Digital Commons Network^™

Helping Office Workers To Prepare Quick And Health Meals, Runhao Zhao

Theses

Staying healthy at work is crucial to increase a wellness culture during the workday and can further help maintain the health of employees and employers both physically and mentally. Balanced eating is one of the most significant factors in maintaining good health. This thesis proposes a foldable cooking table top with an installed induction cooker. People can prepare and cook food on it cooperatively with a due division of labor in the office. Cooking in groups at the office provides opportunities for social engagement while making healthier meal choices. The proposed cooking table offers flexible interactions during cooking, dining, and …

The Impact Of Tablet Digital Texts Vs Print Texts On Seventh Grade Students’ Reading Achievements, Strategies And Motivation, Sobhi Yousef Ahmed Abuhattab

Theses

Developing good reading skills and strategies in the English language is very important for the success of academic, cultural, economic and personal pursuits. However, some students are still experiencing serious difficulties in their reading comprehension skills that are attributed to an inadequate use of reading comprehension strategies, lack of reading motivation and inappropriate uses of resources. The study aimed at exploring the impact of Tablet Digital Texts versus Print Texts on seventh grade students' reading achievements, reading strategies, and reading motivation. A quantitative method with a correlational design was employed in this study. Moreover, the study sample consisted of seventh …

Victimization Rates Among Deaf And Hard Of Hearing College Students, Kristi Love

Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is receiving increased focus in society, with high profile examples of victimization involving athletes, actors, and politicians being discussed frequently. Society is more accepting of reporting issues of abuse and seeking help for victims. As awareness of domestic and intimate partner violence has increased, resources to address this issue are likely being utilized more. However, some populations are likely being overlooked, underserved, or excluded from accessing these resources. Deaf and hard of hearing individuals are among those who are underrepresented in the existing research on intimate partner violence. Research on victimization among Deaf and hard of …

Fundoggy: Using Gamification And Social Network Services To Create A Mobile Fundraising Application For Helping Shelter Dogs, Yu Ri Na

Theses

The proliferation of new media is rapidly changing the world of philanthropy and more effective methods of raising funds and developing donor relationships must be sought. Furthermore, today’s trends indicate that the amount of giving by individuals has increased gradually, but the generation gap in donors is increasing.

Fundamentally, this thesis project seeks effective ways to attract young donors and show how to maintain a continuous connection with them by using today’s trending business and marketing buzzwords, “gamification” and “social network services.” Employing a game’s entertainment, problem-solving challenges, interactive experience, and customer loyalty improvement is expected to create significant synergy …

Mdd, What And How: A Motion Graphics Short Film, Yi Zhou

Theses

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a growing mental health problem these days as it creates more social issues and creates problems for families and individuals. However, people still do not know enough about this mental disorder. The purpose of this short motion film is to provide people with a quick and effective introduction to MDD. This film explores a way to deliver essential information in a short amount of time and in a clear way for the audience to understand. It tells a story through the point-of-view of those who have friends or family members suffering from MDD. This story …

Degrees Of Altruism As Dependent Upon Degrees Of Relations, Bobbi Jackson

Theses

In David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature (1738), he asserts that humans act most altruistically toward people in the closest relations to us, e.g., in family or friendship relations, and somewhat less so toward those who are merely in our own ethnic group, of our own nationality, etc., and least altruistically toward people in the most distant relations to us. But, current empirical data appears to indicate vast multitudes of exceptions to Hume's claim. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to determine the cause of this apparent conflict and suggest potential solutions that might allow Hume's theory …

Realist Nonideal Theory: The Intuition Critique, Reflective Equilibrium And The Role Of Morality In Politics, Danny R. Underwood Ii

Theses

In this paper, I explain political realist Raymond Geuss’ critique of John Rawls concerning his use of intuitions when developing a political philosophy. Rawls’ justice as fairness, due to its reliance on moral intuitions, fails to achieve the theory's purported aim and has the effect of affirming the status quo. I use Rawls’ idea of reflective equilibrium, where our theoretical principles are checked against our commitments until a satisfactory balance is reached, as an explanatory framework to discuss various forms of political philosophy. By adopting this framework, the disputes between various approaches to political philosophy are reducible to which initial …

Literary Pedagogies At Umsl: Combining Case Study With Personal Narrative, Elizabeth Miller

