Current Search: ratios (x)
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Title
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AN ANALYSIS OF FLORIDA PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATIONS' PERFORMANCE MEASURES FROM 2002-2004.
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Creator
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Sanders, Karen, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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The focus of this research was to examine the performance of Florida public community college foundations from 2002-2004 using performance ratios. The findings from this study may assist community college foundation leaders to better understand the performance of their own organizations, compare this performance to other similar organizations, establish relative performance standards, and influence the strategic initiatives to improve an existing foundation. This study was designed to...
Show moreThe focus of this research was to examine the performance of Florida public community college foundations from 2002-2004 using performance ratios. The findings from this study may assist community college foundation leaders to better understand the performance of their own organizations, compare this performance to other similar organizations, establish relative performance standards, and influence the strategic initiatives to improve an existing foundation. This study was designed to research the financial performance measurement ratios for the 28 public community college foundations in Florida. Ex post facto data that were publicly available were utilized to acquire the information needed for the statistical analyses; therefore, the population was comprised of all 28 Florida community college foundations. Data were collected from each institution's Form 990. A total of 27 ratios were calculated by year for 2002, 2003, and 2004 and were categorized into 6 areas: (a) measures of fiscal performance, (b) measures of fundraising efficiency, (c) measures of public support, (d) measures of adequacy of resources to support mission, (e) measures of use of resources to support mission, and (f) measures of investment performance and concentration. The study included benchmarking data in the form of descriptive statistics for these ratios and comprehensive analysis. In addition, three repeated measures analysis of variance models were computed to determine if the contributions and grants, fundraising expense, and program service expense ratios varied over time. There were no mean differences over time during the three-year period from 2002 to 2004.
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Date Issued
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2008
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Identifier
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CFE0002408, ucf:47751
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002408
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Title
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THE EFFECTS OF A RATIO-BASED TEACHING SEQUENCE ON PERFORMANCE IN FRACTION EQUIVALENCY FOR STUDENTS WITH MATHEMATICS DISABILITIES.
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Creator
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Hunt, Jessica, Dieker, Lisa, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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This study examined the effects of a ratio-based supplemental teaching sequence on third grade students' equivalent fraction performance as measured by a curriculum-based measure and a standardized test. Participants included students identified as being learning disabled in mathematics (MLD), struggling (SS), or typically achieving (TA). Nineteen students were assigned to the experimental group and 19 additional students formed the control group. The difference between the two groups was...
Show moreThis study examined the effects of a ratio-based supplemental teaching sequence on third grade students' equivalent fraction performance as measured by a curriculum-based measure and a standardized test. Participants included students identified as being learning disabled in mathematics (MLD), struggling (SS), or typically achieving (TA). Nineteen students were assigned to the experimental group and 19 additional students formed the control group. The difference between the two groups was that the experimental group received the ratio-based teaching sequence. Both groups continued to receive textbook based instruction in fraction equivalency concepts in their regular mathematics classroom. Qualitative interviews were employed to further investigate the thinking of each of the three types of students in the study. Analysis of the data indicated that students in the experimental group outperformed the control group on both the curriculum-based measure and the standardized measure of fraction equivalency All students who participated in ratio-based instruction had a higher performance in fraction equivalency than those who did not. Performance on the CBM and the standardized measure of fraction equivalency improved significantly from pre to post test for students who struggled; their performance also transferred to standardized measures. Qualitative analysis revealed that a focal student with MLD, while improving his ability to think multiplicatively, had misconceptions about fractions as ratios that persisted even after the intervention was completed. Implications for instruction, teacher preparation, and future research are provided.
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Date Issued
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2011
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Identifier
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CFE0004003, ucf:49170
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004003
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Title
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Sex ratios of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in three developmental habitats along the east coast of Florida.
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Creator
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Sanchez, Cheryl, Weishampel, John, Ehrhart, Llewellyn, VonHolle, Mary, Wibbels, Thane, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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The concept of temperature dependent sex determination (TSD) has been somewhat of anevolutionary enigma for many decades and has had increased attention with the growingpredictions of a changing climate, particularly in species that are already threatened or endangered. TSD taxa of concern include marine turtles, which go through various life stages covering a range of regions. This, in turn, creates difficulties in addressing basic demographic questions. Secondary sex ratios (from life...
Show moreThe concept of temperature dependent sex determination (TSD) has been somewhat of anevolutionary enigma for many decades and has had increased attention with the growingpredictions of a changing climate, particularly in species that are already threatened or endangered. TSD taxa of concern include marine turtles, which go through various life stages covering a range of regions. This, in turn, creates difficulties in addressing basic demographic questions. Secondary sex ratios (from life stages post-hatchling) were investigated by capturing juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas), 22.6-60.9 cm in straight carapace length (SCL), from three developmental areas along the east coast of Florida (a region known to have important juvenile aggregations) by analyzing circulating testosterone levels. All three aggregations exhibited significant female biases with an overall ratio of 3.2:1 (female: male). The probability of a turtle being female increased as the size of the individual decreased. Ratios obtained in this study were slightly less female-biased, but not significantly different, than those observed in the late 1990s. However, they were significantly more biased than those found in a late 1980s pilot study. The shift to significantly female-biased ratios may be beneficial to a recovering population, an evolutionary adaptation, and is common among juvenile aggregations. A more skewed female bias in smaller size classes may be indicative of recent, warmer periods during incubation on the nesting beaches. This female bias could become more exaggerated if temperatures meet future climate warming predictions.
