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Title: Nature Records Itself: Concepts of Truth and Representation in Nature Film and Nature Television Shows.
Creator: Rosalle, Rashaad, Peters, Philip, Adams, JoAnne, Dierdorff, Brooks, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: With the advent of nature photography and film came new ways to understand and interpret the natural world. Prior to the 1910s these formats involved a more scientific and objective approach to recording nature. This aesthetic was abandoned in favor for narrative recreations and Hollywood structure after the 1930s. It is my belief that the dominant use of anthropomorphization, manipulations of setting and animal life, and rugged explorer motifs, all have lead to a loss of a more contemplative...
Show moreWith the advent of nature photography and film came new ways to understand and interpret the natural world. Prior to the 1910s these formats involved a more scientific and objective approach to recording nature. This aesthetic was abandoned in favor for narrative recreations and Hollywood structure after the 1930s. It is my belief that the dominant use of anthropomorphization, manipulations of setting and animal life, and rugged explorer motifs, all have lead to a loss of a more contemplative and meditative appreciation of nature within the Nature television and film format. It is my goal to explore through a series of videos how one can more naturally represent a setting through the use of perspective and compositional framing, matching the natural rhythms of a setting through editing and motion, and being conscious of the viewers sense of placement in a space. I intend to visually demonstrate how a more organic, situated, and less Hollywood-style of interpreting nature can lead to a deeper and more meaningful appreciation of it.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006490, ucf:51393
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006490

Title: Examining the Role of Music Streaming Motives, Social Identification, and Technological Engagement in Digital Music Streaming Service Use.
Creator: Bolduc, Heidi, Kinnally, William, Neuberger, Lindsay, Rubenking, Bridget, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: According to the Nielsen Music 360 Research Report, 67% of all music consumers in the United States used digital music streaming services to listen, discover, and share music online in 2014 (The Nielsen Company, 2014). As such, communications scholars and music industry professionals are beginning to recognize the importance of understanding the factors that influence digital music listener behavior. Therefore, this study proposes an expanded theory of planned behavior model (TPB) by...
Show moreAccording to the Nielsen Music 360 Research Report, 67% of all music consumers in the United States used digital music streaming services to listen, discover, and share music online in 2014 (The Nielsen Company, 2014). As such, communications scholars and music industry professionals are beginning to recognize the importance of understanding the factors that influence digital music listener behavior. Therefore, this study proposes an expanded theory of planned behavior model (TPB) by incorporating music streaming motives, social identification, and technological engagement into the original TPB model framework in an effort to gain a better understanding of people's intentions to use digital music streaming services as well as the amount of time spent listening to them. Results suggest that both the original TPB and expanded TPB models can be successfully applied within the context of digital music streaming service use. Specifically, attitudes as well as convenience emerged as positive contributors to intention to use digital music streaming services, while entertainment along with social identification, technological engagement, and behavioral intention emerged as positive contributors to streaming behavior. Additionally, information seeking and pass time emerged as negative contributors to these two behavioral outcomes. However, adding these additional components only improved the overall ability of the expanded model to predict streaming behavior. Both models also explained a larger percentage of intention to use digital music streaming services as compared to total time spent listening. As a result, this study implies the practical importance of understanding the fundamental differences between what drives listener intentions to use digital music streaming services as compared to what drives the actual amount of time listeners spend using digital music streaming services.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006266, ucf:51037
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006266

Title: DIGITAL INTERACTIVE GAMES FOR ASSESSMENT: A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A DIGITAL GAME AS A MEASURE OF STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF BOOLEAN LOGIC.
Creator: Haji Mohammad Ali Sabbagh, Shabnam, Moshell, Jack, Underberg, Natalie, Lindgren, Robb, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Digital games have been used mostly for entertainment but recently researchers have started to use digital games in other areas such as education and training. Researchers have shown that digital games can provide a compelling, creative, and collaborative environment for learning. However, the popularity of computers and the Internet brings this question to mind: Are the assessment methods falling behind and remaining traditional? Will the traditional methods of learning and knowledge...
Show moreDigital games have been used mostly for entertainment but recently researchers have started to use digital games in other areas such as education and training. Researchers have shown that digital games can provide a compelling, creative, and collaborative environment for learning. However, the popularity of computers and the Internet brings this question to mind: Are the assessment methods falling behind and remaining traditional? Will the traditional methods of learning and knowledge assessment be sufficient for this new generation who are starving for new technology?This study investigates the effectiveness of using a digital interactive game as an assessments method (-) in this case a mini-game that was designed to assess the student's knowledge on basic Boolean logic. The study reports on the performance differences of the students who participated in this study and correlations between the performance of these students in a digital interactive game, written tests and their in-class performance to examine the effectiveness of using a digital game as a new knowledge assessment method.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005343, ucf:50494
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005343

