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On the Pedagogy of Modes
No full textUndergraduate music students in their junior and senior years have a solid foundation in music fundamentals based on the four-semester music theory sequence taken during their sophomore and junior years, but most have a weakness in the area of diatonic modes. This is not to say that they are unaware of the modes or that they do not understand how to identify or construct them, but rather that students are unable to conceptualize modality in a pre-tonal context. To the modern undergraduate music student, the modes blossomed out of the major scale—a notion counter to historical truth. This backwards way of thinking causes students to view all music through a tonal lens, even if that music was composed before tonality was even conceptualized. In this thesis, I demonstrate the importance of teaching undergraduate music students the diatonic modes in a historical manner, highlight the lack thereof in modern curricula, and provide a possible solution. In Chapter 1, I categorize the various methods of teaching the diatonic modes and analyze various theorists’ explanations of the modes through pre-tonal history to see which of these methods they utilized. In Chapter 2, I provide a literature review of a plethora of music theory textbooks with published dates ranging from mid-20th Century through 2024, focusing on which methods they use to introduce the diatonic modes. Finally, in Chapter 3, I provide the curriculum I developed and taught to a Music Theory I course with the intention of providing students with a more historical understanding of the diatonic modes
The Impact of Virtual Backgrounds in Video-Mediated Selection and the Role of Candidate Qualifications
No full textVideoconferencing allows users to manage their self-presentation through virtual backgrounds that mask their immediate physical environment. Prior research suggests that backgrounds depicting professional home spaces (e.g., bookshelves) elicit more favorable impressions than those that depict personal home spaces (e.g., bedrooms). Expectancy Violations Theory (EVT) provides a framework for understanding such effects. The present dissertation applied EVT to video-mediated selection interviews, that have become increasingly popular since the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the strict expectations for professionalism in interviews, virtual backgrounds that deviate from such expectations may negatively impact hiring decisions. Consequently, this work examined the impact of two virtual background types, bedroom and home office, on perceptions of job candidates. It also evaluated the moderating role of candidate qualifications, candidate gender, and participant gender. Study 1 established virtual background stimuli that were comparable on measures of prototypicality, environmental attributes (e.g., colorfulness and cleanliness), and memorability. Study 2 had participants view images of qualified or unqualified candidates using the bedroom or home office backgrounds and evaluate the candidate’s perceived competence, warmth, recommended salary, and hiring likelihood. Results indicated that while qualifications were the primary driver of candidate evaluations, the bedroom background negatively impacted unqualified candidates. Effects also varied by participant gender. Analysis revealed that the negative impact of the bedroom background on hiring outcomes was mediated by both warmth and competence, although through different mechanisms. This research advances understanding of expectancy violations in virtual environments and the role of virtual backgrounds on hiring perceptions. It also provides practical guidance for job seekers in selecting effective virtual backgrounds
The Coffee Corner Project: Creating Rehearsal Community Through the Café Space
No full textThe ensemble is the heart of any rehearsal process, and a sense of community as an ensemble is enriched more in the moments between rehearsing than in the rehearsal room itself. Approaching the ensemble from this perspective, this thesis examines how this connection can be strengthened or deepened by observing the history of the coffee shop social space. I implemented this lens of community into the rehearsal process by constructing a pared-down cafe space adjacent to the rehearsal room that elevated coffee beyond its “grab and go” forms into an enriching sensory experience where the cast and creative team were invited to sit a while before and between rehearsals. I constructed this space for the students and faculty of two Theatre UCF productions, offering a once-weekly coffee bar that aimed to foster ensemble through ritualized sensory elements, like the aroma of the drink or the warmth of the cup in your hand. In examining this project and the feedback from participants, I turn to the theories of space, ritual, and community to illustrate how the Coffee Corners deepened our relationships with each other as members of the ensemble as a whole
Trust In Ephemeral Content In Social Media Platforms: A Mixed-Method Approach Examining Online Users’ Privacy Concerns In The Case Of Snapchat
Get PDFThis study investigated privacy management practices on ephemeral social media platforms, with a particular focus on Snapchat, Yik Yak, and Instagram Reels. It utilized a mixed-method approach, integrating an analysis of privacy policy terms with empirical data obtained through a quantitative survey of 346 US university students, including Saudi students studying in the United States and their American counterparts, as well as qualitative insights from in-depth interviews. Privacy policies were systematically evaluated across critical dimensions, including first-party data collection, third-party data sharing, user privacy controls, data retention practices, and compliance with international regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and Saudi Arabia\u27s PDPL.