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Date Issued
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2013
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Identifier
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CFE0004747, ucf:49771
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004747
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Title
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HIGH BIREFRINGENCE AND LOW VISCOSITY LIQUID CRYSTALS.
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Creator
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Wen, Chien-Hui, Wu, Shin-Tson, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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In this dissertation, liquid crystal (LC) materials and devices are investigated in order to meet the challenges for photonics and displays applications. We have studied three kinds of liquid crystal materials: positive dielectric anisotropic LCs, negative dielectric anisotropic LCs, and dual- frequency LCs. For the positive dielectric anisotropic LCs, we have developed some high birefringence isothiocyanato tolane LC compounds with birefringence ~0.4, and super high birefringence...
Show moreIn this dissertation, liquid crystal (LC) materials and devices are investigated in order to meet the challenges for photonics and displays applications. We have studied three kinds of liquid crystal materials: positive dielectric anisotropic LCs, negative dielectric anisotropic LCs, and dual- frequency LCs. For the positive dielectric anisotropic LCs, we have developed some high birefringence isothiocyanato tolane LC compounds with birefringence ~0.4, and super high birefringence isothiocyanato biphenyl-bistolane LC compounds with birefringence as high as ~0.7. Moreover, we have studied the photostability of several high birefringence LC compounds, mixtures, and LC alignment layers in order to determine the failure mechanism concerning the lifetime of LC devices. Although cyano and isothiocyanato LC compounds have similar absorption peaks, the isothiocyanato compounds are more stable than their cyano counterparts under the same illumination conditions. This ultraviolet-durable performance of isothiocyanato compounds originates from its molecular structure and the delocalized electron distribution. We have investigated the alignment performance of negative dielectric anisotropic LCs in homeotropic (vertical aligned, VA) LC cell. Some (2,3) laterally difluorinated biphenyls, terphenyls and tolanes are selected for this study. Due to the strong repulsive force between LCs and alignment layer, (2,3) laterally difluorinated terphenyls and tolanes do not align well in a VA cell resulting in a poor contrast ratio for the LC panel. We have developed a novel method to suppress the light leakage at dark state. By doping positive ´Õ or non-polar LC compounds/mixtures into the host negative LC mixtures, the repulsive force is reduced and the cell exhibits an excellent dark state. In addition, these dopants increase the birefringence and reduce the viscosity of the host LCs which leads to a faster response time. Dual-frequency liquid crystal exhibits a unique feature that its dielectric anisotropy changes from positive to negative when we increase the operating frequency. Submillisecond response time can be achieved by switching the frequency of a biased voltage, rather than switching the voltage at a given frequency. In this dissertation, we investigate the dielectric heating effect of dual-frequency LCs. Because the absorption peak of imaginary dielectric constant occurs at high frequency region (~ MHz), there is a heat generated when the LC cell is operated at a high frequency voltage. To measure the transient temperature change of the LC inside the cell, we have developed a non-contact method by utilizing the temperature-dependent birefringence property of the LC. Most importantly, we have formulated a new dual-frequency LC mixture which greatly reduces the dielectric heating effect while maintaining good physical properties. Another achievement in this thesis is that we have developed a polarization independent phase modulator by using a negative dielectric anisotropic LC gel. With ~20 % of polymer mixed in the LC host, the LC forms polymer network which, in turn, exerts a strong anchoring force to the neighboring LC molecules. As a result, the operating voltage increases but the response time is significantly decreased. On the phase shift point of view, our homeotropic LC gel has ~0.08 ànphase shift, which is 2X larger than the previous nano-sized polymer-dispersed liquid crystal droplets. Moreover, it is free from light scattering and requires a lower operating voltage. In conclusion, this dissertation provides solutions to improve the performance of LC devices both in photonics and displays applications. These will have great impacts in defense and display systems such as optical phased array, LCD TVs, projectors, and LCD monitors.
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Date Issued
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2006
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Identifier
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CFE0000970, ucf:46698
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000970
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Title
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WILL LEASING LOSE ITS LUSTER: AN ANALYSIS OF LEASE REPORTING UNDER FAS 13.
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Creator
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Gates, Casey, Pamela Roush, Dr., University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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When standards for financial reporting are amended, potential for change in the appearance of financial position for companies reporting under those standards arises. Currently standards set forth by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) allow for two methods of reporting lease obligations on the financial statements. The first of these methods is the operating method, which allows lease payments to be expensed within the period they are incurred and only a decrease in cash or an...
Show moreWhen standards for financial reporting are amended, potential for change in the appearance of financial position for companies reporting under those standards arises. Currently standards set forth by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) allow for two methods of reporting lease obligations on the financial statements. The first of these methods is the operating method, which allows lease payments to be expensed within the period they are incurred and only a decrease in cash or an increase in an account payable is recognized on the balance sheet. The second method is the capital method, which requires the present value of the future lease payments to be recognized on the balance sheet as an asset and a corresponding liability. Both are reduced annually through depreciation and lease payments respectively. The FASB has recently proposed discontinuing the operating method of reporting a lease obligation and allowing only for the capital method to be used. The objective of this study is to examine some of the changes in appearance of financial position that might be brought on by this potential change in reporting standards. The airline industry has been selected to illustrate the effects of capitalizing future operating lease payments on the balance sheet. These future payments under operating leases for companies within the industry are capitalized using two different methods of depreciation. The companies are then ranked in order of proximity to an industry average for eight well known financial ratios. The rankings for each treatment on a given ratio are compared and differences between the expensed ranking and each capitalized ranking are measured and discussed.
