University Of Central Florida Research Articles

Estimating internal moisture generation rates in recently constructed, occupied homes in the southeastern United States

Internal moisture generation (IMG), or moisture generated by building occupants via activities such as respiration, cooking, bathing, and cleaning, is a critical input required for design, analysis, and simulation of building enclosure and HVAC systems. Based on previously published values, ASHRAE Standard 160-2021 provides guidance for estimating IMG rates for moisture control design analysis, which is based on occupied home datasets collected in the 1980s and 1990s. Residential energy use simulation software also utilizes estimates for IMG for energy rating, energy analysis, and code compliance calculations, as specified in ANSI/RESNET/ICC Standard 301. Data quantifying IMG rates in newer homes are useful in determining the continued relevance of current design and simulation guidance, and whether the guidance represents conditions found in new housing stock. ASHRAE Research Project 1844, conducted by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), a research institute of the University of Central Florida, estimated IMG rates in newer occupied homes built since 2013 in the southeastern United States using a moisture balance model approach. The project obtained occupied home data in cooperation with a U.S. Department of Energy Building America research project to characterize indoor air quality (IAQ) in newer U.S. homes, along with presence, functionality, and occupant use of control measures. Full-scale laboratory homes operating with known IMG rates were used to validate a moisture balance model and quantify the accuracy of estimates obtained when the model is applied to data from occupied homes with unknown IMG rates.

Methods of biotechnology Biotech BioBrawl: A competition-based learning approach to biotechnology.

Biotechnology students entering the workforce often struggle in their application of textbook knowledge to build the solutions that we see in science and health fields today. Some students may be naive to what a job in the biotechnology industry can encompass. Students should graduate having a firm grasp of the prospects of their field and have the confidence to begin contributing to the growth of the industry. For this, it is necessary for students to be able to start practising applications in their coursework before they graduate. A competition titled "Biotech BioBrawl" was incorporated in the University of Central Florida's Methods in Biotechnology (MCB4721C/MCB5722C) course agenda during the semester of Fall 2021. This competition challenged students to harness innovation and applied science in a group setting that led to the development and pitch of an original idea to a panel of judges with various biotechnology industry experiences.

Promoting Longitudinal and Developmental Computer-Based Assessments of Clinical Reasoning: Validity Evidence for a Clinical Reasoning Mapping Exercise.

Clinical reasoning is vitally important for practitioners across the health professions. However, the assessment of clinical reasoning remains a significant challenge. Combined with other assessment methods, non-workplace-based assessment can increase opportunities to address multiple components of clinical reasoning, evaluate growth, and foster learning, but tools with validity evidence to assess clinical reasoning outside the workplace are scare. This study examined validity evidence for a novel clinical reasoning mapping exercise (CResME). Data include CResME performance scores from 120 third-year medical students at the University of Central Florida for 3 topics in May 2022. Each CResME was scored by 2 physician raters based on a scoring rubric that included a combined diagnosis and sequence score. Descriptive statistics were used to examine trends in scores. The authors gathered validity evidence for response process, internal structure, and relations to other variables. The overall mean (SD) score across cases was 66 (29). Internal consistency reliability of cases (Cronbach α) ranged from 0.75 to 0.91. The Phi and G coefficients were 0.45 and 0.56, respectively. Students accounted for 10% of the total variance, indicating the ability to differentiate high and low clinical reasoning skills; the interaction between learner and case accounted for 8.1% of the variance, demonstrating case specificity. There was a moderate correlation between the overall CResME scores and the mean overall score of patient encounter notes from an objective structured clinical examination performed at the end of the third year (0.46; P = .001). Significant associations were also found between the CResME scores and subject exam scores. The CResME can be used to facilitate the assessment of clinical reasoning, supporting the developmental progress of learners throughout the curriculum. Future research is needed to gather validity evidence for CResMEs with different learners across different settings and formats.

