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- Title
- EFFECTS OF ISOLATION ON METAPOPULATIONDYNAMICS IN SMALL-WORLD NETWORKS.
- Creator
-
Bernard, Alaina, Jenkins, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Simulation models are valuable for making predictions that may be tested in natural systems and for understanding observed patterns. The simulation model developed for this thesis evaluates the effects of spatial network architecture, including organism dispersal patterns and isolation of habitats, on metapopulations. Two fields were merged throughout this project: metapopulation biology and small-world network theory. Small-world networks are characterized in their extremes as scale-free or...
Show moreSimulation models are valuable for making predictions that may be tested in natural systems and for understanding observed patterns. The simulation model developed for this thesis evaluates the effects of spatial network architecture, including organism dispersal patterns and isolation of habitats, on metapopulations. Two fields were merged throughout this project: metapopulation biology and small-world network theory. Small-world networks are characterized in their extremes as scale-free or single-scale. These models potentially simulate the networks of habitats and corridors in which metapopulations operate. Small-world network theory has been used to describe systems as diverse as rivers, the world-wide-web, and protein interactions, but has not been used as an experimental treatment for metapopulation dynamics. I tested the effects of growth rate, dispersal pattern, network architecture (scale-free and single-scale), attack type (targeted or random), and attack severity (0, 5, 10, 20, or 40% attacked populations) on metapopulation size and inter-population variation in a simulated system designed to be relevant to conservation biology and ecology. Metapopulation size and inter-population variation changed due to combinations of dispersal pattern, growth rate, and attack severity. Specifically, metapopulations were most affected by a combination of unidirectional dispersal and low growth rate in both metapopulation number and inter-population variation. However, a significant difference between scale-free and single-scale metapopulations was not found due to a low connectivity in the modeled networks as well as limitations of experimental assumptions. However, future studies that alter the model's assumptions could improve understanding of the influence of landscape structure on at-risk metapopulations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001877, ucf:47384
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001877
- Title
- OF SPANISH COWS, WILD BOARS, UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER, AND OTHER ODDITIES.
- Creator
-
Sanchez, Lydia, Jensen, Toni, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In this collection of connected stories, the inhabitants of the imaginary Mediterranean village of Marcenac struggle with daily situations that often take allures of a farce, simply because they occur in Marcenac. The stories explore the influence southern France's Roussillon region has on people, the way the proximity of the Spanish border and the Mediterranean shapes the inhabitants of Marcenac's daily lives, and the influence of the climate. Often, the Tramontane, the region's...
Show moreIn this collection of connected stories, the inhabitants of the imaginary Mediterranean village of Marcenac struggle with daily situations that often take allures of a farce, simply because they occur in Marcenac. The stories explore the influence southern France's Roussillon region has on people, the way the proximity of the Spanish border and the Mediterranean shapes the inhabitants of Marcenac's daily lives, and the influence of the climate. Often, the Tramontane, the region's predominant wind, becomes a character. While some of the stories are told from a collective point of view, others reveal the inner thoughts of children and adults, male and female. Because the stories are connected, characters visit different stories and help tell the collective tale of Marcenac. Even though the stories stand on their own, they form cohesion, united by the progression of the seasons and the underlying theme of death. Each story reveals a particularity of the region's weather and culture. Some stories are entertaining and lighthearted. Others are serious. Each invites the reader to share the most intimate thoughts of the characters as they seek solace from various degrees of grief and frustration. Some characters are gauche, naïve, some tender, others bitter, but all are resilient and amicable. The characters' speech and the narrative are often peppered with French, which makes for humorous situations and takes the reader deep within a foreign culture without giving the feeling of an anthropology lesson. As a result, the characters become cultural guides as they ruminate over the past or go about their daily lives. They give the reader a unique insight into the habits and values of the region.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002626, ucf:48211
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002626
- Title
- THIS MUST BE THE PLACE.
- Creator
-
Feinman, Jesse S, Hubbard, Susan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This Must Be the Place is a collection of short stories that take place in Massachusetts, America. Each story exists as a subtle celebration of the ordinary moments of our lives that softly, and gradually, shape us over time. This testament to the every-day is characterized by detailed, tender depictions of brief conversations, picnics in parks, afternoon car rides, and trips to the grocery store with past lovers. Although the narrators and other orbiting characters in the stories are all...
Show moreThis Must Be the Place is a collection of short stories that take place in Massachusetts, America. Each story exists as a subtle celebration of the ordinary moments of our lives that softly, and gradually, shape us over time. This testament to the every-day is characterized by detailed, tender depictions of brief conversations, picnics in parks, afternoon car rides, and trips to the grocery store with past lovers. Although the narrators and other orbiting characters in the stories are all different, they are bound together by an insatiable curiosity and fascination with the world and the human condition. Inspired by works from authors such as Raymond Carver, Richard Brautigan, William Trevor, Carrie Fountain, and Andre Dubus, This Must Be the Place is a comment on how we, as people, are as defined by the decisions we do not make as the ones that we do. The characters in each piece confront choices and the invariable emotional consequences that will follow them, either temporarily or for the foreseeable future. These consequences propel the narratives, causing anxiety, uncertainty, and at times even excitement for all of those involved. Similarly, and perhaps more importantly, because of these consequences, the gears of the characters' hearts shift, ever so slightly, in new, unexplored directions. As a whole, This Must Be the Place is about the understated importance embedded in every connection, misconnection, beginning, and ending.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFH2000258, ucf:46056
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000258
- Title
- Performance of Mechanical and Non-mechanical Connections to GFRP Components.
