Digital Commons Network^™

Compute Or Not To Compute?, Rowena Keaveny

Theses

The primary purpose of this enquiry is to explore the relevance of digital culture to contemporary art therapy practice in the digital age. The explosion of digital media into everyday life, as evidenced through it's impact on modes of communication and transformative societal behaviours has vastly altered how humans relate to each other and the world in which they can now live both physically and virtually in what has become known as the digital age. Silhouetted by it's emergent use within the therapeutic setting and informed by current literature, articles, research, questionnaires and interviews, this enquiry seeks to address the …

An Investigation Into Improving Men's Access To Health Services, Kieran Geary

Theses

This thesis sets out to examine the area of men’s health and to recommend strategies for mainstream health services to get more men interested in their health. In Ireland, men die, on average, approximately five years younger than women and have higher death rates than women for most of the leading causes of death (Richardson and Carroll, 2008). As Wilkins (2009) points out, identifying the problems with men’s health is not the ultimate challenge, nor is advocating for change at a political or policy level, rather it is identifying what works with men and translating that into workable strategies capable …

Social Acceptance Of Renewable Energy : Exploring A Citizen Centric Paradigm, Paul O'Brien

Theses

The energy landscape in Ireland is being transformed. Energy policy is geared towards substantially decarbonising the electricity system by 2050. The implementation of large scale renewable energy generation remains a key policy objective. The scale of the transformation presents challenges in terms of policy and technology, as well as social acceptance.

This study was conducted to explore social acceptance of renewable energy within the context of a broader energy transition. A concurrent mixed method design integrates three distinct strands of primary research. A series of semi-structured interviews with multidisciplinary energy professionals explored contemporary social issues, from a developer, utility and …

The Case For Health Literacy Research In Qatar: Identifying Avenues For Progress, Yasar Alani

Theses

Abstract This thesis studies the attitudes of healthcare provider and consumer groups in Qatar towards health literacy via health promotion. Using Q methodology, data from healthcare providers and consumers was analysed to determine relative attitudes towards previous and future health campaign strategies in Qatar. Consumer data was also collected to determine attitudes towards current health promotion campaigns and the perceived effectiveness of campaigns in encouraging behaviour change. The research also investigates the obstacles that prevent healthcare consumers from adopting the healthier lifestyle choices advocated by some of these campaigns. Participants were residents of Qatar.

The concept of health literacy was …

'Aiding Gli Ebrei' - Delasem Under Fascism, 1939 To 1945, Laura Bava

Theses

This study investigated how the organisation Delasem (‘Delegazione Assistenza Emigrati Ebrei’) operated unrestricted in their support of Jewish people under Mussolini’s Fascist regime between 1939 and 1943. It includes a brief historical background of Italy that focuses on the life of Jewish people since their first arrival in Italy about 2000 years ago. This historical section was presented so that the reader could understand Italian culture and its changing attitude to Italian and non-Italian Jewish people in Italy. This section outlined the circumstances of Italian Jews under Mussolini’s Fascist regime that resulted in Delasem’s formation and the flood of Jewish …

Contextual Experiences Of Overseas Trained Teachers Before And After Obtaining A Teaching Position In A Public Secondary School Of Western Australia And South Australia In Reference To Their Cultural Perspectives, Sushmita Datta Roy

Theses

The focus of this research was an exploration of the experiences of overseas trained teachers in the public secondary schools of Western Australia and South Australia, in reference to their cultural perspectives. Due to ongoing teacher shortage in the Australian public secondary schools (Weldon, 2015) many overseas trained teachers opt to migrate to Australia in the hope of establishing a new teaching career in the country. In the process, overseas trained teachers often undergo a range of contextual experiences, some that are challenging and some rewarding. It becomes meaningful, therefore, to explore the contextual experiences of overseas trained teachers and …

The Effects Of Maturational Variation On The Performance Of Young Australian Footballers And Their Selection Into The Australian Football League's Talent Pathway, Ashley Cripps

Theses

Traditional player development pathways share a common goal, to identify and accelerate the development of talented adolescent players for senior competition. Players who gain selection into development programs gain greater access to experienced coaches, training facilities, support staff and competition. However, despite such advantages, research has shown that few players who gain initial selection into development pathways progress into professional senior competition. A major factor which potentially contributes to poor player retention in development pathways is the initial misidentification of talented athletes due to variations in biological maturity.