Title: Virtual Interactions with Real-Agents for Sustainable Natural Resource Management.
Creator: Pierce, Tyler, Madani Larijani, Kaveh, Wang, Dingbao, Jacques, Peter, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Common pool resource management systems are complex to manage due to the absence of a clear understanding of the effects of users' behavioral characteristics. Non-cooperative decision making based on individual rationality (as opposed to group rationality) and a tendency to free ride due to lack of trust and information about other users' behavior creates externalities and can lead to tragedy of the commons without intervention by a regulator. Nevertheless, even regulatory institutions often...
Show moreCommon pool resource management systems are complex to manage due to the absence of a clear understanding of the effects of users' behavioral characteristics. Non-cooperative decision making based on individual rationality (as opposed to group rationality) and a tendency to free ride due to lack of trust and information about other users' behavior creates externalities and can lead to tragedy of the commons without intervention by a regulator. Nevertheless, even regulatory institutions often fail to sustain natural common pool resources in the absence of clear understanding of the responses of multiple heterogeneous decision makers to different regulation schemes. While modeling can help with our understanding of complex coupled human-natural systems, past research has not been able to realistically simulate these systems for two major limitations: 1) lack of computational capacity and proper mathematical models for solving distributed systems with self-optimizing agents; and 2) lack of enough information about users' characteristics in common pool resource systems due to absence of reliable monitoring information. Recently, different studies have tried to address the first limitation by developing agent-based models, which can be appropriately handled with today's computational capacity. While these models are more realistic than the social planner's models which have been traditionally used in the field, they normally rely on different heuristics for characterizing users' behavior and incorporating heterogeneity. This work is a step-forward in addressing the second limitation, suggesting an efficient method for collecting information on diverse behavioral characteristics of real agents for incorporation in distributed agent-based models. Gaming in interactive virtual environments is suggested as a reliable method for understanding different variables that promote sustainable resource use through observation of decision making and behavior of the resource system beneficiaries under various institutional frameworks and policies. A review of educational or "serious" games for environmental management was undertaken to determine an appropriate game for collecting information on real-agents and also to investigate the state of environmental management games and their potential as an educational tool. A web-based groundwater sharing simulation game(-)Irrigania(-)was selected to analyze the behavior of real agents under different common pool resource management institutions. Participants included graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Central Florida and Lund University. Information was collected on participants' resource use, behavior and mindset under different institutional settings through observation and discussion with participants. Preliminary use of water resources gaming suggests communication, cooperation, information disclosure, trust, credibility and social learning between beneficiaries as factors promoting a shift towards sustainable resource use. Additionally, Irrigania was determined to be an effective tool for complementing traditional lecture-based teaching of complex concepts related to sustainable natural resource management. The different behavioral groups identified in the study can be used for improved simulation of multi-agent groundwater management systems.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0005045, ucf:49953
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005045

Title: Using Hashtags to Disambiguate Aboutness in Social Media Discourse: A Case Study of #OrlandoStrong.
Creator: DeArmas, Nicholas, Vie, Stephanie, Salter, Anastasia, Beever, Jonathan, Dodd, Melissa, Wheeler, Stephanie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: While the field of writing studies has studied digital writing as a response to multiple calls for more research on digital forms of writing, research on hashtags has yet to build bridges between different disciplines' approaches to studying the uses and effects of hashtags. This dissertation builds that bridge in its interdisciplinary approach to the study of hashtags by focusing on how hashtags can be fully appreciated at the intersection of the fields of information research, linguistics,...
Show moreWhile the field of writing studies has studied digital writing as a response to multiple calls for more research on digital forms of writing, research on hashtags has yet to build bridges between different disciplines' approaches to studying the uses and effects of hashtags. This dissertation builds that bridge in its interdisciplinary approach to the study of hashtags by focusing on how hashtags can be fully appreciated at the intersection of the fields of information research, linguistics, rhetoric, ethics, writing studies, new media studies, and discourse studies. Hashtags are writing innovations that perform unique digital functions rhetorically while still hearkening back to functions of both print and oral rhetorical traditions. Hashtags function linguistically as indicators of semantic meaning; additionally, hashtags also perform the role of search queries on social media, retrieving texts that include the same hashtag. Information researchers refer to the relationship between a search query and its results using the term (")aboutness(") (Kehoe and Gee, 2011). By considering how hashtags have an aboutness, the humanities can call upon information research to better understand the digital aspects of the hashtag's search function. Especially when hashtags are used to organize discourse, aboutness has an effect on how a discourse community's agendas and goals are expressed, as well as framing what is relevant and irrelevant to the discourse. As digital activists increasingly use hashtags to organize and circulate the goals of their discourse communities, knowledge of ethical strategies for hashtag use will help to better preserve a relevant aboutness for their discourse while enabling them to better leverage their hashtag for circulation. In this dissertation, through a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Twitter discourse that used #OrlandoStrong over the five-month period before the first anniversary of the Pulse shooting, I trace how the #OrlandoStrong discourse community used innovative rhetorical strategies to combat irrelevant content from ambiguating their discourse space. In Chapter One, I acknowledge the call from scholars to study digital tools and briefly describe the history of the Pulse shooting, reflecting on non-digital texts that employed #OrlandoStrong as memorials in the Orlando area. In Chapter Two, I focus on the literature surrounding hashtags, discourse, aboutness, intertextuality, hashtag activism, and informational compositions. In Chapter Three, I provide an overview of the stages of grounded theory methodology and the implications of critical discourse analysis before I detail how I approached the collection, coding, and analysis of the #OrlandoStrong Tweets I studied. The results of my study are reported in Chapter Four, offering examples of Tweets that were important to understanding how the discourse space became ambiguous through the use of hashtags. In Chapter Five, I reflect on ethical approaches to understanding the consequences of hashtag use, and then I offer an ethical recommendation for hashtag use by hashtag activists. I conclude Chapter Five with an example of a classroom activity that allows students to use hashtags to better understand the relationship between aboutness, (dis)ambiguation, discourse communities, and ethics. This classroom activity is provided with the hope that instructors from different disciplines will be able to provide ethical recommendations to future activists who may benefit from these rhetorical strategies.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007322, ucf:52136
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007322

