Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Cdcynergy Event Assessment Tool: An Investigation Of The Anthrax Crisis In Boca Raton, Florida, J. J. Mcintyre, Steven J. Venette

Faculty Publications

This paper examines the dependability of the Event Assessment Tool over time. The latter is part of a CD-ROM-Emergency Risk Communication CDCynergy-distributed primarily to public information officers in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Event Assessment Tool is designed to aid emergency professionals in identifying the magnitude of a crisis event and to suggest appropriate actions to confront such a situation. Applied twice during the 2001 anthrax bioterrorism crisis in Boca Raton, Florida, the tool functioned in a binary manner by first indicating a moderate crisis level (on 4 October) and then four days …

Elements Of Human Decision-Making, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

The purpose of this paper is to present some understandings of the human problem-solving activity that we have gained in the Collaborative Agent Design Research Center (CADRC) over the past two decades. Since we feel strongly that the human decision-maker should be an integral component of any computer-based decision-support system, it follows that we would have endeavored to incorporate many of the elements that appear to be important to the user in the design of these systems. The complexity of the human cognitive system is evidenced by the large body of literature that describes problem-solving behavior and the relatively fewer …

Learning In Interpreted Instructed And Direct Instructed Classrooms, Darlene De Siervi

Theses

It has been frequently documented that deaf and hard of hearing (henceforth, DHH) children do not have the same academic achievement as hearing children. One reason may be communication barriers that make learning by DHH students difficult. Some communication in mainstream classrooms is delivered through interpreters, which possibly invites additional obstacles. Is the DHH student receiving full access to quality education in the classroom? Even in a direct instructed setting, does the DHH student fully understand every word the teacher shares through sign language? It is imperative to point out that all DHH children have the right to a barrier-free …

How Parents And Their Adolescent Children "Talk The Talk" In Religious Conversations, Jennifer Yorgason Thatcher

Theses and Dissertations

This study builds on previous research regarding parent-child religious conversations to explore the elements and bidirectional processes of parent-adolescent religious conversations. It employs qualitative analyses of interviews with highly religious parents and adolescents representing the major Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) from New England and Northern California. Variations in content, structure, conversational processes, and bidirectional influence are summarized in a conceptual model. Findings suggest that the quality of conversations is greater for parents and adolescents when they are youth-centered than when they are parent-centered.

The Cowl - V. 71 - N. N/A - May 22, 2006

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 71 - Number N/A - Emailed Article - May 22, 2006. 3 pages.

The Effectiveness Of Illustrations In Preaching: Understanding And Retaining Biblical Truths, Ronald Rall

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This project explored how illustrations function in sermons to facilitate the understanding and retention of Biblical truths. Personal interviews with members of the congregation and focus groups that evaluated sermons provided feedback and insights related to the effectiveness of illustrations in preaching. The researcher compiled responses from the interviews and the focus groups to draw some conclusions about how illustrations function most effectively in aiding comprehension and facilitating an effective hearing of the message. On the basis of this study the researcher offers recommendations that preachers may find helpful in using illustrations in their preaching.

The Cowl - V. 71 - N. 2 - May 4, 2006

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 71 - Number 2 - May 4, 2006. 28 pages.

The Cowl - V. 71 - N. 1 - Apr 27, 2006

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 71 - Number 1 - April 27, 2006. 32 pages.

The Inkwell, Armstrong Atlantic State University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.

Framing The Second War In Iraq: An Analysis Of Abc, Cbs And Nbc News And News Interview Show Coverage, Rebecca M. Graham

Student Work

Terrorist events that occurred in the United States on September 11 , 2001 put the U.S. on the offensive in dealing with terrorist activity. The U.S. entered into war with Afghanistan and Iraq and journalists were at the forefront of these events reporting from the front lines. This thesis applies the theories of agenda-setting, framing, and priming in answering questions related to media coverage of events surrounding the war in Iraq. News coverage from three U.S. networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) was examined to determine the role that media played in the war in Iraq. Mass media are powerful tools …

The Cowl - V. 70 - N. 22 - Apr 6, 2006

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 70 - Number 22 - April 6, 2006. 28 pages.

