Digital Commons Network^™

Wage And Productivity Of Employees In Service Providing Industries In Albania: A Close Look At It And Business Sectors, Sindi Rryta

Theses

Nowadays, outsourcing has created new employment possibilities especially in developing countries. Although Albania is considered as one of the most prominent outsourcing destinations in the Balkans, there is little evidence in terms of the varying levels of wage and productivity of workers within the outsourcing sectors. The aim of this thesis is to provide insights regarding the wage and productivity differentials in two specific service-providing industries in Albania, namely IT BPO and BPO. The analysis of primary data collected through a survey (N=62) in four Albanian companies and eight interviews with representatives of outsourcing companies in both mentioned sectors, shows …

Distance Education: Challenges And Opportunities In A Post-Pandemic World. Case Of Kosovo, Fiona Shahini

Theses

The objective of this study is to explore the challenges and opportunities created by the abrupt shift from classroom to distance learning. This study will try to address the question of “What distance learning presents for the future of education in a post-pandemic world?” More specifically, it aims to uncover the opportunities distance education brings and the challenges that can be resolved or mitigated in the future. The study focuses on secondary and primary data to uncover and analyze the experience of professors and students of tertiary education with distance learning. Secondary research shows that distance learning provides flexibility, which …

Lightfastness Of Water-Based Inks Vs. Latex Water-Based Inks, David Lopez Lopez

Theses

This study focused on the lightfastness properties of non-latex water-based inkjet inks and latex inkjet inks for conventional process colors, i.e., cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Lightfastness is defined as the property of ink that describes the degree of resistance to fading when exposed to light. Lightfastness varies among inks based on their formulation. The degradation of inks caused by light happens when the light is absorbed by the pigments and reacts with the pigments and molecules in the printed substrate. This research evaluated the lightfastness degree of water-based inkjet inks vs. latex inkjet inks. The experiment used printed samples …

Polarization Dynamics In Nonlinear Photonic Resonators, Saif A. Al Graiti

Theses

The global market demand for higher-bandwidth communication is increasing exponentially. Although optical networks provide high transmission speed using light to transmit signals, a bottleneck-inducing conversion is often needed to perform the processing of optical signals in the electrical domain. Such processing imposes a major barrier that would limit the high transmission speed of fiber-optic communications. This bottleneck conversion may be mitigated by extending signal-processing capabilities directly into the optical domain itself. Thus, I have studied the dynamics of optical polarization in a nonlinear photonic resonator to understand a new optical physical behavior to enhance the capabilities of optical signal processing. …

Examining The Tradeoffs Of Green Infrastructure For Stormwater Management: Ecosystem Services Vs. Environmental And Human Health Impacts, Ciara M. Heister

Theses

As green stormwater infrastructure (GI) practices become more widely implemented, it is important to develop a full understanding of both the positive and negative ways that GI practices may influence environmental and human health. Additionally, as climate change leads to shifts in precipitation patterns, it is necessary to understand how the resulting changes in stormwater runoff volume, soil moisture, and vegetation species composition will impact both biogeochemical cycling and the production of ecosystem services and disservices. The overall objective of this study was to compare green stormwater infrastructure practices by weighing the tradeoffs that exist between negative impacts such as …

Assessing The Degree Of Agreement Between Polarized And Unpolarized Densitometry In Offset Lithographic Applications, Devin J. Schneider

Theses

Automated color measurement systems have become significant components of offset lithographic printing presses for better process control and reduced job waste. In Europe, printers have broadly adopted polarized densitometry, which is uncommon in US standard operating procedures. It is recognized that some European press manufacturers provide automated color measurement instrumentation limited to polarized density readings. Introducing polarized densitometry into an environment where unpolarized densitometry is utilized can be problematic. The increasing significance of this issue has motivated print professionals to look for a solution. The present study applies the Bland-Altman method together with other statistical analyses to determine if a …

Helps Tourists To Customize Travel Plans Easily With Local Experience: Dotrips App, Shenyu Zhang

Theses

Traveling with group tours can no longer meet the needs of tourists. In-depth tourism has become a new choice for Chinese tourists, especially middle- and high-income groups. Outbound travel, tourists need to find far away from the hustle and bustle of the city and to deeply understand the cultural heritage and folklore origins. Pursue a personal experience of natural beauty and artistic style or a bold exploration of the way of life and the essence of life. The rapid development of the tourism industry and the proliferation of user-shared content have made the problem of information overload in the field …

