Digital Commons Network^™

Health Service Cost And Use Associated With Advance Directive Documentation Among Patients With Copd, Brandon Duck

Theses

Little available research has focused on the question of whether advanced-careplanning has the potential to impact health-care related spending especially in patients with chronic and incurable conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to investigate the prevalence of Advance Directives (ADs) documented in the electronic health records, compare healthcare spending between individuals with versus those without ADs on file, and examine socio-demographic variables as potential predictors of having documented ADs on file for patients with COPD in a large tertiary academic medical center in 2012 and 2013. This retrospective cohort study …

Buyer Prediction Through Machine Learning, Rashed Ibrahim Karmostaje

Theses

Targeted marketing has grown in popularity in recent years, as well as recognizing when a consumer will desire a commodity may be extremely important to a business. Predicting this demand, however, is a complex procedure. Businesses, promoters/marketers, and sellers are using machine learning approaches to execute buyer prediction. This study focuses on when a customer would buy fast-moving retail merchandise by evaluating a customer’s purchase history at partner vendors. The projections should be used to customize special discounts for customers who are about to make a purchase. In addition, buying behavior is a set of consumption habits that can be …

Using An Agent Based Model And Deep Learning To Simulate And Infer Market Behavior On Networks, Benjamin Weir

Theses

The financial markets have been affected by the recent advancements in social media. Retail traders often use social media as a source of financial information. This thesis provides a mathematical proof of concept for how retail traders on social media can cause a large change in market price and that it is possible to identify the factors that drive the price change before it is seen in the market. An Agent Based Model is used to simulate a self-contained artificial market on a network. Traders gather pricing information from social media posts created by traders on the network and their …

Exploring Digital Checking: Evolution, Technology, And Future Directions, Mohammed Hasan Saleh Bamasood

Theses

This capstone project sought to explore the evolution of digital/electronic checking, assess how technology and other factors fueled the development of digital electronic checking, evaluate if the sampled research literature indicate that the desirable attributes of a payment instrument have been fully addressed; and analyze issues that deter the digital/electronic checking system to fully integrate the six most desirable attributes for a payment instrument in order to recommend possible directions for future research and design implementation. The project utilized integrative review as its methodology and adopted a theoretical framework based on the input-process-output model to guide the analysis and presentation …

Hate Speech Detection In A Mix Of English And Hindi-English (Code-Mixed) Tweets, Mohamed Sameer

Theses

With the increasing usage of social networking platforms seen over recent years, there has been an extensive rise in hate speech usage between the users. Hence, Government and social media platforms face lots of responsibility and challenges to control, detect and eliminate massively growing hateful content as early as possible to prevent future criminal acts such as cyber violence and real-life hate crimes. Since Twitter is used globally by people from various backgrounds and nationalities, the platform contains tweets posted in different languages, including code-mixed language, namely Hindi-English. Due to the informal format of tweets with variations in spelling and …

Predictive Policing, Amna Ali Al Boom, Shaikha Khalid Bin Thani

Theses

UAE is one of the safest countries to live in, but that does not indicate that the country does not witness crimes, During the COVID-19 pandemic, the country saw an increase in cyber and digital crimes. Apart from cybercrime, there are other types of crimes, such as street crimes and violent crimes. Data analytics aids Dubai Police to predict crimes. Criminal investigation is one of the fields that is very interesting and is taught in colleges and academies. Data analytics opens the door for studying the details of each crime. Data mining tools consist of a variety of techniques that …

Opinion Mining Of Phone Sitting Feature, Atiq Yousuf Ahmad

Theses

This report aims to evaluate opinion mining of customers about phone sitting features in cell phones in different brands across the world by using data mining techniques. Therefore, Data for the report has been collected from data scrapping in Qoura which collects opinion of customers. The collected information from the data base has evaluated by using sentiment analysis. The collected information from Qoura transforms the content and extracts data from API’s. In relation to this, information obtains from the research contributed for providing useful information for these features. The collected information from application scrapping has been analysed through sentiment analysis. …

The Power Of Mind Control, Ali Adnan Majed

Theses

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a technology that has been used for so long to read and record neurological activity in the brain. EEG recordings are widely used nowadays for different neurological applications. Emerging technologies that can detect and analyze eye focus using EEG based technology are now are developing quickly. At a relatively affordable cost one can own an EEG kit. With the help of predisposed algorithms or the help of developers, new algorithms for different commands are being worked on. Along with other technologies EEG eye tracking can be beneficial in many domains such as, psychology, marketing, automotive industry, and …

Evaluating Psychiatric Nursing Competencies Applied To Emergency Settings: A Pilot Role Delineation Study, Joanna J. Mello

Theses

Aims: 1) To examine emergency department (ED) nurses' reports of a) frequency b) importance and c) self-efficacy related to the application of recommended psychiatric nursing competencies in three domains (i.e., assessment, tasks, knowledge).

