Knowledge of the geospatial distribution of vegetation is fundamental for resource management. The objective of this study is to investigate the possible use of airborne LIDAR (light detection and ranging) data to improve classification accuracy of high spatial resolution optical imagery and compare the ability of two classification algorithms to accurately identify and map wetland vegetation communities. In this study, high resolution imagery integrated with LIDAR data was compared jointly and alone; and the nearest neighbor (NN) and machine learning random forest (RF) classifiers were assessed in semi-automated geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) approaches for classification accuracy of heterogeneous vegetation assemblages at Everglades National Park, FL, USA. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Drawing insight from ethnic studies along with cultural and human geography, the main focus of this thesis is to identify the cultural survival mechanisms of immigrants by using as a case study the framework of the Greek-Canadian unbounded ethnic community in South Florida. Greek- Canadians, being a twice-migrant group, first in Canada and later in the United States, reflect the challenges contemporary immigrants face in order to maintain their ethnic culture in this increasingly transnational environment. In the past few years, researchers have examined the impact of the spatial concentration of immigrants in large metropolitan areas with little attention centered on ethnic communities that lack geographic propinquity. In order to uncover the cultural survival mechanisms of this immigrant group, this study suggests looking beyond the traditional model. This new model of ethnic community is called `Culturescape.' This contemporary ethnic community not only meets the needs of immigrants but also aids their cultural maintenance and preservation. The use of the realism-structuration framework enables a multi-method research approach in order to examine beyond the level of events and to explore the mechanisms that generate the creation of unbounded ethnic communities. This study combines a number of sources that have been collected over a three-year period. Multiple indepth interviews with Greek immigrants were conducted not only in South Florida but in Montreal as well. Additionally, an on- line structured survey open to all selfidentified Greeks in South Florida was conducted. Field notes from many ethnic events as well as official documents and the Internet were utilized. This research reveals that Greek-Canadians constructed their culturescape as a strategy to maintain and practice their ethnic culture. Their culturescape functions as a traditional geographically bounded ethnic community; however, it is a reflection of contemporary global conditions. Based on this case-study, geographic setting does matter because it structures the way cultures evolve. When immigrants move to a new setting, a two-way process of cultural exchange inevitably takes place. Hence, the Greek-Canadian culturescape is as unique as the setting that creates it. / Geography / D.Litt. et Phil. (Geography)

There is a general lack of evaluations of college counseling programs. This is attributed to difficulties encountered in attempts to undertake evaluation, one source of difficulty being the uniqueness of the couseling problem of each student. Nevertheless, leaders in the field of personnel work feel that there is a distinct need for evaluation and make an effort to encourage further research of this type. / Typescript. / "A Paper." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science under Plan II." / "August, 1950." / Advisor: Stewart Murray, Major Professor. / Includes bibliographical references.

An emissions inventory of VOCs, NOx, and CO2 was conducted for three central Florida counties – Orange, Seminole, and Osceola (OSO) – for calendar year 2008. The inventory utilized three programs: MOBILE6, NONROAD2005, and EDMS (Emissions and Dispersion Modeling System) to model on‐road mobile, non‐road mobile, and airport emissions, respectively. Remaining point and area source data was estimated from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) 2008 emissions inventory. The previous OSO emissions inventory was done in 2002 and in the six years between inventories, there have been changes in population, commerce, and pollution control technology in central Florida which have affected the region’s emissions. It is important to model VOC and NOx emissions to determine from where the largest proportions are coming. VOCs and NOx are ozone precursors, and in the presence of heat and sunlight, they react to form ozone (O3). Ozone is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the FDEP. The current standard is 75 parts per billion (ppb) and Orange County’s average is 71 ppb. A new standard (which will likely be about 65 ppb) is being developed and is scheduled to be announced by July 2011. If OSO goes into non‐attainment, it will need to prepare a contingency plan for how to reduce emissions to submit to the FDEP for approval. The 2008 inventory determined that approximately 71,300 tons of VOCs and 59,000 tons of NOx were emitted that year. The majority of VOCs came from on‐road mobile sources (33%) and area sources (43%), while the majority of NOx came from on‐road mobile sources (64%) and non‐road mobile sources (17%). Other major sources of VOCs included gasoline powered non‐road mobile equipment (lawn and garden equipment), consumer solvents, cooking, and gasoline distribution. With the numbers iii that could be determined for CO2 emissions, on‐road mobile and point sources were responsible for 93%. Of the point source CO2 emissions, almost all of it (87%) came from one large coal‐fired power plant in Orange County.