Particular attention was given to how cultural and linguistic differences shape users\u27 understanding of privacy risks and their interactions with ephemeral content. The results highlighted distinct cross-cultural variations in privacy perceptions: Saudi students showed heightened sensitivity to family reputation, social norms, and governmental surveillance, whereas American students were mainly concerned with corporate data exploitation and targeted advertising. The findings also demonstrate that linguistic nuances significantly influence the comprehension of privacy terms, affecting users\u27 trust in and engagement with privacy settings. Moreover, this study illustrates how platform designs incorporating ephemeral features can paradoxically promote riskier privacy behaviors by fostering a false sense of security. This highlights the persistent privacy paradox, where users often overshare information despite having strong privacy concerns.
By integrating the theoretical frameworks of the Privacy Calculus and Privacy Paradox Theory with empirical user experiences, this study offers new insights into how ephemeral content influences privacy decision-making across various cultural contexts. It contributes to ongoing academic discussions on digital privacy and user behavior, providing practical recommendations for clearer, culturally sensitive privacy communications and enhanced digital literacy initiatives tailored to diverse user populations
Wetting Dynamics on Ultrasoft Materials: Effects of Surface Chemistry and Elasticity on the Maximum Speed of Wetting
Get PDFThe study of wetting dynamics on ultrasoft materials has gained significant attention due to its critical implications for flexible technologies, thermal management systems, and advanced coatings. This research explores the effects of surface chemistry and elasticity on the maximum speed of wetting, with a focus on the unique viscoelastic properties of Ecoflex 00-30. Using high-speed imaging and controlled experiments, the links between surface energy, material stiffness, and thickness are analyzed to uncover key mechanisms controlling wetting behavior.
The results show that maximum wetting speed is primarily influenced by surface chemistry, while elasticity plays a less important role unless coupled with thin thickness variations. In addition, a nonlinear viscoelastic recoil phenomenon was observed during the initial wetting phase, where thinner samples exhibited decreased recoil velocity and increased spreading radius. These findings provide new insights into the dynamic interactions between liquids and ultrasoft substrates, expanding current understanding of wetting dynamics beyond rigid and moderately soft surfaces.
This work has practical applications in the design of flexible heat pipes, spray cooling systems, and coatings for de-icing and self-cleaning technologies. It also lays a foundation for future studies on optimizing material properties to enhance liquid transport and energy efficiency in emerging technologies
Quality 5.0 Management System Design: A Human-Centric and System of Systems Approach
No full textThis dissertation presents the Integrated Human-Techno Quality 5.0 System Management Framework (IHT-Q5.0MSF) as a solution to the fragmented and inflexible structures of Quality 4.0. The framework fosters synergy between human insight and technologies such as AI, IoT, and cloud-native systems, addressing adaptability, ethical governance, and sustainability within Industry 5.0. Using a mixed-methods approach, including the Delphi Method, system modeling, and empirical validation, the study identifies enablers, barriers, and strategic priorities for implementation. The results highlight the effectiveness of modular design, human-AI collaboration, and transparent deployment. IHT-Q5.0MSF offers a validated, scalable, and ethically guided system poised to advance quality management in digitalized, human-centered industrial contexts
The Unindexed Marginalia of Historical American Cookery Books Digital Public History Project: Domestic Technical Communication Labor Contributions
Get PDFThis dissertation includes a traditional written portion, and a non-traditional digital humanities public history online digital archive project created through Omeka which showcases examples of hand-written recipes found within commercial cookbooks, called marginalia. The understanding of modern technical communication is affected by the perceived history of the field and currently, that history is biased toward non-domestic pursuits. The project explores what collecting, digitizing, and archiving examples of historical hand-written marginalia found within commercially printed American receipt books indicate about the presence, participatory nature, value, and contributions of domestic technical communications and their user-authors in the 19th century. The examples collected and presented within the digital portion of the project publicly support gender and feminist perspectives on definitions and histories of technical communication and feminist labor and work theories concerning the household. The method of gathering these examples involves attempting to bring the public in to contribute toward them. The American public are no strangers to creating and using digitized and born-digital documents, so I seek to involve people in a public-facing digital collection of historical examples of user-author-made domestic technical communication by asking them to add to the collection. It is an exercise in community critical making and public history; that is, learning and researching through the collaborative creation of things. Research and knowledge are not bound to words on paper created by one person alone, so I use images, digital spaces, and collaborative methods to help involve others in the re-imagining of what counts in historical recipes and domestic technical communication.
