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- Title
- COUPLE PLAY AS A PREDICTOR OF COUPLE BONDING, PHYSICAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH.
- Creator
-
Vanderbleek, Linda, Robinson, Edward, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Traditional couple counseling research focused on why people end relationships, with research only recently addressing what factors contribute to relationship satisfaction and stability. Yet, throughout this research, minimal attention has been paid to the role of play in couple counseling. The research available on play in couple counseling had varied definitions of couple play and was not based on current couple counseling theory. The research and anecdotal data on couple play proposed a...
Show moreTraditional couple counseling research focused on why people end relationships, with research only recently addressing what factors contribute to relationship satisfaction and stability. Yet, throughout this research, minimal attention has been paid to the role of play in couple counseling. The research available on play in couple counseling had varied definitions of couple play and was not based on current couple counseling theory. The research and anecdotal data on couple play proposed a strong relationship between couple play and the factors that predict successful, long-term couple relationships, individual physical health and emotional health. This study applied current couple counseling theory and research to define couple play and the relationship between couple play and couple bonding, physical health and emotional health. The hypotheses of the study were couple play would predict couple bonding; couple play would predict individual physical health; and couple play would predict individual emotional health. The results from a sample of 30 couples demonstrated couple play predicted measures of couple bonding, including relationship satisfaction, communication, conflict resolution, and the couple's view of the relationship. Couple play demonstrated no relationship to individual physical or emotional health. Since couple play was predictive of successful, long-term couple relationship measures, the implications were discussed for using couple play in assessment and intervention in couple counseling and future research.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000426, ucf:46403
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000426
- Title
- Interracial Lesbian and Gay Couples: Navigating Private and Public Experiences.
- Creator
-
Bubriski, Anne, Grauerholz, Elizabeth, Rivera, Fernando, Carter, Shannon, Santana, Maria, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study explores the private and public experiences of Black/White interracial lesbian and gay couples. Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of critical race theory and intersectional feminism, this research focuses on how the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality influence relationship experiences and family processes in both private and public spaces for interracial same-sex couples. This study is based on 19 in-depth interviews with individuals in Black/White lesbian and gay...
Show moreThis study explores the private and public experiences of Black/White interracial lesbian and gay couples. Drawing from the theoretical frameworks of critical race theory and intersectional feminism, this research focuses on how the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality influence relationship experiences and family processes in both private and public spaces for interracial same-sex couples. This study is based on 19 in-depth interviews with individuals in Black/White lesbian and gay relationships. Participants' stories highlight intersectionality in terms of the ways interracial lesbian and gay couples navigate these interpersonal and public spaces. Participant experiences suggest that the dichotomy of private/public is often blurred, and these two spaces frequently overlap and intersect. Often what participants experience in public is then discussed and interpreted within private spaces. It is in the private space that participants work through complex issues in order to present themselves as a couple in public. Participants frequently used their public and interpersonal experiences with their partners to be reflexive of their own understandings of the social world, relationship processes, and love. Given the lack of research on same-sex, interracial families, this study makes an important contribution to sociological research on families, LGTBQ studies, and race studies.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004824, ucf:49730
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004824
- Title
- THE INFLUENCE OF PAST ABUSE ON HETEROSEXUAL COHABITING COUPLES' RELATIONSHIP TYPES.
- Creator
-
Thanasiu, Page, Robinson, E. H., University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study investigated the influence of past witnessed or experienced abuse on heterosexual cohabiting couples' Premarital Personal and Relationship Evaluation for Cohabiting Couples (PREPARE-CC) couple relationship types. The researcher utilized preexisting data from 5,000 cohabiting couples who had previously participated in the PREPARE marriage preparation program and had completed the PREPARE-CC inventory including a demographic section that elicited information about past abuse....
Show moreThis study investigated the influence of past witnessed or experienced abuse on heterosexual cohabiting couples' Premarital Personal and Relationship Evaluation for Cohabiting Couples (PREPARE-CC) couple relationship types. The researcher utilized preexisting data from 5,000 cohabiting couples who had previously participated in the PREPARE marriage preparation program and had completed the PREPARE-CC inventory including a demographic section that elicited information about past abuse. Discriminant analysis was conducted in SPSS to answer the question of whether the presence of past witnessed or experienced abuse could successfully predict relationship type among cohabiting couples. Results of the discriminant analysis yielded no significant ability to classify cohabiting couples by individuals' experience of past abuse, however, isolating females and males with the highest frequencies of past abuse indicated that males abused "very often" had a higher frequency of higher-satisfaction relationship types than the general sample consisting mostly of individuals with little or no history of abuse. Females reporting abuse "very often" did not follow this same pattern. Recommendations were made for future longitudinal studies and for strength-based research on healthy heterosexual cohabiting couples in an effort to understand what contributes to these couples' success.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000512, ucf:46461
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000512
- Title
- Coupled Usage of Discrete Hole and Transpired Film For Better Cooling Performance.
- Creator
-
Torrance, Michael, Kapat, Jayanta, Vasu Sumathi, Subith, Xu, Chengying, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Electricity has become so ingrained in everyday life that the current generation has no knowledge of life without it. The majority of power generation in the United States is the result of turbines of some form. With such widespread utilization of these complex rotating machines, any increase in efficiency translates into improvements in the current cost of energy. These improvements manifest themselves as reductions in greenhouse emissions or possible savings to the consumer. The most...
