Digital Commons Network^™

Self-Compassion : What Meaning And Role Does It Play In The Lives Of Women Who Experience Anxiety And Depression In The Perinatal Period, Cindy Cranswick

Theses

With one in five Australian women suffering from perinatal anxiety and depression, there is a constant need for a greater understanding of the lived experience of motherhood. This research investigated the role and meaning of self-compassion in the lives of women in the perinatal period who experience anxiety, depression and psychological distress. There is a growing body of evidence to support findings that self-compassion is an important source of emotional and psychological well-being, but little evidence on the potential role it plays in the lives of women in the perinatal period. A qualitative approach was chosen to undertake this research …

Mobile Learning In Early Childhood Education: A School-University Partnership Model, Serena Davie

Theses

Mobile learning (mLearning) devices are ideal for 21st century learning. mLearning devices are light and, therefore, mobile so that young children can use them anywhere. Examples of mLearning devices are tablet computers, programmable robots such as Bee-Bots and robotic Lego. The term 21st century learning is used around the world and includes the skills of collaboration, communication, new literacy, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. New literacy has emerged because of new technologies and being literate in the 21st century now includes being digitally literate. However, mLearning is not widely used in early childhood education despite the fact that schools are …

The Shift From Work-Life Balance To Work-Life Integration., Annie Butler

Theses

This thesis focuses on the shift from work-life balance to work-life integration. The term ‘work-life balance’ was first introduced in Ireland in the mid-1980s, outlining the significance of balance between employees’ work and personal life activities. Studies on work-life balance most often show that work and life are perceived as mutually exclusive domains that are constantly competing for an individual’s time or energy. Work-life balance practices improve employee motivation and enhance their job performance and commitment. For employers, these policies are essential to maintaining an edge over competitors, and necessary to retain highly qualified staff Flexible working is seen as …

From Logology To Dramatism : Kenneth Burke And Kurt Vonnegut As Critical Companions, Eryn Johnson

Theses

Although Kenneth Burke originally theorized language as symbolic action and Dramatism with literary analysis in mind, he remains unthought of by literary scholars. With the aim of reclaiming Dramatism for literary analysis, I grapple with Fredric Jameson’s criticisms of Burke in order to show how Dramatism maintains potential for productive literary analysis, particularly in regard to ideology. In doing so, I apply Burke’s Dramatistic method to a series of Kurt Vonnegut novels in order to investigate the similarities between Burke and Vonnegut as well as to demonstrate a fruitful literary analysis by way of Burke’s method.Though their writings differ generically, …

Airway Clearance Of The Moderate To Late Preterm Neonate : A Retrospective Study, Brandi Rene Harbin

Theses

Background: An extensive review of the literature revealed a lack of standardized criteria or guidelines for suctioning in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Most literature indicates the harmful effects of suctioning including bradycardia, desaturation of oxygen, apnea, inflammation of airways, and/or bronchospasms. Methods: The study was a descriptive, retrospective chart review to analyze airway clearance practices in a level III regional NICU from 2016-2017. There were 87 participants and 384 suctioning events total between the gestational ages of 32 weeks -36 weeks and 6 days. Practices reviewed include suctioning via inline suction, soft tip “Little Sucker”, and bulb syringe …

The Effect Of Misleading Identification On Juror Decision-Making, Brandi A. Cook

Theses

The goal of this study was to determine how varying witness information influenced jury verdicts for an individual identified in a photographic lineup. Participant-jurors (N = 145) read a criminal case and eyewitness testimony transcript before choosing a guilty or not guilty verdict for a selected individual. The witness’s quality of view, familiarity with the perpetrator, and neighbors’ input (hearsay) were manipulated. Identifications based on a facial view generated the same guilty rate as an identification based on culprit clothing or neighbor input. A witness with a very poor view received significantly less guilty verdicts. Verdict confidence did not differ …

Examining The Role Of Different Types Of Pressure In Math Anxiety And Math Performance, Kenneth C.E. Hammett

Theses

Math anxiety can negatively impact individuals’ performance on math tasks, especially those tasks with high working memory demands. Individuals who are highly math anxious often avoid situations that involve performing math tasks. The level of anxiety experienced by individuals may be affected by different pressure situations. The present study examined the role of different types of pressure (speed, accuracy, or combination [speed + accuracy]) in math anxiety and math performance. Results indicated that experiencing anxiety during a math task has a negative impact on math performance. Results also indicated that speed pressure might be more detrimental to math performance than …