Earlier maturing individuals have been shown to be at a physical advantage …

The Material Forms Of Memory: A Creative Arts Praxis Examining Family Archive Materiality And The Performance Of Memory Through Installation Art, Emily M. M. Hornum

Theses

This Master of Arts by Research investigates the role of new media in influencing familyarchive materiality and what effect this has on the performance of memory. The aim is to examine through creative arts praxis how installation art illuminates the participatory engagement of family archive materiality to mediate our mnemonic processes. The source materials for this project stem from my family archives dating from the early 1900s to 2013, and include photographs, 35mm slides, VHS tapes, audiotapes and personal items. The significance of this research lies in the creative outcomes that have occurred through the investigative and critical dialogues between …

An Implementation Of A High Accuracy Sensor For Distributed Wireless Sensor Network Applications, Jesse Craig Frye

Theses

Biopotentials are typically small electric signals, on the order of a few microvolts to hundreds of millivolts, produced as the result of cellular electrochemical activity in living organisms. Due to high source impedance, investigation of these small electrical signals typically requires use of clinical equipment or professional data acquisition systems that are large, expensive, and utilize AC mains power. Distributed sensor network applications need a low cost, high resolution wireless sensor, suitable for measuring and logging microvolt-level DC accurate signals from high impedance sources. Issues that must be addressed include processing power, power efficiency, auxiliary data storage, and wireless communication …

Intrinsic Inter-Subject Variability In Functional Neuroimaging: Verification Using Blind Source Separation Features, Shruti Gopal Vij

Theses

The holy grail of brain imaging is the identification of a biomarker, which can identify an abnormality that can be used to diagnose disease and track the effectiveness of treatment and disease progression. Typically approaches that search for biomarkers start by identifying mean differences between groups of patients and healthy controls. However, combining data from different subjects and groups to be able to make meaningful inferences is not trivial. The structure of the brain in each individual is unique in size and shape as well as in the relative location of anatomical landmarks (e.g. sulci and gyri). When looking for …

The Study Of Cybersecurity Algorithms From Traditional Computing To The Internet Of Things, Daniel Davis

Theses

A progressive approach to teach students how to develop and deploy cybersecurity algorithms across a wide range of heterogeneous computing devices is proposed. Data confidentiality and data integrity can be ensured when sensitive information is transferred between various types of devices over insecure communication channels by using cybersecurity algorithms. A step-by-step procedure to teach students cybersecurity algorithms on devices ranging from personal computers to devices deployed in the Internet of Things ecosystem is needed. We develop four learning modules that offer students the opportunity to explore commonly utilized cybersecurity algorithms across several heterogeneous devices. Students are able to utilize our …

The Theory Of Planned Behavior As Applied To Helmet Use In Equestrians, Kelly L. Arnold

Theses

The theory of planned behavior is a model wherein beliefs give rise to intention which results in action. We tested it by separating equestrians into helmet users and non-users then presented framed health messages manipulated in a 2 (Helmet: Present, Absent) x 2 (Valence: Positive, Negative) x 2 (Icon: Circle, Rosette) between subjects design. We measured equestrians' intent to use a helmet after viewing a short horse-accident video and found that helmet non-users were most responsive to positively framed messages focusing on helmet use instead of non-use. Reasons for helmet non-use in equestrians as well as information on head injuries …

The Effects Of Post-Identification Feedback And Exposure Duration On Eyewitnesses, Katherine M. Luecht

Theses

The post-identification feedback effect represents the phenomenon whereby witnesses’ self-reported retrospective judgments are distorted when given information regarding their identification accuracy. Despite the abundance of research surrounding post-identification feedback, no research has examined post-identification feedback while manipulating aspects of the witnessed event. This study begins to fill this gap by examining exposure duration, or the time a witness has to view a culprit, with post-identification feedback. A 2 (Feedback: confirming, none) by 2 (Exposure Duration: long, short) x 2 (Target presence: present, absent) was conducted. Results revealed that witnesses in long exposure conditions were not significantly impacted by feedback as …

Cybersecurity Message Framing, Heather Patrick Beard

Theses

Health-focused research has been exploring the impact of message framing on behavioral compliance with health warnings for decades. However, this research venue has yet to be leveraged by designers of warnings intended to encourage safe internet behaviors. The present experiment investigates whether positively or negatively framed cyber warnings are more likely to result in decreased disclosure of personally identifying information in the context of a restaurant reservation tablet application, and whether the effectiveness of these messages varies based on the user’s depth of message processing, perception of risk, and online privacy concern. Results provided support for warning context as an …

Workload In Nursing: A Descriptive Study Using Cognitive Work Analysis, Jonathan Umansky

