Search results

Title: Examining Positive Life Outcomes in the Face of Antisocial Traits.
Creator: Boccio, Cashen I. M., Beaver, Kevin M., Tripodi, Stephen J., Stewart, Eric Allen, Blomberg, Thomas G., Florida State University, College of Criminology and Criminal Justice,...
Show moreBoccio, Cashen I. M., Beaver, Kevin M., Tripodi, Stephen J., Stewart, Eric Allen, Blomberg, Thomas G., Florida State University, College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, College of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Show less
Abstract/Description: Previous research links antisocial traits with criminal involvement and contact with the criminal justice system. In line with these findings, an emerging body of research has begun to explore if antisocial traits and persistent criminal behavior are associated with life outcomes outside of crime. The limited research that has examined the associations between antisocial traits, persistent offending, and life outcomes outside of crime has revealed that both antisocial traits and persistent...
Show morePrevious research links antisocial traits with criminal involvement and contact with the criminal justice system. In line with these findings, an emerging body of research has begun to explore if antisocial traits and persistent criminal behavior are associated with life outcomes outside of crime. The limited research that has examined the associations between antisocial traits, persistent offending, and life outcomes outside of crime has revealed that both antisocial traits and persistent offending are associated with an array of negative life outcomes including unemployment, financial instability, health problems, and turbulent interpersonal relationships (Beaver et al., 2016; Farrington, 2006; Miller, Barnes, & Beaver, 2011; Moffitt, Caspi, Harrington, & Milne, 2002; Moffitt et al., 2011). Considerably less research, however, has examined potential protective factors that may moderate the associations between antisocial traits, persistent offending, and negative life outcomes. This dissertation will address these gaps in the literature by examining associations between antisocial traits (i.e., low self-control, psychopathic personality traits), life-course-persistent offending, and life outcomes outside of crime and contract with the criminal justice system. In addition, this dissertation will explore potential individual-level and environmental protective factors that may moderate the associations between antisocial traits, persistent offending, and life outcomes outside of crime. The results reveal that antisocial traits and persistent offending are associated with life outcomes outside of crime. Additionally, the findings indicate that the relationships between antisocial traits, persistent offending, and life outcomes are moderated by several protective factors. The implications of these findings are discussed in reference to theory, policy implications, and future research.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Boccio_fsu_0071E_14624
Format: Thesis

Title: Muscle Damage, Inflammation, and Gastrointestinal Health in the Ultraman Triathlon.
Creator: Smith, Kyle Andrew, Ormsbee, Michael J., Panton, Lynn B., Van Durme, Daniel J., Florida State University, College of Human Sciences, Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise...
Show moreSmith, Kyle Andrew, Ormsbee, Michael J., Panton, Lynn B., Van Durme, Daniel J., Florida State University, College of Human Sciences, Department of Nutrition, Food, and Exercise Science
Show less
Abstract/Description: PURPOSE: To examine the influence of the Ultraman triathlon (3 days of non-continuous racing; stage 1: 10 km swim and 144.8 km cycle; stage 2: 275.4 km cycle; stage 3: 84.4 km run) on circulating plasma concentrations of whole-body (CRP, IL-6, and IL-10) and gut-specific inflammatory markers (IL-17 and IL-23) in trained participants, and determine whether these variables influence performance. METHODS: Fourteen triathletes (age: 39 ± 8 yrs; 12 men, 2 women) were evaluated pre-race and post...
Show morePURPOSE: To examine the influence of the Ultraman triathlon (3 days of non-continuous racing; stage 1: 10 km swim and 144.8 km cycle; stage 2: 275.4 km cycle; stage 3: 84.4 km run) on circulating plasma concentrations of whole-body (CRP, IL-6, and IL-10) and gut-specific inflammatory markers (IL-17 and IL-23) in trained participants, and determine whether these variables influence performance. METHODS: Fourteen triathletes (age: 39 ± 8 yrs; 12 men, 2 women) were evaluated pre-race and post-race for circulating concentrations of CRP, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, and IL-23. Blood samples were drawn two days prior to stage 1 (1600 h) and one day after stage 3 (1200 h). Plasma biomarker concentrations were determined by ELISA according to manufacturer’s instructions. Data were analyzed with SPSS and significance was accepted at p < 0.05. Values are reported as means ± SD. RESULTS: Plasma CRP significantly increased from pre-race (266.27 ± 276.18 ng/mL) to post-race (25,891.94 ± 12,888.65 ng/mL; p < 0.001). Plasma IL-10 increased from pre-race (3.46 ± 2.98 pg/mL) to post-race (5.15 ± 1.89 pg/mL). Pre-race concentrations of IL-6 were below detectable limits; post-race IL-6 concentrations were 4.00 ± 3.74 pg/mL. Both pre-race and post-race concentrations of IL-17 and IL-23 were below detectable limits. Pearson’s correlation between mean finish time and post-race CRP and post-race IL-10 was 0.35 and 0.54 (p < 0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The significant increase in CRP during the race may have been due to muscle damage. The greater anti-inflammatory capacity of the athletes likely led to increased clearance of IL-6, IL-17, and IL-23 the day after the race; the increase in IL-10 concentrations during the race reflect this anti-inflammatory response. A significant positive correlation between post-race IL-10 concentrations and mean finish time may indicate that a relationship between anti-inflammatory responses and performance exists.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Smith_fsu_0071N_14359
Format: Thesis

Title: The Museum as a Space for Therapeutic Art Experiences for Adolescents with High Functioning Autism (HFA).
Creator: Hartman, Ashley, Gussak, David, Hanessian, Holly, Villeneuve, Pat, Parker-Bell, Barbara Faye, Love, Ann Rowson, Florida State University, College of Fine Arts, Department of Art...
Show moreHartman, Ashley, Gussak, David, Hanessian, Holly, Villeneuve, Pat, Parker-Bell, Barbara Faye, Love, Ann Rowson, Florida State University, College of Fine Arts, Department of Art Education
Show less
Abstract/Description: Museum education and art therapy collaborations have emerged to work together to achieve simultaneous education and therapeutic goals for adolescent populations (Peacock, 2012). There is a need for research in the area of improving the services and quality of lives of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This study explored the responses of adolescents with high functioning autism (HFA) as they engaged in therapeutic art experiences in the museum setting. Four adolescents ages 13...
Show moreMuseum education and art therapy collaborations have emerged to work together to achieve simultaneous education and therapeutic goals for adolescent populations (Peacock, 2012). There is a need for research in the area of improving the services and quality of lives of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This study explored the responses of adolescents with high functioning autism (HFA) as they engaged in therapeutic art experiences in the museum setting. Four adolescents ages 13-17 participated in two hour-long sessions twice weekly over the course of ten weeks. They created thematic exhibitions with artist statements that were displayed in a university-based art museum in an exhibition titled My Own Expression. A thematic analysis identified four themes that emerged to describe the therapeutic benefits of utilizing the museum as a space for art therapy sessions with this population. Participant responses indicated four areas of development that occurred across the cases: cognitive and language development, adolescent identity development, socioemotional development, and sensory and affect regulation development. Keywords: art therapy, art museum education, high functioning autism (HFA), joint attention, cognitive and language development, socioemotional development, sensory regulation
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Hartman_fsu_0071E_14588
Format: Thesis

Title: Multi-Temporal-Spectral Land Cover Classification for Remote Sensing Imagery Using Deep Learning.
Creator: [No family name], Atharva, Liu, Xiuwen, Yang, Xiaojun, Tyson, Gary Scott, Zhao, Peixiang, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Computer Science
Abstract/Description: Sustainability research of the environment depends on accurate land cover information over large areas. Even with the increased number of satellite systems and sensors acquiring data with improved spectral, spatial, radiometric and temporal characteristics and the new data distribution policy, most existing global land cover datasets were derived from a single-date multi-spectral remotely sensed image using pixel-based classifiers with low accuracy. To improve the accuracy, the bottleneck is...
Show moreSustainability research of the environment depends on accurate land cover information over large areas. Even with the increased number of satellite systems and sensors acquiring data with improved spectral, spatial, radiometric and temporal characteristics and the new data distribution policy, most existing global land cover datasets were derived from a single-date multi-spectral remotely sensed image using pixel-based classifiers with low accuracy. To improve the accuracy, the bottleneck is how to develop accurate and effective image classification techniques. By incorporating and utilizing the spatial and multi-temporal information with multi-spectral information of remote sensing images for land cover classification, and considering their spatial and temporal interdependence, I propose three deep network systems tailored for medium-resolution remote sensing data. With a test site from the Florida Everglades area (with a size of 771 square kilometers), the proposed new deep systems have achieved significant improvements in the classification accuracy over most existing pixel-based classifiers. A proposed patch-based recurrent neural network (PB-RNN) system, a proposed pixel-based recurrent neural network system and a proposed patch-based convolutional neural network system achieve 97.21%, 87.65% and 89.26% classification accuracy respectively while a pixel-based single-image neural network (NN) system achieves only 64.74% classification accuracy. By integrating the proposed deep networks and the huge collection of medium-resolution remote sensing data, I believe that much accurate land cover datasets can be produced over large areas.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Atharva_fsu_0071E_14727
Format: Thesis

Title: Multiple Imputation Methods for Large Multi-Scale Data Sets with Missing or Suppressed Values.
Creator: Cao, Jian, Beaumont, Paul M., Duke, D. W., Norrbin, Stefan C., Ökten, Giray, Cano-Urbina, Javier, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreCao, Jian, Beaumont, Paul M., Duke, D. W., Norrbin, Stefan C., Ökten, Giray, Cano-Urbina, Javier, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
Show less
Abstract/Description: Without proper treatment, direct analysis on data sets with missing or suppressed values can lead to biased results. Among all of the missing data handling methods, multiple imputation (MI) methods are regarded as the state of the art. The multiple imputed data sets can, on the one hand, generate unbiased estimates, and on the other hand, provide a reliable way to adjust standard errors based on missing data uncertainty. Despite many advantages, existing MI methods have poor performance on...
Show moreWithout proper treatment, direct analysis on data sets with missing or suppressed values can lead to biased results. Among all of the missing data handling methods, multiple imputation (MI) methods are regarded as the state of the art. The multiple imputed data sets can, on the one hand, generate unbiased estimates, and on the other hand, provide a reliable way to adjust standard errors based on missing data uncertainty. Despite many advantages, existing MI methods have poor performance on complicated Multi-Scale data, especially when the data set is large. The large data set of interest to us is the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wage (QCEW), which is the employment and wages of every establishment in the US. These detailed data are aggregated up through three scales: industry structure, geographic levels and time. The size of the QCEW data is as large as 210 x✕ 2217 ✕ 3193 ≈ 1.5 billion observations. For privacy concerns the data are heavily suppressed and this missingness could appear anywhere in this complicated structure. The existing methods are either accurate or fast but bot both in handling the QCEW data. Our goal is to develop a MI method which is capable of handling the missing value problem of large multi-scale data set both accurately and efficiently. This research addresses this goal in three directions. First, I improve the accuracy of the fastest MI method, Bootstrapping based Expectation Maximization (EMB) algorithm, by equipping it with a Multi-Scale Updating step. This updating step uses the information from the singular covariance matrix to take multi-scale structure into account and to simulate more accurate imputations. Second, I improve the MI method by using a Quasi Monte Carlo technique to accelerate its convergence speed. Finally, I develop a Sequential Parallel Imputation method which can detect the structure and missing pattern of large data sets, and partition it to small data sets automatically. The resulting Parallel Sequential Multi-Scale Bootstrapping Expectation Maximization Multiple Imputation (PSI-MBEMMI) method is accurate, very fast, and can be applied to very large data sets.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Cao_fsu_0071E_14706
Format: Thesis

Title: Object Detection Techniques Using Convolutional Neural Networks.
Creator: Panthula, Ganesh Anirudh, Foo, Simon Y., Harvey, Bruce A., Moss, Pedro L., Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer...
Show morePanthula, Ganesh Anirudh, Foo, Simon Y., Harvey, Bruce A., Moss, Pedro L., Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Show less
Abstract/Description: Object detection is an important part of the image processing system, especially for applications like Face detection, Visual search engine, counting and Aerial Image analysis. Hence the performance of object detectors plays an important role in the functioning of such systems. With the advancements in the Deep learning field, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) is now the state of the art in object detection and classification. In this thesis, we have investigated different object detection...
Show moreObject detection is an important part of the image processing system, especially for applications like Face detection, Visual search engine, counting and Aerial Image analysis. Hence the performance of object detectors plays an important role in the functioning of such systems. With the advancements in the Deep learning field, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) is now the state of the art in object detection and classification. In this thesis, we have investigated different object detection models and studied the chain of developments which has taken place from one model to the next, the improvements over the previous models are studied by comparing the model architecture, methods of extracting features and by the performance on different object detection and classification competitions. The thesis is divided into three parts, first, a few notable models developed before the deep learning era are studied, these models have hand-coded feature extractors. In the next part of the thesis, Convolutional Neural Networks, part of deep learning for object detection has been researched by understanding the basic Convolutional Neural Network architecture and then different ways to improve it. It is seen that the CNN object detectors use a base architecture, these architectures can be classified as basic and advanced. In the final part of the thesis, the Meta architectures, which are divided as region based and regression based models are presented in detail, with depictions of such implementations. These Meta architectures are based on the basic and advanced architectures studied in the previous sections. With a look at the hand coded features based object detectors in the beginning, this work ends with a comparison of the state-of-the-art models discussed in the Meta architecture section. In the end, the future scope of the object detectors and possible new applications are discussed. Keywords: Neural Networks, Convolutional Neural Networks, object detectors, Deep learning, regression based, region based
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Panthula_fsu_0071N_14802
Format: Thesis

Title: The Official Supporter's Group Section: Conceptualizing and Measuring Its Effect on Sport Consumer Satisfaction and Behavioral Outcomes.
Creator: Reid, Charles Elliott, Kim, Amy C. H., Gray, Edward G., James, Jeffrey D., Newman, Joshua I., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Sport Management
Abstract/Description: Attendance at sporting events remains a vital part of sporting contests, as spectators have been shown to have a significant impact upon the atmosphere of an event (Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2012). As more attractive options for consuming sporting events continue to arise (e.g., higher-definition televisions, game watch parties, etc.), sport managers should seek to better understand what elements of in-person spectating are most important for repeat attendance. Sport stadium atmosphere...
Show moreAttendance at sporting events remains a vital part of sporting contests, as spectators have been shown to have a significant impact upon the atmosphere of an event (Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2012). As more attractive options for consuming sporting events continue to arise (e.g., higher-definition televisions, game watch parties, etc.), sport managers should seek to better understand what elements of in-person spectating are most important for repeat attendance. Sport stadium atmosphere researchers have identified other spectators as a positive source of influence for future attendance intentions (Biscaia, Correia Rosado, Maroco, & Ross, 2012; Lee, Lee, Seo, & Green, 2012; Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2012). However, spectators have only been studied in aggregate, as though all spectators were homogenous and part of one entire group. Through the present research I evaluated a specific sub-group, the Official Supporter’s Group (OSG) Section, of the spectating population for its effects on the non-OSG spectators in attendance at Major League Soccer games. The stated purpose of the OSG Section is to assist their team through chants, singing, and cheering. As a means of achieving this goal, those within the OSG Section attempt to involve other spectators outside the section to increase the volume and intensity of support for their team. The existence of these supporter’s groups is explained through Social Identity Theory and Complexity Theory. OSGs and the OSG Section are theorized to be sub-components of the Sport Stadium Atmosphere (SSA) framework (Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2010; Uhrich & Koenigstorfer, 2009). This framework consists of three dimensions of environmental stimuli (organizer-induced, game-induced, and spectator-induced) that have a positive, direct relationship with consumer affective responses (Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2010). This research was conducted to evaluate the impact of those making up the OSG Section as an influential aspect of the spectator-induced dimension. The two goals of this research were to add to the SSA framework (Uhrich & Benkenstein, 2010; Uhrich & Koenigstorfer, 2009) in two ways: 1) by evaluating the effect of a previously unstudied aspect of the spectating population: the OSG Section, and 2) by including satisfaction as a measure of the effects of the stadium atmosphere upon the consumer. Three stages were employed to investigate the goals above. First, a questionnaire was developed to survey spectators of Major League Soccer (MLS) games during the 2018 season. Item-development processes were undertaken, based on the recommendations of Hinkin’s (1998) scale development process, to evaluate perceived effects of the organizer-induced stimuli, game-induced stimuli, the influence of the OSG Section, and outcome variables of satisfaction, intention to return, and word-of-mouth recommendations. Second, a pilot study was conducted to evaluate the new items developed and to refine the instrument for the main study. Finally, a main study was employed to collect data from a second sample of the population (MLS spectators) using the refined survey instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling techniques were used to analyze collected data and test the hypothesized relationships. The members and actions of those comprising the OSG Section were found to have a significant, positive relationship with both resulting spectator emotions and satisfaction. Further, there is evidence to further confirm the relationship between satisfaction and behavioral intentions (Kuenzel & Yassim, 2007; Matsuoka et al., 2003). Practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are all discussed in the final chapter.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Reid_fsu_0071E_14814
Format: Thesis