Ignition Delay Times and Chemical Kinetic Model Validation for Hydrogen and Ammonia Blending With Natural Gas at Gas Turbine Relevant Conditions

Abstract Ignition delay times from undiluted mixtures of natural gas (NG)/H2/Air and NG/NH3/Air were measured using a high-pressure shock tube at the University of Central Florida. The combustion temperatures were experimentally tested between 1000 and 1500 K near a constant pressure of 25 bar. As mentioned, mixtures were kept undiluted to replicate the same chemistry pathways seen in gas turbine combustion chambers. Recorded combustion pressures exceeded 200 bar due to the large energy release, hence why these were performed at the high-pressure shock tube facility. The data are compared to the predictions of the NUIGMech 1.1 mechanism for chemical kinetic model validation and refinement. An exceptional agreement was shown for stoichiometric conditions in all cases but strayed at lean and rich equivalence ratios, especially in the lower temperature regime of H2 addition and all temperature ranges of the baseline NG mixture. Hydrogen addition also decreased ignition delay times by nearly 90%, while NH3 fuel addition made no noticeable difference in ignition time. NG/NH3 exhibited similar chemistry to pure NG under the same conditions, which is shown in a sensitivity analysis. The reaction CH3 + O2 = CH3O + O is identified and suggested as a possible modification target to improve model performance. Increasing the robustness of chemical kinetic models via experimental validation will directly aid in designing next-generation combustion chambers for use in gas turbines, which in turn will greatly lower global emissions and reduce greenhouse effects.

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES: ROLES OF AGING ATTITUDES, PLACE ATTACHMENT, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

Abstract As the global population ages, communities must find innovative ways to support older adults. This symposium focuses on the intersections of aging, community, and culture, particularly emphasizing the importance of place attachment, aging attitudes, psychological well-being, and engagement in promoting healthy aging. Leading experts from social gerontology, psychology, and public health across the globe will explore the complex relationships between aging, community, and culture. Drs. HM Chen from Texas A&M University–Central Texas (TAMCT) and Hou from the University of Central Florida (UCF) from the United States will start the symposium with a systematic literature review on culture and aging in the community among Chinese older adults. Drs. JJ Chen and Liu from the National Cheng-Kung University (NCKU) will examine the mediating effect of psychological place attachment, how older adults perceive their living environments, and (positive versus negative) attitudes towards aging and psychological well-being. Dr. Hou from UCF will further assess aging attitudes (engagement versus enjoyment) among older adults participating in neighborhood lunch versus lifelong learning programs to discuss the implications of tailored aging service development. Finally, Drs. Lin and Fung from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) will discuss the association between activity diversity and psychological well-being among community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong. Through interdisciplinary dialogue and sharing of lessons learned, this global symposium promotes a deeper understanding of the roles of aging attitudes, place attachment, culture, and psychological well-being among older adults to foster innovative approaches to promoting healthy aging and community engagement. This is an Aging Among Asians Interest Group Sponsored Symposium. This is a collaborative symposium between the Aging Among Asians and International Comparisons of Healthy Aging Interest Groups.

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ADDRESSING LONELINESS AND PROMOTING AGING IN COMMUNITY

Abstract Research has shown that older adults who are lonely and socially isolated are at increased risk for various negative health outcomes. This symposium brings together leading experts across the globe in the fields of gerontology, public health, and social work to share innovative approaches to addressing loneliness and fostering connections. The symposium will begin with Dr. Ma from the National Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) to share the voice of seniors on digital inclusion for a healthy community in Singapore. Dr. Shapira from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and her research team will discuss a 7-session digital intervention to promote effective coping and alleviate depression and loneliness among older adults in Israel. The symposium will then examine community-based efforts, with Dr. Hou from The University of Central Florida (UCF) in the United States discussing the role of healthcare providers in screening and identifying loneliness and examining communication and comfortability in conducting loneliness screening among older patients. Lastly, Dr. Kuo from Chung-Shan Medical University (CSMU) will introduce the five domains of living a good life and how older adults responded to these topics to prepare themselves for better aging in the community. The presenters will discuss strategies for fostering community-based support networks to address community-dwelling older adults’ physical, social, and emotional needs. This global symposium will also examine the role of technology in supporting community-based efforts, including using virtual communication platforms, online resources, and digital tools to promote community engagement and connection. This is an International Comparisons of Healthy Aging Interest Group Sponsored Symposium. This is a collaborative symposium between the Aging Among Asians and International Comparisons of Healthy Aging Interest Groups.

