Digital Commons Network^™

Reframing The Canon: Black Contemporary Artist Shaping The Western Narrative, Elaysha A. Bazil

Theses

Reframing the Canon is an exhibition and thesis project that centers on Black Contemporary artists and their pivotal contributions to the Western art canon. Curated by Art BaziL, the exhibit challenges traditional narratives and biases, creating a space where Black art is celebrated as integral rather than supplemental. Through a collection of multi-medium works—from abstract paintings to digital art and handcrafted jewelry—the exhibit invites viewers to experience Black creativity beyond themes of struggle, highlighting resilience, innovation, and beauty. This project responds to the historical exclusion of Black voices within mainstream art institutions, advocating for a more inclusive and representative canon. …

Contemplating Glaciers - A Dialogue, Jessica Elizabeth Turner

Theses

This project investigates the evolving relationship between art, climate education, and audience engagement. It explores how the visual arts serve as a medium for fostering awareness and dialogue about climate change while inspiring climate resilience through artistic and curatorial intervention. The exhibition Contemplating Glaciers – A Dialogue showcases the work of Canadian artist Jan Kabatoff, whose practice incorporates multisensory experiences, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, VR, and soundscapes to engage viewers with the ongoing degradation of glaciers. The exhibition bridges the gap between scientific knowledge and artistic expression within a gallery space designed to encourage participation and reflection. It seeks to …

Understanding The Relationship Between Humble Leadership, Reflecting Dialogue, Psychological Safety And Job Satisfaction: A Study Of Japanese Correctional Officers, Yayoi Kimura

Theses

This study investigates the relationships between humble leadership, reflecting dialogue, psychological safety, and job satisfaction among correctional officers in Japanese correctional institutions. Correctional officers face high levels of stress due to their demanding roles in rehabilitating and managing inmates, yet the impact of organizational factors on their job satisfaction remains underexplored. As Japan undergoes significant changes in its penal system, understanding the factors that contribute to a supportive work environment is crucial. First, this study examines the relationship between psychological safety and job satisfaction among correctional officers. Second, it explores whether facilities that practice reflecting dialogue and humble leadership experience …

Examining The Relationship Between Internalizing, Externalizing, And Psychotic Psychopathology At Five Levels Of Criminal Risk, Cooper Mitchell Sparks

Theses

Though it is well established that mental illness is not a primary risk factor for criminal justice involvement, the relationship between mental illness and criminal risk with justice-involved persons with mental illness is not well understood (Bonta, et al., 1998; Morgan, et al., 2010; Skeem, et al., 2014). Specifically, psychopathology has not been understood at different levels of criminal risk. Using the Five-Level Risk and Needs System for criminal risk (Hanson, et al., 2017), the current study aimed to identify mean differences between different domains of psychopathology (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, and psychotic psychopathology) across five levels of criminal risk. Data …

Integration Of Blockchain Technology In Industrial Applications, Sanjana Sakinala

Theses

This research explores the integration of Hyperledger Fabric., a framework of blockchain in industrial applications, particularly focusing on supply chain management. By addressing the limitations of traditional blockchains - such as high transaction latency, scalability challenges, and privacy concerns - this research demonstrates how Hyperledger fabrics overcomes them. Through simulation, we show significant enhancements in transaction speed, data privacy and scalability, making the Fabric a viable solution for industrial systems.

Investigating The Effect Of Metal Site Of The Leaf And Branch Compost Cutinase Through Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Ryan James Molitor

Theses

The petroleum-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a versatile and synthetic polymer that plays a pivotal role in the economy, including packaging, textiles, 3D printers, and even medical-related applications. There is a need for plastic waste management. Biological up-cycling of PET is a promising method for a clean and sustainable future. In 2012, a group of researchers, Tournier et. al., performed experiments and molecular dynamics simulations on the Leaf-branch Compost Cutinase, LCC (PDB Code: 4EB0), which outperformed the PET hydrolysis activity compared to three other PET hydrolyzing enzymes. The LCC and PET depolymerization rate of wildtype LCC was reported to be …

