Digital Commons Network^™

Sobject, Warren Iii Lloyd

Theses

Attempting to find a solution to the problem of how to make art that is both critical yet participatory, sobject explores subject/object relations within the development of the medical gaze in the history of medico-clinical perception and Modern Art. Sobject works both analytically, tracing these apparently parallel developments, and synthetically as it forms a methodological approach from the interpolating spaces of each. It locates and analyzes histories of objective instrumentation between subjects and objects, then works to open and redistribute these into new possibilities. It does this by developing an artistic practice that engages with contemporary forms of institutionalized instrumentation, …

Using Word And Phrase Abbreviation Patterns To Extract Age From Twitter Microtexts, Nathaniel Moseley

Theses

The wealth of texts available publicly online for analysis is ever increasing. Much work in computational linguistics focuses on syntactic, contextual, morphological and phonetic analysis on written documents, vocal recordings, or texts on the internet. Twitter messages present a unique challenge for computational linguistic analysis due to their constrained size. The constraint of 140 characters often prompts users to abbreviate words and phrases. Additionally, as an informal writing medium, messages are not expected to adhere to grammatically or orthographically standard English. As such, Twitter messages are noisy and do not necessarily conform to standard writing conventions of linguistic corpora, often …

Coup D'Oeil, Stephanie Quarto

Theses

coup d'oeil translates as "stroke of eye;" it also means a sudden blink or glimpse. It was used as a military term referring to a general's ability to assess with a single glance the advantages and disadvantages of a battlefield. I have titled this thesis coup d'oeil because it addresses the general lack of strategy and analysis by viewers of popular images. Images are omnipresent; they guide and influence humanity. They are not inherently adversarial, but when they assault both our conscious and unconscious minds, they can be extremely influential and destructive. The images in this thesis are similarly made …

The Acquisition Of The Nongeneric Uses Of The English Definite Article The By Arabic Speakers Of English, Aied M. Alenizi

Theses

This study aimed to investigate the acquisition of the four non-generic uses of the English definite article the by Arabic learners of English in Saudi Arabia. These non-generic uses included textual, situational, cultural and structural. This study had three goals: (1) to determine whether these uses are acquired in a certain sequence; (2) to explore which one of these uses is the most difficult and the easiest in learning; (3) to investigate whether one or two of the uses are overused.

The instrument consisted of 59 sentences adopted from Liu and Gleason (2002). There were 40 instances for required uses …

Word-Initial Consonant Cluster Patterns In The Arabic Najdi Dialect, Bandar Abdulaziz Alghmaiz

Theses

Unlike in Classical Arabic, this study hypothesized that word-initial consonant clusters exist in Najdi Arabic as a result of first vowel deletion. The goal of this study was to investigate the word-initial consonant cluster patterns of Najdi Arabic and measure the sonority scale of this particular position. Ten native Najdi Arabic speakers were asked to pronounce 24 words and 24 sentences that contained all the possible consonant cluster patterns that could occur in Najdi Arabic. The output of the subjects revealed that Najdi Arabic does have initial consonant clusters in certain environments and that the minimum sonority distance was one …

The Realization For The English Voiceless Postalveolar Affricate /Tʃ/ In Najdi Saudi Esl Learners Production, Abdullah Ahmed Alqarni

Theses

The current study investigated the realization for the English voiceless postalveolar affricate /tʃ/ in Najdi Saudi ESL learners' production. The goal of the study was to investigate whether Najdi Saudi ESL learners have difficulties in pronouncing /tʃ/. Both linguistic and extra-linguistic factors were taken into consideration. Eighteen Najdi ESL learners' with different length of residency in the US were the sample of the study. Sixteen English words with /tʃ/ in initial and final position represented the instrument of the study. Data were analyzed using both SPSS and Speech analyzer software. The results showed that Najdi ESL learners have difficulties with …

The Explanatory Indispensability Of Mathematics: Why Structure Is 'What There Is', Nils Richards

Theses

Inference to the best explanation (IBE) is the principle of inference according to which, when faced with a set of competing hypotheses, where each hypothesis is empirically adequate for explaining the phenomena, we should infer the truth of the hypothesis that best explains the phenomena. When our theories correctly display this principle, we call them our ‘best’. In this paper, I examine the explanatory role of mathematics in our best scientific theories. In particular, I will elucidate the enormous utility of mathematical structures. I argue from a reformed indispensability argument that mathematical structures are explanatorily indispensable to our best scientific …

A Defense Of The Kalam Cosmological Argument And The B-Theory Of Time, Curtis John Metcalfe