Title: Pre-Service Teachers Feel Ready, Set, Go on Day One?: Comparing Pre-Service Teachers Teaching Efficacy from a Center of Excellence Teacher Preparation Model and a Traditional Model.
Creator: Caster, Kay Arnold, Preston, Courtney, Ke, Fengfeng, Rutledge, Stacy A., Gawlik, Marytza, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership...
Show moreCaster, Kay Arnold, Preston, Courtney, Ke, Fengfeng, Rutledge, Stacy A., Gawlik, Marytza, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Show less
Abstract/Description: This qualitative study examined the unique perspectives of participants, who recently completed their elementary teacher education training, of their sense of effectiveness in leading students to learn, also known as teacher efficacy. This study used a comparative case study approach to compare and contrast the differences in teacher efficacy as impacted by the internship experiences and supervision of cooperating teachers, within two different teacher preparation models. Volunteers were...
Show moreThis qualitative study examined the unique perspectives of participants, who recently completed their elementary teacher education training, of their sense of effectiveness in leading students to learn, also known as teacher efficacy. This study used a comparative case study approach to compare and contrast the differences in teacher efficacy as impacted by the internship experiences and supervision of cooperating teachers, within two different teacher preparation models. Volunteers were selected from a population of 2017 elementary teacher education graduates from Florida Atlantic University and Florida State University who had completed their pre-service internships during the 2016-2017 academic year. Participants responded to open-ended questions during telephone interviews. Data were analyzed to compare participants’ descriptions of their teacher efficacy, how their teacher efficacy may have developed through the progress of their programs and impacted by their internship experiences. This study also examined whether comprehensive training in coaching and mentorship, as provided by one of the two state universities, contributed to the participants’ level of teacher efficacy. The outcomes corroborated current research literature but also revealed unique findings in the formation and development of perceived teaching effectiveness through the preparation program experience. The findings for show that pre-service teachers do not succinctly connect their perceived teacher efficacy to students’ learning and accomplishing instructional goals. Also, that internships need to provide frequent, timely and diverse experiences within an environment of learning and support. The key differences between FAU and FSU were in consistency within placements and in diversity of student populations. Impactful events were noted by participants of both FAU and FSU as opportunities for instructional growth and improvement. Finally, the deepest connection with pre-service teachers in developing their teacher efficacy is the mentor/mentee relationship that encourages and supports instructional practice and improvement. Although FAU has provided multiple professional development trainings for supervising pre-service teachers, other factors such as support, encouragement, flexibility and empathy led to developing a more positive teacher efficacy.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Caster_fsu_0071E_14657
Format: Thesis

Title: Prekindergarten Teachers' Knowledge of Instructional Practices That Facilitate Geometric and Spatial Sense.
Creator: Norton, Lakeshia M., Dennis, Lindsay Rae, Akiba, Motoko, Jakubowski, Elizabeth M., Jones, Ithel, Florida State University, College of Education, School of Teacher Education
Abstract/Description: High-quality school based learning practices are believed to have lasting effects on young children’s achievement. These practices include early mathematics instruction that now extend to promoting geometric and spatial sense in young children. The key contributors to these quality experiences are the early childhood teachers, whose developmentally appropriate practices are noted to shape future success of young learners. Therefore, the present study explored prekindergarten teachers’...
Show moreHigh-quality school based learning practices are believed to have lasting effects on young children’s achievement. These practices include early mathematics instruction that now extend to promoting geometric and spatial sense in young children. The key contributors to these quality experiences are the early childhood teachers, whose developmentally appropriate practices are noted to shape future success of young learners. Therefore, the present study explored prekindergarten teachers’ instructional practices used to promote geometric and spatial sense in their classrooms. Additionally, this research examined the perceptions, understandings, and experiences that informed the VPK teachers’ geometric and spatial instruction. Participating in the study was a sample of five VPK teachers from three child development centers in a mid-sized county in Northern Florida. The data sources examined in the study consisted of classroom observations, video-stimulated recall interviews, and document analysis. The findings indicated that Voluntary prekindergarten teachers’ (VPK) emphasis on Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) emerged as a major theme that typically presented along with subthemes such as play, active/hands-on, and guided instruction during geometric and spatial activities. The data also suggest that VPK teachers’ instructional practices were informed by both their experiences working with mentors and their role as lead teacher. However, the data also suggest that the VPK teachers in the study had an incomplete knowledge of the VPK developmental standards and benchmarks for instruction, and demonstrated surface level understandings of geometric and spatial concepts in general. Finally, the findings from this study may be beneficial when considering professional development trainings for current VPK teachers in an effort to improve the quality of mathematics instruction.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Norton_fsu_0071E_14709
Format: Thesis

Title: Multi-Scalar Assessment of Built-Environment and Bus Networks Influence on Rapid-Transit Patronage: The Case of Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Network.
Creator: Ramos Santiago, Luis Enrique, Brown, Jeff R., Horner, Mark W., Duncan, Michael Douglas, Felkner, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreRamos Santiago, Luis Enrique, Brown, Jeff R., Horner, Mark W., Duncan, Michael Douglas, Felkner, John, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Show less
Abstract/Description: The advent of accelerated global warming and volatile climate change has prompted the need for a better understanding of what factors and policies might contribute to mitigate these events as well as increase the resilience of communities. Transit systems’ effectiveness and efficiency in increasingly disperse, car-dependent, and poly-centric urban agglomerations is one such factor, including the search for strategies to increase transit patronage and decrease car-dependence. Improving access...
Show moreThe advent of accelerated global warming and volatile climate change has prompted the need for a better understanding of what factors and policies might contribute to mitigate these events as well as increase the resilience of communities. Transit systems’ effectiveness and efficiency in increasingly disperse, car-dependent, and poly-centric urban agglomerations is one such factor, including the search for strategies to increase transit patronage and decrease car-dependence. Improving access to rapid-transit systems is one key area as it has the potential to expand the system’s influence beyond station’s immediate pedestrian service areas into larger and less developed suburban areas, and/or serve more disperse employment. Precedent studies and most on-board surveys have focused on a variety of access modes to reach rapid-transit services, including automobile, walking, and bicycle. Bus access, despite representing on average a non-trivial 19.3% of all access trips at national level, more than 30% at some large poly-centric cities in the U.S., and close to 50% of access trips for some rapid-transit lines (out-sizing the share of pedestrian access) has not received as much attention as other access modes. Predictive models for bus access mode report notably lower explanatory power as compared to other modes and the account of bus access events is often conflated with that of walk access in many technical reports and surveys for reasons yet to be understood. Ignoring, overlooking and/or misrepresenting this mode of access may lead to misunderstanding of multi-modal transit travel behavior and its spatial extent, possibly misguiding planners and policy-makers’ decision-making and resulting in system-wide ineffectiveness and/or inefficiency. This investigation documents bus access share for one exemplary case study and clarifies built-environment and bus networks’ influence on rapid-transit patronage within descriptive and inferential quantitative methodologies. This study seeks to answer two guiding research questions: 1- How important are bus networks to rapid-transit ridership in large, dispersed, poly-centric metropolitan regions in the U.S.? and 2- Do land-use and built-environment attributes around feeder bus-stops influence rapid-transit boardings? Because of diverse geographical scales and service levels experienced by a rider on a chained bus / rapid-transit trip this study focuses on two distinct yet linked geographies for analysis: 1-rapid-transit station; and 2- bus-stop. Research design is based on a single-case study in the United States (Los Angeles metropolitan multi-modal transit system). The first study focuses on quantifying the share of bus access trips at station-level and gaging its influence on total boardings within a multivariate generalized regression framework. Several socio-economic, service-level, built-environment, and network attributes are taken into consideration as informed by travel behavior theory and literature review. A strong positive association between bus network’s service and connectivity levels with rapid-transit station boardings registers high statistical confidence levels with boardings across all specified models. The mutual dependence of rapid-transit and bus networks evinced in the case of Los Angeles argues for a full multi-modal transit planning and operations paradigm for advancing a more effective, equitable, and sustainable transit system if it is to compete with ubiquitous automobile travel and its underpinning policy, fiscal, infrastructural, and cultural support. For Los Angeles, rapid-transit bus access represents an estimated 33.5% of all access events at a system-wide level, 20% - 49% at line-level, and a notably wider range at station-level (0% - 86%). The second study in this investigation focuses in assessing bus-stop pedestrian service areas built-environment and land-use attributes’ potential influence on rapid-transit station boardings, whilst controlling for both known and hypothesized control factors at bus-stop and station-level. By simultaneously focusing on bus-stop level attributes and higher-level rapid-transit stations’ attributes this part of the investigation fills a gap in the extant land-use / travel-behavior literature that more often focuses on pedestrian service areas adjacent to rapid-transit stations and ignores those around feeder bus-stops. Results evince a highly significant statistical relationship between bus-stop service area built-environment characteristics and the number of boardings associated with access trips to rapid-transit stations. However, the absolute effect relative to bus service levels and to automobile availability is notably smaller. Taken together as a multi-scalar study of bus and rapid-transit network interactions this investigation points to the importance of bus / rapid-transit network connectivity and service integration for maintaining and increasing rapid-transit patronage and the potential of synergistic contributions of built-environment interventions at feeder bus stops that seek to improve walkability and shorter walking distances. As a general conclusion, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority and its associated MPO policy emphasis on TOD development as a strategy to increase transit ridership is limited. A more comprehensive policy approach based on ‘integrated public transportation’ and a more extensive station access policy that incorporates improvements around feeder bus stops, not only around stations, is the recommended course.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Ramos_fsu_0071E_14637
Format: Thesis

Title: Pattern Recognition in Medical Imaging: Supervised Learning of fMRI and MRI Data.
Creator: Tahmassebi, Amirhessam, Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Foo, Simon Y., Pinker-Domenig, Katja, Beerli, Peter, Slice, Dennis E., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreTahmassebi, Amirhessam, Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Foo, Simon Y., Pinker-Domenig, Katja, Beerli, Peter, Slice, Dennis E., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Scientific Computing
Show less
Abstract/Description: Machine learning algorithms along with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides promising techniques to overcome the drawbacks of the current clinical screening techniques. In this study the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to see the level of activity in a patient's brain and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) to explore the level of improvement of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer were considered....
Show moreMachine learning algorithms along with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides promising techniques to overcome the drawbacks of the current clinical screening techniques. In this study the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to see the level of activity in a patient's brain and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) to explore the level of improvement of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced breast cancer were considered. As the first project, we considered fMRI of patients before and after they underwent a double-blind smoking cessation treatment. For the first time, this study aims at developing new theory-driven biomarkers by implementing and evaluating novel techniques from resting-state scans that can be used in relapse prediction in nicotine-dependent patients and future treatment efficacy. In this regards, two classes of patients have been studied, one took the drug N-acetylcysteine and the other took a placebo. Our goal was to classify the patients as treatment or non-treatment, based on their fMRI scans. The image slices of brain are used as the variable. We have applied different voxel selection schemes and data reduction algorithms on all images. Then, we compared several multivariate classifiers and deep learning algorithms and also investigated how the different data reductions affect classification performance. For the second part, we have employed multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) using different morphological and functional MRI parameters such as T2-weighted, dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI, and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) has emerged as the method of choice for the early response assessments to NAC. Although, mpMRI is superior to conventional mammography for predicting treatment response, and evaluating residual disease, yet there is still room for improvement. In the past decade, the field of medical imaging analysis has grown exponentially, with an increased numbers of pattern recognition tools, and an increase in data sizes. These advances have heralded the field of radiomics. Radiomics allows the high-throughput extraction of the quantitative features that result in the conversion of images into mineable data, and the subsequent analysis of the data for an improved decision support with response monitoring during NAC being no exception. In this study. we determined the importance and ranking of the extracted parameters from mpMRI using T2-weighted, DCE, and DWI for prediction of pCR and patient outcomes with respect to metastases and disease-specific death employing different machine learning algorithms.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Tahmassebi_fsu_0071E_14652
Format: Thesis

Title: Performing and Connecting through Space: An Analysis of Two Divergent Attempts at Audience Engagement.
Creator: Charity, Edward Malcolm Charles, Thomas, Shannon, Darrow, Alice-Ann, Jiménez, Alexander, Sung, Benjamin, Florida State University, College of Music, College of Music
Abstract/Description: This document investigates the potential connection that can be made between performer and audience by disrupting the normal order of performance. I have drawn from the disciplines of Theater and Psychology to find new ways to convey actively the interpretive visions that inform a concert to an audience, without relying on the more typical program note or pre-concert talk. Helping an audience stay interested and curious in the music’s meaning, for themselves and for the performer, is the...
Show moreThis document investigates the potential connection that can be made between performer and audience by disrupting the normal order of performance. I have drawn from the disciplines of Theater and Psychology to find new ways to convey actively the interpretive visions that inform a concert to an audience, without relying on the more typical program note or pre-concert talk. Helping an audience stay interested and curious in the music’s meaning, for themselves and for the performer, is the primary goal of the project. I have chosen two works to test these methods: Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and String Quartet No. 1 of György Ligeti. A separate recital is dedicated to each piece, and the way the connection is made with the audience remains distinct for each concert. The preliminary work and research that has gone into the planning of these two recitals is the first section of the writing regarding each performance (so that the reader has a first-hand view of exactly how the end-project was decided upon and achieved). The treatise also discusses the post-concert performer reaction, as well as an overview of each performance.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Charity_fsu_0071E_14816
Format: Thesis

