The Precariat and the Pandemic: Assessing the Wellbeing of Metro Orlando\u27s Hospitality Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In 2018, the Orlando metro area was visited by 126.1 million tourists, a new record which the area has broken for its eighth year (Sanata 2019). As the number of visitors to the area continues to rise, so has the number of people employed by the hospitality industry which currently makes up the largest sector of the area\u27s job market, employing 280,000 workers as of December 2019 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Consistent growth in various insecure and unstable jobs of this kind have prompted the development of theory regarding the emergence of a new class known as the precariat. The precariat is largely defined by flexible labor which often leads to unstable employment and wage insecurity. Recently, business closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to historic levels of unemployment nationwide, disproportionately affecting those employed in the hospitality industry and further exacerbating the instability and uncertainty that characterizes precarious work. The purpose of this study is to explore and evaluate the experiences of hospitality workers since business closures and to identify how race, gender, and income type may create stratification within the precariat. Data was collected from 254 participants using a 10-minute online survey based on the following dimensions: employment status, housing, healthcare, food security, access to and receipt of social services, and opinions regarding employer interactions and government relief. The results of this study identify the difficulties in maintaining household expenses and obtaining unemployment benefits during the pandemic as well as negative opinions regarding state and federal government response. Furthermore, analysis of race, gender, and income type within the precariat found significant differences between the overall wellbeing of women and men as well as among varying income types including salaried, tipped, and hourly workers

Alone, Anther, Horned Poppy & Act Drop

Aloe, Anther, Horned Poppy My favorite things to photograph are things found in nature. I strive to capture the simple beauty of the natural world and like to focus on small details that at first glance may go unnoticed. For this project, I decided to take my camera and a macro lens to the botanical gardens to capture the naturally occurring abstract forms found in nature. Act Drop I have been working with themes of white consumption of black suffering in regards to American history. In this work, I wanted to defamiliarize the stage and help viewers understand the ways in which African American people have been put on display

CARA Quarterly Evaluation Report

The University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences (ISBS) is evaluating Orange County\u27s First Responders- CARA grant. This grant has 3 goals focused on lessening the opioid epidemic. Each goals has serval measurable outcomes. This report details efforts toward the goals in the third quarter of 2020. The University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences (ISBS) is evalauting Orangee County\u27s First Responders- CARA grant. Thie grant has 3 goals focused on lesseing the opioid epidenic. Each goals has serval measurabe outcomes. This report details efforts toward the goals in the third quarter of 2020

Low level Atrazine exposure effects on crayfish development

Undergraduate Applie

In vivo metabolic imaging of Traumatic Brain Injury.

Complex alterations in cerebral energetic metabolism arise after traumatic brain injury (TBI). To date, methods allowing for metabolic evaluation are highly invasive, limiting our understanding of metabolic impairments associated with TBI pathogenesis. We investigated whether 13C MRSI of hyperpolarized (HP) [1-13C] pyruvate, a non-invasive metabolic imaging method, could detect metabolic changes in controlled cortical injury (CCI) mice (n = 57). Our results show that HP [1-13C] lactate-to-pyruvate ratios were increased in the injured cortex at acute (12/24 hours) and sub-acute (7 days) time points after injury, in line with decreased pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity, suggesting impairment of the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. We then used the colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor inhibitor PLX5622 to deplete brain resident microglia prior to and after CCI, in order to confirm that modulations of HP [1-13C] lactate-to-pyruvate ratios were linked to microglial activation. Despite CCI, the HP [1-13C] lactate-to-pyruvate ratio at the injury cortex of microglia-depleted animals at 7 days post-injury remained unchanged compared to contralateral hemisphere, and PDH activity was not affected. Altogether, our results demonstrate that HP [1-13C] pyruvate has great potential for in vivo non-invasive detection of cerebral metabolism post-TBI, providing a new tool to monitor the effect of therapies targeting microglia/macrophages activation after TBI