2) To test the extent to which frequency and importance independently predict ED nurses' self-efficacy related to the application of the competencies in their daily work.

Supply Chain Disruption: A Conceptual Framework On Decision Making Using Neuroscience, Sadiya Siddique

Theses

The simplest definition of supply chain is the delivering of goods and/or services to the consumers required by the organization. In the late 1950s it was identified that the supply chain system was becoming more uncertain due to the changes in demands and inventory. Due to globalization and other business factors, supply chain has become more complex now due to which the likelihood and impact of disruption has increased. These disruptions can vary between known-unknowns and controllable to unknown-unknowns and uncontrollable ones. In recent years, the major disruptions happening in the supply chain and its effects on bottom line of …

Finding The Meaning In Ceramic Patterns From A Chaco Canyon Burial, Michael Lucero

Theses

The focus of this research considers the culture of the Ancestral Puebloans from the American Southwest region. This project reflects and examines the cultural arts and practices in relation to funerary aspects of the ancient Puebloan society that flourished in Chaco Canyon, located in present-day New Mexico. While investigations of historians and archaeologists have concentrated on findings within the Great House of Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, research focused on the structures and objects within rooms. The base of this research examines a collective set of vessels from burial room 33, excavated from the original exhibition of George H. Pepper, …

Sirplus - A Task Management System For Individuals With Executive Dysfunction, Thomas Roberti

Theses

A significant portion of the population struggles with executive functioning and task management. This project explores the pain points for organizing, initiating, and finishing tasks and proposes a design to address these problems. The objective of this project is to relieve the stress and anxiety people with executive dysfunction often experience with tasks. The design process for this project considered different product and interface strategies to help users with their tasks through positive motivation and rewards. Initial user testing showed that information overload and forgetfulness were barriers to setting and managing tasks. Furthermore, the act of crossing an item off …

Resource Use And Water Implications Of Material Consumption In Consumer Electronics, Hema Madaka

Theses

Rapid technological innovation has introduced a broad spectrum of materials in the consumer electronics sector. Consumption of these materials increases the demand for water and potentially discharge contaminants into the water resources across their life cycle, exacerbating freshwater scarcity and pollution. These water impacts have not yet been fully studied, as most literature on consumer electronics focuses on supply chain energy, carbon footprint, or end of life management. Evaluating water impacts requires data on material content, life cycle water consumption and emissions at spatial level, and availability of impact assessment models that connects life cycle data to water impacts. Data …

Personality Type Posters, Sabrina Awdi

Theses

Humans are highly visual creatures and have been responding to visual cues from the beginning of time for survival and information. Visual design is an important tool to use for to convey ideas through imagery instead of words or typed out information. Using design to help the person visually decipher and interpret information can serve as a solution in many aspects of life. I am using personality types to show introversion, extroversion, ambiversion, and empathy visually through the use of digital art (illustration) and graphic design. The goal is to evoke an emotional response from the viewer to be able …

Spiral Of Silence And The Use Of Social Media By Sexual Violence Survivors, Tanvi Thakur

Theses

Sexual violence has been a global health concern for over decades, but activism on social media such as #MeToo has increased public discourse and awareness about this issue. In its early advent, the #MeToo movement raised ample awareness, stimulated free discourse, and placed this issue as an important concern to address. While countries have implemented austere laws to prevent such hate crimes against women, societal norms and codes have deemed this type of violence as stigma or taboo resulting in the underreporting of the majority of sexual violence-related crimes. The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey conducted in 2015 …

I, Object, Shanee Gordon

Theses

I, Object is a 3D animated film which dives into the difference between intrinsic value and perceived value, both by an individual and by society, through an anthropomorphized world where household objects must do what they can to survive the onslaught of a depressed, do-it-yourself, divorcee. Following the mockumentary format, these objects are interviewed about the situation they find themselves in. The different personalities and dynamics between the characters brings a comedic element to an otherwise serious encounter. Opening with how the situation has progressed until the moment the filming crew arrived, the film jumps between characters but sticks to …

Body-Worn Cameras (Bwc): The Sword And Shield For Defense Attorneys, Joseph Santoro

