Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Motives For Posting Online Reviews, Mara Plecas

Theses

With the help of the Internet, information is no longer only controlled by large businesses and news media. Consumers now have an opportunity to assert their opinion of products or services online in form of online reviews and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication. Both positive and negative word-of-mouth communication can have a strong influence on consumers’ behavior and on business performance. Positive word-of-mouth is becoming a new way of promoting and building brand relationships with consumers. Negative worth-of-mouth is motivated by revengeful behavior due to a negative or dissatisfying experience. Vast amount of research has shown that word-of-mouth can be a …

Service Experience & Expectations Of Saudi Arabia Domestic Tourists In The Lodging Sector, Yasser Ahmad Qarashia

Theses

The Saudi’s 2030 vision has recognized the vital role of religious tourism in the diversification of the kingdom’s economy in addition to the reliance on gas and oil revenue. Currently, religious tourism contributes at least 3% of the Saudi’s GDP. The government plans to double the revenue from the religious tourism by doubling the accommodation capacity for both the Hajj and Umrah visitors. The increasing number of international and luxurious hotels in Makkah and other major cities reflect a rising of the hotel industry in Saudi Arabia.

Research has documented the importance role of service quality in influencing organizational outcomes …

Tree Based Modeling Techniques Applied To Hospital Length Of Stay, Rupansh Goantiya

Theses

Patient length of stay (LOS) is frequently used by researchers in the field of hospital management as a performance measuring criterion (McDermott & Stock, 2007). Patient LOS is found to be related to the quality of care (Thomas, et al., 1997) and prolonged LOS increases the probability of patients acquiring infections at the hospital. Hence, hospitals provide significant importance to patient LOS to maximize superior performance related rewards and minimize poor care related penalties by the public and private insurance providers. In addition, understanding patient LOS is also necessary for hospitals to meticulously manage their resources. In this research, predictive …

Professional Heartbreakers: Male Entertainers And The Divide Between Popular Culture And History In Japan, Meradeth Lin Edwards

Theses

While prostitution in Japan is widely studied, there are seldom specific examinations of males in these roles. This paper uses primary sources and secondary sources to study men as purchasable commodities, and how these roles have shaped the fictional world as well as the real world in Japan.

Tear Film Model Formulation: A 1-D Exploration, Emily Kiesel

Theses

The study of the tear film of the eye is important for understanding the causes of dye eye syndrome, a disease causing damage to the ocular surface resulting in discomfort for many people. A popular mathematical model describing the evolution of the tear film thickness over time is a fourth-order nonlinear partial differential equation (PDE). This model has been formulated two different ways to facilitate numerical approximations. The first way is just one PDE including a fourth derivative along with the boundary and initial conditions that is solved for the tear film thickness. The second is a system of coupled …

Système, Trupti Pomaje

Theses

In today’s throwaway world, the rate at which and the amount of goods that are getting discarded has developed an alarming situation. Electronic industry has evolved rapidly since the invention of transistors in 1947. From these days onwards, efforts have been taken to make the products more efficient in terms of their performance, reduce design and production cost and have higher profit margins. However, this has led to products being designed in a way which makes people want to dispose them early, in turn making them part of waste after usage. Electronic products contain certain materials and components which are …

Bubble Stream Production By Belugas (Delphinapterus Leucas), Megan Slack

Theses

Bubble stream production in belugas has been poorly characterized and its function is not well understood. I examined behavioral states when producing bubble streams (“bubbling”), and when bubbling calls, to determine whether bubbling was significantly associated with a particular call category or behavioral state. Using 19 hours of video and audio recordings collected over a two-day period, I quantified bubble streams of a 4-month old calf and an unrelated adult female housed together. Based on the overall activity budgets and pool of vocalizations for both animals, I calculated the expected counts of bubble streams with and without vocalizations, assuming that …

Methods For The Detection Of Subterranean Methane Leakage, Margot Accettura

Theses

The development of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) has led to a plethora of industry applications. One such application for a sUAS is detecting subterranean methane leakage. The rapid detection of methane will streamline work in industries such as construction and utilities. However, prior to flying a sUAS, the optimal way to detect methane must be determined so that unknown levels of subterranean methane leakage can be detected accurately and efficiently. In this thesis, two methods were used in conjunction to optimize a sUAS method for methane detection. The primary objective was to use hyperspectral data to locate the optimal …

Daily Artefact: A Record Of Making And Maker, Aprille Nace

Theses

Reacting to the inherent qualities of clay this thesis is an exploration into how mass, color, expressionistic textures, quiet neutral planes, and the materiality of clay can embody extreme contradiction and tension in abstract ceramic sculpture. The body of work begins as a massive blank canvas awaiting my response of the moment. Each form is acted upon differently but holds in common a stretching of the expressivist potential of clay. This exploration is driven by my struggles with the extreme highs and lows of bipolar disorder.

