Digital Commons Network^™

Overcoming The Learning Curve: The Use Of Facebook By Members Of Congress, Lucas J. Lothamer

Political Science Theses - Archive

This study examines the use of Facebook by members of Congress as a tool for reelection. Specifically, the study looks at the various types of posts congressional members use, such as campaign advertisements or policy positions, and looks for explanatory variables to explain the usage of the social media by members of Congress. To conduct this research the Facebook pages of a sample of Representatives and Senators were examined with a bivariate and multivariate analysis. Overall congressional members employed a distinct strategy in using their campaign pages. Senators up for reelection and in competitive races were more likely to use …

Sparse Signal Reconstruction In Linear Inverse Scattering Problem, Tanmoy Bhowmik

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

Proper mathematical modeling of inverse scattering problem is of utmost importance in applications such as optical imaging and microscopy, radar, acoustic, seismic and medical imaging. However, the problem is non-linear and ill-posed due to the diffusive nature of wave propagation through the scattering medium. Born and Rytov approximation are two widely used techniques to linearize the inverse scattering problem that simplifies the mathematics and modeling of wave propagation through scattering medium in special cases. The linear inverse scattering problem is still severely ill-posed and hence, in general, the solution is not stable and unique, unless a priori knowledge about the …

Reducing The Encoding Time Of Motion Estimation In Hevc Using Parallel Programming, Vasavee Vijayaraghavan

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is the current state-of-art video codec which is widely being adopted by lot of users. It has close to 50% reduction in encoding time compared to its predecessor, H.264 or AVC (Advanced Video Coding) at the cost of increased complexity. Lot of research is going towards reducing the complexity of this codec, at the same time, maintaining the visual quality that it produces and maintaining the reduced encoding time from its predecessor. As an effort to decrease the encoding time further, there can be several approaches. Parallel processing is taking a dominant role in many …

Presidential Speech And The Framing Of Poverty: From The War On Poverty To The War On The Poor, Jamaica Kennedy

Sociology & Anthropology Theses - Archive

Presidential narratives are influential components of the national conversation about social issues. In order to gain a better understanding of how the Presidents framed and discussed poverty and the poor State of the Union addresses between the years 1964 and 2014 were analyzed. The focus of this research was to identify the narratives the Presidents crafted about the war on poverty. Narrative analysis was utilized to unpack and these narratives and identify the different narrative forms they took while the Presidents presented and discussed the war on poverty. Initially the war on poverty was presented as a romantic quest to …

Ndërtesat E Banimit - Konvikti Për Studentë, Fatbardh Jashari

Theses and Dissertations

Pasi që kolegji Univesiteti për Biznes dhe Teknologji çdo ditë është duke e bërë rritjen e numrit të studentëve të regjistruar ,menaxhmenti i UBT- së ka vendosur që të rrisë edhe numrin e hapsirave të cilat do të bënin që UBT të nxjerrë studentë sa më kualitativ.

Me rritjen e numrit të studentëve si dhe me rritjen e hapsirave për studim menaxhmenti ka vendosur që njëra nga këto hapsira të jetë edhe konvikti për student i cili do të ju mundësonte studentëve një kualitet më të madh dhe me një kosto më të favorshme gjatë kohës së studimeve.

Duke e …

Krahasimi I Teknologjive Për Implementimin Dhe Përkrahjen E Videove Në Ueb, Rinor Svarça

Theses and Dissertations

Në këtë punim diplome jemi munduar të analizojmë dy teknologjitë më të përdorura për lansimin e videove në internet Adobe Flash dhe HTML5, edhe pse nuk janë të ngjashme kanë të përbashkët mundësinë e shfaqjes së videove në ueb faqe, ku dhe jemi fokusuar më shumë në këtë të përbashkët të këtyre dy teknologjive. Gjithashtu kemi hulumtuar për historikun, zhvillimin, ngjashmëritë dhe dallimet që kanë, kemi analizuar edhe problemet e tye dhe si ka ardhur deri te zëvendësimi i Flash me HTML5 për një kohë mjaftë të shkurtër. Jemi munduar t’i krahasojmë të gjitha pjesët e përbashkëta dhe kemi paraqitur …

Zgjidhja E Problemeve Të Transportit Në Rrjetat Telekomunikuese Duke Kaluar Në Ran-In E Bazuar Në Ip, Meriton Ahmeti

Theses and Dissertations

Operimi i Radio paisjeve (Antenat) të operatorëve të ndryshëm të telefonisë mobile dhe ndërlidhja e tyre me Rrjetën Bërthamë (Core Network) mundësohet nga RAN (Radio Access Network) i cili jo domosdoshmërisht është i njejtë për operator të ndryshëm mobil.

