Digital Commons Network^™

Is Knowledge Enough? Exploring Mental Health Literacy And Other Factors Of Help-Seeking In Rural And Urban Emerging-Adult Males, Chris Haydock

Theses

Background and Aim: There is strong evidence to support that mental health concerns become most prevalent among emerging adult males (18-25 years) due to their reluctance to seek-help. Mental Health Literacy (MHL) comprises knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards mental health with some evidence suggesting it also enhances help-seeking. However, research has reported that rural residents are less likely to seek help compared to their urban counterparts, despite similarities in MHL. Other factors that impact help-seeking include self-stigma towards mental illness, masculine norms, wellbeing, and access to care. Despite this, there is limited research investigating the influence of MHL in unison …

Novel Investigations For Reflux Disease And Their Complications In The Oesophagus, Jin-Soo Park

Theses

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a disease process in which gastric acid from the stomach refluxes upwards into the lower oesophagus and causes typical symptoms such as heartburn. In contrast, laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR) is a reflux disease where stomach contents reflux upward to the upper oesophagus, pharynx, larynx, and lungs. LPR instead causes more nebulous and atypical symptoms such as voice change, chronic cough, and laryngitis. Furthermore, prolonged acid contact can cause cellular changes that increase risk of oesophageal malignancy.

GORD is a prevalent disease, and there are various investigative modalities to assess, diagnose, and quantify its impacts. On …

Outlier State: Elite Rhetoric As A Window To Western Australian Regionalism, David Jones

Theses

Western Australia was the last of the Australian self-governing British colonies to agree to join the Australian Federation in 1900 and voted to secede, by a significant electoral margin, in a referendum held in 1933. Some have even argued the State has been a reluctant member of the Federation since this momentous vote. If this is the case, what evidence is there that can justify this perception, and possibly point to enduring underlying factors supporting this Western Australian regionalism sentiment and identity? Many of the drivers which led to the successful secession referendum in 1933 still exist today. The State …

Early Movement Matters: Examining The Influence Of Early Postnatal Caregiving Experiences Of Term Infants On Motor And Head Shape Outcomes Across Infancy, Helen E. Beaton

Theses

The nurturing, handling and positioning exposures infants experience during daily caregiving contribute to their physical, motor, cognitive and social–emotional development. A relationship exists between infant sleep and wake-time positioning, the emergence of motor skills and the development of head shape deformities diagnosed as non-synostotic plagiocephaly (NSP). However, the underlying causal mechanism of the specific caregiving behaviours that may play a role remains unclear.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the association between maternal caregiving behaviours and the developmental outcomes of ‘low-risk’ term infants in the first 10 months of life. The first phase of the research involved the …

Household Recycling Behaviour In Metropolitan Australia: A Social Practice Theory Perspective, Susann Noe

Theses

Australians generate almost 545kg of annual kerbside waste per capita, one of the highest amounts compared to other OECD countries (Blue Environment, 2022). Although kerbside systems in Australian metropolitan areas are well-developed and the recycling practice is considered a social norm, residents' inaccurate handling of recyclable items send as much as 35% of valuable recyclable materials to landfill, contributing to environmental harm (Cleanaway Waste Management Limited, 2021). Furthermore, newly established recycling schemes in Australian jurisdictions are not used to their full potential.

In the context of both issues, the current thesis aims to understand the underperforming nature of recycling practices …

The Perceptions Of Year 5 And 6 Students, Their Teachers And The School Principal Of Their Australian Identity And The School's Role In Developing Students' Australian Identity., Renae Nahajski

Theses

The aim of this qualitative research was to investigate the perceptions of Year 5 and 6 students, their teachers and the school principal of their Australian identity and the school’s role in the development of Australian identity. The study explores participants’ perceptions of their own identity and investigates where and when students feel they are taught about Australian identity.

The research also investigates where and when the principal and teachers feel the school develops students’ Australian identity. The review of the literature highlighted three areas that formed the conceptual framework for the study. The three areas were national identity; curriculum; …

Sustaining Development Through Biodiversity Offsets, Linda Abdo

Theses

Biodiversity offsets, also called “environmental offsets”, are actions used to compensate for the loss of biodiversity and social values associated with development projects. They are commonly used by governments to contribute to ecologically sustainable development (ESD); however, offsets have been criticised for inappropriate use, poor implementation, and inadequate monitoring, reporting and enforcement. Regardless, use of offsets is likely to increase due to regulatory convenience in easing community discomfort with development impacts. This thesis investigated how biodiversity offsets in Australia can be enhanced to align with ESD principles. Analyses of peer-reviewed journal articles, published reports, media articles and legislative instruments for …