Show moreElectricity has become so ingrained in everyday life that the current generation has no knowledge of life without it. The majority of power generation in the United States is the result of turbines of some form. With such widespread utilization of these complex rotating machines, any increase in efficiency translates into improvements in the current cost of energy. These improvements manifest themselves as reductions in greenhouse emissions or possible savings to the consumer. The most important temperature regarding turbine performance is the temperature of the hot gas entering the turbine, denoted turbine inlet temperature. Increasing the turbine inlet temperature allows for increases in power production as well as increases in efficiency. The challenge with increasing this temperature, currently the hottest temperature seen by the turbine, is that it currently already exceeds the melting point of the metals that the turbine is manufactured from. Active cooling of stationary and rotating components in the turbine is required. Cooling flows are taken from bleed flows from various stages of the compressor as well as flow from the combustor shell. This cooling flow is considered wasted air as far as performance is concerned and can account for as much as 20% of the mass flow in the hot gas path. Lowering the amount of air used for cooling allows for more to be used for performance gain.Various technologies exist to allow for greater turbine inlet temperatures such as various internal channel features inside of turbine blades, film holes on the surface to cool the outside of the airfoil as well as thermal barrier coatings that insulate the airfoils from the hot mainstream flow. The current work is a study of the potential performance impact of coupling two effusion technologies, transpiration and discrete hole film cooling. Film cooling and transpiring flows are individually validated against literature before the two technologies are coupled. The coupled geometries feature 13 film holes of 7.5mm diameter and a transpiring strip 5mm long in the streamwise direction. The first coupled geometry features the porous section upstream of the film holes and the second features it downstream. Both geometries use the same crushed aluminum porous insert of nominal porosity of 50%. Temperature sensitive paint along with an 'adiabatic' Rohacell surface (thermal conductivity of 0.029W/m-K) are used to measure adiabatic film cooling effectiveness using a scientific grade high resolution CCD camera. The result is local effectiveness data up to 50 film hole diameters downstream of injection location. Data is laterally averaged and compared with the baseline cases. Local effectiveness contours are used to draw conclusions regarding the interactions between transpiration and discrete hole film cooling. It is found that a linear superposition method is only valid far downstream from the injection location. Both coupled geometries perform better than transpiration or the discrete holes far downstream of the injection location. The coupled geometry featuring the transpiring section downstream of the film holes matches the transpiration effectiveness just downstream of injection and surpasses both transpiration and film cooling further downstream.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004799, ucf:49721
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004799
- Title
- Decentralized Power Management in Microgrids.
- Creator
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Bhattacharjee, Amit, Das, Tuhin, Simaan, Marwan, Kassab, Alain, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
A large number of power sources, operational in a microgrid, optimum power sharing andaccordingly controlling the power sources along with scheduling loads are the biggest challenges in modern power system. In the era of smart grid, the solution is certainly not simple paralleling. Hence it is required to develop a control scheme that delivers the overall power requirements while also adhering to the power limitations of each source. As the penetration of distributed generators increase and...
Show moreA large number of power sources, operational in a microgrid, optimum power sharing andaccordingly controlling the power sources along with scheduling loads are the biggest challenges in modern power system. In the era of smart grid, the solution is certainly not simple paralleling. Hence it is required to develop a control scheme that delivers the overall power requirements while also adhering to the power limitations of each source. As the penetration of distributed generators increase and are diversified, the choice of decentralized control becomes preferable. In this work, a decentralized control framework is conceived. The primary approach is taken where a small hybrid system is investigated and decentralized control schemes were developed and subsequently tested in a hardware in the loop in conjunction with the hybrid power system setup developed at the laboratory. The control design approach is based on the energy conservation principle. However, considering the vastness ofthe real power network and its complexity of operation along with the growing demand ofsmarter grid operations, called for a revamp in the control framework design. Hence, in thelater phase of this work, a novel framework is developed based on the coupled dynamicalsystem theory, where each control node corresponds to one distributed generator connectedto the microgrid. The coupling topology and coupling strengths of individual nodes aredesigned to be adjustable. The layer is modeled as a set of coupled differential equationsof pre-assigned order. The control scheme adjusts the coupling weights so that steady stateconstraints are met at the system level, while allowing flexibility to explore the solutionspace. Additionally, the approach guarantees stable equilibria during power redistribution.The theoretical development is verified using simulations in matlab simulink environment.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005465, ucf:50386
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005465
- Title
- CHARACTERIZATION OF CRITICAL NETWORK COMPONENTS OF COUPLED OSCILLATORS.
- Creator
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Holifield, Gregory, A. S. Wu, A. Gonzalez,, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This dissertation analyzes the fundamental limits for the determination of the network structure of loosely coupled oscillators based on observing the behavior of the network, specifically, node synchronization. The determination of the requisite characteristics and underlying behaviors necessary for the application of a theoretical mechanism for determining the underlying network topology in a network of loosely coupled natural oscillators are the desired outcome. To that end, this effort...
Show moreThis dissertation analyzes the fundamental limits for the determination of the network structure of loosely coupled oscillators based on observing the behavior of the network, specifically, node synchronization. The determination of the requisite characteristics and underlying behaviors necessary for the application of a theoretical mechanism for determining the underlying network topology in a network of loosely coupled natural oscillators are the desired outcome. To that end, this effort defines an analytical framework where key components of networks of coupled oscillators are isolated in order to determine the relationships between the various components. The relationship between the number of nodes in a network, the number of connections in the network, the number of connections of a given node, the distribution of the phases of the network, and the resolution of measurement of the components of the network, and system noise is investigated.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001452, ucf:47038
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001452
- Title
- PRELIMINARY STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF IMPINGEMENT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FILM COOLING IN THE PRESENCE OF GAS PATH PRESSURE GRADIENT.
