Digital Commons Network^™

Communication Of Feelings, Linge Lin

Theses

The making of art should not be isolated from the idea of its audiences who make the artwork complete. However, it might end up as something insincere if one tries to please their audience too much. When an artist initiates a conversation with an audience, they must not be overwhelmed by the idea of appealing to them. I used this principle throughout the process of making my thesis film, Hold Me, which depicts my experience of coming-out to my mother, and our confrontations afterward. The film traces my life trajectory from my childhood until now, and illustrates how I started …

Ressentir: A Multi-Layered Visual Filter For Enhancing Cinematic Experience, Anirudh Srinivasan

Theses

Watching any digital content without audio is going to be monotonous, as one vital component of cinema is lost entirely. Removing audio will significantly affect cinematic experience and make movie-watching extremely boring for someone who cannot hear. Audio, in a movie, is comprised of dialogs, music and background sounds. One must realize that removing audio would take away, not just sound but also emotions attached to scenes. At times there might be only background score, which does not necessarily mean that these scenes are unimportant. There are obviously instances where music alone would get across the message. This thesis explores …

Concretization Of Depression, Jing Zhou

Theses

Depression is a common mental disorder, but many people cannot understand the pain experienced by depression patients. Even after having a certain understanding of depression, it is difficult for us as normal people to empathize with the true inner feelings of depression patients. However, some people not only fail to understand the depressed patients, but they also speak slanderously and scold these depressive patients for their overly emotional actions. For these reasons, I want to show the true feelings of depression patients or the pain experienced as a depression patient through motion graphics. Motion graphic is an effective way to …

Athena: A Digital Educational Experience For Visual Learners, Adrianna Petrus

Theses

Athena is a design system for an online learning experience that uses motion graphics and information design along with succinct narratives and engaging web page browsing to help visual learners comprehend complex information. This system will leverage several theories, such as Pictorial Superiority Effect, which suggests vision is the most powerful pathway to the brain,(1) as well as Dual Coding Theory, explaining that two senses stimulated at once will increase comprehension.(2) Conveying content like “Marketing Ethics” in an effective way can be difficult. Visual education can bridge the pathway to these topics in an interactive way that incorporates animation, audio, …

Orthorexia Nervosa: A Multidisciplinary Analysis Of The Gaps In Current Research, Education, And Diagnostic Efforts, Olivia Drew Garror

Theses

Background: Orthorexia nervosa (ON), a term coined in the late 1990s by Steven Bratman, MD, is characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with practicing a “healthy diet”. There is scant reliable literature on the topic and it remains unrecognized as a diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 5. Thus, debate surrounding its legitimacy as a diagnosis continues. However, eating disorders (EDs) in the category Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED), including ON, account for the highest percentage of ED diagnoses in the U.S. Although primary care physicians are often the first to encounter patients suffering from …

Allstory: An Assistive Application For History, Shiyan Sun

Theses

When learning history, students have difficulty remembering large amounts of history and don’t know explanations of some proper nouns, which makes them not have an in-depth understanding of history and easy to fail in the test. As an important subject, an auxiliary app is needed to help students digest the knowledge they have learned. It will use different function to break the barrier, allowing students easier to learn and love history.

Wage And Productivity Of Employees In Service Providing Industries In Albania: A Close Look At It And Business Sectors, Sindi Rryta

Theses

Nowadays, outsourcing has created new employment possibilities especially in developing countries. Although Albania is considered as one of the most prominent outsourcing destinations in the Balkans, there is little evidence in terms of the varying levels of wage and productivity of workers within the outsourcing sectors. The aim of this thesis is to provide insights regarding the wage and productivity differentials in two specific service-providing industries in Albania, namely IT BPO and BPO. The analysis of primary data collected through a survey (N=62) in four Albanian companies and eight interviews with representatives of outsourcing companies in both mentioned sectors, shows …

Helps Tourists To Customize Travel Plans Easily With Local Experience: Dotrips App, Shenyu Zhang

Theses

Traveling with group tours can no longer meet the needs of tourists. In-depth tourism has become a new choice for Chinese tourists, especially middle- and high-income groups. Outbound travel, tourists need to find far away from the hustle and bustle of the city and to deeply understand the cultural heritage and folklore origins. Pursue a personal experience of natural beauty and artistic style or a bold exploration of the way of life and the essence of life. The rapid development of the tourism industry and the proliferation of user-shared content have made the problem of information overload in the field …