That was the premise of my thesis before I began working on it. As …

Investigating The Effect Of Lower Back Fatigue On Human Gait And The Propensity For Slip And Fall, Maya S. Luster

Theses

Slips, trips, and falls (STF) remain among the most important causes of occupational injuries. Most of the previous studies focused on the impact of lower extremity muscle fatigue on increased risk of STFs. The purpose of our study was to assess how the low back muscle fatigue (LBMF) changed the individuals’ gait and whether that increased the risk of STF. It was hypothesized that LBMF would affect kinematic and kinetic-related measures associated with the human gait and lead to a higher propensity for slips and trips.

Convenience sample of 11 healthy adults participated in this study, (6 M, 5 F). …

An Empirical Evaluation Of The Indicators For Performance Regression Test Selection, Kevin Hannigan

Theses

As a software application is developed and maintained, changes to the source code may cause unintentional slowdowns in functionality. These slowdowns are known as performance regressions. Projects which are concerned about performance oftentimes create performance regression tests, which can be run to detect performance regressions. Ideally we would run these tests on every commit, however, these tests usually need a large amount of time or resources in order to simulate realistic scenarios.

The paper entitled "Perphecy: Performance Regression Test Selection Made Simple but Effective" presents a technique to solve this problem by attempting to predict the likelihood that a commit …

An Assessment Of Prescribed Burning On Soil Erosion Potential In The Mixed Hardwood Forests Of The Ozark Hills In Southern Illinois, Kyle Monroe

Theses

Prescribed fire has become a management tool utilized to restore or maintain the ecology of the mixed hardwoods ecosystem in the Ozark hills of southwestern Illinois. One effect of prescribed burning is consumption of fuel beds, including the litter layer that protects soil from erosion. Amount of sediment loss after prescribed burning in the steep topography of the Ozark hills is unknown. Erosion after prescribed burning could lead to increased soil loss and possibly stream sedimentation (Bladon etal., 2014). The objective of this research was to quantify the amount of sediment transport occurring on a watershed scale. Sediment yields were …

Cross Layer Routing In Cognitive Radio Network Using Deep Reinforcement Learning, Snehal Sudhir Chitnavis

Theses

Development of 5G technology and Internet of Things (IoT) devices has resulted in higher bandwidth requirements leading to increased scarcity of wireless spectrum. Cognitive Radio Networks (CRNs) provide an efficient solution to this problem. In CRNs, multiple secondary users share the spectrum band that is allocated to a primary network. This spectrum sharing of the primary spectrum band is achieved in this work by using an underlay scheme. In this scheme, the Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR) caused to the primary due to communication between secondary users is kept below a threshold level.

In this work, the CRNs …

Low-Cost Multiple-Mav Slam Using Open Source Software, Andrew Hollenbach

Theses

We demonstrate a multiple micro aerial vehicle (MAV) system capable of supporting autonomous exploration and navigation in unknown environments using only a sensor commonly found in low-cost, commercially available MAVs—a front-facing monocular camera. We adapt a popular open source monocular SLAM library, ORB-SLAM, to support multiple inputs and present a system capable of effective cross-map alignment that can be theoretically generalized for use with other monocular SLAM libraries. Using our system, a single central ground control station is capable of supporting up to five MAVs simultaneously without a loss in mapping quality as compared to single-MAV ORB-SLAM. We conduct testing …

Compelling, Fatmah Bamashmous

Theses

As a woman from Saudi Arabia learning the craft of woodworking in America, I intend to embrace the opportunity to blend Arabic art and design with my knowledge of making furniture to create a body of work that is uniquely mine.

In my thesis, I created a body of work that helped me define my voice as an Arabic designer and maker. I have seen and researched Islamic art and graphic details such as Arabesque (عربسكي), which is an ornamental design consisting of intertwined flowing lines, and architectural details found in Mashrabiya (مشربية) arches, doors,..etc., and incorporated these aspects into …

Simulation And Framework For The Humanoid Robot Tigerbot, Felisa Sze

Theses

Walking humanoid robotics is a developing field. Different humanoid robots allow for different kinds of testing. TigerBot is a new full-scale humanoid robot with seven degrees-of-freedom legs and with its specifications, it can serve as a platform for humanoid robotics research. Currently TigerBot has encoders set up on each joint, allowing for position control, and its sensors and joints connect to Teensy microcontrollers and the ODroid XU4 single-board computer central control unit. The components’ communication system used the Robot Operating System (ROS). This allows the user to control TigerBot with ROS. It’s important to have a simulation setup so a …