- Creator
-
Dike, Nnadozie, Mackie, Kevin, Gou, Jihua, Chopra, Manoj, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
There are presently many solutions to dealing with aging or deteriorated structures. Depending on the state of the structure, it may need to be completely over-hauled, demolished and replaced, or only specific components may need rehabilitation. In the case of bridges, rehabilitation and maintenance of the decks are critical needs for infrastructure management. Viable rehabilitation options include replacement of decks with aluminum extrusions, hybrid composite and sandwich systems, precast...
Show moreThere are presently many solutions to dealing with aging or deteriorated structures. Depending on the state of the structure, it may need to be completely over-hauled, demolished and replaced, or only specific components may need rehabilitation. In the case of bridges, rehabilitation and maintenance of the decks are critical needs for infrastructure management. Viable rehabilitation options include replacement of decks with aluminum extrusions, hybrid composite and sandwich systems, precast reinforced concrete systems, or the use of pultruded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) shapes. Previous research using pultruded glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) decks, focused on behaviour under various strength and serviceability loading conditions. Failure modes observed were specific to delamination of the flexural cross sections, local crushing under loading pads, web buckling and lip separation. However certain failure mechanisms observed from in-situ installations differ from these laboratory results, including behaviour of the connectors or system of connection, as well as the effect of cyclic and torsional loads on the connection.This thesis investigates the role of mechanical and non-mechanical connectors in the composite action and failure mechanisms in a pultruded GFRP deck system. There are many interfaces including top panel to I-beam, deck panel to girder, and panel to panel, but this work focuses on investigating the top panel connection. This is achieved through comparative component level shear, uplift, and flexure testing to characterize failure and determine connector capacity. Additionally, a connection of this GFRP deck system to a concrete girder is investigated during the system-level test. Results show that an epoxy non-mechanical connection may be better than mechanical options in ensuring composite behaviour of the system.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004371, ucf:49413
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004371
- Title
- The Neighborhood (&) Cat Eyes: Stories.
- Creator
-
Barth, Brad, Roney, Lisa, Peynado, Brenda, Poissant, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The Neighborhood (&) Cat Eyes: Stories is a collection of short stories dealing with themes related to isolation, otherness in the modern world, and suburban dread. These two sets of stories deal with different variations on these themes.In the (")Cat Eyes(") collection of stories, isolation becomes a more prominent thread. These four stories each center on a different individuals afflicted with having cat eyes in place of normal human eyes. Through the lenses of childhood, adulthood, and...
Show moreThe Neighborhood (&) Cat Eyes: Stories is a collection of short stories dealing with themes related to isolation, otherness in the modern world, and suburban dread. These two sets of stories deal with different variations on these themes.In the (")Cat Eyes(") collection of stories, isolation becomes a more prominent thread. These four stories each center on a different individuals afflicted with having cat eyes in place of normal human eyes. Through the lenses of childhood, adulthood, and someone not afflicted with the cat eye condition, otherness and isolation are explored. Each individual offers a unique glimpse into the lives of these people and how they exist in a world that seeks to other them, often times through force.In (")The Neighborhood(") collection of stories, the idea of suburban dread comes into full-effect with the inclusion of corpses, skeletons, geysers, and medieval style siege parties. These five stories contrast against the very real lives of the individuals living through these situations. The different families affected by these issues come into contention with the unnamed rules of suburban living as well as their own personal torments made manifest through the oddities that surround them.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0006975, ucf:51653
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006975
- Title
- Safety, Operational, and Design Analyses of Managed Toll and Connected Vehicles' Lanes.
- Creator
-
Saad, Moatz, Abdel-Aty, Mohamed, Eluru, Naveen, Hasan, Samiul, Oloufa, Amr, Yan, Xin, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Managed lanes (MLs) have been implemented as a vital strategy for traffic management and traffic safety improvement. The majority of previous studies involving MLs have explored a limited scope of the impact of the MLs segments as a whole, without considering the safety and operational effects of the access design. Also, there are limited studies that investigated the effect of connected vehicles (CVs) on managed lanes. Hence, this study has two main objectives: (1) the first objective is...
Show moreManaged lanes (MLs) have been implemented as a vital strategy for traffic management and traffic safety improvement. The majority of previous studies involving MLs have explored a limited scope of the impact of the MLs segments as a whole, without considering the safety and operational effects of the access design. Also, there are limited studies that investigated the effect of connected vehicles (CVs) on managed lanes. Hence, this study has two main objectives: (1) the first objective is achieved by determining the optimal managed lanes access design, including accessibility level and weaving distance for an at-grade access design. (2) the second objective is to study the effects of applying CVs and CV lanes on the MLs network. Several scenarios were tested using microscopic traffic simulation to determine the optimal access design while taking into consideration accessibility levels and weaving lengths. Both safety (e.g., standard deviation of speed, time-to-collision, and conflict rate) and operational (e.g., level of service, average speed, average delay) performance measures were included in the analyses. For the first objective, the results suggested that one accessibility level is the optimal option for the 9-mile network. A weaving length between 1,000 feet to 1,400 feet per lane change was suggested based on the safety analysis. From the operational perspective, a weaving length between 1,000 feet and 2,000 feet per lane change was recommended. The findings also suggested that MPR% between 10% and 30% was recommended when the CVs are only allowed in MLs. When increasing the number of MLs, the MPR% could be improved to reach 70%. Lastly, the findings proposed that MPR% of 100% could be achieved by allowing the CVs to use all the lanes in the network.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007719, ucf:52428
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007719
- Title
- A Study of Internet Spending and Graduation Rates: A Correlational Study.