As stated before, both the Florida State Assessment Test and the EST measure the achievement of students on minimal objectives in the areas of communications and mathematics. One might therefore ask the question, “Why is there a need to administer both tests?” It would seem that both tests evaluate similar subject areas. This study is designed to explore this similarity of test items. Its purpose is to examine the relationship between the tests in terms of the test items. It is assumed that if there is a high degree of semblance between test items, there may not be a need for the administration of both tests. Specifically, the project is designed to analyze the contents of the State Assessment Test and the Essential Skills Test to determine if the test items measure different learnings or similar areas. This examination of items will be studied through a content analysis procedure to be developed by the author.

Objectives: To describe the co-occurrence of substance use and sexual activity behaviors among Afro-Caribbean adolescents living in South Florida, with attention to legal status, socio-demographic factors and risk-taking attitudes and behaviors. Methods: Convenience sampling was used to select 106 Afro-Caribbean adolescents from community centers in South Florida. A descriptive exploratory study was conducted. Data was analyzed using an independent t test, frequencies and crosstabs. Results: The study consists of 106 adolescents, 75% (n = 79) documented and 25% (n = 27) undocumented. Forty-one documented and 10 undocumented adolescents were sexually active. Of those, 14.6% of the documented and 40% of the undocumented adolescents had been drinking alcohol while engaging in sexual activity; 7.3% of documented and 30% of undocumented adolescents used drugs while engaging in sexual activity. Undocumented adolescents had less adult presence before and after school; Creole was spoken at home more than English, and none of the parents had gone to or graduated from college. There was no significant difference in risk-taking and social adaptation scores as measured by the Adolescent Risk-Taking Instrument (ARTI) for the documented and undocumented Afro-Caribbean adolescents. The ARTI had acceptable internal consistency reliability for the risk-taking (.87) and social adaption (.82) scale in this population. The mean score of risk behavior was 2.04 (SD = .44) for documented Afro-Caribbean adolescents and 1.89 (SD = .47) for undocumented adolescents. For social adaptation, mean scores were 3.23 (SD = .45) for documented and 3.20 (SD = .35) for undocumented adolescents. The co-occurrence of substance use and sexual activity is nearly triple for alcohol use and more than triple for drug use when comparing undocumented to documented adolescents. / However, scores on the ARTI did not differ.Socio-demographic factors related to risky behaviors suggest that the undocumented adolescents were more at risk. Health risk of undocumented adolescents demands more research attention if nurses wish to address the unique needs of this population. / by Kim Jolly. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975 has made a profound impact on millions of children with disabilities who now enjoy their right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). It is the goal of national policy, endorsed by Congress, to ensure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities. With the enactment of IDEA, it ensures that all children, who participate in special education programs, have equal access to education. However, since IDEA's inception, a disproportionate number of African Americans children have been placed, or rather, misplaced in special education programs. African American students are three times more likely than Whites to be placed into categories as needing services in special education programs, making them subject to less demanding schoolwork, to more restrictive classrooms, and to isolation from their peers. For the purpose of this study, the goals were (a) to determine if there is disproportional representation of Black students and male students in the three categories of Educable Mentally Handicapped, Emotionally Handicapped, and Specific Learning Disabled and (b) to address whether the factors school districts' socioeconomic status, minority rate, and racial composition of instructional and administrative staff predict the representation of Black students and male students who participate in special education programs. A quantitative method, including the three disproportionality calculation methods of Composition Index (CI), Risk Index (RI), and Odds Ratio (OR), was employed to respond to the six research questions and test six corresponding null hypotheses. Sixty-seven school districts in the State of Florida were identified for data collection and analysis. / The enrollment data for the calculations covered AY 2005- 2009. Critical