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An Examination Of The Relationship Between Eating Competence And Biopsychosocial Factors In Adults With Metabolic Syndrome, Jenna Hickey Oct 2021

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Eating Competence And Biopsychosocial Factors In Adults With Metabolic Syndrome, Jenna Hickey

Theses

Background: An association between eating competence and bioclinical factors for healthy adults has been identified. However, no research has been conducted into the association of ecSI 2.0TM scores and biopsychosocial measures for adults with metabolic syndrome. Purpose: To examine the congruence between eating competence and biopsychosocial measures at baseline and post-intervention in individuals with metabolic syndrome. Methods: Self report surveys administered to participants: Satter Eating Competence Inventory (ecSI 2.0TM), Short Form Health Survey Mental Health and Vitality scales(SF-36 MH and VT), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Patient Health Questionnaire – 8 (PHQ-8). Bioclinical measures: HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, BMI, and …


Can Providing Positive Interactions With Snakes Change A Person’S Perception Of Dangerous Wildlife Interactions?, Bethany Walker Oct 2021

Can Providing Positive Interactions With Snakes Change A Person’S Perception Of Dangerous Wildlife Interactions?, Bethany Walker

Theses

Due to a long co-evolutionary history between placental mammals and reptiles, primates demonstrate aversive responses to snakes. In humans, this can result in ophidiophobia, or the fear of snakes which can arise due to cultural backgrounds, traumatic experiences, or fear instilled by others. However, these reptiles fill essential roles in ecosystems. Conservation and outreach efforts are important to help our population understand snakes’ role in our lives and the state’s broader biodiversity. Negative experiences or preconceptions about snakes can make this message hard to share with the public. Educators can help prevent intentional harm to some of these organisms through …


South To South: Connections In The Ordinary, Fostering Empathy By Encouraging Travel Through Design, Bethany Wetzel Oct 2021

South To South: Connections In The Ordinary, Fostering Empathy By Encouraging Travel Through Design, Bethany Wetzel

Theses

South 2 South: Connections in the Ordinary, explores similarities between South Korea and Alabama through a designed sensory experience that allows users to engage in cross-cultural information in an inviting and familiar way with the use of recognizable motifs in order to reduce fear, foster empathy, and encourage travel. The creation of South 2 South was informed by research on travel fears, empathy, and transnational relations between the two regions. South 2 South helps facilitate the beginnings of these interactions by presenting new cultural information directly to the more insular communities of northeast Alabama. My hope is that South …


Game-Based Learning: Building Competence In Visual Literacy Through Simulation, Carol Record Oct 2021

Game-Based Learning: Building Competence In Visual Literacy Through Simulation, Carol Record

Theses

Game-based learning is an ideal experiential learning framework for introducing the critique process to reduce student anxiety and create competence in visual literacy and self-assessment. Critique, the assessment, and analysis of one’s work is an essential step in any creative process. It is an integral part of art school. However, it can also be a source of high anxiety for new students. This paper discusses the importance of critique, the challenges associated with teaching critique, and the benefits of utilizing game-based learning. Examples of game-based learning solutions are explored, including the development of, and response to, Lumen, a card game …


Social Media Practices For Churches, Jordyn Helgen Oct 2021

Social Media Practices For Churches, Jordyn Helgen

Theses

This project focuses on providing a resource for churches and similar nonprofit organizations to utilize in order to maximize their social media strategy and generate ideas for content. Furthermore, it will help these organizations to better understand social media and how they can use social media tools to accentuate their religious values and accomplish their mission.


