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Title: RITUAL, MYTH, AND SYMBOL IN THE FIELD OF NUCLEAR POSTURING.
Creator: Walsh, Sean, Kinsey, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Since their inception, the actual use of nuclear weapons in conflict is extremely limited. There have been only two documented occurrences which were committed exclusively by the United States. By contrast, however, state posturing with nuclear weapons occurs with regularity transcending historical situations, national wealth, military power, or even the actual possession of nuclear weapons. Rationalist arguments that depict nuclear posturing as a means of deterrence appear insufficient given...
Show moreSince their inception, the actual use of nuclear weapons in conflict is extremely limited. There have been only two documented occurrences which were committed exclusively by the United States. By contrast, however, state posturing with nuclear weapons occurs with regularity transcending historical situations, national wealth, military power, or even the actual possession of nuclear weapons. Rationalist arguments that depict nuclear posturing as a means of deterrence appear insufficient given its tendency to unbalance perceptions of equilibrium, and the public nature in which it occurs. Instead, I examine nuclear posturing by the United States during the Cold War as a form of political ritual providing for three distinctive, but complementary functions. First, posturing was a means to create coherence between foreign nuclear policy and domestic civil defense by manipulating symbols of fear. Second, posturing allowed the state to present itself in its new role as a shamanic authority over a new and powerful realm. Finally, posturing allowed for a normalization of the contradictory roles assumed by the state as it upheld its commission to defend the citizenry by means that would most probably destroy them all.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: CFE0000578, ucf:46432
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000578

Title: LEVIATHAN: ONTOGENY OF SALVATION.
Creator: LeJeune, Faren L., Burrell, Jason, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Wrought from clay and hardened by fire, the narrative sculptures which comprise this body of work are dualistic symbols of life's brutality and nobility. The philosophical import of the opus is manifested through the convergence of material, process, and form - to instantiate truth and initiate analysis. In my interdisciplinary research, I have come to understand leviathan as an exceptional, universalizing symbol of life's duality and the locus of Man's potential for honorable distinction. I...
Show moreWrought from clay and hardened by fire, the narrative sculptures which comprise this body of work are dualistic symbols of life's brutality and nobility. The philosophical import of the opus is manifested through the convergence of material, process, and form - to instantiate truth and initiate analysis. In my interdisciplinary research, I have come to understand leviathan as an exceptional, universalizing symbol of life's duality and the locus of Man's potential for honorable distinction. I invoke the name in order to instigate reflection upon the concept of the world serpent as a symbolic representation of existential nuance.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFH2000350, ucf:45754
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000350

Title: A STUDY OF LANGUAGE AND REGIONAL IDENTITIES IN A SMALL OCCITAN VILLAGE.
Creator: sacleux, patrick, rivera, fernando, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This exploratory study utilized qualitative methods to approach regional language abilities of local respondents and how it affects their regional identity. The theoretical framework of this study explored some of the tenets of symbolic interaction emphasizing on identity theory and how the flexible aspect of face-to-face interaction can define the self and someone's regional identity as it relates to their regional language use. Data for this study were collected in a small Occitan...
Show moreThis exploratory study utilized qualitative methods to approach regional language abilities of local respondents and how it affects their regional identity. The theoretical framework of this study explored some of the tenets of symbolic interaction emphasizing on identity theory and how the flexible aspect of face-to-face interaction can define the self and someone's regional identity as it relates to their regional language use. Data for this study were collected in a small Occitan village in Southern France. In particular, the study explored the link between an individual residential setting, his/her age and his/her ability to speak the regional language. The results indicate that the ability to speak the specific regional or even sub regional language does not greatly affect an individual's regional identity, thus potentially contributing to the continuing decline of that language in the region. Furthermore, that future studies are merited to explore whether these results are specific or if they can more broadly be applied to other Occitan regions or elsewhere where regional languages are spoken.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: CFE0002911, ucf:48015
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002911

