University of Central Florida
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Examining The Best Dietary And Lifestyle Interventions To Prevent Hyperinsulinemia And Insulin Resistance In Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Get PDFPolycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex reproductive and metabolic disorder that affects up to 15% of women, contributing to insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The interconnected hormonal and metabolic disruptions in PCOS create a feedback loop that exacerbates symptoms, making dietary and exercise interventions critical in its management. This literature review evaluates the efficacy of various dietary interventions including the ketogenic diet, high-protein diet, low-carbohydrate diet, and high-fiber diet, as well as exercise interventions such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), resistance training, and moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Results found that modifying carbohydrate intake, and increasing fiber and protein could have an overarching impact that could improve the metabolic health in women with PCOS. Exercise is also a critical component of PCOS management, with HIIT and moderate-intensity aerobic exercises being effective in enhancing insulin receptor sensitivity. These findings emphasize the need for individualized, sustainable dietary and exercise strategies to manage insulin resistance, regulate hormonal imbalances, and reduce chronic disease risk in women with PCOS. Further research is needed in the dietary recommendations of PCOS clients in improving their metabolic health
Quantifying the Performance of the SPARTA Toolkit for Use in Planetary Regolith Characterization Missions
Get PDFThis research investigates the use of the Soil Properties Assessment, Resistance, and Thermal Analysis (SPARTA) Cone Penetration Tester (CPT) to quantify bulk density in lunar regolith simulant LHS-1E. Twenty-five penetration tests were conducted across five density profiles to derive slope parameters (G), which represent the rate of increase in resistance with depth. Results showed a consistent, nonlinear relationship between G and bulk density, validating the use of G slope as a diagnostic parameter and supporting the primary hypothesis that SPARTA CPT measurements vary meaningfully with density. Compared to prior work by Lucas et al. (2024), G values from SPARTA were higher in magnitude but exhibited similar trends, with differences speculated to be due to SPARTA’s larger cone size and unique geometry, especially vertical shear vanes. However, further testing is needed to test the relationship between SPARTA’s geometry and regolith penetration resistance. Despite this, high R² values across all trials confirm that SPARTA can reliably characterize subsurface properties with minimal operational constraints. This study establishes a quantitative calibration model for translating SPARTA G slopes into density, enabling high-resolution in situ measurements of near-surface regolith critical for scientific exploration and in situ resource utilization (ISRU). These findings serve as a performance baseline for future test campaigns that will characterize the principal physical and chemical properties of regoliths, including thermal/electrical properties and chemical potentials of water and ice. Calibration methods developed here will be extended to future SPARTA designs for lunar, martian, and other planetary applications
Learning Dissemination Strategies: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic in Training Healthcare Professionals in Disease Management
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges for global healthcare systems, requiring rapid training and dissemination of disease management strategies among healthcare professionals. This study conducts a systematic review of 37 studies to examine the learning dissemination methods created and utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on just-in-time training for disease management. This study identifies four core training topics: airway management, infection control, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and patient triage. This study also categorizes delivery methods into in-situ simulation-based training, online e-learning platforms, online simulation-based training, and hybrid training models. Findings highlight that simulation-based training methods proved effective for invasive high-risk procedures, while online and hybrid approaches offered scalable and adaptable training during health crises. This study highlights the need for flexible, responsive, and evidence-based training approaches and advocates for including long-term patient outcome data in future evaluations to assess training efficacy during a pandemic. These findings contribute to the development of resilient training frameworks for future public health emergencies
An Examination Of Preservice Teacher Knowledge Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) In The Elementary Classroom
