifying sports participants, though this type of classification...
Show moreThe purpose of this examination was to evaluate relative age effects among junior elite wrestlers across gender, weight class, and competitive rule sets. Using biographical data, this thesis explores trends representing an oversampling of athletes born earlier in the year, accompanied by potential effects for success in sport and an impact on retention rates. Currently, the use of chronological age is the most common form of classifying sports participants, though this type of classification may have potentially negative long- and short-term implications. Thus, the results may provide an evaluation of weight categorization as a less discriminatory competitive format in junior elite wrestlers.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004804, ucf:45487
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004804
- Title
- THE AMBIVALENCE OF SCIENCE FICTION: SCIENCE FICTION, NEO-IMPERIALISM, AND THE IDEOLOGY OF MODERNITY AS PROGRESS.
- Creator
-
Hall, Graham, Campbell, James, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This thesis sets out to examine the relationship between science fiction and its conditions of production, specifically interrogating the genre's articulations of the ideology of modernity as progress. Sf has been characterized variously as a characteristically useful critical engagement with the ideologies of its context and as wholly ideological at the level of form, relying on the authority of a scientific episteme in its "cognitive estrangements," while not obligated to operate within the...
Show moreThis thesis sets out to examine the relationship between science fiction and its conditions of production, specifically interrogating the genre's articulations of the ideology of modernity as progress. Sf has been characterized variously as a characteristically useful critical engagement with the ideologies of its context and as wholly ideological at the level of form, relying on the authority of a scientific episteme in its "cognitive estrangements," while not obligated to operate within the boundaries of this episteme. As such, the genre is unparalleled in its capacity to articulate ideologies under the guise of a putatively neutral science and reason. However, this same formal action places the genre in the unique position of being able to utilize the authority of a scientific episteme to re-evaluate the putative neutrality of that very scientific episteme. As a result, this study concludes that while the genre's reliance on the external authority of science in "cognitively" organizing its estrangements may make it particularly conducive to articulating ideological technoscience and the ideology of modernity as progress, the genre is characteristically ambivalent in this respect, both at the level of form and as a result of the incongruities between form and narrative. To support my thesis I engage a number of science fictional texts, focusing on Golden Age sf of the mid-20th century, while also branching out into explorations of a variety of 20th and 21st century sf texts, including texts from the pulp era, New Wave, cyberpunk, and post-singularity sf. I analyze within the effects of the conceptual mapping of society in terms of the natural sciences in sf, as well as the ambivalent presence of the robot as a megatextual motif, exploring the relationship of these to the ideology of modernity as progress and the post-scarcity fantasy of global mass consumption prosperity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004471, ucf:45121
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004471
- Title
- Please Don't Interrupt Me While I'm Ignoring You.
- Creator
-
Harrington, Sherard, Poissant, David, Uttich, Laurie, Bartkevicius, Jocelyn, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
A collection of short stories and personal essays, "Please Don't Interrupt Me While I'm Ignoring You" weaves a lame of humor and private desperation on the page. An actor in one story craves career gratification, while a United Nations coordinator in another finds herself attracted to a nervous NGO. A housewife attempts to convince her husband to commit an infidelity, while an architect finds that his new pet companion isn't helping him to get over his ex-girlfriend. Having a difficult time...
Show moreA collection of short stories and personal essays, "Please Don't Interrupt Me While I'm Ignoring You" weaves a lame of humor and private desperation on the page. An actor in one story craves career gratification, while a United Nations coordinator in another finds herself attracted to a nervous NGO. A housewife attempts to convince her husband to commit an infidelity, while an architect finds that his new pet companion isn't helping him to get over his ex-girlfriend. Having a difficult time relating, these characters often find themselves stuck in a miscommunication loop, and their journey to get what they want is subtle. These stories are followed with essays about the author's own experiences while he was stuck in a miscommunication loop. Driven by his obscene fear of conflict, the author chronicles what happens when conflict is inevitable. Travel and self-loathing abound in these narratives depicted with sensitivity and sarcasm-bitterness and love. Together they leave a lasting impression of the impermeability of worldly citizens, and the internalizations they have to combat to get there.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004319, ucf:49480
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004319
- Title
- COMPREHENDING SYNTHETIC SPEECH: PERSONAL AND PRODUCTION INFLUENCES.