Title: The Gold Wrapper Standard: An Investigation into the Preference for Larger Sized Condoms.
Creator: Plaza, Diego, Grauerholz, Liz, Pritchard, Adam, Carter, Shannon, Rivera, Fernando, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Research looking into the relationship between masculinity and condoms has typically centered on how masculinity ideology acts as a deterrent toward condom use. The current study focuses on the social pairing between larger sized condoms and masculinity by examining the factors that predict the preference for larger sized condoms. Specifically, the current analysis uses survey data collected from a sample of 398 University of Central Florida students to examine the predictive role of gender,...
Show moreResearch looking into the relationship between masculinity and condoms has typically centered on how masculinity ideology acts as a deterrent toward condom use. The current study focuses on the social pairing between larger sized condoms and masculinity by examining the factors that predict the preference for larger sized condoms. Specifically, the current analysis uses survey data collected from a sample of 398 University of Central Florida students to examine the predictive role of gender, race/ethnicity, gendered-identification, relationship status, perceived penis size, condom malfunction experience, the opinion that men would be less reluctant to use condoms if offered a larger option, the opinion that men with larger penises are more masculine, and the opinion that men who use larger condoms are more masculine on preferences for larger sized condoms. Results of the analysis show that the model was highly predictive of preferences for larger sized condoms, with five out of the nine factors considered having a significant effect. The results indicated that relationship status, perceived penis size, the opinion that men would be less reluctant to use condoms if offered a larger option, the opinion that men with larger penises are more masculine, and the opinion that men who use larger condoms are more masculine significantly predicted larger sized condom preferences. Gender, race/ethnicity (dichotomized as White/non-White), gendered identity, and condom malfunction experience did not significantly predict larger sized condom preferences. Additionally, gender-specific trends were found when the analysis was run independently among men and among women. The implications of these results are discussed and possibilities for subsequent research are suggested.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006375, ucf:51526
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006375

Title: Verification and Automated Synthesis of Memristor Crossbars.
Creator: Pourtabatabaie, Arya, Jha, Sumit Kumar, Chatterjee, Mainak, Pattanaik, Sumanta, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The Memristor is a newly synthesized circuit element correlating differences in electrical charge and magnetic flux, which effectively acts as a nonlinear resistor with memory. The small size of this element and its potential for passive state preservation has opened great opportunities for data-level parallel computation, since the functions of memory and processing can be realized on the same physical device.In this research we present an in-depth study of memristor crossbars for...
Show moreThe Memristor is a newly synthesized circuit element correlating differences in electrical charge and magnetic flux, which effectively acts as a nonlinear resistor with memory. The small size of this element and its potential for passive state preservation has opened great opportunities for data-level parallel computation, since the functions of memory and processing can be realized on the same physical device.In this research we present an in-depth study of memristor crossbars for combinational and sequential logic. We outline the structure of formulas which they are able to produce and henceforth the inherent powers and limitations of Memristive Crossbar Computing.As an improvement on previous methods of automated crossbar synthesis, a method for symbolically verifying crossbars is proposed, proven and analysed.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006840, ucf:51765
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006840

Title: The Crossed Bands Motif: What does it mean?.
Creator: Luther, Brittany, Barber, Sarah, Chase, Arlen, Walker, John, Callaghan, Michael, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The crossed bands motif is an iconographic symbol that appears among many Mesoamerican cultures' art including Olmec, Izapan and Maya spanning from the Early Pre-Classic to the Classic periods in Mesoamerica. Pierce explains in his theory on signs that icons, symbols and indices all contain meaning. This meaning was given to the signs by the one who commissioned the medium on which the sign is placed; therefore it is important to understand the meaning of these signs to learn more about the...
Show moreThe crossed bands motif is an iconographic symbol that appears among many Mesoamerican cultures' art including Olmec, Izapan and Maya spanning from the Early Pre-Classic to the Classic periods in Mesoamerica. Pierce explains in his theory on signs that icons, symbols and indices all contain meaning. This meaning was given to the signs by the one who commissioned the medium on which the sign is placed; therefore it is important to understand the meaning of these signs to learn more about the person or people who built them. The crossed bands motif has previously been studied based on individual pieces but never looked at as a symbol throughout geographical space and temporal existence. In this paper, I catalogue pieces of art in Olmec, Izapan and Maya sites that show the crossed bands motif. I delineated them based on what they represented, where the icon was present on the piece of art and when it was made. I found that in the Early Preclassic sites, the icon represented the existence of a deity and the sacred essence that the deity depicted on the stone monuments held. It transitioned in the Middle to Late Preclassic sites to signify the a connection between the deity and the human as a sort of transference of divinity. In the Classic Period, among Maya iconography, the meaning shifted again to represent the legitimacy of a ruler. The results of this research allow us to better understand the importance and relevance that these cultures placed on their deities not only in ritual life but in the legitimacy of their rulers and their right to rule. It allows us to understand that it was necessary for the rulership at these sites to publically state and show the ritual acts or the proof that their rule was sacred and had been legitimized by a deity.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006137, ucf:51179
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006137

