Digital Commons Network^™

Stepping Out From The Crowd: (Re)Branding Jamaica's Tourism Product Through Sports And Culture, Thelca Patrice White

Masters Theses

Branding and marketing, in a world where much emphasis is placed on commercialism, are inextricably linked, and carry significant weight. Brands, as we have come to know them, are seemingly ubiquitous, and represent an omnipresent way for many businesses to communicate vital information about their products to existing, as well as, prospective customers. However, while many persons consider branding to be directly related to huge corporations, branding has expanded its repertoire to include nations. While many scholars of marketing and branding have placed keen attention on the branding of corporations, very little attention has been placed on the branding of …

The Problem Of Love And Codes Of Conduct For The Younger Courtiers In King Lear, Debora L. Pfeiffer

Masters Theses

The courtiers Edmund and Edgar are critical to the action of King Lear, yet there has been little scholarship which has treated these characters in depth. I argue that one way to comprehend them and their significance in the play's action is to analyze their behavior according to the standards of the Renaissance conduct books that were circulating in England at the beginning of the seventeenth century when the play was written. Baldassare Castigligone's The Book of the Courtier, Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince, and Desiderius Erasmus's The Education of a Christian Prince each sheds light on important themes …

Yeah You Write: Authenticity And Authority In Katrina Literature, Terri Coleman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Adolescent Perception Of Social Support And Peer, Parent, And Teacher Relationships And Its Impact On Depression, Raliat Q. Adeboyejo

Masters Theses

The current study set out to examine how adolescents perceive social support from their peers, parents, and teachers and how this relates to depression. This study used the critical incident technique to gather open ended descriptions of incidents that participants identified as being the most socially supportive and non-supportive behaviors. Participants identified encouragement, concern, teaching, economic support, non-economic support, attendance, listening compassionately, advice, consoling, advocating, and prayer as the socially supportive behaviors they received from others. They identified criticism, ignoring, neglect, deterrence/discouragement, favoritism, inappropriate discipline, and distrust as the socially non-supportive behaviors. Parents displayed more encouragement, consoling, economic support, non-economic …

Examining College Faculty And Staff's Levels Of Confidence And Preparedness In Recognizing And Responding To Distressed Students, Rachel L. Chlebanowski

Masters Theses

Mental health on college campuses is a large focus, as students attending college with diagnosed mental illnesses are becoming more prevalent (Hunt & Eisenberg, 2010). While college campuses should be a safe and supportive environment for students, many faculty and staff do not know the resources available to students, nor are faculty and staff able to identify when students are suffering from a mental illness (Bateman, 1997). This study was designed to identify staff and faculty's ability to work with students with mental illness, including identifying warning signs, as well as recognizes campus resources. The study took place at a …

Perceptions Of Historically Black Greek Letter Organizations Impact On Leadership Development, Sherry Gunn

Masters Theses

Historically Black Greek - Lettered Organizations (HBGLO) have an impact on Black students at a Predominantly White Institution. As student affairs professionals, it is important to understand how these organizations affect our students and their development. This study aimed to learn how these Historically Black Greek - Lettered Organizations assisted with members gaining leadership skills, members experiences versus non - members, and members connection/ retention to the institution. The researcher conducted interviews with members of Historically Black Greek Lettered Organizations to examine the perceptions of seven participants. These participants represented four of the six Historically Black Greek Lettered Organization at …

"Fine Dignity, Picturesque Beauty, And Serious Purpose": The Reorientation Of Suffrage Media In The Twentieth Century, Emily Scarbrough

Masters Theses

Throughout the first half century of the woman's suffrage movement, the women of the movement were depicted as dastardly, masculine women who usurped the family structure with their penchant for politics. In the twentieth century, a new generation of woman's suffragists took command of their appearance in the media. Instead of controversial figures, woman's suffragists were envisioned as normal, beautiful women and mothers. Through the use of mass media, woman suffragists restructured their campaign to convince the general public that society needed women to clean up politics. In doing so, suffragists sacrificed their goals of sexual equality in favor of …

The Perception Of Black Male Students Of Black Faculty/Staff Involvement In Mentorship At A Predominantly White Institution, B. James Griffin Jr.

