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Title: Mutable Means: An Exploration of Communication and Identity Through Visual and Verbal Deconstruction.
Creator: Castellanos, Reina, Price, Mark, Adams, JoAnne, Harris, Christopher, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Increasingly defined by my status as a Nonimmigrant Alien, I have lived longer in the United States than in my native Venezuela. Knowing my stay in this country will be temporary, I examine feelings of uncertainty about my future by deconstructing communication(-)both visual and verbal. Through ambiguity I express anxieties on my personal circumstances and retain objectivity in regard to my process through intellectual inquiry. I layer words, images, and sound to mirror my frustrations, and...
Show moreIncreasingly defined by my status as a Nonimmigrant Alien, I have lived longer in the United States than in my native Venezuela. Knowing my stay in this country will be temporary, I examine feelings of uncertainty about my future by deconstructing communication(-)both visual and verbal. Through ambiguity I express anxieties on my personal circumstances and retain objectivity in regard to my process through intellectual inquiry. I layer words, images, and sound to mirror my frustrations, and project the conflict of my internal dialogue.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006086, ucf:50949
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006086

Title: The Role of Occupational Branding in the Professionalization of Technical Communication.
Creator: Thomas, Chelsea, Jones, Dan, Flammia, Madelyn, Bell, Kathleen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study investigates the relationship between professional identity and professional status by exploring the quest for professionalization within technical communication. An established professional identity is crucial to an occupation's professionalization process, as it enables members of a given field to create a common sense of being and facilitates a recognizable personal and collective identity. Such recognition is vital to an occupation's rise to professional status, as it creates a...
Show moreThis study investigates the relationship between professional identity and professional status by exploring the quest for professionalization within technical communication. An established professional identity is crucial to an occupation's professionalization process, as it enables members of a given field to create a common sense of being and facilitates a recognizable personal and collective identity. Such recognition is vital to an occupation's rise to professional status, as it creates a distilled image of the ideal practitioner for outsiders and forms the basis upon which claims of expertise may be made. By constructing the meaning surrounding their profession, members are able to portray an image which designates their knowledge as a scarce expertise and their profession as the appropriate source for the services they provide.A lack of professional identity constitutes the primary factor hindering technical communication from realizing the professionalization process, as it prevents the formation of practitioners' common sense of being, promotes the absence of identifiability and precludes the possibility of recognition by larger society. Without an established professional identity, the field cannot formulate a culturally-relevant perception of its role, claim professional expertise or jurisdiction over their work, or achieve the social and cultural legitimacy necessary in order to increase its professional status. By implementing processes of occupational branding within the professional project, efforts involving the construction of collective professional identity will increase professional status by enabling a group's management of professional meaning, facilitating the creation of an occupational brand and assisting in value production.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006189, ucf:51137
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006189

