Digital Commons Network^™

Keeping The Internet Free In The Americas, Dawn C. Nunziato

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

To preserve and protect the Internet as a forum for the uninhibited, robust, and wide-open exchange of ideas and information in the Americas, governments must take active steps to facilitate such free speech values. The relationship between governments and Internet service providers is of pre-eminent importance in this regard, as ISPs are in the position to be the facilitators of the free flow of information and ideas. On the one hand, ISPs should not be shackled with intermediary liability for hosting harmful content. On the other hand, ISPs should not be granted the discretion to restrict communications flowing through their …

§ 9:9 Authenticating Email, Social Media, Web Pages, Text Messages, Instant Messaging, Electronic Signatures, Laird Kirkpatrick

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

A particularly difficult evidentiary problem facing courts today is the proper standard for the authentication of electronic evidence or social media, such as emails, web pages, text messages, instant messaging and electronic signatures. This article analyzes the court decisions addressing these issues.

Connecting Dots : Interaction Design For Holistic Learning, Michelle Tan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Connecting Dots proposes that new media such as interactive websites can be developed using a design framework based on elements of holistic education identified by Miller (1996) as Balance, Inclusion and Connection, so that holistic learning can be achieved. Recognising the negative consequences of the focus on meritocracy, the Singapore government have in recent years advocated for a transformation of the education system to include opportunities for holistic learning. This research contends that holistic learning is a responsibility that has to be shared by both the education system and families. This should be cultivated in a child from an …

The Relationship Between Place Attachment And Return Visits To Heritage Sites : A Case Study Of Ras Al Khaimah, Ahmed Alshemeili

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Over the past decade, heritage tourism has become a significant growth industry worldwide. Fuelled in part by nostalgia for the past, tourists seem to have the desire to visit archaeological sites. A review of the literature reveals that many visitors return to heritage places repeatedly over a short period of time. While the reason visitors return to heritage sites vary and may be individualistic; place attachment may be a major intrinsic element.

The main purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between place attachment and tourists’ intentions for return visits to heritage sites. The overall objectives of the …

The Clinical Utility Of The Halosperm Assay And The Development Of A Simplified Method Of Human Semen Storage For The Testing Of Sperm Dna Fragmentation, Ashleigh Cavell Mcevoy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Male infertility is typically diagnosed upon routine semen analysis following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) semen analysis manual. Recent editions of the manual have essentially changed the diagnosis of a semen sample, prompting debate between experts as to which edition should be followed. Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) integrity analysis is proving to be a useful adjunct to semen analysis as 15% of infertile men have a normal semen analysis but they have an increased DNA fragmentation level (DFL) which has been associated with increased disease incidence in any resultant offspring. However, such tests are not endorsed by the WHO, possibly due …

The Role Of Strangers In Victorian Novels: A Psychoanalytical Study Of Their Repressions, Functions And Aspirations, Mohammad Ahmed Al-Abdulrazaq

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this study is to examine the stranger characters in three Victorian Novels, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge and Charles Dickens's Great Expectations. The exploration of the characters is based on the analysis of their psyche to understand how they are utilized by the Victorian writers. The study highlights how the fictional strangers can assist in the course of the action of the novel and function as a stimulus by which the actions and thoughts develop plausibly and feasibly. Utilizing the views of Freud, Erikson and others the study will allow for …

A Series Of Studies Examining The Development Of Sprint Speed And Momentum Of International Rugby Union Players, Matthew John Barr

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Sprinting speed is a highly valued physical ability in rugby. There is little research examining sprinting biomechanics in rugby players and it is unclear the extent that sprinting speed and sprint momentum can even be improved in highly trained rugby players and how different speed and strength training methods might help improve it. This thesis consists of 6 studies that examine the sprinting biomechanics of elite rugby players, how strength and power training might improve sprinting speed and the potential for elite rugby players to make further improvement in their sprinting speed and sprint momentum.

Key biomechanical factors were that …

Impact Of Nutrition On Cognition And Its Association With Blood And Brain Alzheimer Disease Related Biomarkers, Samantha Gardener

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of senile dementia, currently affects over 35 million people worldwide. While there is no cure or effective treatment, early intervention programs hold considerable promise. Following particular dietary patterns represents one potential intervention strategy accessible to all.

