Digital Commons Network^™

Are Numerical Symbols Fundamental To Neural Computation?, Mirinda James

Theses

Abstract: Neuroclassicism is the view that cognition is computation and that core mental processes, such as perception, memory, and reasoning are products of digital computations realized in neural tissue. Cognitive psychologist C. R. Gallistel uses this classical framework to argue that all cognitive information processing is based on symbolic operations performed over quantitative values (i.e. numbers) stored in the brain, much like a digital computer. Assuming this hypothesis, he investigates how the brain stores quantitative information (i.e. the numerical symbols involved in neural computation). He claims that it is more plausible that memories for numbers are stored within molecular mechanisms …

A Relational Account Of Resolutions: Resolution As Reacquaintance, Daniel Grasso

Theses

A Relational Account of Self-Constraint: Resolution as Reacquaintance

Resolutions and self-promises are two much discussed tools of self-constraint in the face of weakness of will. However, the discussions often begin from a negative and alienated direction, emphasizing self-compulsion, fear of irrationality, or binding ourselves through self-obligation. Jorah Dannenberg has suggested a more optimistic agent-centered account of how to bind ourselves through self-promises. His account has much kinship with the influential Sartrean approach from Berislav Marusic. These more positive agent-centered accounts are appealing as they appear to answer three of the major puzzles of self-constraint: 1. How is self-restraint supposed to …

The Irish Early Childhood Care And Education (Ecce) Scheme Is Free And Universal, But At Whose Expense?, Johanna Forde

Theses

This research addresses the historical and current influences on quality practice and provision by reviewing national and international literature debating quality in the Irish Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme (DCEDIY, 2021a). To understand quality components the regulations and policy frameworks that inform and guide the ECCE scheme (DCEDIY, 2021a), including ECCE practice and the implications for provision standards, are explored. Four research questions ask: (1) What constitutes quality provision for children attending the ECCE scheme (DCEDIY, 2021a)? (2) What has informed ECCE regulation and policy in Ireland? (3) What are the identified challenges associated with the ECCE scheme …

An Investigation Of ‘Restrictive Practices’ Within Services For Adults With An Intellectual Disability: Perspectives Of Professionals And Those Involved With Their Care., Rebecca Donovan

Theses

Restrictive practices “are an infringement of a person’s fundamental rights to personal liberty and bodily integrity” (Health Information and Quality Authority, 2019, p.1). The most recent study in Ireland, found 23% of the 627 inspection reports by HIQA, human-right were violated by the use of restrictive practices (Murphy and Bantry- White, 2021). It is recognised that the core function of restrictive practices is to stop, or prevent, an individual from doing something they wish to do, in such a way that manages challenging behaviour outbursts, and provides safety for both staff and service users (Nankervis and Chan, 2021). The uncertain …

An Appreciative Inquiry Of Community Based Disability Sports And Physical Activity Provision To Guide Future Development, Jennifer O Carroll Reidy

Theses

In 2008, the Irish Sports Inclusion Disability Programme (SIDP) was established to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in a variety of sports and physical activity. Regular monitoring has been sporadic and disparate (Sport Ireland, 2016). Using the four-stage method of Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider, 1987), a series of interviews was undertaken with providers of the SIDP. Fourteen Coordinators, SIDOs and sports development workers were interviewed about the strengths, impacts and future for the SIDP. Six participants of the programmes also took part in a focus group concerning their perspectives of the current state and future potential for the …

Phubbing And Fear Of Missing Out As Mediators Between Problematic Social Media Use And Life Satisfaction Among Young Adults, Najeera Peer Meera Levai

Theses

Recent studies have shown certain risk indicators for young adults' decreased life satisfaction as a result of excessive social media use. However, few studies have looked at possible impact of problematic social media on life satisfaction, and less information is known about the mediating factors that contribute to this association. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether problematic social media use predicts life satisfaction among young adults. It also explored whether phubbing behaviour and fear of missing out might both serve as mediators in this relationship. A sample of 351 young adults (18–25, M_age = 19.74 …

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Ieq And Energy Consumption In Uae University Building: Impact Of Thermal And Lighting Comfort On Energy Usage, Salama Abdulla Al Ghaithi

Theses

The Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) of buildings becomes increasingly critical as people spend more than 90% of their time inside buildings based on the National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS) (Klepeis et al., 2001). The quality of the indoor environment in a building has been shown to have a significant impact on users' productivity and energy consumption. Further, if tenants are working in a comfortable indoor environment, absenteeism rates and incidental expenses, such as medical expenses, will be reduced. For instance, a comfortable workplace increases productivity by 10-15% and reduces absenteeism by 2.5% (Leyten & Boerstra, 2003). According to the …