- Creator
-
Wang Costello, Jingjing, Gilson, Richard, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
With the increasing prevalence of voice-production technology across societies, clear comprehension while listening to synthetic speech is an obvious goal. Common human factors influences include the listener's language familiarity and age. Production factors include the speaking rate and clarity. This study investigated the speaking comprehension performance of younger and older adults who learned English as their first or second language. Presentations varied by the rate of delivery in...
Show moreWith the increasing prevalence of voice-production technology across societies, clear comprehension while listening to synthetic speech is an obvious goal. Common human factors influences include the listener's language familiarity and age. Production factors include the speaking rate and clarity. This study investigated the speaking comprehension performance of younger and older adults who learned English as their first or second language. Presentations varied by the rate of delivery in words per minute (wpm) and in two forms, synthetic or natural speech. The results showed that younger adults had significantly higher comprehension performance than older adults. English as First Language (EFL) participants performed better than English as Second Language (ESL) participants for both younger and older adults, although the performance gap for the older adults was significantly larger than for younger adults. Younger adults performed significantly better than older adults at the slow speech rate (127 wpm), but surprisingly at the medium speech rate (188 wpm), both age groups performed similarly. Both young and older participants had better comprehension when listening to synthetic speech than natural speech. Both theoretical and design implications are provided from these findings. A cognitive diagnostic tool is proposed as a recommendation for future research.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003925, ucf:48703
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003925
- Title
- Getting The Work Out of Workouts: Evaluating the Effectiveness and Outcomes of a Physical Exercise Motivational Intervention For Older Workers.
- Creator
-
Sholar-Fetherlin, Brandon, Fritzsche, Barbara, Smither, Janan, Wang, Wei, Fragala, Maren, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
To mitigate their estimated $300 billion in annual health-related losses, many companies have instituted workplace wellness initiatives designed to promote physical activity among their employees, improving the overall health of their workforce. Though middle-aged and older workers may potentially enjoy the greatest physical, stress and cognitive benefits from regular exercise, workplace wellness programs have been less successful in attracting such employees. This study developed and tested...
Show moreTo mitigate their estimated $300 billion in annual health-related losses, many companies have instituted workplace wellness initiatives designed to promote physical activity among their employees, improving the overall health of their workforce. Though middle-aged and older workers may potentially enjoy the greatest physical, stress and cognitive benefits from regular exercise, workplace wellness programs have been less successful in attracting such employees. This study developed and tested a 6-week exercise motivation intervention designed to meet the needs of sedentary, older working adults and to determine what non-physical benefits might result from increased levels of physical exercise. The intervention, based primarily on Self-Determination Theory, included feedback on individually-made, realistic, process-specific exercise goals that and provided guidance from knowledgeable exercise professionals in addition to support group of socially-similar individuals to aid in coping and adherence. The intervention was built and delivered entirely online to fit better with the sample's considerable time demands. The motivational intervention was delivered to a sample of 30 mostly-older working adults and was successful in significantly improving activity levels and overall affect while decreasing stress. No significant differences were detected in measures of personal resources, work engagement, work effort and task performance. The implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006660, ucf:51235
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006660
- Title
- Fostering college student success: An analysis of the educational outcomes of Florida college students utilizing Relative Caregiver, Road-to-Independence, and Adoption tuition exemptions.
- Creator
-
Murray, Lauren, Cox, Dr. Thomas, Preston, Michael, Whiteman, JoAnn, Molina, Olga, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study investigated the educational outcomes of foster care youth utilizing the Road to Independence, Adopted from DCF, and Relative Caregiver tuition exemptions to pursue enrollment in Florida's state college system during the 2012-2013 academic year. An extensive literature review was conducted to examine the history of foster care, examine a contemporary portrait of the American foster care system, and the adult outcomes of former foster care. Federal and state policies impacting the...
