Digital Commons Network^™

Sensuality, Camels, And Islam: Disney Music And American Perception Of The Middle Eastern Experience, Laura Schildbach

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In a world that is constantly changing and becoming more open to diversity and equality, filmmakers are faced with the challenge of presenting films and characters that embrace the ever-evolving world around us. In particular, Disney has been presented with this challenge; as a cinema powerhouse with an audience primarily made up of children, there is a perception that Disney has a moral responsibility to present accurate and unbiased representations of all cultures. This paper will analyze how Disney musically represents the Middle East in two Disney feature films, Aladdin and Prince of Persia, and how the musical choices affect …

I'M Listening With Dabdoop: A Phonological Stimulation App For Arabic Preschoolers, Manal Alyaba

Theses

Recognizing the sounds around us is the first step humans take to develop reading skills. Children who are at risk of dyslexia have a weakness in differentiating between sounds that make up our language. Testing for phonological awareness, a crucial part of reading development, can aid in detecting dyslexia. English speaking children have the luxury of being able to access varied programs designed to promote phonological awareness, knowledge of which, in turn, can assist as an early intervention instrument for dyslexia. In Saudi Arabia there are no programs that exist to detect dyslexia in children at an early age. The …

Food Purchasing Habits Of Participants In The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) Among Shelby County, Tennessee Residents, Michelle Ann Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a government entitlement program that provides monetary assistance for participants to consistently acquire adequate food. Many unanswered questions remain regarding nutrition quality of SNAP purchases. Eighty-four SNAP participants were surveyed at food pantries throughout Shelby County, TN to obtain a descriptive analysis of participant purchasing habits. The majority of households received $150 or less per month in benefits, which were spent most frequently at convenience stores (n=42) and in bakeries/delis (n=44). 77% (n=65) of participants reported experiencing times while utilizing SNAP benefits where there was not enough food to feed his/her family. Meat …

District Support Team Model As A Manifestation Of Central Office Transformation: Experiences From Central Office And School Based Staff, Danielle Pfeiffer

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this study was to examine the described experiences of 20 participants—central office executives and specialists, principals, and teacher leaders—in the district support team (DST) process, a manifestation of central office transformation as an approach to school improvement. The site of this study was the Puget Sound School District in Washington State. The district was in its third year of central office transformation employing a differentiated support service model to assist its lowest performing schools. This case study utilized qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, document review, and field observations to understand the prevalence of the six elements of …

Effects Of Training Datasets On Both The Extreme Learning Machine And Support Vector Machine For Target Audience Identification On Twitter, Siaw Ling Lo, David Cornforth, Raymond Chiong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The ability to identify or predict a target audience from the increasingly crowded social space will provide a company some competitive advantage over other companies. In this paper, we analyze various training datasets, which include Twitter contents of an account owner and its list of followers, using features generated in different ways for two machine learning approaches - the Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Various configurations of the ELM and SVM have been evaluated. The results indicate that training datasets using features generated from the owner tweets achieve the best performance, relative to other feature sets. …

Typography For Non-Designers, Caitlyn Redden

Theses

Understanding typography is an essential part of visual communication. Typography communicates the message of the design. I plan to create a piece that will inform the non-designer about the basic rules of typography in a quick and engaging motion graphics animation.

With the expansion of the digital world, design has become accessible to anyone with an internet connection through software applications and tutorials. Even with these tools, there is a significant lack of design knowledge available. I will guide the audience through concepts that are most often used inappropriately. The concepts include: alignment, grid structure, hierarchy and typeface choice.

Unfolding Thailand: Tourism Promoted By 3d Motion Graphics, Nonthawan Pisessith

Theses

Unfolding Thailand is a project that aims to bring a new approach in introducing the country as well as promoting the tourism. My specific scope of this project is to create a visual representation of popular destinations from the northern, central, and southern areas through the use of 3D motion graphics. These three of the six regions in Thailand are chosen because they vary in geography, have a very distinctive characteristic and most importantly, they are the most popular vacation destinations for locals and tourists alike.