- Creator
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Peravali, Anil, Kapat, Jayanta, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Impingement is the most commonly used method of cooling in the hot stages of gas turbines. This is often combined with film cooling to further increase the cooling performance. The mainstream flow where in the coolant films discharge often has large stream wise pressure variations. All existing studies on coupled film and impingement cooling concentrated on the effect of the film depletion on the impingement heat transfer. This study investigates the impact of impingement on film cooling,...
Show moreImpingement is the most commonly used method of cooling in the hot stages of gas turbines. This is often combined with film cooling to further increase the cooling performance. The mainstream flow where in the coolant films discharge often has large stream wise pressure variations. All existing studies on coupled film and impingement cooling concentrated on the effect of the film depletion on the impingement heat transfer. This study investigates the impact of impingement on film cooling, where the jets impinging on a flat plate are depleted through arrays of film cooling holes in the presence of pressure gradient in the main gas path. The main characteristic of the test setup is that there is an impingement wall on the backside of the film effusion wall. The fluid used for both impingement flow and main flow is air. The impingement flow is heated as opposed to the usual practice of heating mainflow, and the array of film holes are configured under the impingement jet hole arrays such that there is no direct impingement on the film holes. The static pressure variations and Mach number (0.01 to 0.3) in the mainstream underneath the flat plate are controlled by inserts with varying flow area. The detailed temperature distribution on the film-covered surface is measured using the Temperature Sensitive Paint (TSP) technique, and film cooling effectiveness is calculated from the measurements. Results are presented for averaged impingement jet Reynolds numbers of 5000 and 8000. The effect of impingement on film effectiveness is studied by comparing the results from the two cases: one where film flow is directly supplied from a plenum and the other where the post- impingement flow is depleted through film effusion holes. The results are presented for cylindrical film cooling holes which are inclined at angles of 20 deg and 30 deg with respect to the target plate surface. The variation of the effectiveness of the film hole arrays along the mainstream are studied in detail. It is observed that the impingement through jet effects the pressure distribution on the target plate with film holes, which in turn affects the blowing rates of each row. The change in the blowing ratios because of a different pressure distribution on the impingement side of the target plate causes the effectiveness to change. From the results it is observed that the farther rows of impingement are affected by the pressure distribution underneath the film holes and have more flow through the film cooling rows, this increases the inlet flow of the films which increase the blowing ratios and in turn decreases the effectiveness of the film cooling holes. The pressure distribution and the change of effectiveness are studied in detail.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001445, ucf:47056
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001445
- Title
- PROTOTYPE OF COUPLING UNIT NETWORK FOR POWER LINE COMMUNICATIONS.
- Creator
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Srinivasan, Bharath, Wei, Lei, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Power Line Communications has made impressive strides since its introduction. Power Line Communications (PLC) or Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) is the method of transmitting broadband signals over the power lines and making it available at the power outlet in homes. It provides last mile communication and makes use of existing power lines to transmit signals, thereby eliminating the need to lay cables all over again. PLC is fast becoming a commercial reality in the United States. The...
Show morePower Line Communications has made impressive strides since its introduction. Power Line Communications (PLC) or Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) is the method of transmitting broadband signals over the power lines and making it available at the power outlet in homes. It provides last mile communication and makes use of existing power lines to transmit signals, thereby eliminating the need to lay cables all over again. PLC is fast becoming a commercial reality in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is working toward making PLC a standard with particular emphasis on power emission issues and interference with nearby bands. Power companies, vendors and ISPs (Internet Service Providers) have tied up to bring this new technology to market. The Power line environment is inherently unpredictable due to interference, low signaling impedance and the highly linear operating environment that PLC transmitters require. The coupling unit in the PLC system acts as a filter and eliminates the harmful AC signal from interfering with the broadband signals. A coupling unit amplifier topology that provides gain equalization and wideband mitigation to the effects of low-impedance loads on PLC in the high frequency range has been explored in detail in this study. The amplifier is verified for its performance by means of circuit simulation using industry-standard software such as Agilent's Advanced Design System (ADS). The coupling unit has also been fabricated to verify the performance. An experimental setup for verifying the performance of the coupling unit using a PLC transmitter and PLC receiver has also been proposed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001306, ucf:47029
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001306
- Title
- PLASMON ENHANCED NEAR-FIELD INTERACTIONS IN SURFACE COUPLED NANOPARTICLE ARRAYS FOR INTEGRATED NANOPHOTONIC DEVICES.
- Creator
-
Ghoshal, Amitabh, Kik, Pieter, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The current thrust towards developing silicon compatible integrated nanophotonic devices is driven by need to overcome critical challenges in electronic circuit technology related to information bandwidth and thermal management. Surface plasmon nanophotonics represents a hybrid technology at the interface of optics and electronics that could address several of the existing challenges. Surface plasmons are electronic charge density waves that can occur at a metal-dielectric interface at...