English Language Teachers’ Perceptions Of And Experiences With Online Project-Based Learning, Jocelle Marianne M. Barican

Theses

The main objective of this research is to investigate schoolteachers’ perspectives on the use of online Project-Based Learning (PBL) in English classes in the UAE during the COVID19 pandemic. The research explores the teachers’ perceived benefits and challenges of the PBL approach. Another aim of this research is to identify if teachers’ gender, years of experience, and familiarity with PBL have an impact on how they view the use of PBL in their classes. The study utilized two instruments to collect data: a survey with close-ended and open-ended questions, and a semi-structured interview. The survey responses were collected from 87 …

Why Post- Leaving Certificate Students In Ireland From Disadvantaged Backgrounds Are Less Likely To Proceed To Third-Level Education, Edward Hayes

Theses

Educational disadvantage continues to be a cause for concern, and addressing it remains at the forefront of education policy in Ireland (Houses of Oireachtas, 2019; Weir et al., 2017). This research extended across the academic years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 and during the period of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which imposed public health measures, and enforced an emergency online digital learning environment. A socio-economic profile of Ireland’s student body registered an attainment gap between rich and poor, finding that young people from backgrounds of disadvantage continue to be underrepresented at third-level when compared to their middle-class counterparts (HEA, 2020). The primary …

Tailoring The Rehabilitative Environment For People With Sensory Overload, Jennifer Cotter

Theses

Sensory overload is a complex sensory processing disorder which can develop post Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). The condition can be extremely debilitating and people who develop it are further hampered by lack of informational resources, sensory overload is currently under researched in the Acquired Brain Injury rehabilitation sector. This qualitative study documents participants first hand experiences of sensory overload post ABI and includes insights and observations from professionals working in the Acquired Brain Injury rehabilitation sector in Ireland. In this study, sensory overload is the focal point and a new rehabilitation tool in the form of a sensory menu is …

Addictive Social Media Use: Examination Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Arabic Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale And The Mediational Role Of Sense Of Control In The Relationship Between Depression And Social Media Addiction, Louis J. Fourie

Theses

The period of COVID-19 has proven to be a turbulent period where extreme psychological trends can be examined due to lockdown procedures, social isolation, and public fear. The use of technology such as social media has increased with research highlighting the harm of overuse. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the psychometric properties of an Arabic translated version of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) to assess for addictive social media use. Secondly, the study further examines the association between depression, social media addiction, and an individual’s sense of control. Specifically, the potential mediational role of …

Investigating The Factors Impacting School Leadership’S Feedback And Feedforward Receptivity And Learning As Perceived By The Emirates Schools Establishment Staff, Hesham Rashad Badawy

Theses

This thesis is concerned with “Investigating the Factors Impacting School Leadership’s Feedback and Feedforward Receptivity and Learning as Perceived by the Emirates Schools Establishment Staff”. The study aims to identify if there is any existing interplay between the four domains: mindset, feedback orientation, feedback environment, and learning climate and how they impact feedback receptivity and learning. The study utilizes an explanatory sequential mixed research method. The rigorous quantitative data from the 5-point Likert scale survey was used as a basis for the semi-structured interview discussions after calculating the scores for each domain and staff member. The findings of the first …

Virtual Laboratories For Stem Education: An Evaluation Model And Comparison, Jumana Mahmoud Kharsa

Theses

Laboratory work is key to science education, and virtual environments play a vital role in remote learning. This thesis is concerned with the evaluation of virtual laboratories used in educational fields, mainly in STEM courses. This research investigates the basic criteria for evaluating virtual environments used in science education in order to create an evaluation scale. We reviewed the literature to highlight the main guidelines of evaluating virtual laboratories and found that the most common evaluation features for virtual tools are Ease of Use, Usefulness, Motivation, Interface Design, and Realism. Upon generating the assessment scale, we selected two web-based interactive …

The Effect Of Experiential Avoidance And Committed Action On The Relationship Between Anxiety And Quality Of Life In Chronically Ill And Healthy Students, Rufaida Mohammed N Alkhanji

Theses

Chronic illness and anxiety are two factors that have been shown to negatively impact quality of life. In order to better understand the impact of chronic illness on quality of life, researchers have been interested in studying the effects of experiential avoidance and committed action. This thesis aims to examine the roles of experiential avoidance and committed action as potential mediators in the relationship between anxiety and quality of life. It also aims to compare the occurrence of the studied relationships in students with and without chronic illness. 547 participants from two Arab universities completed self-report measures assessing their levels …