Results from previous studies investigating the association of diet, cognition and biomarkers of AD are inconsistent: Positive results have been reported (1-7), whilst others have shown no associations. Prior to this thesis, no study has assessed the relationship of four dietary patterns to cognition, blood-based and neuroimaging biomarkers of AD in a large highly-characterised ageing cohort. Participants …

Religion, Heritage, And Power： Everyday Life In Contemporary China, Asan Xue

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Based on an ethnographic study of the religious life of ordinary people in the town of Dongpu, this research explores the relationships between: religion and state power; Chinese ritual (li, 礼/禮) tradition and Christian culture; and religion and intangible cultural heritage in contemporary China.

This research found that both the practitioners of Chinese rituals and the Christian community deploy tactics to resist and negotiate with the hegemonic official culture through spatial and religious practices in their everyday life. Chinese ritual practices dedicated to deities and ancestors are defined as idol worship in the doctrine of Christianity and denigrated …

Constructing Corporate Capability In Changing Contexts: The Innovation Journey Of Strategic Management Development At Bankwest, Moira Watson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis is about an unfolding management development process over time. Interconnections influencing corporate capability are explained and insight provided into the social construction of strategic organisational change. Studies of strategically-focused change don’t generally address the part management development plays in innovation and corporate capability construction. This research thus fills a persistent knowledge gap in the understanding of the way management development is provided within organisations and the value of the process.

This empirical study is in the process research tradition. A longitudinal, in-depth case study of BankWest, an Australian financial services company undergoing significant change between 1997 and 2009, …

Redefining Internal Audit Performance: Impact On Corporate Governance, Razimah Binti Abdullah

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

One of the preventive measures to situations akin to world financial crises increasingly forwarded is effective internal audit function (IAF) (e.g., Imhoff, 2003; Mohamad & Muhamad Sori, 2011). Internal audit, a component of corporate governance, continues to evolve due to changes in business strategies and requirements placed on it by legislators. The roles of internal auditors and audit committees (ACs), the key personnel in IAFs, are changing to a more value-added approach as business strategies move towards corporate sustainability and organisational excellence. Suggestions forwarded to improve the performance or determining the quality of IAF include effective involvement of ACs in …

Right Ventricular Perforation: A Rare Complication Of Pulmonary Artery Catheterization, Khalid Ahsan, Mohammad Hamid, Saulat H. Fatimi, Ijaz Hidayat

Department of Anaesthesia

A 70 years old male underwent Coronary Artery Bypass and Graft (CABG) surgery. After induction, a Pulmonary Artery Catheter (PAC) was inserted via right IJV with some difficulty in achieving PA tracing. During distal RCA anastomosis, surgeon noticed PAC tip coming out of Right Ventricular (RV) surface. Resistance was felt on trying to pull PAC, so it was left there. Cardiac surgeon then opened the Right Atrium (RA) and pulled out the catheter. Multiple attempts during insertion of PA catheter should always raise the suspicion of PAC tip slipping back into the RV. It should be closely monitored during surgery …

Exploring A Visual/Sonic Representational Continuum, Lindsay Vickery

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper explores the relationships between sound and its visualisation, focussing upon the issues surrounding representation and interpretation of music through both performative and machine processes. The discussion proceeds in the context of five recent works by the author exploring the representation of sound and musical notation and their relationship to and with performance: unhörbares wird hörbar (the inaudible becomes audible) [2013], EVP [2012], Lyrebird: environment player [2014], Nature Forms I [2014] and sacrificial zones [2014]. Issues examined include: re-sonification of spectrograms, visualisation of spectral analysis data, control of spatialisation and audio processing using spectral analysis data, and reading issues …

Collaborative School Culture In Al Ain Secondary Schools: A Qualitative Study Of One Female And One Male School., Rania Mohamad Alqarqaz

Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of collaborative school culture in two of Al Ain Cycle Three schools. The first school was a female school and the second one was a male school. These two schools are under the supervision of Abu Dhabi Educational Council (ADEC) in United Arab Emirates. They were part of 11 secondary schools studied by Falouqa (2013). She studied the collaborative school culture in these 11 schools using a questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire was used to measure the six components of collaborative school culture (CSC) as conceptualized by Gruenert (2005). …

The Private Affairs Of Public Officials: Marriage And Masculinity In Interwar And Post-Mubarak Egypt, Hanan Kholoussy