Theses

Through traditional scholarship and an analysis of survey data collected from undergraduate literature students at the university, I investigate the ways in which pedagogies of composition and disability studies can be incorporated into the teaching of literature. Historically, literary scholarship has not focused on issues of pedagogy to the degree that other divisions within English Studies have done, and it is therefore necessary to determine what gaps exist, if any, and how they might be bridged. For example, composition pedagogies often emphasize active, student-based teaching paradigms that are rooted in students’ personal experiences and the kind of writing that interests …

Where They Wander, Kevin T. Gleich

Theses

The stories contained within are all concerned in one way or another with our memory. More specifically, what it means to remember something. With a fictional drug, referred to only as “serum,” the characters in these stories all fall victim to what can be described as an overdose of experience. Our memories are what allow us to develop ideology, our concept of self, and intimacy with others. Each story in “Where They Wander” deals in some way with these basic human traits by exaggerating the characters’ abilities to confront their experiences.

There is another thread that pulls these stories together. …

The Epistemic Status Of Moral Conceptual Truths, Kara D. Boschert

Theses

Evolutionary debunking arguments assume that morality could, conceptually speaking, be about anything. A response to this contention is that there are some moral conceptual truths which counter assertions that we could be in error about basic moral truths. According to proponents of moral conceptual truths, some things, by definition, cannot count as moral. Putative moral conceptual truths, such as “stealing is wrong,” are thought to enjoy a privileged epistemic status because anyone who denies them forfeits their ability to engage in competent moral reasoning. This paper explores whether moral conceptual truths can offer a satisfactory response to the debunkers’ premise …

How Well Do Providers Screen For Depression And Suicide In Adolescents?, Judi Allyn Godsey

Theses

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds. Research indicates that suicide can be prevented with early screening and treatment. More than 50% of patients suffering from some form of mental disorder are seen only by their primary care provider. This data suggests that screening measures within the primary care setting can be instrumental in identifying risk behaviors among adolescents who
may be considered at risk for depression and suicide. This descriptive, comparative, quantitative study examined the documentation of primary care physicians, pediatricians and nurse practitioners regarding high risk behavioral indicators that could signal depression or …

Routine Activity Theory At The Census Tract-Level, Abigail G. Orscheln

Theses

The purpose of this study is to better understand predictors of neighborhood crime in metropolitan areas through a routine activity theory (RAT) lens. This paper examines whether neighborhood-level aspects of RAT have varying explanatory power for different crimes. This is accomplished by drawing on a sample of census tracts from the National Neighborhood Crime Study (NNCS). Using these data, multiple independent variables are regressed on four different types of crime using an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The results do not suggest that there is a strong degree of variation in the ability of specific measures to predict specific forms …

Automated Quality Assessment Of Printed Objects Using Subjective And Objective Methods Based On Imaging And Machine Learning Techniques., Ritu Basnet

Theses

Estimating the perceived quality of printed patterns is a complex task as quality is subjective. A study was conducted to evaluate how accurately a machine learning method can predict human judgment about printed pattern quality.

The project was executed in two phases: a subjective test to evaluate the printed pattern quality and development of the machine learning classifier-based automated objective model. In the subjective experiment, human observers ranked overall visual quality. Object quality was compared based on a normalized scoring scale. There was a high correlation between subjective evaluation ratings of objects with similar defects. Observers found the contrast of …

The Luxury Trap, Zhihui Wu

Theses

Human beings have traveled from prehistory through an agricultural era to the industrial age to modern society today. I think every transition is a luxury trap. Why have there been there so many transitions? Why are transitions are traps?

The human being is a special kind of animal that endlessly strives for a better life. Human beings work hard for a better life that includes more luxury, no matter the material aspect or spiritual aspect. But when they complete a transition, they always fall into another trap that has different problems.

My works illustrate three different transitions of the human …

Prediction Of Uae Youth Entrepreneurial Intention (Ei); Exploring The Factors That Impact On The Choice Of Entrepreneurship (Self-Employment) As A Career Option Based On The Theory Of Planned Behavior (Tpb), Noora Yousif Mohamed Ali Al Saiqal

Theses

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considered a youthful country where national youth prefer to work in the already saturated government sector and avoid the private sector. In recent times, growing levels of young unemployed people have been observed. This study investigates UAE national youth intentions to become entrepreneurs by examining the factors that affect entrepreneurial career choice. This quantitative research employs the theoretical model of Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The most recent version of the standardized measure of "Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire (EIQ)" has been used in the UAE context for the first time. UAE national senior …

An Immersive Learning Model, Shamsa Abdulla Salem Al Mazrouei

Theses

Our overarching goal is to provide children with immersive game-based learning environments to support Arabic linguistic skills acquisition. We postulate that immersion in- creases learning. To investigate this hypothesis, we developed a model and built an implementation of an educational virtual environment (EVE) that supports immersion and thus, induces effective learning. Experimental results confirm our hypothesis.