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Date Issued
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2013
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Identifier
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CFH0004366, ucf:45011
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004366
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Title
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Color-Ratio Based Strawberry Plant Localization and Nutrition Deficiency Detection.
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Creator
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Kong, Xiangling, Xu, Yunjun, Elgohary, Tarek, Fu, Qiushi, Wu, Dazhong, Wang, Liqiang, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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In recent years, precision agriculture has become popular anticipating to partially meet the needs of an ever-growing population with limited resources. Plant localization and nutrient de?ciency detection are two important tasks in precision agriculture. In this dissertation, these two tasks are studied by using a new color-ratio(C-R) index technique. Firstly, a low cost and light scene invariant approach is proposed to detect green and yellow leaves based on the color-ratio (C-R) indices. A...
Show moreIn recent years, precision agriculture has become popular anticipating to partially meet the needs of an ever-growing population with limited resources. Plant localization and nutrient de?ciency detection are two important tasks in precision agriculture. In this dissertation, these two tasks are studied by using a new color-ratio(C-R) index technique. Firstly, a low cost and light scene invariant approach is proposed to detect green and yellow leaves based on the color-ratio (C-R) indices. A plant localization approach is then developed using the relative pixel relationships of adjacent plants. Secondly, the Sobel operator and morphology techniques are applied to segment the target strawberry leaf from a ?eld image. The characterized color for a speci?c nutrient de?ciency is detected by the C-R indices. The pattern of the detected color on the leaf is then examined to determine the speci?c nutrient de?ciency. The proposed approaches are validated in a commercial strawberry farm.
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Date Issued
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2019
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Identifier
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CFE0007666, ucf:52482
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007666
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Title
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Simultaneous Imaging of the Diatomic Carbon and Methylidyne Species Radicals for the Quantification of the Fuel to Air Ratio from Low to High Pressure Combustion.
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Creator
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Reyes, Jonathan, Ahmed, Kareem, Kassab, Alain, Kapat, Jayanta, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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The radical intensity ratio of the diatomic carbon to methylidyne was characterized at initialpressures up to 10 bar using certified gasoline of 93% octane. This gasoline was selected due toits availability as a common fuel. The characterization of the radical intensity ratio of gasoline atelevated pressures enabled the creation of a calibration map of the equivalence ratio at enginerelevant conditions.The proposed calibration map acts as a feedback loop for a combustor. It allows for...
Show moreThe radical intensity ratio of the diatomic carbon to methylidyne was characterized at initialpressures up to 10 bar using certified gasoline of 93% octane. This gasoline was selected due toits availability as a common fuel. The characterization of the radical intensity ratio of gasoline atelevated pressures enabled the creation of a calibration map of the equivalence ratio at enginerelevant conditions.The proposed calibration map acts as a feedback loop for a combustor. It allows for thelocation of local rich and lean zones. The local information acquired can be used as an optimizationparameter for injection and ignition timings, and future combustor designs. The calibration map isapplicable at low and high engine loads to characterize a combustors behavior at all points in itsoperation map.Very little emphasis has been placed on the radical intensity ratio of unsteady flames,flames at high pressure, and liquid fuels. The current work performed the measurement on anunsteady flame ignited at different initial pressures employing a constant volume combustionchamber and liquid gasoline as the fuel source. The chamber can sustain a pressure rise of 200 barand allows for homogenous fuel to air mixtures.The results produced a viable calibration map from 1 to 10 bar. The intensity ratio at initialpressures above 5 bar behaved adversely in comparison to the lower pressure tests. The acquiredratios at the higher initial pressures are viable as individual calibration curves, but created anunexpected calibration map. The data shows promise in creating a calibration map that is usefulfor practical combustors.
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Date Issued
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2017
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Identifier
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CFE0006910, ucf:51692
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006910
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Title
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High dynamic range display systems.
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Creator
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Zhu, Ruidong, Wu, Shintson, Moharam, Jim, Likamwa, Patrick, Fang, Jiyu, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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High contrast ratio (CR) enables a display system to faithfully reproduce the real objects. However, achieving high contrast, especially high ambient contrast (ACR), is a challenging task. In this dissertation, two display systems with high CR are discussed: high ACR augmented reality (AR) display and high dynamic range (HDR) display. For an AR display, we improved its ACR by incorporating a tunable transmittance liquid crystal (LC) film. The film has high tunable transmittance range, fast...
Show moreHigh contrast ratio (CR) enables a display system to faithfully reproduce the real objects. However, achieving high contrast, especially high ambient contrast (ACR), is a challenging task. In this dissertation, two display systems with high CR are discussed: high ACR augmented reality (AR) display and high dynamic range (HDR) display. For an AR display, we improved its ACR by incorporating a tunable transmittance liquid crystal (LC) film. The film has high tunable transmittance range, fast response time, and is fail-safe. To reduce the weight and size of a display system, we proposed a functional reflective polarizer, which can also help people with color vision deficiency. As for the HDR display, we improved all three aspects of the hardware requirements: contrast ratio, color gamut and bit-depth. By stacking two liquid crystal display (LCD) panels together, we have achieved CR over one million to one, 14-bit depth with 5V operation voltage, and pixel-by-pixel local dimming. To widen color gamut, both photoluminescent and electroluminescent quantum dots (QDs) have been investigated. Our analysis shows that with QD approach, it is possible to achieve over 90% of the Rec. 2020 color gamut for a HDR display. Another goal of an HDR display is to achieve the 12-bit perceptual quantizer (PQ) curve covering from 0 to 10,000 nits. Our experimental results indicate that this is difficult with a single LCD panel because of the sluggish response time. To overcome this challenge, we proposed a method to drive the light emitting diode (LED) backlight and the LCD panel simultaneously. Besides relatively fast response time, this approach can also mitigate the imaging noise. Finally yet importantly, we improved the display pipeline by using a HDR gamut mapping approach to display HDR contents adaptively based on display specifications. A psychophysical experiment was conducted to determine the display requirements.
