Digital Commons Network^™

Power Reduction Techniques For Memory Elements, Srikanth Katrue

Theses

High performance and computational capability in the current generation processors are made possible by small feature sizes and high device density. To maintain the current drive strength and control the dynamic power in these processors, simultaneous scaling down of supply and threshold voltages is performed. High device density and low threshold voltages result in an increase in the leakage current dissipation. Large on chip caches are integrated onto the current generation processors which are becoming a major contributor to total leakage power. In this work, a novel methodology is proposed to minimize the leakage power and dynamic power. The proposed …

L’Dor Vador: Remembering The Cleveland Jewish Immigration Experience, Roxanne Feldman

Theses

Jewish people heavily contributed to the growth and development of the city of Cleveland. Their impact extended from creating major businesses to influence in education and culture. Jewish immigration, an integral piece of Cleveland’s history, offers many memories that constitute an interactive, educational, and engaging exhibit. The goal of this interactive project is to inform users about what life was like as a Jewish immigrant or resident in Cleveland by sharing stories of individuals in the community and in my family. Through exploration of photographs, videos, and an interactive map, users will be able to identify noteworthy businesses, organizations, and …

Online Cake Instructor, Jen-Chun Tseng

Theses

This thesis will be an e-learning website about making cakes. Users will learn how to make a cake in a virtual environment by following the instructions and interacting with the surroundings, instead of learning from text statements. “Simulation” will be a focus in this thesis. Users will go through the cooking process by using virtual tools and a virtual oven. The final goal of the online courses is that users should use those virtual materials and tools correctly without a cue. Still images, videos, 3D models, and animations will be used to simulate the whole process. As an e-learning material, …

Table Driven Prediction For Recursive Descent Ll(K) Parsers, William M. Leiserson

Theses

Programming languages are typically described in BNF or some extension of BNF, and the process of converting these descriptions into parsers is performed by parser generators. Some of the parser generators that convert LL grammars into parsers construct them to use recursive descent that gives them context during execution. The context is provided by the execution stack as the parser descends into the grammar and this is what allows the full expressiveness of LL grammars. Table driven parsers can be generated instead but restrictions are placed on the LL grammars that can be accepted. The benefit of tables is that …

Detection And Removal Of Eyeblink Artifacts From Eeg Using Wavelet Analysis And Independent Component Analysis, Jimy Pesin

Theses

Electrical signals generated by brain activity that are measured by the electroencephalogram can be distorted by electrical activity originating from eyeblinks and eye movements. This thesis proposes a new technique to identify and remove eyeblink artifacts from EEG data. An algorithm using a combination of wavelet analysis and independent component analysis (ICA) is implemented to detect the temporal location of the eyeblink artifact and eliminate it without compromising the integrity of the primary EEG data. The discrete wavelet transform is performed on 10 second epochs of data to detect the occurrence of ocular artifact. ICA is used to separate out …

Good Is Dead, Jayson Bimber

Theses

This thesis focuses on a visual re-representation of tales from the Old Testament, a canon throughout the history of Western art. I place constructed plasticized models within Biblical allegories in order to satirize the representations of the body evident throughout history as well as those present in contemporary media. In the thesis work I seek to bridge a gap between the past and present. I want the images to dwell between the intended moral pedagogy of the Bible and contemporary society’s perceived deviance, by linking historical painting and current digital photography, and between antique ideals of the body and present-day …

Interactivity And Health Communication: Content Analysis Of Interactive Elements On Hiv/Aids Awareness And Prevention Websites, Vikas John

Theses

Individuals increasingly turn to the Internet to satisfy their information needs, including information on health-related issues like HIV/AIDS. Researchers agree that an important characteristic of this medium is interactivity. The concept can be viewed from either a user perspective, focusing on the user’s experience with the medium or a system perspective, analyzing the design of technology. The current study followed the system perspective to analyze the various features on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention websites. Although all websites were interactive, there was considerable variation in the types of features present. This study attempted to find a relationship, if any, between the …

A Novel Approach To Determine Arsenic Contamination In The Environment, Dean Franklin

Theses

This study examines a novel method to determine heavy metal contamination in the environment. This method will combine the established technique of atomic absorption spectroscopy with terrestrial isopods. The terrestrial isopods bioaccumulate heavy metals. The established forensic analysis by atomic absorption was used to quantify heavy metal poisoning. Spectroscopy determined the presence of arsenic and lead in four study areas. Arsenic contamination was the focus of this study. Lead contamination was done in parallel to verify the method. As part of the controls, three types of lumber were offered the isopods to feed on. Those lumber samples were kiln dried …

Countdown To Hiroshima, David S.R. Bridges

Theses

On August 6th, 1945 at approximately 8: 15 a.m. the United States dropped a uranium-based atomic bomb code named "Little Boy," on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The initial explosion, which was the equivalent of 13,000 tons of TNT, killed 45,000 of the largely civilian population instantly. Hundreds of thousands more would die of radiation-related illnesses in the decades to follow and a conservative estimate puts the death toll from the Hiroshima bombing at 200,000.