Title: LIQUID CRYSTAL OPTICS FOR COMMUNICATIONS, SIGNAL PROCESSING AND 3-D MICROSCOPIC IMAGING.
Creator: Khan, Sajjad, Riza, Nabeel, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation proposes, studies and experimentally demonstrates novel liquid crystal (LC) optics to solve challenging problems in RF and photonic signal processing, freespace and fiber optic communications and microscopic imaging. These include free-space optical scanners for military and optical wireless applications, variable fiber-optic attenuators for optical communications, photonic control techniques for phased array antennas and radar, and 3-D microscopic imaging. At the heart of...
Show moreThis dissertation proposes, studies and experimentally demonstrates novel liquid crystal (LC) optics to solve challenging problems in RF and photonic signal processing, freespace and fiber optic communications and microscopic imaging. These include free-space optical scanners for military and optical wireless applications, variable fiber-optic attenuators for optical communications, photonic control techniques for phased array antennas and radar, and 3-D microscopic imaging. At the heart of the applications demonstrated in this thesis are LC devices that are non-pixelated and can be controlled either electrically or optically. Instead of the typical pixel-by-pixel control as is custom in LC devices, the phase profile across the aperture of these novel LC devices is varied through the use of high impedance layers. Due to the presence of the high impedance layer, there forms a voltage gradient across the aperture of such a device which results in a phase gradient across the LC layer which in turn is accumulated by the optical beam traversing through this LC device. The geometry of the electrical contacts that are used to apply the external voltage will define the nature of the phase gradient present across the optical beam. In order to steer a laser beam in one angular dimension, straight line electrical contacts are used to form a one dimensional phase gradient while an annular electrical contact results in a circularly symmetric phase profile across the optical beam making it suitable for focusing the optical beam. The geometry of the electrical contacts alone is not sufficient to form the linear and the quadratic phase profiles that are required to either deflect or focus an optical beam. Clever use of the phase response of a typical nematic liquid crystal (NLC) is made such that the linear response region is used for the angular beam deflection while the high voltage quadratic response region is used for focusing the beam. Employing an NLC deflector, a device that uses the linear angular deflection, laser beam steering is demonstrated in two orthogonal dimensions whereas an NLC lens is used to address the third dimension to complete a three dimensional (3-D) scanner. Such an NLC deflector was then used in a variable optical attenuator (VOA), whereby a laser beam coupled between two identical single mode fibers (SMF) was mis-aligned away from the output fiber causing the intensity of the output coupled light to decrease as a function of the angular deflection. Since the angular deflection is electrically controlled, hence the VOA operation is fairly simple and repeatable. An extension of this VOA for wavelength tunable operation is also shown in this dissertation. A LC spatial light modulator (SLM) that uses a photo-sensitive high impedance electrode whose impedance can be varied by controlling the light intensity incident on it, is used in a control system for a phased array antenna. Phase is controlled on the Write side of the SLM by controlling the intensity of the Write laser beam which then is accessed by the Read beam from the opposite side of this reflective SLM. Thus the phase of the Read beam is varied by controlling the intensity of the Write beam. A variable fiber-optic delay line is demonstrated in the thesis which uses wavelength sensitive and wavelength insensitive optics to get both analog as well as digital delays. It uses a chirped fiber Bragg grating (FBG), and a 1xN optical switch to achieve multiple time delays. The switch can be implemented using the 3-D optical scanner mentioned earlier. A technique is presented for ultra-low loss laser communication that uses a combination of strong and weak thin lens optics. As opposed to conventional laser communication systems, the Gaussian laser beam is prevented from diverging at the receiving station by using a weak thin lens that places the transmitted beam waist mid-way between a symmetrical transmitter-receiver link design thus saving prime optical power. LC device technology forms an excellent basis to realize such a large aperture weak lens. Using a 1-D array of LC deflectors, a broadband optical add-drop filter (OADF) is proposed for dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) applications. By binary control of the drive signal to the individual LC deflectors in the array, any optical channel can be selectively dropped and added. For demonstration purposes, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) digital micromirrors have been used to implement the OADF. Several key systems issues such as insertion loss, polarization dependent loss, wavelength resolution and response time are analyzed in detail for comparison with the LC deflector approach. A no-moving-parts axial scanning confocal microscope (ASCM) system is designed and demonstrated using a combination of a large diameter LC lens and a classical microscope objective lens. By electrically controlling the 5 mm diameter LC lens, the 633 nm wavelength focal spot is moved continuously over a 48 ƒÝm range with measured 3-dB axial resolution of 3.1 ƒÝm using a 0.65 numerical aperture (NA) micro-objective lens. The ASCM is successfully used to image an Indium Phosphide twin square optical waveguide sample with a 10.2 ƒÝm waveguide pitch and 2.3 ƒÝm height and width. Using fine analog electrical control of the LC lens, a super-fine sub-wavelength axial resolution of 270 nm is demonstrated. The proposed ASCM can be useful in various precision three dimensional imaging and profiling applications.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000750, ucf:46596
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000750

Title: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY INVOLVING FIFTH-GRADE STUDENTS LEARNING FRACTIONS THROUGH A SITUATIVE PERSPECTIVE WITH STORY PROBLEMS.
Creator: Allen, Colleen, Dixon, Juli, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: ABSTRACT The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the affects of teaching through a situative perspective with story problems on students' understanding of fraction concepts and operations in my fifth-grade mathematics classroom. Students participated in twelve weeks of instruction. Data was collected in the form of pre and post tests, audiotaped and videotaped recordings of instructional sessions, and student work samples. Data analysis revealed that my students...
Show moreABSTRACT The purpose of this action research study was to investigate the affects of teaching through a situative perspective with story problems on students' understanding of fraction concepts and operations in my fifth-grade mathematics classroom. Students participated in twelve weeks of instruction. Data was collected in the form of pre and post tests, audiotaped and videotaped recordings of instructional sessions, and student work samples. Data analysis revealed that my students constructed their own knowledge about various fraction concepts and operations because students engaged in discussions, after solving story problems, that developed, extended and restructured their knowledge. One example of this occurred after students had solved an equal-sharing problem. Two students came up with different answers and another student explained why both answers were equivalent. Student work samples and post test results indicated that the one student's explanation was understood, adopted and extended by all the students in my class. The data also revealed that students' pictures typically represented the context and action of the story problems. For example, subtraction problems dealing with length were usually represented by number lines or horizontal rectangles with crossed-out markings to show the subtraction operation. Throughout this research study, I discovered that my students were capable of learning from each other and solving problems for which they have no preconceived algorithm. I also learned that analyzing students' work and listening to their discussions in ways that focused on their thinking, not their answers, provided me with information about what my students were grasping and not grasping.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000538, ucf:46423
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000538