The Effectiveness Of Solving Commercial Disputes: Alternative Dispute Resolution Vs Commercial Litigation In Kosovo, Diar Ramadani

Theses

This study assesses the effectiveness of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, particularly through a comparison between the two ADR pillars – Arbitration and Mediation, and Commercial Litigation in resolving business disputes. The study specifically draws parallels with respect to time, cost, and user-satisfaction as key indicators in assessing which one of these pathways of solving commercial disputes is most effective for businesses in Kosovo. Consistent with the literature review, businesses resort to commercial litigation because of common practice, whereas mediation is chosen because it is a traditional, and historically successful method of solving disputes through an intermediary – even in …

Emerging From Covid: Online Work And Its Implications For The Worker Performance In Kosovo, Ujvara Fetoshi

Theses

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we live and work. Employers in Kosovo shifted their operations to a new and unfamiliar form of work for them and their workers and found new ways for their organizations to survive and strive in unexplored virtual environments. This study investigates the existing practices of remote work, the changing dynamics in remote environments, the opportunities and challenges and the implications for worker performance. To do so, this study analyzes primary quantitative and qualitative data which were collected in the time period of March-December 2020. The quantitative data was collected from a …

Integration Of A Visible-Telecom Photon Pair Source With Silicon Photonics For Quantum Communication, Vijay Soorya Shunmuga Sundaram

Theses

Reliable transfer of quantum information between nodes of quantum processors and memories is crucial for the realization of many groundbreaking technologies. These include distributed sensing, distributed computation, entanglement swapping, quantum metrology, quantum key distribution etc... which would vastly expand the potential of today’s quantum computers and form the framework for a secure quantum internet. However, most quantum nodes are accessed using visible photons which are incompatible with the telecom-band optical fiber network. In this thesis, we propose a method to bridge this spectral mismatch between the quantum nodes and the communication channel using a highly non-degenerate (810nm+1550nm) photon pair source …

The Inclusion Of Children Of The Autism Spectrum In Kosovo’S Education (K-12): A Policy Review, Aurora Kingji

Theses

This research was conducted to unravel the factors that need to be taken into consideration when drafting a policy for the inclusion of children in Kosovo’s education from grades K – 12. A literature review of existing materials on the history, general information, the legal perspective, the educational perspective, and the socio-cultural perspectives, on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is presented. Moreover, the results of primary data gathered from 13 interviews spanning across the aforementioned fields (policy, education, society/culture) have been collected. This data has been analyzed using the knowledge, attitude, practice (KPA) approach. KPA has been applied to, among others, …

Trade Liberalization Versus Protectionism In Developing Countries: The Case Of The 100% Tariff In Kosovo, Bind Ahmetaj

Theses

The principal aim of this Honors project is to analyze the effects of the protective trade measures, by the example of the 100% tariff in Kosovo. The analysis is carried out mainly with respect to three dimensions: price of goods and consumption, volume of trade, and new trade patterns; with the purpose of deriving lessons for the development of future trade policies in Kosovo. The research methodology for this study includes a combination of primary and secondary data. In line with the goal of providing an in-depth analysis on the impact of the 100% tariff on trade and Kosovo’s economic …

Hyperspectral Polarization Data For Particulate Materials, Rachel Golding

Theses

Polarization is a useful quantity in understanding optical data. However, it is also one of the least understood quantities in remote sensing of granular media, and knowledge is particularly sparse in the area of hyperspectral data. There particularly have been few studies of the negative branch of polarization and these models have had limited success in describing observation. This thesis reviews previous studies of both positive and negative polarization by Hapke, Shkuratov, and others, presents experimental results taken in the Rochester Institute of Technology’s GRIT laboratory, and describes plans for future research to understand and model polarization. Experimentation described in …

An Interactive Memorial For Healthcare Workers Who Lost Their Lives During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tianjin Zhang

Theses

COVID -19 started spreading in the U.S. at the beginning of 2020. During 18 months of trauma, more than 3,600 U.S. health care workers perished on the frontline in the first year of the pandemic. We are losing our guardians who fight against the disasters and save human beings' lives. With deeply in pain the lost, survived people desire to remember and perpetuate the history. However, there is less data support to track health worker deaths in the nation, limited places to gather for the vigil, extend heartfelt condolences and remember the deceased. We want to know what health care …