Show moreThe current thrust towards developing silicon compatible integrated nanophotonic devices is driven by need to overcome critical challenges in electronic circuit technology related to information bandwidth and thermal management. Surface plasmon nanophotonics represents a hybrid technology at the interface of optics and electronics that could address several of the existing challenges. Surface plasmons are electronic charge density waves that can occur at a metal-dielectric interface at optical and infrared frequencies. Numerous plasmon based integrated optical devices such as waveguides, splitters, resonators and multimode interference devices have been developed, however no standard integrated device for coupling light into nanoscale optical circuits exists. In this thesis we experimentally and theoretically investigate the excitation of propagating surface plasmons via resonant metal nanoparticle arrays placed in close proximity to a metal surface. It is shown that this approach can lead to compact plasmon excitation devices. Full-field electromagnetic simulations of the optical illumination of metal nanoparticle arrays near a metal film reveal the presence of individual nanoparticle resonances and collective grating-like resonances related to propagating surface plasmons within the periodic array structure. Strong near-field coupling between the nanoparticle and grating resonances is observed, and is successfully described by a coupled oscillator model. Numerical simulations of the effect of nanoparticle size and shape on the excitation and dissipation of surface plasmons reveal that the optimum particle volume for efficient surface plasmon excitation depends sensitively on the particle shape. This observation is quantitatively explained in terms of the shape-dependent optical cross-section of the nanoparticles. Reflection measurements on nanoparticle arrays fabricated using electron-beam lithography confirm the predicted particle-grating interaction. An unexpected polarization-dependent splitting of the film-mediated collective resonance is successfully attributed to the existence of out-of plane polarization modes of the metal nanoparticles. In order to distinguish between the excitation of propagating surface plasmons and localized nanoparticle plasmons, spectrally resolved leakage radiation measurements are presented. Based on these measurements, a universally applicable method for measuring the wavelength dependent efficiency of coupling free-space radiation into guided surface plasmon modes on thin films is developed. Finally, it is shown that the resonantly enhanced near-field coupling the nanoparticles and the propagating surface plasmons can lead to optimized coupler device dimensions well below 10 microns.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003091, ucf:48322
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003091
- Title
- Multi-physics modeling of geomechanical systems with coupled hydromechanical behaviors.
- Creator
-
Mohamed, Ahmad Saeid Ammar, Yun, Hae-Bum, Chopra, Manoj, Sallam, Amr, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Geotechnical structures under realistic field conditions are usually influenced with complex interactions of coupled hydromechanical behavior of porous materials. In many geotechnical applications, however, these important coupled interactions are ignored in their constitutive models. Under coupled hydromechanical behavior, stress in porous materials causes volumetric change in strain, which causes fluid diffusion; consequently, pore pressure dissipates through the pores that results in the...
Show moreGeotechnical structures under realistic field conditions are usually influenced with complex interactions of coupled hydromechanical behavior of porous materials. In many geotechnical applications, however, these important coupled interactions are ignored in their constitutive models. Under coupled hydromechanical behavior, stress in porous materials causes volumetric change in strain, which causes fluid diffusion; consequently, pore pressure dissipates through the pores that results in the consolidation of porous material. The objective of this research was to demonstrate the advantages of using hydromechanical models to estimate deformation and pore water pressure of porous materials by comparing with mechanical-only models. Firstly, extensive literature survey was conducted about hydro-mechanical models based on Biot's poroelastic concept. Derivations of Biot's poroelastic equations will be presented. To demonstrate the hydromechanical effects, a numerical model of poroelastic rock materials was developed using COMSOL, a commercialized multiphysics finite element software package, and compared with the analytical model developed by Wang (2000). Secondly, a series of sensitivity analyses was conducted to correlate the effect of poroelastic parameters on the behavior of porous material. The results of the sensitivity analysis show that porosity and Biot's coefficient has dominant contribution to porous material behavior. Thirdly, a coupled hydromechanical finite element model was developed for a real-world example of embankment consolidation. The simulation results show excellent agreement to field measurements of embankment settlement data.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004722, ucf:49826
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004722
- Title
- A COMPARISON OF MARRIAGE EDUCATION AND BRIEF COUPLES COUNSELING.
- Creator
-
Livingston, Tina, Young, Mark, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study investigated marital adjustment for couples participating in one of two treatment groups; the Brief Integrative Couples Counseling model(Young & Long, 1998, 2007); and the PREPARE/ENRICH Empowering Couples marriage education weekend workshop (Olson & Olson,2000). This study examined the following research questions: Do couples show a different level of marital adjustment following Brief Integrative Couples Counseling compared to those who receive a marriage education treatment?; Do...
Show moreThis study investigated marital adjustment for couples participating in one of two treatment groups; the Brief Integrative Couples Counseling model(Young & Long, 1998, 2007); and the PREPARE/ENRICH Empowering Couples marriage education weekend workshop (Olson & Olson,2000). This study examined the following research questions: Do couples show a different level of marital adjustment following Brief Integrative Couples Counseling compared to those who receive a marriage education treatment?; Do couples show greater marital adjustment following Brief Integrative Couples Counseling compared to those who participated in a Marriage Education weekend workshop treatment over time? This article presents an exploration of mean marital adjustment scores following participation in a Brief Integrative Couples Counseling treatment or a marriage education weekend workshop protocol. This study was a quasi-experimental design because participants were placed in pre-existing groups by self-selection. Following statistical analyses using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), the data suggest there is no difference in the level of change in marital adjustment scores between the two treatment groups. In addition, follow up analysis of covariance (ANCOVA's) was conducted on marital adjustment, using demographics as covariates.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001240, ucf:46907
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001240
- Title
- OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT WITHIN PROSTATE CANCER INTERVENTIONS FOR COUPLES: A NARRATIVE REVIEW.