Përgjatë viteve të zhvillimit të Telekomunikacionit në përgjithesi dhe të Komunikimeve mobile në veçanti, janë zhvilluar teknologji të reja për ta tejkalur problemin e diversitetit në mes të teknologjive të aplikuara në rrjetën e një operatori të telefonisë mobile por edhe për të tejkaluar kufizimet e ndryshme teknike.

Në aspektin e dizajnimit të rrjetës së operatorëve të telefonisë mobile gjithmonë kalimi …

Krahasimi I Cms Platformave, Wordpress Dhe Umbraco Për Ndërtimin E Ueb Faqeve Të Korporatave, Shpëtim Rashiti

Theses and Dissertations

Në ditët e sotme përdorimi i ueb faqeve është shëndruar në një element shumë të rendësishëm për çdo kompani apo korporat, ku për çdo njërën është e rëndësishme që të kenë një ueb faqe përmes së cilës do të mund të prezantonin punën e tyre apo të shisnin produkte online. Këto ueb faqe apo sisteme kanë mjaft shumë përmbajtje dhe kërkojnë punë për tu realizuar për këtë arsye është shumë e rëndësishme që këto ueb faqe të ndërtohen duke përdorur ndonjë CMS (Content Management System) Platformë. Në praktikë egsistojnë mjaft CMS platforma mirëpo në këtë punim ne do të krahasojmë …

Shkollë Fillore, Albesë Olluri

Theses and Dissertations

Mungesa e trajtimit specifik të shkollave/ hapësirave të mësimit për fëmijë ka efekt në krijimin e personalitetit dhe zhvillimin e fëmijës. Mos krijimi i hapësirave adekuate po ashtu rezulton në procesin mësimore dhe probleme tjera. Shumë shkolla janë ndërtuar pa analizuar funksionin apo edhe ndjenjën e të qenurit brenda objektit, zhdukja e korridoreve dhe krijimi i hapësirave të shfrytëzueshme dhe të përbashkëta është një ndër pikat të cilat duhet analizuar. Ndriçimi natyral dhe i mjaftueshëm është gjithashtu një ndër pikat kyçe, mos diellosja apo ndriçimi i pa mjaftueshëm është në dëm të fëmijës, ku rezulton me sëmundje të ndryshme, në …

Menaxhimi I Nivelit Tё Shёrbimit Nё Sektorin Bankar Tё Kosovёs, Shqiponjё Junuzi

Theses and Dissertations

Ky punim paraqet njohuri tё pёrgjithshme rreth Menaxhimit tё Nivelit tё Shёrbimit (Service Level Management),i cili ёshtё njё ndёr proceset kryesore nё kuadёr tё strukturёs sё praktikave mё tё mira pёr Menaxhim tё Shёrbimit tё TI (ITIL).

Qёllimi kryesor i punimit ёshtё qё pёrmes mbledhjes sё tё dhёnave teorike dhe empirike tё kuptojmё rolin e procesit tё Menaxhimit tё Nivelit tё Shёrbimit nё pёrmirёsimin e cilёsisё sё shёrbimeve tё teknologjisё informative nё sektorin bankar tё Kosovёs.

Rёndёsia e kёtij procesi lidhet me njёrёn ndёr objektivat kryesore tё institucioneve financiare, qё ёshtё ofrimi i shёrbimeve dhe produkteve cilёsore,dhe pёr kёtё, ky …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 27, No. 5, December 2015

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Welcome - Congratulations - Student News - Faculty News - Grants - Publications

Emerging Procurement Laws And Women Empowerment: Assessing The Costs And Benefits Of Privatization Of The Telecommunications Sector In Kenya, Henry Amadi

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

Drawing mainly from secondary data, this study seeks to find out how far Kenyan women have benefited from the restructuring of Kenya’s telecommunications sector since the onset of privatization. Kenyan women who benefit from privatization opportunities are largely those that are perceived to be “politically correct”.

