Digital Commons Network^™

The Virgin Of Guadalupe And The Liminality Of Pregnancy, Jason Oosting

Theses

This thesis suggests that the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, during the Colonial Period, provided the diverse population of colonial New Spain (and, in particular, Mexico City/Tenochtitlán) with an image that functioned to unify even some of the most seemingly disparate belief systems, those of Christian Spaniards and Indigenous Nahuatl traditions. More specifically, this thesis argues that this unification was achieved because the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the 16th and 17th centuries was likely understood as representing a divine pregnant woman to many colonial viewers—a state that bound viewers, both Spanish and Indigenous alike, to shared …

Evidence Of The Complexity Of The Conversion To Christianity In Early Medieval Funerary Stone Carvings Of Pagan Cultures In Scotland And Scandinavia, Cameron Genet

Theses

This thesis focuses on stone monuments created between the late fifth to late twelfth centuries CE, specifically in Scotland and Sweden. The aim of this thesis is to interpret the symbols or images inscribed onto the stone monuments to determine what they reveal about the Christianization of these regions. The Picts in Scotland and the Norse in Sweden left behind several standing stones such as the Craw Stane from the Picts and the Ledberg Stone from the Norse which have various symbols carved into them. These stones were sometimes created in connection with a burial, allowing the interpretations of their …

Personifying The Goddess: Contrasting Representation Of The Deified Body In Feminist Art, Kelly Lorraine Phillips

Theses

Goddess imagery, the representation of a female deity or a concept of divine feminine power through various forms, symbols, and narratives, has been used by artists to communicate a multitude of sentiments, from spiritual reverence to political ideology. This study probes the evolution of representations of the deified female body from the 1970s to the current era to reveal contrasts in how these icons of female power have transformed over time. The artwork of second-wave feminist and self-identified “Goddess artist” Mary Beth Edelson is examined as a foundation for second-wave Goddess sentiment. Edelson’s collage work, which incorporates figures from a …

Predicting Patient No-Show Rate In Healthcare To Improve Operational Excellence, Saeed Ahmed Al Wari

Theses

The challenge of integrating no-show predictive models into healthcare environments is complex and multifaceted, extending far beyond the distinct technical challenge of building accurate models. This thesis will discuss more on the subject of incorporating machine learning into healthcare. While algorithmic accuracy and model validation are critical, they are a mere sub-system of a much larger operational, technological, ethical, legal and human ecosystem. Predictive models face mass deployment in healthcare systems which are complex networks of stakeholders across strict regulatory frameworks and deeply embedded workflows (AlMuhaideb et al., 2019). However, for these models to result in long term and real …

Forecasting Cryptocurrency Price Movements With Tweet Volume And Sentiment Analysis, Ahmed Alblooshi

Theses

Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile and driven by rapidly shifting public sentiment and attention. Traditional financial models, reliant on historical pricing data, often fall short in capturingthereal-time,sentiment-basedbehaviourofcryptoinvestors. Among social platforms, X(formerly Twitter) stands out as a key influencer in crypto discussions, offering a rich source of public sentiment. The thesis presents a machine learning-powered tool that leverages tweet volume and sentiment to analyse short-term cryptocurrency trends. The primary aim is to design a practical analysis system that detects and interprets social media ”hype” around specific cryptocurrencies. By allowing users to choose a cryptocurrency name from a list, the tool provides …

On The Use Of Nonlinear Electrophoresis For Separating Particles And Cells In Insulator-Based Electrokinetic Systems, Alaleh Vaghef-Koodehi

Theses

The increasing demand for efficient separation processes of micron-sized particles, including microorganisms, highlights the importance of developing low-cost, non-labor-intensive, and time-efficient techniques. Insulator-based electrokinetic (iEK) systems have proven to be a practical alternative to bench-scale methodologies such as centrifugation and membrane filtration. Several studies have reported the separation of microparticles by employing direct current (DC) voltages. However, all of them have overlooked the phenomenon of nonlinear electrophoresis (EPNL) and its role in the electrokinetic migration of particles. This study combines mathematical modeling and experiments to extend the capabilities of iEK systems. This dissertation has four aims: (1) to separate microparticles …

Peach Street, Anastasia Lawrence

Theses

Peach Street connects to the universal phenomenon of losing innocence of childhood and navigating the perils and disappointments of the adult world and visualizes my ongoing experience with anxiety and what psychiatrists call derealization, the feeling of being detached from reality. Set in the same location as where I first felt immense panic, my photos create a fictional narrative where a small town, its residents, and the environment are being controlled by a force emanating from the town’s lake. The lake’s aura blinds the residents to its control, forcing them to live in a set way without personal expression or …

Shopping Quest: Transforming The Shopping Experience By Creating A More Immersive And Enjoyable Experience, Nagasai Vardhan Rao Sarvepalli