An Insight Into Students’ Feedback On Synchronous Distance Learning During Covid-19 Lockdown, Amanda Bao

Presentations and other scholarship

The fast growth of technology and internet in the last decade has built the necessary infrastructure for distance learning, and made the rapid transition to online teaching possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are still a lot of uncertainties about the impact of distance learning on students’ learning effectiveness in engineering education. This paper presents the survey results about distance learning in a Civil Engineering course during the COVID-19 lockdown period and is aimed at understanding students’ challenges and preferences in distance learning. The survey results reflect the students’ perspective on online learning and provide an insight into students’ …

The Relationship Between Augmented Reality Games And Well-Being Outcomes: A Self-Determination Theory Approach, Matt Poquadeck

Theses

Video games have become a prevalent source of media entertainment globally. Their popularity has made them a topic of interest to researchers, medical professionals, educators, politicians, and many more who are concerned about the role and impact video games have in society. Research has often focused on the effects of violence and addiction; however, the use of video games as an educational tool has been explored as well. Additionally, the literature suggests that video games may also be a useful medium for increasing positive health behaviors such as exercise. A popular type of video game known as an augmented reality …

Effects Of Microplastic On Freshwater Benthic Ecosystems: Toxicity And Impacts On Biogeochemical Cycling, Kristina Chomiak

Theses

The accumulation of plastic debris in waterways is an increasingly complex environmental problem due to the ubiquity and magnitude of plastic debris across freshwater ecosystems, along with the unknown impacts on ecosystems and public health. However, “plastic” is a catchall term for numerous polymers with unique physical and chemical properties. Further complicating the prediction of risk, plastic characteristics may change from environmental exposure, with changes in density, adsorption or leaching of toxins, and accumulation of biofilms that further influence material properties, fate and impact. Recent studies suggest that a substantial proportion of plastic entering freshwater systems is deposited in the …

Influence Of Flipped Learning Strategy On High School Students’ Learning Outcomes In Biology In Osun State, Mutahir Oluwafemi Abanikannda

Frameless

The study was conducted to investigate the influence of flipped learning strategy on high school students’ learning outcomes in Biology in Osun State. The study adopted a descriptive survey and respondents used for the study were three hundred and fifty (350) students were randomly selected from twelve (12) High Schools in Osun State. The study consists of one research question and one research hypothesis. The instrument used to obtain information on this research was an inventory. Frequency counts and percentages with mean deviation was the descriptive statistics used. The research findings revealed that flipped learning strategy has a positive influence …

Introduction: 2020 Frameless Xr Symposium, Susan Lakin

Frameless

No abstract provided.

Ambedo: Immersive Storytelling Through Augmented Reality, Dr. Diane Derr, Law Alsobrook, Sadia Mir

Frameless

The territory of locative media, coupled with augmented reality, offers unique opportunities to excavate and unpack rich historic events, in immersive storytelling. In September of 1943, during World War II, approximately 5,200 Italian soldiers were massacred on the Greek island of Kefalonia by Nazi troops. This massacre is credited as one of the largest ever prisoner-of-war massacres in recent history (Lamb, 1996) and left an indelible mark on the island of Kefalonia. In 2019, Configuring Kommos: Narrative, Event, Place and Memory, an interdisciplinary research project, began an investigation into the triangulation of narrative within the complexity of this tragic …

Full Bloom: Diegetic Ui For Musical Phrases In Virtual Reality, Peter Armstrong, Elliot Cole, Peter Ferry, Joe Geigel, Susan Lakin, Richard Swientonioski, Zachary Talis, Jennie Thomas

Frameless

We propose a novel system for communicating musical note pitch and sequence information to users within a virtual reality environment. Our approach utilizes ‘Blooms,’ objects that resemble flowers with various petal arrangements. These formations, when constructed in view of users, act as diegetic, user-parsable encodings of their inputs. Blooms exist within the virtual space as simulated physics objects that collectively serve the role of a user interface.

Web Derive 01 - An Online Art Vr Work By The Transeuntis Mundi Project, Cândida Borges, Gabriel M. Velez Dr.

Frameless

The Transeuntis Mundi(TM) Project explores the complexity of the millennial human journey and the resulting cultural diversity. It investigates how it can be approached through artistic research and be converted into a nomadic creative practice in transmedia arts, using emerging technologies to generate an archive of human legacy.