Title: Supporting Learning in Educational 3D Virtual Environments: The Impact of Intergenerational Joint Media Engagement.
Creator: Michlowitz, Robert, Walters, Lori, Hughes, Charles, Vasquez, Trey, Blumberg, Fran, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Studies have indicated that intergenerational relationships can assist children to learn more efficiently by providing support. As new forms of media have emerged and become pervasive in our society, it is important to understand how children use them to learn. Just as television coviewing has been observed by past researchers to aid youths to learn with parents and grandparents, three-dimensional virtual learning environments (VLE) are being investigated for their potential. This study seeks...
Show moreStudies have indicated that intergenerational relationships can assist children to learn more efficiently by providing support. As new forms of media have emerged and become pervasive in our society, it is important to understand how children use them to learn. Just as television coviewing has been observed by past researchers to aid youths to learn with parents and grandparents, three-dimensional virtual learning environments (VLE) are being investigated for their potential. This study seeks to examine the potential learning impact on children, ages 8 to 13, encountering a three-dimensional virtual learning environment with their grandparents. The primary research question this study examines is whether children exploring a 3D VLE with a grandparent learn the information being conveyed within the environment more effectively. A second aspect of the study considered if the grandparent-child pair would spend a greater amount of time in the virtual environment compared to a child exploring alone. Additionally, this research seeks to determine if there are other benefits a child could gain while interacting with a grandparent while using a VLE. This study used ChronoLeap: The Great World's Fair Adventure, an educational VLE developed at the University of Central Florida under a National Science Foundation Informal Science Education grant. ChronoLeap permits children to explore a virtual representation of the 1964-65 New York World's Fair where they can discover the roots of current technology in their 1960s form and its evolution to the present. This environment affords a child a unique opportunity to encounter a virtual recreation of an era in which their grandparents would have firsthand memories potentially eliciting the grandparent's personal reflections.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007837, ucf:52810
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007837

Title: Investigating Novel Water Treatment Methods and Monitoring Techniques for Sulfide-Laden Groundwater Supplies.
Creator: Yoakum, Benjamin, Duranceau, Steven, Lee, Woo Hyoung, Sadmani, A H M Anwar, Moore, Sean, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This dissertation reports on research related to novel water treatment and monitoring techniques for sulfide-laden groundwater supplies. The dissertation is divided into several chapters with four core chapters focused on investigations studying a novel water treatment method or monitoring technique. The first investigation assessed the efficacy of multi-pass spray aeration treatment to remove trihalomethanes (THMs) and to reduce the total THM formation potential (TTHMFP) of an aerated water...
Show moreThis dissertation reports on research related to novel water treatment and monitoring techniques for sulfide-laden groundwater supplies. The dissertation is divided into several chapters with four core chapters focused on investigations studying a novel water treatment method or monitoring technique. The first investigation assessed the efficacy of multi-pass spray aeration treatment to remove trihalomethanes (THMs) and to reduce the total THM formation potential (TTHMFP) of an aerated water column post-aeration. A recirculating spray aeration pilot unit was constructed to make this assessment. To assess the effect of multi-pass spray aeration on the TTHMFP, water was recirculated through a fabricated spray nozzle for various lengths of time. Results showed that multi-pass spray aeration can remove chloroform, dichlorobromomethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform to below detection levels ((<) 0.7 ppb) for the waters investigated. Additionally, spray aeration reduced the TTHMFP of chlorinated water. Results suggest multi-pass spray aeration may be a viable treatment option for some bromide container waters. Results also indicate that multi-pass spray aeration removes bromide from the bulk water in the form of organically bound volatile compounds.The second investigation assessed the efficacy of using pre-existing tray aeration infrastructure to comply with disinfection by-product (DBP) regulations. To assess the efficacy of tray aerators to reduce the concentration TTHMs a pilot tray aerator was constructed. Results showed that after five tray passes (each pass consisting of water being passed over five trays) the concentration of TTHMs was below the detection limit ((<) 0.7 ppb) for the water investigated. To assess the efficacy of tray aeration at full-scale, a water treatment plant and the distribution system it serves were monitored for eight months. Results showed an approximate 40 ppb reduction in the TTHM concentration at two on-site monitoring locations and the one off-site monitoring location (initial concentrations being approximately 54 ppb, 60 ppb and 73 ppb, respectively). Results suggest that the utility managing the full-scale system could comply with DBP regulations by using the pre-existing tray aeration infrastructure to reduce formed THMs on-site where regulated haloacetic acids are not predominant.The third investigation assessed the efficacy of using biological activated carbon (BAC) to remove disinfection by-product precursor matter to comply with DBP regulations. To research this method, a pilot scale BAC filter was operated for three independent test runs. In addition, two full-scale WTPs using BAC were monitored over time. Results showed an approximate 40 percent removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) during the three pilot runs and an approximate 55 percent removal of DOC during full-scale monitoring. Results showed that the reduction in DOC reduced the TTHMFP of BAC treated water. Results suggest that BAC treatment could be a viable treatment option to comply with DBP regulations in the sulfide-laden water studied.The fourth investigation assessed the suitability of oxidation reduction potential (ORP) to monitor the effectiveness of an oxidizing media filter used to remove sulfur from a sulfide-laden groundwater. Results showed that ORP was more useful as a measurement technique as compared to free chlorine residual when assessing filter bed health and regeneration effectiveness. It was determined that when the ORP measurement taken from within the oxidative media layer was below 500 mV, the filter bed was not providing treatment, and manganese could be released. Results showed a significant increase in turbidity ((>) 2 NTU) and total manganese ((>) 0.05 mg/L) occurred when the ORP within the filter bed dropped below 400 mV. More frequent cycling of the filters was found to be an effective treatment option to maintain ORP values above an identified 400 mV operational threshold.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0007141, ucf:52317
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007141