Politics & Religion In Comparative Perspective: Papal Pastoral Visits To Mexico In 1990 & 1993, Kiara Catherine Black

Theses

This research examines the multi-layered agency of Pope John Paul II and the diplomatic relationship between the Holy See and the United States of Mexico from 1990-1993. Specifically, the research aims to examine Pope John Paul II’s pastoral visits to Mexico in 1990 and 1993 and how his activities are shaped by religious mission and statecraft. The pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II to Mexico in 1990 and 1993 are major inflections as the diplomatic relationship changed from one of cold hostility to normalised, and even congenial, in 1992. The research project is established via a detailed description of …

Development Of Novel Anticancer Agents Targeting Glioblastoma, Kate Byrne

Theses

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant grade IV brain tumour. It remains an incurable disease whereby the median survival rate is 15 months and 5.5 % of all patients survive five years post diagnosis. The current therapeutic strategies include the use of maximal safe surgical resection, radiotherapy, and the use of the gold standard chemotherapeutic, Temozolomide (TMZ), which is referred to as the “Stupp Protocol”. Earlier research identified two compounds, which are structurally different but exhibit a similar biological effect to Metformin, the first in-line treatment for type II diabetes. Combining drugs which target cell metabolism such …

The Role Of Mkp-2 In Cellular Senescence And Metabolic Function, Morgan Welch

Theses

Senescence is a state of permanent cell cycle arrest which stops proliferation. It is hallmarked by changes in proteins such as p21, p53, and p16, which are regulated by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) which are regulated by MAPK Phosphatases (MKPs). One such MKP, MKP-2, has a paucity of information on its physiological function. To study MKP-2 in senescence, we used mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from novel MKP-2 whole-body knockout mice. These MEFs were analyzed using senescence-associated β-galactosidase assays and immunoblotting approaches. It was found that there were reduced β-Galactosidase positive cells and reduced senescence phenotypes in the Mkp2 -/- …

Antibiotics And Secondary Metabolites Analysis Shell (Antismash) As A Tool To Detect Putative Novel Antibiotics, Rajiv Snape

Theses

In the Hudson Lab, which is focused on discovering new antibiotics, bacteria samples are taken from the environment and cultured in large quantities. Then they are tested for antibiotic resistance before they are sequenced and their secondary metabolite compounds are extracted. This is both a lengthy and expensive process that becomes more and more difficult as the number of samples one is working increases. This project assessed a different approach to rejuvenate antibiotic development with antiSMASH. antiSMASH is an online tool created by collaborators from many different institutions that uses profile Hidden Markov Models (pHMMs) to detect gene clusters which …

Energy Consumption Of Drones For Delivery Usage: Case Study In Dubai, Maitha Huraiz Bin Touq

Theses

In the past couple of years, the dependency of delivery services on road vehicles has increased, compromising the efficiency of this service in urban areas. Aside from efficiency, another issue is the increase in greenhouse emissions, which jeopardizes the government's efforts to reduce dangerous gasses. Drone-based delivery has been highlighted as one of the most promising technologies in the field of delivery systems. This system could ease traffic congestion, expediting delivery efficiency, and in parallel, the use of electrified drones could help with decarbonizing the atmosphere. This study examines the use of drones for delivery in the city of Dubai …

Analysis Of Interconnected Subreddits On The Reddit Social Network, Lance Lindner

Theses

This thesis analyzes the Reddit social network to identify two aspects of interactions on that platform: (1) implicit leader-follower relationships, which are obtained by mining patterns of user interactions on the network and (2) highly “interconnected” subreddits which are obtained by scoring each subreddit using a “interconnectedness” value derived from the interaction patterns of users across subreddits. The data were obtained from Reddit in 2022 using a custom-built scrapper. This work analyzed 125,000 subreddits. The results show that the most highly connected subreddits on the Reddit network are ones that discuss content considered to be “not suitable for work” (NSFW). …

A Comprehensive Study Of Algorithmic Bias : Fairness In Ai, Ethical And Social Implications In Real World Applications, Lakshitha Rikhab Chand Jain

Theses

Algorithmic bias, also known as algorithmic discrimination or AI bias, is a pervasive phenomenon marked by the systematic and unjust treatment of specific demographic groups based on attributes like race, gender, age or other distinguishing characteristics. The widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms across various domains has amplified concerns surrounding algorithmic bias, which has the potential to perpetuate discrimination and deepen societal inequalities. This thesis embarks on a comprehensive exploration of algorithmic bias, delving into its multifaceted nature. It dissects various forms of bias, including selection bias, confirmation bias, and measurement bias, shedding light on the …

A Neural Analysis-Synthesis Approach To Learning Procedural Audio Models, Danzel Serrano