Race Theory (CRT) served as the lens through which to analyze the findings and discus the implications therein. It is clear that the problem of disproportionate representation is complex and the resolution to the problem is not an easy one. This study found that there was a relationship between the representation of Black students and male students in special education programs and the predictor variables. Statistical analyses revealed that socioeconomic status of the school district, minority rate, and racial composition of instructional and administrative staff predicted the disproportional representation. Critical Race Theory, which served as a methodological framework was employed to help in examining and challenging the manner in which race and racism clearly impacts practices and procedures in the special education referral process. CRT utilized the social construction of race and the role it plays in the education policies that affect minorities. As with any intellectual movement, CRT builds its scholarship upon certain theoretical pillars. The basic tenets of CR T include ordinariness, interest convergence, social construction, differential racialization, and legal story telling. For the purpose of this research, only the tenets of ordinariness, interest convergence, social construction, and differential racialization were examined in the context of disproportionate representation of black students and male students in special education. / by Anthony G. Allen. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The relative rates of detrital decomposition in four vegetation communities within the Everglades' ridge-slough microtopography were evaluated during two trials. Litterbags with community-specific detritus in proportion to each community's composition were put into the four communities; namely, submerged marsh, emergent marsh, short Cladium ridge, and tall Cladium ridge. These litterbags were paired with litterbags containing control leaf litter from Chrysobalanus icaco and Salix caroliniana during the wet and dry season trials, respectively. No regional differences in decomposition were shown, but there were significant differences across communities, attributed to the initial C:N ratio of the detritus, with the fastest decomposition occurring in the deepest submerged marsh followed by emergent marsh, and the shallower ridge communities had equally slower decomposition. Additionally, both controls followed the same pattern. Thus, decomposition contributes to an active self-maintenance mechanism within the vegetation communities which ultimately helps to conserve the ridges and sloughs. / by Sheryl R. van der Heiden. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Due to the presence of deep deposits of organic soils at shallow depths, roadways in western Palm Beach County, FL show premature distress and failure requiring frequent rehabilitation. In an effort to develop effective mitigation strategies, 24 test sections, containing various types of pavement reinforcing materials, were constructed during Fall of 2008. This study presents a forensic investigation and dynamic characterization of reinforced asphalt cores obtained from SR15/US98 for evaluating the uniformity of test sections, qualitative comparisons, and developing empirical models for predicting permanent deformation and material damage with stress cycles simulating traffic loading. / by Rodrigo Ledezma-Campodonico. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The study examined the past and present spatial distribution of the Florida tree snail, L. fasciatus solidus, in the Long Pine Key area of the Everglades National Park. Remote sensing and mobile GIS were used to create a GIS database of the field research results. Collection and survey-based data were used to create a current spatial distribution map of L. fasciatus solidus throughout the Long Pine Key area. The data collected during the 2006 survey were compared to a 1931 survey of the same study area conducted by Dr. William Clench of the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) of Harvard University. The data was used to determine the success of L. fasciatus solidus from 1931 to 2006, to evaluate a correlation between hammock size and the number of color forms, and to detect migration patterns of L. fasciatus solidus within the Long Pine Key area of Everglades National Park. Based on the average success rate for the seven color forms and the hammocks, the L. fasciatus solidus population in the Long Pine Key area exemplifies one of a stable community. Each color form used for the analysis had a success rate between 67% and 100%. These percentages can only be the worst case scenario based on the fact that many Liguus were not observed, and any others that would have been observed, would only increase the success rate. / by Jason R. Fadely. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.