JBC Commons (New College of Florida)
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RELIGION IN THE ORVILLE : THE DANGERS RELIGION POSES TO MODERN SOCIETY AS REFLECTED IN SETH MACFARLANE’S THE ORVILLE
No full textThis thesis examines how the science fiction show T he Orville showcases the dangers of religion in contemporary society. Created by Seth MacFarlane, T he Orville is a science fiction television show which is often thought of as a parody of S tar Trek which is better than the original. The Star Trek franchise has featured many episodes which cast religion in a negative light; T he Orville follows in S tar Trek’ s footsteps. The anti-religious sentiments in T he Orville are even more evident since Seth MacFarlane himself is a devout atheist who disparaged religion in his earlier work. This thesis examines seven episodes of The Orville and two tie-in comic books, all of which discuss negative aspects of religion. Each is described in detail, as T he Orville is not as pervasive in the public consciousness as is Star Trek. Each episode and comic is then analyzed in light of a specific religious theme and compared with a Star Trek episode which explores the same theme. Next, real world examples of problems with this religious theme are discussed. Seth MacFarlane uses The Orville to make excellent points about religious problems that face the world today. As The Orville is a show that many fans of Star Trek watch, these views can impact a great many people, who may proceed to influence others to adopt those same beliefs
THE LITTLE GOLDFISH THAT COULD: A STUDY OF CHAINING AND SEQUENTIAL MEMORY IN THE GOLDFISH (CARASSIUS AURATUS)
No full textThis study aims to answer two questions: Can goldfish learn complex behaviors through a simple association sequence taught through chaining? If so, what did the goldfish learn, the path that was taught or the sequence of behaviors taught? This was done by training experimentally experienced goldfish (N=3) to perform three behaviors: swim through a hoop, through a tunnel, or up a chimney. Over a total of 68 days of training, it was determined that all three subjects were able to learn a sequence of two behaviors through chaining. There were then two days of extinction testing in which the second behavior was moved to a new position in the tank to test if the fish learned the behavior irrespective of location cues. During the first testing day, the subjects continued to the original location of the second behavior rather than moving to the new location of the second task. This suggests the subjects learned the path of the behaviors and not the sequence of behaviors. The second test suggested that the position of the experimenter, rotated 180°, appeared to affect the path, although the influence of the previous day’s testing could not be ruled out. The results of this study suggest that goldfish can learn complex behaviors through chaining and that they learn the path of behaviors rather than the sequence of behaviors
AN AUTOMATED APPROACH TO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING TEAM CREATION
No full textConventional hiring processes screen applicants for skill and team fit. This thesis focuses on the latter, creating a proof of concept recommender system designed to aid a manager in creating a compatible software engineering team. An accompanying website was designed to provide a platform for the manager to interact with the recommender system. The system itself is based on the combined principles of the Five-Factor personality model and the multidimensional work ethic profile (MWEP) and was calibrated using responses from a series of interviews. The proof of concept seems promising and is scalable, with potential applications for both small and large-scale businesses
MONAD1: INTERNET ARCHIVAL SOFTWARE
No full textInternet archival is the work of recording Internet data for posterity. Nothing lasts forever on the Internet and without archival, valuable cultural and historical websites may disappear. Tools to preserve Internet data exist but suffer from flaws that preclude them from being the universal solution to data loss. In order to address these flaws, I developed a software tool that would allow the average Internet user to archive websites they find important in a quick and easy to understand manner. The prototype tool is at a stage where it saves a website’s HTML and with continued development, can archive all portions of any given Internet page. This thesis will cover the tool’s development, operational use, and future plans
AGE GAP RELATIONSHIPS IN ADOLESCENCE: LONG-TERM EFFECTS
No full textThe current study seeks to determine the long-term effects of participation in an “age gap” relationship during adolescence. A sample of 153 participants, between the ages of 18 and 30, were asked about their age at their first significant relationship (in adolescence, ages 13-19) and their partner’s age, to determine an age difference. Then, measures of negotiation, relationship power, and jealousy perceptions were used to determine the dynamics of each participant’s recent or current adult romantic relationship. Past relationship age differences were then compared to recent relationship negotiation, relationship power, and jealousy perceptions scores, to determine a lasting effect of participation in age different relationships in youth. My hypotheses presumed that younger partners of adolescent age different relationships would be more negotiable, have positive views of jealousy, and less relationship power in their recent relationships than older partners or those that experienced same-age relationships. I presumed older partners of adolescent age different relationships would be less negotiable, have positive views of jealousy, and more relationship power in their current relationships when compared to younger partners or those who participated in same-age relationships. Both hypotheses were unsupported by statistically non-significant results. One explanation for these results was a non-diverse sample size in which 78.4% of the sample had age differences in their adolescent relationships of zero to one year. Additionally, the average time period between participants first significant relationships and their recent relationships was 3 years, a potentially long period of time in which effects could subside