Title: FORCED MOTHERHOOD? AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY ON STATE GENDER EXPECTATIONS IN NICARAGUA.
Creator: Mendoza-Cardenal, Mikaela M, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The dominant Sandinista party discourse of Nicaragua designates the family as the country's base social institution, but the prevailing machismo threatens the family's structure. Men - fathers - leave, either literally as migrant laborers or in the abandonment of their family responsibilities. In order to counteract the men's socially sanctioned absence, the state deploys a hegemonic expectation of motherhood in the passage of its complete abortion ban, one of the strictest in the world. All...
Show moreThe dominant Sandinista party discourse of Nicaragua designates the family as the country's base social institution, but the prevailing machismo threatens the family's structure. Men - fathers - leave, either literally as migrant laborers or in the abandonment of their family responsibilities. In order to counteract the men's socially sanctioned absence, the state deploys a hegemonic expectation of motherhood in the passage of its complete abortion ban, one of the strictest in the world. All forms of abortion, including saving the life of the mother, are banned in Nicaragua and both doctors and women are heavily penalized if an abortion is performed. The denial of this vital health service becomes much more threatening in the context of Nicaragua's increased maternal mortality and the highest adolescent fertility rate in Latin America. However, this thesis focuses on abortion within the social context of idealized maternity; here, abortion is not simply the removal of a fetus but a rejection of motherhood, a dangerous option to normalize when women are seen as those primarily responsible for the family's well-being. This study draws on seven weeks of fieldwork in early 2016 in Managua, Nicaragua and interviews with sixteen women to advance the argument that the abortion ban is a form of reproductive governance implemented to maintain a hegemony of maternal expectations in order to preserve the family.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFH2000128, ucf:46045
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000128

Title: DECISIVE MOMENTS IN FICTION.
Creator: Corrado, Janae, Hall, Scott, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: I approach artmaking with a sense of intrigue, portraying the human condition as seen through my own eyes. The results that surface are female forms combined with subliminal subjective symbolism – a fusion of my personal experiences and influences created through a partially subconscious process. I use this artistic process to help me understand myself and I dare my viewers to seek their own answers within the implied narratives I choose to paint.
Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: CFE0002541, ucf:47645
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002541

Title: GOING NATURAL: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN AND THEIR HAIR.
Creator: Dennis, Brittney, Gay, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The study seeks to gain a better understanding of the term "going natural" in regards to women with natural African American hair. The study also seeks to understand natural hair and reclaiming a positive perspective of acceptance and natural appearance. The study will give light to what it is to have natural hair in present day and calls upon the experience of the Black woman on her journey with her hair and her past.
Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFH0004278, ucf:44964
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004278