The Inclusion Of Children Of The Autism Spectrum In Kosovo’S Education (K-12): A Policy Review, Aurora Kingji

Theses

This research was conducted to unravel the factors that need to be taken into consideration when drafting a policy for the inclusion of children in Kosovo’s education from grades K – 12. A literature review of existing materials on the history, general information, the legal perspective, the educational perspective, and the socio-cultural perspectives, on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is presented. Moreover, the results of primary data gathered from 13 interviews spanning across the aforementioned fields (policy, education, society/culture) have been collected. This data has been analyzed using the knowledge, attitude, practice (KPA) approach. KPA has been applied to, among others, …

Do Novice Nurses Utilize Reflection For Clinical Reasoning?, Jennifer Slate

Theses

This study aimed to answer the following questions.

1. If novice nurses, less than 18 months experience, utilize reflection without prompting in their practice?
2. If so, does using reflection foster clinical reasoning in novice nurses?

The use of reflection in novice nurses would foster their ability for clinical reasoning resulting in increased professional competence and self-confidence.

The Relationship Between Augmented Reality Games And Well-Being Outcomes: A Self-Determination Theory Approach, Matt Poquadeck

Theses

Video games have become a prevalent source of media entertainment globally. Their popularity has made them a topic of interest to researchers, medical professionals, educators, politicians, and many more who are concerned about the role and impact video games have in society. Research has often focused on the effects of violence and addiction; however, the use of video games as an educational tool has been explored as well. Additionally, the literature suggests that video games may also be a useful medium for increasing positive health behaviors such as exercise. A popular type of video game known as an augmented reality …

Prison Rape Elimination Act, 2003: Individual Factors For Victimization And Offending, Bailey Saldana

Theses

The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 was passed in order to provide a set of guidelines for reporting and reacting to prison rapes (PREA, 2020). This project uses secondary data from the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities to identify factors associated with prison rape victimization. Rates of institutional violence have not decreased as have the rates of violence outside of institutions (Wooldredge, 2020; Morgan & Truman, 2020). One area of institutional violence research that is lacking is prison rape research. As more research is done on prison rape victimization, this project extends on this body …

Loose Connections In The Just Society, Benjamin Parviz

Theses

John Rawls’ influential A Theory of Justice presents a liberal theory in which individuals gain “a sense of justice” that commits them to the success of the just society above other interests or life plans. Critics of Rawlsian liberalism such as Taylor, Sandel, MacIntyre, Walzer, and the communitarians have variously complained that his theory inadequately accounts for individual commitment to community as distinct from commitment to the whole of society. In this essay I consider Rawls’s theory in light of the arguments of these community concerned critics in order to understand whether these complaints have any merit. In particular, I …

Motivations Of Following Beauty Instagram Influencers And Relationship Between Influencer’S Attractiveness And Follower’S Attitude, Clara Kim

Theses

Many research studies have studied how social media influencers can influence followers’ attitudes or behaviors. They showed how the users reflect themselves through the images on social media. Uses and gratifications approach explains that individuals have a choice to choose what media they use to satisfy their inherent needs and wants. Social influence theory explains how attitudes or behaviors of people are influenced by other people. Based on these theories and approaches, this research aimed to find out why Instagram users follow beauty influencers, and whether there is an attitude change towards products endorsed by beauty Instagram influencers. An online …

Digital Marketing For Small Businesses During Covid-19 And Beyond, Emily Lenore Guyer

Theses

The directed project has two parts: the Prospectus for AMC 60000 Thesis/Directed Project I, and the website https://eguyer123.wixsite.com/directedproject2 for AMC 61000 Thesis/Directed Project II. The website takes this information and puts it into resources, namely infographics and videos. My goal is to help small businesses, whether they are established and transitioning from traditional to digital marketing, or brand new and are starting their marketing strategies from scratch. Throughout this project, they’ll learn the importance of navigating social media marketing, content marketing, search engine optimization, and digital marketing through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Elementary Rhythm Pedagogy Analysis, Antonio D. Griffin Jr.