Faculty Journal Articles

This paper examines the 1933 legislation that prevented Egyptian diplomats from marrying foreign, especially European, women. While this law emerged during a period of anticolonial nationalist struggle against British colonial rule, it continues to be implemented in contemporary Egypt. Most recently, it has been applied to presidential candidates in post-Mubarak Egypt. This paper historicizes the law in the broader public debates about bachelorhood and mixed marriage that dominated the pages of the Egyptian press in the 1920s and 1930s. As has been argued elsewhere, mixed marriage in semi-colonial Egypt was a contested site of national identity formation that attracted the …

Teachers’Perception Of Characteristics Of Effective Female School Leaders Of Elementary Schools In Abu Dhabi Emirate, Zahra Saif Malek Al Shehaimi

Theses

This study aimed at identifying the characteristics of effective female school leaders’ from teachers’ perspectives. The objectives of this study are three as follows: a) surveying the literature on the characteristics of effective school leaders., b) examining the reality to what extend the school leaders are effective, and c) finding other characteristics in which school leaders in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi schools can develop their effectiveness at schools. The research employed a quantitative analysis to answer the research questions. The results of this study indicated that teachers' perception towards their principal is positive. Teachers in the Abu Dhabi and …

The Effectiveness Of Adec's Professional Development For Principals In Al Ain Government Schools, Uae, Wafaa Ai-Ghafri

Theses

This study investigated the extent to which professional development provided by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) helped principals in Al Ain government schools to lead the new five components of change in their schools. The study was guided by three research questions and used the mixed research method. Data were collected through a questionnaire, individual interviews, and focus group interviews. The questionnaire was divided into four sections. The first section included demographic information of participants. The second section included eleven statements addressing the school principals' perceptions towards professional development programs conducted by ADEC. The third section was comprised of …

Drawing On Student Knowledge In Human Anatomy And Physiology, Tara Slominski

Biological Sciences

Prior to instruction, students may have developed alternative conceptions about the mechanics behind human physiology. To help students re-shape these ideas into correct reasoning, the faulty characteristics reinforcing the alternative conceptions need to made explicit. This study used student-generated drawings to expose alternative conceptions Human Anatomy and Physiology students had prior to instruction on neuron physiology. Specifically, we investigated how students thought about neuron communication across a synapse (n=355) and how neuron activity can be modified (n=311). When asked to depict basic communication between two neurons, at least 80% of students demonstrated incorrect ideas about synaptic transmission. When targeting spatial …

Effects Of Vibrotactile Display Position And Shape On Extrapersonal Localization, Adam D. Sitz

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Vibrotactile displays are capable of conveying extrapersonal spatial information to users navigating or operating within a three-dimensional environment (e.g., aircraft pilots). Although vibrotactile displays can be applied to many parts of the body, recent applications have focused on torso-based displays that egocentrically reference distal targets. However, these displays may be poorly suited to convey elevation because of the generally cylindrical shape of the human torso. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of handheld vibrotactile displays configured either in a cylindrical or spherical-shape as compared to a torso-based display. Due to its shape, the spherical …

Naval Aviation Squadron Risk Analysis Predictive Bayesian Network Modeling Using Maintenance Climate Assessment Survey Results, Harry Michael Robinson

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Associated risks in flying have resulted in injury or death to aircrew and passengers, and damage or destruction of the aircraft and its surroundings. Although the Naval Aviation's flight mishap rate declined over the past 60 years, the proportion of human error causal factors has stayed relatively constant at about 80%. Efforts to reduce human errors have focused attention on understanding the aircrew and maintenance actions occurring in complex systems.

One such tool has been the Naval Aviation squadrons' regular participation in survey questionnaires deigned to measure respondent ratings related to personal judgments or perceptions of organizational climate for meeting …

Using Interactive Reading Techniques With Word World To Enhance Emergent Literacy, James B. Godfrey

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

Facets of emergent literacy such as phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK) are precursors to later conventional literacy (Dockrell, Stuart & King, 2010; Neuman & Dwyer, 2009; NELP, 2008). Interactive reading techniques such as dialogic reading (Whitehurst et al., 1988) and explicit print referencing (Piasta et al., 2012; Justice et al., 2010) have been used effectively with printed text to enhance emergent literacy. This quasi-experimental study was designed to determine the extent to which interactive reading techniques combined with the viewing of educational television may enhance facets of emergent literacy such as PA and AK. A convenience sample of …

Gpu Accelerated Long-Term Simulations Of Beam-Beam Effects In Colliders, B. Terzić, V. Morozov, Y. Roblin, F. Lin, H. Zhang, M. Aturban, D. Ranjan, M. Zubair

Computer Science Faculty Publications

We present an update on the development of the new code for long-term simulation of beam-beam effects in particle colliders. The underlying physical model relies on a matrix-based arbitrary-order particle tracking (including a symplectic option) for beam transport and the generalized Bassetti-Erskine approximation for beam-beam interaction. The computations are accelerated through a parallel implementation on a hybrid GPU/CPU platform. With the new code, previously computationally prohibitive long-term simulations become tractable. The new code will be used to model the proposed Medium-energy Electron-Ion Collider (MEIC) at Jefferson Lab.