The Public Poster: An Exploration Of Storytelling In Poster Design, Elizabeth Hiler Oct 2021

The Public Poster: An Exploration Of Storytelling In Poster Design, Elizabeth Hiler

Theses

Research suggests that it is incredibly difficult for a person to change their mind. Confirmation bias and echo chambers are just a few of the reasons people do not give themselves the opportunity to explore new stories, ideas, beliefs. It is now our challenge to connect with people in unconventional ways and explore storytelling in new spaces to give difficult topics more accessibility to public discourse. The Public Protest Poster can be found at the start of most movements for social and political change by creating a simplified statement with a strong graphic for instant impact. Yet, protest posters rely …


Paid Time Off And Work-Life Balance In An Ambulatory Surgical Center, Elizabeth S. Harmon Sep 2021

Paid Time Off And Work-Life Balance In An Ambulatory Surgical Center, Elizabeth S. Harmon

Theses

To investigate what was considered important to the staff regarding the current paid time off method used in an ambulatory surgical center with the purpose of discovering what works well for an acceptable work-life balance. Considerable research has shown that an adequate work-life balance in the nursing profession is necessary for job satisfaction and retention. The method to request paid time off is often cumbersome and unreliable, resulting in frustration of the nursing staff. Alternatives for granting paid time off requests in an outpatient facility have not been investigated. A non-experimental, two-step study was conducted using qualitative and quantitative methods.


The Importance Of Shifting From Massive To Sustainable Tourism Model: The Case Study Of The City Of Dubrovnik, Niko Katusic Sep 2021

The Importance Of Shifting From Massive To Sustainable Tourism Model: The Case Study Of The City Of Dubrovnik, Niko Katusic

Theses

Tourism is currently one of the largest economical income generators for Croatia and especially for the city of Dubrovnik. Desired worldwide for its economic benefits tourism is going to double during the next 20 years. Considering mass tourism as the main definition for tourism in 21 century that cannot be neglected by current efforts to implement sustainable tourism, this paper draws attention to improved satisfaction that sustainable tourism can provide to locals and tourists operating in the city of Dubrovnik. The question of satisfaction level for stakeholders in tourism destinations is connected to the psychological characteristics and motivation of tourists …


An Ethnographic Study Of Pre-Graduate Precepted Nursing Student Clinical Placements In Long-Term Care Homes, Fran M. Meloche Sep 2021

An Ethnographic Study Of Pre-Graduate Precepted Nursing Student Clinical Placements In Long-Term Care Homes, Fran M. Meloche

Theses

Long-Term Care (LTC) home recruitment challenges and nursing student disinterest in such clinical placements and careers, underscore this study's urgent need. This qualitative focused ethnography explored preceptor, faculty advisor, and pre-graduate student beliefs, values, and practices contributing to positive LTC home clinical placements.


Impact Of Sodium Dichloroacetate Alone And In Combination Therapies On Lung Tumor Growth And Metastasis, Aya Mudhafar A. Al-Azawi Sep 2021

Impact Of Sodium Dichloroacetate Alone And In Combination Therapies On Lung Tumor Growth And Metastasis, Aya Mudhafar A. Al-Azawi

Theses

Lung cancer is the second most common form of cancer with the highest mortality rate worldwide in 2020 despite the advances in targeted- and immuno-therapies. Metabolic reprogramming has been recognized as an essential emerging cancer hallmark in which altered metabolic pathways represent an attractive therapeutic target. Sodium Dichloroacetate (DCA), a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) inhibitor, effect has been investigated in various tumors. Building on the already published data, this pre-clinical study aims to explore the anticancer potential of DCA in lung cancer alone and in combination with chemo- and targeted therapies using two non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines …


Comparing Adobe’S Unsharp Masks And High-Pass Filters In Photoshop Using The Visual Information Fidelity Metric, Nhung T. Pham Sep 2021

Comparing Adobe’S Unsharp Masks And High-Pass Filters In Photoshop Using The Visual Information Fidelity Metric, Nhung T. Pham

Theses

The present study examines image sharpening techniques quantitatively. A technique known as unsharp masking has been the preferred image sharpening technique for imaging professionals for many years. More recently, another professional-level sharpening solution has been introduced, namely, the high-pass filter technique of image sharpening. An extensive review of the literature revealed no purely quantitative studies that compared these techniques. The present research compares unsharp masking (USM) and high-pass filter (HPF) sharpening using an image quality metric known as Visual Information Fidelity (VIF). Prior researchers have used VIF data in research aimed at improving the USM sharpening technique. The present study …