Theses

Rhythm is a foundational element for a child’s development. Rhythm builds motor skills, aids in language acquisition, and is at the root of all musical experience. While the concept of rhythm is universal, there is no universal approach that educators agree best helps students develop rhythmic ability. This research seeks to discover the most common research-based methods and better practices for elementary rhythm instruction and align each to current national music standards and expectations.

Apparel For Individuals With Limited Mobility, Ali Robbins

Theses

This project is focused on designing and creating apparel that meets the unique medical needs of those with mobility limitations. A side focus of this project is on post-surgical apparel. The goal has been to create a complete base outfit that address a range of difficulties people with limitations on their mobility face. The apparel is designed to make self-dressing easier and reduce dressing difficulty for care givers.

Birth Of A Nation Effects – Effective Use Of Multimedia To Present Content, Brittae Gray-Ross

Theses

This project will investigate the effective use of multimedia, spanning back to 1915, with the film Birth Of A Nation. The final deliverable is an interactive web application. The web application will include modern day interactive web graphics. The web application will also include research and effective media that can be applied to any subject or thing.

Visual Communication – A Designer’S Guide To Reaching Target Audiences, Timothy Lerch

Theses

Visual communication is the cornerstone of graphic design. All graphic design projects communicate a visual message. As with all forms of communication, visual communication is a two-way street. For a message to be effective, a designer must understand how to reach their audience. Scholarly design programs focus primarily on visual cues, while marketing programs focus on in-depth audience analysis and consumer behavior. This creates a problem for designers as they complete their degree program and enter the job market, particularly if they intend to seek freelance work. This guide is innovative because it presents components of visual communication from perspectives …

Fraud Detection Using Data Analytics, Ayesha Karmustaji

Theses

At present, the biggest concern of every organization is to detect and control financial fraud. Tax frauds cause the loss of billions of dollars every year. As a result, data mining techniques are used to combat the growing problem of tax fraud. Tax evasions cause a reduction in revenue collection. It also has a bleak impact on government policies and budget. The goal of this study is to describe the use of data analytics tools to process and analyze tax data related to value-added tax evasions. This study is a conceptual perspective that provides a theoretical and methodological basis for …

A Comparison Of Virtual And In-Person Learning On The Observation Of Puzzle Manipulation Among Neurotypical And Neurodiverse Children, Katrina Verhagen

Theses

Virtual learning has been used long before the COVID-19 pandemic for mental health care or acute conditions but was rarely used as a replacement for in-person visits. Additionally, virtual learning was primarily used for those earning graduate and undergraduate degrees. Virtual learning for individuals younger than eighteen is not typically researched, as it has not been a subject of importance or seen as a replacement for in-person learning. The current study worked with four male children under the age of eighteen from both the neurotypical and neurodiverse populations. Participants were paired into dyads to assess learning done both virtually and …

Comparison Of The Effects Of Defusion And Contact With The Present Moment Activities On Inflexible Behavior In Youths With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Melina Segneri

Theses

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of defusion and contact with the present moment activities on psychological flexibility and maladaptive behaviors in youths with Autism. This study used a multi-element research design, with randomized controlled trials. Each component was isolated and tested on its utility and effectiveness towards decreasing maladaptive behavior and increasing psychological flexibility. The questionnaires implemented were Child Acceptance and Mindfulness Measurements (CAMM) and Acceptance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y8). The participants completed these evaluation tools at the beginning and at the end of the intervention. This study utilized the concepts of defusion and contact with …

Can Home Garden Be A Safe Haven In Times Of Crisis? To Measure Householders Attitudes, Preferences And Willingness To Have Home Garden At Time Of Pandemics, Noura Mubarak Al Mansouri

Theses

The new coronavirus that has rapidly become a worldwide outbreak leads people to Self-quarantine, where work, school, and shopping have become through remote applications. Keeping fit and being healthy is important at any time, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Having a garden or outdoor space provides the opportunity to have a place that can be used to maintain a healthy life and well-being of an individual. The coronavirus lockdown has provided the time ad opportunity to create a garden that has been always wanted by householders. A Garden is a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, vegetables, and etc. …

Can Date Palms Planted For Urban Landscaping Purposes Serve In The Production Of Edible Fruits? An Evaluation Of Tissue Element Concentrations, Fruits Quality And Health Risks, Khattab Omar Adam Al Nidawi