The Effectiveness Of Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Li-Cbt) On Reducing Symptoms Of Depression In Arab Clients, Safa Ali Bait Jameel

Theses

This study examines whether an awareness of LI-CBT skills would result into the reduction of symptoms of depression in Arab clients. The study exclusively applies two techniques, behavioral activation (BA) and cognitive restructuring (CR), to clients of varying levels of depression residing in the United Arab Emirates. Utilizing a pre-test-post-test design, 50 participants (25treatment and 25control) were included in the analyses of the study and level of depression was measured using the PHQ-9. Results indicate that 76 percent of participants in the treatment group showed improvement in their level of depression, when compared to 30.4 percent of participants in the …

Short-Term Retention Of Location-Identity Bindings For Complex Objects, Alexander Nalbandian

Theses

Knowing what is where is an essential and complex component of human perception. This ability refers to the concept of Situation Awareness (SA). The underlying mechanisms for this ability show parallels to the tracking of a set of identical objects moving on a screen, a theory known as Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) (Pylyshyn & Storm, 1988). This theory was useful for investigating the fundamental factors of visual tracking, but lacked a connection to real-world scenarios. In an attempt to bridge that gap, Oksama and Hyönä (2008) created the Model of Multiple Identity Tracking (MOMIT), which includes unique identities for each …

The Effect(S) Of Media On The National Football League, Christian J. Bunce

Theses

Exemplification theory states that the sample is applied to the whole. This paper specifically look into how the media’s coverage of certain high-profile National Football League (NFL) cases may have created a negative perception about the NFL. Specifically, this paper will compare exemplars and the effects they have. The media play a large role in how players, leagues, and teams are perceived. However, our results do not support this idea. Both groups were asked the same questions, the questions were designed to gauge subject’s opinions of the NFL. After analysis, there was not a significant statistical difference in the responses …

Investigating Visual Differences Between Japanese And American Animation, Boyao Dai

Theses

This study looked at animation produced in the US and Japan, in order to discover the visual differences between the two. After sampling from four distinct animations of the US and Japan, over 300 screenshots were captured. A visual content analysis of the 300 screenshots was conducted, focusing on differences in character psychological status and environment rendering. Results revealed that Japanese animation contained at least three times more psychological depictions and used more subdued coloring than American animation. Lastly, using semiotic analysis, the findings from the content analysis were interpreted and potential reasons for the differences between the two animations …

Interracial Advertising: A Comparative Analysis On Youtube Comments On A Controversial Interracial Commercial, Jeannine Alsous

Theses

This paper examines online comments to an interracial family portrayed in two online commercials for Cheerios. The study focused on an in-depth review of literature of history, symbolic interaction theory, critical race theory and co-creation of value, followed by comparative content analysis of online comments and intercoder reliability test. Four-hundred total comments were analyzed; 100 positive from each commercial and 100 negative from each. The comments were chosen by a filtering method the social media site YouTube has to select and analyze the top and most popular comments from each. After collection, a comparative content analysis of the comments was …

Beyond The Surface: An Analysis On The Journalistic Reporting Of Native American Issues, Nicole Dorothy Irene Scott

Theses

This study analyzes the reporting of four issues that have impacted the Native American community. The research begins by addressing historical events that transformed Native American identity and have shaped the media’s representation of Native identity. Framing theory, muted group theory, and tribal critical race theory support this study, with framing theory focusing on examining the news discourse. This study seeks to identify how Native American issues are framed differently in Indian Country Today Media Network and the New York Times, and seeks to identify if the Native voice can be heard in articles written by Native journalists. The results …

Putting Your Best Face Forward: A Critical Visual Analysis Of Gay Advertising Images And Self-Branding On Grindr, Gigina A. Giorgi

Theses

Advertising is used to sell a brand by depicting a lifestyle or persona that one aspires to attain. We brand ourselves, or self-brand, in accordance to how we want to be perceived by others and to convey a particular message. This study addresses the following research questions: 1) How are men presented in advertisements in gay orientated magazines? 2) How do gay men portray themselves in online dating profiles? 3) Is there a relationship between the portrayal of the male body in advertisements in Out and self-portrayal on online dating profiles? 4) What messages are gay men portraying on online …

Wemingle - Meet-Ups Simplified, Amith Rajagopal Kozhipuram

Theses

Today’s ever-changing social life and work life demand frequent and sometimes impromptu interactions & meetings. Arranging a meeting at short notice among people poses innumerable challenges for finalization of a rendezvous and time involving back and forth communication among people involved. A plethora of social platforms mushrooming around is not able to address the challenges posed in collaboratively organizing or scheduling a meeting of people from within the city or from different cities.