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Date Issued
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2017
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Identifier
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CFE0006930, ucf:51668
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006930
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Title
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Development and Implementation of a Streamlined Process for the Creation and Mechanization of Negative Poisson's Ratio Meso-Scale Patterns.
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Creator
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Shuler, Matthew, Gordon, Ali, Kauffman, Jeffrey L., Ghosh, Ranajay, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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This thesis focuses on the development a streamlined process used to create novel meso-scale pattern used to induce negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) behavior at the bulk scale. This process includes, the development, optimization, and implementation of a candidate pattern. Currently, the majority of NPR structures are too porous to be utilized in conventional applications. For others, manufacturing methods have yet to realize the meso-scale pattern. Consequently, new NPR meta-materials must be...
Show moreThis thesis focuses on the development a streamlined process used to create novel meso-scale pattern used to induce negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) behavior at the bulk scale. This process includes, the development, optimization, and implementation of a candidate pattern. Currently, the majority of NPR structures are too porous to be utilized in conventional applications. For others, manufacturing methods have yet to realize the meso-scale pattern. Consequently, new NPR meta-materials must be developed in order to confer transformative thermomechanical responses to structures where transverse expansion is more desirable than contraction. For example, materials at high temperature. Additionally, patterns that take into account manufacturing limitations, while maintaining the properties characteristically attached to negative Poisson's Ratio materials, are ideal in order to utilize the potential of NPR structures. A novel NPR pattern is developed, numerically analyzed, and optimized via design of experiments. The parameters of the meso-structure are varied, and the bulk response is studied using finite element analysis (FEA). The candidate material for the study is Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF). This material is relevant to a variety of applications where multiaxial stresses, particularly compressive, lead to mechanical fatigue. Samples are fabricated through a laser cutting process, and a comparison is drawn through the use of experimental means, including traditional tensile loading tests and digital image correlation (DIC). Various attributes of the elasto-plasticity responses of the bulk structure are used as objectives to guide the optimization process.
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Date Issued
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2017
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Identifier
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CFE0006795, ucf:51830
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006795
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Title
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High Performance Three-Dimensional Display Based on Polymer-Stabilized Blue Phase Liquid Crystal.
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Creator
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Liu, Yifan, Wu, Shintson, Kik, Pieter, Likamwa, Patrick, Zhai, Lei, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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Autostereoscopic 2D/3D (two-dimension/three-dimension) switchable display has been attracting great interest in research and practical applications for several years. Among different autostereoscopic solutions, direction-multiplexed 3D displays based on microlens array or parallax barrier are viewed as the most promising candidates, due to their compatibility with conventional 2D display technologies. These 2D/3D switchable display system designs rely on fast switching display panels and...
Show moreAutostereoscopic 2D/3D (two-dimension/three-dimension) switchable display has been attracting great interest in research and practical applications for several years. Among different autostereoscopic solutions, direction-multiplexed 3D displays based on microlens array or parallax barrier are viewed as the most promising candidates, due to their compatibility with conventional 2D display technologies. These 2D/3D switchable display system designs rely on fast switching display panels and photonics devices, including adaptive focus microlens array and switchable slit array. Polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystal (PS-BPLC) material provides a possible solution to meet the aforementioned fast response time requirement. However, present display and photonic devices based on blue phase liquid crystals suffer from several drawbacks, such as low contrast ratio, relatively large hysteresis and short lifetime. In this dissertation, we investigate the material properties of PS-BPLC so as to improve the performance of PS-BPLC devices. Then we propose several PS-BPLC devices for the autostereoscopic 2D/3D switchable display system designs. In the first part we evaluate the optical rotatory power (ORP) of blue phase liquid crystal, which is proven to be the primary reason for causing the low contrast ratio of PS-BPLC display systems. Those material parameters affecting the ORP of PS-BPLC are investigated and an empirical equation is proposed to calculate the polarization rotation angle in a PS-BPLC cell. Then several optical compensation methods are proposed to compensate the impact of ORP and to improve the contrast ratio of a display system. The pros and cons of each solution are discussed accordingly. In the second part, we propose two adaptive focus microlens array structures and a high efficiency switchable slit array based on the PS-BPLC materials. By optimizing the design parameters, these devices can be applied to the 2D/3D switchable display systems. In the last section, we focus on another factor that affects the performance and lifetime of PS-BPLC devices and systems: the UV exposure condition. The impact of UV exposure wavelength, dosage, uniformity, and photo-initiator are investigated. We demonstrate that by optimizing the UV exposure condition, we can reduce the hysteresis of PS-BPLC and improve its long term stability.
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Date Issued
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2014
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Identifier
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CFE0005370, ucf:50466
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005370
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Title
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ESTABLISHING DEGRADATION RATES AND SERVICE LIFETIME OF PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS.
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Creator
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Leyte-Vidal, Albert, Hickman, James, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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As fossil fuel sources continue to diminish, oil prices continue to increase, and global warming and CO2 emissions keep impacting the environment, it has been necessary to shift energy consumption and generation to a different path. Solar energy has proven to be one of the most promising sources of renewable energy because it is environmentally friendly, available anywhere in the world, and cost competitive. For photovoltaic (PV) system engineers, designing a PV system is not an easy task....
