Digital Commons Network^™

Technology Takeover And Transformation: Humans Vs. Technology, Mikayla Tjeerdsma

Theses

When looking at the history of the fashion industry up to the present day, technology can easily distinguish the progress of fashion throughout the ages. The direction of this research is to gain insight and a deeper realization of how technology is taking over and transforming those in and revolving around fashion by slowly taking over and replacing human involvement or presence. Statistics and research show due to the adverse effects of COVID-19, technological development within fashion has seen a significant increase. COVID-19 was either the final push towards making technological ideas a reality or was the birth of new …

Being Authentic On Social Media With Generation Z, Soyombo-Erdene Ariunbold

Theses

This paper discusses the evolving landscape of social media and the significance of authenticity on social media platforms for Generation Z. It emphasizes the rise of social media platforms, shedding light on their authenticity and the profound influence they have on users' mental well-being. The paper also highlights the necessity for content creators and brands to adapt by incorporating more unpolished content on social media platforms.

The final deliverable will include a detailed survey analysis of the content authenticity on BeReal application. The findings of this study will offer valuable insights into the increasing demand for authenticity on social media …

Characterization Of Antimicrobial Properties Of Excrement And Functional Microbiome Of Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus), Bridgette Gray

Theses

Black vultures, Coragyps atratus, are obligate scavenging birds that consume and dispose of decaying carcasses and carrion. They fulfill a key ecological niche in the environments in which they live. It has been observed that these vultures sometimes excrete bodily waste onto their legs. This adaptive behavior could help aid them in controlling bacteria and other microbes they encounter while stepping into a carcass to eat. This study directly examined the antimicrobial properties of the excrement of black vultures across various bacterial species utilizing a zone of inhibition test and a nematode species utilizing a survival assay. The black vulture …

How Do We Recognize Masked Faces?, Archana Pandurangan

Theses

The COVID pandemic raised concerns about our ability to recognize occluded faces because of impairments caused by face masks. Research has suggested that face occlusions impair our face recognition. Yin (1969) found that faces are harder to recognize upside-down. By showing a reduced inversion effect for masked faces, Freud et al. (2020) suggest that masking reduces holistic processing, although Fitousi et al. (2021) found mixed results for the inversion of occluded faces. Estudillo and Bindemann (2014) have suggested the type of task task affects recognition. The present study investigated the effect of inversion on faces occluded by masks and sunglasses …

An Examination Of The Associations Between Eating Competence, Physical Activity, Mealtime Activities And School Behavior In Adolescents, Nicole Watson

Theses

Background: An association between eating competence (EC) and physical activity, diet quality, less stress, greater weight satisfaction and many other outcomes has been identified in adult populations. However, limited research has been conducted into EC and associations in the adolescent population. Specifically, the associations between eating competence and physical activity, mealtime activities, and school behavior in adolescents has not been examined. Purpose: To examine the congruence between eating competence and physical activity, mealtime activities, and school behavior in adolescents (ages 11-16) who had participated in the Fuel for Fun study as 4th graders. Methods: Secondary data analysis of collected data …

The Impact Of User-Generated Content On Consumer Purchase Intention, Alyssa Anderson

Theses

This project investigates how various forms of user-generated content impacts consumer purchasing decisions. Primary and secondary research is executed for a broader understanding of UGC implications on modern consumers. The final deliverable is a website that offers an in-depth analysis of the culture of creators and how the dynamic has shifted in recent years. Additionally, UGC cases are studied to determine the impact they have on consumers, and guides are offered to director brands on how ensure consistency and alignment with their brand identity and implement UGC into their marketing strategy.