Early Career Nurses' Attitudes Toward Climate Change And Its Relationship To Nursing Practice And Education: A Qualitative, Descriptive Exploratory Study, Ongelique Conflenti

Theses

Background: Climate change is accelerating rapidly, and its adverse effects on human health are expected to worsen in the coming decades. Nurses have a professional and ethical responsibility to address climate change and help the healthcare sector adapt to its challenges. Due to a lack of education on the topic, however, many nurses are not aware of the relevance of climate change to their nursing practice. Little is known about the attitudes of early career nurses (ECNs) toward climate change or their perspectives on integrating it into their continuing education.

Aims: This research will aim to explore the attitudes of …

Bridging Blobs: The Transformative Communication System, Philip Pham

Theses

In an increasingly interconnected world, language diversity can pose significant barriers to communication and understanding. "Bridging Blobs: The Transformative Communication System" introduces an innovative solution towards overcome these challenges. This thesis presents an immersive and interactive technology experience designed to seamlessly translate both spoken and sign languages and foster clear communication by visually demonstrating relationships between individuals using English and/or American Sign Language. The system integrates into various social and physical spaces, from bars to museums, creating dynamic displays that celebrate the richness of human language and culture. Interactive screens showcase animated sequences, representing inclusivity and collaboration. Powered by cutting-edge …

Holistic Correlation Measure For Enhanced Encapsulation Of Trait Heterogeneity And Discovery Of Co-Expression, Zachary Valleroy

Theses

Large-scale, high-dimensional data analyses can be computationally prohibitive due to combinatorial explosion of the search space for finding complex patterns; a viable alternative is network modeling for abstraction and quantifying intrinsic data associations. Prominent network analysis methods furnish frameworks for model synthesis and validation but rely on standard correlation measures impaired by semi-supervised biases, latent heterogeneity, and uneven discretization techniques. Here we investigate a holistic measure for encapsulating data heterogeneity for enhanced efficacy of revealing complex patterns through network analysis. Our unique correlation metric, K-medoids Utility for Duo Original Similarities (Kudos), exhaustively factors real-valued analyte data to compute …

Reverence, Talia Drury

Theses

Reverence is a series of wooden objects that highlight the beauty, subtleties, and surprises found in the quieter moments of nature. These pieces fluctuate from both literal and figurative interpretations of form, movement, and memory. Through the integration of curves, light, and hand-carved textures, I developed work that holds a collection of moments from the natural world. Reverence is an invitation to pause, explore, and revere the beauty that surrounds us, nurturing a deeper bond with the world we inhabit. I invite you to take a walk with me as I explore the rhythms and patterns of nature that are …

Predicting Air Passenger Traffic At Busy International Airports, Ratana Fraihat

Theses

This thesis presents the development and validation of a machine learning model using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to forecast air traffic passenger volumes at international, high-traffic airports. By leveraging historical passenger data, the study seeks to provide accurate predictions that can enhance operational planning and resource allocation at the airport. The implementation was done in Python, using historical passenger data from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) from 2005-2018. Data preprocessing steps involved grouping and summing passenger counts for each activity period. The data was normalized to a range of 0 to 1, which is crucial for preventing instability and …

Pawlingo: Bridging Virtual And Real-World Language Learning Through Mixed Reality, Xueer Wang

Theses

PawLingo harnesses the power of mixed reality (MR) technology to enable users to learn new languages anytime, anywhere. By enhancing the interactivity and immersion of language learning, PawLingo revolutionizes how users engage with new languages. The platform features virtual non-player characters (NPCs), such as a panda representing Mandarin, who guide and interact with users in their daily environments. Whether navigating everyday scenarios like markets or public transit or practicing vocabulary in real-time, PawLingo seamlessly integrates language instruction into the user's surroundings. This research explores the development and impact of PawLingo, highlighting its ability to enhance user engagement, retention, and cultural …

Resolution Enhancement For High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Using Aperiodic Multilayer Masks, W Ethan Maguire

