Digital Commons Network^™

The Alternate, Clint Green

Theses

The Alternate is a feature-length action screenplay that serves as the culmination of Clint Green’s academic journey through Lindenwood University’s MFA in Writing program. The story centers around Jacquelin "Jax" Pierce, a complex female assassin with a traumatic past and a fractured moral compass. When Jax is hired to eliminate Shiri Wan—a pregnant medical professional with unknown ties to a larger political conspiracy—she is forced to confront her own haunted past and reevaluate her future. Rather than execute her target, Jax chooses to protect Shiri, setting off a deadly chain of events that pits her against the covert organization that …

Time And Space, Doroteia Johnson

Theses

Aesthetic moments created by the interaction of human beings everyday become more exciting and valuable when a simple shape takes the viewer to another place, time, or state of mind. I am interested in engaging simplified shapes in order to generate a heightened experience of movement and an acute sense of belonging within time and space. Through the use of tungsten inner gas (TIG) welding, I translated geometric forms of steel into sculptures. The eye follows lines that evoke a sense of balance in motion and boundaries. Investigation of geometric lines as a mapping element reflects memories and relationships that …

Sola In Nature, Yeonhee Choi

Theses

Sola in Nature is an invitation to encounter the internal human experience inspired by nature. Each photograph exhibits different sensibilities; exploring what the psychological self represents in nature through the images. The human mind is like air. We cannot smell, hold, and see the air, but we can feel it when we breathe. We cannot live without it. This thesis transcribes personal experience into a photographic spectacle that provides the public access, with which to examine the sophisticated mind as reflection of the self. Nature is, in this work, considered not only as spiritual existence but also as the psychological …

Measurement, Modeling And Perception Of Painted Surfaces : A Multi-Scale Analysis Of The Touch-Up Problem, Suparna Kalghatgi

Theses

Real-world surfaces typically have geometric features at a range of spatial scales. At the microscale, opaque surfaces are often characterized by bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF), which describes how a surface scatters incident light. At the mesoscale, surfaces often exhibit visible texture - stochastic or patterned arrangements of geometric features that provide visual information about surface properties such as roughness, smoothness, softness, etc. These textures also affect how light is scattered by the surface, but the effects are at a different spatial scale than those captured by the BRDF. Through this research, we investigate how microscale and mesoscale surface properties …

Scapes, Masa Bajc

Theses

Scapes examines the experience of the oneiric landscape,conceived through the place of the artwork. Created photographs, videos and the installation are regarded as places that blend the inner space with the outer. Fukei,the Japanese concept of landscape, serves as a framework through which I explore the idea of a personal engagement with a place, and its relationships to the conceptions of space and landscape. Influenced by the philosophy of Gaston Bachelard, space is viewed as an expansion of one's intimate being. The thesis also addresses cross-disciplinary discourse on the meaning of place and its new found significance within the field …

Reading On The Internet: The Presentation Of Online News Articles And Its Relationship To Reader’S Recall And Comprehension, Kristen Curtze

Theses

Since 1995, the number of Internet users has increased by 1.88 billion people. As the population increased, so did the number of websites, news portals, and the amount of information presented on the Internet. Information once commonly read in a newspaper can now be found online with videos, interactive features, and other forms of multimedia. Yet, is reading a story in static, plain text different from reading a story with videos and interactivity? This study asks whether or not a relationship exists between Internet news article presentations and a reader's recall and comprehension. Forty-two participants read online news articles presented …

Discovering Inner Ear And Central Auditory System Cellular Pathways That Might Contribute To Age-Related Hearing Loss, Xiaoxi Liu

Theses

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a prevalent communication problem among senior citizens. Previous work (Tadros et al., 2008) has revealed genes which change their expression significantly with aging and hearing loss. However, this study is limited as it mainly focuses on apoptosis-related genes. Genes that regulate biological pathways other than apoptosis might also contribute to the development of age-related hearing loss, as suggested by some studies (Tadros et al., 2007; Souza et al., 2008). In order to circumvent this limitation and to better understand the underlying mechanisms of this communication problem, a free computational tool called Gene Set Enrichment Analysis …