Biochemical Characterization Of Date Palm (Phoniex Dactylifera L) Seeds Maintained At Microgravity In Outer Space Iss, Shamma Khalid Aldhaheri

Theses

The UAE’s vision to reach space dates to 1976 when Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan met with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Apollo group; this meeting marked the first attempt of UAE to enter the field of space science. The UAE is currently one of the top countries executing space missions and research. This research focuses on the biochemical characterization of date palm seeds that are sent to the International Space Station (ISS) in outer space. The research methodology involves biochemical analysis of seeds maintained under two different environmental conditions-microgravity and standard gravity. In total, 30–45 seeds …

Comparing Teaching Methods For Auditory-Visual Conditional Discrimination, Brady Conley, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Responding to spoken language is a skill that is typically acquired at a young age. However, responding to spoken language requires discrimination between stimuli. Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have demonstrated difficulty acquiring listener behavior involving conditional discrimination. Thus, the most efficient and effective teaching strategies should continue to be a focus in behavior-analytic research. The purpose of the current study was to compare teaching methods for conditional discrimination for three school-aged children with ASD. The results showed that one participant met criterion for the best practice condition only, one participant met criterion for both best practice and …

Bright Light Therapy And Depression: Assessing Suitability Using Entrainment Maps, Charles A. Mainwaring

Theses

Bright Light Therapy has been shown to be efficacious to mood disorders including Major Depression. Researchers use the Jewett-Forger-Kronauer model of the circadian rhythm with the Unified Model of melatonin including a mathematical term implementing feedback from the melatonin system into the circadian system to quantify the effects of bright light. Early investigations into intrinsic period, light sensitivity, and the circadian pacemaker's sensitivity to blood melatonin concentration may be indicators of subsets of patients with long intrinsic periods exhibiting symptoms of depression.

The Effects Of Antecedent And Consequence Strategies On Data Collection In A Human Service Organization, Sarah Love, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Antecedent and consequence strategies in the research literature to improve employee performance within human service organizations have included behavioral skills training (BST) and performance-based incentive programs, among others. The current study continued this line of research in which participants were members of a human service organization and were responsible for collecting data on clients’ responding during programming. The purpose was to evaluate the effects of antecedent and consequence-based strategies on the accuracy of data collected by participants. The results showed that BST was effective at increasing accurate data collection across all participants and that the consequence-based intervention, in the form …

The Impact Of Leadership Behavior On Employee Engagement: A Qualitative Study, Torie M. Bonnet

Theses

Employee engagement has been shown by previous researchers to improve the quality of work that is produced. Previous researchers have focused on how various leadership styles impact engagement. Researchers have revealed that the concepts of structural empowerment, authentic leadership, transformational leadership, and leader-empowering behavior have positively impacted employees' levels of engagement. The knowledge gap includes what behaviors lead to improved employee engagement, resulting in an upbeat team climate and decreased intention to leave a position. This study was designed to glean knowledge from experienced nurse managers regarding employee engagement and understand what skills could be taught to novice managers to …

Early Detection Of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) Using Machine Learning Techniques, Mahra Musabbah Bin Beyat Alfalasi

Theses

ASD is a neurological disorder that affects over 1 in 44 chilren and this rate has increased. The diagnosis process can be timely and costly. This will make it difficult for the patients to adhere to the prescribed treatments and will hinder the progress of the patient. This project is focused on increasing the efficiency of this diagnosis process through machine learning techniques. The proposed datasets are; ASD Screening Data for Adult, ASD screening Data for Children and ASD Screening Data for Adolescent. These datasets are a categorical, continuous, and binary data type. They have 21 common attributes and a …

The Effect Of Demographic Imbalance On Crime, Maher Bhadri

Theses

This study investigates demographic imbalance on crimes in the UAE by analyzing a record of crimes from 2020 to 2022 using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings reveal gender, marital status, and age imbalance among crime offenders in the UAE. Males, married individuals, and individuals in their 30s are more prevalent in committing crimes. Certain countries, accused individuals, and certain types of crimes are also more frequent in the UAE. Policymakers and law enforcement agencies can use these insights to develop targeted interventions to reduce crime rates in the country. Future studies should investigate the underlying causes of these imbalances …

What The Wildflowers Tell Us, Madelyn Lohman

Theses

When good pictures come to us, we hope they tell a truth we can relate to. Truths about love, beauty, and death. What The Wildflowers Tell Us is a photographic series that conjures up intimate memories of my life during the past twenty years. Photography is an endless source of memory. These exhibition images open doors to the past and into the future. We catch a glimpse of the beauty and the dark side of things; the forest, the wilted peony, and the ashes. Beauty somehow tinges itself with sadness. Why do we need to hold what we love close …

Hua Shang, Yanjie Zhang

Theses

This thesis aims to convey the "leisure" and "slow" Chinese life concept. This Thesis shows the lives of people in different dynasties from a third-person perspective. Using traditional costumes as the carrier, it focuses on using semi-realistic visual styles to show the connection between emotions and the environment, creating an atmosphere-filled picture, and arousing the audience's thinking about the rhythm of life and their spiritual yearning for the non-obvious pleasures in life.