Our model integrates learning content, learning activities, immersion and gameplay. Based on our analysis of various curricula, specifically the United Arab Emirates grade one curriculum, we identified the nature of the learning content in order to satisfy the curriculum requirements. This content is conceptually …

The Effect Of Using Social Media Marketing On Customer Engagement In The Public Sector: The Case Of The Zakat Fund, Sultan Faisal Ali Alremeithi

Theses

Social Media Sites (SMSs) are affecting a wide cross-section of marketing activities, including research, strategy formulation, advertising, promotions and sales. It is proposed that Social Media Sites (SMSs) are not only an addition to the modern marketer's toolkit, but mark an endemic and ecological change.

The purpose of this research is to investigate what antecedents determine a user's engagement with an account on a social media sites (SMSs).

Through their use, the social media have facilitated various business opportunities as well as providing the public sector with platforms through which organizations can engage current and future customers. Still, the huge …

Mobile App Of Food Combinations- Medley For Mom, Xun Zhao

Theses

“There were variations in the types of dietary intervention and the effect of specific nutrient components. There was no heterogeneity for dietary intervention components, but considerate heterogeneity for all dietary interventions combined.” With the development of the society and the improvement of living conditions, people’s eating habit has become much more diverse. However, some food combinations could potentially bring discomfort, such as indigestion, constipation and so on.

Due to the individual differences of the human digestive system structures, improper food combinations lead to various harms to different groups of people, among which pregnant women suffer the most.

“There is little …

Short-Term Bilateral Adrenalectomy: Biochemical And Morphological Alterations In The Rat Hippocampus, Ahlam Said Abi Issa

Theses

Several studies showed the effects of glucocorticoid hormones on the hippocampus. It has been reported that the chronic administration of high dose glucocorticoids (GC) results in the degeneration of pyramidal neurons. However, bilateral adrenalectomy has been shown to damage the hippocampal neurons. Although the effects of long-term adrenalectomy have been studied extensively, there are few publications on the effects of short-term bilateral adrenalectomy (ADX). We aimed to investigate the effects of ADX on levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interkeukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α); levels of growth factors, response of microglia and astrocytes to neuronal death, and oxidative …

Work Engagement Antecedents And Consequences Across Generations In The United Arab Emirates, Nahla Abdullah Al Haj Hassan M. Fadhlani

Theses

Drawing upon generational differences and work engagement literatures, this research examines the antecedents and consequences of work engagement in the context of the UAE, and the moderating effect of generational membership.

Statistics predicted that in the year 2015, 45% of the UAE labor market was comprised by individuals born between 1980 and 1999, known as the Y Generation. However, little is known about generational differences in the UAE, in particular among members of the Y Generation with respect to work engagement. Whereas organizations need suitable human resources practices and tools to ensure the consistency and growth of the three generations …

A Passionate Journey: Info-Motion Graphics Video Exploring Why And How To Find Work You Love., Jia Zhou

Theses

Benjamin Disraeli, a 19th century British Prime Minister, once said, “Man is not a rational animal. He is only truly good or great when he acts from passion.” Passion is the fuel that can power you toward the realization of your dreams. To live a truly satisfying and purposeful life, it is important for every individual to know what their passions are so life will be fulfilling.

Teenagers choose their career after they graduate from high school. They begin to wonder what they will become and what contributions they can make in the future. It is important for people to …

Interviews Define Face Validity Of Physical Activity Survey Items With Fourth Graders, Elizabeth Dubiel Wayman

Theses

School-based and after school interventions to encourage child participation in physical activity use self-report surveys, among other methods, to assess level of physical activity. The current study investigated the face validity of nine physical activity self-report items used to evaluate the Fuel for Fun program, a nutrition and physical activity intervention for fourth graders administered in Colorado. A convenience sample of fourth graders demographically similar to Fuel for Fun participants in Colorado were cognitively interviewed to examine understanding and comprehension of survey items. Qualitative content analysis of interview transcripts revealed that 87.5% to 100% of students reported understanding the items …