Understanding Sexual Assault Survivors' Willingness To Participate In The Judicial System, Mildred Ann Davis

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examined the relationship between support services for adult survivors of sexual assault and judicial outcomes. Specifically, this study explored survivors' willingness to participate in the judicial process. Although "victim unwilling to participate" is the primary reason given by the police for cases not progressing to prosecution, we know little about most aspects of survivors' willingness to participate in the judicial process, especially beyond initial reporting of the assault. The steps to prosecution are dependent on one another yet a survivor's willingness to participate in these steps is a fluid process. The primary research question explored was Are there …

Exposure To Movie Reckless Driving In Early Adolescence Predicts Reckless, But Not Inattentive Driving, Evelien Kostermans, Mike Stoolmiller, Rebecca N. H De Leeuw, Rutger C. M. E Engels, James D. Sargent

Dartmouth Scholarship

Objective: We examine the association between exposure to depictions of reckless driving in movies and unsafe driving, modeling inattentive and reckless driving as separate outcomes. Methods: Data were obtained by telephone from 1,630 US adolescents aged 10 to 14 years at baseline who were drivers at a survey 6 years later. Exposure to movie reckless driving was measured based on movies seen from a randomly selected list of 50 movie titles that had been content coded for reckless driving among characters. Associations were tested with inattentive and reckless driving behaviors in the subsequent survey–controlling for baseline age, sex, socioeconomic status, …

Slis Connecting, Volume 3, Issue 2, Teresa S. Welsh

SLIS Connecting

Entire issue of SLIS Connecting, Volume 3, Issue 2

A Comparison Of Public Versus Private Academic Library Web Sites In Alabama For Accessibility And Web 2.0 Applications, Amy E. Smith

SLIS Connecting

The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare Alabama’s academic library Web sites to determine how accessible they are for persons with disabilities and what kind of useful links such as tutorials and Web 2.0 applications can be found on the home pages. The importance of this study is to determine the accessibility and readability of academic library Web site home pages based off of the current WCAG 2.0 guidelines, as well as the availability of Web 2.0 tools and tutorials on library home pages. By studying the results of the Web site accessibility software, college and university …

A Brief Historical Evolution Of The International Tracing Service (Its): The Largest Collection Of Holocaust Related Documents, Kate Brunelle

SLIS Connecting

The International Tracing Service is the largest repository for World War II records, including Holocaust records. However, it was not until recently that the ITS opened its records to researchers and institutions outside of Germany. Previously, survivors and others could write to the ITS and request information about themselves or others, but the response time was long, difficult, and often lacking in tangible results. With the opening of the ITS, people around the world have better access to the records for seemingly endless research. Includes a case study.

From The Gas, Congratulations, Publications, And Presentations, Teresa S. Welsh

SLIS Connecting

Meet the new SLIS GAs, and all about what our alum, students, and faculty have been doing.

Student Associations And Upcoming Events, Teresa S. Welsh

SLIS Connecting

Presents updates and news from the Library and Information Science Student Association (LISSA) and the Southern Miss Student Archivists Association (Southern Miss SAA) along with upcoming and recent events of interest.

Slis Update, Elizabeth Haynes

SLIS Connecting

Updates and welcome from the Director of the School of Library and Information Science, Dr. Elizabeth Haynes.

First Opinion: Picturing A Bright Light: Florence Nightingale, Human Rights, And The Health Professions, Gretchen Papazian

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Corneal Biomechanics Using Customized Atomic Force Microscopy Techniques, Janice Maxine Dias

Open Access Dissertations

Corneal biomechanics has become an increasingly important field within ophthalmology. Striving to establish a relationship between corneal physiological structure and function, corneal biomechanics is an objective, quantitative measure that aids in the development and improvement of diagnostic and therapeutic methods for corneal-related diseases. The goal of this project was to advance the technology of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as a suitable characterization technique within the field of corneal biomechanics. The studies of this project include the development of AFM instrumentation, experimental techniques, and models to measure the elastic, viscoelastic, and poroelastic properties of the cornea in situ. Such developed instrumentation, …

The Role Of The Oxidative Stress Product Carboxyethylpyrrole In Innate Immunity, Ali M. Saeed

Open Access Dissertations

Oxidative-stress is key in the pathogenesis of several diseases and the general aging process. Molecular targets of oxidative stress include nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. It has previously been established that a particular lipid peroxidation product, carboxyethylpyrrole (CEP), accumulates in melanoma, autistic brain tissue, atherosclerotic plaques, sites undergoing wound healing, and in the retinas of AMD patients. The role of CEP is best characterized in AMD and in addition to the retina, elevated levels of CEP and autoantibodies against CEP are found in the sera of AMD patients (versus age-matched controls). Our previous studies have demonstrated CEP as a potential …

Game On! Enhancing Engagement With Student-Generated Games, Fady Morcos

Faculty Journal Articles

Games can be an effective tool for integration of concepts and attitudes within a complex landscape. Integration of game mechanics and game-thinking techniques to non game platforms has recently gained grounds in multiple domains, including teaching and education. Gamification† of education can greatly enhance user experience (XP) and influence user behavior. Adding a “game layer” to learning or training material can generate products that are engaging and influential to both the player and the developer of the gamified experience.