Masters Theses

This research study explored the perception African American men had of mentorship, its value to their education and the effects it had on their college success at a predominantly White institution. The study further focused on the impact mentorship had on the student when the mentor was of a different race versus the same race of the student. The research was guided by the following questions: (1) What is the value of mentorships related to attending a higher education institution, (2) What factors lead Black male students to seek mentorships, (3) What are the perceived differences between mentorship with cross-race …

The Effectiveness Of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies For Teaching English Reading Skills To Hispanic English Language Learners, Michelle Watson

Masters Theses

The present study was designed to assess the effectiveness of the Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) for teaching English reading skills to Hispanic English language learners (ELL) in the third grade. The current literature shows a rapid increase of Hispanic students in the U.S., however, due to a lack of exposure to the English language at an early age, many ELL students are behind their non-ELL peers in academic achievement, especially in reading. The PALS program was designed as an alternative approach to teacher-led instruction to help ameliorate reading difficulties, and although its effectiveness has been demonstrated with a variety …

Spanish-English Bilingual Adolescents' Attitude Towards Home Language: Effects On Narrative Language, Rebecca M. Hunt

Masters Theses

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between use of English as a second language in academic and social settings, and attitude towards home language (Spanish) in bilingual adolescents in a Central Illinois high school. In addition, the study evaluated the possible relationship between home language attitude and the structure of a personal narrative. Participants included include 11 Spanish-English bilingual high school students who resided in Spanish-speaking homes. Participants completed a questionnaire pertaining to self-rated proficiency of English and Spanish, frequency of use in various settings, and attitude towards English, Spanish, and bilingualism. English narrative samples …

Accommodating Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Writing Center, Rebekah Barton

Masters Theses

This thesis explores how collegiate writing centers could better serve the needs of students with autism. As there is so little research that involves writing centers and college students with autism, scholarship was pulled from traditional writing center pedagogy, research concerning adults with autism, and the information that was available about teaching students with autism in the college composition classroom. A mixed methods approach was used to conduct my own research: my study involved surveys, interviews, visits, and website analysis. It became clear that not only are writing centers not ready to accommodate students with autism, but some writing center …

The Effects Of Industrial Biomass Gasification Ash As A Soil Amendment On The Earthworm Eisenia Fetida, Michael J. Blackowicz

Masters Theses

Soil application of solid residues from thermal conversion of biomass (i.e. combustion and pyrolysis) has become a topic of interest in recent years. However, there exists a gap in the literature with regard to soil application of gasification residues and their effects on soil health and soil macroorganisms. This study investigates the effects of three different ashes (hardwood oak/hickory, hardwood willow, corn stover), collected from industrial biomass gasification reactors (University of Minnesota Morris, Eastern Illinois University), as a soil amendment on the composting worm Eisenia fetida. Additionally, ash samples were analyzed for total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and potentially toxic …

Troubled, Solomohn Nallshi Ennis-Klyczek

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

D-Galactose Decreases Mitoneet Levels In Liver Cancer Cells: Impact On Cellular Bioenergetics, Sudip Paudel

Masters Theses

Galactose is a simple sugar that at supraphysiological concentrations accelerates aging and age-related complications, which lead to impaired mitochondrial functions. MitoNEET is a small mitochondrial membrane protein with a molecular mass of 12.2 kDa that functions in diabetes, iron metabolism, regulation of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. MitoNEET knockdown increases cellular respiration rates and ROS levels similar to galactose treatment. Pioglitazone, an antidiabetic drug, binds to mitoNEET and ameliorates galactose toxicity. Cellular mitoNEET levels, exposure of cells to galactose medium, and pioglitazone treatment directly influence cellular respiration. To elucidate the role of mitoNEET in galactose induced …

Going Solo: A Study Into The Framing And Salience Of International Terrorism, Arianne Gouveia

Masters Theses

In order to explore presidential rhetoric, media coverage and its contribution to public opinion, this thesis will examine these facets in the matters of international terrorism. More specifically, terrorism in India, Syria, and Afghanistan will be assessed and compared during two time periods: 2003-2004, and 2011-2012. This thesis will predominately attempt to evaluate the relationship between the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) and actual coverage. By searching for key words in presidential speeches from President Obama and President Bush, evaluating the news coverage of terrorist activity in all three countries, this thesis will attempt to show the impact of presidential speeches …