FORMALIZING MATHEMATICS IN LEAN
No full textIn this thesis we introduce readers to Lean, an interactive proof assistant that allows one to formalize mathematical results on a computer as programs in a functional programming language. These results can therefore be formally verified, leaving no ambiguity to their correctness. The underlying type theory of Lean, the Calculus of Constructions with inductive types (CIC), will be explored, followed by some basic examples of the language. This will lead into a series of proofs of properties of dihedral groups, namely the sizes of their centers and their various automorphism groups
A LONG WAY FROM VERONA, ALIVE
No full textIn this thesis I undertake the artistic project of adapting the novel A Long Way from Verona, by Jane Gardam, into a play, and I ask the question how do I construct my adaptation so that it delivers my intended message through the form of dramatic writing? I find that one needs to use the structure of the narrative story to deliver the message of one’s dramatic work. This is done by understanding the premise of one’s message. A premise is a complex statement that has three elements: 1) A beginning, the starting point, 2) A middle which involves an action that alters the state of the beginning, and 3) An end which is the transformation and result of that action on the starting point. I find that the premise of the story of A Long Way from Verona, and the premise I intend to use to structure my play is the existential claim: “Only personal choice can defeat life-denying doubt.” I use this premise to construct the narrative structure of my adaptation, in order to effectively communicate its claim through my work. I include a strong first sketch of my Theatrical adaptation of A Long Way from Verona
FINDING THE ‘SOCIAL’ IN SOCIAL MEDIA: ANALYZING ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA USE, SOCIAL CAPITAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING
No full textSocial media has become increasingly popular and widely used over the years with user numbers projected to continue to increase in the future. Social media users spend an average of three hours a day across eight different platforms on average, making its effects on our mental health and social life important to study. This study used an online survey to analyze a group of 163 participants\u27 social media use habits. The survey collected data on participants\u27 perceived functionality of social media, self-presentation online, social capital, psychological well-being, social and emotional support, user type, frequency of use, and number of platforms used. Results found that perceived functionality of social media directly correlated with how well users selfpresented online and how much social capital they experienced. The study found no significant correlation between receiving social support online and better mental health. Compared to passive use, active social media use was a better predictor of mental health outcomes and social capital. Higher frequency of social media use was positively correlated with worse mental health, but higher number of platforms used showed no correlation with psychological well-being. Reasons for these findings and future research directions are discussed
The Role of ADR-2 in Regulating the Insulin/insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Signaling (IIS) Pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans
No full textThe insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IIS) pathway and adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) have both been found to be highly conserved in eukaryotic species and in their importance to aging and lifespan. The proposed research suggests that an up stream regulator of the IIS pathway, ASNA-1 ATPase, which is also highly conserved, may be regulated by the ADAR, ADR-2, in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). This would provide a mechanism in which ADARs act as regulators of the IIS pathway, which has been hypothesized by previous research. This research utilizes C. elegans adr-2/null mutants and RNAi suppression of the gene coding for ASNA-1 ATPase, asna-1, along with qPCR analysis of the down stream targets of ASNA-1 ATPase in the IIS pathway, daf-28 and daf-16, in order to determine if the presence of ADR-2 has an effect on the function of ASNA-1 ATPase on the IIS pathway. RNAi suppression of asna-1 was performed by feeding the worms E. coli with an asna-1/RNAi plasmid vector on NGM plates utilizing a “half- and-half”, half wild-type E. coli and half asna-1/RNAi, lawn on the plates ensured that the adr-2/null;asna-1/RNAi worms were able to survive long enough for qPCR harvesting. Though the experiment was cut-short due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the research found that adr-2 and asna-1 could likely be absent at the same time in L1 phase C. elegans. The possible results of the uncompleted experiments were also proposed