- Creator
-
Violette, Diana, Murray, Kenneth, Baldwin, Lee, Doherty, Walter, Jaffe, Larry, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between school district spending on Internet access and student achievement, defined by graduation rates, in the state of Florida. Internet funding received for Internet access from E-rate funding administered by the Universal Service Administration Company (USAC) and graduation rates of the 67 school districts in the state of Florida were compared. Further, the data were adjusted for socio-economic status (SES) to determine the...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between school district spending on Internet access and student achievement, defined by graduation rates, in the state of Florida. Internet funding received for Internet access from E-rate funding administered by the Universal Service Administration Company (USAC) and graduation rates of the 67 school districts in the state of Florida were compared. Further, the data were adjusted for socio-economic status (SES) to determine the relationship between school districts' SES and spending on Internet access. Lastly, school district connectivity and bandwidth were examined to determine whether the ConnectED initiative requirements were related to student achievement and the implementation of school district digital learning programs. E-rate funding and graduation rates were not correlated. Regression and multiple regression analyses demonstrated that Internet spending, bandwidth, and ratio of computers to students did not statistically predict graduation rates during the years of the study.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006816, ucf:51771
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006816
- Title
- SOLAR-BASED SINGLE-STAGE HIGH-EFFICIENCY GRID-CONNECTED INVERTER.
- Creator
-
Tian, Feng, BATARSEH, ISSA, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Renewable energy source plays an important role in the energy cogeneration and distribution. Traditional solar-based inverter system is two stages in cascaded, which has a simpler controller but low efficiency. A new solar-based single-stage grid-connected inverter system can achieve higher efficiency by reducing the power semiconductor switching loss and output stable and synchronized sinusoid current into the utility grid. Controlled by the digital signal processor, the inverter can also...
Show moreRenewable energy source plays an important role in the energy cogeneration and distribution. Traditional solar-based inverter system is two stages in cascaded, which has a simpler controller but low efficiency. A new solar-based single-stage grid-connected inverter system can achieve higher efficiency by reducing the power semiconductor switching loss and output stable and synchronized sinusoid current into the utility grid. Controlled by the digital signal processor, the inverter can also draw maximum power from the solar array, thereby maximizing the utilization of the solar array. In Chapter 1, a comparison between the traditional two-stage inverter and the single-stage inverter is made. To increase the ability of power processing and enhance the efficiency further, a full-bridge topology is chosen, which applies the phase-shift technique to achieve zero-voltage transition. In Chapter 2, average-mode and switch-mode Pspice simulations are applied. All the features of the inverter system are verified, such as stability, zero voltage transition and feed-forward compensation, etc. All these simulation results provide useful design tips for prototyping. In Chapter 3, a phase-shift controller is designed based on UCC3895. Also, a detailed design procedure is given, including key components selection, transformer and inductor design and driver circuits design. In Chapter 4, experimental results of a prototype DC/DC converter are presented and analyzed. By optimization of the circuit, the problems of the prototype are solved and the prototype is working stably. The thesis' conclusion is given in Chapter 5.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000468, ucf:46414
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000468
- Title
- MUTUAL GAZE AMONG STRANGERS.
- Creator
-
Vaknin, Allie, Hastings, Sally, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this study was to investigate the reactions people experienced when engaged in extended eye contact with a stranger. Artist Marina Abramovic and an organization entitled The Liberators International have demonstrated a spectrum of reactions, many emotionally-charged, that have occurred from the opportunity to sit across from and gaze into the eyes of a stranger. Current research on eye contact has been predominantly quantitative, with no available research that qualitatively...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate the reactions people experienced when engaged in extended eye contact with a stranger. Artist Marina Abramovic and an organization entitled The Liberators International have demonstrated a spectrum of reactions, many emotionally-charged, that have occurred from the opportunity to sit across from and gaze into the eyes of a stranger. Current research on eye contact has been predominantly quantitative, with no available research that qualitatively investigates the scenario in focus. The design of this study involved interviewing 35 people who participated in "The World's Biggest Eye Contact Experiment," where individuals paired with a partner and gazed into each other's eyes for one minute. The data revealed a significant overlap between negative and positive face, where individuals sought out the experience in order to exceed their comfort zones and to foster connections with other people. Participants reported feeling a sense of vulnerability, which was attributed to civil inattention and the simultaneous threat to and expansion of negative face.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000318, ucf:45766
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000318
- Title
- End to End Brain Fiber Orientation Estimation Using Deep Learning.
- Creator
-
Puttashamachar, Nandakishore, Bagci, Ulas, Shah, Mubarak, Rahnavard, Nazanin, Sundaram, Kalpathy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In this work, we explore the various Brain Neuron tracking techniques, one of the most significant applications of Diffusion Tensor Imaging. Tractography is a non-invasive method to analyze underlying tissue micro-structure. Understanding the structure and organization of the tissues facilitates a diagnosis method to identify any aberrations which can occurwithin tissues due to loss of cell functionalities, provides acute information on the occurrences of brain ischemia or stroke, the...
