Digital Commons Network^™

“Insensitive Advertising” Of Foreign Domestic Workers In Singapore: A Violation Of Human Dignity, Benjamin Joshua Ong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower has suspended the licence of an employment agency for advertising the services of foreign domestic workers in an “insensitive” manner which portrayed the workers as a “commodity that can be bought and sold”. It also prosecuted the agency and the employee responsible for the advertisements; the employee has pleaded guilty. The Ministry’s actions are a welcome development in the evolution of the concept of a right to human dignity in Singapore law.

Protecting Consumers' Personal Data In The Digital World: Challenges And Changes, Man Yip

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

At the Personal Data Protection Seminar 2017, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, said that Singapore must “aspire towards a high standard of data protection that strengthens trust with the public, gives confidence to customers whose data is collected and used, while providing an environment for companies to thrive in the digital economy”.

Dual-Class Shares In Singapore – Where Ideology Meets Pragmatism, Pey Woan Lee

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article seeks to understand the rationale for and potential implications of the introduction of dual class shares (DCS) in Singapore. It does so by first considering the theoretical as well as evidential arguments for and against the use of DCS, followed by a survey on the reception (or otherwise) of such structures in four common law jurisdictions with vibrant capital markets, viz., Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Hong Kong. It observes that the chief argument cited by business founders to justify the use of DCS structures is the desire to enhance a firm’s long-term profitability by shielding …

The Role Of Information Communication Technologies (Icts) In Shaping Identity Threats And Responses, Mary Macharia

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the rising use of social media, people are increasingly experiencing, and responding to, identity threats online. This sometimes leads to online backlash via “cybermobs” or the creation of online social movements that traverse offline. Prior information systems (IS) research on identity threats and responses largely focuses on information communication technology (ICT) implementations within organizations in an offline context. Therefore, we lack understanding of ICT-mediated identity threats and responses and ways to promote healthier and productive interactions online. This two-essay dissertation seeks to fill this gap. Essay 1 combines a review of ICT-mediated identity threats with a qualitative study (based …

Synthesis Of Dicamba Glucosides For The Study Of Environmental Dicamba Drift Effects On Soybeans, Holly Wallace

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The most popular herbicide used for weed control has been glyphosate for many years in the Midwestern United States. Plants have begun to develop a resistance to glyphosate due to over use of the herbicide. This herbicide resistance has pushed farmers to turn to alternative herbicides such as dicamba and 2,4-D. Recently agrochemical companies have developed genetically modified crops that are resistant to herbicides such as dicamba. These modified crops allow farmers to spray their fields with dicamba without fear of crop damage. Farmers of non-genetically modified crops, however, suffer damage and loss of yield from herbicide drift effects of …

Speleogenesis In Turbulent Flow, Max P. Cooper

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Existing models of speleogenesis neglect the shape of cross-sections, which can hold information related to climate, tectonics, and sediment supply in their widths. The first study of this dissertation simulates cross-sections of phreatic tubes, vadose canyons, and paragenetic galleries using a method developed for bedrock channels. Successful simulation of these cross-sections depends on erosion scaling with shear stress, in conflict with speleogenesis theory. Scaling of equilibrium width in paragenetic galleries was explored through analytical derivation and simulations, showing that width scales positively with discharge to the 1/2 power, and negatively with a weak power of sediment supply. Negative scaling of …

A Support Program For College Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Functioning Of Participants Versus Non-Participants And The Role Of Program-Sponsored Mentoring, Ayla Raven Mapes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly more students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending college. In response, many colleges are now offering these students the extra support of an Autism Support Program (ASP), many of which include a mentoring component. This study is one of only a handful of attempts to examine these programs empirically. Using a small sample of college students who identified as having ASD, I compared participants and non-participants of a university ASP. An online survey was used to assess demographic characteristics and pre-college academic performance, as well as students’ functioning across the following domains: social, adaptive, academic, emotional, and having …

Irish Whips And German Suplexes: Professional Wrestling And The American Immigrant And Minority Experience, Colin Rush Walker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Trends within sports and popular entertainment have long been regarded as great indicators of larger transitions in the social, political, and economic landscape of the United States. Repeatedly mined and often used for context, sports have become intrinsically linked to the broader discussions of people, their beliefs, ideals, and actions occurring in the historiography of American culture. However, one sport has regularly been passed over in these examinations. I argue that the modern day entertainment monolith of professional wrestling serves as one of the most important indicators of socioeconomic change in the history of the U.S., and that it plays …

Rit Libraries Annual Report 2018, Rit Libraries

RIT Digital Archives

No abstract provided.