Title: Network-Theoretic and Data-Based Analysis and Control of Unsteady Fluid Flows.
Creator: Nair, Aditya Gopimohan, Taira, Kunihiko, Sussman, Mark, Cattafesta, Louis N., Oates, William, Alvi, Farrukh S., Brunton, Steven L. (Steven Lee), Florida State University,...
Show moreNair, Aditya Gopimohan, Taira, Kunihiko, Sussman, Mark, Cattafesta, Louis N., Oates, William, Alvi, Farrukh S., Brunton, Steven L. (Steven Lee), Florida State University, College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Show less
Abstract/Description: Unsteady fluid flows have complex dynamics due to the nonlinear interactions amongst vortical elements. In this thesis, a network-theoretic framework is developed to describe vortical and modal (coherent structure) interactions in unsteady fluid flows. A sparsified-dynamics model and a networked-oscillator model describe the complex dynamics in fluid flows in terms of vortical and modal networks, respectively. Based on the characterized network interactions, model-based feedback control laws...
Show moreUnsteady fluid flows have complex dynamics due to the nonlinear interactions amongst vortical elements. In this thesis, a network-theoretic framework is developed to describe vortical and modal (coherent structure) interactions in unsteady fluid flows. A sparsified-dynamics model and a networked-oscillator model describe the complex dynamics in fluid flows in terms of vortical and modal networks, respectively. Based on the characterized network interactions, model-based feedback control laws are established, particularly for controlling the flow unsteadiness. Furthermore, to characterize model-free feedback control laws for suppressing flow separation in turbulent flows, a data-driven approach leveraging unsupervised clustering is developed. This approach alters the Markov transition dynamics of fluid flow trajectories in an optimal manner using a cluster-based control strategy. To describe vortical interactions, dense fluid flow graphs are constructed using discrete point vortices as nodes and induced velocity as edge weights. Sparsification techniques are then employed on these graph representations based on spectral graph theory to construct sparse graphs of the overall vortical interactions which maintain similar spectral properties as the original setup. Utilizing the sparse vortical graphs, a sparsified-dynamics model is developed which drastically reduces the computational cost to predict the dynamical behavior of vortices, sharing characteristics of reduced-order models. The model retains the nonlinearity of the interactions and also conserves the invariants of discrete vortex dynamics. The network structure of vortical interactions in two-dimensional incompressible homogeneous turbulence is then characterized. The strength distribution of the turbulence network reveals an underlying scale-free structure that describes how vortical structures are interconnected. Strong vortices serve as network hubs with smaller and weaker eddies predominantly influenced by the neighboring hubs. The time evolution of the fluid flow network informs us that the scale-free property is sustained until dissipation overtakes the flow physics. The types of perturbations that turbulence network is resilient against is also examined. To describe modal interactions in fluid flows, a networked-oscillator-based analysis is performed. The analysis examines and controls the transfer of kinetic energy for periodic bluff body flows. The dynamics of energy fluctuations in the flow field are described by a set of oscillators defined by conjugate pairs of spatial POD modes. To extract the network of interactions among oscillators, impulse responses of the oscillators to amplitude and phase perturbations are tracked. Using linear regression techniques, a networked oscillator model is constructed that reveals energy exchanges among the modes. In particular, a large collection of system responses are aggregated to capture the general network structure of oscillator interactions. The present networked oscillator model describes the modal perturbation dynamics more accurately than the empirical Galerkin reduced-order model. The linear network model for nonlinear dynamics is subsequently utilized to design a model-based feedback controller. The controller suppresses the modal fluctuations and amplitudes that result in wake unsteadiness leading to drag reduction. The strength of the approach is demonstrated for a canonical example of two-dimensional unsteady flow over a circular cylinder. The network-based formulation enables the characterization and control of modal interactions to control fundamental energy transfers in unsteady bluff body flows. Finally, unsupervised clustering and data-driven optimization of coarse-grained control laws is leveraged to manipulate post-stall separated flows. Optimized feedback control laws are deduced in high-fidelity simulations in an automated, model-free manner. The approach partitions the baseline flow trajectories into clusters, which corresponds to a characteristic coarse-grained phase in a low-dimensional feature space constituted by feature variables (sensor measurements). The feedback control law is then sought for each and every cluster state which is iteratively evaluated and optimized to minimize aerodynamic power and actuation power input. The control optimally transforms the Markov transition network associated with the baseline trajectories to achieve desired performance objectives. The approach is applied to two and three-dimensional separated flows over a NACA 0012 airfoil at an angle of attack of 9° Reynolds number Re = 23000 and free-stream Mach number M∞ = 0.3. The optimized control law minimizes power consumption for flight enabling flow to reach a low-drag state. The analysis provides insights for feedback flow control of complex systems characterizing global cluster-based control laws based on a data-driven, low-dimensional characterization of fluid flow trajectories. In summary, this thesis develops a novel network-theoretic and data-based framework for analyzing and controlling fluid flows. The framework incorporates advanced mathematical principles from network science, graph theory and dynamical systems to extract fundamental interactions in fluid flows. On manipulating these interactions, wake unsteadiness in bluff body flow is reduced leading to drag reduction. Finally, data-based methods are developed to deduce optimal feedback control laws for post-stall separated flows. The network-theoretic and data-based approaches provides insights on fundamental interactions in fluid flows which paves the way for design of novel flow control strategies.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Nair_fsu_0071E_14745
Format: Thesis

Title: Neural Rule Ensembles: Encoding Feature Interactions into Neural Networks.
Creator: Dawer, Gitesh, Barbu, Adrian G., Gallivan, Kyle A., Erlebacher, Gordon, Ökten, Giray, Sussman, Mark, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of...
Show moreDawer, Gitesh, Barbu, Adrian G., Gallivan, Kyle A., Erlebacher, Gordon, Ökten, Giray, Sussman, Mark, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Mathematics
Show less
Abstract/Description: Artificial Neural Networks form the basis of very powerful learning methods. It has been observed that a naive application of fully connected neural networks often leads to overfitting. In an attempt to circumvent this issue, a prior knowledge pertaining to feature interactions can be encoded into these networks. This defines a task-specific structure on an underlying representation and helps in reducing the number of learnable parameters. Convolutional Neural Network is such an adaptation of...
Show moreArtificial Neural Networks form the basis of very powerful learning methods. It has been observed that a naive application of fully connected neural networks often leads to overfitting. In an attempt to circumvent this issue, a prior knowledge pertaining to feature interactions can be encoded into these networks. This defines a task-specific structure on an underlying representation and helps in reducing the number of learnable parameters. Convolutional Neural Network is such an adaptation of artificial neural networks for image datasets which exploits the spatial relationship among the features and explicitly encodes the translational equivariance. Similarly, Recurrent Neural Networks are designed to exploit the temporal relationship inherent in sequential data. However, for tabular datasets, any prior structure on feature relationships is not apparent. In this work, we use decision trees to capture such feature interactions for this kind of datasets and define a mapping to encode extracted relationships into a neural network. This addresses the initialization related concerns of fully connected neural networks and enables learning of compact representations compared to state of the art tree-based approaches. Empirical evaluations and simulation studies show the superiority of such an approach over fully connected neural networks and tree-based approaches.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Dawer_fsu_0071E_14670
Format: Thesis

Title: A New Two-Stage Game Framework for Power Demand Response Management in Smart Grids.
Creator: Fan, Huipu, Yu, Ming, Liu, Xiuwen, Tung, Leonard J., Andrei, Petru, Florida State University, College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Abstract/Description: Recently, the smart grid technologies have been developed rapidly recently, which an important component is the so called demand response management (DRM). With the help of a DRM program, a utility company can adjust the power demand and electricity price to reduce the cost of power generation and consumption. However, there are many problems in DRM need to be solved. For example, to solve the problem of optimizing a generator's power (GP), the conventional methods such as economic dispatch ...
Show moreRecently, the smart grid technologies have been developed rapidly recently, which an important component is the so called demand response management (DRM). With the help of a DRM program, a utility company can adjust the power demand and electricity price to reduce the cost of power generation and consumption. However, there are many problems in DRM need to be solved. For example, to solve the problem of optimizing a generator's power (GP), the conventional methods such as economic dispatch (EDP) may reduce the profit of the utility company. To solve the problem of optimizing a consumer's power (CP), the existing smart pricing strategies may reduce the long-term benefits of the customers. This dissertation aims to develop a two-stage game model to increase the profit of the utility company and while increase the long-term benefit of the customers. For solving the GP. It is critical for the power generator and utility company to allocate the power demand properly, but the profit for the utility company may be reduced. To solve the CP, it is difficult for the customers to achieve a long-term beneficial power-usage-pattern with myopic pricing strategies. The stability of the smart grid and the benefit of the customers may also be reduced due to the myopic pricing strategies. It is difficult for the utility company to use the existing methods (e.g., EDP) to order an optimal power demand from the power generators to earn the maximum profit. There are two issues that are needed to be solved in the GP. First, the weight function for the utility company and power generators in the GP is not established properly in the existing methods. For example, the value of the weight function for the utility company and power generators are usually the same in an EDP method. However, in a smart grid, the utility company has the privilege to demand the power while the power generators must follow the demand. Hence the value of weight function for the utility company should be greater than the one for the power generators in a GP. Second, the optimal demand for the utility company is most likely not the optimal generation for the generators. The imbalanced power will increase the generation cost significantly. It is also difficult for a utility company to maintain an efficient DRM for a long-time period by using the existing smart pricing strategies. Applying incentive is the major solution for the utility company to influence the power demand of a customer. However, the traditional pricing strategies are shortsightedly designed, by which the long-time efficiency for the DRM is reduced. For example, the trigger punishment strategy applies a punishing price to a customer for a long period when a non-cooperation behavior is detected. During the punishment period, the customer chooses its power consumption freely since the punishment will be applied anyway. Such selfish behaviors reduce the long-term efficiency for the DRM and the stability of the smart grid. In this dissertation, we propose a two-stage game model to solve the GP and CP to increase the long-term efficiency for the DRM, maintain the stability of the smart grid, and also increase the profit of the utility company. In the first stage, a Stackelberg game model is applied to solve the GP, in which the utility company is the leading player while the generators are the following players. We prove that the GP for the following players is a convex problem mathematically. The following players achieve the Nash equilibrium (NE) state by choosing the unique optimal generation. The leading player reacts with this unique generation to achieve the optimal profit. Both the leading and following players reach an agreement in the NE state, in which they have no motivation to deviate the optimal actions. A genetic algorithm is developed to obtain the optimal demand for the leading and following players. In addition, we introduce a power balance constraint to the leading and following players to avoid the cost caused by the imbalanced power. By applying the constraint, the generated power is equal to the demand all the time. The smart grid will not need to store the excessive power in the energy storage unit or send the power back to the power generators to keep them idling. The cost is avoided and the efficiency of the DRM is increased. In the second stage, a repeated game model is applied to solve the CP, in which the customers are the players. The strategy for the players is to minimize the individual power consumption of each customer. The utility function for the players is the cost of the customers. The objective for the players is to minimize the cost. In this work, we prove that the NE state exists for the repeated game. However, it has been shown that in the NE state, the players' myopic behaviors may reduce the benefits for the entire group of players. To avoid the loss, we use a genetic algorithm to find the Pareto-efficient solution for the players, in which no player can increase its benefit by reducing other players' benefit. We apply a Tit-for-Tat (TFT) smart pricing strategy to increase the punishment strength from the utility company. Once an irrational behavior from a player is detected, a punishment will be applied to the player for a short period of time. The player can choose to cooperate or not during the punishment period. Compared to the existing smart pricing strategies, the long-term benefit for the smart grid is increased by applying the TFT strategy to the customers. The numerical simulations in different scenarios are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed two-stage game framework by using MATLAB. All the parameters and constraints of the related components are from the Department of Energy's report and the Oasisui online database. Five power generators, one utility company, and one hundred customers have been used in the simulations. Compared with the existing solutions (e.g., EDP and gaming optimization), the cost in power consumption is reduced by 6% percent while the profit for power generation is increased by 8% percent in our test scenarios. With the help of the proposed model, we enhance the efficiency for the DRM. The peak-to-average ratio (PAR) of the power demand of our work is compared with the EDP method. The effect of the PAR is studied. The numerical results show that the proposed model has a similar PAR to that of the EDP method, which implies that the proposed model has no negative influence on the stability of the smart grid. The punishing effort of the TFT strategy is compared with the trigger strategy (TP) to study the punishment influence on the customers. The numerical results show that the customers who are applied with the TFT strategy are more willing to cooperate with the utility company. The impact of the power loss ratio and different types of customers is also simulated and analyzed. The simulation results show that the players with a greater transmission loss ratio are more willing to cooperate. The customers that are associated with a greater linear dissatisfaction coefficient are more concerned about the dissatisfaction cost. The customers with greater price-sensitive coefficients are more concerned about the consumption cost. In summary, compared to the existing solutions, the proposed two-stage game model improves the performance of the DRM while maintain the stability of the smart grid. We also discuss the future research issues in the related areas.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Fan_fsu_0071E_14654
Format: Thesis

Title: Omission Impossible?: It Depends.
Creator: Stigall, John C., Clarke, Randolph K., Kelsay, John, Rawling, Piers, Kearns, Stephen, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Philosophy
Abstract/Description: Suppose I don’t give this dissertation a title. In such a case am I responsible for not giving my dissertation a title? Does my responsibility for not giving my dissertation a title require that I could have given my dissertation a title? Would I still be responsible if some villain opposed to ironically not giving dissertations titles were prepared to see to it that I did not give my dissertation a title if I were to show some sign of doing so? In any case, what exactly is it to not give a...
Show moreSuppose I don’t give this dissertation a title. In such a case am I responsible for not giving my dissertation a title? Does my responsibility for not giving my dissertation a title require that I could have given my dissertation a title? Would I still be responsible if some villain opposed to ironically not giving dissertations titles were prepared to see to it that I did not give my dissertation a title if I were to show some sign of doing so? In any case, what exactly is it to not give a dissertation a title? What might have caused this behavior? Is my not giving my dissertation a title the sort of thing that can be caused at all? The preceding questions concern whether I am responsible for omitting to give my dissertation a title. In my dissertation I want to show that because of certain peculiarities about the metaphysics of omissions and causation, the first three questions cannot be adequately answered without investigating the last three questions. More specifically, I want to argue for the thesis that moral responsibility requires a morally salient causal relationship between an agent and an outcome, and I want to argue further for a unique asymmetry thesis about responsibility for omissions and positive actions. The thesis will explain why Frankfurt cases differ when they describe an agent doing a positive action from when they describe an agent omitting to perform some action. If my thesis is correct, it will do the following things: (1) Give a systematic explanation of the success of Frankfurt cases. (2) Provide theoretical guidelines for evaluating Frankfurt-style omission cases independently of intuitions about moral responsibility. (3) Show why Frankfurt-style omission cases are often more problematic than positive action Frankfurt-style cases. In short it will account for the prima facie plausibility of asymmetry theses such as the following: (AT) responsibility for positive actions does not require the ability to do otherwise, but responsibility for omissions does require the ability to do otherwise.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Stigall_fsu_0071E_14779
Format: Thesis