Show moreAs fossil fuel sources continue to diminish, oil prices continue to increase, and global warming and CO2 emissions keep impacting the environment, it has been necessary to shift energy consumption and generation to a different path. Solar energy has proven to be one of the most promising sources of renewable energy because it is environmentally friendly, available anywhere in the world, and cost competitive. For photovoltaic (PV) system engineers, designing a PV system is not an easy task. Research demonstrates that different PV technologies behave differently under certain conditions; therefore energy production varies not only with capacity of the system but also with the type of module. For years, researchers have also studied how these different technologies perform for long periods of time, when exposed out in the field. In this study, data collected by the Florida Solar Energy Center for periods of over four years was analyzed using two techniques, widely accepted by researchers and industry, to evaluate the long‐term performance of five systems. The performance ratio analysis normalizes system capacity and enables the comparison of performance between multiple systems. In PVUSA Regression analysis, regression coefficients are calculated which correspond to the effect of irradiance, wind speed, and ambient temperature, and these coefficients are then used to calculate power at a predetermined set of conditions. This study allows manufacturers to address the difficulties found on system lifetime when their modules are installed out on the field. Also allows for the further development and improvement of the different PV technologies already commercially available.
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Date Issued
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2010
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Identifier
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CFE0003326, ucf:48483
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003326
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Title
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A GLOBAL STRATEGIC FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF THE LUXURY RETAIL INDUSTRY.
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Creator
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LaVan, Lauren, Curcio, Richard, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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A global strategic financial analysis of the luxury retail industry was conducted. The research entailed comprehensive analyses and forecasts of the global economy, the luxury retail industry and four of the most prominent, multi-national luxury goods firms in the world. These companies included: Coach, Michael Kors, Tiffany & Co., and LVMH Moet Hennessy, whom market among the world's finest personal luxury goods from handbags, clothing and accessories to diamonds, jewelry, watches,...
Show moreA global strategic financial analysis of the luxury retail industry was conducted. The research entailed comprehensive analyses and forecasts of the global economy, the luxury retail industry and four of the most prominent, multi-national luxury goods firms in the world. These companies included: Coach, Michael Kors, Tiffany & Co., and LVMH Moet Hennessy, whom market among the world's finest personal luxury goods from handbags, clothing and accessories to diamonds, jewelry, watches, fragrances, cosmetics and wines. The macroeconomic analysis focused on factors pertinent to the luxury goods industry such as: (1) the lasting effects of the global financial crisis, our gradual emergence from the Great Recession and the impact these conditions have had on consumer spending and confidence; (2) the generational shift of consumers from the retiring baby boomers to the technologically savvy Generation Z and their unique demands for products as well as experiences; and (3) the growth and demand from emerging economies, especially China which is the globe's top luxury nationality accounting for 25% of all luxury purchases worldwide. Comprehensive financial ratio analyses, SWOT assessments, technical trends and forecasts of revenues, earnings and share prices for the four companies, resulted in recommendations to investors and advice to top management of the four firms. Luxury retail is a fascinating, recession resilient industry and it is expected to reach €1 trillion within the next 5 years. However, regardless of how successful firms in this industry have been in the past, to survive and continue to succeed, it is imperative that they remain flexible and adaptable in this ever-changing world.
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Date Issued
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2013
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Identifier
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CFH0004348, ucf:45005
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004348
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Title
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MODELING LOAN LOSSES: A MACROECONOMIC APPROACH.
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Creator
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Hughes, Jeremy, Smith, Stanley, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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A sound banking system is essential to a well-functioning economy. With the financial crisis beginning in 2007, a renewed interest in the safety of financial institutions has dominated both the political and financial landscape. Mounting loan losses in real estate lending led to the failing of over 460 banks from 2008 to 2012. This crisis is not unique; in fact, the Savings & Loan Crisis of the 1980's to early 1990's led to the closure of 700 savings institutions. Both instances created a...
Show moreA sound banking system is essential to a well-functioning economy. With the financial crisis beginning in 2007, a renewed interest in the safety of financial institutions has dominated both the political and financial landscape. Mounting loan losses in real estate lending led to the failing of over 460 banks from 2008 to 2012. This crisis is not unique; in fact, the Savings & Loan Crisis of the 1980's to early 1990's led to the closure of 700 savings institutions. Both instances created a panic in financial markets and heavy losses to deposit insurance funds. These losses are ultimately borne by taxpayers and prudently managed banks, especially if the insurance fund requires re-capitalization. The focus of this paper is on explaining the contributing factors to different categories of loan losses. Namely, total loan losses, residential real estate loan losses, commercial real estate loan losses, and commercial and industrial loan losses are examined. A multivariate regression approach is taken in this paper to explain the four rates of loan losses for the period of 2001 to 2012. Aggregate macroeconomic data from 2001 to 2012 is used to explain loan losses across categories. It was found that the delinquency rate of loans, the consumer financial obligations ratio, and the financial crisis were all significant factors in explaining loan losses.
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Date Issued
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2013
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Identifier
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CFH0004370, ucf:45001
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004370
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Title
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AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES.
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Creator
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Heyne, Chad, Ni, Liqiang, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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Over the past several decades there has been extensive research done in an attempt to determine what demographic characteristics affect economic growth, measured in GDP per capita. Understanding what influences the growth of a country will vastly help policy makers enact policies to lead the country in a positive direction. This research focuses on isolating a new variable, women in the work force. As well as isolating a new variable, this research will modify a preexisting variable that was...
