Digital Commons Network^™

Implementation Of Image Processing Approach To Translation Of Asl Finger-Spelling To Digital Text, Divya Mandloi

Theses

This thesis describes the ongoing development of an image processing technique for the translation of American Sign Language (ASL) finger-spelling to text. The present analysis is the phase one of a broader project, the Sign2 Project, which is focused on a complete technological approach to the translation of ASL to digital audio and/or text. The methodology adopted in this analysis employs a gray-scale image processing technique to convert the American Sign Language finger-spelling to text. It attempts to process static images of the subject considered, and then matches them to a statistical database of pre-processed images to ultimately recognize the …

Security Aspects In Voice Over Ip Systems, Gokul Bhupathiraju

Theses

Security has become a major concern with the rapid growth of interest in the internet. This project deals with the security aspects of VoIP systems. Various supporting protocols and technologies are considered to provide solutions to the security problems. This project stresses on the underlying VoIP protocols like Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Secure Real-time Transport Procotol (SRTP), H.323 and Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP). The project further discusses the Network Address Translation (NAT) devices and firewalls that perform NAT. A firewall provides a point of defense between two networks. This project considers issues regarding the firewalls and the problems faced …

Mentoring In The Department Of Access Services At The National Technical Institute For The Deaf, Gayle Macias

Theses

Not provided.

Polystyrene Nanocomposites Based On An Oligomerically-Modified Clay Containing Maleic Anhydride, Xiaoxia Zheng, David D. Jiang, Charles A. Wilkie

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

An oligomerically-modified clay containing maleic anhydride was used to prepare polystyrene-clay nanocomposites by melt blending and the effect of this modified clay on the thermal stability and fire performance was studied. These nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and cone calorimetry. The results show a mixed immiscible/intercalated/delaminated morphology. The maleic anhydride modified clay improved the compatibility between the clay and the polystyrene.

Knowledge And Perceived Ambiguity Of Physical Activity Recommendations And Physical Activity In Men And Women In The United States, Laura G. Kiken

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The majority of Americans - especially women - do not meet physical activity recommendations. Having physical activity goals has been associated with physical activity participation, and physical activity recommendations set by public health experts can be viewed as externally set goals. However, past research has shown that goals that are specific rather than ambiguous are more likely to be achieved, and variations in recommendations over time and across sources may have created perceived goal ambiguity.Objectives: This study aimed to (1) examine the extent of physical activity recommendation knowledge among adults in the United States, (2) quantify perceptions of the …

Molecular Localization Of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1-Alpha In Post-Ischemic Myocardium Following In Vivo Prolyl-4 Hydroxylase-2 Gene Silencing, Julia Antoinette Messina

Theses and Dissertations

Administration of small interfering RNA (siRNA) specific for prolyl-4 hydroxylase-2 (PHD2) results in PHD2 inhibition, Hypoxia Inducible Factor-I (HIF-1) activation, and cardioprotection versus Ischemia Reperfusion (IR). This study observes the effects of siRNA-mediated PHD2 inhibition on the distribution of cardioprotective proteins by immunofluorescence and basic histology. Fifteen mice were divided into 5 groups: PHD2 Control, Non-Targeting scramble (NTS) Control, IR Control, PHD2 IR, and NTS IR. Histologically, tissue damage was reduced dramatically in the PHD2 IR group compared to the NTS IR and IR control groups. From confocal images, total fluorescent pixels and intensities were quantified. The PHD2 IR group …

Design And Analysis Methods For Cluster Randomized Trials With Pair-Matching On Baseline Outcome: Reduction Of Treatment Effect Variance, Misook Park

Theses and Dissertations

Cluster randomized trials (CRT) are comparative studies designed to evaluate interventions where the unit of analysis and randomization is the cluster but the unit of observation is individuals within clusters. Typically such designs involve a limited number of clusters and thus the variation between clusters is left uncontrolled. Experimental designs and analysis strategies that minimize this variance are required. In this work we focus on the CRT with pre-post intervention measures. By incorporating the baseline measure into the analysis, we can effectively reduce the variance of the treatment effect. Well known methods such as adjustment for baseline as a covariate …

Transforming Growth Factor-Β1 (Tgf-Β1) Induces Mast Cell Apoptosis, Farnaz Norozian

Theses and Dissertations

Mast cells are potent effectors of the inflammatory response, playing an important role in atopy, bacterial immunity, and animal models of arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease. Hence controlling mast cell numbers and responsiveness is essential for preventing inflammatory disease. This work demonstrated that the cytokine TGF-β1 is a potent inducer of mast cell apoptosis, a finding that was consistent for cultured mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells, peritoneal mast cells, and human mast cells. Cell death appeared to be the result of TGF-mediated repression of IL-3 receptor expression and function, leading to mitochondria1 damage and activation of an apoptotic cascade …

Preliminary Research On Taiwanese Art Curriculum Design Based On Visual Culture, Jui-Jung Chang