Local sustainable transport fund case study evaluation: Strategic employment sites and business parks summary report

In 2013 the UK Department for Transport commissioned a number of ‘Case Study evaluations’ of the impacts of Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) investment. One of these was an evaluation of LSTF impacts on Strategic Employment Sites and Business Parks. The aims of the evaluation were: to establish the impact of sustainable transport measures on commute mode use at selected strategic employment sites and business parks; to assess the impacts of these measures on the business performance of employers located at the sites; and to review the effectiveness of the LSTF delivery process. The results confirm findings from previous research that ‘pull factors’ are unlikely to bring about significant changes in commuter travel behaviour without measures which also ‘push’ people into reducing their car-use. Nonetheless, there was evidence from both surveys and interviews that LSTF measures assisted individuals in using alternatives to the car once they had been prompted to do so by ‘push factors’ such as parking restraints, traffic congestion or personal factors. The importance of ‘push factors’ also applied to employers’ engagement with sustainable transport issues, which tended to be prompted by a specific transport ‘problem’

Creation of a CIP Method for the Heat Exchangers at Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce produces various engines which must be tested prior to their distribution to ensure a high-quality product. The manufacturing plant contains four test cells where the engines can be subjected to high levels of torque and extreme temperatures. A heat exchanger is necessary in this testing system and over time, unwanted waste accumulates on the system’s plates. The team is tasked with developing and implementing a system mounted on a mobile cart which can provide data to determine whether the plates need to be cleaned. For this cleaning system to work, it must fully saturate the heat exchanger in cleaning solution, making the choice of pump important to the planning process. Additionally, the pump must be able to handle liquid containing silt and other debris and possess a maximum flow rate allowing the plates to be saturated. The pump must have four connection points to the heat exchanger system, and the fitting nozzle to control the flow rate of the cleaning solution into the heat exchanger. The cleaning solution for the system must be strong enough to clean the waste from the heat exchanger, yet weak enough to not corrode the plates. Additionally, some cleaning solutions have standards regarding storage and disposal, which have considerable influence on the selection of an acceptable solution. The final design incorporates a workable pump, a suitable solution, and the supporting materials needed to sustain the system. Implementation of the design will include pressure testing and a cleaning system that will improve the life span and efficiency of the heat exchanger in each test cell

Predicting intraindividual changes in teacher burnout : the role of perceived school environment and motivational factors

Based on self-determination theory, this study proposes and tests a motivational model of intraindividual changes in teacher burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment). Participants were 806 French-Canadian teachers in public elementary and high schools. Results show that changes in teachers’ perceptions of classroom overload and students’ disruptive behavior are negatively related to changes in autonomous motivation, which in turn negatively predict changes in emotional exhaustion. Results also indicate that changes in teachers’ perceptions of students’ disruptive behaviors and school principal’s leadership behaviors are related to changes in self-efficacy, which in turn negatively predict changes in three burnout components

Software Sustainability: The Modern Tower of Babel

<p>The aim of this paper is to explore the emerging definitions of software sustainability from the field of software engineering in order to contribute to the question, what is software sustainability?</p

DNA binding and intercalation by novel porphyrins: role of charge and substituents probed by DNase I footprinting and topoisomerase I unwinding

AbstractPorphyrins carrying four charged sidechains, e.g., meso-tetrakis[4-N-methylpyridiniumyl]- and meso-tetrakis[4-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyridiniumyl]-porphyrin, bound and intercalated similarly into DNA as measured by helix stabilization and DNA unwinding studies in the presence of DNA topoisomerase I. Despite their different bulky sidechains, these complexes gave essentially identical DNase I footprinting patterns. In contrast, tetrasubstituted porphyrins carrying three phenyl rings and a single positively charged pyridiniumyl sidechain did not intercalate and exhibited little affinity for DNA. Thus, the presence of charged sidechains on the porphyrin rather than their identity appears to be critical for efficient DNA intercalation. The results are discussed in regard to current models for the porphyrin-DNA intercalation complex