Digital Commons Network^™

Parents’ Perspectives: How They Use Behavior Modification Techniques With Toddlers Aged 1-3, Diana H. Solt

Theses

Role-models, most often parents, are vital in the process of teaching children how to communicate and resolve conflicts. Children, specifically toddlers just learning to speak, may present unique disciplining challenges. This study examined the various methods of conflict management strategies parents use to try and change their toddler children’s behaviors. The main parental strategies studied include: verbal, imitative, physical, and no-action. Using a snowball sampling approach, 28 men and women participants were interviewed. The findings show that parents most often used verbal or imitative techniques to discipline their children. However an overwhelming majority agreed that verbal techniques do not work …

Entry-Level Employees’ Views Of The Skills Gap In Digital Marketing, Anita Raghuraman

Theses

This study examines which competencies are most necessary for entry-level employees in digital marketing from the perspective of employees with 0-3 years of experience. Qualitative methods were used to conduct in-depth interviews with 12 recent graduates with 0 to 3 years of industry experience in digital marketing. Transcriptions of audio recordings were organized into individual data units. These were thematically analyzed with a grounded theory framework resulting in six main themes about the most valued competencies, as well as six subthemes. Findings suggest that in the field of digital marketing, verbal and non-verbal communication skills such as interpersonal communication, public …

Effectiveness Of Youtube Advertising: A Study Of Audience Analysis, Paula R. Rodriguez

Theses

Social media have become an important platform for companies to connect with their target

audience and make an impression. With the rise of digital platforms, effectiveness of advertisements has become an important area of study for marketers to determine the most efficient and appropriate medium of communication to place their advertisements. Drawing on the media richness theory framework, this study investigates YouTube advertising effectiveness based on the multiplicity of cues in the videos and the possible feedback channels offered by the platform. Using a cross-sectional survey method, participants from the Dominican Republic (n = 109) and the United States (n …

High-Dimensional Linear And Functional Analysis Of Multivariate Grapevine Data, Uday Kant Jha

Theses

Variable selection plays a major role in multivariate high-dimensional statistical modeling. Hence, we need to select a consistent model, which avoids overfitting in prediction, enhances model interpretability and identifies relevant variables. We explore various continuous, nearly unbiased, sparse and accurate technique of linear model using coefficients paths like penalized maximum likelihood and nonconvex penalties, and iterative Sure Independence Screening (SIS). The convex penalized (pseudo-) likelihood approach based on the elastic net uses a mixture of the ℓ1 (Lasso) and ℓ2 (ridge regression) simultaneously achieve automatic variable selection, continuous shrinkage, and selection of the groups of correlated variables. Variable selection using …

Identification Of Differential Expression Of P53 Associated Rnas At 3 Different Treatment Timepoints, And Association With Chip-Seq Identified P53 Genes., Julia Freewoman

Theses

Called “the guardian of the genome,” p53 is one of the most studied proteins associated with cancer. After activation, p53 induces its target genes with different kinetics, i.e., early induction or delayed induction. However, this difference in kinetics of gene induction has not been examined genome-wide. This study uses RNA-seq time course data (0-hour, 6-hour, 12-hour and 24-hour) via drug induction with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and compares that data to previously published ChIP-seq data. We found that, while there is an induction of a number of genes at 6 hours, there appears to be a delayed phase of induction occurring at …

Adding Security To Control Area Network Of Vehicles By Using Sha-3, Aidin Ameri

Theses

The lack of security in the vehicles on the road is real and should be taken seriously. Since the lifespan of vehicles has average of eleven years, this means if we start to implement new changes to vehicles today, it would takes eleven years to make sure most vehicles on the road support our implementation. This is important as the number of lines of codes in vehicles are ever increasing and becoming more autonomous with the ability for vehicles to drive themselves. But there is no security implemented in their low level systems such as the Control Area Network which …

The Real Face Of Arabic Symbols, Leena Yahya Sonbuol

Theses

This is a brief insight into my thesis: "The Real Face of Arabic Symbols". I have examined in depth the artwork I completed for my Masters of Fine Arts degree at Rochester Institute of Technology, the work for which was exhibited in the Bevier Gallery for two weeks during March 2017.

