Digital Commons Network^™

Painting And Prosody: Robert Browning's (Re)Presentation Of Fra Lippo Lippi And Andrea Del Sarto, Ana Schnellmann

Theses

This paper examines the ways in which all art interpretation is revising and re-presenting the art and artists in question. When Robert Browning wrote Fra Lippo Lippi and Andrea del Sarto as part of his collection Men and Women, he drew on the histories provided of them by Giorgio Vasari. Browning used Vasari’s stories as a base from which to personify the artists and use them in a sense as synecdoches representing the ways religious art is received and viewed. Religious art is meant to elevate the soul. That elevation may take place through the artist’s rendering religious figures as …

Primary School Space Design In The City Of Beijing: A Design Demonstration That Promotes The Physical Well-Being Of Children, Dan Wu

Theses

In recent years, obesity and health problems have increased among children in China because they participate in fewer physical activities than in previous years. The reasons for this change include academic overload, the increased number of students, and the limited amount of open space in cities. It has, therefore, become important to encourage students to engage in more outdoor exercise. Children aged 7 to 12 are considered primary school age in China. They spend most of the day at school, where physical activity opportunities should be provided. Architectural design can help improve the quality of spaces by laying them out …

Start-Ups Through The Lens Of Marketing: The Importance Of Branding For Start-Ups And Brand Awareness, Melisa Uka

Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of branding among start-ups, with a specific focus on start-ups in Kosovo. The role of branding has been drastically increasing in the last decades, as branding is becoming one of the most valuable intangible assets that a company owns regardless of whether it is a matured company or a start-up, the high growth potential newly established companies. In an effort to better understand the role of branding for Kosovo’s start-ups, this study provides qualitative insight obtained directly from start-ups’ representatives to identify whether start-ups in Kosovo recognize branding as an …

Enhancing Energy Efficiency In Kosovo – Analyzing Behavioral Patterns, Vesa Recica

Theses

Energy efficiency is being considered as a highly important matter among the majority of countries due to its correlation to environmental protection, energy security, and industrial competitiveness. There are multiple factors contributing to efficient usage of energy, one of them being behavioral patterns. This project aimed at analyzing the effect of behavioral patterns in enhancing energy efficiency through looking at the relationship between level of education, level of income, age, gender, place of residence (urban vs rural) and household energy usage trends. The research was completed through four focus group discussions that were conducted in urban and rural areas in …

School Violence Prevention In High Secondary Education In Kosovo And The Role Of School Psychologists, Edita Karavidaj

Theses

This present study explores the prevalence of school violence in the pre-university level of education in Kosovo. Despite the underreported cases, school violence is common and a distressing issue. Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST) in Kosovo has adopted prevention-based approach towards school violence since 2014 (with a revision in 2018) and regulated that each school must have at least one School Psychologist (SP). Despite the reform efforts, the implementation of such regulations is incomplete. The current study hypothesized that school violence rates are higher in urban schools thus prevention-based programs are more likely to be implemented in these …

Gender Based Social Expectations: An Analysis Of The Role Of Textbooks In Primary School, Gerta Ymeri

Theses

This project analyzes the presence of gender stereotypes in the textbooks used in elementary school, with a special focus on the literature used for children in the first up to the fifth grade. This study is mainly focused on gender stereotypical signs in texts and illustrations on areas such as family roles, physical appearance, generic nouns and pronouns, and professions. It further showcases the impact that these textbooks, specifically women and men representation have on children on their future endeavors. The study represents existing evidence in Kosovo, including information on Kosovar education, legal framework, and similar research to this project. …

All Too Well, Yingying Tang

Theses

All Too Well is a 2D animation graduate thesis film, with a length of 6 minutes and 49 seconds. The production phase went from September 2018 to January 2020.