Aqueous Ozone Inactivation Of Viruses And Bacteria On Biotic And Abiotic Surfaces, Cailin Dawley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Produce is susceptible to contamination by foodborne pathogens. Food service establishments utilize sanitizing agents to reduce microbes on produce surfaces. The research objectives were to evaluate the efficacy of aqueous ozone 1) on the inactivation of viruses and bacteria on produce; 2) on the inactivation of viruses on stainless steel; and 3) against viruses in association with bacteria on produce surfaces. For objective 1, Boston bibb lettuce and cherry tomatoes were spot inoculated with a cocktail of viruses (murine norovirus (MNV) and MS2 bacteriophage) or bacteria (Enterobacter cloacae and Bacillus cereus) and washed for 40 min with samples taken every …

Risky Business: Millennials’ Protection Motivation Factors For Norovirus Outbreaks On College Campuses, Dylan Conrad Martinez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The risk and severity of hNoV transmission is obscurely recognized to foodservice millennial customers. Most commonly associated with cruise ships, consumers are not aware of its full potential to strike at other locations, especially college campuses. For the foodservice industry and the university community, it is imperative that a proactive method for increasing millennials’ motivation to practice mitigation methods emerges to reduce future hNoV outbreaks on college campuses. Research has shown that students can play a major role in the spread of hNoV on college campuses. Therefore, the purpose of these studies is to examine motivations for health protective behaviors …

Access To Children's Books Featuring Characters With Disabilities, Jacquelyn Thompson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Shared reading and access to print have been linked to improved outcomes for young children and linked to socio-economic status (e.g Neuman, 1999; Zucker, Cabell, Justice, Pentimonti & Kaderavek, 2013). As a community, we know very little about the access to books that the diverse population of preschool age children from Northwest Arkansas have. Moreover, we know very little about the type of books available to them. This study seeks to understand how many children’s books are in select preschools of varying socioeconomic status within Northwest Arkansas that service those with and without disabilities. More pointedly, within the children’s book …

Identifying Opportunities That Promote A Habit Of Mind In The Quantitative Reasoning Classroom., David Lavie Deville

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quantitative literacy and its role in a democratic society are emerging topics of concern to mathematics educators throughout the world. Undergraduate courses in Quantitative Reasoning (QR) are a recent addition to the growing list of resources aimed at remedying quantitative illiteracy in America. Students were interviewed after completing three different undergraduate QR courses. A qualitative analysis of the interviews as well as course texts identified opportunities and hindrances for students in developing a habit of mind toward QR, how students apply a habit of mind, and obstacles students faced in developing a habit of mind.

Optimizing The Plasmonic Enhancement Of Light In Metallic Nanogap Structures For Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, Stephen Joseph Bauman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Technology based on the interaction between light and matter has entered something of a renaissance over the past few decades due to improved control over the creation of nanoscale patterns. Tunable nanofabrication has benefitted optical sensing, by which light is used to detect the presence or quantity of various substances. Through methods such as Raman spectroscopy, the optical spectra of solid, liquid, or gaseous samples act as fingerprints which help identify a single type of molecule amongst a background of potentially many other chemicals. This technique therefore offers great benefit to applications such as biomedical sensors, airport security, industrial waste …

Acculturation And Internalizing Problems Among Latino Youth: A Meta-Analytic Review, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Some studies have found acculturation to be a positive predictor of internalizing problems (i.e., anxiety and depression) in Latino youth (Gonzales et al., 2002), whereas other studies have revealed no relation or a negative relation between acculturation and internalizing problems (Smokowski, Buchanan, & Bacallao, 2009). Narrative reviews of this literature exist (Gonzales et al., 2002; Gonzales et al., 2009) but a quantitative synthesis of the literature has not been conducted. After a systematic literature search that identified 38 studies meeting inclusionary criteria, a meta-analysis was performed to estimate the size and direction of the relation between acculturation and internalizing problems. …

Development Of A Methodology For Predicting Consumer Acceptance And Preference Toward Beverages, Shilpa Shailesh Samant