Show moreIn this work, we explore the various Brain Neuron tracking techniques, one of the most significant applications of Diffusion Tensor Imaging. Tractography is a non-invasive method to analyze underlying tissue micro-structure. Understanding the structure and organization of the tissues facilitates a diagnosis method to identify any aberrations which can occurwithin tissues due to loss of cell functionalities, provides acute information on the occurrences of brain ischemia or stroke, the mutation of certain neurological diseases such as Alzheimer, multiple sclerosis and so on. Under all these circumstances, accurate localization of the aberrations in efficient manner can help save a life. Following up with the limitations introduced by the current Tractography techniques such as computational complexity, reconstruction errors during tensor estimation and standardization, we aim to elucidate these limitations through our research findings. We introduce an End to End Deep Learning framework which can accurately estimate the most probable likelihood orientation at each voxel along a neuronal pathway. We use Probabilistic Tractography as our baseline model to obtain the training data and which also serve as a Tractography Gold Standard for our evaluations. Through experiments we show that our Deep Network can do a significant improvement over current Tractography implementations by reducing the run-time complexity to a significant new level. Our architecture also allows for variable sized input DWI signals eliminating the need to worry about memory issues as seen with the traditional techniques. The advantageof this architecture is that it is perfectly desirable to be processed on a cloud setup and utilize the existing multi GPU frameworks to perform whole brain Tractography in minutes rather than hours. The proposed method is a good alternative to the current state of the art orientation estimation technique which we demonstrate across multiple benchmarks.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0007292, ucf:52156
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007292
- Title
- Performance Evaluation of Connectivity and Capacity of Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks.
- Creator
-
Al-tameemi, Osama, Chatterjee, Mainak, Bassiouni, Mostafa, Jha, Sumit, Wei, Lei, Choudhury, Sudipto, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Recent measurements on radio spectrum usage have revealed the abundance of under- utilized bands of spectrum that belong to licensed users. This necessitated the paradigm shift from static to dynamic spectrum access (DSA) where secondary networks utilize unused spectrum holes in the licensed bands without causing interference to the licensed user. However, wide scale deployment of these networks have been hindered due to lack of knowledge of expected performance in realistic environments and...
Show moreRecent measurements on radio spectrum usage have revealed the abundance of under- utilized bands of spectrum that belong to licensed users. This necessitated the paradigm shift from static to dynamic spectrum access (DSA) where secondary networks utilize unused spectrum holes in the licensed bands without causing interference to the licensed user. However, wide scale deployment of these networks have been hindered due to lack of knowledge of expected performance in realistic environments and lack of cost-effective solutions for implementing spectrum database systems. In this dissertation, we address some of the fundamental challenges on how to improve the performance of DSA networks in terms of connectivity and capacity. Apart from showing performance gains via simulation experiments, we designed, implemented, and deployed testbeds that achieve economics of scale. We start by introducing network connectivity models and show that the well-established disk model does not hold true for interference-limited networks. Thus, we characterize connectivity based on signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) and show that not all the deployed secondary nodes necessarily contribute towards the network's connectivity. We identify such nodes and show that even-though a node might be communication-visible it can still be connectivity-invisible. The invisibility of such nodes is modeled using the concept of Poisson thinning. The connectivity-visible nodes are combined with the coverage shrinkage to develop the concept of effective density which is used to characterize the con- nectivity. Further, we propose three techniques for connectivity maximization. We also show how traditional flooding techniques are not applicable under the SINR model and analyze the underlying causes for that. Moreover, we propose a modified version of probabilistic flooding that uses lower message overhead while accounting for the node outreach and in- terference. Next, we analyze the connectivity of multi-channel distributed networks and show how the invisibility that arises among the secondary nodes results in thinning which we characterize as channel abundance. We also capture the thinning that occurs due to the nodes' interference. We study the effects of interference and channel abundance using Poisson thinning on the formation of a communication link between two nodes and also on the overall connectivity of the secondary network. As for the capacity, we derive the bounds on the maximum achievable capacity of a randomly deployed secondary network with finite number of nodes in the presence of primary users since finding the exact capacity involves solving an optimization problem that shows in-scalability both in time and search space dimensionality. We speed up the optimization by reducing the optimizer's search space. Next, we characterize the QoS that secondary users can expect. We do so by using vector quantization to partition the QoS space into finite number of regions each of which is represented by one QoS index. We argue that any operating condition of the system can be mapped to one of the pre-computed QoS indices using a simple look-up in Olog (N) time thus avoiding any cumbersome computation for QoS evaluation. We implement the QoS space on an 8-bit microcontroller and show how the mathematically intensive operations can be computed in a shorter time. To demonstrate that there could be low cost solutions that scale, we present and implement an architecture that enables dynamic spectrum access for any type of network ranging from IoT to cellular. The three main components of this architecture are the RSSI sensing network, the DSA server, and the service engine. We use the concept of modular design in these components which allows transparency between them, scalability, and ease of maintenance and upgrade in a plug-n-play manner, without requiring any changes to the other components. Moreover, we provide a blueprint on how to use off-the-shelf commercially available software configurable RF chips to build low cost spectrum sensors. Using testbed experiments, we demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed architecture by comparing its performance to that of a legacy system. We show the benefits in terms of resilience to jamming, channel relinquishment on primary arrival, and best channel determination and allocation. We also show the performance gains in terms of frame error rater and spectral efficiency.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006063, ucf:50980
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006063
- Title
- A Short Window Granger Causality Approach to Identify Brain Functional Pattern Associated with Changes of Performance Induced by Sleep Deprivation.
- Creator
-
Li, Muyuan, Karwowski, Waldemar, Xanthopoulos, Petros, Hancock, Peter, Mikusinski, Piotr, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The comprehensive effect of sleep deprivation on biological and behavioral functions largely remains unknown. There is evidence to support that human sleep must be of sufficient duration and physiological continuity to ensure neurocognitive performance while we are waking. Insufficient sleep would lead to high risk of human-error related to accidents, injuries or even fatal outcomes. However, in modern society, more and more people suffer from sleep deprivation because of the increasing...