Drug Releasing Hydrogels For Opioid Use Disorder, Kaytlyn M. Crowe Aug 2021

Drug Releasing Hydrogels For Opioid Use Disorder, Kaytlyn M. Crowe

Theses

Ease of access to prescription opioids and the strength of synthetic opioids have contributed to the rise in over use disorders, overdose, and death rates during the opioid epidemic. The current overdose standard of care, rescue NLX (NLX), is a competitive antagonist to the μ-opioid receptor but has a relatively short period of action compared to opioid agonists, especially synthetic agonists. Rises in the abuse of these synthetic and semi-synthetic agents in recent years have shown the weaknesses of rescue NLX, as it can leave overdose patients vulnerable to renarcotization and precipitated withdrawal. To prevent both from occurring, we developed …


Examining Own-Race Bias: A Cooperation And Memory Study Using Diverse Emojis, Jillian Franks Aug 2021

Examining Own-Race Bias: A Cooperation And Memory Study Using Diverse Emojis, Jillian Franks

Theses

Other-race-effect or own-race bias is a well-documented phenomenon in memory. Findings suggest that humans are better at recognizing and remembering faces of their own race than other races. Previous research suggests that these results are due to a lack of interracial contact or exposure to other racial groups. Evidence from previous studies has demonstrated that individuals process own-race faces differently than other-race faces, paying more attention to more salient features that become better encoded. While there is empirical support for both hypotheses, it has yet to be studied if the other-race effect for memory extends to representational human faces, for …


Barriers To Using Certified Interpreters In The Hospital Setting: The Hispanic Bilingual Nurse Experience, Misara S. Bambao Aug 2021

Barriers To Using Certified Interpreters In The Hospital Setting: The Hispanic Bilingual Nurse Experience, Misara S. Bambao

Theses

The law requires that certified interpreters are available to translate information to patients regarding their healthcare. Due to perceived barrier of time, Hispanic bilingual nurses are regularly called upon to fill this gap in communication. This study investigates the Hispanic bilingual nurse's perspective on being pulled from their primary assignment to translate for patients other than their own. The purpose of this study was to understand Hispanic bilingual nurses' perceptions and experiences translating at the bedside.


Alzheimer's Disease, Media Representation, And Audience Reception, Taylor Dakota Thum Aug 2021

Alzheimer's Disease, Media Representation, And Audience Reception, Taylor Dakota Thum

Theses

The purpose of this study is to see how Alzheimer's disease and dementia are misperceived in the media, how this affects audience viewpoints, and how accurate depictions that challenge those stereotypes may or may not change audience perception. Common stereotypes depicted in the media include Alzheimer’s and dementia being one disease, only individuals older than 60 years old having this disease, and it being a slow and painful progression towards the end of life. Using Stuart Hall’s audience reception theory, I will see if viewers accept, negotiate, or oppose the media that challenges those stereotypes presented to them in contrast …


1:38, Yuhao Sheng Aug 2021

1:38, Yuhao Sheng

Theses

This thesis support paper demonstrated the entire process of creating this thesis film "1:38," describing how this film completed from a simple inspiration to a finished film project. Besides, this paper also describes how the author's ideas formed from the beginning and his inner struggle during the quarantine period, which inspired the author to create this film. Thirdly, this paper clarifies how the whole film team worked and our considerations about different problems during the film shooting. I believe this paper would be a good reference for the students to shoot their films with a low budget.