The digital portion of this dissertation can be found at: https://recipemarginalia.omeka.ne
Macabre Therapeutics: An Exploration Into The Cathartic Nature Of Splatter Utilizing The Saw Franchise As Corpus
No full textThis project positions splatter (a subgenre of horror films that centralizes gore) as applicable for sociopolitical critique and emotional catharsis, disrupting the narrative of splatter as a solely shock-based enterprise. The project utilizes the Saw franchise as a corpus, which reignited audience interest in extreme horror in 2004, rejuvenating splatter film releases since their stagnancy throughout the 1990s. This research seeks to answer why Saw captured the attention of audiences and returned the splatter subgenre to the 21st century, utilizing psychoanalytical film analysis, sociopolitical analysis, semiotics, content analysis, and archival research as methodology and drawing on Aristotle’s Catharsis and Rhetorical New Materialism (the study of object agency and relationships between humans and nonhumans) as theoretical frameworks. The project innovatively engages Rhetorical New Materialism, demonstrating how splatter transforms bodies and abstract concepts into narrative-driven material objects. By applying these methods and theories to elements seen in the franchise, it is discovered that Saw and splatter films alike channel themes of morality, power, bodily vulnerability, and vigilantism, therapeutically reflecting the frustrations and anxieties of American viewers. This thesis addresses the psychological impacts of consuming extreme horror from a therapeutic perspective, explores the ethicality of uplifting splatter as a tool for emotional wellness, and destigmatizes splatter by highlighting its scholarly value - ultimately defining the subgenre as a non-traditional form of unruly rhetoric - while bridging the fields of horror, film studies, and rhetoric
Fabricating Silver-Ceria Polymer Nanocomposite Scaffolds for Biomedical Therapeutic Applications
No full textImproper healing of bone fractures and limited regeneration of bone following bone tumor resection remain a prevalent complication worldwide. Long-term effects of this include joint instability, limited movement, and arthritis. Bone infections (osteomyelitis), reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation via excessive inflammation, and underlying conditions such as osteoporosis can contribute to suboptimal bone tissue regeneration. ROS accumulation stimulates osteoblast apoptosis, while promoting osteoclast differentiation. These processes inhibit mineralization and osteogenesis. Conventional therapeutics involve the utilization of drugs and bone grafts. However, these approaches pose limitations and can result in subsequent complications. Microbial infections, ROS accumulation, and excessive inflammations are factors that hinder endogenous bone tissue regeneration mechanisms. Thus, research has been focused on investigating interventional systems that promote osteoblast activity, combat microbial infections, stimulate free radical scavenging, and modulate inflammation. Recent studies with polycaprolactone revealed its potential to serve as an osteoinductive material due to its ability to support cell adhesion, migration, differentiation, and proliferation. Furthermore, silver exhibits antimicrobial activity, directs collagen and fibroblast formation, and enhances bone healing. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) facilitate bone tissue regeneration by scavenging free radicals, mitigating inflammation, and preventing oxidative stress, thereby inhibiting apoptosis. Noting these properties, we integrated silver-doped CNPs within the polycaprolactone matrix to fabricate nanocomposite scaffolds. Comprehensive studies confirmed successful fabrication of nanocomposite scaffolds. In vitro cell viability assays revealed the nanocomposite scaffolds exhibited negligible cytotoxicity to human macrophages. Degradation assays showed favorable degradation of scaffolds under conditions mimicking the physiological environment. Superoxide dismutase assays confirmed the scaffolds’ free radical scavenging abilities. Bacterial inhibition assays showed the scaffolds posed bactericidal activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Alkaline phosphatase assays, alizarin red stain, and qPCR will be utilized to assess the potential for the scaffolds to induce human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation into functional osteoblasts