Distribution Of Erm Proteins In The Stomach Mucosa Of Normal And Diabetic Rats, Asmaa Salem Al Sereidi

Theses

Diabetes mellitus (DM), or simply diabetes, refers to a group of metabolic disorders that include a variety of diseases that disrupt our body's metabolism. The long-term uncontrolled disease can lead to stomach complications such as gastroparesis, as well as disruption in several proteins, such as ERM (Ezrin, radixin, moesin) proteins. ERM proteins are three proteins that are structurally and functionally related. ERM proteins have molecular masses of 82, 80, and 75 kDa, respectively. Ezrin is highly expressed in the stomach, especially in parietal cells that secrete gastric acid. ERM proteins function as scaffolding proteins in lipid rafts and granule trafficking …

The Status Of Homogeneous Grouping Implication In English Language Classrooms In The United Arab Emirates, Eman Mohamed Abdelwahab

Theses

This thesis is concerned with the status of homogeneous grouping implication in English language classrooms in the United Arab Emirates public schools. The study aims at exploring students’ and teachers’ perceptions toward homogeneous learning in English language classrooms, encountered challenges and possible suggestions of improvement. The Mixed method was used for data collection and analysis, by using both qualitative (Interview and short-essay questions) and quantitative (Likert-scale questionnaires) data as main sources of data.

The Study sample included 645 participants, consisting of 30 English language teachers and 615 high school students from 13 public schools in the United Arab Emirates. The …

A Data Driven Model To Promote Preparedness And Respond Intelligently To Pandemic Outbreaks, Safea Mohammed Al Senani

Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on various vital sectors of the economy, including education healthcare, and the industry. Governments have imposed strict regulations to reduce the spread of this global disease outbreak. Consequently, working from home, online learning, social distancing and various control measures were enforced. In response, many schools shifted to distance learning, although most of these schools were neither technically ready nor administratively prepared for the online transition. Despite recent progress, countries are still experiencing daunting challenges to control the infection rate and magnitude, stabilize the economy, and relax socialization and public life activities. Decision-makers …

Societal Impact Assessment Of Depression, Mohammed Salah Almazrouei

Theses

Depression is a mental problem characterised by unusual changes in the mood of a person, accompanied by a temporary different emotional response to everyday changes in the phenomena (WHO, 2020). Affected people suffer greatly, hence functioning poorly in the workplace, school, or at home in a family setup. Even though the public is well aware of its existence, there is little going on to combat this condition. Amongst the various stumbling blocks towards achieving an effective approach to address the problem include limited resources and associated well-trained personnel to help the victims.

A mental disorder associated with social stigma and …

User Behavior Analysis For User Profile Prediction, Islam Al Qaisi

Theses

The importance of user behavior analysis is becoming increasingly valuable to Software as a Service (SaaS) businesses such as EDI (Energy Data Intelligence). Users of big data applications require attention in order not to lose customer loyalty in a competitive business environment. With data analytics techniques, knowledge can be extracted about the user behaviors, and that would be a beneficial exercise to the business when it comes to improving services to the customers whether it’s a tailored customer support, targeted marketing campaigns or enhanced product features. This capstone project is focused on predicting user profiles through their web usage behavior. …

‘Meet New Vcd’ Immersive Art Gallery, Wenting Toby Xue

Theses

Students of the Visual Communication Design (VCD) program may have a relatively distressing question about how to explain some details of this program to others. Someone will always ask how to define and explain the VCD. Therefore, in the spirit of redefining the VCD program and creating a platform to more intuitively demonstrate the current success of VCD students in visual design. The curriculum of this program and related student works are mainly user-centered design as the primary starting point. Innovation and forward-looking are necessary. To better communicate the VCD project and expand its influence. According to the questionnaire and …

Building Community Through Urban Renovation On Pittsburgh's Riverfront, Shian Wu

Theses

Every city has its most important place for citizens to promote informal sociability and urban connection with humans. The riverside is the most important urban connection in Pittsburgh. Each side of the bridge has a different development level. The design of the riverside pedestrian path can build a connection between both sides of the bridge and help urban development in the north side of Pittsburgh. The aim of the study is to analyze the connection between architectural open space, pedestrian trails, and riverway trails and to propose methods that are suitable for developing a mixed-use building that will help improve …

Detailing The Effects Of Cbd On Parp And Survivin Expression In Ewing Sarcoma, Tyler Carter

Theses

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is an aggressive pediatric bone cancer with low five-year survival rates, particularly with recurrent disease because ES often becomes resistant to chemotherapy in these recurrences. Cannabidiol (CBD) has been identified as a potentially promising therapeutic for patients with ES. In other cancer types, CBD has demonstrated effects on two major proteins that contribute to chemotherapy resistance. The first, Poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase I (PARP1), is a DNA damage repair enzyme that is overexpressed in recurrent ES. Though chemotherapy induces DNA damage in these cancer cells, the high levels of PARP1 facilitate repair of the DNA, allowing the mutated …

Horror: Where Are We? Where Do We Go?, Branden Boehnke

Theses

This project will investigate the current production standards, inspiration and evolution of the genre of horror in media. The final deliverable is a 30 minute documentary covering the genre as a whole across different forms of media. The documentary also includes interviews of respected figures within the genre from different aspects of media such as film, video games, viral social media posts and online databases.