Show moreThe comprehensive effect of sleep deprivation on biological and behavioral functions largely remains unknown. There is evidence to support that human sleep must be of sufficient duration and physiological continuity to ensure neurocognitive performance while we are waking. Insufficient sleep would lead to high risk of human-error related to accidents, injuries or even fatal outcomes. However, in modern society, more and more people suffer from sleep deprivation because of the increasing social, academic or occupational demand. It is important to study the effect of sleep deprivation, not only on task performance, but also on neurocognitive functions. Recent research that has explored brain effective connectivity has demonstrated the directed inference interaction among pairs of brain areas, which may bring important insight to understand how brain works to support neurocognitive function. This research aimed to identify the brain effective connectivity pattern associated with changes of a task performance, response time, following sleep deprivation. Experiments were conducted by colleagues at Neuroergonomics Department at Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Ten healthy young women, with an average age of 23-year-old, performed visual spatial sustained-attention tasks under two conditions: (1) the rest-wakeful (RW) condition, where participants had their usual sleep and (2) the sleep-deprived (SD) condition, where participants had 3 hours less sleep than their usual sleep, for 7 nights (amounting to 21 h of sleep debt).Measures included eye tracking performance and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In each condition, each subject's eye-position was monitored through 13 sessions, each with 46 trials, while fMRI data was recorded. There were two task performance measures, accuracy and response time. Accuracy measured the proportion of correct responses of all trials in each session. Response time measured the average amount of milliseconds until participants gazed at the target stimuli in each session. An experimental session could be treated as a short window. By splitting long trials of fMRI data into consecutive windows, Granger causality was applied based on short trials of fMRI data. This procedure helped to calculate pairwise causal influences with respect to time-varying property in brain causal interaction. Causal influence results were then averaged across sessions to create one matrix for each participant. This matrix was averaged within each condition to formulate a model of brain effective connectivity, which also served as a basis of comparison. In conclusion, significant effect of sleep deprivation was found on response time and brain effective connectivity. In addition, the change of brain effective connectivity after sleep deprivation was linked to the change of response time. First, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant difference for response time between the RW condition and the SD condition. No significant changes for accuracy were found. A paired t-test showed that response time was significantly shorter in sleep deprivation for the visual spatial sustained-attention task. Second, Granger causality analysis demonstrated a reduction of bidirectional connectivity and an increase of directed influences from low-level brain areas to high-level brain areas after sleep deprivation. This observation suggested that sleep deprivation provoked the effective connectivity engaged in salient stimuli processing, but inhibited the effective connectivity in biasing selection of attention on task and in maintaining self-awareness in day time. Furthermore, in the SD condition, attention at the visual spatial task seemed to be driven by a bottom-up modulation mechanism. Third, a relationship was found between brain effective connectivity with response time. Decreases of Granger causal influences in two directions, from medial frontal lobe to sub cortical gray nuclei and from medial parietal lobe to sub cortical gray nuclei, were associated with shorter response time in the SD condition. Additionally, an increase of Granger causal influence from medial parietal lobe to cerebellum was associated with longer response time in the SD condition.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005825, ucf:50922
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005825
- Title
- Distributed Extremum Seeking and Cooperative Control for Mobile Cooperative Communication Systems.
- Creator
-
Alabri, Said, Qu, Zhihua, Wei, Lei, Vosoughi, Azadeh, Atia, George, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In this thesis, a distributed extremum seeking and cooperative control algorithm is designed for mobile agents to dispersethemselves optimally in maintaining communication quality and maximizing their coverage. The networked mobile agentslocally form a virtual multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system, and they cooperatively communicateamong them by using the decode and forward cooperative communication technique. The outage probability is usedas the measure of communication...
Show moreIn this thesis, a distributed extremum seeking and cooperative control algorithm is designed for mobile agents to dispersethemselves optimally in maintaining communication quality and maximizing their coverage. The networked mobile agentslocally form a virtual multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system, and they cooperatively communicateamong them by using the decode and forward cooperative communication technique. The outage probability is usedas the measure of communication quality, and it can be estimated real-time. A general performance index balancing outageprobability and spatial dispersion is chosen for the overall system. The extremum seeking control approachis used to estimate and optimize the value of the performance index, and the cooperative formation control is applied tomove the mobile agents to achieve the optimal solution by using only the locally-available information. Through theintegration of cooperative communication and cooperative control, network connectivity and coverage of the mobile agentsare much improved when compared to either non-cooperative communication approaches or other existing control results.Analytical analysis is carried out to demonstrate the performance and robustness of the proposal methodology, andsimulation is done to illustrate its effectiveness.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0005082, ucf:50744
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005082
- Title
- SPATIOTEMPORAL VARIATION OF AVIAN POPULATIONS WITHIN GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED FRESHWATER MARSHES.
- Creator
-
Rodenbeck, Brian, Weishampel, John, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Metacommunity connectivity, i.e., multi-species dispersal events, is vital to metapopulation persistence in patchy landscapes. Assessments of metacommunity connectivity are not trivial. However, a relationship between trophic rank and the species-area relationship has been found in previous studies, allowing for the use of the predator species-area relationship to act as a surrogate measure of actual metacommunity connectivity of prey species in some systems. For this study, avian species...