Alaska Majestic Lodge Project, Kelvin Goode

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

The Alaska Majestic Lodge Project proposed to deliver a remote wilderness fishing lodge business plan. The project proposal was derived from a business opportunity that entailed capitalizing on a niche in a sport fishing market in the Becharof National Wildlife Refuge. When in operation, the business is expected to be the only 100% Alaskan Native owned lodge in the region and shall provide services for up to two hundred people seasonally from May to October. The significance of the project can be demonstrated in reviewing the summer visitor year of 2011. Nearly 1.2 million Alaskan tourists spent an estimated $1.5 …

Examining Patterns In Second Graders’ Use Of Virtual Manipulative Mathematics Apps Through Heatmap Analysis, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, Stephen Isaac Tucker, Arla Westenskow, Jurgen Symanzik

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study examined 32 second-grade children’s interactions with six virtual manipulative mathematics apps on the iPad using a novel analysis approach called heatmap analysis. Mathematical topics of the six apps focused on understanding skip counting and place value concepts. Children interacted individually with the apps under the guidance of an interviewer during 30-40 minute clinical interviews. The heatmap analysis revealed patterns in children’s performance on the tasks and suggested individual cases for further analysis. For example, clusters of children showed high or low performance during the skip counting sequence. In the high-performing cluster, one child still struggled to monitor the …

The Association Of Body Image And Interpersonal Relationships As It Relates To Happiness, Michelle J. Chen

HIM 1990-2015

As one of the most important emotional goals pertaining to humankind, achieving happiness has been the central focus of scientists, philosophers, and the general population alike since the beginning of recorded history. This study strove to examine the association of body image satisfaction and relationship quality as it relates to happiness. Four hundred college-age participants completed the Subjective Happiness Scale, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (Appearance Scales), and the Network of Relationships Inventory (Relationships Quality Version) for close friendships of the same-sex and opposite-sex. Statistical analysis indicated that while body image satisfaction was significantly correlated with happiness, quality of interpersonal …

The Validation Of An Instrument For Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Professional Development Program On Teaching Online, Jui-Long Hung, Dazhi Yang

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Attending professional development (PD) on teaching online is becoming popular for teachers in today’s K-12 online education. Due to the unique characteristics of the online instructional environments, surveys become the most feasible approach to evaluate the effectiveness of PD programs. However, there is no validated, open-access instrument available to satisfy the needs. Purpose of this study is to conduct construct validity, content validity, concurrent validity, and reliability tests on an open-access instrument for K–12 PD for online teaching. With the exception of a few items that have minor issues on content and construct validity, results show that the survey is, …

Scholarworks Statistics - December 2015, Scholarworks

ScholarWorks Reports

For the month of December 2015, ScholarWorks recorded a total of 25,053 full-text and additional file downloads and 10,705 page views.

Characteristics Of Kentucky’S Nursery And Greenhouse Industries [2015], Dewayne L. Ingram, Winston Dunwell, Alan Hodges

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

The nursery and greenhouse industry in Kentucky is diverse and contributes significantly to the local and state economy. This industry represents the largest segment of Kentucky’s sales of horticultural products and is comprised almost completely of farm families. Nursery and greenhouse operations have historically been characterized as separate production systems and crops. However, today primary nurseries may also have greenhouses and/or produce herbaceous perennials and annuals to satisfy their customer base. On the other hand, many primary greenhouse firms that once grew mostly annuals and potted flowering crops have expanded their product line to include herbaceous perennials, often finished in …

Motherhood As Contested Ideological Terrain: Essentialist And Queer Discourses Of Motherhood At Play In Female–Female Co-Mothers’ Talk, Elizabeth A. Suter, Leah M. Seurer, Stephanie Webb, Brian Grewe Jr., Jody Koenig Kellas

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Framed by relational dialectics theory (Baxter), this investigation considered the meaning(s) of motherhood in female–female co-motherhood. Analysis identified two competing discourses: (1) discourse of essential motherhood (DEM) and (2) discourse of queer motherhood (DQM). Speakers’ invocation of the DEM reinscribes the mainstream US cultural discourse that children can have only one authentic (i.e., biological) mother, whereas invocation of the DQM denaturalizes the DEM’s presumptions of authentic motherhood as biological, interrupts monomaternalism, destabilizes the patriarch, and troubles the equation of biological with moral motherhood. Whereas interpenetrations of the DEM and DQM were typically sites of adversarial discursive struggle, in a few …

Recovery Of The Css Pee Dee Armament From The Great Pee Dee River, James D. Spirek, Jonathan Leader

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

How Does The Connectivity Of Open-Framework Conglomerates Within Multi-Scale Hierarchical Fluvial Architecture Affect Oil-Sweep Efficiency In Waterflooding?, Naum I. Gershenzon, Mohamad Reza Soltanian, Robert W. Ritzi, David F. Dominic, Don Keefer, Eric Shaffer, Brynne Storsved

Physics Faculty Publications

Understanding multi-phase fluid flow and transport processes within aquifers, candidate reservoirs for CO2 sequestration, and petroleum reservoirs requires understanding a diverse set of geologic properties of the aquifer or reservoir, over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. We focus on multiphase flow dynamics with wetting (e.g., water) and non-wetting (e.g., gas or oil) fluids, with one invading another.