Title: Contact-Free Simulations of Rigid Particle Suspensions Using Boundary Integral Equations.
Creator: Bystricky, Lukas, Quaife, Bryan, Shanbhag, Sachin, Cogan, Nicholas G., Huang, Chen, Moore, Matthew Nicholas J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreBystricky, Lukas, Quaife, Bryan, Shanbhag, Sachin, Cogan, Nicholas G., Huang, Chen, Moore, Matthew Nicholas J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Scientific Computing
Show less
Abstract/Description: In many composite materials, rigid fibers are distributed throughout the material to tune the mechanical, thermal, and electric properties of the composite. The orientation and distribution of the fibers play a critical role in the properties of the composite. Many composites are processed as a liquid molten suspension of fibers and then solidified, holding the fibers in place. Once the fiber orientations are known, theoretical models exist that can predict properties of the composite...
Show moreIn many composite materials, rigid fibers are distributed throughout the material to tune the mechanical, thermal, and electric properties of the composite. The orientation and distribution of the fibers play a critical role in the properties of the composite. Many composites are processed as a liquid molten suspension of fibers and then solidified, holding the fibers in place. Once the fiber orientations are known, theoretical models exist that can predict properties of the composite.Modeling the suspended fibers in the liquid state is important because their ultimate configuration depends strongly on the flow history during the molten processing. Continuum models, such as the Folgar-Tucker model, predict the evolution of the fibers’ orientation in a fluid. These models are limited in several ways. First, they require empirical constants and closure relations that must be determined a priori, either by experiments or detailed computer simulations. Second, they assume that all the fibers are slender bodies of uniform length. Lastly, these methods break down for concentrated suspensions. For these reasons, it is desirable in certain situations to model the movement of individual fibers explicitly. This dissertation builds upon recent advances in boundary integral equations to develop a robust, accurate, and stable method that simulates fibers of arbitrary shape in a planar flow. In any method that explicitly models the individual fiber motion, care must be taken to ensure numerical errors do not cause the fibers to overlap. To maintain fiber separation, a repulsion force and torque are added when required. This repulsion force is free of tuning parameters and is determined by solving a sequence of linear complementarity problems to ensure that the configuration does not have any overlap between fibers. Numerical experiments demonstrate the stability of the method for concentrated suspensions.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Bystricky_fsu_0071E_14725
Format: Thesis

Title: Contributions of Student Affairs Professional Organizations to Collegiate Student Leadership Programs in the Late Twentieth Century.
Creator: Watkins, Sally R., Schwartz, Robert A., Jones, Maxine Deloris, Guthrie, Kathy L., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy...
Show moreWatkins, Sally R., Schwartz, Robert A., Jones, Maxine Deloris, Guthrie, Kathy L., Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Show less
Abstract/Description: Some 300 years after the founding of the first American institution of higher education, developing students into future leaders remains a central objective of contemporary colleges and universities (Astin, 1993; Johnson, 2000; Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007). In the modern university setting, a significant amount of leadership training and development is accomplished outside the classroom in the co-curricular arena; much of this work is now in the province of student affairs professionals...
Show moreSome 300 years after the founding of the first American institution of higher education, developing students into future leaders remains a central objective of contemporary colleges and universities (Astin, 1993; Johnson, 2000; Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007). In the modern university setting, a significant amount of leadership training and development is accomplished outside the classroom in the co-curricular arena; much of this work is now in the province of student affairs professionals who teach leadership training and development. Many of these professionals prepared for this aspect of their roles while on the job via campus-based professional education and development and at conferences hosted by professional organizations. Historically, these professional associations have played a key role in establishing leadership education as a priority in student affairs, informing professionals' knowledge and understanding of leadership concepts and theories, and advancing the emerging profession of leadership education. The purpose of this study is to document the role student affairs professional organizations played in the latter half of the 20th century to advance collegiate student leadership education programs. The historical narrative relies on sources from the National Student Affairs Archives located in Bowling Green, Ohio and interviews with key individuals active during the timeframe investigated. Understanding the formalization of student affairs practitioner as leadership educators offers the opportunity to recognize individuals and organizations significant in the process, to identify gaps in the scholarship, inform academic preparation programs, shape the efforts of professional organizations, and mold the programmatic efforts facilitated daily on college campuses. This historical investigation attempts to demonstrate how student affairs professional organizations and key individuals across the profession shaped student leadership training, education, and development in higher education in the late twentieth century.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Watkins_fsu_0071E_14360
Format: Thesis

Title: Clustering in Light Nuclei with Configuration Interaction Approaches.
Creator: Kravvaris, Konstantinos, Volya, Alexander, Kopriva, David A., Weidenhoever, Ingo Ludwing M., Capstick, Simon, Reina, Laura, Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreKravvaris, Konstantinos, Volya, Alexander, Kopriva, David A., Weidenhoever, Ingo Ludwing M., Capstick, Simon, Reina, Laura, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics
Show less
Abstract/Description: The formation of sub-structures within an atomic nucleus, appropriately termed nuclear clustering, is one of the core questions of nuclear many-body physics. In this thesis, we put forward a new method for the study of nuclear clustering relying on the completely microscopic Configuration Interaction approach. We construct reaction cluster channels in a Harmonic Oscillator many-body basis that respect the symmetries of the Hamiltonian, are fully antisymmetrized, and carry a separable and...
Show moreThe formation of sub-structures within an atomic nucleus, appropriately termed nuclear clustering, is one of the core questions of nuclear many-body physics. In this thesis, we put forward a new method for the study of nuclear clustering relying on the completely microscopic Configuration Interaction approach. We construct reaction cluster channels in a Harmonic Oscillator many-body basis that respect the symmetries of the Hamiltonian, are fully antisymmetrized, and carry a separable and controlled Center of Mass component. Such channels are then used to explore cluster signatures in Configuration Interaction many-body wavefunctions. The Resonating Group Method is then applied, utilizing the reaction channels as a basis to capture the essential cluster characteristics of the system. We investigate the emergence of nuclear clustering in 2α, 2α+n, 2α+2n and 3α systems using a No Core Shell Model approach from first principles, and traditional Shell Model studies of clustering in heavier nuclei.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Kravvaris_fsu_0071E_14611
Format: Thesis

Title: Color of Discipline: Reducing Discipline Disparities through the Use of School-Wide Discipline Programs.
Creator: Toll, Ashley D., Rutledge, Stacy A., Jones, Ithel, Boyle, Helen N., Akiba, Motoko, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and...
Show moreToll, Ashley D., Rutledge, Stacy A., Jones, Ithel, Boyle, Helen N., Akiba, Motoko, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Show less
Abstract/Description: Disparities in school discipline for Black students has been a problem for decades. The negative effects of exclusionary discipline have been well-documented. This problem must be addressed by educational stakeholders in order to take steps to reduce the issue and provide interventions to reduce the disproportionality. Disproportionality in discipline prevents schools from achieving the ultimate goal of fostering positive outcomes for all students. School-Wide Positive Behavioral...
Show moreDisparities in school discipline for Black students has been a problem for decades. The negative effects of exclusionary discipline have been well-documented. This problem must be addressed by educational stakeholders in order to take steps to reduce the issue and provide interventions to reduce the disproportionality. Disproportionality in discipline prevents schools from achieving the ultimate goal of fostering positive outcomes for all students. School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Programs have created a systems-level approach to reducing overall school discipline issues. Some studies have identified SW-PBIS programs that have been able to reduce disparities in secondary schools and increase graduation rates, however, studies of SW-PBIS and disproportionality have overlooked disparities in elementary schools. The present study contributed to the current research base by investigating elementary disparity rates and how schools are using a SW-PBIS system to lower those rates. It also identifies factors that create strong programs successful in reducing disparity rates as well as factors that hinder the success of schools with disparity problems. This qualitative analysis revealed four themes that are critical to the success of a SW-PBIS system in lowering disparity rates: training, finding the root of the negative behavior, high expectations, and support for teachers. Implications for professional development, data tracking, and measuring disproportionality in schools are discussed.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Toll_fsu_0071E_14763
Format: Thesis

Title: Disclosure Regulation and Firm Behavior: The Effects of the Mandated Disclosure of CEO-to-Employee Pay Ratios on CEO Pay.
Creator: Johnson, Tristan B., Morton, Richard M., Cheng, Yingmei, Fendler, Rachel Loveitt, Billings, Bruce K., Zhang, Tianming, Florida State University, College of Business, Department...
Show moreJohnson, Tristan B., Morton, Richard M., Cheng, Yingmei, Fendler, Rachel Loveitt, Billings, Bruce K., Zhang, Tianming, Florida State University, College of Business, Department of Accounting
Show less
Abstract/Description: This study examines whether the mandated disclosure of CEO-to-employee pay ratios motivates firms to curb CEO pay. In July 2010, the U.S. Congress directed the SEC, via Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Act, to enforce a rule that requires firms to disclose the ratio of the CEO’s pay to the median employee’s pay (the “rule”). The SEC proposed the rule in September 2013 and adopted it in August 2015. Though the SEC contends that the rule is intended to benefit shareholders, opponents claim that...
Show moreThis study examines whether the mandated disclosure of CEO-to-employee pay ratios motivates firms to curb CEO pay. In July 2010, the U.S. Congress directed the SEC, via Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Act, to enforce a rule that requires firms to disclose the ratio of the CEO’s pay to the median employee’s pay (the “rule”). The SEC proposed the rule in September 2013 and adopted it in August 2015. Though the SEC contends that the rule is intended to benefit shareholders, opponents claim that the rule is intended to shame firms into reducing CEO pay. I consider the merits of the opponents’ claim and conclude that it is consistent with theory that posits that disclosure mandates can be used to motivate disclosers to behave in a desired way. I then analyze the origins of the rule in light of this theory and conclude that it presents a suitable setting to test the said theory. Based on this conclusion, as well as evidence indicating that firms are likely to incur reputational losses from disclosing pay ratios, I hypothesize that firms that are required to comply with the rule (relative to firms that are not) will curb CEO pay prior to their first pay ratio disclosures. I further hypothesize this relative curb on CEO pay will be greater for firms that are more sensitive to the reputational effects of the rule (i.e., firms that are more susceptible to public scrutiny of pay ratios or adverse stakeholder reactions to pay ratios). While I find no evidence to support the former, I do find evidence to support the latter. In particular, although I find no evidence of a curb on residual CEO pay (i.e., the portion of pay that is not predicted by economic determinants) in response to the SEC’s proposal (or adoption) at the average firm, I do find evidence of a curb in response to the SEC’s proposal (but not adoption) at select firms that are more sensitive to the reputational effects of the rule. This result is important because it shows that, regardless of the rule’s intended objectives, reputational concerns motivate some firms to behave as if the rule shamed them into curbing CEO pay.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Johnson_fsu_0071E_14774
Format: Thesis

Title: Distributed Adaptive Droop Control for Power Management in DC Distribution Systems.
Creator: Perkins, Dallas, Edrington, Christopher S., Ordóñez, Juan Carlos, Foo, Simon Y., Moss, Pedro L., Florida State University, College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and...
Show morePerkins, Dallas, Edrington, Christopher S., Ordóñez, Juan Carlos, Foo, Simon Y., Moss, Pedro L., Florida State University, College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Show less
Abstract/Description: The current trend for naval destroyer-class ships is the move toward DC distribution systems as the next generation of ships is developed. The main motivation for using DC is to increase the power density of the ships to accommodate advanced weaponry such as the electromagnetic railgun. The distribution systems are also expected to be modular and plug-n-play in nature, leading toward a distributed control scheme to integrate the distributed sources and loads that could be online at any given...
Show moreThe current trend for naval destroyer-class ships is the move toward DC distribution systems as the next generation of ships is developed. The main motivation for using DC is to increase the power density of the ships to accommodate advanced weaponry such as the electromagnetic railgun. The distribution systems are also expected to be modular and plug-n-play in nature, leading toward a distributed control scheme to integrate the distributed sources and loads that could be online at any given time. One of the main performance requirements for the future power distribution systems is the ability to accurately share power among the distributed resources on the ship, while also maintaining the voltage stability of the distribution system, often referred to as power management. The primary candidate to accomplish the power management of the ship systems is droop control. Droop control has been extensively studied for terrestrial applications for sharing power between paralleled sources. Specifically, its application to DC microgrids is of interest since islanded microgrids have similar properties to ship systems. In these studies, it has been shown that conventional droop control is limited in its power sharing capabilities due to a tradeoff between the accuracy of the power sharing between devices and the regulation of the bus voltage. Secondary controllers have been proposed to modify the droop control scheme to alleviate these issues based on linear controllers or heuristic methods. However, accurate models for DC microgrids are difficult to derive for linear control design, and heuristic methods do not present an autonomous way to adjust the parameters of the controller. Therefore, adaptive control is proposed to adjust the droop controller’s parameters in an online fashion to find the optimal values based on the system conditions. Model reference adaptive control is chosen in this research for its ability to deal with system uncertainties and ensure stability. Specifically, combined model reference adaptive control is chosen for its improvements in transient response and robustness over the direct and indirect versions. The method is developed and simulated using MATLAB/Simulink to determine the performance of the algorithm. Additionally, a notional MVDC ship power system is developed in the same environment to provide a test system with various distributed sources and loads. A load profile is developed for the main system components such as propulsion, service loads, and the advanced weaponry to reflect a notional battle scenario. The algorithm is first tested in simulation, and then deployed to external distributed controllers to validate the performance of the power management scheme under hardware constraints and communication latency. The algorithm is also demonstrated in conjunction with a management layer for distributed energy storage modules throughout the ship system to further illustrate the real-world viability of the method.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Perkins_fsu_0071E_14716
Format: Thesis

Title: Distributed Energy Management Utilizing Model Predictive Control for Naval Ship Applications.
Creator: Gonsoulin, David E., Clark, Jonathan E., Faruque, Md Omar, Pamidi, Sastry V., Florida State University, College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Abstract/Description: Future Naval vessels are looking to incorporate a new variety of electrical loads. These loads include rail guns, high power radars, electric propulsion drives, and lasers. These loads, especially the rail gun, can be classified as high-power ramp rate loads. Before now, these types of loads were not prevalent on naval vessels; therefore, generators were used throughout the ship to power a multitude of devices that did not require high-power ramp rates. Many of the generators had a specific...
Show moreFuture Naval vessels are looking to incorporate a new variety of electrical loads. These loads include rail guns, high power radars, electric propulsion drives, and lasers. These loads, especially the rail gun, can be classified as high-power ramp rate loads. Before now, these types of loads were not prevalent on naval vessels; therefore, generators were used throughout the ship to power a multitude of devices that did not require high-power ramp rates. Many of the generators had a specific purpose; there were no interconnections between generators. With these new types of loads, a power system that can accommodate these devices is needed. Integrated Power Systems (IPS) look to solve the high-power ramp rate issue as well as provide a multitude of benefits such as efficiency, resiliency, and reconfigurability. The generators, loads, energy storages, protections, etc. will all be located and connected within the IPS. The IPS can provide the foundation to achieve a multitude of benefits; however, the control system must be intelligent in order to realize the IPS’ full potential. Part of the control problem is how to manage sources and loads to ensure load demand is met. In terrestrial systems, the near infinite bus takes care of changes in load demand. In a microgrid, such as those found on ships, a large change in load demand, such as those seen by high-power ramp rate loads, can have adverse effects on the power system and devices connected to the power system. The control must coordinate the sources and/or loads to ensure load demand is met with minimal impact to the system. In this dissertation, the beginnings of a distributed Energy Management control layer are shown. The control layer looks to assist in realizing the IPS’ full potential. This is done by providing a distributed type of control to fortify the resiliency and reliability, ensuring load demand is met, and certifying the energy storages state of charge is maintained to ensure an ever-ready presence. This control layer aims to meet load demand, ensure device constraints (power ratings, ramp rate limitations, etc.) are not exceeded, and maintain the energy storages desired state of charge. The control objective is met through a combined approach of a distributed spinning reserve algorithm and distributed MPC. The distributed MPC utilizes the distributed optimization technique called the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM).
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Gonsoulin_fsu_0071E_14741
Format: Thesis