Biophilic Architecture Used To Improve Patient Outcomes And Recovery In Behavioral Health Centers, Heidy M. Valdez

Theses

Humans naturally seek adventure and the outdoors. Currently, US institutions that care for people with chronic illnesses, severe injuries, and mental health conditions often exist in neutral spaces with little to no natural elements. Because this does not promote patient happiness, patient recovery time tends to be longer. These institutions are usually not pleasant for patients or their relatives and are seen as negative spaces by the public, which should not be the case. Typical design elements include windows with thick daylight-blocking mullions to ensure no patient tries to hurt themselves, small and dark rooms, white walls, and no private …

Architecture Of Video Games: Potential Reference, Wael Mkaouar

Theses

The Architecture perspective / scale in video games has evolved throughout time to an extent that it is no longer a mere spatial visualization to host the game, but it has become an interaction medium between the player and the game. Architecture in recent video games played a fundamental role in bridging the gap between the real and the digital world. The analogy between these two is increasingly established through the representational immersion and the participation of the player in a highly realistic environment transforming the gaming experience into an entertaining and educational journey. The aim of this thesis is …

Framing Trust In Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Ethics Communication: Analysis Of Ai Ethics Guiding Principles Through The Lens Of Framing Theory, Namrata Nagar

Theses

With the fast proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in our society, several corporations, governments, research institutions, and NGOs have produced and published AI ethics guiding documents. These include principles, guidelines, frameworks, assessment lists, training modules, blogs, and principle-to-practice strategies. The priorities, focus, and articulation of these innumerable documents vary to different extents. Though they all aim and claim to ensure AI usage for the common good, the actual AI system outcomes in various social applications have invigorated ethical dilemmas and scholarly debates. This study presents the analysis of AI ethics principles and guidelines text published by three pioneers from …

Painting As A Vehicle For Identity Formation And Survival, Chunbum Park

Theses

Through the thesis, I produce a highly rigorous body of works and explore the theoretical and philosophical reasons behind my paintings. I explore why I repeatedly paint myself as a woman and why the symbols of tigers, frogs, Frankenstein, and other aspects of Northeast Asian and Korean culture and heritage appear in my paintings. I find that painting is a process by which I can reflect on my own identity as a Korean who alternates between masculine and feminine identities. Painting allows me to react against the problems threatening my identity such as the worldwide trend of the racialization of …

Gyri: Language Learning In The Context Of Your Life, Laura Woodrow

Theses

Many people want to reap the benefits of learning a new language, but your ability to pick up a new language decreases drastically as you age. Immersion is a successful method of learning a new language, much like children learn their native language. Current solutions mainly use spaced repetition through digital means, much like you would discover in a traditional classroom. However, mixed reality can be leveraged to provide an immersive learning experience to the user/s, creating a cognitive link between their environment and the language they are learning. Not only can this method of language learning create an immersive …

Ruminations, Maria Barbara Ileana Kane

Theses

Ruminations is an experimental exhibition which seeks to explore the integration of technology into traditional art. By combining traditional woodblock prints with augmented reality, Ruminations attempts to evoke empathy from the viewer regarding the topic of mental illness. Each AR experience illustrates, though imagery and animation, a different mental illness or psychological phenomenon. The viewer sees each experience separately over a printed background, expanding on the traditional frame and reaching into the world around us.

Intelligent Tutoring In A Vr Classroom, Harendar Pharswan

Theses

ITS(Intelligent Tutoring Systems) have played a significant role in today’s smart learning educational technology environment, where students are given feedback instantly at scale. However, the current, more practically inclined approaches de-emphasize the reliance on the problematic student model, i.e. student's motivation, emotional state and interest instead put more effort into the construction of theory-based user interfaces. Although research in ITS has produced many interesting theoretical insights, there are relatively few ITS which are regularly and effectively used. Through research conducted into current practices in ITS, gaps within the system have been noted. Specifically, the paper attempts to propose a solution …