Solid-State Impact-Ionization Multiplier, Hong-Wei Lee

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents an innovative solid-state current amplifier based on impact-ionization. Unlike avalanche photodetectors which use the same amplification principle, this device can be integrated with any external current source. A discrete amplifier was built on a silicon surface using standard CMOS fabrication processes including lithography, oxidation, ion implantation, diffusion, chemical wet etching, metal deposition, annealing, and rapid thermal processing. Testing was performed by connecting the device to a silicon photodiode, indium-gallium-arsenide photodiodes, and a function generator to demonstrate its compatibility with arbitrary current sources. Current gains above 100 along with pre-amplified leakage currents of less than 10 nA were …

The Cowl - V. 70 - N. 18 - Feb 23, 2006

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 70 - Number 18 - February 23, 2006. 28 pages.

The Cowl - V. 70 - N. 17 - Feb 16, 2006

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 70 - Number 17 - February 16, 2006. 24 pages.

The Cowl - V. 70 - N. 14 - Jan 26, 2006

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 70 - Number 14 - January 26, 2006. 28 pages.

Investigation Of Different Video Compression Schemes Using Neural Networks, Prem Kovvuri

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Image/Video compression has great significance in the communication of motion pictures and still images. The need for compression has resulted in the development of various techniques including transform coding, vector quantization and neural networks. this thesis neural network based methods are investigated to achieve good compression ratios while maintaining the image quality. Parts of this investigation include motion detection, and weight retraining. An adaptive technique is employed to improve the video frame quality for a given compression ratio by frequently updating the weights obtained from training. More specifically, weight retraining is performed only when the error exceeds a given threshold …

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

Articles

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 American Sign Language (ASL) finger-spelling to digital audio and/or text. The methodology adopted in this analysis employs a grayscale image processing technique. We will describe the latest results as well as future enhancements to the system. This paper will also discuss the application of the approach to the telecommunication Industry.

Come Closer, Eli Marco Hall

Theses

This Culminating Project describes the design process from many different perspectives. It includes the designing of a book of poetry enabling me to apply design concepts.

Working as a graphic designer in the early twenty first century has provided opportunities to witness the effect that technology has had on the industry. Through the ongoing research, the change in roles of the modern graphic designer is established. Also during this time, print and digital media aggressively work toward a merger. When choosing to do a book for the Culminating Project, it was taken into consideration what the digital and print world …

Imposing Geographical “Locateability” For Voice Over Internet Protocol, Andrea W.M. Louie

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Out Of Thin Air: Using First Amendment Public Forum Analysis To Redeem American Broadcasting Regulation, Anthony E. Varona

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

American television and radio broadcasters are uniquely privileged among Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensees. Exalted as public trustees by the 1934 Communications Act, broadcasters pay virtually nothing for the use of their channels of public radiofrequency spectrum, unlike many other FCC licensees who have paid billions of dollars for similar digital spectrum. Congress envisioned a social contract of sorts between broadcast licensees and the communities they served. In exchange for their free licenses, broadcast stations were charged with providing a platform for a free marketplace of ideas that would cultivate a democratically engaged and enlightened citizenry through the broadcasting of …

An External Communication Audit Of The Kentucky Arts Council: An Analysis Of The Publications Distributed By A State Agency, Jess N. Kropczynski

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem

The specific objective of the audit is to conduct a formal examination of how the Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) is communicating with target authorizing groups outside of KAC, such as artists, arts administrators, educators, media and legislators.

Research Strategy

The external communication audit is an instrument used to gauge authorizers’ feedback on the publications distributed regularly by the agency. This audit is designed to paint a picture of the current communication patterns, policies, practices, capabilities and needs in order to make informed recommendations for the improvement of communication. The specific research question guiding this audit is: How effective are …