- Creator
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Siguenza, Andrea M, Rovito, Michael J., University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Current cancer research is beginning to address the psychosocial implications of a prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis from not just the perspective of quality of life of the patient, but of his partner as well. Such inquiries have created novel intervention programs aiming to alleviate the adverse side effects that a PCa diagnosis may inflict on the couple. Assessing efficacy of couple-based interventions, however, has been a difficult task due to the lack of homogeneity between studies...
Show moreCurrent cancer research is beginning to address the psychosocial implications of a prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis from not just the perspective of quality of life of the patient, but of his partner as well. Such inquiries have created novel intervention programs aiming to alleviate the adverse side effects that a PCa diagnosis may inflict on the couple. Assessing efficacy of couple-based interventions, however, has been a difficult task due to the lack of homogeneity between studies regarding the operationalization process of primary outcome variables, as well as the instruments being used to measure them. This thesis, in response, aims to provide a detailed assessment of how previous interventions operationalized their targeted variables, the reported psychometric analysis of the instruments of measurement, and which instruments yielded statistically significant results. A narrative review was conducted using a database search strategy to collect articles regarding couple-based interventions that focused on outcomes related to PCa diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Out of the ten articles that passed the screening method, forty-two outcomes were identified, ranging from physical, social, and mental well-being of the couple, to the impact PCa had on their relationship quality. The outcomes were grouped into eight categories: quality of life, appraisal of PCa outcomes, sexual/physical well-being, relationship assessment, coping, mental health, knowledge, and distress. Various scales were used to measure similar outcomes with some articles failing to report on the psychometric properties of their chosen instruments. This assessment aims to provide future researchers with an indication as to what outcomes have been previously targeted and their corresponding methods of operationalization, categorization, and analysis. The multitude of assessed outcomes, the lack of uniformity on best practices in PCa couple intervention research, and the general failure to report on reliability and validity of measures may serve as significant barriers to producing high-quality evidence that can inform the development of future research and practice. This review provides the research community an aid in the development of behavioral interventions, and potentially, practice, via offering recommendations on certain outcomes that remain underreported within interventions. It is the ultimate aim of this project to assist in fostering a true public health for all.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFH2000118, ucf:45977
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000118
- Title
- INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION BETWEEN CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS REGARDING MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS: PERCEPTIONS OF COLLABORATION FROM CRIMINAL JUSTICE PRACTITIONERS.
- Creator
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Sharp, Christopher, Surette, Raymond, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The federal program of deinstitutionalizing psychiatric facilities has resulted in a well documented, ever-increasing mentally ill population in the nation's prisons and jails. Historically, the criminal justice system has maintained a laissez-faire attitude toward the mentally ill, and only became involved with the mentally ill when a crime had been committed. As such, the President's Mental Health and Criminal Justice Consensus Project was developed to explore ways that the two...
Show moreThe federal program of deinstitutionalizing psychiatric facilities has resulted in a well documented, ever-increasing mentally ill population in the nation's prisons and jails. Historically, the criminal justice system has maintained a laissez-faire attitude toward the mentally ill, and only became involved with the mentally ill when a crime had been committed. As such, the President's Mental Health and Criminal Justice Consensus Project was developed to explore ways that the two systems could work together to address the growing problem of the mentally ill offender. However, challenges arise because the criminal justice system has typically been viewed as a loosely coupled, fragmented system that is unwilling or unable to address the social issue of the mentally ill offender. The concept of coupling between agencies has serious ramifications for the ability of agencies to successfully collaborate. Theoretical foundations for collaboration between mental health and criminal justice agencies lie partly in labeling theory and the drive to avoid the negative stigmatization of the mentally ill by the formal criminal justice system. A second theoretical foundation is found in developmental theories, which seek to explain the development of organizational knowledge and skills, in handling mentally ill offenders, through interaction between the mental health and criminal justice systems. In this study, it is asserted that agencies that are appropriately coupled and have experience with collaboration will perceive greater benefits from the collaborative exchange. Furthermore, this leads to the main hypothesis of the current study that agency coupling and collaborative experience will increase the perception of benefits of collaboration and support of collaborative efforts that deal with mentally ill offenders. To assess the main hypothesis of the current study, a modified Dillman methodology was utilized. The research population consisted of a complete enumeration of the 20 Florida State's Attorneys Offices, the 66 County Sheriffs, the 54 Probation Office Managers, and the 313 municipal law enforcement agencies for a total study population of 453 possible respondents, of which 49% responded. Overall, the findings of the current study illustrate a willingness of agencies to couple with outside agencies to address the phenomenon of the mentally ill offender. The results provide theoretical support for the need to reduce the negative stigma of a mentally ill individual being additionally labeled a criminal offender. The results additionally bolster the belief that the knowledge and skills to do this can best be accomplished through interaction with outside agencies.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001328, ucf:46982
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001328
- Title
- COUPLING OF HYDRODYNAMIC AND WAVE MODELS FOR STORM TIDE SIMULATIONS: A CASE STUDY FOR HURRICANE FLOYD (1999).