Theses

The effective sound design of environmental sounds is crucial to demonstrating an immersive experience. Classical Procedural Audio (PA) models have been developed to give the sound designer a fast way to synthesize a specific class of environmental sounds in a physically accurate and computationally efficient manner. These models are controllable due to the choice of parameters from analyzing a class of sound. However, the resulting synthesis lacks the fidelity for the preferred immersive experience; thus, the sound designer would rather search through an extensive database for real recordings of a target sound class. This thesis proposes the Procedural audio Variational …

Comparison Of Qt And Qtc Interval Measurements From Bedside Electrocardiograms Between Expert Nurses, Bedside Nurses, And Computerized Measurements: A Pilot Study, Karolina Ho

Theses

Prolongation of the QT/QTc (heart rate corrected) >500 milliseconds (msec) measured on the electrocardiogram (ECG) in hospitalized patients is associated with torsade de pointes (TdP). While some bedside ECG monitors now offer continuous QT/QTc software, agreement of these measurements to bedside and/or expert nurses has not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to compare QT/QTc measurements between expert nurses, bedside nurses, both using electronic calipers, and continuous computerized measurements.

Curating The Agenda: A Review Of The Tenement Museum’S Twitter, Taylor Carpenter

Theses

Most museums have established strong online presences, due in part to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. To stay relevant in the social media sphere, museums must keep up with the speed at which the internet operates. One way of doing this is to follow the current trends and events that are already piquing the interest of those on the internet. However, is it the museum account that follows the current events, or are current events influenced by the museum’s presence? By examining the Tenement Museum’s Twitter account through the agenda-setting and agenda-melding theories, this paper seeks to answer the …

Writer Identity Using Stylometry And Machine Learning, Abdulla Alshuweihi, Sultan Alblooshi

Theses

This particular study will be based on linguistics and stylometric use to find or identify the legitimate authors of the text. For this purpose, the study is expected to use the machine learning approach or framework that consists of various features to sort out and find the style of writing belonging to the right author. The machine learning approach is accompanied by the support of SAS (Statistical Analysis System).

SAS covers the algorithms problems required for better accurate functioning of machine learning approach experiments. In this learning framework, the experiments use a large amount of data to sort and filter …

Experimental Simulation Of Nucleating Bubble Behavior In A Microgap With Air Injected Bubbles, Jack Green

Theses

The following study investigates the behavior of bubbles created by air injection under a tapered microgap. It is a continuation of previous work from the Thermal Analysis and Microfluidics Lab at RIT which showed that placing a tapered gap manifold over a heated surface in a pool boiling setup could direct the flow of vapor created by two-phase heat transfer and create a pumping effect to increase its heat transfer performance. This study isolates this phenomenon and examines exactly how bubble motion affects liquid throughput. The results of this study provide insight into the specific parameters which induce this effect …

F3rn.Org Defi, Nabeel Mohammed Basheer

Theses

Leadership is searching for strategies to assist geo-based communities, cities, large and small towns, and neighborhoods in achieving independent and more decentralized, sustainable environmental practices. By employing a paradigm that encourages peer-to-peer fund raising and rewards participants by actively encouraging more civic engagement, the F3rn platform responds to this demand and helps to build a stronger local circular economy.

The F3rn Defi Platform has made it possible to create a global ecosystem for recycling plastic waste. This ecosystem uses Algorand blockchain technology to provide unbanked people with access to financial services, job opportunities for the extremely poor through financial incentives, …

Our Legacy, Kaishun Huang

Theses

Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental issues. Plastic bottles take up to 450 years to decompose in landfill. The other issues caused by plastic waste such as incineration, microplastic and many more are equally terrifying. This project means to create more social awareness. A call for more people to take action and make a difference. Serious overproduction of plastic waste and other Non-Degradable Substance overwhelms the world’s ability to deal with them. Uncontrolled waste production will cause great trouble for us and our children and grandchildren. This project is in three parts. An infographic introduces some …

Through Elijah’S Eyes, Zack Stone

Theses

Through Elijah’s Eyes is a feature-length script that is about an oral deaf teenager who is frustrated by his hearing family for not following his desire as a deaf person. He escapes from his uneasy home to the streets where he skates. To cope with his anger, Elijah turns to graffiti, an art form that allows him to express his feelings to the world in a loud voice. Elijah is a talented Artist, even though, being in homeschool doesn’t allow him to enjoy the exploration of his true colors; the exploration that the world has to offer, filled with opportunities …

Timing Jitter From Broadband Radio Observations Of Millisecond Pulsars, Jackson Hebel