Theses

As extreme ultraviolet lithography tools with higher image numerical apertures are introduced, the range of angles at the mask multilayer are increased. This represents a challenge for maintaining through-angle mask reflection using the current periodic mask multilayer structures. In addition to reflectance amplitude, the phase of reflected light, which plays an important role in imaging, is also strongly influenced by increasing angles. The propagation of light through each bilayer in the stack imparts a phase shift based on incidence angle. This accumulates over many layers, inducing phase effects which are unique to each illumination point. While adjustments to multilayer period …

Headspace, Katrina E. Kauffman

Theses

Headspace is a contemplation of the dynamics and labor of thought. As someone with ADHD, dysgraphia, and dyslexia, my thought process is often circuitous yet cyclical. This thesis will explore the overlap between ritual and hyperfocus as a facet of artistic practice as well as their impact on physical and emotional equilibrium. By personifying the three proposed stages of memory by the Cognitive Load theory through the performance of repetitive tasks like making chewing gum, paper, and ink by hand, I both exemplify my neurodivergent brain structure and the reformatting my neural pathways undergo to conform to neurotypically inclined society. …

Digital Microfluidic Oligonucleotide Synthesis: Automated Assembly Of Dna Products In Air And Oil With Integrated On-Chip Incubation, Sari Houchaimi

Theses

Production of accurate DNA products is essential for many biological applications including drug development and delivery, synthetic biology, molecular engineering and epigenetics. It is difficult to build long DNA chains accurately and repeatably with conventional methods such as phosphoramidite method and polymerase chain assembly. DNA aqueous enzymatic assembly is a promising alternative. Multiple DNA fragments can be reliably and consistently assembled into one product using engineering enzymes in an aqueous medium. Digital Microfluidics uses asymmetric electric fields to simultaneously manipulate multiple reagent droplets on an array of electrodes. This platform is biocompatible and easily controllable. It has been used for …

Adapting Emergency Response: A Nationwide Study Of Disability Accommodation Practices Among Local Emergency Managers, Iskender Mambetkadyrov

Theses

Local emergency management agencies (EMAs), who are critical in disaster response and management in the US, frequently underserve their constituencies who identify as people with disabilities (PWD) and, more specifically, as deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). These shortfalls have still persisted even after policies such as the Americans with Disabilities Act have passed in an attempt to bridge these gaps. This thesis aims to explore the organizational actions & strategies local EMAs have taken towards disability inclusion, the barriers they run into, and explore whether increases in general disability-inclusive actions lead to increased DHH-specific inclusive actions to steer local …

Patient Specific Tissue Emulating Phantoms For Image-Guided Intervention Applications, Kelly Merrell

Theses

Patient specific organ and tissue mimicking phantoms are used routinely to develop and assess new image-guided intervention tools and techniques in laboratory settings, enabling scientists to maintain acceptable anatomical relevance, while avoiding animal studies when the developed technology is still in its infancy. Gelatin phantoms, specifically, offer a cost-effective and readily available alternative to the traditional manufacturing of anatomical phantoms, and also provide the necessary versatility to mimic various stiffness properties specific to various organs or tissues. In the first part of this thesis, we describe the protocol to develop patient specific anthropomorphic gelatin phantoms of different organs and we …

Unital Kadison-Schwarz Type Of Maps, Hajir Khalid Al Zadjali

Theses

Quantum entanglement is an important phenomenon in quantum information theory; its uses range from quantum teleportation and quantum cryptography to solving classical communication problems. One of the issues concerning entanglement is the classification of mixed states into separable states. Positive maps define affine mappings between sets of states of C∗algebras, and have been used to develop a separability criterion for quantum states. Completely positive maps are insensitive to entanglement detection, a weaker notion of positivity is thus needed to detect them. This condition that is stronger than positivity but weaker than complete positivity is given by the Kadison-Schwarz (KS) inequality. …