Show moreThis study investigated the educational outcomes of foster care youth utilizing the Road to Independence, Adopted from DCF, and Relative Caregiver tuition exemptions to pursue enrollment in Florida's state college system during the 2012-2013 academic year. An extensive literature review was conducted to examine the history of foster care, examine a contemporary portrait of the American foster care system, and the adult outcomes of former foster care. Federal and state policies impacting the population, campus support initiatives at colleges nationwide and the concept of resilience were also explored. In conjunction with the Florida Department of Education's Division of Accountability, Research and Measurement, the Florida Department of Children and Families provided access to a dataset compiled by the Community College and Technical Center MIS department. This file contained enrollment information for foster care youth utilizing one of three tuition exemptions to fund their education-related expenses. While all personal identifiers were eliminated prior to sharing the file, information within the document included student age, gender, race/ethnicity, academic discipline, and degree being pursued.Results of this study yielded some statistically significant differences across tuition exemption type. After examining relationships between gender and race/ethnicity and tuition exemption type, no statistically significant results were found. However, statistical significance was found after examining the relationships between academic degree being pursued and academic major/discipline and tuition exemption type. Many factors impact the experiences of foster care youth in the college classroom. These should be considered when developing programming, policy, and support services aimed at encouraging their success.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005979, ucf:50769
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005979
- Title
- Stories I Told Myself: A Memoir.
- Creator
-
Crimmins, Brian, Neal, Mary, Roney, Lisa, Uttich, Laurie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Stories I Told Myself: A Memoir explores the experience of growing up gay in the 1980s. It is one boy's journey toward self-acceptance set against the conservative backdrop of a rural community on California's central coast. The story illuminates the hunger for a life different than the one being lived, and the ever-present sense of being different exacerbated by bullying and unrequited love. It is a narrative of evolving identity, and includes cultural insights and societal context of the...
Show moreStories I Told Myself: A Memoir explores the experience of growing up gay in the 1980s. It is one boy's journey toward self-acceptance set against the conservative backdrop of a rural community on California's central coast. The story illuminates the hunger for a life different than the one being lived, and the ever-present sense of being different exacerbated by bullying and unrequited love. It is a narrative of evolving identity, and includes cultural insights and societal context of the time period. The author poses a fundamental question, (")How did I make it out of the 80's alive?(") and he explores the answer with poignant humor and self-examination. Mr. Crimmins shows that, beyond the constraints of time and place, the process of coming out remains an important and consistent element of the queer experience.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005152, ucf:50710
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005152
- Title
- The Influences of Mindfulness and Neuromotor Exercise Mode on Balance in Healthy Older Adults.
- Creator
-
Hicks, Maxine, Chase, Susan, Forlaw, Loretta, Bushy, Angeline, Mundale, Jennifer, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study investigated the roles of mindfulness and balance to optimize strategies for fall prevention in healthy older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of mindfulness with respect to balance in healthy older adults who are experienced in meditative versus non-meditative modes of neuromotor exercise. This was a comparative descriptive study that used a convenience sample of N=86 older adults (20 male; mean age = 69.33 (&)#177; 7.24; range: 60 (-) 93 years)....
Show moreThis study investigated the roles of mindfulness and balance to optimize strategies for fall prevention in healthy older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of mindfulness with respect to balance in healthy older adults who are experienced in meditative versus non-meditative modes of neuromotor exercise. This was a comparative descriptive study that used a convenience sample of N=86 older adults (20 male; mean age = 69.33 (&)#177; 7.24; range: 60 (-) 93 years). The sample included experienced participants of meditative (e.g., yoga, Tai chi) and non-meditative (e.g., partnered dance) neuromotor exercise recruited from community yoga, Tai chi, and dance studios, respectively. The variables of mindfulness, age, and sex were examined as predictors of the outcome variable of balance. Dispositional mindfulness was measured with the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and postural balance was assessed using the One-legged Stance Test, a measure of the number of seconds a participant can stand on one with eyes closed. Multiple regression analyses were used to answer the research questions. The results did not reveal either mode of neuromotor exercise to predict balance better; neither age nor sex was a moderator of mindfulness, and mindfulness did not act as a mediator between age, sex, and balance. What the findings did reveal were higher levels of balance and mindfulness amongst study participants compared to normative community-dwelling populations from the published literature. Next, balance was found to decrease with increasing age and was greater in males than females. Most remarkably, dancers were found to have significantly higher levels of mindfulness than Tai chi and yoga participants, which suggests that formal meditation may not be an essential component of neuromotor exercise for the cultivation of mindfulness. The results have important implications for theory, research, practice, and policy.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006883, ucf:51724
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006883
- Title
- The Longitudinal Relationship between Moderate Alcohol Use and Cognitive Aging among Older Adults.