Theses

Timing the arrival of pulsar light is a critical tool for scrutinizing the characteristics of the interstellar medium (ISM) and the pulsar itself. Pulsar timing is affected by factors such as the solar system's kinematics, turbulence in the ISM, and intrinsic timing noise inherent to each pulsar. The North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) maintains a catalog of high-precision timing for millisecond pulsars. Using NANOGrav pulsars, and accounting for relative time-of-arrival (TOA) differences within observation epochs, the remaining noise in the TOA can be parsed out to just the jitter innate to the pulsar. This research utilizes wide …

F3rn.Org Defi, Nabeel Mohammed Basheer

Theses

Leadership is searching for strategies to assist geo-based communities, cities, large and small towns, and neighborhoods in achieving independent and more decentralized, sustainable environmental practices. By employing a paradigm that encourages peer-to-peer fund raising and rewards participants by actively encouraging more civic engagement, the F3rn platform responds to this demand and helps to build a stronger local circular economy. The F3rn Defi Platform has made it possible to create a global ecosystem for recycling plastic waste. This ecosystem uses Algorand blockchain technology to provide unbanked people with access to financial services, job opportunities for the extremely poor through financial incentives, …

Sugar Freed, Sarah Gaygen

Theses

Sugar Freed is a 2D digitally animated short film about a little girl named Molly, who gets fed up with her mother, a dentist, and ends up in a candy world ruled by evil gummy bears. Sugar Freed’s message evolved over time from a simple warning against sugar, to a child gaining an understanding of why her mother’s lessons are necessary, stemming from parts of my own childhood. The purpose of this film was to see if I could find the right balance between time management and quality control to produce an animated short that was well over four-minutes long, …

Effect Of Plasma Treatment On Soil Degradation Of A Biodegradable Mulch Film, Swapnil Bhattacharya

Theses

Biodegradable Mulch Films (BMFs) offer a sustainable alternative to traditional non-degradable PE mulch films. However, their slow rate of biodegradation can lead to plastics accumulation in the soil. In this study, a commercially available BMF based on polybutylene adipate co-terephthalate (PBAT) and polylactic acid (PLA) is examined. Here the effects of gliding arc plasma treatment on the bulk and surface properties, as well as its soil degradation behavior, is studied. An increase in surface oxygen containing species and hydrophilicity was observed following plasma treatment. Only a small hydrophobic recovery was noted over 30 days. No changes in the bulk polymer …

The Pendulum Of Juvenile Justice Policy: Examining The Creation And Implementation Of New York State’S Raise The Age Legislation, Mary Xitco

Theses

This paper discusses changes in juvenile justice policy, focusing largely on the last 40 years. Juvenile justice policy has historically transitioned quickly from conservative punitive strategies to liberal rehabilitative and lenient strategies. We see this most recently with the tough on crime strategies of the 1990s lowering the age of responsibility to now where states have decided to start raising the age of criminal responsibility up to 18 years old. This paper looks closely at what caused this most recent shift and gives historical context as to how juvenile justice policy trends may have predicted this.

Towards Parallel Intelligence Of City 5.0: An Ontological Perspective Of Digital Twin Ecosystem, Hafiz Muhammad Arfan Qalamkar

Theses

Through the construction of a city-level digital twin (CDT) prototype that integrates data, models, and insights from many disciplines and sectors of the UAE, the project investigates the potential benefits of dynamic knowledge graph and data-driven models to design national level digital twin. Three work packages are included in the study: Developing a digital twin ontological depiction for simulating national digital twin for UAE and testing Digital scenarios, engaging with local authorities like ADDA and Digital Dubai, modelling experts, and other key stakeholders to collect feedback on the application and future development of DT; and developing a digital twin prototype …

An Analysis Of New York State’S Bail Reform: Identifying And Addressing Gun Violence With The Give Executive Team, Hannah Hodge

Theses

In 2020, the New York legislature passed the bail reform law. The law included amendments to the Criminal Procedure Law (L 2019, ch 59, Part JJJ), eliminating cash bail and pretrial detention for non-violent crimes, and giving more guidance to judges setting bail (Rodriguez, 2022). Since the enactment of bail reform, there has been considerable debate concerning its impact on crime and violence. In spite of the ongoing debate about bail reform, few evaluations to date have ascertained bail reform’s impact on violence. The Monroe County Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) Executive Committee has commissioned the RIT Center for Public …

Petsi: A App That Helps People Look After & Monitor Their Pets, Ruoyun Gao

Theses

When the pandemic first hit China in full force, almost everyone was forced to quarantine where they were at the time. But there were many people who were on business trips, visiting relatives and traveling in cities far from home. So a few months after the quarantine began. News spread that some pets died of starvation or depression at home alone because their owners were quarantined in other cities and could not return home. There were some enthusiastic people who helped neighbors feed their cats through the balcony, and volunteers who tried to enter the home to take care of …