Title: Evaluating Improvisation as a Technique for Training Pre-Service Teachers for Inclusive Classrooms.
Creator: Becker, Theresa, Hines, Rebecca, Beverly, Monifa, Hopp, Carolyn, Hamed, Kastro, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Improvisation is a construct that uses a set of minimal heuristic guidelines to create a highly flexible scaffold that fosters extemporaneous communication. Scholars from diverse domains: such as psychology, business, negotiation, and education have suggested its use as a method for preparing professionals to manage complexity and think on their feet. A review of the literature revealed that while there is substantial theoretical scholarship on using improvisation in diverse domains, little...
Show moreImprovisation is a construct that uses a set of minimal heuristic guidelines to create a highly flexible scaffold that fosters extemporaneous communication. Scholars from diverse domains: such as psychology, business, negotiation, and education have suggested its use as a method for preparing professionals to manage complexity and think on their feet. A review of the literature revealed that while there is substantial theoretical scholarship on using improvisation in diverse domains, little research has verified these assertions. This dissertation evaluated whether improvisation, a specific type of dramatic technique, was effective for training pre-service teachers in specific characteristics of teacher-child classroom interaction, communication and affective skills development. It measured the strength and direction of any potential changes such training might effect on pre-service teacher's self-efficacy for teaching and for implementing the communication skills common to improvisation and teaching while interacting with student in an inclusive classroom setting. A review of the literature on teacher self-efficacy and improvisation clarified and defined key terms, and illustrated relevant studies. This study utilized a mixed-method research design based on instructional design and development research. Matched pairs t-tests were used to analyze the self-efficacy and training skills survey data and pre-service teacher reflections and interview transcripts were used to triangulate the qualitative data. Results of the t-tests showed a significant difference in participants' self-efficacy for teaching measured before and after the improvisation training. A significant difference in means was also measured in participants' aptitude for improvisation strategies and for self-efficacy for their implementation pre-/post- training. Qualitative results from pre-service teacher class artifacts and interviews showed participants reported beneficial personal outcomes as well as confirmed using skills from the training while interacting with students. Many of the qualitative themes parallel individual question items on the teacher self-efficacy TSES scale as well as the improvisation self-efficacy scale CSAI. The self-reported changes in affective behavior such as increased self-confidence and ability to foster positive interaction with students are illustrative of changes in teacher agency. Self-reports of being able to better understand student perspectives demonstrate a change in participant ability to empathize with students. Participants who worked with both typically developing students as well as with students with disabilities reported utilizing improvisation strategies such as Yes, and..., mirroring emotions and body language, vocal prosody and establishing a narrative relationship to put the students at ease, establish a positive learning environment, encourage student contributions and foster teachable moments. The improvisation strategies showed specific benefit for participants working with nonverbal students or who had commutation difficulties, by providing the pre-service teachers with strategies for using body language, emotional mirroring, vocal prosody and acceptance to foster interaction and communication with the student.Results from this investigation appear to substantiate the benefit of using improvisation training as part of a pre-service teacher methods course for preparing teachers for inclusive elementary classrooms. Replication of the study is encouraged with teachers of differing populations to confirm and extend results.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004516, ucf:49273
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004516

Title: XML: Beyond the Tags.
Creator: Meloy, Christopher, Applen, John, Kamrath, Mark, McDaniel, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: XML is quickly being utilized in the field of technical communication to transfer information from database to person and company to company. Often communicators will structure information without a second thought of how or why certain tags are used to mark up the information. Because the company or a manual says to use those tags, the communicator does so. However, if professionals want to unlock the true potential of XML for better sharing of information across platforms, they need to...
Show moreXML is quickly being utilized in the field of technical communication to transfer information from database to person and company to company. Often communicators will structure information without a second thought of how or why certain tags are used to mark up the information. Because the company or a manual says to use those tags, the communicator does so. However, if professionals want to unlock the true potential of XML for better sharing of information across platforms, they need to understand the effects the technology using XML as well as political and cultural factors have on the tags being used. This thesis reviewed literature from multiple fields utilizing XML to find how tag choices can be influenced. XML allows for the sharing of information across multiple platforms and databases. Because of this efficiency, XML is utilized by many technologies. Often communicators must tag information so that the technologies can find the marked up information; therefore, technologies like single sourcing, data mining, and knowledge management influence the types of tags created. Additionally, cultural and political influences are analyzed to see how they play a role in determining what tags are used and created for specific documents. The thesis concludes with predictions on the future of XML and the technological, political, and cultural influences associated with XML tag sets based on information found within the thesis.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004138, ucf:49067
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004138