Flip: An Interaction Design Project For Helping People To Break Echo Chamber, Rong Zhao Aug 2021

Flip: An Interaction Design Project For Helping People To Break Echo Chamber, Rong Zhao

Theses

Social media constantly instills you with the things you like and the things you are willing to believe in, even disinformation, creating an echo chamber in which users will never have other opinions. People are controlled by algorithms so that social media platforms ensure we only get a single side of every story. The personalization of social media minimizes people's view of the world and causes the division of society. My thesis explores the interaction methods to encourage people to be exposed to multiple perspectives about things by reading the same story from different sources. To solve the problem, I …


Strange Weather We're Having: Save Your Town Together, Today, Ben Mclauchlin Aug 2021

Strange Weather We're Having: Save Your Town Together, Today, Ben Mclauchlin

Theses

We don’t talk about climate change with our friends and family and that’s a problem. The systemic harm of climate change will continue to impact us if we continue to avoid addressing what we can do to help. Strange Weather We’re Having is a semi-cooperative board game designed to cultivate conversation, inspire joy, and spread awareness about what you can do to help against climate change. This game accomplishes this through the use of collectively-supportive game mechanics, vibrant visuals, and dialogue designed to spark hope and delight. Players become residents who are susceptible to different stressors caused by climate change. …


Communication Of Feelings, Linge Lin Aug 2021

Communication Of Feelings, Linge Lin

Theses

The making of art should not be isolated from the idea of its audiences who make the artwork complete. However, it might end up as something insincere if one tries to please their audience too much. When an artist initiates a conversation with an audience, they must not be overwhelmed by the idea of appealing to them. I used this principle throughout the process of making my thesis film, Hold Me, which depicts my experience of coming-out to my mother, and our confrontations afterward. The film traces my life trajectory from my childhood until now, and illustrates how I started …


Modeling Perceptual Trade-Offs For Designing Hdr Displays, Yongmin Park Aug 2021

Modeling Perceptual Trade-Offs For Designing Hdr Displays, Yongmin Park

Theses

Display technology has evolved in pursuit of perceptual pleasure by providing realism and visual impact. The endeavor of the evolution has brought HDR displays to the market. HDR displays, which have become the mainstream display technology recently, are considered not only the present but also the future of displays because of their daunting technical goals: A peak luminance of 10,000 cd/m^2 and near-monochromatic primaries. However, both positive and negative prospects in terms of perceptual aspects for future HDR displays coexist. On the positive side, it is expected that HDR displays will provide better image quality and more vivid color. On …


The Influence Of Herbivory On Macrophyte Community Structure And Nitrogen Retention In Created Wetlands, Evan Squier Aug 2021

The Influence Of Herbivory On Macrophyte Community Structure And Nitrogen Retention In Created Wetlands, Evan Squier

Theses

Wetlands are frequently created to mitigate the loss of natural wetlands due to commercial expansion. However, wetland ecosystem function is determined by complex abiotic and biotic interactions that are not well understood in natural wetlands, and even less so in created wetlands. This lack of understanding may lead to shortcomings in meeting desired restoration outcomes. Key abiotic drivers in wetlands include hydrology and nutrient availability, while herbivory provides both direct and indirect controls on plant communities and biogeochemical cycling. I hypothesized that by decreasing emergent plant biomass and shifting plant community structure to favor submerged plants, large grazers such as …


Ressentir: A Multi-Layered Visual Filter For Enhancing Cinematic Experience, Anirudh Srinivasan Aug 2021

Ressentir: A Multi-Layered Visual Filter For Enhancing Cinematic Experience, Anirudh Srinivasan

Theses

Watching any digital content without audio is going to be monotonous, as one vital component of cinema is lost entirely. Removing audio will significantly affect cinematic experience and make movie-watching extremely boring for someone who cannot hear. Audio, in a movie, is comprised of dialogs, music and background sounds. One must realize that removing audio would take away, not just sound but also emotions attached to scenes. At times there might be only background score, which does not necessarily mean that these scenes are unimportant. There are obviously instances where music alone would get across the message. This thesis explores …


Urban Farming Design In Los Angeles: An Adaptive Reuse Project In Response To Food Crisis And Housing Crisis, Pin-Han Su Aug 2021

Urban Farming Design In Los Angeles: An Adaptive Reuse Project In Response To Food Crisis And Housing Crisis, Pin-Han Su