Theses

In the post-pandemic era, this thesis looks into how gamification and augmented reality (AR) can get customers back into physical retail settings. Brick-and-mortar stores have found it difficult to stay relevant as consumer preferences have shifted toward online convenience. Shopping Quest attempts to make in-store grocery shopping an engaging experience. The project started with qualitative surveys using a human-centered design process to determine the main frustrations of shoppers, which were navigation and remembering what to buy. The final idea makes use of a wearable AR interface that directs users with a virtual rocket and promotes exploration with collectible digital petals. …

On-The-Go Handbag: Sustainable & Biodegradable Handbag Design, Sydney Neff

Theses

Handbags have been an ever-present accessory in society for centuries, coming to symbolize not only fashion trends but status and femininity. They have evolved to hold extreme significance, being able to show a snapshot of who a woman is by taking a simple look inside. Purses have become a companion for consumers in many ways, accompanying them throughout important days and events, providing talking points, and even compliments for the user. However, these constant companions come at a cost. The fashion industry and the accessories produced within are an immense cause of environmental pollution. This provides an ever-present internal fight …

Realmweaver: Designing A Sandbox Simulation Game With Ai-Driven Storytelling, Tianzhe Fan

Theses

This paper introduces Realmweaver, a sandbox simulation game concept that combines artificial intelligence (AI) and procedural generation to balance player creativity and system automation. Realmweaver empowers players to create dynamic characters, build expansive worlds, and co-author narratives through adaptive AI systems. By leveraging technologies such as natural language processing and layered procedural algorithms, the game addresses challenges in maintaining narrative coherence and balancing user agency with system autonomy. The design framework integrates intuitive interfaces, including highlighted narrative systems and interactive hover functionality, ensuring accessibility while enhancing engagement. These features enable players to navigate complex systems and shape immersive worlds with …

The Intersection Of Spirituality, Commerce, And Art In The Work Of William Keith, Joan Gallagher

Theses

This thesis examines the nineteenth-century Tonalist artist William Keith, focusing on how he successfully integrated commerce, art, and spirituality to achieve financial success, artistic innovation, and spiritual depth. While scholars often emphasize the symbolism and religiosity in his work, they tend to overlook his financial accomplishments. This study explores Keith's background, religious influences, and artistic development within the cultural, economic, and social context of nineteenth-century America. As a Tonalist, Keith produced popular works for the art market; as a Swedenborgian, his art reflected the spiritual principles of that faith. Unlike his East Coast counterparts, Keith’s California-based landscapes captured the dramatic …

Access To Justice For Deaf Defendants, Anna Zieba

Theses

Deaf individuals face systemic accessibility within the criminal justice system, which emphasizes the importance of the gaps in accommodations by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Inconsistent legal protection, limited access to interpreters, inadequate training for legal professionals, and a lack of technology resources obstruct effective communication for Deaf individuals. As a result, it prohibits achieving an effective and equitable legal outcome. This research paper will examine case studies, legal frameworks, and academic literature to highlight the critical need for reform, including mandatory Deaf culture training, standardized interpreting qualifications, and more resources to enable equitable access to justice.

From Contact To Care: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Mental Health Practices Across The Criminal Justice Continuum, Violet Ameele

Theses

This capstone attempts to gain a further understanding of the state of mental health training, protocols, and practices across the continuum of the criminal justice system. The various sections of this paper will look at law enforcement, corrections, and court/community and their roles in mental crisis training and interaction. As the topic of mental health is something increasingly discussed in the present day, it is also something that is in need of more research, in order to create higher standards when it comes to individuals with mental health concerns and ensuring that they receive the proper levels of care that …

Police, Prisons, Communities, And Courts: An Examination Of Criminal Legal System Responses To Neurodivergence, Rhys Miller Evans

Theses

Mental health in the United States is largely stigmatized and overlooked as a factor of crime. This capstone project critically analyzes the response of actors in the criminal legal system to neurodivergence and identifies areas for improvement.

Part One focuses on how police respond to those with mental health conditions and community-based supports that can reduce harm during these interactions. This chapter provides an overview of the prevalence of neurodivergence in the United States and how police are, or are not, trained to protect and serve this subset of the population. It explains the Memphis Model of crisis intervention and …

Examining Food Choice Determinants In Ncaa Division Iii Athlete Participants Representing Multiple Sports, Olivia Towne

Theses

Objective: To examine determinants of food choice among NCAA Division III athletes using the Athlete Food Choice Questionnaire (AFCQ), focusing on gender, sport type, and seasonal status. Participants: 72 NCAA Division III athletes from 13 sports at a private northeastern university participated in an online survey during Fall 2024. Methods: Participants completed the 32-item AFCQ assessing nine food choice factors. Independent t-tests and Pearson’s correlations were used to compare factor scores by gender, sport type, seasonal status, and team success. Results: Performance, Sensory Appeal, and Food Values and Beliefs emerged as the most influential factors in food choice, while Weight …

