Digital Commons Network^™

A Swarm Intelligence Based Approach To The Mine Detection Problem, Vignesh Munirajan

Theses

This research focuses on the application of swarm intelligence to the problem of mine detection. Swarm Intelligence concepts have captivated the interests of researchers mainly in collective robotics, optimization problems (traveling salesman problem (TSP), quadratic assignment problem, graph coloring etc.), and communication networks (routing) etc [1]. In the mine detection problem we are faced with sub problems such as searching for the mines over the minefield, defusing them effectively, and assuring that the field is clear of mines within the least possible time. In the problem, we assume that the mines can be diffused by the collective action of the …

Needed Communication Skills During Initial Employment As Perceived By Graduates Of The West Virginia University Davis College Of Agriculture, Forestry And Consumer Sciences, Jessica R. Rollins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The purpose of the study was to determine communication skills used during initial employment by graduates of the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences who were enrolled in the agricultural and natural resources communications (AgEE 421) course. The population consisted of 70 2001--2002 graduates of West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences who were enrolled in agricultural and natural resources communications (AgEE 421) during their collegiate careers. A descriptive research design was used for the study. A major finding of the study was the beneficial effects of educational training in communications skills prior to …

Computer-Mediated Communication In Online Education: A Case Study Of Instructor And Student Experiences And Perceptions In A Hybrid Online Course, Melodae D. Lane

Student Work

Various surveys and literature reviewed identified the role of online education in growing number of in institutions of higher education who have embraced it as an important factor in creating educational opportunities, particularly in the nursing field. Research was focused on theoretical concepts of interaction and socialization concepts in the study of CMC in the online learning community. This included the role of nonverbal communication, gender-related issues, and identity. This case study of a hybrid online communication centers on a course developed at a midwestem health sciences. It integrates both the student and the instructor points of view in terms …

Relationship Advertising: Investigating The Strategic Appeal Of Intimacy (Disclosure) In Services Marketing, Andrea Diahann Gaye Scott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One approach to communicating and thereby building a close relationship with consumers is via advertising. In other words, if service providers can invoke feelings of connection and intimacy--where consumers feel understood, cared for, and validated--through advertising, a stronger bond and sense of loyalty is likely to follow. When intimacy is conceived as knowing and being known by another, which incorporates mutual and reciprocal (though not necessarily equal) liking and vulnerability, its application extends beyond romantic relationships to the current context of relationship and services marketing. This research provides empirical support for the use of intimacy as an appeal in services …

Perception Of Meaning And Usage Motivations Of Emoticons Among Americans And Chinese Users, Yujiao Wang

Theses

Do people of different cultures agree on the meaning and use of emoticons? This study addresses this question from an inter-cultural perspective and explores the use of emoticons in the American and Chinese Computer-mediated communication (CMC) communities. The research indicates that both the Americans and Chinese participants use emoticons for entertaining, informational and social interaction motivations but the Americans are more likely to use emoticons for information motivations than the Chinese and the Chinese participants are more likely to use emoticons for social interactions than the Americans participants. The results correspond to the cultural differences between the two countries in …

Communication Cues To Action Prompting Central Appalachian Women To Have A Mammogram., Kathryn Bond Mcneill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, mammography screening is the best method of detection for breast cancer, yet many women have never been screened and underprivileged, minority and rural women have lower screening rates then other populations. The purpose of this study, through individual interviews(N=88), was to understand the cues that women perceive to have received spurring them to participate in mammogram screening. The Health Belief Model guided this research. Media influence, Health Care Practitioner recommendation, social networks, and symptoms were the cues to action explored in this research prompting compliance to mammography screening. All four of these cues were found to influence women in …

But What Do They Think It Means? The Text/Image Relationship In Informational Communication, Nicole E. Bartell

Theses

To better understand how an audience processes information transmitted via image, text, or both, this study presented four different versions of the same message to four groups of RIT students. The message consisted of the following content: text only, text with images depicting evenly spaced years, text with images depicting irregularly spaced years, and text with irregularly spaced years. Subjects were instructed to look at the message for a set amount of time and then complete a questionnaire. Those who were given messages that had images and text felt less confused or misled than those who were given messages containing …