Front Matter - Table Of Contents - Preface

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Long-Distance Versus Geographically Close Romantic Relationships: Relational Maintenance, Satisfaction, And Affectionate Communication On Facebook, Christina J. Gentile, Autumn Edwards

Iowa Journal of Communication

In this study, individuals in long-distance and geographically close romantic relationships were surveyed to determine whether there were differences in regards to relationship maintenance, relationship satisfaction, and affectionate communication via Facebook. Further, this study explored whether individuals differed on the aforementioned dependent variables by attachment style. The results of this study suggest that there are few differences in relationship-oriented Facebook use for individuals with varying attachment styles and relationship types, and that Facebook likely is not a primary medium individuals use to communicate with a romantic partner. However, utilizing Facebook was found to be beneficial for relationship satisfaction.

Relational Communication: Introduction To The Special Issue, David T. Mcmahan

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Connecting Visual Communicators With An Auditory World: Exploring Communication Accomodation Processes In D/Deaf-Hearing Interactions, Genelle Timperlake Sanders, Stephanie Rollie Rodriguez

Iowa Journal of Communication

d/Deaf individuals' use of a visual-based language, American Sign Language (ASL), can lead to challenges in communicating and developing relationships with the larger hearing majority. This study uses Communication Accommodation Theory as a framework for exploring d/Deaf individuals' perspectives on communication with hearing individuals and the strategies they use to converge or diverge from hearing individuals during interactions. Through in-depth interviews conducted in ASL, participants were asked to recount experiences of communication interactions with members of the hearing majority and preferred strategies and motivations for convergence or divergence. Results identified convergence as a strategy to indicate interest in communicating with …

Iowa Journal Of Communication, Volume 46, Number 1, Fall 2014 [Download Entire Issue]

Iowa Journal of Communication

No abstract provided.

Co-Rumination With A Friend About A Romantic Relationship: Perception Of Satisfaction And Inequity, Ashley A. Hanna Edwards, Krystyna S. Aune

Iowa Journal of Communication

This study investigates the relationship between co-ruminating about one's romantic relationship with a close friend and friendship satisfaction, romantic relationship satisfaction, and inequity in the romantic relationship. Reasons for co-ruminating with a friend about issues in romantic relationships were reported. Results indicate that co-ruminating about one's romantic relationship with a friend had no significant association with friendship satisfaction. Additionally, this study found that co-ruminating with a friend about a romantic relationship is correlated with higher perceptions of inequity within a romantic relationship and with romantic relationship dissatisfaction. A discussion of implications, limitations, and future directions is offered.

Sibling Secrets, Conspiracies, And Collaborations: Dialectical Tensions And The Relationship Effects Of Sibling Alliances In Families, John H. Nicholson

Iowa Journal of Communication

Accounts when siblings worked together (sibling alliances) were examined to determine the impact of sibling alliance attempts on family relationships. Two hundred alliance attempts comprised the data, including one hundred successful and one hundred unsuccessful alliance attempts. Respondents indicated that engaging in the reported alliances was approximately as likely to have a positive effect on the relationship among siblings as to have no effect at all. Negative effects of sibling alliances were found in under 5% of cases. Most of the reported alliances had no effect on the relationships between targets of the alliance and the sibling allies. In those …

Barriers Impeding Social Support: The Experiences Of Young Adults With Bipolar Disorder, Eileen F. Doherty, Erina J. Macgeorge

Iowa Journal of Communication

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness with a significant negative impact on quality of life. People with bipolar disorder benefit when family and friends provide social support, but quantity and quality of support are often lacking. The purpose of this study is to provide a focused analysis of barriers to support-seeking and provision as identified by young adults (ages 18-30) who have bipolar disorder. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with young adults with bipolar disorder (N = 29) and analyzed using qualitative coding methods. Communication barriers experienced by participants included the characteristics of bipolar disorder, stigma associated with mental illness, desire …