Title: Hidden in Plain Sight: Development and Testing of a Model to Evaluate Political Leadership Tactics.
Creator: Citron, Albert, Hamann, Kerstin, Handberg, Roger, Houghton, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis analyzes the kinds of verbal and nonverbal signals elites manifest to show leadership qualities. Launching from Max Weber's conceptual framework of charisma as a power term and Harold Lasswell's study of propaganda, this study takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying political leadership with elements of communication methodology and an ontological basis in evolutionary psychology. The study's goal is to offer a framework for defining and evaluating the diverse signal...
Show moreThis thesis analyzes the kinds of verbal and nonverbal signals elites manifest to show leadership qualities. Launching from Max Weber's conceptual framework of charisma as a power term and Harold Lasswell's study of propaganda, this study takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying political leadership with elements of communication methodology and an ontological basis in evolutionary psychology. The study's goal is to offer a framework for defining and evaluating the diverse signal patterns employed by political elites in three real-life situations. These are the Malta Summit, the 1992 Virginia Presidential Debate, and the 2012 South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary. The cases were chosen because they display a diverse set of signal variations during different types of interactions.The three case studies are evaluated by measuring frequency and patterns of occurrence of the five different interaction constructs (indicator of interest, indicator of disinterest, demonstration of high value, demonstration of low value, and compliance testing) to explain different interaction patterns. A simple frequency distribution of the different signals during a given interaction is used to display the empirical findings and to compare patterns across the case studies. This study reveals that the presence of DLV (demonstration of low value) signals weaken an elite's position in relation to other elites and the public while the presence of DHV (demonstration of high value) signals strengthen an elite's position. It is largely the presence, absence, and frequency of these two signals that determines who conveys leadership qualities effectively regardless of leadership style. Studying the signaling patterns of political elites would allow scholars to understand better the kinds of signal patterns and signal frequencies that are used in different types of leadership styles and norm ranges for signals including for political elites belonging to different cultures and subcultures.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004984, ucf:49563
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004984

Title: Grace Hopper and the Marvelous Machine: Lessons for Modern Technical Communicators from the Mark I ASCC Manual.
Creator: Meyr, Jessica, Jones, Dan, Dombrowski, Paul, Applen, John, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Women's technical writing achievements often go unrecognized, both due to the invisibility of technical writing professionals in general, and a lack of famous technical communication role models in particular. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and present an early major work in the technical writing of Rear Admiral (")Amazing(") Grace Hopper, inventor of the compiler and an important figure in computer science history. Although Hopper is arguably best known for popularizing the idea of...
Show moreWomen's technical writing achievements often go unrecognized, both due to the invisibility of technical writing professionals in general, and a lack of famous technical communication role models in particular. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and present an early major work in the technical writing of Rear Admiral (")Amazing(") Grace Hopper, inventor of the compiler and an important figure in computer science history. Although Hopper is arguably best known for popularizing the idea of the (")computer bug,(") her achievements in computer science extend from invention of the software compiler to tireless promotion of the programming language COBOL. Her work A Manual of Operation for the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, written for the first digital computer in America, is analyzed here according to Mike Markel's eight criteria of excellent technical writing: honesty, clarity, accuracy, comprehensiveness, accessibility, conciseness, professional appearance, and correctness. I also cover other specific strengths of Grace's approach, including how she establishes sufficient context, highlights multiple uses for information, and provides numerous well-chosen examples for audience needs. However, I also discuss how modern research principles for improving technical writing, including task-orientation, attention to cognitive load, and minimalism, help explain the manual's shortcomings. I conclude my study with a discussion of Hopper's later work, (")The Education of a Computer,(") to demonstrate her growth as a writer. The conclusion also highlights areas awaiting further research and cements my recommendation that study of Grace Hopper's work be incorporated into our historical understanding of the discipline. Hopper's technical writing deserves to be more widely understood and appreciated as a vital contribution to early software documentation.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006625, ucf:51263
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006625