Effect Of Traumatic Brain Injury On Quality Of Life, Mohammad A. Al Rjoob

Theses

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results from external events, such as falls and motor vehicle accidents leading to brain damage. This study investigated quality of life (QoL) in individuals with TBI and its relation to demographic and clinical variables, including gender, age, educational level, time since TBI onset, fatigue, depression and cognitive function. Twelve individuals with TBI participated in this cross-sectional study. Quality of life was assessed using Quality of Life after Brain Injury and ASHA Quality of Communication Life Scale measures. Fatigue was measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale, depression was measured with the Geriatric Depression Scale, and cognitive function …

Ai Emotional Companion App, Ruyi Liu

Theses

"Lumi" is an AI emotional companion app designed to provide personalized, immersive, and emotionally supportive experiences. The project explores how customizable virtual characters can fulfill the growing emotional and social needs of users through multimodal interaction, intimacy-building systems, and gamified engagement. By combining user interviews, competitive analysis, and iterative prototyping, this thesis investigates how design strategies can strengthen the user’s emotional bond with an AI character. The final product presents a flexible platform where users can create unique AI companions, interact in diverse ways, and develop lasting emotional connections. This work contributes to the field of emotional UX and digital …

A Remote Sensing-Based Evaluation Of Road And Electricity Infrastructure Expansion Effects On Development In Sub-Saharan Africa, Tunmise Ibukun Raji

Theses

Sub-Saharan African countries consistently rank low on human development indicators despite decades of international aid and domestic investment. To address these challenges, governments across the region are allocating substantial portions of their national budgets to infrastructure expansion, viewing it as a catalyst for accelerated socio-economic development. However, given severely constrained budgets, these nations often face trade-offs between infrastructure development and investment in other important sectors such as healthcare and education. This highlights the need for infrastructure investments to deliver their anticipated benefits. This dissertation examines the relationship between infrastructure development and socio-economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular focus …

Predicting The Probability Of Crime Related Danger In Los Angeles, Joshua Oghenetega Okpako

Theses

This thesis examines the use of advanced machine learning to predict crime danger in Los Angeles, where 2023 violent crime rates (503 per 100,000) surpass the national average (363.8 per 100,000). Rooted in theories like social disorganization and victim vulnerability, it addresses the lack of combined victim-centric modeling by focusing on three questions: (1) Do blended ensemble models outperform individual models in predicting crime danger? (2) Can unsupervised learning techniques enhance supervised models’ accuracy through label generation or augmentation? (3) How can we interpret accurate machine learning models' decision-making processes? Using historical crime data from Los Angeles (2020–2025) and various …

Predicting Student Dropout Risk Using Machine Learning, Fatma Alameri

Theses

Student dropout remains a persistent challenge in higher education, undermining institutional performance, reducing workforce preparedness, and limiting students’ academic and economic opportunities. Accurately identifying students at risk of attrition is complex, due to the interplay of academic, financial, and behavioral factors. This thesis addresses this challenge by applying a combined machine learning framework—integrating both unsupervised and supervised techniques—to predict student dropout using structured, first-year academic and financial data. The study utilizes a comprehensive dataset of 4,424 undergraduate student records from a European higher education institution, covering ten academic years and comprising 35 variables related to academic performance, enrollment behavior, and …

Fake News Detection: Leveraging Natural Language Processing And Machine Learning For Reliable Information Verification, Roshni Rajendra Salve

Theses

This dissertation details the creation and assessment of a machine learning algorithm designed to identify fake news utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods. The research employs several machines learning models, including Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and other deep learning techniques, to detect and classify misleading information. Data is sourced from a variety of platforms, such as social media and online news outlets, to compile a thorough dataset. The data is pre-processed to eliminate noise, address missing values, and extract essential features through techniques like tokenization, stop-word removal, and lemmatization. The performance of the models is evaluated using key metrics such …

Stochastic Variational Autoencoder, Shounak Desai

Theses

This work explores a novel generative modeling approach inspired by variational autoencoders (VAEs). Traditional VAEs rely on a recognition model (encoder) that approximates the latent posterior with a single gaussian distribution for each input, limiting their flexibility in capturing complex data distributions. In contrast, we propose a modified recognition model that utilizes stochastic mixtures of gaussians, allowing for a more expressive latent representation. By leveraging stochastic neural networks within the VAE framework, we aim to achieve a tighter evidence lower bound (ELBO) on the log-likelihood of the data. Our approach is a preliminary investigation to enhance the latent space structure …

Future Unleashed: Reimagining Marketing Strategies With Future Foresight, Afra Sultan Al Suwaidi