Theses

William Lane Craig is the most recognizable contemporary defender of the kalam cosmological argument. The argument, in its simplest form, is that (i) Whatever begins to exist has a cause of its existence, (ii) The universe began to exist, and (iii) Therefore, the universe has a cause of its existence. In defending this argument, he claims that it presupposes the theory of time commonly referred to as the A-theory of time, which is roughly the view that time really does flow from the nonexistent future into the present, and then out of existence into the past. Though this may be …

Advanced Statistical Analysis Of The Pupil Project Program, Erin Marie Brooks

Theses

Objective: Early visual processing integrity is correlated with word reading. In previous reports, duration of fixation when reading sight-words has been established as an early sensory correlate of single word decoding ability. In attempts to model the direct and indirect predictive value between duration of fixation, number of fixations, orthographic processing, phonological processing, and rapid automatized naming (RAN) to word decoding ability, we compared Visagraph duration of fixation and number of fixations data to results of the Processing and Learning Test-Reading and Writing (PAL-RW) and dyslexia screening test (DST) in a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. Methods: Seventy-four students with …

Concepts, Universals, And The Abstract, David Keith Mcgraw

Theses

Through a historical investigation into the medieval problem of universals, I come to an understanding of the philosophical notion of ‘concept’ that is compatible with the contemporary discussion of concepts within cognitive science. Contra Edouard Machery (2009), I argue that the philosophical and psychological notions of ‘concept’ are compatible by developing the Aristotelian solution to the problem of universals into a conceptualist position. This will then be used to subsume the various paradigms of concepts countenanced by contemporary psychologists. I emphasize a conceptual scheme of reality that is embraced by both ancient and contemporary thinkers: what I call the tetrafurcation …

Syllabification Of Single Intervocalic Consonants In The Arabic Dialect Of Sakaka City: Evidence From A Nonword Game, Mamdouh Zaal M Alhuwaykim

Theses

This paper offers a short report on an Optimality Theoretic analysis of the syllabification of single intervocalic consonants in the Arabic dialect of Sakaka city. This study aimed at investigating how intervocalic consonants of different sonority profiles are treated in the dialect of Sakaka City. Thirty monolingual male participants were recruited voluntarily in this study. Participants’ judgments were elicited using a metalinguistic word blending task with pairs of disyllabic nonwords of the structure ꞌCVCVC + ꞌCVCVC, where stress was on the first syllable only throughout the data. All phonemes involved in this structure are in conformity with Arabic phonotactics. In …

Already Gone, Manuel Fermin Hernandez Marquez

Theses

Already Gone is a project that explores the relationship of the photographic medium to the concepts of time and history, and the several temporal and historical layers contained within any photographic image. It is heavily influenced by photo-conceptualist practices that were introduced in the 1960s that often employed a de-skilled aesthetic, and questioned photography's intrinsic characteristics, possibilities, and limitations. Already Gone is inspired by the ideas of artistic agency in a time where the end of history and the beginning of post-history is proposed, and in the effects the demise of analog photography might have in the indexical nature of …

Effect Of Time Constraint On Second Language Reading Comprehension, Hammad Alshammari

Theses

This study aimed to investigate the role of time constraint on second language reading comprehension via the recruiting of 47 Saudi participants who were learning English as a second language. Subjects shared similar level of English proficiency; all participants were in their third semester of English at Aljouf University, Saudi Arabia, at the time of data collection. Participants were divided into three time groups; limited (20 minutes), extended (30 minutes), and unlimited (40 minutes). In terms of stimuli, a reading text was adapted from a standard English proficiency exam, TOEFL. The text consisted of 699 words and was of moderate …

Improving Usability: Evaluating The Effect Of Changing Environmental Factors On Cognitive Load, Robin J. Deegan

Theses

Mobile devices are now truly ubiquitous. Their pervasiveness in all facets of our lives brings many advantages. Principle to these advantages is the notion that mobile devices can be used “Anytime, Anywhere”. The size, portability, battery life and computational power of mobile devices mean that they can be used for a diverse range of uses in an equally diverse range of environments.

Usability is primarily concerned with “ease of use” and “learnability”. Mobile devices are challenging this notion of Usability as they are used in new ways. Firstly mobile devices arc used in complex distracting environments and these distractions interfere …

An Exploration Of The Past, Present And Future Of Nursing In Early Parenting Services In Australia, Elaine Bennett

Theses

Nursing has a long history of providing services to families and children over the past century and more within Early Parenting Services (EPS) in Australia. Much has been written on issues regarding the general nursing workforce and requirements for the future, but little is known about the role of nursing within the EPS area around Australia in the context of an interdisciplinary team.