Novel Detection And Analysis Using Deep Variational Autoencoders, Tucker B. Graydon

Theses

This paper presents a Novel Identification System which uses generative modeling techniques and Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs) to identify the main process variables involved in a novel event from multivariate data. Features are generated and subsequently dimensionally reduced by using a Variational Autoencoder (VAE) supplemented by a denoising criterion and a β disentangling method. The GMM parameters are learned using the Expectation Maximization(EM) algorithm on features collected from only normal operating conditions. A one-class classification is achieved by thresholding the likelihoods by a statistically derived value. The Novel Identification method is verified as a detection method on existing Radio Frequency …

Characterization Of Shear-Induced Hemolysis In Rotational Medical Devices, James A. Krisher

Theses

The implantation of a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) is a rapidly growing means of treatment for a large variety of heart ailments. These blood pumps necessarily exert some degree of shear stress on blood passing through them, which, over time, may cause the rupture of red blood cells, coagulation, thromboses, and bleeding. This limits their use as long term treatment and therapy. While the relationship of fluid shear to blood damage has been demonstrated previously, there is significant variance in the reported levels of damage. Were these stresses and subsequent damage to be well understood and related, existing and …

A Habitat Suitability Model For Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa Umbellus) In New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation Region 8, Austin Groff

Theses

Shrubland, young forest, and other types of early successional habitats have historically declined due to a lack in anthropogenic and natural disturbances. This decline in disturbance-dependent habitats has impacted the populations of a variety of species, with some of conservation concern, such as the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus). Using an iteration-reduction method for this project, a Habitat Suitability Model was created in ArcGIS Pro to assess NYSDEC Region 8 for potential habitat, and to assist with determining where the potential habitat was located within the area of interest. These potential habitat areas were ranked from “POOR” to “PRIME” based on …

Succession Of An Upland Oak/Hickory Forest In The Central Hardwood Region, Nathan Hoover

Theses

For the last 9,000-10,000 years the Central Hardwood Region (CHR) has been primarily composed of a mosaic of mesophytic communities in climax and communities of successional forest types dominated by oak (Quercus Linnaeus) and hickory (Carya Nuttall). Shade intolerant oak/hickory dominated forest types have been maintained by natural disturbance processes in synergy with anthropogenic causes, resulting in a large composition of communities which are neither at climatic nor edaphic climax. Reduction in fire events, thinning, forest grazing, and other disturbance processes over the last 80-100 years have coincided with decreased regeneration of shade intolerant species due to lack of adequate …

Adaptive Water Governance And Community Resilience: Assessing The Impact Of The Cache River Wetlands Joint Venture Partnership On Communities In The Cache River Watershed Of Southern Illinois, Rachel Emeline Boucher

Theses

Resilience is a concept that is becoming heavily researched in the sustainability and resource management literature. For rural resource-dependent communities, community resilience is the ability to adapt to various drivers of change while maintaining or enhancing community well-being. In recent decades, the field of water resource governance has been transitioning from a reliance on command-and-control institutional structures toward adaptive multi-level institutions, such as adaptive co-management and adaptive governance. These transitions offer potential opportunities for enhancing the resilience and sustainability of resource-dependent communities. However, the relationship between these emerging governance approaches and community resilience is not fully understood. The Cache River …

Delineating Capture Zones Using A Systematic Sensitivity Analysis That Varies Recharge, Hydraulic Conductivity And Conductance, Nick C. Lamkey

Theses

The Saline Valley Conservancy District (SVCD) formed in 1980 to provide groundwater to communities in Saline and Gallatin, Counties, Illinois. Sulfate contamination from a nearby coal mine threatens the SVCD’s current well field. Three of the wells are reaching the end of their service and have elevated levels of sulfate. This study investigated multiple well configurations on three different parcels of land to find possible new well locations that do not recharge water directly from the mine site over a 50-year period. A steady-state finite difference groundwater flow model was created using Graphic Groundwater GIS (Krienert and Esling, 2016), a …

Prediction Of Clinical Symptoms And Psychological Flexibility Using A Novel Values Card Sort Activity, Ryan S. Kimball

Theses

Values are directly relevant in a number of theoretical orientations in psychology, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In ACT, clarification of one’s personal values is paramount. The present study examined the ability to predict clinical symptoms and psychological flexibility using variables derived from one’s performance on the ACT Values Card Sort (ACT-VCS), a novel values clarification exercise. The independent variables, obtained from the ACT-VCS, included 1) the number of values endorsed as very important in the initial sort (i.e., valuing propensity), 2) the number of values domains represented in the final sort (i.e., values diversity), and 3) the extent …