Title: Donor Attitudes Toward Overhead Costs and the Effects on Nonprofit Organizations.
Creator: Stinn, Joseph L., Isaac, R. Mark, Großer, Jens W., Cooper, David J, Goerg, Sebastian J., Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public...
Show moreStinn, Joseph L., Isaac, R. Mark, Großer, Jens W., Cooper, David J, Goerg, Sebastian J., Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
Show less
Abstract/Description: This dissertation is a collection of essays that explore the topic of overhead costs in the nonprofit sector. There is a tension that exists between donors and nonprofit organizations. Donors dislike their donations going toward overhead costs, preferring their donations be spent on programs. People who work for nonprofit organizations argue that spending on overhead costs is necessary to ensure quality programs. In my first essay, I use a set of classroom experiments to explore peoples’...
Show moreThis dissertation is a collection of essays that explore the topic of overhead costs in the nonprofit sector. There is a tension that exists between donors and nonprofit organizations. Donors dislike their donations going toward overhead costs, preferring their donations be spent on programs. People who work for nonprofit organizations argue that spending on overhead costs is necessary to ensure quality programs. In my first essay, I use a set of classroom experiments to explore peoples’ attitudes toward overhead costs. People dislike overhead costs, including specific costs like fundraising and salaries. When compared directly, people prefer fundraising over salaries. In my second essay, I test in laboratory experiments whether this aversion to overhead costs is robust enough that people will incur a cost to act on it. A substantial number of people are willing to pay for information about overhead costs and subsequently use this information to withhold donations from higher-overhead charities. In my third essay, I test how allocating money between overhead and program expenses impacts the financial success of nonprofit organizations. Allocating money toward overall overhead expenses and administrative expenses lead to increases in contributions, net assets, and the likelihood of survival. Allocating money toward fundraising has the opposite effect.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Stinn_fsu_0071E_14638
Format: Thesis

Title: Design and Implementing Multipurpose Sensor Network for Smart City Monitoring.
Creator: Cai, Donglin, Arghandeh, Reza, Pamidi, Sastry V., Foo, Simon Y., Florida State University, College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Abstract/Description: Weather and Air quality monitoring are very important aspects of smart city management. As population increase in the cities, the emission of pollutants includes Carbone Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone and the Particulate matter will increase which will cause health and environmental issue. This paper is about developing a low-cost Urban sensors box based on Internet of Things. The Urban box is equipped with 4G/3G wireless communication which allows the wide range of mobility around the...
Show moreWeather and Air quality monitoring are very important aspects of smart city management. As population increase in the cities, the emission of pollutants includes Carbone Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone and the Particulate matter will increase which will cause health and environmental issue. This paper is about developing a low-cost Urban sensors box based on Internet of Things. The Urban box is equipped with 4G/3G wireless communication which allows the wide range of mobility around the city. The Urban Sensor box is a collaborative work to monitor real-time data of the city’s environment, infrastructure, and activities. All these data will be provided to understand the interconnected behavior of different tangible networks of the urban environment.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_CAI_fsu_0071N_14789
Format: Thesis

Title: Developing a Local Brand through the Understanding of Sense of Place.
Creator: Wallstedt, Sarah M. (Sarah Marie), Fishburne, Kenan A, Dawkins, Jim, Ransdell, Marlo E, Florida State University, College of Fine Arts, Department of Interior Design
Abstract/Description: Distinguishing a company or product through a brand has become increasingly significant as competition and similarity of products have amplified. Fundamental brands, still in existence today, characterized the forward-thinking that has led to the use of business branding to distinguish a product or service. This branding became based on the connection the brand would form by knowing the consumer in order to offer not only functional but also emotional value. Over time the emotional value...
Show moreDistinguishing a company or product through a brand has become increasingly significant as competition and similarity of products have amplified. Fundamental brands, still in existence today, characterized the forward-thinking that has led to the use of business branding to distinguish a product or service. This branding became based on the connection the brand would form by knowing the consumer in order to offer not only functional but also emotional value. Over time the emotional value would create a lifelong relationship between brand and customers, making top brands now global household names throughout America (de Swaan Arons, 2011). The downside is that globalized branding can create a lack of individuality that can diminish the identity consumers feel while experiencing the brand (Park & Petrick, 2006). Maintaining identity within a local community is essential because invested individuals are more likely to participate in volunteering and civic engagement, leading them to develop a greater sense of local pride (Tiesdell, Oc, & Heath, 1996). This project explores the role local branding plays within a location’s sense of place and how it impacts the community’s identity and feeling of place attachment. The final solution is the design of a hospitality food and beverage venue tailored to the needs of the local users and their desire for a sense of place. The project is placed in a heritage building in Savannah, Georgia. The research included both a qualitative and quantitative focus group study which examined how understanding sense of place can lead to the creation of a local brand. This method involved a one-hour focus group study, which was comprised of members of the Savannah Chamber of Commerce who were primary stakeholders in the community. The principal investigator developed three distinct branding packages that were utilized for this research. The brand package designs were founded on theory adapted from Kwon’s (1998) four principles of sense of place. The survey questions addressed the site location, building type, space function, fare, and pricing and how these factors of location were informed by the four principles of sense of place: criticality, authenticity, site-specificity, and inclusivity. This focus group method allowed members of the group to interact and influence each other during the discussion. The research obtained through the focus group study was analyzed by the principal investigator to produce qualitative and quantitative data. The audio portion of the study was transcribed and allowed the principal investigator to revisit and glean data from the discussion portion of the focus group study. The questionnaire responses were coded by the principal investigator and analyzed against the four principles of sense of place. The data revealed that participants gravitated towards designs that felt humanistic and appeared to have been crafted by hand. There were nuanced differences in the general perception of the brand packages. Common themes which emerged from the study informed design guidelines that assisted the principal investigator in creating a local brand for a food and beverage hospitality project, located in a heritage building that supports sense of place.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Wallstedt_fsu_0071N_14799
Format: Thesis

Title: A Sanctifying Myth: The Syriac History of John in Its Social, Literary, and Theological Context.
Creator: Lollar, Jacob A. (Jacob Aaron), Kelley, Nicole, Slaveva-Griffin, Svetla, Levenson, David B, Goff, Matthew J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department...
Show moreLollar, Jacob A. (Jacob Aaron), Kelley, Nicole, Slaveva-Griffin, Svetla, Levenson, David B, Goff, Matthew J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Religion
Show less
Abstract/Description: This dissertation consists of two parts. The first part is a compiled Syriac text and English translation of a fourth-century document from Edessa known as the History of John, which appears in the appendix of this project. This original Syriac narrative traces the acts of the apostle John the son of Zebedee in the city of Ephesus. I have combined all extant Syriac witnesses and have updated the old English translation from the nineteenth century. The second part—which is the main body of...
Show moreThis dissertation consists of two parts. The first part is a compiled Syriac text and English translation of a fourth-century document from Edessa known as the History of John, which appears in the appendix of this project. This original Syriac narrative traces the acts of the apostle John the son of Zebedee in the city of Ephesus. I have combined all extant Syriac witnesses and have updated the old English translation from the nineteenth century. The second part—which is the main body of this project—consists of the first detailed analysis of the text since its publication in 1871. I argue that the narrative originated in fourth-century Edessa and is a product of a Nicene Christian community in a struggle with other religious traditions in the city. Using Bruce Lincoln’s theories of myth, I argue that the History of John should be understood as an ideological narrative that attempted to establish the primacy and authority of Nicene Christianity as the only true religion at Edessa. In particular, the narrative targets groups like Manichaeans and the cult of Atargatis in establishing the dominance of Nicene Christianity over these groups and their traditions. The authors of the History of John sanctified early traditions about the apostle and invented a new history for Edessa, situating themselves and the Nicene community at the center.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Lollar_fsu_0071E_14668
Format: Thesis

Title: Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a Naturalistic Home Setting Using the Systematic Observation of Red Flags (SORF) at 18-24 Months.
Creator: Dow, Deanna, Wetherby, Amy M., Flynn, Heather A., Hart, Sara, Meyer, Alexandria, Kistner, Janet, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: The purpose of the present study is to examine the utility of the Systematic Observation of Red Flags (SORF; Dow et al., 2016) as a level two screener for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in toddlers when applied to a naturalistic video-recorded home observation. Psychometric properties of the SORF Home were examined in a sample of 228 participants (84 with ASD, 82 developmental delayed, 62 typically developing). Individual items were examined for performance and an algorithm was created with...
Show moreThe purpose of the present study is to examine the utility of the Systematic Observation of Red Flags (SORF; Dow et al., 2016) as a level two screener for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in toddlers when applied to a naturalistic video-recorded home observation. Psychometric properties of the SORF Home were examined in a sample of 228 participants (84 with ASD, 82 developmental delayed, 62 typically developing). Individual items were examined for performance and an algorithm was created with improved sensitivity and specificity, yielding a total Composite score comprised of six items: Poor eye gaze directed to faces, Limited showing and pointing, Limited coordination of nonverbal communication, Less interest in people than objects, Repetitive use of objects, and Excessive interest in particular objects, actions, or activities. Codes indicating clear symptom presence were collapsed to yield a count of the Number of Red Flags (RF). RF scores and Domain totals were also examined for each ASD symptom domain. The Composite provides the briefest measure with optimal performance, while the RF may be preferable for clinicians who are interested in the presence of a full range of clinically significant symptoms. The SORF Home provides a practical alternative to currently available screening methods, demonstrating efficacy when administered by non-experts and applied to a naturalistic setting in a diverse primary care sample.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Dow_fsu_0071E_14675
Format: Thesis

Title: The Search for N* Resonances: Measurement of Differential Cross Sections and Polarization Observables for γp → pω and γp → K0Σ+ Using Circularly-Polarized Photons at CLAS, Jefferson Lab.
Creator: Akbar, Zulkaida, Crede, Volker, Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Piekarewicz, Jorge, Eugenio, Paul Michael, Adams, Todd, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of...
Show moreAkbar, Zulkaida, Crede, Volker, Meyer-Bäse, Anke, Piekarewicz, Jorge, Eugenio, Paul Michael, Adams, Todd, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics
Show less
Abstract/Description: The study of baryon resonances offers a deeper understanding of the strong interaction, since the dynamics and relevant degrees of freedom hidden within them are reflected by the properties of these states. The baryon resonances have been fairly accurately predicted in the low-energy region by constituent quark models and lattice quantum chromodynamics. However, most of the predicted higher-lying excited resonances (center-of-mass energies above 1.7 GeV/c²) and experimental findings do not...
Show moreThe study of baryon resonances offers a deeper understanding of the strong interaction, since the dynamics and relevant degrees of freedom hidden within them are reflected by the properties of these states. The baryon resonances have been fairly accurately predicted in the low-energy region by constituent quark models and lattice quantum chromodynamics. However, most of the predicted higher-lying excited resonances (center-of-mass energies above 1.7 GeV/c²) and experimental findings do not match up. The model calculations predict more baryon resonances than have been experimentally observed. Quark model calculations have suggested that some of the unobserved resonances couple strongly to γp reactions. The higher-lying excited are also generally predicted to have strong couplings to final states involving a heavier meson, e.g. one of the vector mesons, ρ, ω, ϕ. The excited states of the nucleon are usually found as broadly overlapping resonances, which may decay into a multitude of finasl states involving mesons and baryons. Polarization observables make it possible to isolate singleresonance contributions from other interference terms. This works presents measurements of the helicity asymmetry, E, for the reaction γp → pω in the energy range 1.1 GeV < Eγ < 2.3 GeV, differential cross sections, and spin density matrix elements, also for the reaction γp → pω in the energy range 1.5 GeV < Eγ < 5.4 GeV. Photoproduction of nucleon resonances in their decay to strange particles also offers attractive possibilities because the strange quark in the particle generates another degree of freedom and gives additional information not available from the nucleon-nucleon scattering. Thus, we have also extracted the helicity asymmetry, E, for the reaction γp → K⁰Σ⁺ in the energy range 1.1 GeV < Eγ < 2.1 GeV, differential cross sections, and recoil hyperon polarization, P, also for the reaction γp → K⁰Σ⁺ in the energy range 1.15 GeV < Eγ < 3.0 GeV. The data were collected at Jefferson Lab, using the CLAS detector, as part of the g9a and g12 experiments. Both experiments, as part of the N* spectroscopy program at Jefferson Laboratory, accumulated photoproduction data using circularly-polarized photons incident on a longitudinally-polarized butanol target in the g9a experiment and un-polarized liquid hydrogen target for the g12 experiment. A partial-wave analysis to the E data for the reaction γp → pω within the Bonn-Gatchina framework found dominant contributions from the 3/2⁺ near threshold, which is identified with the sub-treshold N(1720)3/2⁺ resonance. Some additional resonances and the t-channel π and pomeron exchange are needed to describe the data.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Akbar_fsu_0071E_14714
Format: Thesis

Title: Spin Transport in Silicon Nanowires with an Intrinsic Axial Doping Gradient.
Creator: Kountouriotis, Konstantinos, Xiong, Peng, Lenhert, Steven John, Hill, S., Crede, Volker, Schlottmann, Pedro U., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show moreKountouriotis, Konstantinos, Xiong, Peng, Lenhert, Steven John, Hill, S., Crede, Volker, Schlottmann, Pedro U., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics
Show less
Abstract/Description: This dissertation is focused on electrical spin injection and detection at the nanoscale dimensions that semiconductor nanowires offer. Semiconductor spintronics is the natural extension of metallic spintronics for applications in semiconductor industry. After the tremendous impact of the giant magnetoresistance effect (GMR) in hard disk read heads, semiconductor spintronics has been thought as the key ingredient for the realization of spin field-effect transistors (Spin-FETs). The advantages...
Show moreThis dissertation is focused on electrical spin injection and detection at the nanoscale dimensions that semiconductor nanowires offer. Semiconductor spintronics is the natural extension of metallic spintronics for applications in semiconductor industry. After the tremendous impact of the giant magnetoresistance effect (GMR) in hard disk read heads, semiconductor spintronics has been thought as the key ingredient for the realization of spin field-effect transistors (Spin-FETs). The advantages of spintronic devices would include non-volatility, enhanced data processing speeds, decreased electric power consumption and facilitation of quantum computation. The primary goal of this research is to study spin dynamics and spin-polarized transport in semiconductor nanowire (NW) channels, specifically in phosphorus (P) doped silicon (Si) nanowires (NWs). The interest in one-dimensional (1D) nanoscopic devices is driven by the rich spin-dependent physics quantum confinement engenders, and the eventual miniaturization of the spintronic devices down to nanoscales. One of the most important aspects to achieve efficient spin injection from a ferromagnet (FM) into a semiconductor (SC) is the interface between the two materials. This study is focused primarily on this effect and how it can be tuned. In this work, we peform systematic spin transport measurements on a unique type of P-doped Si NWs which exhibit an inherent doping gradient along the axial direction. On a single NW, we place a series of FM electrodes, which form contacts that evolve from Ohmic-like to Schottky barriers of increasing heights and widths due to the pronounced doping gradient. This facilitates rigorous investigation of the dependence of the spin signal on the nature of the FM/SC interface. The advantage of using a single NW to study the afformentioned effects is that possible complications during the fabrication process are minimized compared to experiments that use multiple different devices to perform such experiments. 2-terminal (2T), nonlocal 4-terminal (4T) and 3-terminal (3T) spin valve (SV) measurements using different configurations of FM electrodes were performed on the Si NWs. In addition, 3T and nonlocal 4T Hanle measurements were performed. The collected data reveal distinct correlations between the spin signals and the injector and detector interfacial properties. These results were possible due to the unique inhomogeneous doping profile of our Si NWs. This study reveals a distinct correlation between the spin signals and the FM/Si NW injector interfacial properties. Specifically, we observe a decreasing injected current spin polarization due to diminishing contribution of the d-electrons, thus the necessary tunneling contact for efficient spin injection and its properties are being investigated and analyzed. The results demonstrate that there is an optimal window of interface resistance parameters for maximum injected current spin polarization. In addition, they suggest a new approach for maximizing the spin signals by making devices with asymmetric interfaces. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of electrical spin injection in SC channels with asymmetric interfaces.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Kountouriotis_fsu_0071E_14593
Format: Thesis