- Creator
-
Herring, Danielle, Paulson, Daniel, Renk, Kimberly, Lighthall, Nichole, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Cognitive aging appears inconsistent across cognitive domains, indicating that domains may not all decline at the same rate across individuals. Individual trajectories of cognitive aging can vary widely and are affected by numerous lifestyle and health factors. Alcohol use among older adults is known to confer both health risks, typically related to excessive use, and protective effects, often associated with moderate consumption. Moderate alcohol use has been linked with better cognitive...
Show moreCognitive aging appears inconsistent across cognitive domains, indicating that domains may not all decline at the same rate across individuals. Individual trajectories of cognitive aging can vary widely and are affected by numerous lifestyle and health factors. Alcohol use among older adults is known to confer both health risks, typically related to excessive use, and protective effects, often associated with moderate consumption. Moderate alcohol use has been linked with better cognitive functioning as well as a decrease in cardiovascular mortality and systemic inflammation, as compared to heavy or abstinent users. Given that extant research has identified C-reactive protein (CRP) as a mediator between the relationship of moderate alcohol use and cardiovascular disease mortality, this study examined the potential mediating role of CRP between moderate alcohol use and cognitive performance in later life. Therefore, the primary goals of this thesis were to: (1) examine the relationship between moderate alcohol use and cognitive aging over time in a demographically representative, longitudinal survey of Americans over the age of 65, and (2) examine a potential biological mechanisms by which this putative relationship functions. The sample utilized for this study consisted of the ADAMS sample of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a longitudinal, cohort-style study on health, retirement, and aging conducted by the University of Michigan and supported by the National Institute of Aging. In order to assess the effect of moderate alcohol use as related to the rate of change in cognitive performance over time, a series of slope-intercept models were run. Logistic regressions and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used to examine predictors of dementia risk and time-to-diagnosis. Results indicated that moderate alcohol use was significantly associated with better baseline functioning across cognitive measures (p ?.05), but had no significant effect on rate of change over time. Next, structural equation models were employed to examine the effect of alcohol use on cognitive performance as mediated by CRP within each domain. Ultimately, results from this study did not support the hypothesized models. Following this, a logistic regression and survival analysis were conducted in order to assess the effect of moderate alcohol use on dementia diagnosis. Results of these analyses indicated that moderate users of alcohol develop dementia at lower rates, and later in life, than do abstinent older adults. Lastly, a structural equation model was run to evaluate the effect of alcohol use on dementia diagnosis as mediated by CRP. Primary findings did not support the hypothesized model. Overall, findings from this study suggest that moderate alcohol use is associated with better cognitive functioning among community-dwelling older adults, and these relative benefits appear to persist throughout later life. Moderate alcohol use may also be related to a slower rate and onset of dementia development. Future research should investigate alternate biological mechanisms relating moderate alcohol use and cognitive functioning in later life.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006460, ucf:51432
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006460
- Title
- In Double Exile: A Memoir.
- Creator
-
Beckwin, Deborah, Nwakanma, Obi, Roney, Lisa, Thaxton, Terry, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In Double Exile: A Memoir examines the life of a family of Ghanaian immigrants and their journeys of acculturation, and the impact of the father's spiraling mental health issues on his family. Through the eyes of their daughter, this thesis briefly explores their lives on the right side of the Atlantic, as medical professionals, and then focuses on the life of their daughter born in America on the left side of the Atlantic. As novelist Georges Simenon has said, (")I am at home everywhere, and...
Show moreIn Double Exile: A Memoir examines the life of a family of Ghanaian immigrants and their journeys of acculturation, and the impact of the father's spiraling mental health issues on his family. Through the eyes of their daughter, this thesis briefly explores their lives on the right side of the Atlantic, as medical professionals, and then focuses on the life of their daughter born in America on the left side of the Atlantic. As novelist Georges Simenon has said, (")I am at home everywhere, and nowhere. I am never a stranger and I never quite belong.(") This memoir explores this tension between alienation and connection, as a second-generation immigrant grows up navigating between various cultures: to dominant American culture, evangelical Christian/Southern culture, African-American culture, and Ghanaian culture. In an attempt to understand the present, this thesis is a sankofa journey back into the author's history. Spanning over four decades, the memoir uncovers various exilic configurations: exiled from family, from ethnic heritage, from home, and from one's self.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005304, ucf:50529
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005304
- Title
- DISTANCE.