- Creator
-
Funakoshi, Yuji, Hagen, Scott, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This dissertation presents the development of a two-dimensional St. Johns River model and the coupling of hydrodynamic and wave models for the simulation of storm tides. The hydrodynamic model employed for calculating tides and surges is ADCIRC-2DDI (ADvanced CIRCulation Model for Shelves, Coasts and Estuaries, Two-Dimensional Depth Integrated) developed by Luettich et al. (1992). The finite element based model solves the fully nonlinear shallow water equations in the generalized wave...
Show moreThis dissertation presents the development of a two-dimensional St. Johns River model and the coupling of hydrodynamic and wave models for the simulation of storm tides. The hydrodynamic model employed for calculating tides and surges is ADCIRC-2DDI (ADvanced CIRCulation Model for Shelves, Coasts and Estuaries, Two-Dimensional Depth Integrated) developed by Luettich et al. (1992). The finite element based model solves the fully nonlinear shallow water equations in the generalized wave continuity form. Hydrodynamic applications are operated with the following forcings: 1) astronomical tides, 2) inflows from tributaries, 3) meteorological effects (winds and pressure), and 4) waves (wind-induced waves). The wave model applied for wind-induced wave simulation is the third-generation SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore), applicable to the estimation of wave parameters in coastal areas and estuaries. The SWAN model is governed by the wave action balance equation driven by wind, sea surface elevations and current conditions (Holthuijsen et al. 2004). The overall work is comprised of three major phases: 1) To develop a model domain that incorporates the entire East Coast of the United States, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, while honing in on the St. Johns River area; 2) To employ output from the SWAN model with the ADCIRC model and produce a uni-directional coupling of the two models in order to investigate the effects of the wave radiation stresses; 3) To couple the ADCIRC model with the SWAN model to describe the complete interactions of the two physical processes. Model calibration and comparisons are accomplished in three steps. First, astronomical tide simulation results are calibrated with historical NOS (National Ocean Service) tide data. Second, overland and riverine flows and meteorological effects are included, and computed river levels are compared with the historical NOS water level data. Finally, the storm tides generated by Hurricane Floyd are simulated and compared with historical data. This research results in a prototype for real-time simulation of tides and waves for flash flood and river-stage forecasting efforts of the NWS Forecasting Centers that border coastal areas. The following two main conclusions are reported: 1) regardless of whether one uses uni-coupling or coupling, wind-induced waves result in an approximately 10 – 15 % higher peak storm tide level than without any coupling; and 2) the wave-current interaction described by the coupling model results in decreasing peaks and increasing troughs in the storm tide hydrograph. Two main corollary conclusions are also drawn from a 122-day hindcast for the period spanning June 1 – October 1, 2005. First, wind forcing for the St. Johns River is equal to or greater than that of astronomic tides and generally supersedes the impact of inflows, while pressure variations have a minimal impact. Secondly, water levels inside the St. Johns River depend on the wind forcings in the deep ocean; however, if one applies an elevation hydrograph boundary condition from a large-scale domain model to a local-scale domain model the results are highly accurate.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001394, ucf:46957
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001394
- Title
- ANTENNA-COUPLED INFRARED AND MILLIMETER-WAVE DETECTORS: FABRICATION, MEASUREMENT AND OPTIMIZATION.
- Creator
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Middleton, Charles, Boreman, Glenn, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Antenna-coupled detectors provide uncooled, cost-effective solutions for infrared and millimeter-wave imaging. This work describes the design, fabrication, measurement, and optimization of several types of antenna-coupled detectors for LWIR (8 - 12 µm) and 94 GHz radiation. Two types of millimeter-wave antenna-coupled detectors were fabricated and tested: a slot antenna coupled to a bolometer, and a patch antenna coupled to a SiC Schottky diode. Electromagnetic modeling of the antennas...
Show moreAntenna-coupled detectors provide uncooled, cost-effective solutions for infrared and millimeter-wave imaging. This work describes the design, fabrication, measurement, and optimization of several types of antenna-coupled detectors for LWIR (8 - 12 µm) and 94 GHz radiation. Two types of millimeter-wave antenna-coupled detectors were fabricated and tested: a slot antenna coupled to a bolometer, and a patch antenna coupled to a SiC Schottky diode. Electromagnetic modeling of the antennas helped guide the design of antennas with better impedance matching to the detectors. Schottky diodes are discussed as detectors for millimeter-wave and infrared radiation, with the goal of increasing the cutoff frequency to allow infrared detection. The magnitude of response of antenna-coupled bolometric detectors to infrared radiation is affected by the thermal-conduction properties of the sensor structure. Two fabrication processes were developed to improve the thermal isolation of the antenna-coupled bolometer from its substrate. The first process creates a membrane beneath the device. Measured results show a factor of 100 increase in responsivity over an identical device without a membrane. The second process thermally isolates the device from its substrate by suspending the metallic structure in air. Several factors for optimization of infrared antenna-coupled detectors are investigated. The complex dielectric function of the metal from which the antenna is constructed can affect the performance of the device. The use of a ground plane and dielectric standoff layer beneath the antenna can increase the sensor responsivity. Dielectric material properties and thicknesses are considered, and incorporated in device simulations. Finally, a potential fabrication process is presented for via connections from the antenna-coupled detector through a ground plane to bond pads to mitigate the effect of bias lines on antenna behavior.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001242, ucf:46908
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001242
- Title
- MAGNETICS DESIGN FOR HIGH CURRENT LOW VOLTAGE DC/DC CONVERTER.