A father who lost his son in a car accident recreates the family by bringing an artificial intelligence boy into the home to replace the lost son. Not only does their relationship fail to heal the father's broken heart, but it also often brings back painful memories of his real boy. This only makes him realize that the robot son cannot replace his real son. So, he turns the power off …

Color The Corner, Linxin Jiang

Theses

Loneliness is a major issue in this era, and youth, as a group, is becoming the main force of the lonely group. Young people are in the stage of being immature. Facing the era of knowledge and information explosion, they are learning how to be adults for the first time. They are eager to love and be loved, they are eager for material satisfaction, they are eager to communicate, and they are eager for the world to understand them. At the same time, they are rebellious and loudly proclaiming their independence and freedom. But they become more lonely because of …

The Association Between Problematic Internet Use, Depressive Symptoms, Selfesteem, And Personality Traits, Basma Mubarak Yaslam Bensumaidea

Theses

A number of international studies have investigated the association between problematic internet use (PIU), personality traits, and psychopathology, however, despite their widespread prevalence, such investigations in the Middle East region remain rare. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between PIU and depression, self-esteem, and personality traits in a sample of 350 university students, aged between 17 and 33 years (mage=20.69, SD=2.14), who were residents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Participants completed several assessments of sociodemographic variables, a validated measure of PIU, depression, self-esteem, and a measure of their personality traits. A total of 75.1% of the sample was determined …

Expectations Of Generation Z When Entering The Job Market In Croatia, Goran Pekica

Theses

A new generation called Generation Z is about to enter the labor market in Croatia where employers are already facing challenges with recruitment and retention processes. With a new cohort at their doorstep, more different than similar to its predecessors, employers are presented with additional challenges. The focus of this qualitative study is on exploring early career work experiences of ten Generation Z members who study in either International Business or Information Technologies programs in Zagreb, Croatia and who are about to become part of Croatian labor force. By exploring their initial work experiences, their expectations about the work environment …

Impact Of Social Media On Dubai Stock Market Using Sentiment Analysis, Khaled Fawzi Hawas

Theses

One of the main objectives of having securities stock markets is to ensure fair trading. Our analysis of this study will show how sentiment analysis and text mining techniques can help stock markets to sense wipes in the market participants' behaviors and how the market community can benefit from it. The ability to detect potential insiders and investors' mood would help the stock market to take necessary actions to protect the trading environment and enhance investors’ trust in the market. In this project, we will be building a pilot proof of concept utilizing sentiment analysis on Twitter, one of the …

The Infratemporal Fossa: Visual Communication & 2d Animation To Present Anatomical Forms, Gwendolyn Fuller

Theses

Gross Anatomy is the study of human organs and tissues that are visible to the naked eye. It is a keystone class intended for medical students, where they can gain hands-on knowledge of human anatomy by dissecting each region of a human cadaver. The class consists of a lecture, where the instructor will discuss a specific anatomical region, and a subsequent lab, where the students will then dissect that region of the cadaver. The goal for lecture is to present an anatomical region to the students with the intention of aiding them to identify the structures later in lab. Most …

An Analysis Of The Components Of Terrorism, Rhianna Hayes

Theses

Terrorism is a complex topic to study. There is no consensus on what the word terrorism means, and there is even less consensus on why groups of people go out of their way to use terrorism as a form of political expression. Various analyses and studies have been conducted to attempt to explain this complex topic. Many of these studies have drawn from criminal justice research to apply criminological theories as an explanation for terrorism. The application of criminological theories provides one baseline for people to attempt to understand terrorism. At first glance, it may seem that criminological theories will …

An Analysis Of Communication Apprehension Between Stem And Non-Stem University Students, Samantha Schreiber

Theses

This study compares communication apprehension (CA) of undergraduate STEM and non-STEM students at a private university in the United States. Using a variation of the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, undergraduate students were surveyed online and during in-person class sessions. Based on 409 (N = 409) survey responses, there was no significant difference in CA between STEM and non-STEM students. However, independent sample t-tests revealed differences in STEM for gender and year-level. Male students have significantly higher CA than their female classmates in all contexts. Additionally, senior students have significantly higher CA in group discussions and public speaking settings compared …