The aim of this study is to explore differences in symbolic language between the Eastern and Western cultures in visual arts and explain the misconception of Arabic symbols in the western world. It examines Arabic cultural symbols in contemporary art, and the creation of a symbolic language for a …

Welcome Home Rochester: Guiding Refugees Through Life In America, Michael Kelly

Theses

Rochester, NY is the third-largest city in New York State, situated on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, with a population of 210,565. Rochester is also the third largest city—after Buffalo and Syracuse—in terms of refugee resettlement. In 2016, US government resettlement and secondary migration brought 850 new refugees here. In 2017, that number is expected to pass 1,000., When refugees are resettled in the United States, the first three months of casework and assistance are provided by a federally-funded resettlement organization. After these months, however, refugees are removed from the resettlement service’s caseload. In Rochester, it is at this …

Flux Guard: An Exploration Of Situational Rigidity, Nicholas Miclette

Theses

In 2014 there was an estimated 15 million snowboarders worldwide. Like many extreme sports there is always the possibility of injury. Extensive research has shown snowboarders sustain more wrist injuries than any other sport in the world. In particular beginner or novice snowboarders are the most susceptible to injury and often times wear no protective gear when first learning. Although there has been research into the efficacy of upper extremity protection in snowboarding, a universal standard has yet to be developed to judge current wrist protection. Due to this fact my thesis explores innovative ways to reinvent the wrist guard …

Public Sector Wages: The Implications For The Private Sector, Drenusha Berisha

Theses

Acknowledging the contribution of public sector in the well-being of every country, this project focuses on the potential effects of a growing public wage bill for private sector in Kosovo. The public sector is the main employer in the country, where the increase in the staff size is also followed by wage increases which are mainly election induced. While government spending and employment can be considered as complements to private sector as they provide the infrastructure for private sector activity, they can also induce adverse effects. As such, the goal of this project was to provide an analysis of private …

Evolution Of The Museum Experience: Mobile Augmented Reality’S Impact On The Visitor Experience At An Outdoor Living Museum, Rita Locke Pettine

Theses

This paper reports the findings of a study to determine if using Mobile AR (augmented reality) to render an exhibit’s supplemental information increased the level of learning and enjoyment of visitors to a living museum, specifically the Pocock Trail located within the Bergen Swamp, which is classified as a “Living Museum”. A museum is identified as “Living” when it “is a natural, wild area that is relatively undisturbed by man. It is an area where the native plant and animal life are maintaining themselves in a natural, biological manner” (BSPS, 2016). When an area is undisturbed by man it is …

Green Roof Plug Germination And Growth With Different Base Media And Treatments, Afton Michelle Caulkins

Theses

The germination rates of four plant species (Allium schoenoprasum L., Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Grandiflorus’ Vill., Sedum kamtschaticum Fisch. & C.A. Mey. Spp. ellacombianum (Praeger) R.T. Clausen, and Talinum calycinum Engelm.) were compared with six fertility treatments (control, fertilizer - once a week, double fertilizer - twice a week, mycorrhizae, vermicompost, and green roof mix) that also evaluated a peat based greenhouse medium verses a lightweight aggregate medium integrated. The greenhouse medium had higher germination rates than the lightweight aggregate medium. The control, fertilizer, and double fertilizer, which were not applied until a month into the study, provided similar germination results. The …

Influence Of Media On Self-Objectification, Body Image, And Rape Myths Acceptance Among College Students, Catarina Durante Bergue Alves

Theses

This study is an investigation of how exposure to different media content influences self-objectification, body image, and rape myths acceptance (RMA) in female college students. The purpose of this study was to further explore the effects of immediate media exposure on body image, self-objectification, and RMA, as well as address the gap in the literature regarding the relationship between these variables (Dakanalis et al., 2015; Fox et al., 2015). One hundred and one students that identified as female were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions using a partially blind design. The students watched a short video pertaining to the condition …

Perceptions And Attitudes Of Recruitment Efforts For Undergraduate Enrollment In Southern Illinois University College Of Agricultural Sciences, Lindsay Jo Francis

Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of and improve the recruitment efforts of The College of Agricultural Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. This study surveyed a group of freshmen and first-year transfer students enrolled in the College of Agricultural Sciences (COAS) at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) in the fall of 2016 on why they chose to attend, and what factors were considered when making their choice. 184 students were sent surveys and a total of 62 students completed the survey, giving a response rate of 34%. The instrument contained a 21 item questionnaire, with …

Rabbit Hole, Chen Wang

Theses

Rabbit Hole is a multimedia installation, which combines drawing, performance, animation, and sculpture to celebrate gender as a performative expression of multiple possibilities while presenting sexual identification as neutral and fluid.

In Rabbit Hole, I present an opportunity for the viewer to experience a disorientating fictional space, in which the physical body floats across boundaries. Constructed biomorphic forms entangle and pulsate creating an arena where gender is ever evolving, celebrating a freedom of sexuality. The symbolic representation of the rabbit within the work connects across North American and Chinese Culture.