Show moreMetacommunity connectivity, i.e., multi-species dispersal events, is vital to metapopulation persistence in patchy landscapes. Assessments of metacommunity connectivity are not trivial. However, a relationship between trophic rank and the species-area relationship has been found in previous studies, allowing for the use of the predator species-area relationship to act as a surrogate measure of actual metacommunity connectivity of prey species in some systems. For this study, avian species were selected as they are generalist top predators within the study system. Predator species richness within geographically isolated freshwater marshes is influenced by a number of factors. I explore the relative roles of patch area, seasonality, hydroperiod, isolation, and vegetation structure on habitat use in the isolated freshwater marshes embedded within the dry prairie ecosystem of Central Florida. Predator species richness was surveyed in 50 sites for three seasons: fall 2005, winter 2005/06, and spring 2006 and the observed avian assemblage measures were subdivided into foraging guilds for analysis. Wading guild (e.g., egrets, herons, bitterns) species richness was correlated with hydroperiod and vegetation structural variables while perching guild (e.g., blackbirds, sparrows, meadowlarks) species richness was correlated with isolation, hydroperiod, and area annually. Overall predator and all guild species richness measures were also correlated with patch area for all seasons. These results suggest that while a complex mixture of patch area, hydroperiod and isolation influence habitat utilization that varies by season and at the community, guild and individual species level, the underlying predictors that define habitat use in wetlands annually includes hydroperiod, and is not exclusively patch area. Additionally, seasonal differences in predator species richness were found to be significant in some cases indicating that future avian population studies may benefit by sampling outside of the normally studied spring breeding season. Results of this study support the use of predator species richness as a suitable assay of metacommunity connectivity of prey species. Applications and implications of this approach toward future conservation efforts are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001766, ucf:47253
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001766
- Title
- MULTIMEDIA COMPUTER-BASED TRAINING AND LEARNING: THE ROLE OF REFERENTIAL CONNECTIONS IN SUPPORTING COGNITIVE LEARNING OUTCOMES.
- Creator
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Scielzo, Sandro, Jentsch, Florian, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Multimedia theory has generated a number of principles and guidelines to support computer-based training (CBT) design. However, the cognitive processes responsible for learning, from which these principles and guidelines stem from, are only indirectly derived by focusing on cognitive learning outcome differences. Unfortunately, the effects that cognitive processes have on learning are based on the assumption that cognitive learning outcomes are indicative of certain cognitive processes. Such...
Show moreMultimedia theory has generated a number of principles and guidelines to support computer-based training (CBT) design. However, the cognitive processes responsible for learning, from which these principles and guidelines stem from, are only indirectly derived by focusing on cognitive learning outcome differences. Unfortunately, the effects that cognitive processes have on learning are based on the assumption that cognitive learning outcomes are indicative of certain cognitive processes. Such circular reasoning is what prompted this dissertation. Specifically, this dissertation looked at the notion of referential connections, which is a prevalent cognitive process that is thought to support knowledge acquisition in a multimedia CBT environment. Referential connections, and the related cognitive mechanisms supporting them, are responsible for creating associations between verbal and visual information; as a result, their impact on multimedia learning is theorized to be far reaching. Therefore, one of the main goals of this dissertation was to address the issue of indirectly assessing cognitive processes by directly measuring referential connections to (a) verify the presence of referential connections, and (b) to measure the extent to which referential connections affect cognitive learning outcomes. To achieve this goal, a complete review of the prevalent multimedia theories was brought fourth. The most important factors thought to be influencing referential connections were extracted and cataloged into variables that were manipulated, fixed, covaried, or randomized to empirically examine the link between referential connections and learning. Specifically, this dissertation manipulated referential connections by varying the temporal presentation of modalities and the color coding of instructional material. Manipulating the temporal presentation of modalities was achieved by either presenting modalities simultaneously or sequentially. Color coding manipulations capitalized on pre-attentive highlighting and pairing of elements (i.e., pairing text with corresponding visuals). As such, the computer-based training varied color coding on three levels: absence of color coding, color coding without pairing text and corresponding visual aids, and color coding that also paired text and corresponding visual aids. The modalities employed in the experiment were written text and static visual aids, and the computer-based training taught the principles of flight to naïve participants. Furthermore, verbal and spatial aptitudes were used as covariates, as they consistently showed to affect learning. Overall, the manipulations were hypothesized to differentially affect referential connections and cognitive learning outcomes, thereby altering cognitive learning outcomes. Specifically, training with simultaneously presented modalities was hypothesized to be superior, in terms of referential connections and learning performance, to a successive presentation, and color coding modalities with pairing of verbal and visual correspondents was hypothesized to be superior to other forms of color coding. Finally, it was also hypothesized that referential connections would positively correlate with cognitive learning outcomes and, indeed, mediate the effects of temporal contiguity and color coding on learning. A total of 96 were randomly assigned to one of the six experimental groups, and were trained on the principles of flight. The key construct of referential connections was successfully measured with three methods. Cognitive learning outcomes were captured by a traditional declarative test and by two integrative (i.e., knowledge application) tests. Results showed that the two multimedia manipulation impacted cognitive learning outcomes and did so through corresponding changes of related referential connections (i.e., through mediation). Specifically, as predicted, referential connections mediated the impact of both temporal contiguity and color coding on lower- and higher-level cognitive learning outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed in relation to computer-based training design principles and guidelines. Specifically, theoretical implications focus on the contribution that referential connections have on multimedia learning theory, and practical implications are brought forth in terms of instructional design issues. Future research considerations are described as they relate to further exploring the role of referential connections within multimedia CBT paradigms.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002224, ucf:47899
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002224
- Title
- The Feminine Margin: The Re-Imagining of One Professor's Rhetorical Pedagogy--A Curriculum Project.