Theses

In today’s fast-paced and dynamic business landscape, marketing plays a crucial role in influencing business strategy and decision-making in an organisation. Marketing not only helps organisations identify and anticipate trends, threats, and opportunities, but also enables them to formulate and implement effective strategies to capitalise on these insights and achieve the organisation’s vision and goals. Future Foresight in marketing empowers organisations to stay ahead of the curve and gain a deeper understanding of the target audience and industry landscape. The evolving nature of marketing driven by advancements in technology, particularly artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital marketing channels, makes it …

Determining Sustainable Urban Renewal: A Case Of Quantifying Sustainability For Adaptive Reuse Within Mumbai’S Textile Mill Sector, Arundhati Rajesh Kawlekar

Theses

This study explores adaptive reuse as a sustainable approach to urban development in Mumbai, India, focusing on the revitalization of a heritage textile mill site. It investigates how historical significance and evolving community needs can shape design decisions, while assessing sustainability through Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and energy efficiency metrics. Mumbai’s defunct textile mills, once central to its industrial growth, now pose challenges to urban vitality. Through a literature review, the paper examines their historical, social, and cultural relevance and the decline of the mill industry. Adaptive reuse emerges as a key strategy to reimagine these structures, offering an environmentally …

Evaluating Leatherback Turtle Conservation Using The Iucn Red List, Hannah Mcguiness-Piasecki

Theses

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is a key resource for assessing species extinction risks and serves as a framework for global conservation planning. This study focused on the Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), a species currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, evaluating the conservation policies and measures implemented by selected English-speaking countries. The study employed a policy analysis approach, reviewing national and international treaties relevant to leatherback conservation. The findings revealed that while many countries align their policies with global treaties, some gaps remain, particularly in addressing threats to adult leatherbacks …

The Drifter: Creating A Family Archive To Rediscover Lost History, Gabriella Smith

Theses

When history goes undocumented or removed from public access, there is always a question as to how to preserve it. This thesis focuses on the creation of a family archive as a means to preserve and rediscover lost history. When lost history is recovered stories can be completed and we, as a civilization, can gain a better understanding of what our history is. This will be showcased through the creation of the Jerrold Smith Family Archive. Jerrold Smith (1941-1986) a native Rochesterian, grew up with a love of crafts and creating new things. When he passed, he left behind a …

Capturing Community Memory: A Juxtaposition Of Oral History And Historic Building Preservation, Eliot Gavin

Theses

Preserving local history has always been a challenge for small communities. Traditional preservation methods like historic building preservation can be costly and take a lot of time for local historical societies. These historic sites are important to the culture of the local citizens and deserve to be saved. Using The Castle on the Hill in Dansville, New York, as a case study, oral histories will be captured to explore the role of oral history in preservation. The Castle on the Hill plays an important role in shaping Dansville’s identity as a town. In the past, the Castle has served as …

Rooted In Ogdensburg: A Creative Exhibition From Classroom To Gallery, Finn Bishop-Duford

Theses

Picture this: you are an elementary student- wandering around an art exhibition. On the wall hangs artwork you dedicated your time to. How does it make you feel? Art exhibitions of student work are a display practice implemented at the James F. Montpelier Gallery located at Ogdensburg Free Academy in Ogdensburg, New York. Such student-focused art exhibitions, historically, create a wonderful, inspirational, and impactful environment for students to display their finest works. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world by storm in 2020, the thematic shows shifted to assemblages of students’ best work. This is due to the limited time …

A Review Of Smart Public Transport Systems: Challenges, Technological Innovations, And Future Directions, Ahmed Masam Alfalasi

Theses

Urbanization has created greater demand for effective and sustainable public transport systems in smart cities. Yet, overcrowding, congestion, and old infrastructure remain the main challenges to the effectiveness of these systems. This literature review discusses the major issues affecting smart public transport, such as reliability issues, environmental sustainability, and improved integration and coordination between modes of transport. Technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data analytics are being applied to enhance public transportation efficiency, alleviate congestion, and improve passenger experience. Qualitative research methods were used, relying on secondary data from academic journals, government reports, and …

Back To The Basics: Extracellular Protein Interaction Networks Of The Human Infant Immune System, Mavis Amity Irwin

Theses

Datamining without an age filter proves challenging, especially when searching for direct data from human infants. Although online databases provide immune interaction networks, they often lack information about the age of data sources, resulting in categorizations as age-unspecified. This limitation underrepresents the physiology of naïve immune systems in infants, particularly since full-term infant immunity transitions to an adult-like phenotype between 24 and 30 months of age. This study aims to reconstruct an age-specific immune interaction network for full-term infants by integrating literature-based evidence with existing online database content. A list of 60 extracellular protein candidates involved in immune responses was …