Deep Learning For Semantic Video Understanding, Sourabh Kulhare

Theses

The field of computer vision has long strived to extract understanding from images and videos sequences. The recent flood of video data along with massive increments in computing power have provided the perfect environment to generate advanced research to extract intelligence from video data. Video data is ubiquitous, occurring in numerous everyday activities such as surveillance, traffic, movies, sports, etc. This massive amount of video needs to be analyzed and processed efficiently to extract semantic features towards video understanding. Such capabilities could benefit surveillance, video analytics and visually challenged people. While watching a long video, humans have the uncanny ability …

Evaluating Public Hearing Testimony In The Context Of A High-Risk Environmental Rulemaking: Does Public Hearing Testimony Provide The Epa With The Information The Agency Requests In Its Proposed Rulemaking?, Deborah Stein

Theses

Does public hearing testimony provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the information the agency requests in its proposed rulemaking? In one EPA proposed rulemaking, the agency requests public comment on approximately 140 topics specific to the proposed rulemaking. This analysis examines the testimony from two public hearings to see if the speakers provided any of the information the agency requested. Public hearings are used frequently in our democratic system and can vary substantially. The public hearings associated with a high-risk environmental proposed rulemaking are compared to characteristics that are common to public hearings in general. The public participation characteristics …

Re-Presenting Racist Objects: A Case Study Of The Dentzel Carousel At Ontario Beach Park In Rochester, Ny, Kelli M. Spampinato

Theses

Caricatures of African Americans and associated racist imagery, once commonplace in American life, have been used to display dominance and oppression over African Americans. These images were created in order to support the Jim Crow hierarchy, which white Southerners established in the late 1800s and upheld until the 1960s, with white people reigning at the top and black people at the bottom. This Southern social construct was not limited to this geographical area, but also influenced white opinions and attitudes towards the black population in the north as well. In part, white supremacy was maintained through the creation of everyday …

Fiddle Me This: A History And Discussion Of Old-Time Fiddle Tunes In Western New York, Christopher M. Fisher

Theses

This thesis documents the history of fiddle tunes in Western New York from their introduction to the area in the mid-seventeenth century to the present day. Using a wide array of both primary sources and scholarly articles, I demonstrate the importance of this musical tradition. In addition, the thesis presents new primary and secondary sources created by the author in the spring of 2017, including the recording of interviews and performances and their presentation online. The primary research included interviews with three musicians, whom I ask, “How do these fiddle tunes continue to influence people today?” In these sessions with …

The Power Of After-Hours: Young Adult Engagement And Programming In Museums, Hannah E. Barber

Theses

This project explores the cultivation of an ever deepening relationship between young adult audiences (ages 21-40) and museums and cultural institutions through the use of special event programming. Museums are turning to after-hours events to capture this audience’s attention, developing them as a mode of communication to solidify connections between the institution and young adults. Drawing on Ray Oldenburg’s construct of a “Third Place,” developed in his psychological study focused on the comfort of individuals in physical spaces, I investigate how several museums in the Rochester, New York, area are pursuing young adult audiences by creating social and engaging spaces …

The Process Of Creating Accurate Reproductions Of Fragile Objects: Fabricating 3d Facsimiles With Limited Resources, Katherine E. Curran

Theses

Museums and other cultural institutions must consider how to best preserve their collections for an exponentially digital world. Our digital age is providing new avenues for preservation, accessibility, viewing, and interaction. This thesis assesses the feasibility of utilizing and creating accessible and readable 3D digital surrogates and prints. To consider and adapt current best practices "what are the implications of creating accurate reproductions for the research environment as well as for online and in person use”? This thesis presents themes that relate to the broader fields of digitization, reproduction, and fabrication in museums and cultural institutions, presents findings in the …

A Study Of Cyber Laws In The United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Imranuddin

Theses

The United Arab Emirates, as a developing country has been experiencing cybercrime even more rapidly in the recent years. The overall Internet penetration as well as the use of cyber-based systems in Critical Infrastructure is growing with a never seen pace in the country just as in the rest of the world. UAE has emerged to be on the forefront of many technological advances in the recent past. However, in the case of technological advances security advances must follow or the whole state becomes vulnerable. In the modern world there are several options for a state that wants to improve …

A Machine Learning Approach On Providing Recommendations For The Vacant Lot Problem, Md Towhidul Absar Chowdhury

Theses

Modeling municipal or urban decisions is challenging due to the abundance of variables that guide end results. One such challenging issue is the existence of vacant lots in a city, which causes poorer standard of living for the community. As a result, reclaiming these properties and putting them into productive use is a primary concern. However, each time community leaders had to ``reinvent the wheel'' and make decisions from scratch. To this end, we propose the creation of a vacant lot model and utilizing it to provide recommendations for vacant lot conversions, providing a starting point for such decision making. …

Akchessima: Latin Type Design For Digital Chinese (Seal Script) Typefaces, Xuan Zhang

Theses

As multi-language text layout and Chinese/Japanese/Korean typefaces has become an important topic in modern day typography, the visual match-making between Latin and Chinese writing is a very important issue in type design.