Theses

Nursing is a high workload profession, and excessive workload has been shown to have an adverse effect on patient care. This problem has been compounded by shortages of qualified nurses in hospitals, resulting in increased workload of the existing nursing staff. Prior research has focused on patient-staff ratios and skill mix to analyze the relationship of workload and degradation of care. The current research implemented a multi-dimensional model for analyzing nurses’ workload in a large general hospital. This method afforded the researcher the opportunity to examine a work domain from multiple angles. Nurses play versatile roles, and workload extends beyond …

Information Design For Medical Innovation: Raising Student Awareness Of Medical Design Potential, Brian W. Rosenberg

Theses

Medical design has the power to improve, prolong and save lives. Medical professionals and patients throughout the world face critical problems that can be addressed with design solutions developed in an academic setting. International collaboration fostered by universities can be a source of unique technology, cultural development and natural resources that can aid in the discovery and delivery of medical solutions. Projects developed through university based initiatives exemplify how effective information design benefits medical design applications.

MEDdesign is a program initiative of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Through this international program, design students …

Multiplayer Sound-Oriented Game Design: An Ios Brain And Hearing Training Game, Liwei Yu

Theses

Hearing (auditory perception) is one of the most important senses in our human bodies. There are millions of different sounds in our world; humans perceive the sounds from the outside world to get information, and respond to them.

It is beneficial to enhance hearing abilities and hand-ear coordination to boost brain fitness, engage in better communication with others, and enhance concentration abilities.

With the fast development of smart mobile devices and mobile internet, it is easy to get people connected no matter where they are. Some people usually play games during short fragments time.

Considering these factors, it is a …

Effects Of Persuasive Communication On Intention To Save Energy: Punishing And Rewarding Messages, Michell Patricia Garcia Mera

Theses

Communication can be used to persuade individuals to change their intentions. This study analyzes the use of rewarding and punishing messages for the purpose of changing intention towards energy saving. It also analyzes the use of social and individual rewards and punishments and their effects in motivating behavioral change positively towards energy saving. Results show that while reward and punishment are both effective in manipulating intention positively towards energy saving behaviors, overall there is no significant difference between the two. However, when individual reward was compared to individual punishment, individual punishment was found to be more effective than reward in …

A Generalized Model Of Cognitive Workload, Taylor Carpenter

Theses

Numerous catastrophic accidents have been the result of human operators making poor judgement calls stemming from suboptimal decision making. This suboptimal decision making, in many cases, arises when an operator is either in a high cognitive workload state, overwhelmed with information leading to a greater chance of missing an important detail, or in a low cognitive workload state, distracted and overall not paying attention to the task at hand. If the cognitive workload of an individual can be properly monitored, suboptimal operator conditions can be recognized or prevented, reducing the chance of an accident. While previous research has led to …

Consistency And Inconsistency In Celebrity Endorsements, Vanessa Veras Victoria

Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate consumer attitudes towards brands when exposed to celebrity endorsements in cases where the personality of the celebrity does not match the personality of the brand (inconsistent). Theories used in this research included: Cognitive Dissonance Theory, how consumers are expected to react when receiving information that presents inconsistency; and Schema Theory, how information is stored in the form of schemas. A measure consisting of attractiveness, credibility, purchase intention and likeability was created based on studies by Spear and Singh (2004) and Halonen-Knight and Hurmerinta (2010) in order to evaluate consumer attitudes. A survey …

Learning By Design, Design By Learning: An Investigation Into (Re)Designing A Rochester School For The Future Of Learning, Catherine C. Lange

Theses

School buildings and their learning environments have remained relatively static over time. Many of the classrooms still in use today were built for traditional, “chalk-n-talk” pedagogies and passive learning; they are not prepared for today’s more active learning approaches.1 Innovative schools are beginning to adopt new curricula and pedagogical strategies that align with research being done on student learning outcomes. In Rochester, New York, an initiative called the Rochester Schools Modernization Program (RSMP) has secured $325 million from New York State for Phase I of an effort to redesign, renovate and update 12 existing schools. Later phases will address the …

Training Deictic Relations To Children With Developmental Delays Through The Use Of The Peak Relational Training System, Dena Larae Kime

Theses

Children with developmental delays often do not acquire perspective taking skills without training. These skills are imperative to the ability to relate to others socially and the development of appropriate social behavior. They may lack the ability to recognize that another person’s view may differ from their own, or that reality may differ from appearance. This study used deictic relational training to aid in the development of a ‘Theory of Mind’ and the acquisition of perspective taking skills. The PEAK relational training system was used in a special education classroom to train YOU and I relations, as well as YOU …