Improvement Of The Reintegration Process Of Involuntary Repatriated Persons To Kosovo, Sabrije Rashani-Koci

Theses

This report addresses the problem of reintegration of involuntary repatriated persons in Kosovo society in the period of 2008 – 2010. Reintegration of involuntary repatriated persons is one of the serious challenges that Kosovo has been facing since the war ended. According to official statistics of THE UNHCR around 8000 involuntary repatriated persons were readmitted to Kosovo in the period of 2008 – 2010. This project assessed the efforts made by Kosovo Institutions to fulfill their obligations under the Strategy for Reintegration of Repatriated persons and to create conditions for the reception and sustainable reintegration of involuntary repatriated persons into …

"Go Ahead-Kill Yourself": A Look At Parent-Child Communication Among African-American, Keisha Champagnie

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Culturally Sensitive Education In Driving South Asian Indian Immigrant Women Towards Mammography Screening In New Jersey, Elise Elizabeth Kumar

Theses

Background & Purpose of the Study: Breast Cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer, and is becoming a major public health issue concern for many South Asian Indian immigrant women. However, women of ethnic subgroups and those who immigrated to the United States within the last ten years are less likely to have had a recent mammogram. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a culturally sensitive breast cancer educational intervention on breast cancer knowledge, perception of cancer fatalism, and improved participation in mammography screening among South Asian Indian immigrant women. Methods: Utilizing a quasi -experimental pretest/post …

Personal And Political Advocacy: Displaced Persons And The Diplomacy Of International Relief 1938-1948, Mary E. Ciccone

Theses

No abstract provided.

E-Mail Behavior Profiling: Based On Attachment And Language Text, Onur Polatcan

Theses

Employees are stealing confidential information from its company via e-mail without detection. Invisible Witness tool can provide new assistance for an organization. Its techniques will automatically detect certain patterns across user accounts that indicate covert or malicious activities. Furthermore, this application assists the network administrator with targeted investigations. Many applications look for specific text or attachments, but Invisible Witness is the only application that is capable of creating user profiling. This application works with over 95 percent accuracy. I am sure that the Invisible Witness tool will minimize business risk to help protect valuable company information.

Development And Evaluation Of A Multimedia Intensive Web-Based Exercise Motivation Tool, Rico Jamaine Kornegay

Theses

A Multimedia-Intensive Web-Based Exercise Motivation Tool named WEMURCT (Web-Based Multi-User Randomized Circuit Training) was developed to utilize modern technology and web-based mediums to address the lack of motivation that an individual has when it comes to exercising regularly. This project was implemented using state-of-art rich internet application (RIA) technology. Popular RIA technologies that are optimized for creating multimedia-intensive applications are Flash by Adobe and Silverlight by Microsoft. In using Silverlight 4.0, we took advantage of multimedia data being embedded in a web-based application, which will be running in a web browser, to provide audio and visual instructions for the user …

The Role Of School , Teacher, And Student Characteristics In The Acquisition Of Computer Skills, Gladys Manginsay Andres

Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of school, teacher and student characteristics on student acquisition of computer skills. The theory of affordance is used to provide a theoretical framework for explaining how 1) school characteristics (e.g., access to computer, attendance rates, suspensions), 2) teacher characteristics (e.g., license status of teachers, years of teaching experience, teacher turnover rates), and 3) student characteristics (e.g., socio-economic status and minority status) are associated with the attainment of computer skills in 8th grade level of middle schools. s. A correlational research design is used to test the proposed research hypotheses. Regression …

The Elderly And Technology: Bridging The Digital Divide?, Harriett Hairston

Theses

The increased dependence on technology has created a digital world that can be described as “foreign” to digital immigrants; those who are not familiar with technology. Unfortunately, the main of digital immigrants are members of the older population, often described as elderly and seniors, who have a tendency to shun new technologies. One of the aims of this thesis and purpose of the survey research was to ascertain whether or not popular assumptions as to physical and mental factors that contribute to the lack of use and/or interest in new technologies are warranted and bring to light factors that seniors …