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Consumer behavior toward food/beverages is influenced by multisensory attribute perceptions as well as emotional experiences. Traditional methods of sensory testing lack the ability to capture emotional responses and as a result, measuring food/beverage-evoked emotions remains a research challenge. There were three objectives of this dissertation study. Firstly, this study aimed to develop prediction models of acceptance of and preference for basic taste solutions using sensory attribute intensities and emotional responses. Secondly, this study aimed to extend the findings of the first objective to develop prediction models of commercially-available vegetable juice products in terms of (a) acceptance and preference under blind-tasting …

Assessment Of Salmonella Enterica Biofilms And Expression Differences Among Serovars, Zhaohao Shi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biofilms are communities of microorganisms associated by a matrix of extracellular polymers. In this state, microorganisms occupy an ecological niche distinct from their free-floating, planktonic counterparts. Also, biofilm bacteria become biologically unique as they form communities and lose motility. The acquisition of these physiological attributes enables the biofilm to persist through harsh environmental conditions, including antimicrobial induced stress and to resist sanitization efforts. Because of these features, biofilms can rapidly disseminate across numerous surfaces and as they establish, become challenging to remove. This is a particular issue for the food industry as processing plants offer favorable conditions for biofilm formation …

Revision Of The Genus Monatractides (Parasitengona, Torrenticolidae) Of The United States And Canada: New Species, Re-Descriptions, Phylogenetics, And A Key To Species, Whitney Anne Nelson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The full suite of known Monatractides (Parasitengona, Torrenticolidae) taxa of North America (north of Mexico) are investigated herein using integrative methods. Species hypotheses are supported with morphology, geography, and phylogenetic analysis of the barcoding region of COI for 154 individuals from over 100 localities. Relationships between species are examined with a combined analysis of COI and 28S rDNA for 55 specimens. Previously described species are examined and re-described with color images and updated information, where possible. Our results indicate the need to synonymize two species: M. californica (Marshall, 1943) is a junior synonym of M. geographica (Marshall, 1943). We describe …

Why Career And Technical Education Teachers Contribute Intellectual Capital To Open Education Repositories: A Case Study, Kelley J. Manley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High quality Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers are necessary in order to prepare students to fill the gap in the nation’s technical workforce. Technical skills taught by high school CTE teachers assist students as they continue their education in post-secondary technical schools. Post-secondary CTE teachers assist students in their preparation for future high-wage, high-demand technical careers. One of the many challenges reported by CTE teachers is the time-consuming development of relevant curriculum. The open education resource (OER) movement has been reported in research to alleviate some of these challenges for teachers, but research is lacking in the area of …

Efficacy Of Natural Compounds With Novel Carrier Systems For Controlling Campylobacter Jejuni In Post-Harvest Poultry, Sandip Shrestha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Campylobacter jejuni, a leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, is strongly associated with the consumption and/or mishandling of raw contaminated poultry products. Thus, interventions aiming to reduce C. jejuni counts on poultry products could greatly reduce the incidence of human campylobacteriosis. In the first study, the efficacy of a generally recongnized as safe (GRAS) compound, carvacrol (CR; derived from oregano oil), as an antimicrobial wash treatment to reduce C. jejuni on chicken skin was evaluated. Three delivery systems of CR: suspension, emulsion and nanoemulsion were used. C. jejuni counts were reduced up to 4 log10 cfu/sample by 2% dose of …

The Evaluation Of Attitudes Towards Individuals With Mental Illness Among Counselors In Training, Randall Boen

Dissertations

Negative attitudes and stigma associated with mental illness have a profound impact on individuals who experience them. Researchers have defined stigma as the attribution of a deviant characteristic to members of a particular group. Persons with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) face many difficulties that impact their full participation in social life. Although attitudinal reactions to individuals with SPMI have improved considerably over the last few decades, there are still areas for improvement. Limited research has been conducted to evaluate attitudes and stigma associated with individuals with SPMI among human service professionals-in-training (HSPs). For this study HSPs were defined …

Design And Analysis Of Binary Driven Coherent M-Ary Qam Transmitter For Next Generation Optical Networks, Naji Albakay

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This work presents a design for a binary driven optical square M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) transmitter for high speed optical networks. The transmitter applies tandem quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulators to eliminate the need for linear broadband amplifiers and high-resolution digital to analog converters (DACs), which are both required by conventional transmitters. The transmitter design could be scaled to any order of square M-ary QAM by simply adding more QPSK modulators in tandem. It also provides a Gray coded symbol constellation, insuring the lowest bit error rate possible during symbol recovery. We also provide the design for the …