A multidimensional feature fusion network based on MGSE and TAAC for video-based human action recognition

With the maturity of intelligent technology such as human-computer interaction, human action recognition (HAR) technology has been widely used in virtual reality, video surveillance, and other fields. However, the current video-based HAR methods still cannot fully extract abstract action features, and there is still a lack of action collection and recognition for special personnel such as prisoners and elderly people living alone. To solve the above problems, this paper proposes a multidimensional feature fusion network, called P-MTSC3D, a parallel network based on context modeling and temporal adaptive attention module. It consists of three branches. The first branch serves as the basic network branch, which extracts basic feature information. The second branch consists of a feature pre-extraction layer and two multiscale-convolution-based global context modeling combined squeeze and excitation (MGSE) modules, which can extract spatial and channel features. The third branch consists of two temporal adaptive attention units based on convolution (TAAC) to extract temporal dimension features. In order to verify the validity of the proposed network, this paper conducts experiments on the University of Central Florida (UCF) 101 dataset and the human motion database (HMDB) 51 dataset. The recognition accuracy of the proposed P-MTSC3D network is 97.92% on the UCF101 dataset and 75.59% on the HMDB51 dataset, respectively. The FLOPs of the P-MTSC3D network is 30.85G, and the test time is 2.83 s/16 samples on the UCF101 dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that the P-MTSC3D network has better overall performance than the state-of-the-art networks. In addition, a prison action (PA) dataset is constructed in this paper to verify the application effect of the proposed network in actual scenarios.

Student Ratings and Course Modalities

This article examines the impact of course modality on student evaluation of courses and professors. Data were collected through the Student Perception of Instruction end of course rating form at the University of Central Florida (UCF), which contains nine items and maintains student anonymity. The findings indicate that while course modality accounts for only 1% of the variance in student evaluations, there is strong internal consistency and reliability in the rating scale. The distribution of ratings showed a concentration of scores at the high end, resulting in a high variability coefficient. However, when the long tail of low ratings was removed, the mean increased and the distribution became more symmetric, affecting various psychometric indices. The correlation matrices among the items revealed a single factor solution for each modality, suggesting that students tend to rely on a general impression when rating their courses. The multidimensional scaling process identified underlying categories such as structure, course climate, engagement, and consideration, even though students did not explicitly differentiate these elements in their responses. The study concludes that course modality has minimal influence on overall student ratings, a finding consistent across different time periods, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Although a single factor captures students' general evaluations, underlying categories shape their responses. The article also presents a classification model that predicts student ratings based on the scale items. This research addresses the complex dynamics of student evaluations, highlighting the nuanced relationship between course modality, student perceptions, and the underlying factors influencing their ratings.

Effective Video Event Detection Using Optimized Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory Network

In recent times, video event detection gained high attention in the researcher’s community, because of its widespread applications. In this paper, a new model is proposed for detecting different human actions in the video sequences. First, the videos are acquired from the University of Central Florida (UCF) 101, Human Motion Database (HMDB) 51 and Columbia Consumer Video (CCV) datasets. In addition, the DenseNet201 model is implemented for extracting deep feature values from the acquired datasets. Further, the Improved Gray Wolf Optimization (IGWO) algorithm is developed for selecting active/relevant feature values that effectively improve the computational time and system complexity. In the IGWO, leader enhancement and competitive strategies are employed to improve the convergence rate and to prevent the algorithm from falling into the local optima. Finally, the Bi-directional Long Short Term Memory (BiLSTM) network is used for event classification (101 action types in UCF101, 51 action types in HMDB51, and 20 action types in CCV). In the resulting phase, the IGWO-based BiLSTM network achieved 94.73%, 96.53%, and 93.91% accuracy on the UCF101, HMDB51, and CCV datasets.

Implementation of Convolutional Neural Network and Long Short-Term Memory Algorithms in Human Activity Recognition Based on Visual Processing Video

Human Activity Recognition (HAR) is an interesting research topic, especially in identifying human movement actions focusing on video-based security surveillance. Symptom of an illness from a movement. The use of HAR in this research is the key to better understanding the various semantics contained in the video to find out the pattern of a human movement, especially in sports movements. In this study, a combination of the CNN and LSTM method algorithms was applied by using several variations of the model parameter values on the dropout layer and batch size to convert the pattern in the video into image form to produce a HAR model. Data processing at the convolution layer is used to extract spatial features in the frame. The extraction results are fed to the LSTM layer on each network for modeling the temporal sequence of human movement. In this way, the network on the model will learn spatiotemporal features directly in end-to-end data training tests to produce a robust model. The test data used are 10 sports activities obtained from related research from the University of Central Florida (UCF). The results showed that the performance was quite good, although there were still errors in the classification of sports activities because they had similarities in the movements of the activities carried out. The classification results show a loss value of 0.4 and an accuracy of 0.94. In further research, what needs to be corrected is the loss value which is still high so that several times the test results show an error in the classification of sports activities that have similarities in the movements of the activities.