Three days later, the United States would drop another atomic bomb composed of plutonium and code named "Fat Boy," on the Japanese city of Nagasaki …

On The Plasma Induced Degradation Of Organosilicate Glass (Osg) As An Interlevel Dielectric For Sub 90 Nm Cmos, Amy Huang

Theses

The fabrication of integrated circuits (ICs) in a semiconductor manufacturing environment is governed by two main categories: Front End of the Line (FEOL) processing and Back End of the Line (BEOL) processing. Transistors are formed in active regions in FEOL while BEOL processing focuses on creation of metal interconnects and interlevel dielectrics (ILDs). These dielectrics patterned in BEOL are required to have low permittivity or k values in order to mitigate parasitic capacitance. This reduction in capacitance between metal layers diminishes dynamic power dissipation, crosstalk noise, and interconnect delay issues as IC technology nodes continue to scale down in size. …

Experimental And Numerical Evaluation Of Single Phase Adiabatic Flows In Plain And Enhanced Microchannels, Akhilesh V. Bapat

Theses

Thermal Dissipation is a critical issue in the performance of semiconductor devices. The current practice is to use forced convection by air over a heat sink which is bonded to the microelectronic device. With increased packing density of the circuits inside a chip, large amounts of heat is generated and air cooling is no longer sufficient. Forced liquid convection using microchannels is considered to be a viable option for cooling of these microprocessor chips. This work deals with the evaluation of the single phase pressure drop in microchannels. There are two types of microchannels under consideration. Plain microchannels which have …

Racial Profiling And The Police: Utilizing The Census Transportation Planning Package To Benchmark Traffic Stops Made By The North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Michael R. Herb

Theses

Racial profiling, or the practice of using race, ethnicity, or other racially based characteristics to decide when to stop, cite, or search drivers, has been studied and analyzed by researchers for decades. Attempts have been made to gain an understanding of why officers commit acts of racial profiling and to identify different evaluation methods that allow for accurate analysis of racial profiling data. This study attempts to create a new method of evaluation by utilizing the Census Transportation Planning Package (CTPP) as a benchmark for racial profiling data. Variables from the CTPP are used to create estimates of the transient …

Rfid-Assisted Wireless Sensor Networks For Cardiac Tele-Healthcare, Laura J. Celentano

Theses

As the baby boomers head into old age, America will see a dramatic increase in the number of elderly patients admitted to healthcare facilities, such as nursing homes. Due to this rising elderly population, it will be difficult for nursing home personnel to monitor all patients at once. One way to cut down on the amount of supervision by the staff is for patients to administer their own medication. This leads to new problems though, as a patient incorrectly administering one of their many medications could lead to a disastrous end. Technology to wirelessly transmit a patient’s electrocardiogram (ECG) has …

Finding Yosemite: A Reflection On Conservation, Jennifer Witkowski

Theses

Yosemite National Park has always been a National treasure of natural beauty, making it a popular tourist attraction by providing protection for unique geological formations, wildlife, and land of historic value. The parks mission is to provide recreation while educating and preserving the history and environment in which the park resides on. Recently, the mission of Yosemite National Park has been threatened by an increase in the number of people who visit the park annually and budget cuts that have a direct effect on the amount of resources the park has available to counteract the environmental impact of the rise …

Assessment Of Accuracy And Repeatability Of Verbal Exertion Estimation In The Presence Of Fatigue, Matthew Klosner

Theses

Occupational ergonomics has long focused on physical exertion as a key to the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries. Traditionally, objective measurements of forceful exertion such as electromyography (EMG) and direct force measurement have been used to assess exposure to forceful exertion. However, these measurements are often not practical for occupational settings due to their cumbersome and costly nature. As a result, psychophysical magnitude estimation may be used, in which human subjects verbally estimate the magnitude of an exertion. Despite an abundance of research on verbal estimation, its repeatability and the effects of fatigue on estimation accuracy have not been sufficiently assessed. …

Development Of A Ground Truth Simulator And Application Of A Generalized Multiple-Model Adaptive Estimation Approach To Tune A State Estimation Filter, Kevin Wyffels