For this thesis project, Latin letters are designed based on a Chinese seal script style typeface, in seek of a design principle of matching Latin letter forms for Chinese calligraphic styles, originating from different writing tools and traditions.

There is not one universal principle that would apply on all different Chinese typeface styles. However, based on research of writing habits and technology, multiple methods have been developed in …

Synapps: Children’S Asd Management Through A Mobile Application And An Interactive Biofeedback Exercise, Elizabeth Richardson

Theses

This thesis explores how to provide better access to alternative treatment options through an immersive biofeedback exercise and mobile application for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This thesis also seeks to connect children with ASD to medical professionals and treatment facilities.

This is done through a motion graphics piece depicting an abdominal breathing exercise and correlating mobile application. Users participate in biofeedback exercises in which their real-time biofeedback is monitored, transmitted to the mobile application, and reflected to the user. The mobile application analyzes and identifies physiological signals and detects what feedback is most useful to help the individual …

The Adoption Of Project Based Learning In Graphic Communication Programs, Aezzaddin Aisyah Zainuddin

Theses

Project Based Learning (PBL) is widely recognized as an effective teaching method when compared to traditional lecture-based approaches in the classroom. Recognizing that the graphic communications industry needs employees with requisite skill sets and the established efficacy of PBL as a pedagogical technique for teaching those skills, the researcher examined the implementation of PBL in post-secondary institutions serving the graphic communications industry.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to solicit information from educators in graphic communications programs in the United States. The questionnaire was designed to examine the factors which comprise PBL utilized in the classroom. PBL factors were derived from …

Neoliberal Environmentalism In The War On Poverty: A Case Study Of Carbondale, Illinois, Gregory Matthew Carter

Theses

The following thesis examines the city of Carbondale, Illinois, during the tumultuous years between 1965 and 1975. Carbondale was the recipient of large amounts of funding from the Model Cities program, part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. During that time, Carbondale experienced violent anti-war protests and community-wide unrest. At the same time as Model Cities projects began, the modern environmentalism movement surrounding the first observance of Earth Day, April 22, 1970, also occurred. Within four years, environmental groups comprised mostly of white citizens were pitted against African-American community activists working to improve Carbondale’s segregated Northeast neighborhood and the …

Measuring Social Engagement Within A Triple Helix Cluster Consisting Of The Academic Institute, The Innovation Centre And The Public Authority Using Sociometers, Shay Ryan

Theses

This thesis examines tools used to measure social engagement in a Triple Helix cluster. Triple Helix members were identified in the following areas: Academic Institute, Innovation Centre and Public Authority. The main objectives of the study were to; 1) Identify how formal and informal communication occurs in a Triple Helix Cluster; 2) Measure and analyse communication within and between groups using sociometers and 3) Use qualitative techniques to establish the communication experiences of Triple Helix members.

A critique of the literature is presented pertaining to Triple Helix theory, Knowledge, Social Engagement and Measuring Social Engagement. The empirical approach involved using …

Digital Laser Speckle Image Correlation, Mahshad Mosayebi

Theses

This thesis examines the feasibility of combining Digital Image Correlation (DIC) with laser speckle based methods to form a new hybrid deformation measurement method called Digital Laser Speckle Image Correlation (DilSIC). Consequently, this method does not require any sample preparation and allows for the measurement of displacement of micro structures in addition to large displacements. In this technique, a coherent 30mW-632nm laser beam is expanded with 40X lens and then illuminated on the target surface to produce a fine, homogenous laser speckle pattern. Images were captured before and after deformation due to external load and the whole field displacement and …

In Vitro Apparent Ruminal Digestibility Of Diets Containing Corn Distillers Grain With Different Quantities Of Crude Fat, David Eldridge Williams

Theses

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF David Williams for the Master of Ruminant Nutrition degree in Animal Science, presented on December 12, 2016 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: IN VITRO APPARENT RUMINAL DIGESTIBILITY OF DIETS CONTAINING CORN DISTILLERS GRAIN WITH VARYING LEVELS OF CRUDE FAT MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Rebecca Atkinson
 Four dual-flow continuous fermenters were used in a Latin square design to determine the apparent ruminal digestibility and ruminal characteristics of diets containing dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) at various levels of fat content. Fermenters were randomly assigned to one of the following treatments: 1) 40% DDGS containing …