Theses

The use of body-worn camera (BWC) technology in the criminal justice system has brought with it new ways of handling cases and effecting interactions between police officers and citizens. BWC use in the criminal justice system begins when the cameras are turned on and depending on circumstances, the captured footage may become valuable evidence to then be entered into court for trials. Amongst the studies of BWC, two criminological theories have stood out the most. Deterrence theory and self-awareness, both provide explanation towards what kind of power and influence BWC has over officers, citizens, and court actors. The first is …

Behind The Plea: Factors That Shape Plea Bargaining Outcomes, Jonathon Chierchio

Theses

Four working papers on the topic of plea bargaining:

Plea Bargaining and Prosecutorial Discretion

Legal and Extralegal Factors in Plea Bargaining

Types of Defense and Their Impact on Plea Bargaining

Pleading Guilty to Lesser Charges: Which Factors Matter?

Light Management In Iii-V Thin-Film Photovoltaics And Micro-Leds, Julia Rae D'Rozario

Theses

Light management is essential to improve the performance of optoelectronic devices as they depend on the interaction between photons and device design. This research demonstrates novel approaches to enhance the light absorption in thin-film III-V photovoltaics (PV) and light emission from micrometer-scale light-emitting diodes (μLED). The high power conversion efficiency (PCE) realized in III-V PV makes them attractive power generation sources, especially for off-the-grid space-related missions. Thin-film PV (< 1 μm) offer great tolerance towards the inevitable radiation damage in the space environment as carrier collection is maintained compared to their optically thick counterparts (3-5 μm). To combat transmission loss of photons traveling through the thinned device, this work develops textured back surface reflectors (BSR) to increase the optical path length (OPL) of unabsorbed photons to generate electron-hole pairs. The textures are created via etching techniques and epitaxial regrowth and are characterized by surface imaging and reflectance (R) measurements. The textured BSR with high diffuse R increase the OPL, and the best-known design demonstrates over a four-fold increase in the OPL, which is two times greater than the planar BSR. This research delivers new analyses useful to the PV community, including the lifetime enhancement factor and free-carrier absorption modeling, which aim to improve the PCE in thin-film PV. Modern display technology is constantly integrated into daily use to convey information and connect people worldwide. The next generation of wearable devices requires small-featured displays to achieve high resolution. The μLED delivers value to near-eye displays through low power consumption, long lifetime, high contrast, and increased resolution. As these devices reduce in size, surface states limit the light output power (LOP) at the roughened sidewalls, and the perimeter-to-area ratio must be considered. This research focuses on developing a fabrication process that improves LOP through sidewall treatments. The dry etch process is optimized to reduce surface roughness, and sidewall treatments via wet-chemical etching, in situ etching, and regrowth aim to improve the sidewall quality. Scanning electron microscopy on the LED sidewalls supports the optimized fabrication process. Luminescence characterization reveals that combinations of etching and regrowth suppress non-radiative recombination events. These techniques render pathways to enhance LOP in LEDs smaller than 25 μm x 25 μm.

Biohelm Smart Hockey Helmet: A Conceptual Wearable System For Protecting And Empowering Female Athletes, Anthony Parrucci

Theses

Women’s ice hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and needs the most articles of protective equipment. At the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level, not only do these athletes need to adapt to team issued equipment that rarely fits comfortably or safely but must also consider the important facets that impact overall performance. The main objective of this project is to promote inclusivity while protecting, empowering and educating athletes in an ethical, noninvasive manner to positively impact the culture of women’s sports. Overexertion at the NCAA level increases exponentially due to the intense training and …

Poster Design: Possible Future Living Space For Overpopulated Hong Kong, Rong Dai

Theses

According to the official statistics of China, Hong Kong’s limited land space has always struggled with overpopulation, and cheap cage homes quickly became an easy solution for many poor people. However, terrible and cramped living conditions not only make physical activities difficult, but also deprive residents of their basic housing rights. People can not envision what the living space will look like in the future, and they lack a sense of what a healthy community is. This project intends to visualize a possible future living space through illustration and information diagrams, giving the audience who live in overpopulated countries an …

A Smart Yoga Mat System Designed For Visually Impaired People, Dan Han

Theses

Globally, nearly 2.2 billion people are visually impaired, while 39 million are blind at present. Due to various factors, it is difficult for the blind to exercise. Though associations for blind people and disabled schools provide more possibilities for sports training for visually impaired people, these resources cannot reach everyone in need because of location and foundation limits. The project aims to make fitness more accessible for visually impaired people to help them keep healthy. Thus it could support their confidence and independence as they expected. Furthermore, society's awareness of visually impaired people's difficulties while exercising then, more studies could …