The Perception Of Lgbtq Influencers On Social Media, Stephanie Sabala

Theses

Social media brand influencers have become one of the biggest marketing and public relations trends of 2017, especially those who promote lifestyle brands (Glucksman, 2017). While many social media users are capitalizing on the “brand influencer” trend, people who identify as the LGBTQ, still struggle to connect with the heterosexual audience as brand influencers source. YouTube and Instagram are visual mediums that allow brand influencers to craft their expertise verbally and visually to communicate their expertise and enhance credibility. Using the source credibility theory, which posits that persuasiveness of the message is based on the perceived credibility of the source …

Impact Of Nursing Interventions On Perioperative Throughput: A Review Of The Patient Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy In The Ambulatory Surgery Setting Versus Acute Care Setting, Mary Pat Gilligan

Theses

Opportunities for increased efficiencies can be evaluated by assessing current processes and examining the components of each step to identify adjustments for improvements within a hospital's perioperative department. General systems theory identifies dynamic relationships exist within an open system and components of the perioperative department can be categorized into input, throughput and output. This framework was used to evaluate nursing interventions concerning throughput in an ambulatory and acute care setting. A retrospective chart review utilizing post anesthesia care unit interval times was completed to determine whether preemptive oral narcotic administration impacts times and pain levels of 125 outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy …

Dead On Arrival, Paul Benns

Theses

Dead on Arrival is a film about a character named Blue. The world is comprised of memories and follows our character along a path of self-discovery and redemption. Blue’s earliest memory is that of discovering an object that makes him happy. Through the course of the opening moments of the film, Blue discovers the harsh reality of not quite hitting the mark with his abilities. With the missed mark, comes the self-doubt and negative self-thinking that manifests itself through a physical change in his character. This physical manifestation leads to the rejection of his newfound friend and follows him throughout …

Role Of Leader’S Emotional Intelligence In Organizational Learning: A Quantitative Analysis, Navjot Kaur

Theses

Although most researchers have argued that a leader’s Emotional Intelligence (EI) capability positively influences Organizational Learning (OL), this relationship has only been studied at surface level. Consequently, there is no clear mechanism explaining how leaders facilitate various sub-processes of learning at the individual, team, and organizational levels. In this study, we operationalize Goleman’s (1998) mixed model of EI and 4I framework of learning proposed by Crossan et al. (1999) to shed further light on this connection. Our study follows a deductive approach, where a conceptual model is first developed through a conceptual literature review and then empirically tested using correlation …

Link-Family Safety Mobile Application Design, Yingxin Xie

Theses

The safety and health of children are essential issues not only for households but also for society. Missing Child is a severe strike to a family. It causes severe trauma memory and affects family members both psychologically and physically. Incidents like this also spread a feeling of fear among the local community. Many efforts have been made to help with this problem, such as the Amber Alert system, the location-tracking functions in the operating system in smartphones. There are also many safety apps in the app stores trying to prevent this kind of incident. However, there are still things that …

The B Respirator Respiratory Protection For The Bearded Man, Joseph R. Allgeier

Theses

The news today is filled with stories of respiratory illnesses. The health risks to people are everywhere. Dangerous health situations are created by nature and they are also man made. One thing stands between people and breathing contaminated air and that is a variety of different types of dust masks and respirators. Unfortunately, a huge portion of our population has been left out of this protective solution since most affordable respirators rely on seal created by skin contact. Men with beards or facial hair that interfere with this seal must choose between faulty protection or no protection at all. “Just …

Posture Support Equipment To Support Sitting For Lengthy Periods, Teng Teng

Theses

Most people can't avoid sitting for long periods of time. Many people spend a lot of time in their chairs due to their work hours, medical issues, or sedentary lifestyle. The way a person sits, the time he or she sits, and the way he or she sits has a huge impact on the quality of a person's life. Many chronic diseases are caused by improper sitting postures. When working, studying or even resting, people like to spend a long time sitting in chairs without standing up or moving around. Staying in one position for long periods can lead to …

Leverage Social Filtering To Enhance Viewing Experience With Amazon Prime Video, Wen-Hua Chen

Theses

The development of technology has changed the way viewers consume video contents. With the rising of streaming services, video contents are gathered in one big platform, making them much more accessible than ever before. However, in the meantime, the ever increasing content choices on streaming services overwhelm and frustrate us, reducing our satisfaction with the experience. In addition, as recently as just a few years ago, television was a communal experience. We would watch TV together, on one shared screen. Now, we are isolated when using video streaming services on personal screens.

