JBC Commons (New College of Florida)
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GLOBAL STOCK MARKET AND DAY-TRADING ECOSYSTEM: STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS BETWEEN RETAIL AND INSTITUTIONAL FORCES
No full textThis paper analyzes the global stock-market and day-trading ecosystem through the structural duality between retail access platforms and institutional liquidity providers. Using Robinhood (retail) and Citadel (institutional) strictly as illustrative anchors, not as case studies, it applies five economic lenses to explain how access, execution, and information co-evolve. Empirical context is drawn from market-cap trends, volume data, volatility series, and Federal Reserve policy cycles. The core finding is that democratization and concentration advance together: retail innovation broadens participation, while institutional market making concentrates liquidity, speed, and data advantage. These forces form a closed feedback loop that delivers efficiency yet encodes asymmetry, particularly visible during tightening cycles and stress events. Looking ahead to 2030, the industry’s trajectory is likely to be shaped by regulatory modernization, technological convergence, and global integration. The paper concludes that market integrity will depend on “trust architecture”: aligning access with transparency so innovation strengthens, rather than destabilizes, the financial system
OPTIMIZING URBAN GREEN SPACE INTERVENTIONS AND THEIR COORDINATION ACROSS COMMUNITIES
No full textUrban green space interventions are increasingly being implemented around the world in order to mitigate the negative environmental and social impacts of urban living through the positive role green spaces can have on overall public health. The current study begins with an exploration of the common applications of urban green space, followed by an overview of approaches towards green space interventions in recent years. The latter provides recommendations to improve green space interventions by addressing negative outcomes observed and highlighting potential solutions referenced from recent examples, with a particular focus on interventions in Miami, Florida. The thesis culminates in an assessment of publicly available comments by residents of Miami-Dade County about particular locations, infrastructure and ordinances related to green space. Though limited in its scope, the differences observed in the types of comments by Commission District reveal multiple fruitful avenues of study, including coordination among residents regarding particular green space issues and a relatively high number of comments about both a loss of green space and a lack of public input in the district with the most tree canopy. The coordinated comments by community members raise questions for how public input should be taken into account, with residents pin-pointing particular green spaces for improvement or calling to stop changes in tree canopy ordinances, while the latter point could reflect a feeling amongst residents that they have little say in the coming removal of trees and green spaces. While these theories are purely speculative as part of this pilot study due to a lack of a representative sample, such findings are worth further consideration due to the particular descriptive details expressed in the comments that mass surveys may overlook
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: INVESTMENT BANKING
No full textThis thesis provides a comprehensive analysis of the United States investment banking industry, focusing on the structural, macroeconomic, and regulatory factors that shape its performance and evolution. Using publicly available data from institutional sources such as the Federal Reserve, SIFMA, MSCI, and the FDIC, this study examines how variables including interest rates, credit spreads, equity valuations, and market volatility influence the activity and profitability of investment banks between 2015 and 2025. The research integrates theoretical perspectives from industrial organization and financial-cycle frameworks with empirical data to explain the cyclical nature of deal activity, capital formation, and market confidence. Findings demonstrate that investment banking performance is highly sensitive to monetary policy and financial conditions. Periods of low interest rates and narrow credit spreads correspond to strong issuance, advisory, and trading revenues, while tightening cycles and elevated volatility lead to slower deal flow and higher risk aversion. Nonetheless, results also show that diversification across products and clients allows leading U.S. banks to remain profitable even during restrictive phases. The study highlights the stabilizing role of regulatory frameworks such as Basel III and the growing importance of technological innovation and sustainable finance in shaping competitive advantage. This research contributes to the understanding of investment banking as a key component of financial intermediation, emphasizing its dual role in fostering economic growth and maintaining market stability. The analysis offers insights for policymakers, investors, and scholars seeking to evaluate the resilience and strategic adaptation of financial institutions in changing macroeconomic environments
Pathfinder: The Development and Pursuit of a Fair and Enjoyable Challenge With Godot
No full textIn game development, as a project grows if not properly managed and planned the scope can grow unwieldy. This process leads to technical debt, hindering potential scope and potential avenues forward. This thesis aims to encapsulate the process of rebuilding the original game demo “Pathfinder : The Demolouge” into a more sustainable, modular, and enjoyable finished product through a total remake with the Godot game engine. By approaching the rebuild of the game with a fresh and informed attention to modular and extensible features this task aimed to not only fully realize Pathfinder, but to create a better and more complete end to end experience. These stronger foundations also designed to leave the door open for future works and development, enabling a return with new ideas in future without being hindered by what is already in place. This new approach resulted in a final product that in terms of code, visuals, user interface, audio, and game play was a direct response and evolution to the growing pains of the original demo. Now leaving a final product that stands on its own as a completed game in contrast to the Unity demo, Pathfinder highlights the benefit of clear set of goals and motivations during the inde game development process