Title: Curating culture through social media in the 21st century: Orlando as a case study for arts participation and engagement among millennials.
Creator: Givoglu, Wendy, Applen, JD, McDaniel, Rudy, Vie, Stephanie, Krick, Stephanie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The American non-profit arts sector is faced with challenges including shifting audience demographics, competition for patrons due to evolving new media and entertainment technologies, changes in donors, and the discontinuation of federal and state funding sources. Savvy arts organizations are rebooting for long-term sustainability and relevancy to their communities, while some organizations adhere to unchanged practices and modes of operation. Amidst the 21st century digital landscape, arts...
Show moreThe American non-profit arts sector is faced with challenges including shifting audience demographics, competition for patrons due to evolving new media and entertainment technologies, changes in donors, and the discontinuation of federal and state funding sources. Savvy arts organizations are rebooting for long-term sustainability and relevancy to their communities, while some organizations adhere to unchanged practices and modes of operation. Amidst the 21st century digital landscape, arts engagement that yields personal and community impact and sustainability for the future is indeed attainable. Characteristics of participatory culture and democratization rooted in emerging digital entertainment and social media communications technology, coupled with the power of the millennial generation, the first generation with access to digital technologies since birth, are two forces that can be non-profit arts organizations' biggest resources and are inherently a part of the arts. Using a mixed method approach, this project examines discourse surrounding arts engagement, focusing on the millennial generation, social media as a catalyst for potent arts participation, and Central Florida as a region demonstrating significant innovations and opportunities for growth in the arts. A survey was completed by Central Florida millennials, and with permission from Americans for the Arts, select questions replicated their 2016 National Arts Engagement survey, situating Central Florida alongside National data. Qualitatively, interviews were conducted with six executive directors of Central Florida non-profit arts organizations. Grounded theory practices yielded a synthesis of perspectives and strategic action plan for arts organizations to consider. Resulting recommendations for organizations seeking to further arts engagement with millennials via social media include: incorporating transmedia storytelling elements, considering how the arts convene and create around causes, programming with consideration of the life cycles and interests of millennials, considering diversity and cultural equity in the arts, and creating experiences that define engagement in the digital and physical worlds.
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Date Issued: 2019
Identifier: CFE0007460, ucf:52675
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007460

Title: Viability of a Residential Integrated Stormwater, Graywater, and Wastewater Treatment System.
Creator: Goolsby, Matthew, Chopra, Manoj, Wanielista, Martin, Randall, Andrew, Chang, Ni-bin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The subject of water scarcity and the rate of water consumption have become popular over the last few decades. Within the topic of water consumption, there are two separate issues from a residential standpoint. The first concern is the steadily increasing need for viable alternative water sources to be utilized for non-potable applications in an effort to reduce potable water demands. The second concern is the need to significantly reduce of nutrient-laden wastewater effluent discharge from...
Show moreThe subject of water scarcity and the rate of water consumption have become popular over the last few decades. Within the topic of water consumption, there are two separate issues from a residential standpoint. The first concern is the steadily increasing need for viable alternative water sources to be utilized for non-potable applications in an effort to reduce potable water demands. The second concern is the need to significantly reduce of nutrient-laden wastewater effluent discharge from septic systems in order to sustain groundwater quality and prevent adverse ecological impacts. This study addresses both issues with two separate systems integrated into one environmentally functional home that emphasizes low impact development (LID) practices. The first objective of the study is to quantify the performance of the passive treatment Bold (&) GoldTM reactive filter bed (FDOH classified (")innovative system(")) for nutrient removal. The second objective is to monitor the water quality of the combined graywater/stormwater cistern for non-potable use and asses all components (green roof, gutters, graywater treatment, AC condensate, well water, stormwater contribution). The performance of the passive innovative system is compared to past studies and regulatory standards. Also, a bench scale model of the OSTDS is constructed at the University of Central Florida (UCF) Stormwater Management Academy Research and Testing Lab (SMART Lab) and tested to provide effluent data at two different residence times. Complex physical, biological, and chemical theories are applied to the analysis of wastewater treatment performance. The data from the OSTDS and stormwater/graywater cistern both systems are also assessed using statistical analysis. The results of the OSTDS are compared to FDOH regulatory requirements for (")Secondary Treatment Standards("), and (")Advanced Secondary Treatment Standards(") with positive results. The bench scale results verify that both biological nutrient removal and physiochemical sorption are occurring within the filter media and quantified the relationship between removal rates and hydraulic residence time (HRT).The combined graywater/stormwater cistern contains acceptable water quality and operates efficiently. The demand on the cistern results in about 50% capacity utilization of the cistern and there is a consistent dependency on the artesian well. The salinity content and high sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of the cistern water did not produce any noticeable adverse impacts on the home other than scale formation in the toilet. The results of the research determined that the implementation of the integrated system is a viable option at the residential level.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004114, ucf:49094
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004114