A few platforms are available currently which serve varied purposes such as get-together among a group of friends, scheduling of meet ups, browsing and rating POIs. However, …

The Uncanny Valley The Effect Of Removing Blendshapes From Facial Animation, Ameya Lonkar

Theses

Ever since its introduction in 1970 by the roboticist Dr. Mori, the uncanny valley has become an integral part of facial animation. While most of the work on the uncanny valley is focused on finding a way to surpass the uncanny valley and how certain things could be designed to increase or decrease the uncanniness of an animation, this paper investigates how removing certain blendshapes from the facial animation changes our perception about the eeriness of that animation. The goal is to identify the “necessary” blendshapes which bring about a significant change the perceived uncanniness of the animation. For achieving …

Thesis Inquiry & Process: Something About Reality, Blayke Mackenzie Morrow

Theses

This thesis documents the employment of a system of Process and Inquiry as it serves as a structural foundation for an investigation of the manner in which Reality is represented in visual portraiture. Through a vigorous exploration of the concept of Reality and its singular nature, it is hypothesized that intrinsically unique experiences could potentially be communicated through the perceptive abilities of the emotional quotient. The effects of media, timing, complexity, abstraction, and authenticity are examined for their effect on the apparent clarity of concepts transmitted in this manner. The inquiry ultimately manifests in the daily creation of self-portraiture, as …

Face To Face Communicating Area Design, Yuhan Wei

Theses

More and more people are using digital technology and social media in their daily lives. As a result, it seems like there is a lack of emotional interaction with each other. For example, more people prefer to stay at home and just connect with the outside world through the Internet and their digital devices. Even when they have dinner with others, they often focus on their smartphones and seldom talk with each other. Unfortunately, these scenarios indicate that many people can only communicate electronically, which is very common nowadays.

This project is focused on creating a way of communicating that …

Circular Economy And System Thinking Framework In Design; Food System Design, Mehrafza Mirzazad Barijugh

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to bring the circular economy framework and system thinking into the process of design thinking. The traditional design process is made up of five steps: 1) Discover a challenge. 2) Interpret the challenge. 3) Create opportunities and ideas. 4) Develop a solution and experiment with it. 5) Evolve the idea. This project is structured upon a methodology generated to apply a circular system framework in design that begins with taking a holistic view of topic. This methodology structured into five phases. The first phase is referring to this approach as moving from Macrocosm to …

Learning From Ferguson: African American Attitudes Towards Community Policing In Saint Louis, David Graham

Theses

This study combines an American Political Development approach to researching the history of racial segregation in Saint Louis with quantitative data focusing on African American attitudes related to politics, police and social prejudice following the civil unrest in Ferguson and Saint Louis City. The research I present emphasizes that decades of race-based municipal segregation in the Saint Louis area has combined with recent events and caused a majority of African American residents to become more suspicious of white police officers patrolling their neighborhoods

A Review Of Evolution, Behavior, And Vision With An Experimental Evolution Study On Color Vision In Drosophila Melanogaster, Mellissa Ann Marcus

Theses

The first chapter of this thesis is to take a piece by piece look at the factors that contributed to the experimental evolution study that will be discussed in Chapter 2. Behavior, how that can affect experimental studies, and how biases can affect sensory systems and preference in subject species. Specifically visual sensory systems are described in detail, from the possible evolutionary histories, to major components that contribute to eye structure, form, and/or abilities. We discuss how to define color vision, and what are the prerequisites for color vision in species.

Get Pretty, Hye Sook Choi

Theses

I want to investigate the concepts of modern beauty and how it has an influence on people, particularly women in their 20s and 30s in contemporary Korean society. As society changes, the standard of beauty changes and the social expectations for beauty grow. In general women are more concerned about their looks than men are, because beauty plays a major role in their life through first impression and social status. However, with a strong focus on consumerism and society’s standard of beauty, women have turned to materialistic goods, especially purses and high heels, to satisfy the artificial ideal beauty. It …

The Potential Antioxidant And Anti-Inflammatory Effects Of Date Seed Powder In Rats, Fatima Theyab Saif Amer Ai Meqbaali