Quantum Markov Chains Related To Certain Lattice Models, Ali Ghaleb Alaali

Theses

A central open problem in quantum probability is the establishment of a general theory of Markov fields. This thesis contributes to the general theory by introducing quantum probability and applies it via the construction of quantum Markov chains on different hierarchical lattices (Cayley trees). This thesis examines two types of trees one of which corresponds to the Ising-XY-Model on a Cayley tree of order two which then the existence of Markov chains can be utilized to detect phase transitions. The other discussed model is a (1,3) tree in which the XY-model is considered to determine the existence of a quantum …

Ai-Powered Pedagogy: Revolutionizing Students’ Learning Experiences Through Integration Of Ai Technologies, Amna Awad Alsaedi

Theses

This research examines the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the educational sector with the aim of enhancing student learning outcomes. AI offers tailored learning experiences, interactive educational content, prompt feedback, and access to diverse learning resources. Nonetheless, challenges including addiction, costliness, privacy infringement, bias, ethical dilemmas, market competition, and moral considerations require resolution. Research particularly delves into the utilization of chatbots, and algorithms designed to simulate human interactions and generate text resembling human speech. Educational applications powered by AI have the potential to heighten student engagement, comprehension, and academic performance by substituting traditional assignments with concise, information-rich lessons. Furthermore, …

Corrosion Behavior Of 304 Stainless Steel In H2so4/Nacl In The Absence And Presence Of Molybdate And Tungstate, Asma Yousef Alkaabi

Theses

In this study, the corrosion behavior of 304 austenitic stainless steel was investigated in H₂SO₄ solutions, H₂SO₄ as a function of Cl^- ions concentration, H₂SO₄ as a function of MoO4^2- ions concentration, and H₂SO₄ + Cl^- ions as a function of MoO₄^2- ions concentration. Moreover, the synergistic inhibition of MoO4^2- and WO₄^2- ions was investigated in 0.1 M H₂SO₄, with the solution pH adjusted to 3.0. The findings show that the corrosion current density (i …

Assessing The Spatiotemporal Variability Of Aerosol Optical Depth And Particle Sizes In The Uae Atmosphere Using Remotely Sensed Data, Bashayer Ali Alzahmi

Theses

This thesis investigates atmospheric aerosol concentrations, with a particular focus on the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study maps the spatial and temporal variations in Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and characterizes aerosols using high-resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products. The primary objective of this research is to enhance the understanding of aerosol dynamics in the UAE by distinguishing between natural and anthropogenic aerosols through the Angström Exponent (AE) and assessing their impacts on local climate, air quality, and public health. The study employs Remote Sensing (RS) techniques to conduct detailed environmental assessments, analyzing AOD variability across daily, monthly, seasonal, …

Solvent- And Temperature-Controlled Regioselective Catalytic Synthesis Of Potentially Bioactive, Sara Helmy Saada

Theses

Isothiocyanates play a crucial role as essential components in the development of effective synthetic methods for producing key chemical intermediates and biologically active molecules. Similarly, N-arylcyanothioformamide compounds have been employed to create structural cores for numerous heterocycles in a one-step reaction. In this study, we describe the first consistent regiospecific reaction of isothiocyanates with a variety of substituted N-arylcyanothioformamides in a 1:1 molar ratio to generate a series of imidazolidineiminodithiones decorated with a multitude of functional groups on both aromatic rings. The reaction is carried out at room temperature using a 20 mol% catalytic amount of triethylamine with …

Exclusion Tests For Approximating All Solutions Of Nonlinear Equations, Yasmeen Omar Hamida

Theses

The exclusion test is a mathematical technique used to isolate and approximate the solutions of nonlinear equations within a specified interval. This thesis aims to construct a new test leveraging the principles of the exclusion test to achieve faster convergence to the zeros of any given interval within a compact domain. By selecting an alternative objective function and employing nonlinear equations, the proposed method significantly reduces the number of subintervals required for accurate approximation. The key finding of this research is the development of a more efficient algorithm that enhances the speed of convergence. The implications of these findings are …

Automating Modular Construction Manufacturing For Affordable Housing, Enaam Mohammed Ouda