Title: Examining presence and influence of linguistic characteristics in the Twitter discourse surrounding the women's right to drive movement in Saudi Arabia.
Creator: Sahly, Abdulsamad, Kinnally, William, Neuberger, Lindsay, Miller, Ann, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been popular tools for social and political movements in non-democratic societies in which traditional media outlets are under government control. Activists in Saudi Arabia, particularly women, have launched several campaigns through social media to demand the right to drive for women. This study used framing theory as the foundation for looking at the degree to which cognitive, emotion, and religious or moral language has been used to...
Show moreSocial media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have been popular tools for social and political movements in non-democratic societies in which traditional media outlets are under government control. Activists in Saudi Arabia, particularly women, have launched several campaigns through social media to demand the right to drive for women. This study used framing theory as the foundation for looking at the degree to which cognitive, emotion, and religious or moral language has been used to frame discussion of this issue on Twitter. Additionally, this study observed the relationship between these linguistic attributes in Twitter and retweeting behavior to understand the characteristics of the discourse that relate to the potential influence of the message. The results suggested that, within the sociopolitical discussion in social media, cognitive language was expressed the most often, particularly insight and causation language. The results also suggested that tweets containing cognitive language are more likely to be retweeted than those with emotion language. However, among the components of cognitive and emotion language, anger was the strongest specific predictor of retweeting behavior. The implications of the presence of linguistic attributes and their relationship to retweeting behavior and suggestions for future communication research within the context of social and political movements are discussed.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006386, ucf:51535
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006386

Title: Reproductive life history and signal evolution in a multi-species assemblage of electric fish.
Creator: Waddell, Joseph, Crampton, William, Fedorka, Kenneth, Quintana-Ascencio, Pedro, Stoddard, Philip, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Animals that co-occur in sympatry with multiple closely-related species use reproductive mate attraction signals not only to assess the quality of a potential conspecific mate (sexual selection), but also to discriminate conspecifics from heterospecifics (species recognition). However, the extent to which sexual selection and species recognition may interact, or even conflict, is poorly known. Neotropical electric fish offer unrivaled opportunities for understanding this problem. They...
Show moreAnimals that co-occur in sympatry with multiple closely-related species use reproductive mate attraction signals not only to assess the quality of a potential conspecific mate (sexual selection), but also to discriminate conspecifics from heterospecifics (species recognition). However, the extent to which sexual selection and species recognition may interact, or even conflict, is poorly known. Neotropical electric fish offer unrivaled opportunities for understanding this problem. They generate simple, stereotyped mate attraction signals that are easy to record and quantify, and that are well-understood from the neurobiological perspective. Additionally, they live in electrically-crowded environments, where multiple congeners live and reproduce in close proximity. This dissertation reports an investigation of electric signal diversity and reproductive life history in a nine-species assemblage of the electric fish genus Brachyhypopomus from the upper Amazon. A year-long quantitative sampling program yielded a library of electric signal recordings from (>)3,000 individuals and an accompanying collection of preserved specimens from which suites of informative life history traits were measured. These data were used to understand basic reproductive biology, and to describe sexually dimorphic and interspecific diversity in electric signals. By integrating approaches from ecology, physiology, and evolutionary biology, novel perspectives are provided on: 1. how sexual selection and species recognition interact to shape signal diversity and the occupation of signal space in multi-species animal communities; 2. how extreme seasonal variation in Amazonian ecosystems influences trade-offs in the allocation of reproductive resources (-) including mate attraction signals, and; 3. how environmental variation shapes general life-history traits in a diverse tropical animal assemblage.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006925, ucf:51689
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006925