Show moreOver the past several decades there has been extensive research done in an attempt to determine what demographic characteristics affect economic growth, measured in GDP per capita. Understanding what influences the growth of a country will vastly help policy makers enact policies to lead the country in a positive direction. This research focuses on isolating a new variable, women in the work force. As well as isolating a new variable, this research will modify a preexisting variable that was shown to be significant in order to make the variable more robust and sensitive to recessions. The intent of this thesis is to explore the relationship between several demographic characteristics and their effect on the growth rate of GDP per capita. The first step is to reproduce the work done by Barlow (1994) to ensure that the United States follows similar rules as the countries in his research. Afterwards, we will introduce new variables into the model, comparing the goodness of fit through the methods of R-squared, AIC and BIC. There have been several models developed to answer each of the research questions independently.
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Date Issued
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2011
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Identifier
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CFH0003837, ucf:44712
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0003837
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Title
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The Effect of Registered Nurse Supply on Population Health Outcomes: A Distributed Lag Model Approach.
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Creator
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Sampson, Carla Jackie, Unruh, Lynn, Malvey, Donna, Liu, Albert Xinliang, Neff, Donna, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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Registered nurses (RNs) are essential to providing care in the healthcare system. To date, research on the relationship between healthcare provider supply and population health has focused on physician supply. This study explored the effect of RN supply on population health outcomes in the U.S. This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study of U.S. counties and county equivalents using national data. Seven population health outcomes (total and disease specific mortalities and low infant birth...
Show moreRegistered nurses (RNs) are essential to providing care in the healthcare system. To date, research on the relationship between healthcare provider supply and population health has focused on physician supply. This study explored the effect of RN supply on population health outcomes in the U.S. This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study of U.S. counties and county equivalents using national data. Seven population health outcomes (total and disease specific mortalities and low infant birth weight rate) were the response variables. The predictor variable, RN supply, and some control variables were anticipated to have an asynchronous effect on the seven outcome variables in the hypothesized relationship. Therefore, these variables were examined using three different models: contemporaneous; a three-year lagged; and a distributed lag (both contemporaneous and lagged variables). Quadratic terms for RN and physician supply variables were included. Because the Area Health Resource File (AHRF) outcome variables were skewed toward zero and left censored, Tobit regression analyses were used. Data were obtained from 19 states using historical RN Supply data for 1,472 counties, representing 47% of the total target population of 3,108 U.S. counties and county equivalents. Regions with rural populations(-)the Midwest and Southeast(-)were overrepresented. Higher RN supply is positively related to higher mortality rates from ischemic heart disease, other cardiovascular disease, and chronic lower respiratory disease in the distributed lag models. Higher RN supply is not significantly related to rates of low infant birth weight, infant mortality, or mortality from cerebrovascular disease in any model. Higher RN supply is positively related to total deaths in the contemporaneous and lagged model. The results suggest a counter-intuitive, but non-linear relationship between RN supply and health outcomes. More research is needed to understand these relationships and policies must be devised to reduce the current and growing future RN shortage.
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Date Issued
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2018
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Identifier
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CFE0007091, ucf:51933
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007091
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Title
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MEASUREMENTS IN AIR-WATER BUBBLY FLOW THROUGH A VERTICAL NARROW HIGH-ASPECT RATIO CHANNEL.
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Creator
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Patrick, Benjamin, Kumar, Ranganathan, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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Two-Phase bubbly flows are encountered in a wide range of industrial applications, particularly where phase changes occur as seen in high performance heat exchangers and boiling reactors for power generation. These flows have been extensively studied in channels with circular geometries using air-water flows, though little data exists for flows through narrow rectangular channels. Measurements in thin geometries are particularly challenging since large bubbles bridge the gap, and it is...
Show moreTwo-Phase bubbly flows are encountered in a wide range of industrial applications, particularly where phase changes occur as seen in high performance heat exchangers and boiling reactors for power generation. These flows have been extensively studied in channels with circular geometries using air-water flows, though little data exists for flows through narrow rectangular channels. Measurements in thin geometries are particularly challenging since large bubbles bridge the gap, and it is difficult to compare point measurements with photographic techniques. The objective of this study is to explore the abilities of hot-film anemometry and high speed photography for taking measurements in a narrow vertical rectangular channel for a range of volume fractions, with particular attention on the narrow dimension. Hot-film anemometry (HFA) is a measurement technique originally developed for the measurement of fluid velocities, but has since been found to have applications for broader measurements in multiphase flow. With the sensor operating on the principle of heat loss, the method takes advantage of the differing abilities of the phases to transport heat, with each phase leaving its own signature in the signal response. The linchpin of this method lies in the ability to accurately distinguish between the two phases within the signal, and to execute this operation, various algorithms and techniques have been developed and used with some success for a wide range of flow conditions. This thesis is a study of the various methods of analysis such as amplitude threshold for triggering, and small slope threshold for finely tuning the edges of the bubble interactions, and demonstrates the capabilities of the hot-film sensor in a narrow rectangular vertical duct with a high aspect ratio. A vertical acrylic test section was fabricated for the purposes of this study, inset with a rectangular channel 38.1mm in width and 3.125mm in depth. Experiments were conducted for volume fractions ranging from 2% to 35%, which remained within the limits of the bubbly flow regime, but ranged from small uniform bubbles to larger bubbles coalescing into a transition regime. The hot-film signal was analyzed for void fraction, bubble speed, and bubble size. An in- depth study of the various methods of phase discrimination was performed and the effect of threshold selection was examined. High-speed video footage was taken in conjunction with the anemometer data for a detailed comparison between methods. The bubble speed was found to be in close agreement between the HFA and high-speed video, staying within 10% for volume fractions above 10%, but still remaining under a 30% difference for even as low as the 2% volume fraction, where measurements have been found to be historically difficult. The trends with volume fraction between the HFA and high-speed results were very similar. A correlation for narrow rectangular channels employing a simple drift flux model was found to compare with the void fraction data where appropriate. Good agreement was found between the methods using a hybrid phase discrimination technique for the HFA data for the void fraction and bubble speed results, with the high-speed video results showing a slight over-estimation in regards to the bubble size.