Compositions are based on field recordings in public spaces of multiple cities around the world, using 3D technology for sound and image, following Careri's (2002) methodology of Walkscapes. The power of interactivity and immersion through 360o image and ambisonic sounds are crucial to insert the visitor in a global cultural …

Ikkuma: An Artistic Vr Storytelling Experience, Yangli Liu

Frameless

Ikkuma is an interactive storytelling experience utilizing Tilt Brush and Unity. It is about a land being swallowed by the sea, where conflict cracks ice and fire tears families apart. Ikkuma is the Inuvialuit word for fire, a central element to the work. The fundamental theme of Ikkuma is global warming and its impact on the Arctic ecosystem. The players must learn to tame the fire in their hearts and the Inuit traditional knowledge if they hope to survive the harsh yet fragile Arctic tundra.

Designing Blended Experiences: Laugh Traders Design Fiction, Brian J. Okeefe

Frameless

The increasing ubiquity of interactions that involve complementary digital content, physical objects, and spaces, brings about new challenges for designers. There is a need to embed designs in legacy systems, whether those are existing physical structures or existing digital platforms. Traditional approaches to product design, interaction design, and user experience design often do not take this new context into account. Many systems do not consider how designers produce new digital and physical experiences that work harmoniously, while supporting new interactions and relationships with people (Imaz and Benyon 2007; Jetter, Geyer, Schwarz & Reiterer 2012). To address this, we propose the …

Stitching The Fragmented: 360° Videos For Language And Culture Learning, Melanie Peron, Victoria Karasic

Frameless

Emerging technologies present new opportunities for students to bridge the distance of space and time, allowing them to relate to a difficult period in history: the Shoah. Over the last few years, students in a French history and culture course have participated in a series of digital projects ranging in nature from mapping to 3D modeling, with the latest being student-created 360° videos in order to fill in the blanks left by time in memory. These digital humanities projects allow students to walk the footsteps of survivors, vanished victims, and period writers in modern-day Paris by visiting physical places studied …

Embodimap Vr. A Tangible And Immersive Body-Mapping Experience., Volker Kuchelmeister, Jill Bennett, Gail Kenning, Natasha Ginnivan, Lydia Gitau, Sophie Burgess

Frameless

EmbodiMap is a creative research and therapeutic tool that enables users to connect with and explore how thoughts, sensationsand emotions are experienced in the body. It extends existing body-mapping research and protocols by facilitating a tangible immersive experience.

The Visit Vr. An Immersive Experience To Counteract Stigma About Dementia., Volker Kuchelmeister, Jill Bennett, Gail Kenning, Natasha Ginnivan, Melissa Neidorf

Frameless

The Visit is an interactive 6-dof real-time Virtual Reality experience, developed from an interdisciplinary research project conducted by artists and psychologists working with women living with dementia. Visitors are invited to sit with Viv, a life-sized, realistic and responsive character whose dialogue is created largely from verbatim interviews, drawing us into a world of perceptual uncertainty, while at the same time confounding stereotypes and confronting fears about dementia. The characterisation has scientific validity but also the qualities of a rich, emotion-driven film narrative. The point of the work is to draw the viewer into the emotional/perceptual world of Viv.

Insight Ar. Relating Virtual Sculptures To Real Places., Volker Kuchelmeister

Frameless

InSight AR is a site-specific Augmented Reality project and mobile phone app produced for the popular Sculptures by the Sea Bondi exhibition, to be held in Sydney Australia in 2021. It forms uncanny relations between virtual sculptures, visitors, the environment and the art on site. The project is comprised of three parts: an outdoor work using AR plane detection and geo-location, AR image and spatial tracking for an indoor exhibit and a 3D map of the coastal walk, also presented in AR. The work is designed to be playful, fun and it encourages its viewers to share their experience on …

How Mixed Reality Will Impact Product Design, Wyatt Coe

Frameless

Mixed reality technology promises to merge our digital and physical worlds, unlocking new realms of experience and design. Designers must consider how this will impact future products and experiences now, to identify the most desirable solutions and applications of this technology. The capability of software to simulate reality could fundamentally shift the way we produce and experience physical and digital products, allowing for simplified physical products that support digital experiences.

Aware: Eliminating Implicit Bias Using Ar, Shagun Bose, Emma Strauch

Frameless

Implicit Bias is something that happens to real people in real spaces all the time. But we can’t see it. Since, AR allows us to overlay virtual objects in real environments, we tried to leverage AR to make more salient the various ways in which people experience bias.