- Creator
-
Kosik, Jonathan, Neal, Darlin, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Distance is a collection of short fiction that explores the spaces between us. Sometimes it's emotional, sometimes it's physical; it lies before us like a cross-country journey, dragging us through emotional terrain fraught with countless dangers and rare rewards. A convict returns to his childhood home. A lonely man documents the unexpected damage of an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A teenager learns that some boots are not made for walking. These stories are the long and short of it....
Show moreDistance is a collection of short fiction that explores the spaces between us. Sometimes it's emotional, sometimes it's physical; it lies before us like a cross-country journey, dragging us through emotional terrain fraught with countless dangers and rare rewards. A convict returns to his childhood home. A lonely man documents the unexpected damage of an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A teenager learns that some boots are not made for walking. These stories are the long and short of it. They examine the way we struggle to understand love, lust, disappointment and the kind of detachment that can develop where we least expect it. We all know the distance between two people differs by degree, but in the end, where that space exists, an inescapable question awaits: Should we sever the tie or bridge the gap?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003715, ucf:48783
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003715
- Title
- THE EFFECTS OF GROWTH HORMONE AND THYROXINE TREATMENT ON THE INSULIN SIGNALING OF FEMALE AMES DWARF MOUSE SKELETAL MUSCLE TISSUE.
- Creator
-
Do, Andrew, Masternak, Michal, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Ames dwarf (df/df) mice are deficient in anterior pituitary hormones: growth hormone (GH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and prolactin (PRL) due to a spontaneous, homozygous mutation of prop1df gene. These dwarf mice exhibit characteristics such as delayed growth and development coupled with delayed aging, increased lifespan, overall increased insulin sensitivity, as well as resistance to certain diseases and cancers. The mutant mice possess low blood glucose, low serum insulin, and...
Show moreAmes dwarf (df/df) mice are deficient in anterior pituitary hormones: growth hormone (GH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and prolactin (PRL) due to a spontaneous, homozygous mutation of prop1df gene. These dwarf mice exhibit characteristics such as delayed growth and development coupled with delayed aging, increased lifespan, overall increased insulin sensitivity, as well as resistance to certain diseases and cancers. The mutant mice possess low blood glucose, low serum insulin, and lower body temperature. Their enhanced longevity (about 40-60% longer lifespan than normal mice) is associated with their GH deficiency and disruption in the somatotropic axis (GH/IGF-1 hormonal pathway) as well as increased insulin sensitivity, which is supported by other mutant mouse models for longevity like Snell dwarfs and growth hormone receptor knock-out (GHRKO) mice. When young male Ames dwarf mice were treated with GH replacement therapy, they showed increased body growth to nearly match the normal mouse phenotype. In conjunction to an increase in physical growth, however, GH treatment also decreases the longevity and insulin sensitivity that are characteristic of these mice to levels seen in normal mice. Because of the lack of TSH, they also have undetectable levels of Thyroxine (T4). While T4 treatment didn't increase bodyweight of dwarfs to the same extent as GH treatment, the T4 treated mice retained their enhanced lifespan. Although df/df mice have enhanced whole-body insulin sensitivity, the male skeletal muscle was previously shown to be less responsive to insulin than their liver. In our study we analyzed the insulin signaling pathway in skeletal muscle from female mice after treatment with GH or GH combined with T4. Gene expression and protein expression were investigated in the skeletal muscle of female Ames dwarf mice that were treated with GH or GH and T4 therapy. Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was used to analyze the expression of mRNA involved with insulin and GH signaling, while western blots were used to analyze protein expression. This project found that female Ames skeletal muscle didn't respond to GH treatment to the same extent as males, and that GH and T4 treatment tends to neutralize the effects seen in GH-only treatment.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004483, ucf:45074
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004483
- Title
- AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES.