The Development Of 800 Days Of Solitude: A Conjuring: A Playwriting Thesis, David Dudley

Theses

This thesis document is a presentation of the process and production of my play, 800 Days of Solitude: A Conjuring, which was presented in the Moe Theater Lab March 22 through 25 2018. This play endeavored to tell the story of a young man who was wrongfully imprisoned, and then forced into solitary confinement. Chapter 1 contains a detailed account of the pre-writing process, including early inspirations, impressions of what the play might be, and character bios. Chapter 2 is a narrative account of the writing of 800 Days of Solitude: A Conjuring, along with key inspirations and how I …

Migration Patterns, Habitat Use, Prey Items, And Hunter Harvest Of Long-Tailed Ducks (Clangula Hyemalis) That Overwinter On Lake Michigan, Luke J. Fara

Theses

The long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis; hereafter LTDU) breeds on the arctic tundra across Alaska and Canada and winters south of the ice edge along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, as well as on the Great Lakes. Data suggest that LTDU populations are in decline and, as a result, efforts have been made to better understand their population distributions through satellite telemetry studies. Radio-marked LTDUs from previous studies have shown very little use of Lake Michigan, even though aerial surveys indicate that large concentrations of this species overwinter there. LTDUs using Lake Michigan face a host of conservation issues, such as …

Design And Verification Of A Round-Robin Arbiter, Aung Toe

Theses

As the number of bus masters increases in chip, the performance of a system largely depends on the arbitration scheme. The throughput of the system is affected by the arbiter circuit which controls the grant for various requestors. An arbitration scheme is usually chosen based on the application. A memory arbiter decides which CPU will get access for each cycle. A packet switch uses an arbiter to decide which input packet will be scheduled to the output. This paper introduces a Round-robin arbitration with adjustable weight of resource access time. The Round-robin arbiter mechanism is useful when no starvation of …

Heaven & Earth, Nelson Caliguia Jr.

Theses

Heaven & Earth is a graduate animated thesis film with a runtime of four minutes and 58 seconds. This animated short film is a playful take on the eternal struggle between humans and the heavenly forces that dictate weather conditions. Heaven & Earth combines elements from both Philippine folk art and classic American cartoons, exploring a stylistic hybrid borne out of influences that I have genuine affinity for.

This animated short is in full color, and was produced using digital 2D animation. It was entirely animated in TVPaint, while the backgrounds were drawn and painted in Photoshop. For compositing and …

Analyzing The Relationship Between Large Scale Climate Variability And Streamflow Of The Continental United States, Swastik Bhandari

Theses

Over the years there is an increasing evidence of climate change on the available water resources. The interaction of hydrological cycle with climate variability and change may provide information related with several water management issues. The current study analyzes streamflow variability of the United States due to large-scale ocean-atmospheric climate variability. In addition, forecast lead-time is also improved by coupling climate information in a data driven modeling framework. The spatial-temporal correlation between streamflow and oceanic-atmospheric variability represented by sea surface temperature (SST), 500-mbar geopotential height (Z500), 500-mbar specific humidity (SH500), and 500-mbar east-west wind (U500) of the Pacific and the …

Changes In Antisocial Attitudes And Recidivist Outcomes, Maranda Rose Quillen

Theses

This purpose of this study is to examine whether changes in offender antisocial attitudes predict recidivism, violent reoffense, and severity of reoffending among completers of the community based, Counter-Point treatment program. While offender antisocial attitudes changed following treatment completion, these changes did not significantly predict violent recidivism and general recidivism. However, violent offenders, upon entering the program, were more likely to recidivate violently, and a decrease in antisocial attitudes following treatment completion increased the severity of reoffending. These findings highlight that change takes time and treatment dosage may serve as an important component of maintaining attitudinal change in treatment and …

Modification Of A Current Coalbed Methane Permeability Model For Horizontal Strain Only, Sawyer David Schrader

Theses

Cleat permeability of coal is the most critical parameter affecting the amount of production from a coalbed methane (CBM) reservoir. As a result, there have been many studies about how cleat permeability changes over the life of a reservoir, leading to the development over time of several different permeability models. Most permeability models used today consider volumetric strain as an input parameter; however, permeability is impacted primarily by the increase in cleat aperture, resulting from matrix shrinkage in the horizontal direction. Recent work has shown that coal exhibits transverse isotropy, with total strain in the vertical direction being significantly higher …