Theses

Chronic diseases are among the main leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Oxidative stress (defined as an imbalance in the reactive oxygen species production/degradation ratio) in interaction with inflammation, has been highlighted as one major underlying mechanism in the development of these diseases. Due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, polyphenols could prevent the development of chronic diseases. Interestingly, date seeds are particularly rich in such compounds. Nonetheless, an in vivo study aiming at studying and understanding antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of date seeds in serum and various organs is missing. Therefore, the present …

I, Exist. Exhibition Identity Branding: Conveying The Doctrine Of Existentialism, Xuan Jiang

Theses

Literature and philosophy are the concise expressions of human inner-self. The main idea which all of Existentialists have in common is the fundamental doctrine that existence precedes essence. This idea has its own historical significance for explaining the fact of thinking and action. Why do we exist? The question of existence is disturbing and unsettling. It seems inevitable for human beings to face this question. We cannot help but feel anguished because we are conscious beings.

I exist is a project that aims to develop a brand identity for a exhibition about Existentialism, or more precisely, a project that conveys …

The Effectiveness Of School Principal Communication On Teacher Job Satisfaction, Rim Kamal Ai Hajar

Theses

Teacher job satisfaction has been the subject of research, but little attention has been paid to the effect of principal-teacher communication on teacher job satisfaction in the United Arab Emirates. This research paper investigated the effect of principal communication on teacher job satisfaction, and provides suggestions to improve principal-teacher communication process in cycle 1 schools in Al Ain city. It answered questions about principals’ communication practices, teachers’ satisfaction levels, and the most effective principal-teacher communication practices, which lead to high teacher's job satisfaction, and differences based on the principals’ gender in communication with teachers. To achieve the goals of this …

Kindergarten English Teachers' Perceptions Of Teaching Listening Strategies, Assessment Strategies And The Obstacles They Face, Ghada Yahya Ai Kilani

Theses

Education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has received great interest withrespect to the best practices of twenty first century teaching and learning. The aim has been to adapt worldwide used methods in education. As a result Abu Dhabi Educational Council (ADEC) attracted English native speakers of language to support ADEC’s vision. The focus of this thesis is ADEC kindergarten English teachers’ perceptions of teaching listening strategies used to help English as foreign language (EFL) learners in practicing listening activities. The main purpose is to identify the tools and approaches involved in delivering these strategies and the forms of assessment …

Zen Design: Applying Zen Principles To Brand Identity In Contemporary Graphic Design, Yun Zheng

Theses

Relaxing and finding inner balance is extremely important to those of us who live in a fast-paced, modern world. Zen has become more and more popular in different cultures and we can see the shadows of it in many of the products we interact with and use in daily life. It is being used in branding intentionally and unintentionally in some form but very few of these efforts are effective.

Through research and informational analysis, this thesis provides a simple way to understand Zen principles from psychological and aesthetic perspectives, and also identifies the similarities and differences between Modernism and …

Technological, Policy, And Organizational Issues In The Response To Biological Emergency Incidents In The Us Food Supply, Kristina J. Owens

Theses

Numerous emergency incidents in U.S. food supply occur each year. Incidents include invasive pests and diseases impacting agriculture crops and foodborne pathogens contaminating meat and poultry. An effective response is not just dependent on the technology that is being used, but also policy and organizational factors. This research is a cross-case analysis of two federal regulatory and emergency response agencies under the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). This research analyzes how each agency uses technology, policy and organizational factors to responds to their respective emergencies. This study also …

Forgetting And The Value Of Social Information, Benjamin James Abts

Theses

Information is everywhere in nature, however it can be deceitful or incorrect, so not all information should be used. Foraging pollinators utilize variable and ephemeral resources so learning about patch quality and nectar replenishment rates are essential to success and survival. However, remembering information after it is no longer relevant is not advantageous. It has been theorized that a pollinator’s memory should reflect their environment. Bumblebees are known to use both personal information (information gathered through trial and error) and social information (information gained through observations of or interactions with other animals or their products) in foraging decisions; however, it …

The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And Human Capital Development: The Mediating Effect Of Knowledge Management And Organizational Culture, Mona Majed Mohamed Al Mansoori

Theses

Human capital development is one of the most important enablers for any organization to achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Thus, organisations are interested in adopting various initiatives and mechanisms to support the development of human capital, such as transformational leadership style, knowledge management practices and building organisational culture. This study intends to examine the mediating effect of knowledge management and organisational culture on the relationships between transformational leadership and human capital development in the Abu Dhabi emirate. This study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from a large sample of employees drawn from government and semi-government entities in the …