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, art education has started an on-going discussion on the issue of visual culture. In the past few years this issue also becomes topical due to the necessity to improve art education in Taiwan. Currently, art education based on visual culture has become a very important concern in Taiwan. However, the concept of visual culture has its origin in foreign theories. In order for our art professional to remain independent, it is essential that Taiwanese art teachers begin to address the issue of how to properly incorporate the concept of visual culture into the design of our art …

Tinged With Fire, Margo J. Nolan

Theses and Dissertations

I have created art that has evolved from my own personal experiences. Life is capricious, and with the changes wrought by age, joy, and grief, I have found this self-referential work inevitable. Here, I have documented the journey that has brought me through personal wars, battles, and truces. I have come to believe that although my individual experiences may be unique, my responses to them are not. Loss and victory are universal.

Improving Student Art Vocabulary Retention, Michelle Bena Mckenna

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to research vocabulary strategies that could help improve student art vocabulary retention. The subjects were five intact 3rd grade classes at a culturally diverse elementary school outside of Washington, DC. The vocabulary strategies, concept wheel and semantic mapping, were modified and incorporated into a string printmaking unit for two of the five classes. The remaining three classes were taught the same printmaking unit, with the exclusion of the modified vocabulary activities. The results of a labeling assessment given to each class on three separate occasions indicate that the incorporation of vocabulary activities does help …

Understanding How African-American Middle School Students Cope With Peer Victimization: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Suzanne C. Linkroum

Theses and Dissertations

A mixed-methods approach was used to determine how African-American middle school students cope with peer victimization and to identify factors that inhibit and promote the use of prosocial coping strategies. In a previous study, participants had been categorized into four social clusters: well-adjusted, rejected, passively-victimized, or aggressively-victimized based on a cluster analysis of self-reported psychosocial variables. Interviews with a sub sample of 80 students focusing on identifying both how students thought they would respond and how they thought they should respond to hypothetical situations involving peer victimization were analyzed. Interviews also elicited factors that would support or impede the use …

Potential Predators Of An Invasive Frog (Eleutherodactylus Coqui) In Hawaiian Forests, Karen H. Beard, William C. Pitt

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

In Hawaii, where there are no native reptiles or amphibians, 27 species of reptiles and amphibians have established; however, few have been studied to determine their ecological impacts. For example, little is known about the impacts of the Puerto Rican frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui Thomas, that recently invaded (late 1980s), and has established on all four main Hawaiian Islands. However, there are likely to be consequences because E. coqui can attain high densities (20570 frogs ha⁻¹ on average in Puerto Rico) and consume large quantities of invertebrates (114000 prey items ha⁻¹ per night on average in Puerto Rico).

Enlisting The Tax Bar, David M. Schizer

Faculty Scholarship

Tax shelters have proliferates in the United States not only because of financial innovation, the globalization of capital markets, the increasing complexity of our tax system, the inadequacy of tax penalties, the lack of political support for tax reform, and the growing popularity of textualist interpretation – all factors that have attracted considerable attention in the literature. Shelters also derive from a structural imbalance in our tax system that has not been adequately explored: In important respects, the private tax bar outmatches its counterpart in government. This imbalance is one of sheer numbers, of access to information, and, at least …

Rfid Et Administration Publique: Le Citoyen Sous Surveillance?, Anthony Hémond

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Lorsque les gouvernements et l’Administration se lancent dans la mise en place d’une nouvelle technologie, il leur faut, au préalable, analyser les enjeux et les risques de ce déploiement.

Tel sera l’essentiel de nos développements. Nous verrons comment, notamment à travers la mise en place du e-passeport, la technologie RFID peut être intégrée au sein de l’Administration. Le choix de cette nouvelle génération de passeports n’est pas anodin: si dans certains domaines les donne ́es qu’ils contiennent sont précieuses, dans d’autres, notamment celui de la santé, les informations sur les personnes sont très sensibles. Il faut donc maîtriser les risques …

Beyond Content: The Emergence Of Video Games And Their Diverse Effects On Legal Normativity As Seen Through The Lens Of Jean Baudrillard, Stephen Orr

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Current legal discourse about video games focuses primarily on freedom of speech issues relating to the content of games. Using the work of Jean Baudrillard (and to a small extent Marshall McLuhan) this article reconsiders how we should conceptualize the regulation of video games. Baudrillard's theories are particularly interesting to explore as his pessimistic reflections about technology challenge us to contemplate how profoundly the form of new communicative technologies, such as video games, shape human interactions. Appealing to both theorists' belief that "the medium is the message", this article argues that we should be wary of focusing legal energy exclusively …

Richmond Law Magazine: Winter 2006

Richmond Law Magazine

Features:

How Judges Judge

Balkans in the Balance

Varied Vocations

Proud History, Bright Future

Using Self-Efficacy Precepts To Evaluate The Instructional Effectiveness Of The Use Of Tablet Pc Systems In The Classroom, Richard T. Christoph, Richard D. Puetz, Jack H. Walters