Facebook Addiction And Impulsive Decision-Making, Daniel Delaney

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between Facebook "addiction" and impulsive decision-making. Impulsive decision-making as measured by the delay discounting task is associated with a number of addictions and other problem behaviors. We gave 152 students a paper-based packet including the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale to measure problematic Facebook use and a delay discounting task to assess impulsivity. 16 Facebook "addicted" participants were matched to 16 control participants on demographic data to compare differences in impulsivity. Likewise, we explored whether a correlational relationship between Facebook addiction scores and impulsivity existed. We found that Facebook "addicts" discounted delayed rewards more quickly than …

Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction Of Student Employees Within Campus Recreation, Dale P. Kolnitys

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the overall predictors of job satisfaction for student employees within campus recreation departments. The study centered around three main research questions, 1) what are the predicting factors of job satisfaction? 2) What, if any, differences exist based on the size of the school? 3) What, if any, differences exist based on whether the academic major is closely related to campus recreation?

The questionnaire was completed by 150 students at nine different universities. Data analysis revealed that four factors had a significant influence on job satisfaction of college students working within campus recreation. …

Does The Geographic Information Systems Benefit The Insurance Industry?, Andrew R. Brachear

Masters Theses

This research is intended to determine if the insurance companies are benefiting from Geographic Information System technology in the insurance industry. This is based on the consumers' point of view through the use of research, survey results, and technology at the insurance company's disposal. Today, this technology is used in many different areas including renewable energy, delivery business, and city planning. Insurance companies use this technology in order to determine safe driving habits. Some examples include Progressive's Snapshot and State Farm's In-Drive. These devices are used to collect data on response time, speed, and breaking. This is a possible concern …

Barriers To Communicating Sexual Orientation Identity At Work, Marissa A. Guenzi

Masters Theses

Previous research emphasizes the benefits associated with having open gay and lesbian employees. However, many gay and lesbian employees still remain in the closet. This project examines barriers preventing gay and lesbian individuals from coming out at work. Four lesbian women and three gay men in the early stages of their careers were interviewed about their experiences of being closeted at work. Analysis reveals four barriers preventing gay and lesbian individuals from coming out at work and explores how these barriers are reinforced by informal organizational communication. Theoretical and practical implications for organizational communication research are discussed, and recommendations for …

The State Of The Union: The State Of Applause, John Proffitt

Masters Theses

This research focuses on reactions by members of Congress during the State of the Union address. Quantitative methods are used to examine if changes in overall political conditions, especially the level of partisanship, changes the nature of the responses of political actors. The results find that Congress responds to the speech in two major ways. Responses can represent attempts at partisan unity or alternatively represent attempts to show stronger than normal support for certain issues. This research supports several competing theories of representation and highlights the need to establish proper context when studying political actions. Since multiple theories of representation …

A Cost-Effective Haptic Device For Assistive And Rehabilitation Purposes, Archana Pradeep

Masters Theses

With the growing population of elderly, the need for assistance has also increased considerably especially for the tasks such as cleaning, reaching and grasping objects among others. There are numerous assistive devices in the market for this group of people. However, they are either too expensive or require overwhelming user effort for manipulation. Therefore, the presented research is primarily concerned with developing a low-cost, easy to use assistive device for elderly to reach and grasp objects through intuitive interface for the control of a slave anthropomorphic robotic arm (tele operator). The system also implements haptic feedback technology that enables the …

Chemical Quantification With Ubiquitous Optoelectronic Devices, Altamash Mukhtar Fakki

Masters Theses

"Optical sensing in medical diagnosis and chemical analysis using optoelectronic devices is a growing technology since it offers many advantages including real time analysis, remote sensing capability and low cost approach. This thesis demonstrates that an optical sensing platform utilizing optical mouse, the ubiquitous optoelectronic computer peripheral, can be used in quantitative oxygen and pH analysis.

Work in the first paper includes the use of optical mice for fluorescence intensity imaging of commercial oxygen patch. This involves gray color intensity analysis of filtered images to determine the gaseous oxygen level.

In the second paper, the optical mice is used to …

Experimental Study Of Crude Oil Emulsion Stability By Surfactants And Nanoparticles, Zainab Alabdulmohsen

Masters Theses

"Surfactants and nanoparticles are materials being widely used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Surfactants are mainly used to reduce the interfacial tension between oil and water which could form a stable film of emulsion between these two immiscible fluids. Also, nanotechnology is a potential candidate to offer another solution to improve oil recovery. Nanoparticles can form a solid layer at the droplet's interface and stand as resistant stabilizer under harsh reservoir conditions.