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Date Issued
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2011
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Identifier
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CFE0004006, ucf:49185
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004006
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Title
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FILM COOLING WITH WAKE PASSING APPLIED TO AN ANNULAR ENDWALL.
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Creator
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Tran, Nghia, Kapat, Jayanta, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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Advancement in turbine technology has far reaching effects on today's society and environment. With more than 90% of electricity and 100% of commercial air transport being produced by the usage of gas turbine, any advancement in turbine technology can have an impact on fuel used, pollutants and carbon dioxide emitted to the environment. Within the turbine engine, fully understanding film cooling is critical to reliability of a turbine engine. Film cooling is an efficient way to protect...
Show moreAdvancement in turbine technology has far reaching effects on today's society and environment. With more than 90% of electricity and 100% of commercial air transport being produced by the usage of gas turbine, any advancement in turbine technology can have an impact on fuel used, pollutants and carbon dioxide emitted to the environment. Within the turbine engine, fully understanding film cooling is critical to reliability of a turbine engine. Film cooling is an efficient way to protect the engine surface from the extremely hot incoming gas, which is at a temperature much higher than allowable temperature of even the most advanced super alloy used in turbine. Film cooling performance is affected by many factors: geometrical factors and as well as flow conditions. In most of the film cooling literature, film effectiveness has been used as criterion to judge and/or compare between film cooling designs. Film uniformity is also a critical factor, since it determines how well the coolant spread out downstream to protect the hot-gas-path surface of a gas turbine engine. Even after consideration of all geometrical factors and flow conditions, the film effectiveness is still affected by the stator-rotor interaction, in particular by the moving wakes produced by upstream airfoils. A complete analysis of end wall film cooling inside turbine is required to fully understand the phenomena. This full analysis is almost impossible in the academic arena. Therefore, a simplified but critical experimental rig and computational fluid model were designed to capture the effect of wake on film cooling inside an annular test section. The moving wakes are created by rotating a wheel with 12 spokes or rods with a variable speed motor. Thus changing the motor speed will alter the wake passing frequency. This design is an advancement over most previous studies in rectangular duct, which cannot simulate wakes in an annular passage as in an engine. This rig also includes film injection that allows study of impact of moving wakes on film cooling. This wake is a simplified representation of the trailing edge created by an upstream airfoil. An annulus with 30ð pitch test section is considered in this study. This experimental rig is based on an existing flat plate film cooling (BFC) rig that has been validated in the past. Measurement of velocity profiles within the moving wake downstream from the wake generator is used to validate the CFD rotating wake model. The open literature on film cooling and past experiments performed in the laboratory validated the CFD film cooling model. With these validations completed, the full CFD model predicts the wake and film cooling interaction. Nine CFD cases were considered by varying the film cooling blowing ratio and the wake Strouhal number. The results indicated that wakes highly enhance film cooling effectiveness near film cooling holes and degrades the film blanket downstream of the film injection, at the moment of wake passing. However, the time-averaged film cooling effectiveness is more or less the same with or without wake.
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Date Issued
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2010
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Identifier
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CFE0003483, ucf:48956
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003483
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Title
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Beauty and the Beast: The Attractiveness Bias in an Online Peer Mentoring Program.
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Creator
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Garcia, Carollaine, Jentsch, Kimberly, Jentsch, Florian, Fritzsche, Barbara, Burke, Shawn, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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The bias against attractiveness is fairly implicit and furthermore, powerfully impacts people's subsequent impressions of and behaviors toward others (Cash, Gillen, (&) Burns, 1977; Dion et al., 1972). Pallet, Link and Lee (2010) examined the effect of various facial spatial configurations on attractiveness and found that raters rated faces as most attractive when the eye-to-mouth ratio approximated 36% of the face length (the "golden ratio"), which coincides with the measurements of an...