Evaluation Of Rice Extract As A Potential Stabilizer In Plain Yogurt, Sangeetha Nurani Viswanathan

Theses

Quality and consumer acceptability are essential parameters in dairy products The objectives of the present study were to examine the microbiological (viability of L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, and bifidobacteria), chemical (pH, titratable acidity, and total solids), and physical(syneresis) qualities of yogurt enriched with rice extract as a stabilizer during 28 days of storage at 4°C. Additionally, viscosity measurements and consumer acceptability were determined for yogurt enriched with rice extract. Results showed that the viability of L. bulgaricus was maintained with the addition of rice extract. Population of Streptococcus thermophilus and bifidobacteria decreased significantly (p<0.05) in the control sample but the addition of rice extract at 15% concentration supported the viability of bifidobacteria in yogurt over storage. The addition of rice extract did not alter the pH or titratable acidity of yogurt. Viscosity, total solids and syneresis values slightly changed with the addition of rice extract. Yogurt prepared with rice extract ranked higher in terms of texture and appearance by the panelists. Our results indicated that the addition of rice extract could improve the quality characteristics and consumer acceptability of plain yogurt. Hence, rice extract has a promising potential to be used as an alternative stabilizer in dairy products.

Customizing And Building The Linux Kernel To Control Appliance Actuators And Sensors In Domotics, Steven M. Hannah

Theses

The human population has been increasing ever since the end of the Bubonic Plague in the 1300’s. The global human population is getting older as well as increasing. This is because on average people are living longer. Among the reasons for the drastically improved quality of human life are advances in technology and medicine. The possibility of developing a disability increases along with a person’s age. There are numerous available options for the disabled elderly, including nursing homes, in-home care and living with other disabled people. A person may decide not to exploit any of these options and “age in …

Obstructing Authenticity: The Church And Sexuality In Randall Kenan’S A Visitation Of Spirits And Jeanette Winterson’S Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Kyesha L. Jennings

Theses

The dominant beliefs of a society determine what it finds acceptable and socially constructed theories generally valorize only heterosexism. Thus, global society has viewed homosexuality as a repudiation of the norm—an aberration, a disease, or a “lifestyle”—all of which carry negative social connotations. While this particularly characterizes churches within the African American community, identical issues occur within other denominations of Christianity. This study will explore literary texts that display how the Christian church, more specifically the Baptist and Pentecostal denominations, obstruct homosexuals’ identity by implementing a limited, rigid morality that rejects all who do not fit within its code, a …

A Functional Approach To Enterprise-Based Service Design Integration, Sameer G. Tabbakh

Theses

As consumer demand in the service sector increases and matures, it is necessary for service design to become more agile and integrated. Accommodation of the numerous, multi-faceted details involved in designing and providing a service requires the expertise of individuals from several disciplines. Although they often operate independently, these individuals should interact closely in order to integrate the activities and maintain unity throughout the service design process. Information Technology (IT) provides a means through which to integrate the activities. This thesis describes and justifies an overall framework for information technology-integrated service design termed Integrated Enterprise-based Service Design Activities (IESDA). Building …

“An Exploration Of The Barriers To Independent Study And Learning In First Year Undergraduate Engineering Students”, Robert Martin Morris

Theses

Abstract

This mixed method case study was based in the Institute of Technology and was conducted with the co-operation of four experienced lecturers of engineering and three groups of first year undergraduate engineering students. The main aim of the research was to identify factors which constitute barriers to the independent study and learning of first year engineering students.

A large proportion of first year engineering students do not return to college for the second year of their programmes. Many reasons for this are identified in the research, including the failure to pass assessments and examinations as a result of the …

Increasing Organ Donation In Ireland : Social Marketing And Infrastructural Improvements., Ronan O'Sullivan

Theses

There were over 600 patients on the organ waiting list in Ireland in November 2010. This is a substantial increase on the 414 patients on the waiting list in 2008. Ireland also witnessed a dramatic decline in the number of donors from 90 donors in 2009 to 58 donors in 2010. This thesis focuses on investigating the current state of organ donation in the Republic of Ireland, with the eventual goal of recommending alterations to improve the system. In depth- interviews were conducted with eleven leading personnel from the fields of organ donation and social marketing in Ireland as well …

The Presence Of Sound Symbolism Effects For 3-D Objects, Cassie Stutts Berry

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Courtroom Identifications And Defense Warnings On Mock Juror Decision Making, Devin L. Harker

Theses

No abstract provided.