Title: Ultra-wideband Spread Spectrum Communications using Software Defined Radio and Surface Acoustic Wave Correlators.
Creator: Gallagher, Daniel, Malocha, Donald, Delfyett, Peter, Richie, Samuel, Weeks, Arthur, Youngquist, Robert, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Ultra-wideband (UWB) communication technology offers inherent advantages such as the ability to coexist with previously allocated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) frequencies, simple transceiver architecture, and high performance in noisy environments. Spread spectrum techniques offer additional improvements beyond the conventional pulse-based UWB communications. This dissertation implements a multiple-access UWB communication system using a surface acoustic wave (SAW) correlator...
Show moreUltra-wideband (UWB) communication technology offers inherent advantages such as the ability to coexist with previously allocated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) frequencies, simple transceiver architecture, and high performance in noisy environments. Spread spectrum techniques offer additional improvements beyond the conventional pulse-based UWB communications. This dissertation implements a multiple-access UWB communication system using a surface acoustic wave (SAW) correlator receiver with orthogonal frequency coding and software defined radio (SDR) base station transmitter.Orthogonal frequency coding (OFC) and pseudorandom noise (PN) coding provide a means for spreading of the UWB data. The use of orthogonal frequency coding (OFC) increases the correlator processing gain (PG) beyond that of code division multiple access (CDMA); providing added code diversity, improved pulse ambiguity, and superior performance in noisy environments. Use of SAW correlators reduces the complexity and power requirements of the receiver architecture by eliminating many of the components needed and reducing the signal processing and timing requirements necessary for digital matched filtering of the complex spreading signal.The OFC receiver correlator code sequence is hard-coded in the device due to the physical SAW implementation. The use of modern SDR forms a dynamic base station architecture which is able to programmatically generate a digitally modulated transmit signal. An embedded Xilinx Zynq (TM) system on chip (SoC) technology was used to implement the SDR system; taking advantage of recent advances in digital-to-analog converter (DAC) sampling rates. SDR waveform samples are generated in baseband in-phase and quadrature (I (&) Q) pairs and upconverted to a 491.52 MHz operational frequency.The development of the OFC SAW correlator ultimately used in the receiver is presented along with a variety of advanced SAW correlator device embodiments. Each SAW correlator device was fabricated on lithium niobate (LiNbO3) with fractional bandwidths in excess of 20%. The SAW correlator device presented for use in system was implemented with a center frequency of 491.52 MHz; matching SDR transmit frequency. Parasitic electromagnetic feedthrough becomes problematic in the packaged SAW correlator after packaging and fixturing due to the wide bandwidths and high operational frequency. The techniques for reduction of parasitic feedthrough are discussedwith before and after results showing approximately 10:1 improvement.Correlation and demodulation results are presented using the SAW correlator receiver under operation in an UWB communication system. Bipolar phase shift keying (BPSK) techniques demonstrate OFC modulation and demodulation for a test binary bit sequence. Matched OFC code reception is compared to a mismatched, or cross-correlated, sequence after correlation and demodulation. Finally, the signal-to-noise power ratio (SNR) performance results for the SAW correlator under corruption of a wideband noise source are presented.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005794, ucf:50054
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005794

Title: Improving fairness, throughput and blocking performance for long haul and short reach optical networks.
Creator: Tariq, Sana, Bassiouni, Mostafa, Zou, Changchun, Turgut, Damla, Li, Guifang, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Innovations in optical communication are expected to transform the landscape of global communications, internet and datacenter networks. This dissertation investigates several important issues in optical communication such as fairness, throughput, blocking probability and differentiated quality of service (QoS). Novel algorithms and new approaches have been presented to improve the performance of optical circuit switching (OCS) and optical burst switching (OBS) for long haul, and datacenter...
Show moreInnovations in optical communication are expected to transform the landscape of global communications, internet and datacenter networks. This dissertation investigates several important issues in optical communication such as fairness, throughput, blocking probability and differentiated quality of service (QoS). Novel algorithms and new approaches have been presented to improve the performance of optical circuit switching (OCS) and optical burst switching (OBS) for long haul, and datacenter networks. Extensive simulations tests have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms. These simulation tests were performed over a number of network topologies such as ring, mesh and U.S. Long-Haul, some high processing computing (HPC) topologies such as 2D and 6D mesh torus topologies and modern datacenter topologies such as FatTree and BCube.Two new schemes are proposed for long haul networks to improve throughput and hop count fairness in OBS networks. The idea is motivated by the observation that providing a slightly more priority to longer bursts over short bursts can significantly improve the throughput of the OBS networks without adversely affecting hop-count fairness. The results of extensive performance tests have shown that proposed schemes improve the throughput of optical OBS networks and enhance the hop-count fairness. Another contribution of this dissertation is the research work on developing routing and wavelength assignment schemes in multimode fiber networks. Two additional schemes for long haul networks are presented and evaluated over multimode fiber networks. First for alleviating the fairness problem in OBS networks using wavelength-division multiplexing as well as mode-division multiplexing while the second scheme for achieving higher throughput without sacrificing hop count fairness.We have also shown the significant benefits of using both mode division multiplexing and wavelength division multiplexing in real-life short-distance optical networks such as the optical circuit switching networks used in the hybrid electronic-optical switching architectures for datacenters. We evaluated four mode and wavelength assignment heuristics and compared their throughput performance. We also included preliminary results of impact of the cascaded mode conversion constraint on network throughput. Datacenter and high performance computing networks share a number of common performance goals. Another highly efficient adaptive mode wavelength- routing algorithm is presented over OBS networks to improve throughput of these networks. The effectiveness of the proposed model has been validated by extensive simulation results.In order to optimize bandwidth and maximize throughput of datacenters, an extension of TCP called multipath-TCP (MPTCP) has been evaluated over an OBS network using dense interconnect datacenter topologies. We have proposed a service differentiation scheme using MPTCP over OBS for datacenter traffic. The scheme is evaluated over mixed workload traffic model of datacenters and is shown to provide tangible service differentiation between flows of different priority levels. An adaptive QoS differentiation architecture is proposed for software defined optical datacenter networks using MPTCP over OBS. This scheme prioritizes flows based on current network state.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005721, ucf:50146
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005721