Theses

More than 80.000 date palms are grown for ornamental purposes as part of public urban greenery in the city of Al Ain. The fruits that these palms produce, are often not valorized as food for humans, due to the fear that they might contain potentially hazardous pollutants, such as heavy metals. When palms are grown near roads or in urban environments, pollution might arise from the exhaust and dust produced by vehicles, industrial activities, as well as through urban waste material deposition, including irrigation with treated sewage effluent. On the other hand, many date palms grown for landscaping purposes might …

Assimilating Requirements Specification For Space Manned Missions: A Novel Approach, Khalfan Mohamed Al Remeithi

Theses

Aligned with the UAE Space Strategy 2117, which aims to establish the first inhabitable human on the Martian Surface by 2117, and with the current enthuse toward space tourism, the thesis proposes a novel framework to assimilate the process of requirement specification for a Manned Mission to Mars surface. Deep Space manned missions are unique and characterized by a set of specific requirements that should be elicited from different sources and stakeholders to ensure the missions’ success. In addition, these missions are highly dependent on the software components in the Command and Data Handling System (CDHS), which is used to …

Examining Dissociation And Cannabis Use As Links In The Pathway Between Childhood Maltreatment And Schizotypy, Brittany A. Blose

Theses

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for a number of psychiatric consequences, including many different mental disorders. Recent research has focused on the connection that CM has with schizotypy and how these adverse experiences during development contribute to symptomatology. Studies have demonstrated that peritraumatic dissociation experienced during CM and trait dissociative symptoms may indirectly affect the relationship between CM and schizotypic psychopathology, helping to elucidate this complex relationship. Moreover, research has indicated cannabis use, especially its use in adolescence, as a potential moderator in the CM-schizotypy relationship. That is, cannabis use further increases the risk that maltreated individuals will …

Leading A Horse To Water: Investigating The Semiotic Motif Of Water And Drowning In Bojack Horseman, Zachery A. Sherman

Theses

This semiotic analysis examines the affect that trauma, in the form of metaphor or semiotic motif involving water, has on the titular character of BoJack Horseman in Netflix’s BoJack Horseman (2014-2020) as well as how the use of water mirrors generational trauma passed down via historical associations. The impact that this trauma has upon these characters is frequently paired with water imagery and symbolism. The show’s use of water draws particular attention to how its characters perpetuate aspects of their traumatic pasts in their day-to-day life and reveals the nuanced psychological impact inherent to trauma while simultaneously hinting at its …

Social Media Influencer Motivation: Exploring What Drives Micro-Celebrities To Produce Content Using Social Exchange Theory, Jennie Giardino

Theses

Social media influencers are online celebrities who have the power to shape the opinions of audience members due to their relatable qualities. Influencer sponsorships have changed the nature of social media platforms and the strategy by which the content is posted. But besides the potential to be sponsored, why do influencers post content? The purpose of this study was to understand what motivates influencers to post content through the lens of social exchange theory by identifying resources exchanged between the social media influencer and the audience and explain how this affects their motivation to post content. I interviewed 15 lifestyle …

If It Ain’T Here When I Get Back, Clara Riedlinger

Theses

If It Ain’t Here When I Get Back is a short film which explores themes of sibling rivalry, time and memory, our relationship to place, and the porous line between childhood and adulthood. It was produced between March 2020-April 2021 including pre-production to post-production. This paper describes and analyzes the filmmaking process for Clara Riedlinger, director. In this paper I will also attempt to put to words the intangibles of that process, including the social dynamics of filmmaking, and larger cultural happenings at the time of production.

The Effects Of A Value-Affirmation Writing Exercise On Stress And Craving For Nicotine In Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Users, Justin Bell

Theses

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have become an increasingly popular choice to ingest nicotine, especially among adolescents. It is assumed that with a rise of ENDS usage, more people will be looking for strategies to help quit the devices. As previous research has revealed the efficacy of stress reduction interventions to aid in the cessation of nicotine, a stress reducing writing intervention based in self-affirmation, value affirmation, was evaluated for its ability to reduce anxiety and craving for nicotine in individuals using ENDS. Nicotine dependent participants (N = 92) using ENDS were randomly assigned to complete either a value affirmation …