Get PDFThis study examines the knowledge of preservice teachers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and how well prepared they might be when supporting students in elementary classrooms. ADHD is a diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder in children and has been increasingly diagnosed over the past several years. Teachers play a crucial role in providing effective instruction to each and every student in the classroom. Managing classroom instruction with diverse learning capabilities and behaviors requires teachers to understand the characteristics of ADHD, as well as instructional adaptations and behavioral interventions, among preservice teachers. Findings indicate that while most preservice teachers recognize the basic symptoms of ADHD, some suggest that there are not many strategies that have been found effective in managing the behaviors of students. Some preservice teachers do not know many strategies to help support students effectively, who may or may not have been diagnosed with ADHD. This study will highlight the importance of parental communication, knowledge of IEPs and 504 plans, as well as strategies teachers may use. There may be gaps in their ability to apply evidence-based strategies in real classroom settings. A compilation was created, “Strategies for Supporting Students with ADHD in the Classroom,” for future preservice teachers who may need a resource for their own future classroom. These strategies can help other preservice teachers gain confidence and a deeper understanding of ADHD in the classroom, as well as effective ways to manage distracting behaviors. I hope to enhance preservice teachers\u27 understanding of ADHD-related practices and create more supportive learning environments for future educators
Investigating the Impacts of Peer Support and Online Information Seeking in Chronic Pain Online Health Communities
No full textChronic pain is a highly prevalent medical condition that contributes to intense emotional distress and social isolation in patients. With the growth of social media, online health communities (OHCs) have become a popular resource for patients to learn about their pain and establish social connections with peers. Although there is some evidence suggesting that curated online resources can benefit patient well-being, social media interactions have the potential to propagate medical misinformation and negativity. This dissertation expands upon the Social Communication Model of Pain to examine how interactions within social media-based OHCs impact chronic pain and uncover practical insights into OHC efficacy. The impact of OHC participation on language, well-being, and pain-related distress is investigated across three separate studies, combining methods from natural language processing and nonlinear dynamical modeling. In studies 1 and 2, cross-wavelet analysis and recurrence quantification are used to model changes in language affect, style, and synchrony using observational data from chronic pain OHCs on Reddit. In study 3, patient reported outcomes are compared to perceptions of social support in OHCs. In addition, qualitative analysis is used to examine how participants believe OHCs could be enhanced to improve their user experience. Beyond improving our understanding of the health impacts of social media-based OHCs, this work introduces several dynamical approaches for analyzing online social interactions. It is among the first to apply bivariate wavelet analysis to explore affective synchrony in social media, providing a multiresolution view of the mechanisms underlying social influence. Additionally, a novel extension to cross-recurrence quantification analysis is introduced to enable dynamical descriptions of language style matching. The methodological, theoretical, and practical implications of our findings are discussed
Towards Safe And Reliable AI Models
No full textWith the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, its applications have become indispensable in our daily lives. Emerging advanced AI models, from general-purpose Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and Deepseek to domain-specific systems such as autopilot for autonomous vehicles, are changing the way we work and live by increasing efficiency and fostering innovation. However, these advancements also bring significant risks, as they may compromise data ownership or yield unreliable outcomes. In response, we focus on two critical areas: data safety and model reliability. To ensure data safety and promote lawful data processing, we investigate anti-neural watermarking techniques designed to detect unauthorized use of user data for training neural models. Additionally, we address the emerging threat of ``neural plagiarism\u27\u27, whereby diffusion models can effortlessly replicate copyrighted content while bypassing protection methods such as trademarks, signatures, and even invisible watermarks. To enhance model reliability, we present robust techniques, such as adversarial mixup that can improve models\u27 robustness, and we facilitate research on legal and regulatory compliance for autonomous driving algorithms in real-world applications. Extensive experiments show that our methods work effectively in real-world scenarios, supporting the research community in building safe and reliable AI applications
Beyond The Script: How Theatre Shapes Motivation In Second Language Acquisition