Title: Has the Song Remained the Same?: Perceptions of Effectiveness in Family Safety Work.
Creator: Marshall, Debra, Lynxwiler, John, Wright, James, Jasinski, Jana, Jewett, Aubrey, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: National and international research on governmental privatization efforts reflects myriad successes and failures. However, little is known about the effectiveness of family safety privatization efforts in the state of Florida. In Brevard County, Florida, family safety privatization efforts have been underway for several years now, and while evaluations are taking place, they do not reflect one key piece of information(-)the perceptions of family safety workers. A snowball sample was obtained...
Show moreNational and international research on governmental privatization efforts reflects myriad successes and failures. However, little is known about the effectiveness of family safety privatization efforts in the state of Florida. In Brevard County, Florida, family safety privatization efforts have been underway for several years now, and while evaluations are taking place, they do not reflect one key piece of information(-)the perceptions of family safety workers. A snowball sample was obtained from former and current child safety workers and open- and closed-ended questions were administered with a total of 15 former and current family safety workers who work or worked for several different public and private family safety agencies within Brevard County, Florida. Information was obtained regarding perceptions of privatization to adequately and more efficiently do the work of public entities. The results show two primary areas of interest. The model of care which has been instituted post-privatization (CARES) has been perceived as more effective than the former state model; the strongest problematic themes that developed concerned power, control, and the perception of unfairness. These themes are explored using a backwards mapping approach and recommendations for continued growth and cohesion are explored.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004208, ucf:49021
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004208

Title: STUDY OF SYMBOLIC EXPRESSIONS IN PEKING OPERA'SCOSTUMES AND LYRICS.
Creator: Li, Yiman, Akita, Kimiko, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis represents an analysis of symbolic expressions used to convey traditional Chinese cultural values in marital relations as expressed through costumes and lyrics in Peking Opera plays and performances. Two symbols, dragon and phoenix, were selected from the costume collection. Four symbols--bird, tiger, wild goose, and dragon--were selected from compilations of lyrics. These symbols were selected because they expressed Chinese core cultural values, an imperial ideology based on...
Show moreThis thesis represents an analysis of symbolic expressions used to convey traditional Chinese cultural values in marital relations as expressed through costumes and lyrics in Peking Opera plays and performances. Two symbols, dragon and phoenix, were selected from the costume collection. Four symbols--bird, tiger, wild goose, and dragon--were selected from compilations of lyrics. These symbols were selected because they expressed Chinese core cultural values, an imperial ideology based on Confucian thoughts, which were practiced rigidly during Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Modeling Theory is applied to argue that dragon and phoenix as visual symbols convey ideas about characters' background, marital relationship, social status shifts, and socio-culturally desirable values. Social Drama Theory is employed to analyze the lyrics to understand how ideal images of husband and wife are constructed. The archetypes of Chinese traditional culture that have influenced Chinese thought and action for centuries are discovered and discussed.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002149, ucf:47505
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002149

Title: Living Between Two Worlds: Conflict, Investigation And The Change.
Creator: Shuqair, Noura Abdulhameed H, Raimundi-Ortiz, Wanda, Poindexter, Carla, Price, Mark, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Beginning with my exploration of art as an aesthetic object, this paper shows the growth of my work and concept. Through my practice, I have been able to understand the contradictions in my traditional society and western modernity. It has helped me grapple with my own beliefs, and begin to confront those I don't agree with.
Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004751, ucf:49792
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004751

Title: LIGHTING DESIGN FOR FROM SUN TO SUN: A DAY IN A RAILROAD CAMP.
Creator: Szewczyk, Nathan, Scott, Bert, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In this thesis the notion of a theoretical approach to the beginning stages of designing lighting for a theatrical production will be discussed. The topic being researched is: How a theoretical approach to entering the design process will enhance the final lighting design. The target audience for this study is theatrical lighting designers. A theoretical approach, in this case to the beginning of the design process, could be described as utilizing current dramatic theories to develop a better...
Show moreIn this thesis the notion of a theoretical approach to the beginning stages of designing lighting for a theatrical production will be discussed. The topic being researched is: How a theoretical approach to entering the design process will enhance the final lighting design. The target audience for this study is theatrical lighting designers. A theoretical approach, in this case to the beginning of the design process, could be described as utilizing current dramatic theories to develop a better understanding for the design of this production. In order to better understand this topic one would need to know how the process of lighting design is typically created and where the theoretical approach is implemented. An issue with this approach is that the short period allowed for the design process does not allow sufficient time to utilize a theoretical approach in a real world setting. A way of determining if this process is effective is through personal self review. Journaling and discussion with my advisor for this production will be the method of data collection. The method of validation will be a self reflection at the end of the final performance. An issue with the collection process is its reliance on personal opinions, including the author's. There are no ethical issues relating to this study. When applied, a theoretical approach to the design process will enhance the quality of the final lighting design through allowing the designer to be better prepared for a specific scene that he/she is struggling with.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003609, ucf:48874
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003609