Title: Selective Disclosure in Self-Reported Suicide Risk Screening.
Creator: Podlogar, Matthew C., Joiner, Thomas, Taylor, John, Plant, Ashby, Schmidt, Norman B., Sachs-Ericsson, Natalie J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences,...
Show morePodlogar, Matthew C., Joiner, Thomas, Taylor, John, Plant, Ashby, Schmidt, Norman B., Sachs-Ericsson, Natalie J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Show less
Abstract/Description: Reliance on self-reported screening for suicide risk may be contributing to a lack of progress in suicide prevention, in part, because of limitations related to stigma, ambivalence, and deception in responding. One change to potentially mitigate these issues and improve screening effectiveness is to allow for explicit selective disclosure of information, specifically by including a “prefer not to disclose” option in screening items. This study aimed to achieve the following: (1) investigate...
Show moreReliance on self-reported screening for suicide risk may be contributing to a lack of progress in suicide prevention, in part, because of limitations related to stigma, ambivalence, and deception in responding. One change to potentially mitigate these issues and improve screening effectiveness is to allow for explicit selective disclosure of information, specifically by including a “prefer not to disclose” option in screening items. This study aimed to achieve the following: (1) investigate whether selective disclosure is a valid and reliable construct of suicide risk among high risk populations, (2) identify causal mechanisms and moderators of selective disclosure, and (3) investigate the relationship between selective disclosure and death/suicide implicit association (d/s-IAT). These aims were investigated using online self-report surveys across three independent samples of adults in higher-risk and lower help-seeking populations, and who reported high current distress: Military and veterans (n = 135), men over age 50, (n = 187), and LGBTQ young adults (n = 140). Across groups, results indicated that selective disclosure was highly specific to individuals who reported higher risk for suicide, and was prevalent in approximately one out of four participants who endorsed some level of suicide risk. Above and beyond explicit report of suicide risk, reported inaccuracy of risk disclosure, low help seeking, and hopelessness were the only predictors significantly associated with selective disclosure across all groups. Qualitative results also highlighted the importance of “mistrust,” “misunderstanding,” and “fear of stigmatized consequences” as drivers for selective disclosure. Personality traits and mode of assessment did not appear to affect likelihood for selective disclosure. Implicit association to death/suicide was significantly associated with explicit report of suicide risk across all groups, but was not associated with selective disclosure. These results suggest that adding explicit selective disclosure choices to suicide risk screening items is unlikely to substantially increase screening sensitivity, as nearly all selective disclosers self-reported elevated suicide risk. However, allowing for and evaluating explicit selective disclosure among suicide risk reporters may provide useful information for risk assessment and follow-up, and preemptively addressing drivers for selective disclosure before or during suicide risk screening may increase screening effectiveness.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Podlogar_fsu_0071E_14699
Format: Thesis

Title: Social Legacy of the Olympic Games from a Social Innovation Perspective.
Creator: Kim, Sanghoon, Kim, Amy C. H., Newman, Joshua I., Xue, Hanhan, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Sport Management
Abstract/Description: Recently, cities that bid for hosting the Olympic Games have withdrawn due to public referendums and lack of political support. Although the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) efforts to underline the importance of the Olympic legacy at a series of symposiums such as “The legacy of the Olympic Games 1984-2000” and the “Olympic Agenda of 2020”, numerous media platforms and studies have presented the negative consequences of hosting the Olympics. Compared to other legacies, the social...
Show moreRecently, cities that bid for hosting the Olympic Games have withdrawn due to public referendums and lack of political support. Although the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) efforts to underline the importance of the Olympic legacy at a series of symposiums such as “The legacy of the Olympic Games 1984-2000” and the “Olympic Agenda of 2020”, numerous media platforms and studies have presented the negative consequences of hosting the Olympics. Compared to other legacies, the social legacy of the Olympics was relatively overlooked until recently. Although the IOC has set objectives to uphold the positive aspects of its social legacy, the development of practical strategies to address the socially-driven issues caused by hosting the Olympics still remains as a challenge to overcome. In efforts to fill this gap, the purpose of this study is to analyze the current process and evaluation system for the Olympic social legacy based on the frame of newspaper coverage, as well as discussing the strategies on how to achieve social innovation through the Olympic Games based on the SIOG model. I employed the media framing as the theoretical framework and conduct a content analysis of newspaper coverage in the U.S, The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post published between 1990 and 2016. The frame found in newspaper articles about the Olympic social legacy in the present study enabled me to investigate how the residents of the host city have experienced the social legacy of the Olympic Games and the problems behind the current process (Entman, 1993; Misener, 2012). In addition, the result of the analysis provided implications of how the Olympic social legacy needs to be planned and managed based on the SIOG model (Entman, 1993; Misener, 2012). The frames identified from the newspaper coverage revealed that there was a gap between the resident’s needs and actual provisions provided by hosting the Olympic Games. Overall, the social legacies planned by the organizers and committees did not work effectively before, during, and after the Olympic Games. In addition, By applying the social innovation framework to the social legacy of the Olympic Games, hosting the Olympic Games will provide solutions for problems focusing on needs that are unmet, which can resolve these various problems and make the integrated society sustainable.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Kim_fsu_0071N_14655
Format: Thesis

Title: Sensor Systems and Signal Processing Algorithms for Wireless Applications.
Creator: Mukherjee, Avishek, Zhang, Zhenghao, Yu, Ming, Kumar, Piyush, Liu, Xiuwen, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Computer Science
Abstract/Description: The demand for high performance wireless networks and systems have become increasingly high over the last decade. This dissertation addresses three systems that were designed to improving the efficiency, reliability and security of wireless systems. To improve the efficiency and reliability of wireless systems, we propose two algorithms, namely CSIFit and CSIApx, to compress the Channel State Information (CSI) of Wi-Fi networks with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and...
Show moreThe demand for high performance wireless networks and systems have become increasingly high over the last decade. This dissertation addresses three systems that were designed to improving the efficiency, reliability and security of wireless systems. To improve the efficiency and reliability of wireless systems, we propose two algorithms, namely CSIFit and CSIApx, to compress the Channel State Information (CSI) of Wi-Fi networks with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO). We evaluated these systems with both experimental and synthesized CSI data. Our work on CSIApx confirmed that we can achieve very good compression ratios with very little loss accuracy, at a fraction of the complexity needed in current state-of-the-art compression methods. The second system is sensor based application to reliably detect falls inside homes. A automatic fall detection system has tremendous value to the well-being of seniors living alone. We design and implement MultiSense, a novel fall detection system, which has the following desirable features. First, it does not require the human to wear any device, therefore is convenient to seniors. Second, it has been tested in typical settings including living rooms and bathrooms, and has shown very good accuracy. Third, it is built with inexpensive components, with expected hardware cost around $150 to cover a typical room. MultiSense does not require any training data and is comparatively non-invasive than similar systems. Our evaluation showed that MultiSense achieved no False Negatives, i.e., was able to detect falls accurately each time, while producing no False Positives in a daily use test. Therefore, we believe MultiSense can be used to accurately detect human falls and can be extremely helpful to seniors living alone. Lastly, TBAS is a spoof detection method designed to improve the security of wireless networks. TBAS is based on two facts: 1) different transmitting locations likely result in different wireless channels, and 2) the drift in channel state information within a short time interval should be bounded. We proposed and implemented TBAS on Microsoft's SORA platform as well as commodity wireless cards and tested it's performance in typical Wi-Fi environments with different levels of channel mobility. Our results show that TBAS can be very accurate when running on 3 by 2 systems and above, i.e., TBAS on MIMO has a very low false positive error ratio, where a false positive event occurs when two packets from the same user are misclassified as from different users, while also maintaining a very low false negative ratio of 0.1%, where a false negative event occurs when two packets from different users are misclassified as from the same user. We believe our experimental findings can be used as a guideline for future systems that will deploy TBAS.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Mukherjee_fsu_0071E_14750
Format: Thesis

Title: The Social Identity of Partisanship: Measuring the "Identity" in Party Identification.
Creator: Langley, Dennis Franklin, Gomez, Brad T., Plant, Ashby, Pietryka, Matthew T., Jackson, Robert A., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreLangley, Dennis Franklin, Gomez, Brad T., Plant, Ashby, Pietryka, Matthew T., Jackson, Robert A., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Political Science
Show less
Abstract/Description: Party identification is perhaps the central concept in political science. It has appeared in countless theories and empirical analyses across the political science literature. Party identification was originally conceived as a psychological attachment to the political parties but recent evidence shows that the standard measure for party identification, the NES measure, confounds group identity and group attitude. I show that party social identity, a direct measure of group identity, explains...
Show moreParty identification is perhaps the central concept in political science. It has appeared in countless theories and empirical analyses across the political science literature. Party identification was originally conceived as a psychological attachment to the political parties but recent evidence shows that the standard measure for party identification, the NES measure, confounds group identity and group attitude. I show that party social identity, a direct measure of group identity, explains variation in candidate preferences in political primaries where the standard measure of party identification cannot. I also show that machine learning can be used to predict party social identity in surveys that did not directly measure it, and that these predictions can be used to revisit empirical analyses and reevaluate inferences related to party identification. Finally, I show that changes in the NES measure of party identification may be due to changes in either the group attitude or the group identity component and that retrospective evaluations, commonly used to explain changes in party identification, are only associated with changes in the group attitude component of the NES measure.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Langley_fsu_0071E_14761
Format: Thesis

Title: The Role of Oxytocin: Social Exclusion and Suicidal Behavior.
Creator: Chu, Carol, Joiner, Thomas, Kirby, David, Hammock, Elizabeth Anne Dunn, Li, Wen, Cougle, Jesse R., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Background: Social exclusion is a robust correlate of suicidal ideation and behavior. However, there is little research examining the biological factors contributing to the link between social exclusion and suicide risk. Prior research has indicated that oxytocin, an important modulating neuropeptide in the regulation of social interactions, protects against the negative effects of social exclusion by motivating social behavior in excluded individuals. In non-psychiatric controls, oxytocin...
Show moreBackground: Social exclusion is a robust correlate of suicidal ideation and behavior. However, there is little research examining the biological factors contributing to the link between social exclusion and suicide risk. Prior research has indicated that oxytocin, an important modulating neuropeptide in the regulation of social interactions, protects against the negative effects of social exclusion by motivating social behavior in excluded individuals. In non-psychiatric controls, oxytocin levels and desires to affiliate with others increase in response to feelings of loneliness and social exclusion; however, in individuals with psychiatric disorders that are associated with serious suicide-related symptoms, oxytocin levels decrease in response to social exclusion. This suggests that dysregulated oxytocin functioning may be a correlate of suicidal behavior among socially excluded, at-risk individuals. However, crucially, no studies have examined this potential association. Aims: This study examined whether individuals with and without a history of suicide attempts differ in their oxytocin levels and desires to affiliate with others at baseline and following social exclusion. Methods: Young adults (N = 100) with and without prior attempts completed Cyberball, a computerized, social exclusion paradigm. Prior to and approximately 10 minutes after Cyberball, blood samples and levels of self-reported desires to affiliate with others, thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness were obtained. Data were analyzed using one-way MANOVAs and two-way mixed design ANCOVAs. Results: No group differences emerged at baseline. Although no main effects emerged, a significant group by time interaction effect emerged such that among suicide attempters, desires to affiliate and oxytocin levels significantly decreased following social exclusion. Among depressed and healthy controls, desires to affiliate and oxytocin levels increased following exclusion. There were no significant changes in thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness across groups following exclusion. Conclusions: Overall, our findings suggest that dysregulated oxytocin levels in response to social exclusion may be a correlate of suicide risk.
Show less
Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: 2018_Su_Chu_fsu_0071E_13706
Format: Thesis

Title: Sensor Fault Detection and Isolation in Power Systems.
Creator: Yang, Huawei, Edrington, Christopher S., Ordóñez, Juan Carlos, Moss, Pedro L., Foo, Simon Y., Florida State University, College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and...
Show moreYang, Huawei, Edrington, Christopher S., Ordóñez, Juan Carlos, Moss, Pedro L., Foo, Simon Y., Florida State University, College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Show less
Abstract/Description: In large-scale power systems, the integration of intelligent monitoring system increases the system resiliency and the control robustness. For example, sensor monitoring allows to automatically supervise the health of sensors and detect sensor failures without relying on hardware redundancy, and hence, it will further reduce the cost of monitoring systems in power systems. Sensor failure is critical in smart grids, where controllers rely on healthy measurements from different sensors to...
Show moreIn large-scale power systems, the integration of intelligent monitoring system increases the system resiliency and the control robustness. For example, sensor monitoring allows to automatically supervise the health of sensors and detect sensor failures without relying on hardware redundancy, and hence, it will further reduce the cost of monitoring systems in power systems. Sensor failure is critical in smart grids, where controllers rely on healthy measurements from different sensors to determine all kinds of operations. Current literature review shows that most of the researchers focus on control and management side of smart grids, assuming the information control centers or agencies get from sensors is accurate. However, when sensor failure happens, missing data and/or bad data can flow into control and management systems, which may lead to potential malfunction or even power system failures. This brings the need for Sensor Fault Detection and Isolation (SFDI), to eliminate this potential threat. The integration of the SFDI into monitoring systems will allow avoiding the contingencies due to fault data, and therefore increases the system resiliency and the control robustness. Hardware redundancy is the common solution for SFDI. By placing multiple sensors in the same position, the control center can then rely on redundant sensors when one is broken or inaccurate. Apparently, this method will increase the cost significantly when applying to large power systems. Analytical redundancy, on the contrary, a quantitative method built from power system models, is a more promising solution. It does not necessarily require hardware redundancy and hence can lower the cost. With an appropriate number of sensors placed in strategic locations, the algorithm can then automatically detect sensor failures without the need of extra redundant sensors. Furthermore, SFDI together with intelligent sensor optimization and placement will also facilitate the transfer of conventional central grid control to distributed decision making agencies with minimum computation and communication burden for each branch, and thus, it will enhance the system performance and resiliency. In this dissertation, a comprehensive review over the state-of-the-art FDI methodologies is given at first, then a proposed algorithm to determine the optimal location of computation agents is introduced, which serves as a guide for the SFDI algorithm implementation explained right after. The results of the algorithms indicated promising application in power system monitoring.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Yang_fsu_0071E_14730
Format: Thesis