- Creator
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Alvarez, Camila, Brenckle, Martha, Bowdon, Melody, Mauer, Barry, Weishampel, John, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Writing pedagogy uses techniques that institutionalize dichotomous thinking rather than work against it. Cartesian duality has helped to create the marginalization of people, environments, and animals inherent in Western thought. Writing pedagogy based in current-traditional rhetoric uses a writing process that reinforces the hierarchical structure of Self/Other, Author/Reader, and Teacher/Student. This structure, in conjunction with capitalism, prioritizes the self and financial gain while...
Show moreWriting pedagogy uses techniques that institutionalize dichotomous thinking rather than work against it. Cartesian duality has helped to create the marginalization of people, environments, and animals inherent in Western thought. Writing pedagogy based in current-traditional rhetoric uses a writing process that reinforces the hierarchical structure of Self/Other, Author/Reader, and Teacher/Student. This structure, in conjunction with capitalism, prioritizes the self and financial gain while diminishing and objectifying the other. The thought process behind the objectification and monetization of the other created the unsustainable business and life practices behind global warming, racism, sexism, and environmental destruction. A reframing of pedagogical writing practices can fight dichotomous thinking by re-imagining student writers as counter-capitalism content creators. Changing student perceptions from isolation to a transmodern, humanitarian, and feminist ethics of care model uses a self-reflexive ethnography to form a pedagogy of writing that challenges dichotomous thought(-)by focusing on transparency in my teaching practice, the utilization of liminality through images, the use of technology to publish student work, and both instructor and student self-reflection as a part of the writing and communication process. This practice has led me to a theory of resistance and influence that I have titled The Resistance Hurricane, a definition of digital rhetoric that includes humanitarian and feminist objectives that I have titled Electric Rhetoric, and a definition for the digitally mediated product of that rhetoric that I call Electric Blooms or electracy after Gregory Ulmer's term for digital media.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007777, ucf:52371
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007777
- Title
- Assessing the Safety and Operational Benefits of Connected and Automated Vehicles: Application on Different Roadways, Weather, and Traffic Conditions.
- Creator
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Rahman, Md Sharikur, Abdel-Aty, Mohamed, Eluru, Naveen, Hasan, Samiul, Yan, Xin, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies have recently drawn an increasing attention from governments, vehicle manufacturers, and researchers. Connected vehicle (CV) technologies provide real-time information about the surrounding traffic condition (i.e., position, speed, acceleration) and the traffic management center's decisions. The CV technologies improve the safety by increasing driver situational awareness and reducing crashes through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to...
Show moreConnected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies have recently drawn an increasing attention from governments, vehicle manufacturers, and researchers. Connected vehicle (CV) technologies provide real-time information about the surrounding traffic condition (i.e., position, speed, acceleration) and the traffic management center's decisions. The CV technologies improve the safety by increasing driver situational awareness and reducing crashes through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I). Vehicle platooning with CV technologies is another key element of the future transportation systems which helps to simultaneously enhance traffic operations and safety. CV technologies can also further increase the efficiency and reliability of automated vehicles (AV) by collecting real-time traffic information through V2V and V2I. However, the market penetration rate (MPR) of CAVs and the higher level of automation might not be fully available in the foreseeable future. Hence, it is worthwhile to study the safety benefits of CAV technologies under different MPRs and lower level of automation. None of the studies focused on both traffic safety and operational benefits for these technologies including different roadway, traffic, and weather conditions. In this study, the effectiveness of CAV technologies (i.e., CV /AV/CAV/CV platooning) were evaluated in different roadway, traffic, and weather conditions. To be more specific, the impact of CVs in reduced visibility condition, longitudinal safety evaluation of CV platooning in the managed lane, lower level of AVs in arterial roadway, and the optimal MPRs of CAVs for both peak and off-peak period are analyzed using simulation techniques. Currently, CAV fleet data are not easily obtainable which is one of the primary reasons to deploy the simulation techniques in this study to evaluate the impacts of CAVs in the roadway. The car following, lane changing, and the platooning behavior of the CAV technologies were modeled in the C++ programming language by considering realistic car following and lane changing models in PTV VISSIM. Surrogate safety assessment techniques were considered to evaluate the safety effectiveness of these CAV technologies, while the average travel time, average speed, and average delay were evaluated as traffic operational measures. Several statistical tests (i.e., Two sample t-test, ANOVA) and the modelling techniques (Tobit, Negative binomial, and Logistic regression) were conducted to evaluate the CAV effectiveness with different MPRs over the baseline scenario. The statistical tests and modeling results suggested that the higher the MPR of CAVs implemented, the higher were the safety and mobility benefits achieved for different roadways (i.e., freeway, expressway, arterials, managed lane), weather (i.e., clear, foggy), and traffic conditions (i.e., peak and off-peak period). Interestingly, from the safety and operation perspective, at least 30% and 20% MPR were needed to achieve both the safety and operational benefits of peak and off-peak period, respectively. This dissertation has major implications for improving transportation infrastructure by recommending optimal MPR of CAVs to achieve balanced mobility and safety benefits considering varying roadway, traffic, and weather condition.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007709, ucf:52442
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007709
- Title
- Seascape genetics and rehabilitation efficiency in the Florida manatee.
- Creator
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Hall, Madison, Worthy, Graham, Weishampel, John, Hoffman, Eric, Dyer, Rodney, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) was recently downlisted federally from (")endangered(") to (")threatened(") despite acknowledgments of remaining threats to long term population persistence. Challenges to future manatee conservation include, but are not limited to, increases in frequency of harmful algal blooms, intensifying anthropogenic disturbance, and loss of warm-water habitat. The goals of this dissertation were 1) to assess threats to the manatee via a comprehensive...