A Relational Diffusion Network Study Of Synchronous And Asynchronous Internet-Based Faculty's Personal Network Exposure Models Related To Discussions About Teaching Online, Dorothy Pick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For many faculty, teaching online represents a new instructional delivery method, requiring the development of new teaching skills. This exploratory investigation builds upon Rogers' (2003) Diffusion of Innovations theory and communication channels to describe the influence of faculty discussions on their perceptions and decisions about teaching and learning. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design, using both sociometric and phenomenological methodologies, guided the exploration of faculty personal network exposure models and social learning opportunities. The study utilized online survey and open-ended interview instruments for the investigation. Faculty from several colleges at the University of Central Florida voluntarily completed the survey instrument …

Transactional Distance And Student Motivation: Student Perception Of Teacher Immediacy, Solidarity Toward Peer Students And Student Motivation In Distance Education, Hye Yoon Jung

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Transactional Distance Theory is conceptually significant in that the core nature of distance in distance education is not a geographical or temporal distance but a psychological or communicational distance between students and their teacher(s), as well as among students. In spite of the conceptual significance of the transactional distance theory, the interrelationships among the construct variables and propositions of the theory are unclear. The majority of studies on transactional distance theory either used the theory solely as a conceptual framework, or proposed the refinement of the theory. Literature review indicated that the theory was found to be invalid and unreliable. …

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 …

Communicating The Modern Entrepreneurial University In The 21st Century: A Case Study Of Academic Capitalism And Media Messaging In The Pursuit Of Revenues And National Prominence At Louisiana State University, Charles F. Zewe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

American public universities have passed through three stages of development: the religious, the philanthropic/land-grant, and the federal research university. Squeezed by government budget cuts and demands for more money to pay for research and faculty raises, U.S. higher education has entered a fourth phase, the entrepreneurial university. Public universities are increasingly capitalizing on the intellectual property of their faculty and students to sustain themselves and expand. Administrators spout free-market rhetoric as faculty attempt to commercialize research by creating spin-off companies. Using Louisiana State University as a case study, this dissertation, applies a combination of organizational knowledge creation and resource dependence …

Communicating Change: An Ethnography Of Women’S Sensemaking On Menopause, Hormone Replacement Therapies, And The Women’S Health Initiative, Linda Vangelis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As a result of the recent findings of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), many women who have been on hormone replacement therapies (HRT) have begun to renegotiate their understandings and strategies of this stage of their lives. The WHI findings suggested that the risks of HRT outweighed the benefits for healthy menopausal women. This study examined women's emerging sensemaking regarding HRT and menopause in light of the WHI findings. Seven women in the Tampa Bay area, who were in various stages of menopause, participated in three focus group sessions and two one-on-one interviews to discuss their lives in menopause. Based …

Truth Under Fire: The War And The Media, Gary S. Messinger

New England Journal of Public Policy

Over the last hundred years, the relationship between war and mass communication has become increasingly elaborate. Governments and private-sector organizations have found more and more ways to use the media in wartime, and the range of available technologies has expanded to include print, film, radio, television, and the Internet. The system that exists today, at the start of the twenty-first century, is the product of many twists and turns over the decades: an accretion of some strategies for wartime use of mass communication and a rejection of others. An understanding of this evolution is a starting point for crafting policies …

The Cowl - V. 70 - N. 13 - Dec 8, 2005

The Cowl

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 70 - Number 13 - December 8, 2005. 28 pages.

Transparency In The Government Communication Process: The Perspective Of Government Communicators, Jenille Fairbanks

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents an understanding of the role of transparency in the communication processes of agencies of the United States Federal Government, as guided by principles of stakeholder management, models of public relations, and a model for government agency communication. These theories and models all suggest that increased openness in organizations will result in improved organizational functioning and in some instances, increases in organizational trust. The perspectives presented in this paper were collected through eighteen semi-structured in-depth interviews of professional communicators for various agencies in the United States Federal Government. The data shows that government communicators recognize the need for …

Methods Of Enhancing Communication In Preschoolers With Autism, Pam Headley

Theses & Honors Papers

Sixteen subjects were surveyed to determine their perceptions of four communication techniques used for increasing language in preschool children with autism: Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT), Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA), and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). The subjects included public and private special education teachers of children with autism. A self-developed questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square (X²) were used to analyze the data at .05 significance level. PECS was the technique used most often. ABA was the technique perceived as most effective. Significant relationships were found between choice of …