Book Review: Not Just Where To Click: Teaching Students How To Think About Information, Margy Macmillan

Communications in Information Literacy

Book Review: Not Just Where to Click: Teaching Students How to Think About Information

An Administrative Stopgap For Migrants From The Northern Triangle, Collin Schueler

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

From 2011–2014, the United States Department of Homeland Security recorded an extraordinary increase in the number of unaccompanied children arriving at the southern border from Central America’s “Northern Triangle”—the area made up of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. In fact, in fiscal year 2014, United States Customs and Border Protection apprehended over 50,000 unaccompanied children from the Northern Triangle. That is thirteen times more than just three years earlier. This Article examines the intersecting humanitarian and legal crises facing these children and offers an administrative solution to the problem. The children are fleeing a genuine humanitarian crisis—a region overrun by …

Adopting The Gay Family, Cynthia Godsoe

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Overcoming Barriers To Assist Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities Obtain Employment Outcomes, Cassandra A. Payne

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Language Development For English Learners, Frank L. Silva

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Previously accepted and current research has been reviewed regarding the development of English proficiency for English Language Learners. The particular areas of concern deemed crucial for language development are the domains of reading, writing, listening and speaking. The critical components for effective English Language Development instruction as well as the strategies considered the most effective and efficient were also investigated. The review resulted in the creation of an English Language Development unit that includes the essential components and various strategies that are considered effective in developing English proficiency for English Language Learners.

Identity Phauxnetics, Nathan T. Jones

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the construction of identity and authenticity through sociophonetic variation, focusing on British Hip Hop artist Amy Winehouse. Prior work on British vocal artists’ phonetic variation has relied upon regional categorical frameworks (Trudgill, 1983; Carlsson, 2001) and found variation to be evidence of production errors and speakers’ misidentification of targeted speech patterns, resulting in summative interpretations of conflict between speakers’ discreet identities and speech pattern categories. More recent work has attended to linguistic processes within cultural movements influenced but not strictly delimited by sociolinguistics’ canonical categories of region, class, race, etc. Within the context of the Hip Hop …

Production And Harvest Of Microalgae In Wastewater Raceways With Resource Recycling, Alexander Colin Roberts

Master's Theses

Microalgae can be grown on municipal wastewater media to both treat the wastewater and produce feedstock for algae biofuel production. However the reliability of treatment must be demonstrated, as well as high areal algae productivity on recycled wastewater media and efficient sedimentation harvesting. This processes was studied at pilot scale in the present research.

A pilot facility was operated with nine CO₂-supplemented raceway ponds, each with a 33-m² surface area and a 0.3-m depth, continuously from March 6, 2013 through September 24, 2014. The ponds were operated as three sets of triplicates with two sets continuously fed …

Ergonomics Analysis Of Touchscreen Utilization As A Function Of Preferred Hand And Gender, Jordan E. Odell

Master's Theses

The growth of touchscreen technology has changed the way users interface with a wide range of computing and communication products and systems. Examples range from personal tablets and laptops to industrial applications such as process control, point-of-sales, and ticketing kiosk systems. An important area of application is the automobile industry which is designing cars with touchscreen control panels to replace the previously designed mechanical knobs and buttons. However, interacting with touchscreens does not provide the same tactile feedback as physical mechanisms, therefore they require more precise movement and visual attention, which distracts the user from the primary task.

The purpose …

Bit By Bit: Using Design-Based Research To Improve The Health Literacy Of Adolescents, Mega Subramaniam, Beth St. Jean, Natalie Greene Taylor, Christie Kodama, Rebecca Follman, Dana Casciotti

School of Information Faculty Publications

Background: Although a low health literacy level has been found to be among the most powerful predictors of poor health outcomes, there is very little research focused on assessing and improving the health literacy skills of adolescents, particularly those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. The vast majority of existing research focuses solely on reading comprehension, despite the fact that health literacy is actually a multifaceted concept, which entails many different types of skills.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to first mine existing literature to identify the many different skills that have been posited to constitute health literacy, and then, …