Title: Exploring the Role of the Directed Motivational Currents on the Persian Heritage Language Learners' Success.
Creator: Mansouri, Soheil, Cappuccio, Brenda L., Southerland, Sherry A., Jakubowski, Elizabeth M., Florida State University, College of Education, School of Teacher Education
Abstract/Description: The phenomenon of Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) (Dörnyei et al., 2014) is described as a period of intense motivational drive in pursuit of a highly-desired personal goal and vision. A DMC is thoroughly different from other motivational behaviors or ideal forms of engagements that already are recognized in the literature; and “being in the zone” (Dörnyei et al., 2014) is easily visible to individuals around the person experiencing a DMC. Focusing on periods of different motives and...
Show moreThe phenomenon of Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) (Dörnyei et al., 2014) is described as a period of intense motivational drive in pursuit of a highly-desired personal goal and vision. A DMC is thoroughly different from other motivational behaviors or ideal forms of engagements that already are recognized in the literature; and “being in the zone” (Dörnyei et al., 2014) is easily visible to individuals around the person experiencing a DMC. Focusing on periods of different motives and motivational orientations experienced by heritage language learners of Persian in Startalk summer programs in 2014 and 2015, the current study investigates a) how the components of the DMCs (Dörnyei et al., 2016) are presented into the curricula and lesson/learning plans of Startalk Persian programs, and b) whether these components can explain the success of Persian heritage language learners at this program. The results revealed that the curricula and lesson/learning plans of the Startalk 2014 and 2015 summer programs consisted of the explicit and implicit five components of Group DMCs (Dörnyei et al., 2016). In addition, none of the participants in the program thoroughly experienced the five components of the DMC. However, the existence of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation (Deci & Ryan, 1985), integrative and instrumental orientations (Gardner & Lambert,1972), and positive progress feedback (Dörnyei et al., 2016) from parents and relatives at home and in the community have led to proficiency in Persian language. The results indicate that the framework of DMCs (Dörnyei et al., 2014) might fail to fit in the context of Persian heritage language learners in this study because all the learners relied on their extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, along with integrative and instrumental orientations in pursuit of their heritage language, and did so without experiencing any DMCs. The results and implications will be discussed with reference to the literature.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Mansouri_fsu_0071E_14676
Format: Thesis

Title: Expressions of Integrity: Baroque Flute Players Reflect on Early Music.
Creator: Clapper, Laura M., Amsler, Eva, Clary, Richard, Ohlsson, Eric Paul, Keesecker, Jeff, Eyerly, Sarah, Florida State University, College of Music, College of Music
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this treatise is to reframe the concept of "being authentic" as "expressing integrity," both in the context of early music performance and as a way to discuss the personal expression of the self. The culture of the early music movement in the twentieth century provides an interesting case study for understanding how a modern notion of authenticity impacted the beliefs, value system, and identity of early music's invested groups and individuals. "Expressing integrity" is a new...
Show moreThe purpose of this treatise is to reframe the concept of "being authentic" as "expressing integrity," both in the context of early music performance and as a way to discuss the personal expression of the self. The culture of the early music movement in the twentieth century provides an interesting case study for understanding how a modern notion of authenticity impacted the beliefs, value system, and identity of early music's invested groups and individuals. "Expressing integrity" is a new semantic model that better represents the process of musical performance as well as the unique experience of the individual. While authenticity in early music implies an extra-personal and extra-musical set of standards that limits personal expression in the music-making process, "expressing integrity" values each unique interpretation and performance as only one facet of an individual's personal experience. In this way, "expressing integrity" as a concept is not limited to early music but is also applicable to other areas of performance and creative expression. This treatise strives to define authenticity, identify its limitations, and re-cite authenticity to the individual as an expression of integrity. More specifically, this project aims to highlight the experiences of Baroque flute players from different generations of the early music movement and to create empathy for the processes of becoming an early music specialist. Three Baroque flute players contributed to this project: Stephen Preston, Jed Wentz, and Sarah Paysnick. Each of these flutists began his/her career at different times, and their early music training took place in three different countries. The first half of this treatise defines the philosophical concepts of sincerity and authenticity in the context of twentieth-century modernist thought. This also includes unpacking the language and mindset regarding authenticity within the context of the early music movement, discussing the moral implications of the "Authenticity Debate," and describing the "authentic" performance-practice principles central to the early music revival. Expressing integrity emerges from an understanding of the objective and subjective dimensions in early music performance and aims to re-cite authenticity to the individual. The second half of this treatise presents the three interviews with the Baroque flutists as discrete chapters. The interviews represent individual expressions of integrity and are reflections of these Baroque flute players' experiences as early music professionals. Through the interview process, Preston, Wentz, and Paysnick share their insight and wisdom on topics relevant to the practice of early music while contemplating its future trajectory.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Clapper_fsu_0071E_14607
Format: Thesis

Title: Essays on Asymmetric Information and Insurance Policy.
Creator: Bedsworth, Fredrick Travis, Holcombe, Randall G., Born, Patricia, Isaac, R. Mark, Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy,...
Show moreBedsworth, Fredrick Travis, Holcombe, Randall G., Born, Patricia, Isaac, R. Mark, Kitchens, Carl T., Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
Show less
Abstract/Description: Due to the rollout of provisions from the Affordable Care Act beginning in 2010 there has been significant interest in the effects of health insurance, and more broadly, the effects of health insurance policy on individuals and firms. Using empirical and experimental methods, I investigate the impact of insurance and insurance policy on individuals and firms. More specifically, I am interested in the behavioral impacts of health insurance and of the impacts of insurance in general on...
Show moreDue to the rollout of provisions from the Affordable Care Act beginning in 2010 there has been significant interest in the effects of health insurance, and more broadly, the effects of health insurance policy on individuals and firms. Using empirical and experimental methods, I investigate the impact of insurance and insurance policy on individuals and firms. More specifically, I am interested in the behavioral impacts of health insurance and of the impacts of insurance in general on individuals. Further, I am interested in studying the impact of insurance mandates on businesses. To study these issues I use health data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, experimental data generated from an experiment my co-authors and I conducted at Florida State University, and employment data from the Current Population Survey
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Bedsworth_fsu_0071E_14771
Format: Thesis

Title: Essays on Entry Regulation and the Non-Profit Sector.
Creator: Duff, Joseph A., Isaac, R. Mark, Großer, Jens W., Fournier, Gary M., Pevnitskaya, Svetlana A, Semykina, Anastasia, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and...
Show moreDuff, Joseph A., Isaac, R. Mark, Großer, Jens W., Fournier, Gary M., Pevnitskaya, Svetlana A, Semykina, Anastasia, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Economics
Show less
Abstract/Description: In first two chapters of this dissertation, I examine the effects of Certificate-of-Need (CON) regulation on technological investment and prices, and also examine decisions about service provision in hospitals and other non-profit services. CON regulation provides state authority to restrict major capital investments as a way of reducing costs. CON regulation was initially implemented at the federal level in 1972, and while falling out of favor in 1981, 34 states including Florida have a...
Show moreIn first two chapters of this dissertation, I examine the effects of Certificate-of-Need (CON) regulation on technological investment and prices, and also examine decisions about service provision in hospitals and other non-profit services. CON regulation provides state authority to restrict major capital investments as a way of reducing costs. CON regulation was initially implemented at the federal level in 1972, and while falling out of favor in 1981, 34 states including Florida have a state-wide CON program in place as of 2017. The purpose of CON regulation is to address this surplus of equipment by requiring that new purchases of equipment and providing new services be subject to prior approval from CON authorities, automatically for some key types of operations and for others if the costs exceed the capital threshold. Hospitals must demonstrate to the CON board that the equipment serves a community need or unmet demand; if successful, they may be granted a Certificate of Need to purchase the new equipment. It is reasonable to believe that services that are subject to CON regulation are offered less often than unregulated services. I examine how this process affects the supply of technology in the first chapter. One major argument against CON laws is that they restrict competition and keep prices high. In the second chapter, I examine whether the technology restrictions of CON regulation result in higher prices and market power. In the third chapter of the dissertation, I look at another issue affecting non-profit firms; the issue of overhead expenses. Overhead expenses are defined as any expense that does not count as directly contributing to the program. There is evidence that many potential donors dislike paying for overhead costs, even though they are vital to the operational abilities of a nonprofit. I empirically test how overhead expenses affect a nonprofit's financial success as well as its survival rate. For the first chapter of the dissertation, the chapter is co-authored with Gary Fournier. Our collaboration involved a great deal of joint effort at every phase of research. Gary Fournier supervised in the design of the project, discussing sampling issues, identifying data sources and limitations, and helped suggest empirical strategies. My contribution was to carry out the empirical analysis and the full written report. For the third chapter of the dissertation, the chapter is co-authored with Joseph Stinn. His contributions to the project are the motivation, the literature review, the idea to analyze survival rates of nonprofits, and the idea to use liabilities as an instrument. My main contributions are the theoretical model, and the empirical strategies. We jointly carried out the data collection, empirical analysis and the written report.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Duff_fsu_0071E_14752
Format: Thesis

Title: Essays on Mergers and Acquisitions.
Creator: Rosenblum, Aaron, Cheng, Yingmei, Fendler, Rachel Loveitt, Zuehlke, Thomas W., Autore, Donald M., Liu, Baixiao, Florida State University, College of Business, Department of Finance
Abstract/Description: We use increases and decreases in the ranking scores of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies to test the proposition that media shocks can increase (decrease) the value of a manager’s reputational capital and, thus, enhance (diminish) his power to extract corporate resources for private benefit at the expense of shareholders. Consistent with the proposition increases (decreases) in scores are associated with stock price decreases (increases). And, CEOs whose firms experience increases (reductions...
Show moreWe use increases and decreases in the ranking scores of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies to test the proposition that media shocks can increase (decrease) the value of a manager’s reputational capital and, thus, enhance (diminish) his power to extract corporate resources for private benefit at the expense of shareholders. Consistent with the proposition increases (decreases) in scores are associated with stock price decreases (increases). And, CEOs whose firms experience increases (reductions) in scores experience increases (reductions) in compensation and in job tenure, and their firms undertake more (fewer) acquisitions and the acquisitions are less (more) value increasing. Prior Literature has emphasized the costs financial distress imposes on a firm. In this study, I examine a potential benefit financial distress can provide a firm, aligning the interests of managers and shareholders. I find that financially distressed firms see a 3.5% higher market reaction to the announcement of acquisitions than non-distressed firms. This effect is stronger for poorly governed firms, consistent with the hypothesis that the large reputational cost of failure incentivizes managers to act in the best interest of their firm.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Rosenblum_fsu_0071E_14409
Format: Thesis

Title: An Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Academic Behaviors and Skills of College Students (ABS-C) Scale.
Creator: Diers, Sarah E., Prevatt, Frances F., Lewis, Sandra, Krach, S. Kathleen, Becker, Martin Swanbrow, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational...
Show moreDiers, Sarah E., Prevatt, Frances F., Lewis, Sandra, Krach, S. Kathleen, Becker, Martin Swanbrow, Florida State University, College of Education, Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems
Show less
Abstract/Description: The Academic Behaviors and Skills of College Students (ABS-C) Scale is a measure that assesses in- and out-of-classroom behaviors and skills that may be affecting current academic standing. The measure inquires for self-perceptions of why college students may be having difficulty in courses. The ABS-C Scale demonstrates promising utility as a single instrument that encompasses a variety of specific academic behaviors and skills. The 42-item scale includes six subscales that measure academic...
Show moreThe Academic Behaviors and Skills of College Students (ABS-C) Scale is a measure that assesses in- and out-of-classroom behaviors and skills that may be affecting current academic standing. The measure inquires for self-perceptions of why college students may be having difficulty in courses. The ABS-C Scale demonstrates promising utility as a single instrument that encompasses a variety of specific academic behaviors and skills. The 42-item scale includes six subscales that measure academic preparedness, time management, study skills, academic outcomes, assistance seeking, and classroom engagement. The ABS-C Scale can be easily and quickly administered via an online-based survey. The present study evaluated and provided further evidence for the psychometric properties of the ABS-C Scale. The findings provided evidence of reliability and validity by means of internal consistency, factorial validity (confirmatory factor analysis), and discriminant validity (group differences among those with ADHD, SLD, or no diagnosis). The ABS-C Scale has the potential to inform preventive measures and interventions that could increase achievement and be targeted to identify the academic needs of those with learning difficulties. This scale could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of programs designed to teach or remediate the use of effective academic competencies, as well as the efficacy of research efforts investigating these factors. In working with students with disabilities, this measure could also be useful in allowing practitioners to identify specific academic behaviors and skills that need remediation.
Show less
Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: 2018_Su_Diers_fsu_0071E_13793
Format: Thesis

Title: The Eight Lhadé Tsowa (Lha Sde Tsho Brgyad): A Historical Examination of an Amdo Tibetan Community and Its Monastery.
Creator: Foltz, Cameron Kyle Bender, Cuevas, Bryan J., Buhrman, Kristina Mairi, Hellweg, Joseph, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Religion
Abstract/Description: A variety of social groups exist in the cultural area known in Tibetan as Amdo (covering parts of present-day Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan provinces in western China; see Map 1). Much investigation remains to be conducted on these terms as other scholars have noted (Hille, Horlemann, and Nietupski 2015:4). Not only are there a multitude of terms in use, but Tibetan communities in different regions use the same term to describe different kinds of social groups. One such term, tsowa, is commonly...
Show moreA variety of social groups exist in the cultural area known in Tibetan as Amdo (covering parts of present-day Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan provinces in western China; see Map 1). Much investigation remains to be conducted on these terms as other scholars have noted (Hille, Horlemann, and Nietupski 2015:4). Not only are there a multitude of terms in use, but Tibetan communities in different regions use the same term to describe different kinds of social groups. One such term, tsowa, is commonly used in Amdo. Many scholars have translated tsowa as “tribe” or “clan;” both of which introduce inaccurate connotations. As the meaning of tsowa is not uniform, local case studies in different regions are necessary to document the range of meanings this term contains. This work is but one such case study of a group of tsowa, the Eight Lhadé Tsowa, that coalesced as support communities for a monastery in present-day Trika (Ch. Guide) County, which is in Tsolho Prefecture (Ch. Hainan) of Qinghai Province. It is based on documentary sources, both historical and contemporary, and will hopefully be used as the basis for future fieldwork. The present study surveys the available literature on tsowa, examines the history of one group of tsowa, proposes a working definition, and raises questions for future research.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Foltz_fsu_0071N_14590
Format: Thesis

Title: An Empirical Investigation of Social Exclusion, Attachment to Possessions, and Saving Behaviors.
Creator: Mathes, Brittany M., Schmidt, Norman B., Cougle, Jesse R., Ganley, Colleen M., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Abstract/Description: Hoarding disorder (HD) is characterized by an inability to discard possessions that contributes to clutter that interferes with the use of one’s home. One of the core features of HD is an emotional attachment to possessions. Initial theoretical work suggests individuals with HD may become overly attached to possessions in an effort to compensate for poor interpersonal connections, though little empirical work has explored this hypothesis. The current study provided an initial investigation of...
Show moreHoarding disorder (HD) is characterized by an inability to discard possessions that contributes to clutter that interferes with the use of one’s home. One of the core features of HD is an emotional attachment to possessions. Initial theoretical work suggests individuals with HD may become overly attached to possessions in an effort to compensate for poor interpersonal connections, though little empirical work has explored this hypothesis. The current study provided an initial investigation of the association between social disconnectedness, attachment to possessions, and saving behaviors. The sample comprised 117 undergraduate students selected for reporting hoarding symptoms above the non-clinical mean (i.e., 23) on the Saving Inventory-Revised. Participants were randomized to a social inclusion or social exclusion condition using the Cyberball paradigm. Participants completed a series of self-report questionnaires and behavioral tasks at baseline, pre-manipulation, and post-manipulation that assessed social disconnectedness, attachment to possessions, and hoarding behaviors. Contrary to hypotheses, baseline social disconnectedness was not significantly correlated with attachment to possessions nor hoarding behaviors. Individuals who were socially excluded saved significantly more items than did those who were socially included, though this was not due to changes in attachment to possessions. Future studies should further investigate the association between interpersonal processes and hoarding symptoms in a more severe sample and using different methodology. Though initial hypotheses were largely not supported, the current study nonetheless provides an important initial examination of the associations between interpersonal and object relationships in HD.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Mathes_fsu_0071N_14791
Format: Thesis