Title: MEDIA EFFECTS ON BODY IMAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND INTERNAL INFLUENCES: WHAT MATTERS MOST?.
Creator: VanVonderen, Kristen, Kinnally, William, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Media effects on body dissatisfaction is a long-studied issue; however, aspects of the research - such as those regarding cultivation theory and its effects on body image - are unclear or incomplete. This study attempts to clarify the relationship between cultivation and body dissatisfaction. Besides cultivation, social comparison theory is also examined because upward comparisons with media images and peers can shape and reinforce body image attitudes as well. Additionally, the study...
Show moreMedia effects on body dissatisfaction is a long-studied issue; however, aspects of the research - such as those regarding cultivation theory and its effects on body image - are unclear or incomplete. This study attempts to clarify the relationship between cultivation and body dissatisfaction. Besides cultivation, social comparison theory is also examined because upward comparisons with media images and peers can shape and reinforce body image attitudes as well. Additionally, the study examines the connection between media and body dissatisfaction by looking at a broader social context - one that includes other social/environmental influences, such as peer and parental attitudes, as well as internal influences such as self-esteem. A sample of 285 female undergraduate students completed media exposure, parental influence, peer influence, and self-esteem measures, as well as internalization of the thin-ideal and body dissatisfaction measures. Overall, the study found that while peer comparisons and self-esteem are associated with internalization of the thin ideal, they are not as powerful as the most significant indicators - media attitudes regarding weight and body shape and media comparisons. Contrastingly, peer comparisons and self-esteem were observed to be the strongest indicators of body dissatisfaction. These findings suggest that cultivation is directly associated with the internalization of the thin ideal. However, the cultivation of media messages may not have a direct effect on body dissatisfaction, as social/environmental influences and the internal variable of self-esteem proved to be the most significant indicators.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003995, ucf:48676
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003995

Title: INTELLIGENT DESIGN.
Creator: Dudziak, Jillian, Poindexter, Carla, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: As human beings we are designed and created in a fabric that is profound and complex. We are built with a framework where mind and body work in a concerted effort to maintain our lives automatically. A deep and defining part of our existence as humans is not just the innate desire to live but to live in consistent well-beingemotionally, physically, and mentally. I believe when we incorporate our knowledge of human physiology into our creative process then we allow ourselves a greater...
Show moreAs human beings we are designed and created in a fabric that is profound and complex. We are built with a framework where mind and body work in a concerted effort to maintain our lives automatically. A deep and defining part of our existence as humans is not just the innate desire to live but to live in consistent well-beingemotionally, physically, and mentally. I believe when we incorporate our knowledge of human physiology into our creative process then we allow ourselves a greater opportunity to create an authentic connection with our intended audience. My work during the past three years has been rooted in the study of these philosophical and scientific principles. I created a series of visual experimentations that aim to assist in my understanding of human beings at an emotional and biological level. Armed with a deep desire to understand humanity, my goal is to create work that fosters positive change and has significant impact in the world. My past and present research has been focused on human emotions, the intuitive creative process and the relationship between technology and establishing social identity.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003693, ucf:48844
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003693

Title: EVELYN OFFSCREEN: AN APPLICATION OF INTERACTIVE PERFORMANCE METHODSIN ALTERNATE REALITY GAMING.
Creator: Borglund, Dawn, Wirth, Jeff, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: For my thesis project for the Masters of Fine Art in Film and Digital Media, I designed and produced Evelyn Offscreen, an alternate reality game (ARG) that was facilitated by interactive performance. The goal was to create an interactive experience that allowed several players to collaboratively create story across numerous media within the field of alternate reality gaming. The approach used in Evelyn Offscreen was intended to provide a degree of creative freedom to the players that has not...
Show moreFor my thesis project for the Masters of Fine Art in Film and Digital Media, I designed and produced Evelyn Offscreen, an alternate reality game (ARG) that was facilitated by interactive performance. The goal was to create an interactive experience that allowed several players to collaboratively create story across numerous media within the field of alternate reality gaming. The approach used in Evelyn Offscreen was intended to provide a degree of creative freedom to the players that has not been demonstrated in other ARG experiences and to use digital media to capture information about the relative effectiveness of the different techniques that were employed. During the month of October 2009, Evelyn Offscreen invited players to participate in an overarching story as characters. The game existed simultaneously through several media platforms such as Ning, twitter, and blogger as well as scenes located in Central Florida where players could embody their character in a real world setting. The results revealed insights into techniques for massive collaboration of story and player reactions to this hybrid form of alternate reality gaming and interactive performance.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003059, ucf:48321
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003059