Radiation and Emission Phenomena in Combination

Radiation and Emission Phenomena in Combination

Then There’s Something

Research Article| May 01 2023 Then There’s Something Tom Sokolowski Tom Sokolowski Tom Sokolowski is a fiction writer who earned an MFA from the University of Central Florida. He’s currently pursuing his PhD at Florida State University, and his other work is featured or forthcoming in Prime Number Magazine, the Masters Review, and Bridge Eight. Tom also served in the Florida Army National Guard. He lives in Tallahassee and is married to the poet Olivia M. Sokolowski. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google the minnesota review (2023) 2023 (100): 49–59. https://doi.org/10.1215/00265667-10320905 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Tom Sokolowski; Then There’s Something. the minnesota review 1 May 2023; 2023 (100): 49–59. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00265667-10320905 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search Books & JournalsAll Journalsthe minnesota review Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2023 Tom Sokolowski2023 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Navigating Autism: 9 Mindsets For Helping Kids on the Spectrum

DALY: Director, Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL The author declares no conflicts of interest. Marcia L. Verduin, MD, Book Editor Overall rating: 3 stars

Abstract 4180: Knowledge and barriers to colorectal cancer screenings in people experiencing homelessness in Central Florida

Abstract Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to assess how existing knowledge about colorectal cancer screenings and access to resources affect the ability to obtain colorectal cancer screening in people experiencing homelessness in Central Florida. Procedures: A team of researchers from the University of Central Florida will survey subjects who do not have stable housing in two Central Florida locations: a local shelter for men, women, and children and a resource center for the unsheltered. The survey will take place in February 2023 with a sample size goal of 400. The survey will assess current understanding of CRC screenings and available/lacking resources necessary for completing CRC screening in this population. Our inclusion criteria include those who are undomiciled, age 45 and over who speak Spanish or English. Preliminary Results: Anticipated results from previous work by our research team with this population indicate that we will have a large, diverse study sample. The results will include demographic data, frequency of insurance coverage, type of insurance coverage, knowledge of CRC screening recommendations, concerns related to CRC, rate of past completed screening, and perceived barriers to accessing CRC screening. Conclusions: This study will be the first to examine this research topic in Florida. The results will identify the knowledge of CRC screening recommendations, barriers to CRC screening and identify resources needed for the unhoused population to achieve CRC screening in the future. Citation Format: Harini Sankar, Cassie L. Odahowski. Knowledge and barriers to colorectal cancer screenings in people experiencing homelessness in Central Florida. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 4180.

Improving Success and Retention of Liberal Arts Students in a Large Math Class

The Mathematics for Liberal Arts course is designed for students outside of STEM fields who need to take a mathematics course for the general education requirement. Typically, students in this class are not math enthusiasts. In this study, I analyzed performance data of Liberal Arts students in the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 at University of Central Florida. Based on data reports and analytics, the course content was revised, and activity learning strategies were implemented in the Fall 2018. Furthermore, early alerts and encouragements were sent during or just after topics identified as difficult were taught. Class activities were tailored to improve students’ understanding. Homework, quizzes, and test scores were analyzed and compared with the two previous semesters. The results showed that the pedagogical methods implemented contributed to increase the overall passing rate and retention of students.

Editorial Issue 34.2

Editorial Issue 34.2

The University of Central Florida’s Smart and Safe Transportation Lab [Its Research Lab

The University of Central Florida’s Smart and Safe Transportation lab (UCF SST) was established by Prof. Mohamed Abdel-Aty to bring researchers from multidisciplinary backgrounds to work together on practical safety solutions and scientific advancements in road safety using various state-of-the-art and -practice technologies and systems.