Title: Ensemble Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Algorithms for the Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations.
Creator: Schneier, Michael, Gunzburger, Max D., Sussman, Mark, Peterson, Janet S., Erlebacher, Gordon, Huang, Chen, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of...
Show moreSchneier, Michael, Gunzburger, Max D., Sussman, Mark, Peterson, Janet S., Erlebacher, Gordon, Huang, Chen, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Scientific Computing
Show less
Abstract/Description: The definition of partial differential equation (PDE) models usually involves a set of parameters whose values may vary over a wide range. The solution of even a single set of parameter values may be quite expensive. In many cases, e.g., optimization, control, uncertainty quantification, and other settings, solutions are needed for many sets of parameter values. We consider the case of the time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations for which a recently developed ensemble-based method allows for...
Show moreThe definition of partial differential equation (PDE) models usually involves a set of parameters whose values may vary over a wide range. The solution of even a single set of parameter values may be quite expensive. In many cases, e.g., optimization, control, uncertainty quantification, and other settings, solutions are needed for many sets of parameter values. We consider the case of the time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations for which a recently developed ensemble-based method allows for the efficient determination of the multiple solutions corresponding to many parameter sets. The method uses the average of the multiple solutions at any time step to define a linear set of equations that determines the solutions at the next time step. In this work we incorporate a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) reduced-order model into the ensemble-based method to further reduce the computational cost; in total, three algorithms are developed. Initially a first order accurate in time scheme for low Reynolds number flows is considered. Next a second order algorithm useful for applications that require long-term time integration, such as climate and ocean forecasting is developed. Lastly, in order to extend this approach to convection dominated flows a model incorporating a POD spatial filter is presented. For all these schemes stability and convergence results for the ensemble-based methods are extended to the ensemble-POD schemes. Numerical results are provided to illustrate the theoretical stability and convergence results which have been proven.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Schneier_fsu_0071E_14687
Format: Thesis

Title: Control of Legged Robotic Systems: Substantiation of Gait Design, Multi-Modal Behaviors, and Dynamic Scaling Theory in Practice.
Creator: Blackman, Daniel J., Clark, Jonathan E., Oates, William, Moore, Carl A., Florida State University, College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Abstract/Description: Through limb structure and neuromuscular control, animals have demonstrated the ability to navigate obstacles and uneven terrain using a variety of different mechanisms and behaviors. Learning from the capabilities of animals, it is possible to develop robotic platforms that can aid in the study of these motions towards the production of new technologies for military, search and rescue, and medical applications. To produce these systems, it is important to first understand the underlying...
Show moreThrough limb structure and neuromuscular control, animals have demonstrated the ability to navigate obstacles and uneven terrain using a variety of different mechanisms and behaviors. Learning from the capabilities of animals, it is possible to develop robotic platforms that can aid in the study of these motions towards the production of new technologies for military, search and rescue, and medical applications. To produce these systems, it is important to first understand the underlying dynamics and design principles existent in nature that afford creatures such dexterous and agile movements. The creation of robots with legs provide a means for studying different aspects of the dynamics of legged locomotion. This includes investigations of limb coordination for gait controller design, the role of passive compliance in dynamic running, mechanical leg design and configuration for optimal energetic output, and scalability of legged systems in both simulation and through experimentation. This thesis aims to provide insight into the design and implementation of terrestrial robotic platforms with legs.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Blackman_fsu_0071N_14797
Format: Thesis

Title: Crystal Structure Prediction via Deep Learning.
Creator: Ryan, Kevin, Shatruk, Mykhailo, Barbu, Adrian G., DePrince, A. Eugene, Latturner, Susan, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry and...
Show moreRyan, Kevin, Shatruk, Mykhailo, Barbu, Adrian G., DePrince, A. Eugene, Latturner, Susan, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Show less
Abstract/Description: Vast information on existing crystal structures, which is available through the large open-access and commercialized repositories of crystallographic data, provides an excellent starting point for the implementation of deep learning techniques to the discovery of hidden relationships that might be contained in such large datasets. The machine learning algorithm can be thought of as a fitting procedure for a complicated heuristic model using a large amount of data.1-2 This model is later...
Show moreVast information on existing crystal structures, which is available through the large open-access and commercialized repositories of crystallographic data, provides an excellent starting point for the implementation of deep learning techniques to the discovery of hidden relationships that might be contained in such large datasets. The machine learning algorithm can be thought of as a fitting procedure for a complicated heuristic model using a large amount of data.1-2 This model is later tested to estimate its ability to generalize to unknown crystal structures in a holdout set, i.e. its predictive ability. Herein, we describe a neural network model trained to predict the likelihood of chemical elements adopting different topologies of atomic sites in known crystal structures. The neural network is shown examples of topologies from known crystal structures and trained to predict the element that adopted that topology. We apply the trained model to predict possible compositions of unknown compounds that might be pursued by a synthetic chemist. We demonstrate that the deep neural network is capable of automatically “discovering” relevant descriptors from high-dimensional “raw representations” of the crystallographic data. Since the input data contain purely geometrical and topological information, any chemical knowledge residing within the neural network output must have been learned during training, and thus was “discovered”. The neural network’s learned representation of local topology shows evidence of known geometric and chemical trends not explicitly provided to the network during training.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_Ryan_fsu_0071E_14685
Format: Thesis

Title: Evaluation of a Novel Behavioral Indicator of Distress Intolerance.
Creator: Macatee, Richard J. (Richard James), Cougle, Jesse R., Flynn, Heather A., Schmidt, Norman B., Boot, Walter Richard, Wagner, Richard K., Florida State University, College of Arts...
Show moreMacatee, Richard J. (Richard James), Cougle, Jesse R., Flynn, Heather A., Schmidt, Norman B., Boot, Walter Richard, Wagner, Richard K., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Show less
Abstract/Description: Distress intolerance (DI) is a transdiagnostic individual difference variable reflective of the capacity to withstand aversive psychological states. DI is typically measured with self-report questionnaires or behaviorally via quit latency on distressing persistence tasks. Although both measurement methods have demonstrated predictive validity with respect to theoretically-related clinical problems, cross-method convergence of DI measures is generally not found, which may be due to the lack of...
Show moreDistress intolerance (DI) is a transdiagnostic individual difference variable reflective of the capacity to withstand aversive psychological states. DI is typically measured with self-report questionnaires or behaviorally via quit latency on distressing persistence tasks. Although both measurement methods have demonstrated predictive validity with respect to theoretically-related clinical problems, cross-method convergence of DI measures is generally not found, which may be due to the lack of theoretically-derived behavioral indicators of DI. Extant persistence tasks are face valid measures of DI, but they do not directly assess a theorized central feature of DI: the ability to inhibit prepotent responses to negative reinforcers under distress. The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the relations between a novel behavioral measure of this ability (i.e., Negative-Escape stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) on a modified stop-signal task) and DI self-report/persistence measures as well as DI-linked clinical problems (i.e., perseverative thought, :coping motives for substance use, stress-elicited substance use problems) in a large non-clinical sample (N = 199). Consistent with most prior literature, self-report and persistence measures of DI were non-significantly correlated, but, contrary to predictions, Negative-Escape SSRT was also unrelated to DI and associated clinical problems. However, exploratory analyses revealed that DI measured via self-report but not task persistence was associated with faster reaction time (RT) on Go trials with negative reinforcement relative to neutral stimuli (i.e., facilitated ΔEscapeRT). Further, facilitated ΔEscapeRT was related to some DI-linked clinical problems (i.e., perseverative thought, depression coping motives for alcohol use) and moderated the effect of stressful life events on change in alcohol use-related problems over a one-month follow-up period. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
Show less
Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: 2018_Su_Macatee_fsu_0071E_13967
Format: Thesis

Title: Experimental Investigations of Mass-7 Destruction in Deuteron Induced Reactions with Respect to Standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis.
Creator: Rijal, Nabin, Weidenhoever, Ingo Ludwing M., Humayun, Munir, Volya, Alexander, Höflich, Peter, Almaraz-Calderon, Sergio J., Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreRijal, Nabin, Weidenhoever, Ingo Ludwing M., Humayun, Munir, Volya, Alexander, Höflich, Peter, Almaraz-Calderon, Sergio J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Physics
Show less
Abstract/Description: The Big-Bang theory is the most widely accepted description of the origin of the Universe, creating elementary particles and synthesizing light nuclei up to mass-7 within the first few minutes of the Big-Bang. Its parameters have been recently precisely determined through he multi-years WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, NASA mission) followed by Planck (ESA mission). These results tightly constrain the baryonic density in the Universe with the highest precision ever achieved,...
Show moreThe Big-Bang theory is the most widely accepted description of the origin of the Universe, creating elementary particles and synthesizing light nuclei up to mass-7 within the first few minutes of the Big-Bang. Its parameters have been recently precisely determined through he multi-years WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, NASA mission) followed by Planck (ESA mission). These results tightly constrain the baryonic density in the Universe with the highest precision ever achieved, resulting in more constraints in the light element abundance predicted in the Standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (SBBN). The observed amount of all other light elements (H, D, 3He, 4He) agrees well with the SBBN calculation but the 7Li is overpredicted by a factor of 3 − 4, which is referred as the Primordial Lithium Problem. The Lithium problem is the disagreement in the theoretical and observed amount of 7Li in the Cosmos which has the key importance in the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis theory which can’t be explained by uncertainties in the main reactions included in the SBBN. In this work, we performed experiments on certain nuclear reactions, 7Be + d and 7Li + d, at energies relevant to SBBN, which could destroy a fraction of the mass-7 nuclei in the conditions of the Big Bang and could offer an explanation of the observed deviation from the prediction of SBBN. In preparation for the main experiment of this dissertation 7Be+d -> p+2 alpha, we performed an experiment for mirror nuclear reaction 7Li + d -> n + 2 alpha, with ANASEN in gas target mode using deuterium as an active gas target and detected 2 -particles in coincidence. In particular, we investigated the 7Be+d reaction at SBBN energies using a radioactive 7Be beam and deuterium gas target, stopping the beam in the target gas inside the ANASEN (Array for Nuclear Astrophysics and Structures with Exotic Nuclei) detector at the Florida State University (FSU). ANASEN is an active target detector system which tracks the charged particles with cylindrical configuration of a position sensitive proportional counter, a Silicon detector array backed up by Caesium Iodide (CsI) detectors; one of the first detectors of its kind. The experiment measured a continuous excitation function by slowing down the beam particles in the target gas down to very low energies into the Gamow window. Our experimental set-up provided a high detection efficiency for all relevant reaction channels focusing on the lowest energies, relevant to the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). Results of these experiments after a comprehensive data analysis are documented in this dissertation.
Show less
Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: 2018_Su_RIJAL_fsu_0071E_14658
Format: Thesis

Title: Effects of Appearance-Related Safety Behaviors on Interpretation Biases and Symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder.
Creator: Summers, Berta J. (Berta Jane), Cougle, Jesse R., Tripodi, Stephen J., Ganley, Colleen M., Meltzer, Andrea L, Schmidt, Norman B., Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreSummers, Berta J. (Berta Jane), Cougle, Jesse R., Tripodi, Stephen J., Ganley, Colleen M., Meltzer, Andrea L, Schmidt, Norman B., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology
Show less
Abstract/Description: Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) engage in ‘safety behaviors’ (SBs) aimed at checking, hiding, fixing, and reducing threat associated with their perceived flaw. SBs are thought to maintain symptoms and may play a causal role in the development of the disorder. The present study examined the extent to which appearance-related SBs contribute to the development and exacerbation of BDD symptoms, threat interpretations, and negative emotions about appearance. Female undergraduates...
Show moreIndividuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) engage in ‘safety behaviors’ (SBs) aimed at checking, hiding, fixing, and reducing threat associated with their perceived flaw. SBs are thought to maintain symptoms and may play a causal role in the development of the disorder. The present study examined the extent to which appearance-related SBs contribute to the development and exacerbation of BDD symptoms, threat interpretations, and negative emotions about appearance. Female undergraduates with subthreshold BDD symptoms (N = 89) were randomly assigned to one week (between pre- and post-assessment) of: (1) increasing the frequency/duration of appearance-related SBs (SB+); (2) decreasing/fading out these behaviors (SB-); or (3) a matched-activity control condition in which they were asked to increase their academic studying behaviors. Following the manipulation week, participants were instructed to return to their typical behavior and were reassessed at a one-week follow-up to evaluate the persistence of effects. SB+ participants demonstrated significantly greater BDD symptoms, disorder-relevant threat interpretations, and reactivity to an in vivo appearance-related stressor compared to the SB- and control participants following the manipulation week. However, the SB- and control conditions did not differ from one another in these outcomes. Counter to predictions, the manipulation did not influence emotions about appearance, but did influence anxiety and depressive symptoms, with SB+ reporting greater symptoms post-manipulation relative to their SB- and control counterparts. No effect was observed on general threat biases or eating disorder symptoms, and groups did not significantly differ from each other at the follow-up assessment. Overall, these findings suggest that engagement in appearance-related SBs may be instrumental in the development of symptoms and certain threat biases characteristic of the disorder, and may serve to maintain anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Show less
Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: 2018_Su_Summers_fsu_0071E_13937
Format: Thesis

Theses and Dissertations (9496)	+ -
Undergraduate Honors Theses (1022)	+ -
Digitized Theses and Dissertations 1952-2002 (721)	+ -
Honors Ethical Issues and Life Choices (24)	+ -
Department of Computer Science (1)	+ -

Department of Economics (1)	+ -
Department of History (1)	+ -
Department of Physics (1)	+ -
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Institute (1)	+ -
School of Information (1)	+ -
School of Information Faculty Scholarship (1)	+ -

Music (932)	+ -
Psychology (547)	+ -
History (478)	+ -
English literature (441)	+ -
Education (381)	+ -

Study and teaching (356)	+ -
Chemistry (326)	+ -
Educational psychology (312)	+ -
Meteorology (292)	+ -
Biology (273)	+ -
Oceanography (268)	+ -
Physics (262)	+ -
Communication (258)	+ -
Atmospheric sciences (257)	+ -
Computer science (220)	+ -
Arts (216)	+ -
Mathematics (215)	+ -
Biochemistry (213)	+ -
Electrical engineering (198)	+ -
Mechanical engineering (182)	+ -
Neurosciences (174)	+ -
Humanities (159)	+ -
Civil engineering (154)	+ -
Computer engineering (153)	+ -
Statistics (152)	+ -
English language (145)	+ -
Earth sciences (144)	+ -
Political science (138)	+ -
Art (137)	+ -
Environmental engineering (134)	+ -

Florida State University (9)	+ -
Veterans Administration Hospital (Coral Gables, Fla.) (5)	+ -
Florida State Hospital, Chattahoochee (4)	+ -
Veterans Administration Hospital (Augusta, Ga.) (4)	+ -
Veterans Administration Hospital (Gulfport, Miss.) (4)	+ -

Search In

Pages

Pages

Sort Results By:

Narrow results by:

Collection

Topical Subject

Name as Subject

Title as Subject

Geographic Subject

Temporal Subject

Genre Subject

Genre

Type of Resource

Language

Creator

Found In

Owner

Florida (157)	+ -
United States (120)	+ -
Europe (26)	+ -
Georgia (16)	+ -
Latin America (13)	+ -

text (10552)	+ -
doctoral thesis (744)	+ -
bachelor thesis (308)	+ -
master thesis (240)	+ -
journal article (5)	+ -

English (10540)	+ -
Spanish (10)	+ -
French (2)	+ -