Title: University Students' Citizenship Shaped by Service-Learning, Community Service, and Peer-to-Peer Civic Discussions.
Creator: Winston, Haley, Cintron Delgado, Rosa, Welch, Kerry, Malaret, Stacey, Bowdon, Melody, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Citizenship is often referred to as the forgotten outcome of colleges and universities. The present study examined the relationship between undergraduate students' perceived citizenship level and different types of civic experiences (service-learning, community service, and peer-to-peer civic discussions) and also different demographic factors (gender, race/ethnicity, and parental level of education) at a public institution using the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory. This study...
Show moreCitizenship is often referred to as the forgotten outcome of colleges and universities. The present study examined the relationship between undergraduate students' perceived citizenship level and different types of civic experiences (service-learning, community service, and peer-to-peer civic discussions) and also different demographic factors (gender, race/ethnicity, and parental level of education) at a public institution using the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory. This study used structural equation modeling and multiple regression analysis. This marks the first time these variables have been researched together. This study found a significant correlation between both community service and peer-to-peer civic discussions in relation to citizenship level. Yet, service-learning frequency was not found to be a significant factor. On the other hand, all three civic experiences together was found to be significantly correlated to citizenship aptitudes. Leading the researcher to find that a holistic (both inside and outside the classroom) approach to student citizenship is valuable for student development. Also, only one significant relationship was found between citizenship levels and any demographic variable (parental education level of doctorate or professional degree).
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006927, ucf:51695
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006927

Title: Role Ambiguity: Defining the Elusive Role of the Special Education Teacher Who Works in Inclusive Settings.
Creator: Slanda, Dena, Little, Mary, Martin, Suzanne, Pearl, Cynthia, Boote, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of special education teachers who worked in inclusive settings. Given the increasing number of students with disabilities receiving special education services in the general education classroom (U.S. Department of Education, 2016), there is a critical need to understand the dynamic role of a special education teacher who works in inclusive settings. Federal mandates have required special education teachers working in inclusive...
Show moreThis phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of special education teachers who worked in inclusive settings. Given the increasing number of students with disabilities receiving special education services in the general education classroom (U.S. Department of Education, 2016), there is a critical need to understand the dynamic role of a special education teacher who works in inclusive settings. Federal mandates have required special education teachers working in inclusive settings to rethink their roles (McLeskey, Landers, Hoppey, (&) Williamson, 2011) and restructure their approach to providing specially-designed services. Further, these roles are dependent on those who interpret and implement policy and access to finite resources. This study used a phenomenological research method to examine the roles and responsibilities of special education teachers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants (N = 7). A thematic analysis resulted in five overarching themes. The five themes included: (a) supporting students with disabilities within a support facilitation model; (b) role ambiguity of the special education teacher; (c) the lack of roles and responsibilities of the special education teacher within the MTSS framework; (d) the changing role of collaboration and communication; and (e) the challenges impacting the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education setting. This study exposed the multiple facets of school and district policies that directly affected special educators' roles and responsibilities, as well as the emergence of a new role as a support facilitator.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006796, ucf:51821
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006796

Title: An Analysis of the Readiness and Confidence of High School Administrators to Provide Instructional Leadership in Digital School Environments.
Creator: Shepherd, Andrew, Taylor, Rosemarye, Doherty, Walter, Johnson, Jerry, Border, Harold, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceived knowledge and confidence of high school administrators to lead in a digital school environment. This study utilized an exploratory mixed-methods case study analysis along with the 62-item Digital Instructional Leadership Readiness Instrument (DILRI)(&)copy; to measure school administrators' knowledge and confidence to lead in a digital school environment. High school administrators within the target school district were requested to...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to analyze the perceived knowledge and confidence of high school administrators to lead in a digital school environment. This study utilized an exploratory mixed-methods case study analysis along with the 62-item Digital Instructional Leadership Readiness Instrument (DILRI)(&)copy; to measure school administrators' knowledge and confidence to lead in a digital school environment. High school administrators within the target school district were requested to complete the DILRI(&)copy; at two separate points in time: September 2016 and June 2017. Based on these two administrations, this study's six Research Questions were answered. Research Questions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 were addressed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, along with two MANOVA analyses for Research Question 6. Research Question 5 was answered qualitatively by examining open-ended responses found within the DILRI(&)copy;. Based on the data collected, Experience Supervising Others and Colleagues were two factors ranked highest by administrators as influencing their knowledge and confidence. Additionally, high school administrators perceive themselves to be knowledge and confident in recognizing Student Engagement and Student Collaboration, and in developing digital school culture factors of Leadership Teams, Empowering Teachers, and Shared Vision. Overall means increased for knowledge and confidence on each scale between the September 2016 and June 2017 DILRI(&)copy; administrations. Much research relating to the digital school environment has only focused on the preparation required of teachers; therefore, this study provides administrators, directors, school boards, superintendents, and other school district leaders with relevant information relating to the self-reported readiness of high school administrators to lead in a digital school environment.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0007295, ucf:52173
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007295