- Creator
-
Heyne, Chad, Ni, Liqiang, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Over the past several decades there has been extensive research done in an attempt to determine what demographic characteristics affect economic growth, measured in GDP per capita. Understanding what influences the growth of a country will vastly help policy makers enact policies to lead the country in a positive direction. This research focuses on isolating a new variable, women in the work force. As well as isolating a new variable, this research will modify a preexisting variable that was...
Show moreOver the past several decades there has been extensive research done in an attempt to determine what demographic characteristics affect economic growth, measured in GDP per capita. Understanding what influences the growth of a country will vastly help policy makers enact policies to lead the country in a positive direction. This research focuses on isolating a new variable, women in the work force. As well as isolating a new variable, this research will modify a preexisting variable that was shown to be significant in order to make the variable more robust and sensitive to recessions. The intent of this thesis is to explore the relationship between several demographic characteristics and their effect on the growth rate of GDP per capita. The first step is to reproduce the work done by Barlow (1994) to ensure that the United States follows similar rules as the countries in his research. Afterwards, we will introduce new variables into the model, comparing the goodness of fit through the methods of R-squared, AIC and BIC. There have been several models developed to answer each of the research questions independently.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFH0003837, ucf:44712
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0003837
- Title
- PERCEPTIONS OF THE CONSUMPTION OF SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT MATERIAL AS AN ACT OF INFIDELITY IN THE CONTEXT OF COLLEGE ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS AND THEIR CONNECTION TO POPULATION VARIABLES.
- Creator
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Plaza, Diego, Negy, Charles, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study sought to examine whether individuals perceive the consumption (i.e., viewing) of sexually-explicit material (SEM) as an act of infidelity. The study also looked into whether ethnicity, sexual orientation, religiosity, self-esteem, and femininity/masculinity influence this opinion. As an extension of the study, the participants' susceptibility for jealousy, general attitudes toward infidelity, attitudes toward SEM, opinion toward sexuality, and fear of abandonment were also...
Show moreThis study sought to examine whether individuals perceive the consumption (i.e., viewing) of sexually-explicit material (SEM) as an act of infidelity. The study also looked into whether ethnicity, sexual orientation, religiosity, self-esteem, and femininity/masculinity influence this opinion. As an extension of the study, the participants' susceptibility for jealousy, general attitudes toward infidelity, attitudes toward SEM, opinion toward sexuality, and fear of abandonment were also analyzed. Social desirability was also used to find people's tendency to give socially desirable answers to questions related to sexuality. A statistical analysis of the study's results showed that religiosity significantly predicted opinions toward SEM as an act of infidelity. All other demographic values did not have significant predictability. An exploratory analysis showed that participants who think that viewing SEM is an acceptable behavior, are sexually liberal, use the internet for sexual purposes, and are less inclined to suffer jealousy in relationships were the most likely to believe that viewing SEM is not an act of infidelity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004192, ucf:44846
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004192
- Title
- Don't do the crime if you can't do a man's time: examining sentencing disparities using offender demographics.
- Creator
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Rinker, Vanessa, Corzine, Harold, Donley, Amy, Reckdenwald, Amy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Looking back, America has seen its fair share of differences among its population, so it should not come as a shock that sentencing disparities are a serious criminal justice issue in the United States. Each year, thousands of people are sent to Federal prisons where they receive sentences for crimes they have been convicted of committing. The United States Sentencing Commission publishes these results annually. No matter the number of persons entering the prison system on the federal level,...
Show moreLooking back, America has seen its fair share of differences among its population, so it should not come as a shock that sentencing disparities are a serious criminal justice issue in the United States. Each year, thousands of people are sent to Federal prisons where they receive sentences for crimes they have been convicted of committing. The United States Sentencing Commission publishes these results annually. No matter the number of persons entering the prison system on the federal level, the number of female offenders often remains about the same (8555 in 2000; 9451 in 2007; and 9302 in 2008). While it is illegal to openly discriminate against a defendant and give them a sentence based on his or her demographics, the laws are written in ways where discrimination can still be allowed. The current research examines the relationship between not only gender, but also looks to education, race, age, and the crime committed to explain this gap in sentencing. Methodology: The data for the current research are from the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC), an annual report comprised of details for every person who entered federal prison in the given year. The current research used data from the year 2016 and includes 67,660 cases. Findings: Findings are supportive of previous research. Whether or not a defendant will receive a sentence is influenced by gender, age, race, education, and offense type. Sex, race, and education also affected the length of the sentence received. Unlike previous studies, age did not appear to be significant when determining the length of a sentence.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007087, ucf:51958
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007087
- Title
- Metabolic Effects of 17a-Estradiol are Growth Hormone Independent and Sex Specific.