Title: MULTI-MODAL READING FOR LOW LEVEL READERS.
Creator: O'Neal, Jamie, Dombrowski, Paul, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The value of this research hinges on the idea that exchanging illustrations for descriptive text can provide appropriate schemas for students with reading difficulties and thereby improve their comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. The research in this dissertation is based on theories and earlier research in the fields of psychology, education, reading, and narratology. A review of these fields offers a variety of perspectives on the processes involved in reading and comprehension. These...
Show moreThe value of this research hinges on the idea that exchanging illustrations for descriptive text can provide appropriate schemas for students with reading difficulties and thereby improve their comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. The research in this dissertation is based on theories and earlier research in the fields of psychology, education, reading, and narratology. A review of these fields offers a variety of perspectives on the processes involved in reading and comprehension. These processes range from the physical systems involved in reading (e.g., early childhood development, eye movement) to the psychological systems, which include cognitive load theory as well as image and text processing models. This study compares two reading methods by analyzing studentsÃ‚Â' vocabulary and comprehension gains. Both groups read the same text and completed the same pre- and post-tests. The control group read the text from the book which was text only. The experimental group read from a modified text on the computer screen. The text was modified by replacing some sentences with images designed to transmit the same information (e.g., descriptions of the setting, vocabulary items) in a graphic format. The images were in-line with the text, and designed to be read as part of the story, not as additional illustrations. Final analysis shows that the experimental format performed as well as the control format for most students. However, students who have learning disabilities, particularly language learners who have learning disabilities, did not make gains in the text only control format. These same students did show statistically significant gains with the experimental format, particularly the section of reading where the vocabulary words were explicitly presented in the images. Disparate, non-homogenous groupings of students reflect the actual teaching and learning circumstances in the school, as required by the school system. This situation thus represents the actual status quo situation faced by teachers in our school. We leave it to future researchers to work with more homogenous groups of students in order to attain clearer, stronger and more plaintively useful results.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003306, ucf:48486
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003306

Title: 7: AN INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION; EXPLORATIONS IN THE DIGITAL, THE SPIRITUAL, AND THE UNCANNY.
Creator: Lewter, Bradley, Peters, Phil, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis explores the application of digital technologies in the creation of visionary or transformative artwork. The installation emphasizes number, color, symmetry, and the human form to create symbolic compositions patterned after ancient archetypes. Background research was done to inform the work through studies of the principles of visionary and transformative artwork as practiced by Ernst Fuchs, De Es Schwertberger, and Alex Grey. Connections between art and spirituality as explained...
Show moreThis thesis explores the application of digital technologies in the creation of visionary or transformative artwork. The installation emphasizes number, color, symmetry, and the human form to create symbolic compositions patterned after ancient archetypes. Background research was done to inform the work through studies of the principles of visionary and transformative artwork as practiced by Ernst Fuchs, De Es Schwertberger, and Alex Grey. Connections between art and spirituality as explained by Kandinsky were studied to augment these principles. The sequence of artwork within the installation is comprised of both digital paintings and interactive triptych panels. To convey a sense of the mystical or sacred, the Rothko Chapel was used to inform the installation and serve as an artistic precedent. As the interactive work is created using realistically-modeled, computer generated characters, special consideration was given to understanding the "uncanny valley" and its potential effect in the interpretation of the installation. Interactivity is achieved through the use of ultrasonic sensors and Arduino prototyping boards.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003314, ucf:48487
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003314

Title: MUSLIMS IN THE MEDIA:THE NEW YORK TIMES FROM 2000 - 2008.
Creator: Bishop, Autumn, Gay, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Although it is widely recognized that Muslims and Middle Easterners were negatively portrayed in the media after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, few scholars examine the long term media presentations of Islam in the United States. The studies that have explored the relationship of the portrayal of Islam by the media have used short term, limited sampling techniques, which may not properly reflect the popular media as a whole. The current research uses data from the New York Times...
Show moreAlthough it is widely recognized that Muslims and Middle Easterners were negatively portrayed in the media after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, few scholars examine the long term media presentations of Islam in the United States. The studies that have explored the relationship of the portrayal of Islam by the media have used short term, limited sampling techniques, which may not properly reflect the popular media as a whole. The current research uses data from the New York Times from 2000-2008 in order to determine whether the popular media was portraying Islam in a disparaging manner. The analysis includes the use of noun phrases in the publications in order to establish if the media portrays Muslims and Islam negatively. In particular, I am interested in the trends of this media's representation of Islam, if the publications promoted a stigma towards Islam, and if the trend continued from 2000 to 2008. The results of the analyses are presented and discussed. The need for additional research in this area is also discussed.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003255, ucf:48545
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003255