Title: THE EARLY MODERN SPACE: (CARTOGRAPHIC) LITERATURE AND THE AUTHOR IN PLACE.
Creator: Myers, Michael, Gleyzon, Francois-Xavier, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In geography, maps are a tool of placement which locate both the cartographer and the territory made cartographic. In order to place objects in space, the cartographer inserts his own judgment into the scheme of his design. During the Early Modern period, maps were no longer suspicious icons as they were in the Middle Ages and not yet products of science, but subjects of discourse and works of art. The image of a cartographer's territory depended on his vision�both the nature and placement of...
Show moreIn geography, maps are a tool of placement which locate both the cartographer and the territory made cartographic. In order to place objects in space, the cartographer inserts his own judgment into the scheme of his design. During the Early Modern period, maps were no longer suspicious icons as they were in the Middle Ages and not yet products of science, but subjects of discourse and works of art. The image of a cartographer's territory depended on his vision�both the nature and placement of his gaze�and the product reflected that author's judgment. This is not a study of maps as such but of Early Modern literature, cartographic by nature�the observations of the author were the motif of its design. However, rather than concretize observational judgment through art, the Early Modern literature discussed asserts a reverse relation�the generation of the material which may be observed, the reality, by the views of authors. Spatiality is now an emerging philosophical field of study, taking root in the philosophy of Deleuze & Guattari. Using the notion prevalent in both Postmodern and Early Modern spatiality, which makes of perception a collective delusion with its roots in the critique of Kant, this thesis draws a through-line across time, as texts such as Robert Burton's An Anatomy of Melancholy, Thomas More's Utopia, and selections from William Shakespeare display a tendency to remove value from the standard of representation, to replace meaning with cognition and prioritize a view of views over an observable world. Only John Milton approaches perception as possibly referential to objective reality, by re-inserting his ability to observe and exist in that reality, in a corpus which becomes less generative simulations of material than concrete signposts to his judgment in the world.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFH0004899, ucf:53148
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004899

Symbolism (2)	+ -
symbolic interaction (2)	+ -
symbolism (2)	+ -
African American (1)	+ -
Anatomy (1)	+ -

Anthropology (1)	+ -
Arab (1)	+ -
Archaeology (1)	+ -
Art (1)	+ -
Artist (1)	+ -
Automated Hardware Synthesis (1)	+ -
Cartographic Gaze (1)	+ -
Cartography (1)	+ -
Central America (1)	+ -
Conflict (1)	+ -
Confusion (1)	+ -
Contradict (1)	+ -
Crossbars (1)	+ -
Crossed Bands (1)	+ -
Culture (1)	+ -
Customs (1)	+ -
Deleuze & Guattari (1)	+ -
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Emblem (1)	+ -
Embodiment (1)	+ -
Fine Art (1)	+ -
France (1)	+ -
Gaze (1)	+ -
Icarian (1)	+ -
Iconography (1)	+ -

ETD Collection (10)	+ -
Honors Collection (4)	+ -

University of Central Florida (14)	+ -
Akita, Kimiko (1)	+ -
Barber, Sarah (1)	+ -
Burrell, Jason (1)	+ -
Callaghan, Michael (1)	+ -

Carter, Shannon (1)	+ -
Chase, Arlen (1)	+ -
Chatterjee, Mainak (1)	+ -
Corrado, Janae (1)	+ -
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Gay, David (1)	+ -
Gleyzon, Francois-Xavier (1)	+ -
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Jha, Sumit Kumar (1)	+ -
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Luther, Brittany (1)	+ -
Lynxwiler, John (1)	+ -
Marshall, Debra (1)	+ -
Mendoza-Cardenal, Mikaela M (1)	+ -
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