Show moreThe Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) was recently downlisted federally from (")endangered(") to (")threatened(") despite acknowledgments of remaining threats to long term population persistence. Challenges to future manatee conservation include, but are not limited to, increases in frequency of harmful algal blooms, intensifying anthropogenic disturbance, and loss of warm-water habitat. The goals of this dissertation were 1) to assess threats to the manatee via a comprehensive, long-term (1973-2016), retrospective analysis of the manatee rescue and rehabilitation partnership (MRRP) and 2) to use seascape genetics analysis to examine whether abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic seascape variables could significantly describe genetic distance patterns in space for this genetically depauperate population. Results from the MRRP analysis revealed that anthropogenic threats were the most significant reason for manatees to be rescued and rehabilitated. Manatees rescued due to watercraft injuries spent long periods in recovery before succumbing or being released resulting in significant expense to the rehabilitation system. Additionally, the seascape genetics analysis indicated that watercraft activity best explained spatial genetic patterns in the manatee population. It is established that anthropogenic use of watercraft negative affects manatees through the mechanisms of sub-lethal injury and mortality, and these results suggest there may be further negative impacts via the disruption of population genetic connectivity. Future management practices should seriously consider manatee/vessel interactions as watercraft strikes are costly for management, place pressure on the manatee population, and could disrupt population gene flow with potentially dire consequences. Mitigating anthropogenic impacts on the Florida manatee population is critical for future conservation and should be a primary focus.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007647, ucf:52465
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007647
- Title
- Analysis of Driver Behavior Modeling in Connected Vehicle Safety Systems Through High Fidelity Simulation.
- Creator
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Jamialahmadi, Ahmad, Pourmohammadi Fallah, Yaser, Rahnavard, Nazanin, Chatterjee, Mainak, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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A critical aspect of connected vehicle safety analysis is understanding the impact of human behavior on the overall performance of the safety system. Given the variation in human driving behavior and the expectancy for high levels of performance, it is crucial for these systems to be flexible to various driving characteristics. However, design, testing, and evaluation of these active safety systems remain a challenging task, exacerbated by the lack of behavioral data and practical test...
Show moreA critical aspect of connected vehicle safety analysis is understanding the impact of human behavior on the overall performance of the safety system. Given the variation in human driving behavior and the expectancy for high levels of performance, it is crucial for these systems to be flexible to various driving characteristics. However, design, testing, and evaluation of these active safety systems remain a challenging task, exacerbated by the lack of behavioral data and practical test platforms. Additionally, the need for the operation of these systems in critical and dangerous situations makes the burden of their evaluation very costly and time-consuming. As an alternative option, researchers attempt to use simulation platforms to study and evaluate their algorithms. In this work, we introduce a high fidelity simulation platform, designed for a hybrid transportation system involving both human-driven and automated vehicles. We decompose the human driving task and offer a modular approach in simulating a large-scale traffic scenario, making it feasible for extensive studying of automated and active safety systems. Furthermore, we propose a human-interpretable driver model represented as a closed-loop feedback controller. For this model, we analyze a large driving dataset to extract expressive parameters that would best describe different driving characteristics. Finally, we recreate a similarly dense traffic scenario within our simulator and conduct a thorough analysis of different human-specific and system-specific factors and study their effect on the performance and safety of the traffic network.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007573, ucf:52578
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007573
- Title
- Shifted Plastic Hinge Column Connections Using Grouted Sleeves for Accelerated Bridge Construction.
- Creator
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Al-Jelawy, Haider, Mackie, Kevin, Gou, Jihua, Chopra, Manoj, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Accelerated bridge construction (ABC) is being increasingly used in new bridge construction and repair. ABC typically requires prefabricated elements joined with mechanical couplers. Grouted sleeves (GSs) offer good construction tolerances and load transfer between precast elements. However, previous research identified some performance issues with precast columns employing GS connections for seismic regions. Therefore, there is a need to develop improved connection details. This research...
Show moreAccelerated bridge construction (ABC) is being increasingly used in new bridge construction and repair. ABC typically requires prefabricated elements joined with mechanical couplers. Grouted sleeves (GSs) offer good construction tolerances and load transfer between precast elements. However, previous research identified some performance issues with precast columns employing GS connections for seismic regions. Therefore, there is a need to develop improved connection details. This research consists of three components; testing of six large-scale precast reinforced concrete column models, a series of individual component tests on GS bar splices, and analytical studies. Large-scale, precast column models were designed and experimentally tested using a shifted plastic hinge (SPH) concept to minimize the damage in the capacity-protected elements and retain the column ductility. The column testing matrix considered aspect ratio, moment gradient, and splicing details. Column models were tested in an upright cantilever configuration under quasi-static cyclic load. Results showed that SPH can be used for both flexural and flexural-shear columns. Two types of component tests were performed: tensile tests to quantify the tensile behavior of the splices, and strain penetration tests to quantify the slip at the sleeve ends. The tests were used to obtain constitutive models for the bond-slip behavior of the GS splices.Results showed that GS splices developed the full ultimate stress of the spliced bars and that the slip at sleeve ends can considerably influence the global behavior of the precast columns. The analytical models were developed in OpenSees using fiber-based beams models and they incorporated the calibrated bond-slip models of GS splices. The large-scale column tests were simulated and compared with respective experimental results. Analytical results showed that the developed models were able to mimic the column behavior and can be used for analysis of GS precast columns.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006851, ucf:51739
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006851