Relational Training Of Contextual Cues And Self-Rule Formation In Simulated Slot Machines, Rocco Giovanni Catrone

Theses

Between 1% and 1.4% of people who engage in gambling behaviors lead to disordered or pathological gambling (Whiting & Dixon, 2015), while 44% of all money spent on legal gambling is done so with slot machines (Choliz, 2010). Various behavioral concepts have been theorized as a possible source of gambling addition; losses disguised as wins (LDWs), near-miss, gamblers’ fallacy, illusions of control, and verbally constructed self-rules related to these topics. The current study sought to extend the previous research on condition discrimination in altering slot machine preference while also analyzing the effects of vocalized self-rules during slot machine selection. Conclusions …

A Game-Based Learning Model, Fatmah Mohamed Ali Ramsi

Theses

The purpose of this research is to design a conceptual model and develop an implementation as a proof of concept of game-based learning (GBL)to support linguistic skills acquisition. Our model lays the foundations of game-based learning by defining methods, processes, and procedures to support the development of game-based learning systems. Integration of learning and gameplay raises various issues, among them the learning process, learning content, and game characteristics. Language competency is fundamental to academic and social success. Vocabulary acquisition is a primary basis for language competency. Word lists and dictionaries have been used as a resource to enrich vocabulary. The …

Exploring The Quality Of Sme Audits In The Uae, Ahmad Abdul Fattah Odeh

Theses

[Purpose: The aim of this dissertation is to investigate audit quality in the UAE for small and medium sized companies, using the Framework for Audit Quality proposed by the IAASB]. [Design/Methodology/Approach: The methodology used was to describe the laws and regulations now in place in the GCC and to review some of the existing authorities that are working to regulate the audit industry in the country‟s private sector. Next, questionnaires were used to measure the perception of audit quality in SMEs, which was analyzed by means of factor analysis. A number of interviews were also conducted over the same variables …

Latin On The Walls, Kent Walker

Theses

A dysfunctional family in rural southeastern Missouri learn to cope with death. During the fortification period after the invasion of Iraq, a soldier plays into the banality of war, pranks, drugs, and inspections create tension in an already tense environment.

Consumers’ Communication Channels Preferences: High-Stake Versus Low-Stake Brands, Carolina Rondon Diplan

Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore which communication channels consumers are more likely to use when they want to provide feedback or acquire information about high-stake and low-stake brands. This research relies on the results of a survey and an analysis of the literature to gather findings. Results suggest that consumers prefer to talk more about high-stake brands than low-stake brands. They also show that consumers are more inclined to use face-to-face, Facebook, and websites to communicate experiences and acquire information about brands than other evaluated communication channels. Finally, consumers are more likely to express negative experiences than …

Data Mining Nhanes: Utilizing A Genetic Algorithm To Detect Correlation Between Birth Sex Ratio And Epidemiological Factors, Christopher F. Fucile

Theses

In the past several decades there has been increasing research into factors that may affect the birth sex ratio of parents. These can range from nutrition to hormone levels to psychological factors. The National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) is a broadly encompassing governmental survey that captures some of these aspects making it a rich and easily exploitable data set for these purposes. In this study we utilize custom Perl scripts written to extract such information and attempt to find correlations using a genetic algorithm. Mothers are first identified through inferred relationships within the database. Variables are then analyzed …

Media Influence And Third-Person Effect On Perception Formation About Immigrants In The State Of New York, Leslie S. Ramirez Soto

Theses

The present study examines hostile media bias and the third-person effect in those with anti-immigrant sentiments and those with pro-immigrant sentiments to determine the variables that influence their beliefs about immigrants and immigration in the state of New York. Based on McKeever, Riffe, & Dillman’s (2012) survey conducted in North Carolina, this study builds on their results to evaluate if factors such as geographic location, concentration of immigrants, or political inclinations can change the results. Five-hundred respondents from New York State participated in a survey about their attitudes concerning immigrants and immigration. Results confirm that those with anti-immigrant sentiment will …

Communicating Through Distraction: A Study Of Deaf Drivers And Their Communication Style In A Driving Environment, Pierce T. Hamilton

Theses

This study will investigate the driving habits of deaf drivers and the manners in which they adapt to their driving experience. The lack of an auditory sense presents some unique challenges. While it is clear that driving is a predominantly visual task, auditory stimulation is still a part of the driving experience. This study seeks to determine how deaf drivers cope in a driving environment despite hearing loss. The results of the study will help to inform policy that can make the driving experience safer.