Wetland soil carbon storage exceeds uplands in an urban natural area (Florida, USA)

Context Urban greenspaces and natural areas are often recognised for their cultural services, but may also provide ecological services, including carbon (C) sequestration and storage. Aims This study investigated the strength of the relationship between easily discernable ecosystem characteristics (e.g. topographic position, vegetation, and soil type) and soil C storage, and evaluated common conversion factors and methodologies used in soil C inventories. Methods Sixty-seven full-depth (up to 5 m) soil cores were collected across nine community types in University of Central Florida’s Arboretum (Orlando, Florida, USA) and were analysed for bulk density, organic matter (OM) content, total C, and total nitrogen (N). Key results Wetlands stored an average of 16 times more C than uplands and C density increased with soil depth. A 70% underestimation of soil C stocks would have occurred if sampling stopped at 50 cm. A strong linear relationship between soil C and OM supports the use of a 0.56 (C:OM) conversion factor for estimating soil organic C. Conclusions The presence of wetlands is the key predictor of soil C and N storage, but the magnitude of storage varies widely among wetlands. Overall, the 225-ha study area stored 85 482 ± 3365 Mg of soil C. Implications Urban natural areas should be evaluated for their ecosystem services separately from their surrounding developed land use/land cover with consideration for C storage potential. Leveraging topographic position, a site-specific soil OM conversion factor, and depth to refusal testing can increase the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of soil C inventories.

Test Anxiety and Academic Achievement among Non-English Major Students at a University in Hanoi

The present quantitative study examines the levels of test anxiety among 75 non-English major students of different disciplines at Thang Long University, Hanoi, Vietnam. The study adapted a survey on test anxiety developed by Dennis H, Division of Student Development and Enrollment Services (2011), University of Central Florida. The findings reveal the level of anxiety was medium M=1.77 (SD = 0.81, SEM = 0.09, Min = 1.00, Max = 3.00, Skewness = 0.43, Kurtosis = -1.34). Regarding levels of test anxiety by gender, the result of the two-tailed independent samples t-test was significant based on an alpha value of .05, t(73) = -3.11, p = .003. There was a significant difference between male and female students in the levels of test anxiety; M=1.5 for male and M=2.05 for female (Min=1.00, Max=3.00). With regard to the relationship between levels of test anxiety and academic achievement, the ANOVA was examined based on an alpha value of .05. The results of the ANOVA were significant, F(2, 72) = 17.72, p < .001, indicating there were significant differences in academic achievement among the levels of test anxiety. The mean of academic achievement for low test anxiety (M = 6.67, SD = 0.93) was significantly larger than for medium test anxiety (M = 5.75, SD = 1.51), p = .008. For the main effect of levels of test anxiety, the mean of Academic achievement for low test anxiety (M = 6.67, SD = 0.93) was significantly larger than for high test anxiety (M = 4.81, SD = 0.72), p < .001. For the main effect of levels of test anxiety, the mean of academic achievement for medium test anxiety (M = 5.75, SD = 1.51) was significantly larger than for high test anxiety (M = 4.81, SD = 0.72), p = .022.

Experimental Ignition Delay Time Measurements and Chemical Kinetics Modeling of Hydrogen/Ammonia/Natural Gas Fuels

Abstract In recent years, hydrogen-carrying compounds have accrued interest as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels due to their function as zero-emission fuels. As such, there is interest in investigating hydrogen-carrying compounds to improve understanding of the fuels' characteristics for use in high pressure systems. In the current study, the oxidation of ammonia/natural gas/hydrogen mixtures was carried out to study carbon monoxide (CO) formation profiles as well as the ignition delay times (IDTs) behind reflected shock waves in order to refine chemical kinetic models. Experiments were carried out in the University of Central Florida's shock tube facility by utilizing chemiluminescence to obtain OH* emission and laser absorption spectroscopy to obtain CO profiles over a temperature range between 1200 K and 1800 K with an average pressure of 2.2 atm. Experimental mixtures included both neat and combination natural gas/hydrogen with ammonia addition, with all mixtures except one having an equivalence ratio of 1. Results were then compared with the GRI 3.0 mechanism, as well as the newly developed UCF 2022 mechanism utilizing chemkin-pro software. In general, both models were able to capture the trend in auto-ignition delay times and CO time histories for natural gas and ammonia mixtures. However, for ammonia–hydrogen mixtures, GRI 3.0 failed to predict ignition delay times, whereas the UCF 2022 mechanism was able to capture the IDTs within the uncertainty limits of the experiments. A sensitivity analysis was conducted for different mixtures to understand the important reactions at the experimental conditions. Finally, a reaction pathway analysis was carried out to understand important ammonia decomposition pathways in the presence of hydrogen and natural gas.