A Quantitative Study Into Grade Inflation (Perceived And Actual) In The College Of Business, Technologicl University Dublin, Derek Simon

Theses

Most academics have an opinion on the existence or otherwise of grade inflation. Some people deny the existence of grade inflation. Some argue that it is damaging to academia while some argue that it is a normal phenomenon and is not damaging while others assert that it is impossible to measure. Due to the difficulty in measurement of grade inflation this study was devised to measure firsts and distinctions to ascertain the quantity of grade inflation. This study takes a two pronged approach to discovering the real and perceived existence or otherwise of grade inflation in the College. In the …

Exchange Rate Volatility And U.S. Pork Exports To China, Daniel J. Boisson

Theses

The share of U.S. pork exports in the world market has grown considerably in recent years. China has become a major importer of U.S. pork products as its per capita income growth has led to a population demanding higher quality meats. One major barrier U.S. producers/exporters face is a yuan that is subject to significant intervention. At present, the yuan is officially under a managed floating exchange rate based on market supply and demand with reference to a basket of foreign currencies, the main one being the U.S. Dollar. It is currently allowed to float in a narrow range of …

Development Of A Procedure For The Detection Of Subsurface Defects In Bridge Deck Joint Armor Using Ground Penetrating Radar And Seismic Properties Analysis, Jr. Larry Rickard

Theses

The overall performance and longevity of highway bridges is highly dependent upon the integrity of their deck joints. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has experienced problems with bonding in the armored deck joints installed on many of its bridges. These defects have historically been detected using conventional NDT techniques such as visual inspection, chain-dragging and by detecting sounds made by the joint due to passing traffic. By the time these methods are effective the joint has usually failed, however, and must be replaced. Future bridge maintenance challenges will demand the development of techniques and procedures to detect and monitor …

The Secret Is Out, Sarah O'Brien

Theses

Family... what defines family is different for each individual. As we face a shrinking economy and difficult job placement, family is our primary focus as we get through the tough times. The nuclear family (husband, wife, children and dog) does not include divorce, extended family, aging family, or many other issues that trouble today's modern families. What if your family is not what society considers typical? What if your family includes gay parents or loved ones? With television shows like Modern Family and Grey's Anatomy, gay couples are more present but what are their real life experiences? The Secret Is …

Illustrative Neighborhood Redevelopment, Bradley Bethel

Theses

Urban planning is implemented under many theories and purposes. But often times, due to difference in public preferences, plans can become inconsistent and lack harmony with other neighborhoods. Design theories may become muddled in other design theories. Sometimes, even basic design principles are undermined or ignored completely. The city of Buffalo, New York is distinguished by several major characteristics in area planning. However, those plans have been threatened by inconsistent planning from the past sixty years. Only in recent years have plans been sought for more concise methods to preserve the past and establish newer, progressive plans. The Illustrative Neighborhood …

Addressing The Gender Gap In Federal Law Enforcement Professions: The Motivational Attraction Of Women In Computing, Maegan Stanek

Theses

Nationwide, federal law enforcement agencies seek candidates with specialized skill sets and more advanced educational knowledge for employment. In view of this, it was proven, after much open source research into federal agencies' qualification requirements, that those who possess a background in select areas, specifically computer science, have a better opportunity for employment with federal law enforcement agencies, particularly in the computing sector; although, in many cases, work experience can be substituted for a college degree [7]. For this reason, many women are not involved in, nor apply for, computing professions within federal law enforcement agencies. A significant step in …

Reconfiguring Phenomena Of Presence, Erika Strickland

Theses

Not included