The Tower: An Act-Based Product System That Helps Porn Addicts Eliminate Shame And Develop Healthier Habits Aligned With Their Core Values., Adetayo E. Oke

Theses

Pornography is a media phenomenon that has either educated or plagued the minds of young adolescence and teens, the topics that involve sex. Stated in a paper with (Lewczuk, K) [pornography usage has seen a rapid three times increase]; “(310%) between October 2004 and October 2016–starting from an estimated 2.76 million in the first period to 8.54 million.” The rise of pornography usage has thus caused new cases of Porn Addiction. What may seem like harmless addiction, pornography identifies as a new drug consumed by heterosexual men, and some women primarily consume it. According to studies, from (Kuer 90.1.), people …

Healthy Grocery Shopping Experience Via Augmented Reality, Mengjia Isabelle Qiu

Theses

This paper presents how augmented reality can facilitate the modern grocery shopping experience in a fast-paced environment. Grocery shopping customers are facing several problems. Firstly, filtering necessary information by eyes while shopping in grocery stores. Secondly, being distracted by overwhelming information leads to time-consuming deviation in an unfamiliar shopping environment. Thirdly, losing track of purchased food at home and buying the same ingredient repeatedly. Fourthly, neglecting ingredient lists that contain allergic or unhealthy food. To solve these problems, increase the efficiency of decision-making, and achieve shopping goals, this project aims to utilize augmented reality as the primary tool to complete …

Welcome To Club Soda: Ways Of Welcoming A Hearing Sibling Into The Deaf Community To Create Feelings Of Acceptance, Belonging, And Lifelong Allyship, Ariella Knight

Theses

Children who have a sibling with one or more disabilities are more likely to take on caregiver roles, the role of the elucidator, as well as exhibit externalized aggressive behaviors and/or internalized depression and anxiety than their peers. Causes of this vary but can include the differential impact of parents/caregivers, feelings of a “loss of childhood”, communication challenges, and social stigma. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic methodology in which a person works towards well-being by accepting and embracing current realities.5 S.O.D.A. is the acronym for a Sibling of a Deaf Adult/child and this paper explores how welcoming …

Darshan, Vibhav Kapoor

Theses

The thesis project examines the phenomenon and concept of darshan in the context of photography. Interpolating and extrapolating ideas from tenets of Indian philosophy, it presents a perspective on image-making and its relationship to me as an artist. With the artwork mainly situated in the cultural geographies of India and the United States, the text discusses the role of spirituality, light, colour (blue), and walking in my practice. It also references themes of painting and music – raga and rasa that are constructs of Indian musicology – and how they influence the photographic work.

An Analysis Of The Homicide Response Team In Rochester, New York, Nicole Pratt

Theses

The focus of this capstone project is on the Homicide Response Team in Rochester, New York, which is a collaborative effort among various government and local agencies to provide outreach services to the family members of homicide victims. This capstone seeks to examine community-based responses to violence, their impact on the community, and related literature, including community organizations and crisis intervention teams.

Quantifying The Nexus Of Climate, Economy, And Health: A State-Of-The-Art Time Series Approach, Kameron Blair Kinast

Theses

Extreme weather events pose significant threats to human life, the economy, agriculture, and various other socio-economic aspects. This thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of the patterns of climate factors and their impact on the economy and human health using state-of-the-art and emerging statistical machine learning techniques. This research consists of two parts: exploring and comparing the effectiveness of statistical models with respect to climate time series forecasting and analyzing the effects on the economy and human health. The study employs a predominantly computational approach, leveraging R, Python, and Julia to demonstrate the role of statistical computing in understanding climate change …

Targeted, Neha Joshi

Theses

The document is about the impact of targeted advertising on individuality and the loss of privacy. I describe my personal experience of being influenced by advertisements and how it led me to question my identity. I highlight how algorithms use personal information to categorize people and target them with specific ads, leading to a loss of privacy. I also argue that the internet has provided us with platforms to promote ourselves, but we lose our identity in the process of being boxed up and targeted by advertisements. I conclude by emphasizing the importance of recognizing and spreading awareness about the …