Theses

In recent years, there has been an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters worldwide, resulting in loss of life, displacement, and extensive property damage. According to the UNHCR's report, 122.6 million individuals were displaced by mid-2024, highlighting that the speed and volume of displacement exceeds the availability of solutions for those affected. To address the urgent need for affordable housing solutions, modular construction is preferred over traditional construction methods as it tackles limitations such as long project durations, high costs, and safety and environmental concerns. Integrating advanced technologies in modular construction can further enhance its benefits and …

The Effect Of Nerolidol On The Renal Dysfunction Following Bilateral Ureteral Obstruction In The Rat, Harun Rashed Toumi

Theses

This thesis addressed nerolidol’s potential therapeutic and protective effects on bilateral ureteral obstruction-induced uropathy in rats. Obstructive uropathy stands as a notable contributor to acute kidney injury (AKI), accounting for 5-10% of all AKI cases worldwide, with a particularly high prevalence among the elderly, constituting 22% of AKI cases in this age group. Urinary tract obstruction, often attributed to factors such as kidney stones, urinary tract deformities and benign/malignant growths such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in older men can lead to detrimental outcomes if left untreated, potentially progressing to kidney failure and even mortality. The severity of the kidney …

Effect Of Virtual Reality Technology On Computer Science/Engineering Based Laboratories Education – A Case Study, Mariam A. Al Nuaimi

Theses

Virtual reality (VR) is becoming increasingly popular and essential in education as institutions strive to incorporate technology in education. In Engineering and Computer Science, students face difficulties in comprehending many abstract complex concepts that are typically studied in Labs. This situation worsens with hardware failure and the lack of pedagogical tools. The main goal of this paper is to investigate the impact of VR environments on learning advanced and complex STEM concepts. We also explore the impact of different human-computer interaction (HCI) techniques including gamification on the learning experience of STEM students. To measure such impact, we developed a VR …

Effect Of Virtual Reality Technology On Computer Science/Engineering Based Laboratories Education – A Case Study, Saeed Salem Al Shebli

Theses

The rapid growth in mobile applications raises critical concerns about the security of apps and users' privacy, especially in permission control. Mobile apps access sensitive information of users, and the current cybersecurity landscape faces a huge challenge in ensuring the least required permissions are granted. This research focuses on designing an advanced permission recommendation system that couples the strengths of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) in solving most of the existing gaps in permission management, thus guiding which permissions are mostly needed by Android applications.

The research thus follows a multi-classification approach, integrating state-of-the-art ML techniques with …

On Fractional Dunkl-Type Laplacian, Saba Ibrahim Aldan

Theses

This thesis presents a comprehensive study of the fractional Dunkl-type Laplacian operator (−∥x∥ Δ��)^σ for 0<σ<1, through four equivalent key characterizations: the heat semigroup characterization, the pointwise characterization, the spherical mean characterization, and through an extension theorem. These characterizations offer different perspectives on the operator ∥x∥Δ_��, generalizing known results for the Euclidean Laplace operator by incorporating reflection symmetries, making it highly relevant in the harmonic analysis of root systems.

By exploring these characterizations, the thesis highlights the deep connections between the fractional operator (−∥x∥Δ_��)^σ and harmonic analysis, as well as its broader applicability in mathematical physics and partial differential equations.

Food Neophobia, Food Pickiness, And Physical Growth Status In A Sample Of Emirati Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders And Neurotypical Development In The United Arab Emirates, Hessa Salem Al Derei

Theses

Eating habits and expression of independence in food selection typically starts at about 18 months of age, reaching its peak between 2 and 6 years. However, child feeding problems are common in boys and girls, both- in children with neuro-typical development (NTD) and those with neuro-development disorders (NDDs). Food Neophobia (FN) and Food Pickiness (FP) are considered as the main forms of food rejection in children, affecting their diet variety, and consumption of foods. If unresolved, these may result in nutrient deficiencies and compromised growth and development in children. There is a dearth of evidence on this important topic in …