The aim of this study was to describe how nursing has responded to the changing needs of EPS in Australia and to investigate nurses’ and allied professionals’ perceptions of the nursing role within an interdisciplinary team. This …

The Implications Of Linguistic Bondage In The Lais Of Marie De France : An Analysis Of The Oath In Bisclavret, Equitan, And Yonec, Barry Rich

Theses

In this thesis, I examine Marie de France's applications of the oath in her Breton lais. With her own admittance that she writes to pay homage to a king, I argue that the oath represents a prominent feature of language and rhetoric that Marie uses to demonstrate the overarching power structure of the feudal society in which she is bound. I also propose that she critiques the sovereign's usurpation of language by using this trope throughout her works. Looking specifically at "Bisclavret," "Equitan," and "Yonec," I contend that Marie looks at how the sovereign uses the oath of power to …

Implementation, Integration, And Optimization Of A Fuzzy Foreground Segmentation System, Ryan M. Bowen

Theses

Foreground segmentation is often an important preliminary step for various video processing systems. By improving the accuracy of the foreground segmentation process, the overall performance of a video processing system has the potential for improvement. This work introduces a Fuzzy Foreground Segmentation System (FFSS) that uses Mamdani-type Fuzzy Inference Systems (FIS) to control pixel-level accumulated statistics. The error of the FFSS is quantified by comparing its output with hand-segmented ground-truth images from a set of image sequences that specifically model canonical problems of foreground segmentation. Optimization of the FFSS parameters is achieved using a Real-Coded Genetic Algorithm (RCGA). Additionally, multiple …

The Pragmatic Role Of Code-Switching And Simultaneous Production During Play Contexts Of Bimodal Bilingual Hearing Children Of Deaf Parents, John R. Hanson

Theses

It is difficult, if not impossible to find another code-switching condition that allows for the production of "simultaneous" language use in communication like that which is found in bimodal bilingualism. In 2002, Bauer, Hall, and Kruth conducted a study that examined code-switching in a play context for a German/English bilingual child. Emmorey, Borinstein, and Thomson in 2005 investigated bimodal bilingualism in adults. However there has not been a study like these for hearing children using ASL/English who have Deaf parents. By applying Bauer, Hall, and Kruth's study as a template for research into code-switching and adapting some of the processes …

How Parents Use Television To Enrich Their Children's Cultural Identity: The Case Study Of Shalom Sesame And Jewish Life, Elizabeth Michele Spezia

Theses

A small-scale ethnographic case study of young children's learning from television in southern Illinois provides understanding about the frameworks used for interpreting media use in family life. The research consisted of in-home interviews about patterns of using the media, observations, and family diaries of children's viewing behavior to examine family engagement with a prosocial television program, Shalom Sesame, depicting Jewish culture, Hebrew language, holidays, and the land of Israel. Family responses to the program are identified in terms of appeal, use, and overall fit with Jewish identity and tradition in the homes. Data analysis reveals that quality educational program features …

Maddy The Mathasaurus: An Interactive Math Game That Introduces The Concept And Properties Of Multiplication And Designed With Consideration For Children With Adhd, Mansi Vora

Theses

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is one of the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder in kids, and is estimated to affect about 8-10% of school-aged children. Research shows that out of these children about 26% particularly have Math learning disabilities. The cognitive ability to understand and solve complex mathematical problems requires high level of concentration over a longer duration of time. This ability is disrupted in certain children due to ADHD. Therefore these students are likely to receive lower grades or even failure in standardized measures. However, if an educational environment is created that is specifically targeted towards reducing the …

Temporal Operators And (Metaphysical) Presentism, Matthew J. Bell

Theses

In a paper titled “Tense, Modality, and Semantic Values,” (Philosophical Perspectives, 2003) Jeffrey King argues (in part) that tenses in English do not function as sentential operators but that they are more akin to object-language quantifiers over times. Although not an explicit concern of King’s in the paper under consideration here, his analysis poses several prima facie difficulties for the metaphysical position known as “presentism” (that is, roughly, the view that only what exists at the present is real). Specifically, the commonsense motivation for presentism is threatened because of the discrepancy King proposes between how tense actually functions …

Stirrings: Interactive Tableware, Lorianne Resch

Theses

The goal of this thesis project was to create an object or set of objects that would serve as an interaction point to foster reciprocal learning and perceptual exchange between children and adults. The underlying investigation dealt with the notion that the child's point of view can be quite insightful, but it is often forgotten or overlooked and replaced by a more `reasonable' and rational perspective as we age. The project's final form serves not only as a whimsical, functional set of dishes, but also as a language of anthropomorphic forms.