No full textMotivation is considered a significant factor in second language acquisition, potentially affecting language learners\u27 language acquisition ability (Dörnyei, 1998). This study explored the impact of participating in a theatre experience on language learners’ motivation to learn English during a classroom experience. The main objective of this research was to assess the influence of performing in a short play on adult multilingual learners’ motivation to learn English. A mixed-methodology research design was employed to measure reported motivation levels and observe language development using a pre- and post-treatment questionnaire, field observation, and a semi-structured post-treatment interview model for data collection. The results yielded implications for integrating theatre-based language learning into the classroom, highlighting its potential to positively affect adult multilingual learners’ motivation to develop their English language skills
The Benefit of Benefits: The role of fringe job benefits on the recruitment of deskless workers
No full textResearch indicates that the advertisement of fringe job benefits are related to positive job seeker perceptions of the organization and job pursuit intentions. Drawing from Conservation of Resources Theory, I investigate how different types of fringe benefits related to people’s motivations to obtain, enhance, or retain resources differentially attract them to an organization. The study also examines the role of financial well-being as a moderator of fringe benefits and anticipated organizational support. Further, I assess the relationship between fringe benefits and job pursuit intentions through the serial mechanisms of anticipated organizational support and organizational attractiveness. Findings suggest that fringe benefits lead to significantly different levels of anticipated organizational support and this relationship is moderated by financial well-being. Full serial mediation is also found for the relationship between fringe benefit types and job pursuit intentions, although evidence was not found for a direct effect of anticipated organizational support on job pursuit intentions. The findings are discussed in terms of Conservation of Resources Theory and the practical implications for deskless organizations to tailor recruitment advertisements
Structure-Property Relationship For Silver-Incorporated Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles
No full textCerium oxide nanoparticles are known for their applications across several domains due to their biocompatibility, high oxygen storage capacity, redox behavior, and stability. However, their intrinsic electrical conductivity is relatively low, which can limit their performance in energy storage applications. Doping cerium oxide with transition metals has proved to enhance conductive properties and, hence, their performance in related applications. This research investigates the doping of cerium oxide with silver (Ag) and its correlation with the properties of the material. Silver-doped cerium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by wet-chemical synthesis at room temperature by a facile procedure. Cerium oxide was doped with 1 mol%, 2 mol%, 4 mol%, 10 mol%, 20 mol%, 50 mol% and 100 mol% of silver. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the solubility limit of silver in cerium oxide is about 4 mol%. For concentrations of silver higher than 4 mol%, peaks indexed to high density crystal planes related to silver were visible in XRD graphs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the doping process did not alter the crystalline structure of Cerium oxide, and the nanoparticles are quasi-spherical in shape. Silver-doped cerium oxide nanoparticles ranged in size from 3.2 nm to 4.5 nm.Band gap energy calculated from UV-Visible spectroscopy showed a decrease as compared to pure cerium oxide, which confirms the doping of silver in the cerium lattice. XPS confirmed the presence of a higher ratio of Ce (+4) as compared to Ce (+3) for all the synthesized samples. Electrochemical analysis, such as cyclic voltammetry, revealed that the electrodes fabricated from silver-incorporated cerium oxide showed redox behavior within the potential range of -0.2 to 1.4 mV. When the potential was increased beyond 1.4 mV, a gas evolution reaction was observed. Increasing silver quantity had a positive effect on the redox activity of active material
Journeys across Worlds
Get PDFJourneys across Worlds is a collection of five short stories that transport readers into otherworldly landscapes. Each narrator embarks on a transformative journey, encountering adventure, wonder, and self-discovery. In “Through Borrowed Eyes,” a blind sorceress wields a powerful curse to see through the eyes of others, only to realize the cost of her magic may be too great. “A Gaze Across Dreams” follows a lonely Dreamweaver who, after an eternity of being unseen, is suddenly perceived by a lucid dreamer. The collection concludes with “Where the Skies Are Blue,” a tale of two sisters navigating a post-apocalyptic world, where the sky has been shrouded in pollution, yet they hold onto the hope of seeing the blue skies once more. Each story invites readers to step beyond the ordinary, exploring fantastical realms where love, loss, and longing intertwine with magic