Title: Factors Affecting Systems Engineering Rigor in Launch Vehicle Organizations.
Creator: Gibson, Denton, Karwowski, Waldemar, Rabelo, Luis, Kotnour, Timothy, Kern, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Systems engineering is a methodical multi-disciplinary approach to design, build, and operate complex systems. Launch vehicles are considered by many extremely complex systems that have greatly impacted where the systems engineering industry is today. Launch vehicles are used to transport payloads from the ground to a location in space. Satellites launched by launch vehicles can range from commercial communications to national security payloads. Satellite costs can range from a few million...
Show moreSystems engineering is a methodical multi-disciplinary approach to design, build, and operate complex systems. Launch vehicles are considered by many extremely complex systems that have greatly impacted where the systems engineering industry is today. Launch vehicles are used to transport payloads from the ground to a location in space. Satellites launched by launch vehicles can range from commercial communications to national security payloads. Satellite costs can range from a few million dollars to billions of dollars. Prior research suggests that lack of systems engineering rigor as one of the leading contributors to launch vehicle failures. A launch vehicle failure could have economic, societal, scientific, and national security impacts. This is why it is critical to understand the factors that affect systems engineering rigor in U.S. launch vehicle organizations.The current research examined organizational factors that influence systems engineering rigor in launch vehicle organizations. This study examined the effects of the factors of systems engineering culture and systems engineering support on systems engineering rigor. Particularly, the effects of top management support, organizational commitment, systems engineering support, and value of systems engineering were examined. This research study also analyzed the mediating role of systems engineering support between top management support and systems engineering rigor, as well as between organizational commitment and systems engineering rigor. A quantitative approach was used for this. Data for the study was collected via survey instrument. A total of 203 people in various systems engineering roles in launch vehicle organizations throughout the United States voluntarily participated. Each latent construct of the study was validated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships between the variables of the study. The IBM SPSS Amos 25 software was used to analyze the CFA and SEM.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007806, ucf:52348
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007806

Title: BRAVE NEW WORLD RELOADED: ADVOCATING FOR BASIC CONSTITUTIONAL SEARCH PROTECTIONS TO APPLY TO CELL PHONES FROM EAVESDROPPING AND TRACKING BY THE GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE ENTITIES.
Creator: Berrios-Ayala, Mark, Milon, Abby, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Imagine a world where someone's personal information is constantly compromised, where federal government entities AKA Big Brother always knows what anyone is Googling, who an individual is texting, and their emoticons on Twitter. Government entities have been doing this for years; they never cared if they were breaking the law or their moral compass of human dignity. Every day the Federal government blatantly siphons data with programs from the original ECHELON to the new series like PRISM...
Show moreImagine a world where someone's personal information is constantly compromised, where federal government entities AKA Big Brother always knows what anyone is Googling, who an individual is texting, and their emoticons on Twitter. Government entities have been doing this for years; they never cared if they were breaking the law or their moral compass of human dignity. Every day the Federal government blatantly siphons data with programs from the original ECHELON to the new series like PRISM and Xkeyscore so they can keep their tabs on issues that are none of their business; namely, the personal lives of millions. Our allies are taking note; some are learning our bad habits, from Government Communications Headquarters' (GCHQ) mass shadowing sharing plan to America's Russian inspiration, SORM. Some countries are following the United States' poster child pose of a Brave New World like order of global events. Others like Germany are showing their resolve in their disdain for the rise of tyranny. Soon, these new found surveillance troubles will test the resolve of the American Constitution and its nation's strong love and tradition of liberty. Courts are currently at work to resolve how current concepts of liberty and privacy apply to the current conditions facing the privacy of society. It remains to be determined how liberty will be affected as well; liberty for the United States of America, for the European Union, the Russian Federation and for the people of the World in regards to the extent of privacy in today's blurred privacy expectations.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFH0004537, ucf:45187
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004537

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crisis communication (3)	+ -
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online (3)	+ -
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