- Creator
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zhou, hua, Wu, Thomas Xinzhang, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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With the increasing demand for small and cost efficient DC/DC converters, the power converters are expected to operate with high efficiency. Magnetics components design is one of the biggest challenges in achieving the higher power density and higher efficiency due to the significant portion of magnetics components volume in the whole power system. At the same time, most of the experimental phenomena are related to the magnetics components. So, good magnetics components design is one of the...
Show moreWith the increasing demand for small and cost efficient DC/DC converters, the power converters are expected to operate with high efficiency. Magnetics components design is one of the biggest challenges in achieving the higher power density and higher efficiency due to the significant portion of magnetics components volume in the whole power system. At the same time, most of the experimental phenomena are related to the magnetics components. So, good magnetics components design is one of the key issues to implement low voltage high current DC/DC converter. Planar technology has many advantages. It has low profile construction, low leakage inductance and inter-winding capacitance, excellent repeatability of parasitic properties, cost efficiency, great reliability, and excellent thermal characteristics. On the other side, however, planar technology also has some disadvantages. Although it improves thermal performance, the planar format increases footprint area. The fact that windings can be placed closer in planar technology to reduce leakage inductance also often has an unwanted effect of increasing parasitic capacitances. In this dissertation, the planar magnetics designs for high current low voltage applications are thoroughly investigated and one CAD design methodology based on FEA numerical analysis is proposed. Because the frequency dependant parasitic parameters of magnetics components are included in the circuit model, the whole circuit analysis is more accurate. When it is implemented correctly, integrated magnetics technique can produce a significant reduction in the magnetic core content number and it can also result in cost efficient designs with less weight and smaller volume. These will increase the whole converter's power density and power efficiency. For high output current and low output voltage applications, half bridge in primary and current doublers in secondary are proved to be a very good solution. Based on this topology, four different integrated magnetics structures are analyzed and compared with each other. One unified model is introduced and implemented in the circuit analysis. A new integrated magnetics component core shape is proposed. All simulation and experimental results verify the integrated magnetics design. There are several new magnetics components applications shown in the dissertation. Active transient voltage compensator is a good solution to the challenging high slew rate load current transient requirement of VRM. The transformer works as an extra voltage source. During the transient periods, the transformer injects or absorbs the extra transient to or from the circuit. A peak current mode controlled integrated magnetics structure is proposed in the dissertation. Two transformers and two inductors are integrated in one core. It can force the two input capacitors of half bridge topology to have the same voltage potential and solve the voltage unbalance issue. The proposed integrated magnetics structure is simple compared with other methods implementing the current mode control to half bridge topology. Circuit analysis, simulation and experimental results verify the feasibility of these applications.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001823, ucf:47341
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001823
- Title
- SELECTIVE MODE EXCITATION IN SPECIALTY WAVEGUIDES USING MICRO OPTICAL ELEMENTS.
- Creator
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Mohammed, Waleed, Johnosn, Eric, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Although optical fibers and specialty waveguides are the base of majority of today's telecom and light delivery applications, fabrication deformation, nonlinearity and attenuation limit the bandwidth of the data being transmitted or the amount of power carried by these systems. One-way to overcome these limitations without changing the fibers design or fabrication is to engineer the input light in order to excite a certain mode or a group of modes with unique optical properties. Diffractive...
Show moreAlthough optical fibers and specialty waveguides are the base of majority of today's telecom and light delivery applications, fabrication deformation, nonlinearity and attenuation limit the bandwidth of the data being transmitted or the amount of power carried by these systems. One-way to overcome these limitations without changing the fibers design or fabrication is to engineer the input light in order to excite a certain mode or a group of modes with unique optical properties. Diffractive and micro optics are highly effective for selectively coupling light to specific modes. Using micro optics, mode selective coupling can be achieved through several matching schemes: phase only, phase and amplitude, or phase, amplitude and polarization. The main scope of this work is the design and fabrication of novel optical elements that overcome the limitations of these light delivery systems, as well as the characterization and analysis of their performance both experimentally and using numerical simulation
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000171, ucf:46163
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000171
- Title
- ANALYSIS OF COMPLEXITY AND COUPLING METRICS OF SUBSYSTEMS IN LARGE SCALE SOFTWARE SYSTEMS.
- Creator
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Ramakrishnan, Harish, Eaglin, Ronald, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Dealing with the complexity of large-scale systems can be a challenge for even the most experienced software architects and developers. Large-scale software systems can contain millions of elements, which interact to achieve the system functionality. Managing and representing the complexity involved in the interaction of these elements is a difficult task. We propose an approach for analyzing the reusability, maintainability and complexity of such a complex large-scale software system....