Motivation And Attitudes Toward Learning French In The University's Foreign Language Classroom, Brianna Johnson

Theses

In second language research and pedagogy, motivation has been labeled as a key factor for success (Clément, 1980; Dörnyei, 1998; Tremblay & Gardner, 1995; Deci & Ryan, 1985); namely, language learners with high levels of motivation will be more successful than those who exhibit more negative attitudes towards learning the TL. Through classroom observations, student survey responses and personal interviews conducted in a beginner-level university French class, this study attempted to determine broad motivational patterns using Gardner's (1982) binary integrative and instrumental model, and then determine specific origins for these motivations. Four interviewees were selected: two with high instrumental and …

Motivation In Foreign Language Learning Settings: The Case Of Arabic In The Usa, Abdelmohssen Bouteldjoune

Theses

The term motivation has been the key for several research studies in language learning since Gardner and Lambert (1972) introduced the term to the field; however, the term did not go beyond the two types instrumental and integrative. Several studies were built over these terms, but none of them has explicitly investigated the motivation for learning Arabic language as a foreign language in the USA. Arabic is one of the languages where motivation for learning in the USA is increasing, thus came this study to investigate the reasons and orientations i.e. initial motivation for learning Arabic and if the materials …

The Impact Of Background Knowledge And Time Constraint On Reading Comprehension Of Vietnamese Learners Of English As A Second Language, Trang Thi Thuy Nguyen

Theses

Reading in a second language is an interesting area of research because the factors affecting reading have brought about much controversy in related theory and research. Particularly, schema theory has raised long-term debate about whether background knowledge facilitates or impedes reading comprehension. In recognition of such issue, the current research was conducted to examine the impact of background knowledge on second language reading comprehension. Additionally, the impact of time constraint on reading comprehension was also investigated. Thirty-one students of intermediate level of English in Le Quy Don high school, Vietnam took part in the study. Four cloze texts, two of …

Making Human Rosetta Stories: Museums And Foreign Langauge Learning, Bonnie C. Wilson

Theses

No abstract provided.

Through Place, Sarah Newman

Theses

Through Place is comprised of diverse, sometimes un-idyllic landscapes. Many of the pictures contain a trace--an alteration to the land, a specter of human presence. Yet these marks are pictured inclusively; the scenes are explored with interest and without judgment. They offer a reformulation of the division between the human and the natural, wherein "the natural" draws the largest circle. The images are made in geographically and culturally diverse places (from the Peruvian Amazon to ski mountains in California). "Place" becomes replaced by interpretation, fiction: representations that intermingle with our own agency, expectations, and memories.

Voice Of Women In Byzantine Music Within The Greek Orthodox Churches In America, Rachel Nicole Brashier

Theses

Byzantine chant, the music of the Greek Orthodox Churches in America, embeds meanings and functions as a methodological tool which constructs and teaches about the role of women within church communities. This thesis explores how as cultural group identity, belongingness, and gender identity are semiotically iconized, purified, and recursively transmitted through the liturgical music of the church, specifically hymns about women saints and The Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God. This work is a culmination of twelve years of ethnomusicological fieldwork conducted by the author in Midwestern Greek Orthodox churches and monasteries, using participant-observation techniques. The work outlines the …

Prototype And Analysis Of The Army's Titan Services, Mahesh Shivalingappa

Theses

The Tactical Information Technologies for Assured Net Operations (TITAN) Program is an Advanced Technology Objective (ATO) funded by the Army. The overall goal of this ATO is to demonstrate how emerging information technologies can significantly improve key areas of tactical operations, ultimately resulting in the transition of software developed under the ATO to existing battlefield systems. One such key area is Information Dissemination and management (ID&M). The key software that will be developed under the ID&M portion of the TITAN Program requires a collection of agent-based software services that will collaborate during tactical mission planning and execution. The agent framework …

A Tutor Design For Multicolumn Addition In Elementary Education, Moise Burgess

Theses

Individual tutoring provides a substantial improvement over traditional classroom instruction. Researchers in tutoring and tutoring systems have approached the study of why tutoring is effective and came to varying conclusions. Both quantitative and qualitative research was performed. The quantitative research addresses the questions: would students use the tools of student construction to help solve problems, and would a tutor designed using elements from tutoring theory allow students to solve multicolumn addition problems without assistance. The tutor was designed to scaffold for student construction, help students resolve impasses, provide positive and negative feedback, and use a five step dialog frame. Cognitive …