This project is aimed to enhance viewing experience …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Brief Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Intervention On Environmentally Sustainable Behavior, Anne Sheerin

Theses

The purpose of the present study was to use the principles of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to increase environmentally sustainable behavior among seven college-aged students. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy involves increasing mindfulness and psychological flexibility. All participants filled out a daily survey that ranked how much they had participated in environmentally sustainable behavior or if they had the opportunity to participate in it at all. Four participants then received three individual, brief ACT sessions with the researcher and three of these participants showed an average of a 20% increase overall in self-reported sustainable behaviors after the brief intervention in …

Correlating Direct And Indirect Executive Functioning Measures And Language Skills Of Children With Autism, Emily Claire Wagner

Theses

Executive functioning usually refers to one’s ability to regulate one’s behavior, set goals, be mentally flexible, and understand the consequence of one’s actions. However, certain neurodevelopmental disabilities such as Autism, often can negatively impact executive function processes. Although applied behavior analytic (ABA) treatment is the most recommended intervention for autism treatment practitioners rarely assess or target executive functioning within their treatment planning. The present study assessed the relationship between direct and indirect executive functioning scores and a language assessment used by ABA providers. Thirty-nine children with autism spectrum disorder were administered a variety of scales including the Behavior Rating Inventory …

Presence Of Late 8 Phonemes Among Adolescents And Young Adults With Down Syndrome, Aidan Lee Osborne

Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe the phonetic repertoire of late 8 phonemes among adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome and then determine the relationship between age and presence of the latest developing phonemes as well as their impact on intelligibility. This study also described the stimulability profile for those late 8 phonemes that were produced in error. The Arizona Articulation and Phonology Scale was administered to individuals with Down syndrome between the ages of 12 – 21;11 to obtain a phonetic profile. Among those participants included in the study, on average, 87.5% of the late 8 …

Epics At The Bottom Of The River: Narratives Of Economic Development In French Louisiana, Kat Spears

Theses

A use of narrative and biographical history to describe how economic creolization developed French Louisiana.

Music Performance Anxiety In The Middle School Classroom, Allison Custer

Theses

This project analyzes Music Performance Anxiety, including who it affects, symptoms and techniques to reduce symptoms. The task is to focus on activities that can be used in the middle school ensemble classroom, to help students who suffer from Music Performance Anxiety.

In Addition: A Supplement For Beginning Band Method Books, Darren Cordray

Theses

This project provides an in-depth look into system of instruction that is used in many beginning ba.11d classes in our society. First, tl1e \\'Ork. describes a fe\v of the isst1es that music education faces today, such as budget cuts, declining music literacy, and program changes in schools. Next, the work examines the literature based around the subject of beginning band methodology. This will include a look into new methods that can be used in begiiming band classes, an examination of the proper way to create sound on common band instruments, ways in which music reading skills and audiation skills are …

The Athlete’S Concussion Epidemic, Andrew James Marsh

Theses

The main goal of this project is to inform and educate you on the various threads concerning concussions in the world of sports. Athletes competing in contact sports at a high level are at risk of receiving a mild traumatic brain injury as well as suffering from post concussion syndrome. The reader can review the state of concussions and receive professional information from doctors and trainers. The audience can also get an inside look into the minds of players who have dealt with this injury themselves. One will find qualitative and quantitative data that presents information related to mental health …

Gender And Fluid: A Reconsideration Of The Stain In The Painting Of Helen Frankenthaler, Michael F. Hogan

Theses

This paper explores the stain technique of Helen Frankenthaler through a reconsideration of its novelty and innovation. Recent scholarship has assessed the technique and its critical acceptance through a primarily feminist lens, focused on either assessment of the gendered language utilized by critics or application of a uniquely feminist approach in determining its meaning. The singular focus applied in recent criticism is consistent with past approaches that have typically isolated a particular methodology – formalistic, technical, comparative, or historical – to the exclusion of broader consideration of other methodologies. Moreover, prior critical efforts frequently limited analytical consideration to her groundbreaking …