Syracuse University Basketball: To Renovate The Carrier Dome Or Build A New Arena, William P. Commisso

Sport Management Undergraduate

This study looked at how Syracuse University basketball fans’ spectator motives impacted their preference on whether to renovate the Carrier Dome or to build a new arena. The purpose of this research was to find out if these Syracuse University basketball fans differed from prior knowledge regarding sport spectator motivation. It was known that fan enjoyment is influenced by convenience of concessions and restrooms (Wakefield, 1995). However, it was also known that fans’ team identification affected resistance to change (Wu, 2012) and sense of home had a positive impact on stadium satisfaction (Lee, 2012). The sample for this study consisted …

Spartan Daily, December 9, 2014, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 143, Issue 40

2 Political Science Students To Visit Israel With Caravan For Democracy, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Synchronous And Asynchronous Collaboration Technology Use In Teamwork, Thanaporn Sundaravej

Dissertations

With the increasing geographic dispersion of project teams and the evolution of collaboration technologies, organizations are increasingly facilitating synchronous and asynchronous collaboration amongst dispersed team members using information technologies. While the facilitating role of collaboration technologies to enhance the outcomes of project teams has been examined in prior research, little, as of yet, is known about the influence of a project team member’s task characteristics and extent of usage of collaboration technologies on that member’s project task outcomes. This study drew upon media richness theory to examine the impacts of a project team member’s task characteristics and extent of usage …

Going The Distance: Best Practices In Designing And Sharing Reusable Learning Objects, Philip Russell

Support services (Former ITT) - Conference Papers

This paper presents an overview of the suite of online interactive tutorials that have been developed at the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT Dublin); with a particular emphasis on best practices for pedagogy and instructional design in terms of creating eLearning tools. The author also details how these learning objects have been made available for reuse on a national and international basis as open educational resources via online repositories.

Daily Eastern News: December 09, 2014, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Sexual Trauma And Eating Disorders: Current Treatments And Direction For Further Study, Kate Radsek

Counselor Education Capstones

Eating disorders are a serious problem that take the lives of many people. Research has shown that for many people, eating disorders are rarely the only mental health issue. Instead, research has found in most cases, individuals struggle with multiple co-occurring mental health issues. Specifically, research has found a link between sexual trauma and eating disorders. Research supports the need to express the trauma in order to treat the eating disorder. However, no research currently exists that examines the most effective treatment to care for populations with a comorbid diagnoses of sexual trauma and eating disorders. The purpose of this …

Flyer News, Vol. 62, No. 13 (Dec. 9, 2014), University Of Dayton

Flyer News

Student-run newspaper of the University of Dayton.

The Advocate, December 9, 2014, Minnesota State University Moorhead

The Advocate

No abstract provided.

Methods And Compositions For Improving Bioavailability Of Epigallocatechin Gallate (Egcg), Roland Douglas Shytle, Jun Tan, Adam Smith, Brian Giunta, Cyndy Davis Sanberg

USF Patents

Compositions and methods of increasing the bioavailability of catechins are presented. Compositions for increasing the bioavailability of catechins include compositions where the catechin is added to a solution of ethanol and water; compositions where the catechin is encapsulated within a nanoparticle; and compositions in which a nanoparticle complex is formed between the catechin and the nanoparticle. Each of these compositions was shown to increase bioavailability of EGCG and is useful in treating diseases such as Alzheimer's and HIV-associated dementia.

Methods And Materials For Increasing Potency Of Cells (Con 1), Kiminobu Sugaya, Angel Alvarez

UCF Patents

Disclosed herein are methods and materials for producing a more developmentally potent cell from a less developmentally potent cell. Specifically exemplified herein are methods that comprise introducing an expressible dedifferentiating polynucleotide sequence into a less developmentally potent cell, wherein the transfected less developmentally potent cell becomes a more developmentally potent cell capable of differentiating to a less developmentally potent cell of its lineage of origin or a different lineage.