Adolescents' Perceptions Of Interparental Conflict And The Impact On Their Aggressive Communication Traits, Christine E. Kunkle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study examines the relationship between interparental conflict and adolescents' aggressive communication while utilizing tolerance for disagreement as a mediating variable. Participants were 159 high school students. Participants completed a modified version of the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale (Grych, Seid, & Fincham, 1992), the Argumentativeness Scale (Infante & Rancer, 1982), the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale (Infante & Wigley, 1986), and the Revised Tolerance for Disagreement Scale (Teven, Martin, & Neupauer, 1998). No significant relationships were found between perceived interparental conflict and adolescents' tendencies to approach arguments, adolescents' tendencies to avoid arguments, and adolescents' verbal aggressiveness. When controlling for tolerance …

Stereotypical Perceptions Of The Communication Behaviors Of Gay Males, Daniel W. Brewster

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study examined the stereotypical communication behaviors of gay males. The study examined the associations of assertiveness, responsiveness, homonegativity and biological sex. Participants were 359 (195 men, 164 women) students. Participants provided responses to questions about verbal and nonverbal behaviors for known gay individuals and individuals perceived to be gay. The participants then completed the Assertiveness-Responsiveness Measure (Richmond & McCroskey, 1990) in a self-report and observer-report, and the Modern Homonegativity Scale (Morrison & Morrison, 2002). Results indicated some of the more predominant responses to verbal and nonverbal behaviors are inconsistent with the prevalent societal perceptions of homosexuality. Significant associations between …

Application Of Turning Point Theory To Communication Following An Acquired Disability, Katie Neary Dunleavy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Interpersonal relationships are affected when one relational partner acquires a disability. The acquisition of the disability is considered a turning point and the interest of this study is what occurs after the turning point. In particular, this study investigated the satisfaction, emotional support and solidarity of those who have acquired a disability in their life and one of their able-bodied relational partners. The stages of adjustment to a disability were also quantitatively analyzed. Both the participants who acquired a disability and their relational partners completed self-report measures. Difficulties in obtaining participants led to descriptive results. Challenges to a small participant …

Persuasion By Association: A Content Analysis Of Cigarette Advertisements Aimed At The Youth Market, Pamela L. Carmichael

Theses

Past research suggests that manufacturers market cigarettes through advertisements associating cigarettes with qualities and behaviors valued by the target audience. Using content analysis, the present study compares the visual and verbal/textual product associations in cigarette advertisements in youth- (People and Sports Illustrated) and adult-oriented (Time and Better Homes and Gardens) magazines. Results show significant differences in product association categories, with ads in youth magazines significantly more likely than those in adult magazines to employ associations related to social gatherings/friendship, romance/eroticism, independence/self-reliance/rebellion, prize giveaways/merchandise, and pleasure/refreshment/flavor/quality. This study adds to the body of knowledge on the content of cigarette advertisements and …

Who Could Ask For Anything More?: An Analysis Of Rhythm And Dalcroze Eurhythmics And Their Place In The Communication Arts Of Speech, Forensics, And Theater., Kenton Bruce Anderson

Student Work

This study argues for the reintroduction of the ancient Greek and Roman rhetorical focus on developing musical rhythm skills in the education of the public speaker and orator. It examines the potential for application of the Dalcroze Eurhythmics pedagogical method in speech communications. It reviews the literature on philosophy, neurology, communications, rhythm, expressive movement, and education. This includes a literature review of relevant concepts such as rhythm, delivery, charisma, gesture, affect, education, hypnosis, propaganda, and paranoia. It explores neurological findings on music, movement, the brain, and the efficacy of bi-hemispherical, affective, movement-based, phenomenological, and somatic educational approaches. The study next …

Barriers To The Implementation Of The Oklahoma Learning Site Initiative., Robin L. Plumb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Oklahoma State Legislature and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education have partnered to put forth an initiative to strengthen the state's intellectual power in hopes of preparing its citizens to compete in the global, knowledge-based economy of the 21^st Century. As a starting point for the Oklahoma Learning Site Initiative, the Oklahoma State Regents set forth two goals: (a) to improve the quality of life of the citizens of Oklahoma and (b) to improve Oklahoma's rankings on national economic indicators to achieve a condition in which Oklahoma's growth rate on national economic indicators is consistently above the …