Show moreDealing with the complexity of large-scale systems can be a challenge for even the most experienced software architects and developers. Large-scale software systems can contain millions of elements, which interact to achieve the system functionality. Managing and representing the complexity involved in the interaction of these elements is a difficult task. We propose an approach for analyzing the reusability, maintainability and complexity of such a complex large-scale software system. Reducing the dependencies between the subsystems increase the reusability and decrease the efforts needed to maintain the system thus reducing the complexity of the system. Coupling is an attribute that summarizes the degree of interdependence or connectivity among subsystems and within subsystems. When used in conjunction with measures of other attributes, coupling can contribute to an assessment or prediction of software quality. We developed a set of metrics for measuring the coupling at the subsystems level in a large-scale software system as a part of this work. These metrics do not take into account the complexity internal to a subsystem and considers a subsystem as a single entity. Such a dependency metric gives an opportunity to predict the cost and effort needed to maintain the system and also to predict the reusability of the system parts. It also predicts the complexity of the system. More the dependency, higher is the cost to maintain and reuse the software. Also the complexity and cost of the system will be high if the coupling is high. We built a large-scale system and implemented these research ideas and analyzed how these measures help in minimizing the complexity and system cost. We also proved that these coupling measures help in re-factoring of the system design.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001031, ucf:46818
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001031
- Title
- Computational Fluid Dynamics Investigation of A Novel Hybrid Comprehensive Stage II Operation For Single Ventricle Palliation.
- Creator
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Hameed, Marwan, Kassab, Alain, DeCampli, William, Chow, Louis, Mansy, Hansen, Divo, Eduardo, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Single ventricle (SV) anomalies account for one(&)#226;€"fourth of all cases of congenital heart disease. The existingthree hybrid staged surgical approach serving as a palliative treatment for this anomaly entails multiple complicationsand achieves a survival rate of only 50%. To reduce trauma associated with the second stage of the hybrid procedure,the hybrid comprehensive stage 2 (HCS2) operation was introduced in 2014 at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando as anovel palliation alternative...
Show moreSingle ventricle (SV) anomalies account for one(&)#226;€"fourth of all cases of congenital heart disease. The existingthree hybrid staged surgical approach serving as a palliative treatment for this anomaly entails multiple complicationsand achieves a survival rate of only 50%. To reduce trauma associated with the second stage of the hybrid procedure,the hybrid comprehensive stage 2 (HCS2) operation was introduced in 2014 at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando as anovel palliation alternative for a select subset of SV patients with adequate antegrade aortic flow. It avoids dissection ofthe pulmonary arteries by introducing a stented intrapulmonary baffle and avoids reconstruction of the aortic arch bymaintaining patency of the ductus arteriosus. This dissertation aims to provide better insight on the post-operativehemodynamics of HCS2 patients. A multi-scale Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of a synthetic,patient-derived HCS2 geometry based on unsteady laminar flow conditions and a non(&)#226;€"Newtonian blood model isutilized to quantify the resultant hemodynamics. The 3D CFD model is coupled to a 0D lumped parameter modelof the peripheral circulation that supplies the boundary conditions necessary to run the CFD analyses of the HCS2. Based on clinical parameters suggesting the baffle related narrowing to be at minimum 10mm and the pressuregradient not surpassing 20mmHg, hemodynamic analysis reveals that for even a 7.23mm narrowing the averagepressure drop across the baffle is 0.53mmHg. A peak pressure drop of 2.96mmHg was computed over the investigatedrange of clearances over the pulmonary baffle. Vortex shedding presents no concerns as the distance between the baffleand the aortic arch is much smaller compared to the length required for full vortices to form. Uneven contour distributionof the wall shear stress was observed due to the bend presented by the baffle that strongly affects the velocity profile inthe lumen across the pulmonary trunk and into the ductus arteriosus. Moreover, an oxygen transport model was derived,and the results showed consistency with the published data of Glenn patients. Particle residence time was also reported toidentify any blood recirculation or flow stagnation that may lead to platelet activation leading to clot formation rate.The study provides a range of main pulmonary artery geometries that, following multi-scale CFD analysis, present noconcerns regarding excessive pressure gradients or vortex formation. Moreover, the model identifies locations ofpotentially problematic hemodynamics that could be mitigated by shape optimization of the reconstruction.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007813, ucf:52340
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007813
- Title
- Examining Relationships Among Income, Individual and Relationship Distress, and Outcomes in Marriage and Relationship Education for Low-to-Moderate Income Married Couples.
- Creator
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Carlson, Ryan, Daire, Andrew, Jones, Karyn, Young, Mark, Weger, Harry, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The current study utilized data from a federally-funded healthy marriage grant to examine pre, post, and three-to-six month follow-up changes in relationship satisfaction (as measured by the Dyadic Adjustment Scale total scores) and individual distress (as measured by the Outcomes Questionnaire 45.2). Additionally, the study evaluated income and dosage as predictors of relationship satisfaction and individual distress change at post-assessment and three-to-six month follow-up. Participants...
Show moreThe current study utilized data from a federally-funded healthy marriage grant to examine pre, post, and three-to-six month follow-up changes in relationship satisfaction (as measured by the Dyadic Adjustment Scale total scores) and individual distress (as measured by the Outcomes Questionnaire 45.2). Additionally, the study evaluated income and dosage as predictors of relationship satisfaction and individual distress change at post-assessment and three-to-six month follow-up. Participants included 220 married individuals with children who completed PREP 7.0 (Prevention Relationship Enhancement Program). A repeated measures, split plot, MANOVA indicated statistically significant improvements in relationship satisfaction and individual distress for participants at post-assessment and three-to-six month follow-up. No significant differences existed in relationship satisfaction and individual distress changes between men and women. Hierarchical multiple regression indicated combined monthly income and dosage (as measured by number of lessons attended) did not predict changes in relationship satisfaction and individual distress at post-assessment and three-to-six month follow-up. However, partner scores accounted for the largest percent of variance in relationship satisfaction change. Discussion of results, implications for research and practice, and study limitations are provided.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004205, ucf:49035
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004205