Title: ANALYSIS OF THE FLORIDAÃ‚Â'S SHOWCASE GREEN ENVIROHOME WATER/WASTEWATER SYSTEMS AND DEVELOPMENT OF A COST-BENEFIT GREEN ROOF OPTIMIZATION MODEL.
Creator: Rivera, Brian, Chang, Ni-Bin, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The Florida Showcase Green Envirohome (FSGE) incorporates many green technologies. FSGE is built to meet or exceed 12 green building guidelines and obtain 8 green building certificates. The two-story 3292 ft2 home is a Ã‚Â"Near Zero-Loss HomeÃ‚Â™Ã‚Â", Ã‚Â"Near Zero-Energy HomeÃ‚Â™Ã‚Â", "Near Zero-Runoff HomeÃ‚Â™", and Ã‚Â"Near Zero...
Show moreThe Florida Showcase Green Envirohome (FSGE) incorporates many green technologies. FSGE is built to meet or exceed 12 green building guidelines and obtain 8 green building certificates. The two-story 3292 ft2 home is a Ã‚Â"Near Zero-Loss HomeÃ‚Â™Ã‚Â", Ã‚Â"Near Zero-Energy HomeÃ‚Â™Ã‚Â", "Near Zero-Runoff HomeÃ‚Â™", and Ã‚Â"Near Zero-Maintenance HomeÃ‚Â™Ã‚Â". It is spawned from the consumer-driven necessity to build a home resistant to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fire, mold, termites, impacts, and even earthquakes given up to 500% increase in insurance premiums in natural disaster zones, the dwindling flexibility and coverage of insurance policies, and rising energy, water and maintenance costs (FSGE 2008). The FSGE captures its stormwater runoff from the green roof, metal roof and wood decking area and routes it to the sustainable water cistern. Graywater from the home (after being disinfected using ozone) is also routed to the sustainable water cistern. This water stored in the sustainable water cistern is used for irrigation of the green roof, ground level landscape, and for toilet flushing water. This study was done in two phases. During phase one, only stormwater runoff from the green roof, metal roof and wood decking area is routed to the sustainable water cistern. Then, during phase two, the water from the graywater system is added to the sustainable water cistern. The sustainable water cistern quality is analyzed during both phases to determine if the water is acceptable for irrigation and also if it is suitable for use as toilet flushing water. The water quality of the sustainable cistern is acceptable for irrigation. The intent of the home is to not pollute the environment, so as much nutrients as possible should be removed from the wastewater before it is discharged into the groundwater. Thus, the FSGE design is to evaluate a new on-site sewage treatment and disposal (OSTD) system which consists of a sorption media labeled as Bold and GoldTM filtration media. The Bold and GoldTM filtration media is a mixture of tire crumb and other materials. This new OSTD system has sampling ports through the system to monitor the wastewater quality as it passes through. Also, the effluent wastewater quality is compared to that of a conventional system on the campus of the University of Central Florida. The cost-benefit optimization model focused on designing a residential home which incorporated a green roof, cistern and graywater systems. This model had two forms, the base model and the grey linear model. The base model used current average cost of construction of materials and installation. The grey model used an interval for the cost of construction materials and green roof energy savings. Both models included a probabilistic term to describe the rainfall amount. The cost and energy operation of a typical Florida home was used as a case study for these models. Also, some of the parameters of the model were varied to determine their effect on the results. The modeling showed that the FSGE 4500 gallon cistern design was cost effective in providing irrigation water. Also, the green roof area could have been smaller to be cost effective, because the green roof cost is relatively much higher than the cost of a regular roof.
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Date Issued: 2010
Identifier: CFE0003297, ucf:48499
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003297

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: Hashing for Multimedia Similarity Modeling and Large-Scale Retrieval.
Creator: Li, Kai, Hua, Kien, Qi, GuoJun, Hu, Haiyan, Wang, Chung-Ching, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In recent years, the amount of multimedia data such as images, texts, and videos have been growing rapidly on the Internet. Motivated by such trends, this thesis is dedicated to exploiting hashing-based solutions to reveal multimedia data correlations and support intra-media and inter-media similarity search among huge volumes of multimedia data.We start by investigating a hashing-based solution for audio-visual similarity modeling and apply it to the audio-visual sound source localization...
Show moreIn recent years, the amount of multimedia data such as images, texts, and videos have been growing rapidly on the Internet. Motivated by such trends, this thesis is dedicated to exploiting hashing-based solutions to reveal multimedia data correlations and support intra-media and inter-media similarity search among huge volumes of multimedia data.We start by investigating a hashing-based solution for audio-visual similarity modeling and apply it to the audio-visual sound source localization problem. We show that synchronized signals in audio and visual modalities demonstrate similar temporal changing patterns in certain feature spaces. We propose to use a permutation-based random hashing technique to capture the temporal order dynamics of audio and visual features by hashing them along the temporal axis into a common Hamming space. In this way, the audio-visual correlation problem is transformed into a similarity search problem in the Hamming space. Our hashing-based audio-visual similarity modeling has shown superior performances in the localization and segmentation of sounding objects in videos.The success of the permutation-based hashing method motivates us to generalize and formally define the supervised ranking-based hashing problem, and study its application to large-scale image retrieval. Specifically, we propose an effective supervised learning procedure to learn optimized ranking-based hash functions that can be used for large-scale similarity search. Compared with the randomized version, the optimized ranking-based hash codes are much more compact and discriminative. Moreover, it can be easily extended to kernel space to discover more complex ranking structures that cannot be revealed in linear subspaces. Experiments on large image datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for image retrieval.We further studied the ranking-based hashing method for the cross-media similarity search problem. Specifically, we propose two optimization methods to jointly learn two groups of linear subspaces, one for each media type, so that features' ranking orders in different linear subspaces maximally preserve the cross-media similarities. Additionally, we develop this ranking-based hashing method in the cross-media context into a flexible hashing framework with a more general solution. We have demonstrated through extensive experiments on several real-world datasets that the proposed cross-media hashing method can achieve superior cross-media retrieval performances against several state-of-the-art algorithms.Lastly, to make better use of the supervisory label information, as well as to further improve the efficiency and accuracy of supervised hashing, we propose a novel multimedia discrete hashing framework that optimizes an instance-wise loss objective, as compared to the pairwise losses, using an efficient discrete optimization method. In addition, the proposed method decouples the binary codes learning and hash function learning into two separate stages, thus making the proposed method equally applicable for both single-media and cross-media search. Extensive experiments on both single-media and cross-media retrieval tasks demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFE0006759, ucf:51840
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006759