The Impact Of Ideology On Lexical Borrowing In Arabic: A Synergy Of Corpus Linguistics And Cda, Sami Hamdi

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Lexical borrowing is a natural outcome of language contact and one source of neologisms. The traditional view of lexical borrowing explains it as motivated mainly by lexical need or prestige where loans in the recipient language have more or less similar if not identical meanings with the borrowing language. Linguistic adaptation has been often seen grammatically based where grammarians or linguists assume the major task of nativizing foreign terms. This is typical in many studies on linguistic borrowing in Arabic while a secondary attention is given to semantic, sociolinguistic, and educational perspectives. The present study approached lexical borrowing as more …

‘Commensality’ As A Theatre For Witnessing Change For Criminalised Individuals Working At A Resettlement Scheme., Julie M. Parsons

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This article draws on analysis of interview data from an exploratory case study at an independent ‘offender’ resettlement scheme in England, investigating the benefits or otherwise of commensality for criminalised individuals and the wider community who share a communal lunchtime meal. For prisoners released on temporary licence and others referred through probation, caught in the liminal space between criminal and civilian life, commensality enables social interaction with non-criminalised individuals in a social environment outside of the prison estate. It becomes an arena for the display of non-criminalised identities in preparation for release into the community after punishment. It is a …

The Role Of The Library In Promoting Peace Education In Nigeria, Ebele Celestina Umeji, Charles Nwabueze Chukwuji

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

The need for peace in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized as the country has been suffering from the consequences of various degrees of conflict at various times in our history as a nation. Peace education initiative is seen as a welcomed development in both peacebuilding and maintenance. This paper, therefore, intends to discuss the roles of libraries towards promoting peace education in Nigeria. This paper reviewed literature on library, peace, and peace education, it also discussed the types and contents of peace education and then discussed the roles libraries should play in promoting peace education which includes support for education, …

Taking Stock Of Librarianship: Representations In Stock Photography, Robert Perret

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper explores the representation of librarians within two popular types of online imagery: stock photographs and memes. While the representation of librarians in popular media has been explored before, these particular media have not and are distinct in that they are often created by amateurs with little professional editorial mediation. This study builds upon Seale’s librarian archetypes and Attebury’s revisions in order to compare these new medias to traditional depictions of the profession. It is found that the image of an Old Maid librarian is waning and librarians are generally presented in a positive light. Some traditional markers yet …

Efficient Stochastic Gradient Hard Thresholding, Pan Zhou, Xiao-Tong Yuan, Jiashi Feng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Stochastic gradient hard thresholding methods have recently been shown to work favorably in solving large-scale empirical risk minimization problems under sparsity or rank constraint. Despite the improved iteration complexity over full gradient methods, the gradient evaluation and hard thresholding complexity of the existing stochastic algorithms usually scales linearly with data size, which could still be expensive when data is huge and the hard thresholding step could be as expensive as singular value decomposition in rank-constrained problems. To address these deficiencies, we propose an efficient hybrid stochastic gradient hard thresholding (HSG-HT) method that can be provably shown to have sample-size-independent gradient …

A Cloud-Based Data Gathering And Processing System For Intelligent Demand Forecasting, Colin K. L. Tay, Kyong Jin Shim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Demand forecasting has been a challenging problem especially for products with short life cycles such as electronic goods and fashion items. Additionally, in the presence of limited past or historical data as well as the need for fast turnaround for forecast, producing timely and accurate demand forecast can be extremely challenging. In this study, we describe a cloud-based data gathering and processing system for intelligent demand forecasting.

Data Mining Approach To The Detection Of Suicide In Social Media: A Case Study Of Singapore, Jane H. K. Seah, Kyong Jin Shim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this research, we focus on the social phenomenon of suicide. Specifically, we perform social sensing on digital traces obtained from Reddit. We analyze the posts and comments in that are related to depression and suicide. We perform natural language processing to better understand different aspects of human life that relate to suicide.

Higher Education Institutions And The Performance Management, Muhammad Tanveer, Dr. Asif Mahbub Karim

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: The most prominent change that is seen now is that higher education institutions are under pressure prove their usefulness, objectives, and methods of achieving these objectives. They are also asked for details related to the allocation of their resources and priorities and are also asked to fulfill their social responsibilities. Everyone, from prospective students to the general public, now wants data and proof in favor of the effectiveness and necessity of these institutions. Because of this, higher education institutions are now more involved in the race of securing funding and win over potential customers. In this race, they …