Research & Publications

This paper provides initial results of a study administered to students enrolled in traditional classroombased courses at a small public university in the Midwest. This university has a technology mission and requires the use of Tablet PCs by all incoming students seeking bachelor’s degrees. The purpose of this study is first, to measure student reactions to components of Tablet PC-based instruction as suggested by self-efficacy precepts, and second, to measure the differences between student groups with regard to perceptions of academic performance when using Tablet PC systems in traditional classroom settings. Initial findings show strong student enthusiasm to the adoption …

Role Stressors, Service Worker Job Resourcefulness, And Job Outcomes: An Empirical Analysis, Eric G. Harris, Andrew B. Artis, Jack H. Walters, Jane W. Licata

Research & Publications

This article expands upon previous research on the job resourcefulness construct by examining the influence of role stressors (i.e., role ambiguity and conflict) on job resourcefulness and by examining the influence of job resourcefulness on job satisfaction and intentions to leave the firm. Given the current focus of businesses to ‘‘do more with less’’, the research highlights the importance of role stressors in improving overall organizational efficiency and work outcomes. Drawing from previous work in both hierarchical personality and fit theories, the authors propose that situational determinants play an important role in overall job resourcefulness. An empirical study which utilized …

Guest Editorial Part 2: Emerging Issues For Secure Knowledge Management—Results Of A Delphi Study, Insu Park

Research & Publications

Secure Knowledge Management (SKM) is one of the emerging areas in both knowledge management and information system disciplines. SKM refers to the management of knowledge while adhering to principles of security and privacy. This study identifies key issues on SKM and draws a consensus among domain experts on the key issues. This study is an attempt to accelerate further research and development in the SKM field. In this study, the authors conducted a three-round Delphi study, identifying 21 issues in the SKM area, along with their importance and urgency ratings. Analyses show that participating experts achieved a higher level of …

A Gaming Laboratory To Study Distributed Collaboration Processes., Halbana Tarmizi, Lucas Steinhauser, Matt Payne, Cherie Noteboom, Chi Zhang

Research & Publications

Current events present many examples of situations where a fast and coordinated response is required from many and diverse organizations and stakeholders. Technology-mediated communication and collaboration may be the only option for getting things done in situations like these. There is a real need for research on the kinds of environments and processes that best support fast response on urgent tasks for virtual teams. The paper presents the development and initial test of a gaming laboratory to study such processes. The laboratory is adaptable to different kinds of situations. We discuss the design principles and implementation of the laboratory environment, …

College Students’ Acceptance Of Tablet Pcs: An Application Of The Utaut Model, Omar F. El-Gayar, Mark Moran

Research & Publications

nstructional technology can enhance the learning process for post secondary students. Colleges and universities have adopted computing initiatives that require every student to acquire their own portable computing device. Yet for such initiatives to improve students ’ learning and teaching effectiveness, such technology-based initiatives must be accepted by students and faculty alike.

Expanding Extracurricular Learning Opportunities Through International Engineering Student And Faculty Exchange, Mark Polczynski

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Designing Information Systems Doctoral Programs: Issues And Challenges, Omar F. El-Gayar

Research & Publications

Doctoral programs aim at preparing students for stewardship in their discipline with particular emphasis on training for research. While doctoral programs have been conventionally offered by research institutions, market demands, changing needs, and other factors are driving traditionally teaching institutions to explore opportunities for implementing information systems (IS) doctoral programs. In this paper we present some of the issues and challenges involved in designing and implementing IS doctoral programs. The emphasis is on traditionally teaching institutions. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations and directions for future research on doctoral programs in information systems.

Environmental Management Information Systems (Emis) For Sustainable Development: A Conceptual Overview, Omar F. El-Gayar, Brian D. Fritz

Research & Publications

Environmental management information systems (EMIS) is defined as 'organizational-technical systems for systematically obtaining, processing, and making available relevant environmental information available in companies'. Such systems evolved out of a growing need to manage environmental information in response to internal and external pressures such as regulations, consumers, stockholders, and changes in the business environments. While over the past decade EMIS have proliferated in the corporate landscape, these systems have received little attention within the information systems research community as whole. The objective of this paper is to serve as a tutorial providing a conceptual overview of EMIS, highlighting organizational and technical …

Exploring The Possibilities Of Using Lisanga Small Groups In Disciple-Making Among The Avalogoli People Of Kenya, Nebert A. Mtange

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Possibilities Of Using Lisanga Small Groups In Disciple-Making Among The Avalogoli People Of Kenya, Nebert A. Mtange

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Building A Leadership Team Of Laypersons Upon The Rockwood United Methodist Charge's Embracing And Fulfilling Of Its Charge-Wide Vision Statement, Randall W. Bain

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Compound Change In Existing Congregations, Lois E. Black

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Attendance To Discipleship : A Study Of The Orchard 101 Course, Ben Cathey

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.