Title: Arrangement of Google Search Results and Imperial Ideology: Searching for Benghazi, Libya.
Creator: Stewart, Jacob, Pigg, Stacey, Rounsaville, Angela, Walls, Douglas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This project responds to an ongoing discussion in scholarship that identifies and analyzes the ideological functions of computer interfaces. In 1994, Cynthia Selfe and Richard Selfe claimed that interfaces are maps of cultural information and are therefore ideological (485). For Selfe and Selfe and other scholars, these interfaces carried a colonial ideology that resulted in Western dominance over other cultures. Since this early scholarship, our perspectives on interface have shifted with...
Show moreThis project responds to an ongoing discussion in scholarship that identifies and analyzes the ideological functions of computer interfaces. In 1994, Cynthia Selfe and Richard Selfe claimed that interfaces are maps of cultural information and are therefore ideological (485). For Selfe and Selfe and other scholars, these interfaces carried a colonial ideology that resulted in Western dominance over other cultures. Since this early scholarship, our perspectives on interface have shifted with changing technology; interfaces can no longer be treated as having persistent and predictable characteristics like texts. I argue that interfaces are interactions among dynamic information that is constantly being updated online. One of the most prominent ways users interact with information online is through the use of search engines such as Google. Interfaces like Google assist users in navigating dynamic cultural information. How this information is arranged in a Google search event has a profound impact on what meaning we make surrounding the search term.In this project, I argue that colonial ideologies are upheld in several Google search events for the term (")Benghazi, Libya.(") I claim that networked connection during Google search events leads to the creation and sustainment of a colonial ideology through patterns of arrangement. Finally, I offer a methodology for understanding how ideologies are created when search events occur. This methodology searches for patterns in connected information in order to understand how they create an ideological lens.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005267, ucf:50559
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005267

Title: Le Temps des Copains: Youth and the Making of Modern France in the Era of Decolonization, 1958-1968.
Creator: Fedorka, Drew, Lyons, Amelia, Nair, Deepa, Crepeau, Richard, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis examines the popular y(&)#233;-y(&)#233; phenomenon and its role in articulating a vision of modern France in the aftermath of decolonization. Y(&)#233;-y(&)#233;, a teen-oriented and music-based popular culture that flourished from roughly 1962-1966, was in a unique position to define what it meant to be young in 1960s France. I argue that the y(&)#233;-y(&)#233; popular culture, through its definition of youth, provided an important cultural channel through which to articulate a...
Show moreThis thesis examines the popular y(&)#233;-y(&)#233; phenomenon and its role in articulating a vision of modern France in the aftermath of decolonization. Y(&)#233;-y(&)#233;, a teen-oriented and music-based popular culture that flourished from roughly 1962-1966, was in a unique position to define what it meant to be young in 1960s France. I argue that the y(&)#233;-y(&)#233; popular culture, through its definition of youth, provided an important cultural channel through which to articulate a modern French identity after the Algerian War (1954-1962). Using a combination of advertisements, articles, and sanitized depictions of teenage pop singers, the y(&)#233;-y(&)#233; popular culture constructed an idealized vision of adolescence that coupled a technologically-savvy and consumer-oriented outlook with a distinctly conservative, apolitical, and inclusive social stance. It reflected France's reorientation toward a particular technological and consumer modernity while simultaneously serving to obscure France's recent colonial past and the dubious legacy of imperialism. To contextualize y(&)#233;-y(&)#233;, this thesis begins by examining the blousons noirs (black jackets) and the societal anxieties that surrounded them in the early Fifth Republic (1958-1962). By tracking the abrupt shift from the blousons noirs to y(&)#233;-y(&)#233; in predominant media representations of youth, this thesis provides a unique vantage point with which to interpret dominant discourses of the Gaullist Fifth Republic and its attempt to reinvent France into a modernized and decolonized consumer republic. As the work suggests, it was not a coincidence that the optimistic y(&)#233;-y(&)#233; youth, unburdened by the tribulations of France's recent past, appeared in full force within months following the recognition of Algerian independence in 1962.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005612, ucf:50200
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005612

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