Intelligent Relaxation System For Information Anxiety, Xiuyu Shi

Theses

The development of information technology has brought a lot of convenience to people's lives and changed the way we work. There are many people who use cell phones and computers every day, which has caused many health problems, and information anxiety is one of them. This paper discusses a project that proposed to help with the problem of information anxiety among workers and investigates the root causes of information anxiety among IT workers. After user testing and design, this project gives a potential design solution that uses sensory feedback. In addition, this paper gives some insights into the negative effects …

“Onq”: Contextual Information Design, Sally Boniecki

Theses

There is a countless amount of entertainment media available to a single viewer, and the internet makes that media easily accessible. However, keeping up with the rules, objectives, backstory, or culture of each one is difficult, and confusion hinders enjoyment. My thesis, “OnQ” dismantles the barrier of information in broadcast sports, viewership of which has been declining for 10-20 years. By exploring the flow of information, user interaction, user multitasking, and graphic design via on-demand explanations and statistics on top of live video, “OnQ” takes existing multitasking behavior and integrates it onto the same screen as the broadcast. Instead of …

How To Help Students Who Live In Rural Areas Get Equal Education Resources., Shunjie Yang

Theses

With the development of China's economy, the imbalance between the east of China and the west of China appears. Developed cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen attract more people to work and live. As a consequence of the good economy, the education in those cities is professional. Students in those cities kept the best education resource. Unfortunately, students who live in rural areas or the west of China cannot share the same education re- source. The coming of the coronavirus exceeded the inequality of education resources since a lot of rural schools closed. That means students who live in rural areas …

Gamification Of Education And Learning: Heuristic Elements, Player Types, And Learning Outcomes For Art History Games, James L. Hutson Jr.

Theses

The technology of virtual reality (VR) and the gamification of education and learning has had proven educational benefits, especially in secondary education. However, there remains little to no research on the heuristic elements and mechanics that contribute to learning at the postsecondary level of education. Most research conducted has been refined to science programs, but even in these instances, a study of the effects and interests of different demographics has yet to be considered. Given the visual nature of how the discipline of art history has traditionally been taught, there are a number of virtual reality (VR) applications to assist …

Sku Time Series Forecasting Methods For Fmcgs, Mohammad Al Orbani

Theses

This research aims at using forecasting algorithm that predicts the demand that is to be needed on a monthly basis while factoring in occasional inconsistent patterns, seasonality, and non-stationary and cyclical patterns of the data. The prediction is to predict around 3000 SKUs in 19 end markets and since the data is necessary for marketing enhancement and strategies, the Forecasting accuracy must be high. Since market strategies will be based on those predictions and revenue will be lost in the case of an error. Hence, we need to keep in mind that the model is not overfitted and that it …

The Effects Of Corrective Feedback Frequency On Esl Pronunciation Uptake, Repair, And Preference, Rachel Rosemarie Stuckel

Theses

Second language (L2) learning has begun recognizing that intelligibility, comprehensibility, and accentedness influence how nonnative speakers of English are perceived by others. As such, pronunciation instruction is becoming more common in L2 curriculum around the world. Corrective Feedback (CF) is commonly given in the pronunciation classroom to draw attention to and correct learners’ errors. Research has tried to understand what forms of CF are most effective for language learning, how CF affects pronunciation, and what learners believe about CF. What is lesser known is if the frequency or rate of CF affects learner’s uptake and pronunciation error repair. Participants in …

Using Email Reminders To Increase Virtual Attendance For Middle School Students, Lauren Cline

Theses

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, professionals in the field of behavior analysis and education have continually asked how to help students access quality education while still keeping them safe and healthy. There have been multiple options presented that allow students to access their education, such as being fully in-person, fully virtual, and a hybrid option that includes both in-person and virtual learning. Due to different factors, families may choose a full virtual option for their children. But then the question becomes, “how do we make sure they log into their classes on time?” School attendance continues to be an issue …

Personifications Of The Sacred And The Sovereign Represented In The Art Of The Sala Del Maggior Consiglio In Palazzo Ducale, Susan Sholar Hanny

Theses

The aim of this research is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of why the Venetian Republic incorporated specific personifications in the art of the Sala del Maggior Consiglio (Chamber of the Great Council) (fig. 1) in Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) (fig. 2) created after 1577 (when a fire destroyed most of the existing artwork in the room) to promulgate the sacredness and sovereignty of the Venetian Empire. In addition, the research seeks to connect the personifications to events in Venetian history that influenced the use of specific figurative images within the artwork and to the message the Venetian Republic was …