Legacy, Joseph Jackson

Theses

What will A.I. look like in the near future, and how will we incorporate it? In the past decade, I have seen personal assistants like Siri and Alexa become common. I believe that the next leap in personal assistants will not be a new personality entirely but one our own choosing. Legacy is a short fiction film that offers a glimpse into the life of a programmer named Wright, who works at an A.I. company called Legacy. Legacy is a subscription-based A.I. personal assistant developer that creates a likeness of historical persons and celebrities. Following the recent death of Wright’s …

Glass, Danielle Tonnessen

Theses

This project is a full walking simulator video game and includes a demonstration of a variety of game design and development skills, including pre-development documentation, narration, game design audio, graphics, post-processing, UI elements and animation. Additionally, the project promotes the author’s ability in creative writing, and involves mental health subject matter with a focus on trauma processing, hypnosis, and survivor’s guilt.

Bridge: A Thoughtful Workflow, Isabella Rainey

Theses

The creative workspace is filled with all walks of life – from right to left brains, different personality types, mental health setbacks, and differences in neurodivergencies. While the differences amongst employees can be a huge asset, it can also create a struggle to have productive and inclusive workflows – specifically in relation to project life cycles. These types of differences can create a gap in regards to healthy communication, which can lead to lesser productivity in the long run due to a disconnect with employees battling mental health setbacks. There are many tools out there already that focus on productivity, …

A Study Of Wicca And Art, Shannon Hillyer

Theses

Art can be interpreted from a religious perspective given knowledge of the artist’s present or past religious affiliations. The photo series presented in this paper was part of a survey that asked participants to consider their own religious backgrounds and to determine the inspiration for the photo series. This project utilized introspection, autoethnographic research, and formalist analysis to determine if viewers could pinpoint the artist’s religious affiliation based on the themes present in the photo series. Most participants identified mythological themes were present in the series but didn’t connect those to Wicca unanimously. Art can be interpreted from a religious …

Curio-Stereo: A Vr Application For The Viewing Of Stereograph Cards, Paige Sandheinrich

Theses

This project discusses the historical significance of stereograph cards as a tool for constructing a shared visual culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States and the United Kingdom. Stereographs were widely popularized as an entertainment and educational tool, offering an immersive experience for the viewers. The stereoscopic nature of the images allowed the viewers to immerse themselves in a non-physical reality through visual stimulation, creating a haptic involvement that was unique to the medium. The project of creating a VR application to view stereographs is presented as a potential solution to the problem of …

User Experience Research For Books For Stl Kids, Danielle Nicole Randall

Theses

This project focuses on how to improve Book for STL Kids website experience. The primary focus is to study how key users utilize and interact with the organization’s website. The final deliverable is a list of user experience improvement recommendations for the organization.

The Metaverse Adoption Rates & User Satisfaction, Shannon Ketura Kling

Theses

The Metaverse concept is inspired by the vision of a digital utopia where you can be and do anything and everything you want. The Metaverse is thought to provide access to all kinds of entertainment and projects through virtual spaces as a world completely free from human limitations. The Metaverse platform satisfies individuals who seek to escape reality through forms of addictive and appealing integrations solely available through virtual and digital media. Although primarily centered around social connectivity and entertainment through digital means, the Metaverse also offers an entirely new ecosystem for developers, ads, apps, and other new digital innovations. …

The Effects Of Calisthenic Exercises On The Strength And Aerobic Abilities Of Sedentary Adult Women, Kathleen Langley

Theses

The thesis, The Effects of Calisthenic Exercises on the Strength and Aerobic Abilities of Sedentary Adult Women, investigates the impact of structured calisthenic training on sedentary women aged 18–40. The study was conducted over four weeks and measured participants' strength, aerobic abilities, balance, and perceived wellness before and after the intervention. Calisthenics, a form of strength training using bodyweight exercises, became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its accessibility and minimal equipment requirements.

Participants engaged in a program consisting of dynamic warm-ups, high-intensity interval training circuits, and cooldowns three times a week. Results showed significant improvements in upper …