Sense Of Belonging And Registered Nurse Job Satisfaction, Sarah E. Abel

Theses

Increased registered nurse turnover may be a significant contributor to the nursing shortage; therefore factors must be acknowledged that lead to poor nurse retention. Tourangeau, Cummings, Cranley, Ferron, and Harvey (2010) identified that a relationship exists between job satisfaction, nurse retention, and nurse turnover. This is a replication of Tourangeau et al.'s (2010) study and will seek to identify additional factors that may influence registered nurse turnover and specifically search to find what work or life situations influenced nurses to remain or end employment. Miles and Huberman's (1994) deductive qualitative data coding method will be used to categorize, refine, and …

Patients' Perceptions Regarding Nursing Care In The General Surgical Wards At Kenyatta National Hospital, Elwin Shawa

Theses

Nursing care is a major component of the health services because it is one of the determinants of quality health services. The anecdotal patients' care evaluation and media reports have portrayed negative publicity and image regarding nursing care in certain hospitals. Patients' perceptions regarding nursing care is thought to be the determinant of quality nursing care. To explore patients' perceptions and experiences regarding nursing care in surgical wards.

The Impact Of The Child’S Age And Severity Of Disability On Parents Of Children With Intellectual Disabilities’ Psychological Needs In The United Arab Emirates, ثناء جمال عبد العزيز محمد

Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the psychological needs of parents of children with intellectual disabilities and to examine the impact of the child’s age and severity of disability on parents’ psychological needs in the United Arab Emirates. The study sample consisted of 690 parents of children with intellectual disabilities. The study was conducted during the academic year 2016-2017. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed to answer the research questions. The results of this study revealed that parents of students with intellectual disabilities had many psychological needs. In addition to that, there were significant differences in parents’ psychological …

Get A Grip: Analysis Of Muscle Activity And Perceived Comfort In Using Stylus Grips, Evanda Vanease Henry

Theses

The design of handwriting instruments has been based primarily on touch, feel, aesthetics, and muscle exertion. Previous studies make it clear that different pen characteristics have to be considered along with hand-instrument interaction in the design of writing instruments. This should include pens designed for touch screens and computer based writing surfaces. Hence, this study focuses primarily on evaluating grip style’s impact on user comfort and muscle activity associated with handgrip while using a stylus-pen.

Surface EMG measures were taken approximate to the adductor pollicis, flexor digitorum, and extensor indicis of eight participants while they performed writing, drawing, and point-and-click …

An Examination Of The Uses And Gratifications Of Utilitarian And Experiential Online Shoppers, Michelle Spang

Theses

As money being spent on e-commerce continues to rise, marketers and retailers are interested in what motivates people to shop online. In the past shoppers have been broken up into two categories, utilitarian or experiential (e.g., O'Brien, 2010; Overby & Lee, 2006; To, Liao, & Lin, 2007; Wolfinbarger & Gilly, 2001). The purpose of this study is to evaluate both categories of shoppers by utilizing a uses and gratifications theory framework. Online survey method is utilized to determine if there are differences between the utilitarian and experiential online shoppers in terms of uses sought. As a result, of the five …

Selfie Usage In Marketing Between Companies And Consumers, Qinjin Yang

Theses

This case study analysis focuses on the use of selfies by both companies and consumers in relation to certain products. By using uses and gratifications theory, this case study analysis investigates four major companies and their products, as well as their implementation of user-generated selfies. Selfie-posting and other related interactions between consumers and companies suggest effective marketing of both consumers’ self-images, (i.e., consumers’ intentions of obtaining social capital by posting selfies) and companies’ products. Finally, this case study analysis also suggests a healthy and productive marketing result between consumers and products with the use of selfies.

American Civil War Reenactments: Race And Masculinity In Modern Images And Memory, Austin C. English

Theses

The celebration of past wars and warriors is not a uniquely American notion. For centuries nations and individuals have celebrated and revered those who went to war. Similarly, modern Civil War reenactments represent one ritual where Americans honor the War and its participants. But is there something distinctive about the way Americans commemorate and remember the Civil War? Do reenactments hide, forget, or obscure certain elements of the War as much as they commemorate?

Farm Deaths And Injuries: Changing Farmer Attitudes And Behaviour On Farm Safety, Kieran O'Connell

Theses

While the Irish agricultural sector accounts for just 6% of the working population of Ireland, it consistently has the highest proportion of fatal incidents of any sector - generally ranging from between 35% and 45% of all workplace fatalities in any given year (Health and Safety Authority, 2015). This was again evident in 2014 where 55% (30 of the 56) of the fatal workplace incidents were in the agricultural sector (Health and Safety Authority, 2015). Agriculture has an ageing workforce with the average age of an Irish farmer now standing at fifty-seven and farmers are eight times more likely to …