Theses

As the world population is constantly growing and will reach 9 billion people by 2050, the current danger to the world's food supply system creates a severe challenge. By 2050, more populations will be living in the cities and creating higher demand on food supply, but the farmable lands on our planet could be much less because of climate change and urbanization. Agricultural leaders have argued that cities will need to produce food internally to respond to demand by increasing population and to avoid harmful pollution and unaffordable food prices. Architecture, as the most influential element affecting our daily life, …


Methane Emissions From Stormwater Ponds, Brianna Pollard Aug 2021

Methane Emissions From Stormwater Ponds, Brianna Pollard

Theses

Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas that has a global warming potential 28 times larger than carbon dioxide (CO2) on a 100-year horizon. Methane emissions from inland freshwater sources are not as well understood as those from other sources; however, current estimates suggest that they account for a significant portion of global CH4 emissions. Emissions from inland waters are difficult to measure due to their high spatiotemporal variability, leading to high levels of uncertainty and a need for more CH4 flux data from these freshwater systems. Increased runoff associated with urbanization has led to construction of man-made inland waters …


Concretization Of Depression, Jing Zhou Aug 2021

Concretization Of Depression, Jing Zhou

Theses

Depression is a common mental disorder, but many people cannot understand the pain experienced by depression patients. Even after having a certain understanding of depression, it is difficult for us as normal people to empathize with the true inner feelings of depression patients. However, some people not only fail to understand the depressed patients, but they also speak slanderously and scold these depressive patients for their overly emotional actions. For these reasons, I want to show the true feelings of depression patients or the pain experienced as a depression patient through motion graphics. Motion graphic is an effective way to …


Athena: A Digital Educational Experience For Visual Learners, Adrianna Petrus Aug 2021

Athena: A Digital Educational Experience For Visual Learners, Adrianna Petrus

Theses

Athena is a design system for an online learning experience that uses motion graphics and information design along with succinct narratives and engaging web page browsing to help visual learners comprehend complex information. This system will leverage several theories, such as Pictorial Superiority Effect, which suggests vision is the most powerful pathway to the brain,(1) as well as Dual Coding Theory, explaining that two senses stimulated at once will increase comprehension.(2) Conveying content like “Marketing Ethics” in an effective way can be difficult. Visual education can bridge the pathway to these topics in an interactive way that incorporates animation, audio, …


Orthorexia Nervosa: A Multidisciplinary Analysis Of The Gaps In Current Research, Education, And Diagnostic Efforts, Olivia Drew Garror Aug 2021

Orthorexia Nervosa: A Multidisciplinary Analysis Of The Gaps In Current Research, Education, And Diagnostic Efforts, Olivia Drew Garror

Theses

Background: Orthorexia nervosa (ON), a term coined in the late 1990s by Steven Bratman, MD, is characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with practicing a “healthy diet”. There is scant reliable literature on the topic and it remains unrecognized as a diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 5. Thus, debate surrounding its legitimacy as a diagnosis continues. However, eating disorders (EDs) in the category Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED), including ON, account for the highest percentage of ED diagnoses in the U.S. Although primary care physicians are often the first to encounter patients suffering from …


Argument For A Critical Perspective In Residential Architecture, James S. Burns Aug 2021

Argument For A Critical Perspective In Residential Architecture, James S. Burns

Theses

This thesis analyzes the theories of Critical Regionalism, including specific building techniques that use timber frame construction, site planning, and energy analysis, and applies them to a property in southwestern New York state. The property is situated on a small body of water called Loon Lake. This is a rural setting, but is highly populated along the waterfront. The lake is about three miles in length and the site of approximately 120 homes and cottages. The lake is considered private; however, there are frequent visitors who are granted access by local property owners to the water via boat. The lake …


Wage And Productivity Of Employees In Service Providing Industries In Albania: A Close Look At It And Business Sectors, Sindi Rryta Aug 2021

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

Theses

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


Distance Education: Challenges And Opportunities In A Post-Pandemic World. Case Of Kosovo, Fiona Shahini Aug 2021

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

Theses

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