This research investigates whether the combination of surfactants and nanoparticles can provide a more stable emulsion than surfactants only. Two parts of experimental study have been done in …

Sensor Authentication In Collaborating Sensor Networks, Jake Uriah Bielefeldt

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, we address a new security problem in the realm of collaborating sensor networks. By collaborating sensor networks, we refer to the networks of sensor networks collaborating on a mission, with each sensor network is independently owned and operated by separate entities. Such networks are practical where a number of independent entities can deploy their own sensor networks in multi-national, commercial, and environmental scenarios, and some of these networks will integrate complementary functionalities for a mission. In the scenario, we address an authentication problem wherein the goal is for the Operator Oⁱ of Sensor Network S^{i …}

Evaluation Of Preformed Particle Gel Treatment Using Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Models, Hilary Ogochukwu Elue

Masters Theses

"This research investigates the effects of preformed particle gel (PPG) in remedying the problems of excess water production and low oil recovery of heterogeneous reservoirs by placing the PPG in the high-permeability layer, thus diverting displacing brine to the unswept low permeability layer. This investigation was completed with three tasks.

The first task was to evaluate the PPG swelling kinetics and strength as a function of concentration of brine. The result of this task indicate that PPG prepared with low concentration of brine swells more, becomes weaker, more deformable than PPG prepared with high concentration of brine.

The second task …

Mr4rf: Mem-Device With Impedance And Their Usage With Impedance Matching Networks For Passive Rfid Tags In The Uhf, George H. Harris

Masters Theses

"The passive RFID tag in the UHF has been employed in several different applications including, tracking, logistics, and as a sensing platform for the Internet of things (IoT). The tag is ideal for this industry due to its unique design. It harvests all of its energy from the environment, and is small, cheap, and requires little to no maintenance. However, there are two major issues limiting the potential of the passive RFID systems: the limited power harvested by the tag, and the high susceptibility to interference and coupling. In particular, dynamic environments render the traditionally fixed, RF impedance matching network …

Discrete-Time Neural Network Based State Observer With Neural Network Based Control Formulation For A Class Of Systems With Unmatched Uncertainties, Jason Michael Stumfoll

Masters Theses

"An observer is a dynamic system that estimates the state variables of another system using noisy measurements, either to estimate unmeasurable states, or to improve the accuracy of the state measurements. The Modified State Observer (MSO) is a technique that uses a standard observer structure modified to include a neural network to estimate system states as well as system uncertainty. It has been used in orbit uncertainty estimation and atmospheric reentry uncertainty estimation problems to correctly estimate unmodeled system dynamics. A form of the MSO has been used to control a nonlinear electrohydraulic system with parameter uncertainty using a simplified …

A Force Feedback Haptic Interface For Atomic Force Microscopy, Abdulmohsen Alabdulmuhsin

Masters Theses

"Integrating a force feedback haptic device with atomic force microscopy (AFM) improves the capability to investigate and manipulate the objects on a micro- and nanoscale surface. The haptic device provides the researcher with a sense of touch and movement by changing the position of the stylus or amount of force on it. The developed system's concept is to provide the user a sense and feel and control of the AFM probe at the nanoscale. By positing the haptic stylus, the user generates reference to commands to the AFM probe. In turn, forces experienced by the probe are communicated to the …

American Sign Language Alphabet Recognition Using Microsoft Kinect, Cao Dong

Masters Theses

"American Sign Language (ASL) fingerspelling recognition using marker-less vision sensors is a challenging task due to the complexity of ASL signs, self-occlusion of the hand, and limited resolution of the sensors. This thesis describes a new method for ASL fingerspelling recognition using a low-cost vision camera, which is Microsoft's Kinect. A segmented hand configuration is first obtained by using a depth contrast feature based per-pixel classification algorithm. Then, a hierarchical mode-finding method is developed and implemented to localize hand joint positions under kinematic constraints. Finally, a Random Decision Forest (RDF) classifier is built to recognize ASL signs according to the …

Esd Event Locator, Syed Abrar Ul Huq

Masters Theses

"Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) presents one of the most common threats to electronic systems especially in the cases of high-speed digital systems. ESD event locator systems have been designed to determine the location of the source of the ESD event using different techniques. One such method of determining the origin of the ESD event, is the use of four antennas and a high-speed Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) system to capture the ESD events.

This thesis presents such an implementation which deals with the design of an analog front-end to a fast TI LM97600 ADC and a Virtex-5 Field-Programmable Gated Array …