Wresting And Arresting Sense In Academe: The Complicated Discursive Structures Of Female Assistant Professors, Alana M. Nicastro Edd

Dissertations

Women in academe often become entangled in an intricate equation of sensemaking as they work to balance the professional demands of teaching, research, and service, while at the same time learning the political and moral meanings of being a scholar. Structuration theory offers avenues for closely examining communicative strategies women utilize to navigate their roles as assistant professors. Through intensive interviews with seven female assistant professors this research investigates their process of wresting and arresting sense of the complicated roles, rules, and structures in academe. Analysis of interview data reveals the multiple discourses that frame organizational practices that facilitate and …

Organizational Uncertainty Management: Developing A Framework For Public Relations Practitioner Involvement, Marcia L. Watson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the concept of organizational uncertainty and the involvement of public relations practitioners. Understanding organizational uncertainty is imperative to the success of an organization, but the effects of uncertainty have been relatively undertheorized within public relations.

To close the gap, this study blended multidisciplinary theories pertaining to uncertainty with a triangulated methodological approach. First, this study took a macro-organizational look at uncertainty by analyzing trends in the literature and conducting qualitative in-depth interviews with members of management and employees in an organization. The results of this portion of the study found uncertainty to be multi-layered and the most …

Identification And Measurement Of Two Factors Affecting The Long-Term Outcomes Of Public Relations Programs: Public Image And Public Trust, Kimberly B. Amendola

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the most current theories surrounding organization-public relationship measurement, which is one approach used to verify the effectiveness of public relations programs. The study attempted to define and test two new factors that may affect organization-public relationships, which are identified as public image and public trust. Existing factors used to test such relationships, such as trust, satisfaction, commitment, and control mutuality, focus on testing the perceptions stakeholders have about an organization based upon their interpersonal relationship with that organization. However, in organizations where the dominant coalition still does not view public relations as …

Communication In The Classroom: An Interpretive Analysis Of Empowerment And Choice Theory, Judith Angela Jason

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This analysis synthesizes the psychotherapeutic Choice theory classroom management model with a communication theory of learner empowerment. Four dimensions of learner empowerment: meaningfulness, competence, impact, and choice are illuminated as inherent in the classroom management techniques and behavioral plans within the Choice theory paradigm. This in-depth portrayal synthesizes the language employed in the implementation of the psychotherapeutic model with task assessment manipulations of each of the four learner empowerment dimensions. Linguistic and environmental strategies for cognitive manipulation of task assessments for each dimension are revealed. This interpretive analysis advances Choice theory as a method for manipulating task assessments of each …

Interactivity And User-Heterogeneity In On Demand Broadcast Video, Mounir Tantaoui El Araki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Video-On-Demand (VOD) has appeared as an important technology for many multimedia applications such as news on demand, digital libraries, home entertainment, and distance learning. In its simplest form, delivery of a video stream requires a dedicated channel for each video session. This scheme is very expensive and non-scalable. To preserve server bandwidth, many users can share a channel using multicast. Two types of multicast have been considered. In a non-periodic multicast setting, users make video requests to the server; and it serves them according to some scheduling policy. In a periodic broadcast environment, the server does not wait for service …

The Myth Of Charismatic Leadership And Fantasy Rhetoric Of Crypto-Charismatic Memberships, Shaun Robert Treat

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study will analyze the relationship between myth and the fantasy rhetoric of charismatic leadership by employing Fantasy Theme Analysis to examine the pervasive discourses invoking this enduring folk belief. Fantasies of the Charismatic Superhero are explored within the popular leadership treatises of successful “management gurus” and in our popular culture entertainments. The rhetorical visions of Stephen Covey’s “Principle-Centered Leadership,” Jim Collins’ “Level 5 Leadership,” and Manz and Sims' “SuperLeadership” are examined for their displacement of charismatic leadership in favor of the empowered crypto-charisma of self-leading memberships. Findings suggest “empowerment” rhetorics, like the rhetorical visions championed by many populist “gurus,” …