Show moreThe bias against attractiveness is fairly implicit and furthermore, powerfully impacts people's subsequent impressions of and behaviors toward others (Cash, Gillen, (&) Burns, 1977; Dion et al., 1972). Pallet, Link and Lee (2010) examined the effect of various facial spatial configurations on attractiveness and found that raters rated faces as most attractive when the eye-to-mouth ratio approximated 36% of the face length (the "golden ratio"), which coincides with the measurements of an average and thus more attractive face. The present study examined the extent to which the distance of these objectively measured facial features affected mentors' perceptions of their prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;s, the subsequent mentoring given to them, and the prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;s' own behavior (e.g. seek feedback, request specific information).The gender composition of the mentor-prot(&)#233;g(&)#233; dyad was expected to moderate these relationships. I also examined whether, given the expected effects of facial measurements, withholding access to visual cues would affect mentor perceptions and behavior. Participants were 118 mentor/prot(&)#233;g(&)#233; dyads from a large Southeastern university who volunteered to participate in a formal online peer mentoring program. After seeing their prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;s' profiles (and for those in the experimental condition, a picture), mentors chatted with their prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;s once a week for 30 minutes for a total of 4 weeks. Results indicated that prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;s with facial features moderately distant from the golden ratio were perceived as more similar by mentors in same-gender dyads and received greater mentoring than did prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;s closest and farthest from the golden ratio. In opposite-gender dyads, however, mentors reported greater similarity toward those that were farthest from the golden ratio but provided the greatest mentoring to those closest to the golden ratio. The relationship between facial measurements and prot(&)#233;g(&)#233; proactivity was moderated by whether or not their mentor had access to their picture. While prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;s closest to the ratio were more proactive in the picture condition, those that were farthest from it were more proactive in the non-picture condition. Proactivity was as expected associated with greater levels of mentoring, which was ultimately related to a more fulfilled and beneficial relationship for prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;s (i.e. less stress, greater self-efficacy and satisfaction). The results of this study indicate that facial measurements are associated with both differences in mentor and in prot(&)#233;g(&)#233; behavior and that the specific nature of these relationships differs as a function of gender composition. Implications for practice and theory will be discussed.
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Date Issued
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2012
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Identifier
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CFE0004504, ucf:49275
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004504
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Title
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A Framework of Critical Success Factors for Business Organizations that Lead to Performance Excellence Based on a Financial and Quality Systems Assessment.
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Creator
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Francisco, Melissa, Elshennawy, Ahmad, Karwowski, Waldemar, Rabelo, Luis, Xanthopoulos, Petros, Weheba, Gamal, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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One of the most important tasks that business leaders undertake in order to achieve a superior market position is strategic planning. Beyond this obligation, business owners desire to maximize profit and maintain steady growth. In order to do this, resources must be invested in the most efficient way possible in order to achieve performance excellence. Adjusting business operations quickly, however, especially in times of economic uncertainty, is extremely difficult. Business leaders...
Show moreOne of the most important tasks that business leaders undertake in order to achieve a superior market position is strategic planning. Beyond this obligation, business owners desire to maximize profit and maintain steady growth. In order to do this, resources must be invested in the most efficient way possible in order to achieve performance excellence. Adjusting business operations quickly, however, especially in times of economic uncertainty, is extremely difficult. Business leaders therefore need insight into which elements of organizational improvement are most effective in order to strategically invest their resources to achieve superior performance in the most efficient way possible.This research examines the results of companies which have a demonstrated ability to achieve performance excellence as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. This research examined award-winning applications to determine common input factors, compared the business results of a subset of those award-winners with the overall market for a time-frame of 11 years, and then investigated the profitability, liquidity, debt management, asset management, and per share performance ratios of award-winners compared with their industry peers over 11 years as well.The main focus of this research is to determine whether participation in performance excellence best practices have created value for shareholders and business owners. This objective is achieved through the analysis of performance results of award winning companies. This research demonstrates that the integration of efforts associated with performance excellence is in-fact advantageous.
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Date Issued
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2014
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Identifier
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CFE0005331, ucf:50503
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005331
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Title
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Characterization of Anisotropic Mechanical Performance of As-Built Additively Manufactured Metals.
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Creator
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Siddiqui, Sanna, Gordon, Ali, Raghavan, Seetha, Bai, Yuanli, Sohn, Yongho, University of Central Florida
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Abstract / Description
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Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies use a 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) model to develop a component through a deposition and fusion layer process, allowing for rapid design and geometric flexibility of metal components, for use in the aerospace, energy and biomedical industries. Challenges exist with additive manufacturing that limits its replacement of conventional manufacturing techniques, most especially a comprehensive understanding of the anisotropic behavior of these materials...
Show moreAdditive manufacturing (AM) technologies use a 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) model to develop a component through a deposition and fusion layer process, allowing for rapid design and geometric flexibility of metal components, for use in the aerospace, energy and biomedical industries. Challenges exist with additive manufacturing that limits its replacement of conventional manufacturing techniques, most especially a comprehensive understanding of the anisotropic behavior of these materials and how it is reflected in observed tensile, torsional and fatigue mechanical responses. As such, there is a need to understand how the build orientation of as-built additively manufactured metals, affects mechanical performance (e.g. monotonic and cyclic behavior, cyclically hardening/softening behavior, plasticity effects on fatigue life etc.); and to use constitutive modeling to both support experimental findings, and provide approximations of expected behavior (e.g. failure surfaces, monotonic and cyclic response, correlations between tensile and fatigue properties), for orientations and experiments not tested, due to the expensive cost associated with AM. A comprehensive framework has been developed to characterize the anisotropic behavior of as-built additively manufactured metals (i.e. Stainless Steel GP1 (SS GP1), similar in chemical composition to Stainless Steel 17-4PH), through a series of mechanical testing, microscopic evaluation and constitutive modeling, which were used to identify a reduced specimen size for characterizing these materials. An analysis of the torsional response of additively manufactured Inconel 718 has been performed to assess the impact of build orientation and as-built conditions on the shearing behavior of this material. Experimental results from DMLS SS GP1 and AM Inconel 718 from literature were used to constitutively model the material responses of these additively manufactured metals. Overall, this framework has been designed to serve as standard, from which build orientation selection can be used to meet specific desired industry requirements.
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Date Issued
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2018
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Identifier
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CFE0007097, ucf:52883
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Format
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Document (PDF)
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PURL
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http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007097