THE JOY OF RECOGNITION VS. THE VIOLENCE OF ERASURE: GENDER QUEER AND FUN HOME AS LITERARY TARGETS AND QUEER BIBLIOGRAPHIES
No full textIn this thesis I examine controversies surrounding Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, while exploring select events of book censorship, theft, and destruction, and how these activities have been employed to specifically target queer, trans, Jewish, and other marginalized communities. I trace the intertwined histories of pornography and the comics medium, and the ways in which this connection has shaped and influenced public opinion, legislation, and the genesis and implementation of the restrictive 1954 Comics Code. Additionally, I argue that as a part of Bechdel’s and Kobabe’s reaction to the heteronormative, homophobic and transphobic threats and pressures queer works have experienced over time (and the censorship and queer erasure that has occurred) both authors exhibit a preoccupation with documenting the importance of works of literature in their personal development, and generating and enshrining lists of meaningful queer works in their own graphic novel memoirs as an act of cultural legacy, heritage transmission, and resistance. Or This thesis is about queers, trans people, gender, Nazis, book burning, moral panics, censorship, Magnus Hirshfeld, pornography, Dr. Helen J. Fagin, Gone With the Wind and what it means to read, the Well of Nastiness, Harry Donenfeld, Detective Comics, Superman, Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, Horror Comics, Nights of Horror, juvenile delinquents, Dr. Frederic Wertham, The 1954 Comics Code, Fun Home, Gender Queer, queer bibliography, the Phantasma, classroom libraries, Ron DeSantis, what it’s like to be erased, and also how people fight back…so why not read it already
Size Discrimination in Goldfish (Carassius auratus)
No full textQuantitative abilities in fish have been previously observed, including in natural behaviors such as shoaling and various laboratory tasks. Two-choice visual discrimination tasks require individuals to differentiate between stimuli, and when conditioned, individuals can demonstrate learning of stimulus value. The concept of understanding ordinal relationships has been reported in goldfish (Carassius auratus) before, although no studies have explicitly tested primarily size discrimination. The current study tested four goldfish on their ability to perceive and swim through large vs. small holes, using an adapted methodology and expansion of similar literature. It also tested what the goldfish were learning during the discrimination task. Overall, the goldfish showed the ability to discriminate between sizes and understand the relationship between stimuli, but there was a notable preference for the larger of the two holes. These results revealed that goldfish do possess the ability to tell large from small, but have a size preference that needs to be addressed in future studies. The possession of ordinal relationships is an important foundation for further studies on the mathematical concepts of fish
Evaluating the factors that contribute to lack of engagement of the people within Community Forest Management Programs
No full textEcosystem loss and degradation around the world are occurring at an alarming rate. This can negatively impact the people that rely on these ecosystems. Community Forest Management is a practice that has been recognized globally to help mitigate these impacts. Community Forest Management (CFM) provides a solution to restoring ecosystems and improving the quality of life of the local people. The different structures and strategies of CFM’s around the world can influence its effectiveness. Researchers have identified several factors that can hinder CFM effectiveness. A crucial factor is participation from the local people. Active participation and support from local people can determine successful outcomes for CFM’s. The thesis aims to investigate the lack of people’s participation in CFM and examine the complexities of this factor. As well as identify factors that could be overlooked by researchers. I conducted a literature review using a systematic approach to find peer-reviewed articles that studied factors that cause low participation in CFM’s. It is important to analyze these factors and acknowledge them to solve the issue of low participation in the community, since the community is an integral part of the environment and determines the effectiveness of CFM efforts
SEARCHING FOR THE FLORIDIAN SUBLIME IN CONTRAST : AN EXPLORATION OF ATMOSPHERE, MEMORY, AND PLACE IN CONTEMPORARY INK LANDSCAPES
No full textComing from Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic and a city shaped by a diverse architectural landscape, my experience in Florida has been overwhelmingly influential on my perception of the place and its visual identity. Compared to the historical order of Prague, Florida seems defined by its natural qualities, ecological tensions, and the coexistence of natural forces with modern human life rather than by architectural continuity. Through a series of monochromatic paintings, I aim to capture and explore this distinctive visual atmosphere, inviting viewers to reflect on their own perceptions of Florida’s evolving landscape identity amid ecological and cultural changes. Inspired by the works of Hermann Herzog, A.E. Backus, and Ugo Rondinone, my body of work situates Romantic notions of the Sublime and the Picturesque within a contemporary environmental context to engage with the discourse in landscape art and modern environmental concerns. The purpose of this project is to prompt reflection on what constitutes Floridian visual identity today, encouraging viewers to appreciate, remember, and reconsider their relationship to Florida’s unique, complex, and ever-changing landscape