- Creator
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Sidhom, Silvana, Masternak, Michal, Altomare, Deborah, Siddiqi, Shadab, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Aging is a major risk factor for metabolic syndromes and type two diabetes. With growing elderly populations worldwide and increasing incidence of age-related diseases there is a great need to develop pharmacological interventions that would delay aging and protect from age-related diseases. 17-alpha estradiol (17?-E2) is an epimer of the primary female sex hormone estradiol and has been shown to extend lifespan and downregulate markers of age-related metabolic dysfunction in male mice....
Show moreAging is a major risk factor for metabolic syndromes and type two diabetes. With growing elderly populations worldwide and increasing incidence of age-related diseases there is a great need to develop pharmacological interventions that would delay aging and protect from age-related diseases. 17-alpha estradiol (17?-E2) is an epimer of the primary female sex hormone estradiol and has been shown to extend lifespan and downregulate markers of age-related metabolic dysfunction in male mice. Because 17?-E2 does not induce feminization in males it holds potential as a novel therapeutic in humans for age-related metabolic dysfunction. Importantly, we have previously shown that 17?-E2 causes an increase of circulating and hepatic IGF-1 in aged mice, without any changes in GH release in treated animals. Based on this we propose a new hypothesis that 17?-E2 acts through a novel, GH-independent pathway stimulating production of IGF-1 and positively modulating metabolic function in a sex-specific manner. Here we studied 17?-E2 treated long-lived growth hormone receptor knockout (GHRKO) mice, characterized by severely reduced circulating and hepatic IGF-1 due to GH-resistance. We found increases in circulating IGF-1 after treatment in normal and GHRKO male mice, with no effect in female mice, which supports our hypothesis that 17?-E2 induces GH independent IGF-1 production. To determine novel genetic pathways activated by 17?-E2 we performed sequencing of hepatic RNA. Our analysis indicated differential regulation of steroid biosynthesis and insulin signaling pathways. The validation of our sequencing data using qPCR showed significant upregulation of genes involved in insulin action. Importantly, differential regulation of these pathways was present in normal male mice, with no changes in normal females or either male or female GHRKO animals. In summary, this new data supports our hypothesis of a sex-specific effect of 17?-E2 treatment and differing mechanisms of action by which 17?-E2 upregulates IGF-1 independently of GH action.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007726, ucf:52424
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007726
- Title
- Mar(&)#237;a de Zayas: lo parad(&)#243;jico de una escritora del Siglo de Oro espa(&)#241;ol.
- Creator
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Vinces, Nancy, Garcia, Martha, Nalbone, Lisa, Santana, Maria, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This is a study about Mar(&)#237;a de Zayas y Sotomayor, a seventeenth century Spanish writer who has slowly but surely started to become one of the most read and researched female writers of her time among current scholars. Zayas's work is that of a baroque writer and as such her critics are notorious for having divergent views about her work. The purpose of this study is to discern the reason behind the controversy that exists about her narrative. The present study is an attempt to...
Show moreThis is a study about Mar(&)#237;a de Zayas y Sotomayor, a seventeenth century Spanish writer who has slowly but surely started to become one of the most read and researched female writers of her time among current scholars. Zayas's work is that of a baroque writer and as such her critics are notorious for having divergent views about her work. The purpose of this study is to discern the reason behind the controversy that exists about her narrative. The present study is an attempt to elucidate the ambiguity around the feminist views Zayas has been adjudicated. Taking into consideration her context as a female writer amidst a patriarchal society and her social status as a member of the nobility, this study analyses some of the apparent contradictions that critics underscore to support their conclusions. It has been the purpose of this study to include a diverse group of critical views in order to come to a conclusion about her literary opus: her only known dramatic play La traici(&)#243;n en la amistad followed by her two collections of short stories Novelas amorosas ejemplares and Desenga(&)#241;os amorosos. Additionally, this study considers other realms of study that would benefit from a more profound study by future researchers.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004800, ucf:49747
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004800