Theses

In this thesis, a maritime scenario simulator is developed and a data processing/filtering algorithm is applied to estimate the ground truth of the simulated scenario from noisy measurements and system model for the Hierarchical High Level Information Fusion Technologies (H2LIFT) project. H2LIFT is an adaptable information fusion frame- work which takes as input Levels 0/1 (local) data and performs fusion at Levels two and three (distributed, and network centric) hierarchically, in different stages, to provide real- time situational/impact assessment efficiently while avoiding the overload of information to the human decision maker. First, a simulator is developed that imitates a naval …

Dynamic Inversion Of Underactuated Systems Via Squaring Transformation Matrix, Ryan Schkoda

Theses

In this thesis, a novel method for control of non-square dynamical systems using a model following approach is developed. Control methodologies such as dynamic inversion and sliding mode control require an inversion of the input influence matrix. However, if the system input influence matrix is non-square direct inversion is not possible. Pseudo inversion of the input influence matrix may be performed for control allocation. However, pseudo inversion limits the control to states where the controller is directly applied. The pseudoinverse method does not permit the engineer to designate a particular state to control or track. When accurate tracking of states …

Global Character Of The Solutions Of Rational Difference, Halyna Romanyuk

Theses

It is our goal to investigate the global character of the positive solutions of the following rational difference equation:Xn=1+[...] the initial conditions are positive real numbers. We will examine the global stability, periodic nature, boundedness and the monotonicity character of the positives solutions. (Refer to PDF file for exact formulas)

Turing Instabilities In A S-I-R Model, Hye Yon Yi

Theses

With the increasing threat of biological warfare and the fear of an epidemic outbreak of influenza, smallpox, and other deadly diseases, the field of epidemic modeling is becoming increasingly important in the scientific fields. The focus of this thesis will be to create a model to study the effects of the rates of reaction and the rates of diffusion within a network based on the different parameters used in the modeling of any disease. For this model, the exact parameters of a specific disease are not as crucial as the qualitative behaviors that occur from the changing parameters. The model …

A New Adaptive Edge Enhancement Algorithm For Color Laser Printers, Manoj Kumar Reddy

Theses

This thesis presents a novel algorithm for improving quality of edges in printed text. The algorithm is designed to add pixels at selected edge locations after halftoning. The extent of the correction is proportional to the “strength” of the edge, as determined by comparing the local differences in a four-pixel neighborhood to a dynamically generated threshold. The process is computationally efficient and requires minimal memory resources. The performance of our proposed algorithm is clearly demonstrated on several characters and lines. While the algorithm aims to improve the quality of printed text (edges), it is possible to extend its application to …

Willingness To Pay For A Clear Night Sky: Use Of The Contingent Valuation Method, Stephanie N. Simpson

Theses

A clear night sky is a public good, and as a public good government intervention to regulate it is justifiable. Light pollution decreases the ability to view a clear, unobstructed night sky and can have biological, human health, energy related, and scientific consequences. In order for governments to intervene more effectively, an economic analysis of light pollution with regards to costs and benefits needs to be performed. This thesis demonstrates the use of the contingent valuation method to place an economic value on light pollution. Students in the RIT community were surveyed regarding their willingness to pay for a clear …

Economic And Environmental Impacts Of Collecting Waste Cooking Oil For Use As Biodiesel Under A Localized Strategy, Christopher R. Wood

Theses

Some of the vital aspects in the diffusion of renewable energies are the cost of producing the energy, as well as the environmental impacts associated with its lifecycle. As petroleum based energy becomes increasingly costly, alternatives will be relied upon to meet the ever increasing energy demand. Biofuels, and biodiesel in particular, could be a near term solution for providing a transitional fuel to meet the energy demand of the transportation sector. However, the costs of biodiesel, as well as perceptions of a negative energy balance are hindering its widespread adoption. Using waste cooking oil (WCO) can reduce the cost …

Awen: Flowing Spirit, Matt Costanza

Theses

None provided.

Land Surface Temperature And Emissivity Retrieval From Thermal Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging, Marvin Boonmee

Theses

A new algorithm, optimized land surface temperature and emissivity retrieval (OLSTER), is presented to compensate for atmospheric effects and retrieve land surface temperature (LST) and emissivity from airborne thermal infrared hyperspectral data. The OLSTER algorithm is designed to retrieve properties of both natural and man-made materials. Multi-directional or multi-temporal observations are not required, and the scenes do not have to be dominated by blackbody features. The OLSTER algorithm consists of a preprocessing step, an iterative search for nearblackbody pixels, and an iterative constrained optimization loop. The preprocessing step provides initial estimates of LST per pixel and the atmospheric parameters of …

Emphasizing The User In The Usability Study: Investigating Activity Theory And Website Navigation, Heidi Trost

Theses

The effects of organizational schemes in website design have been studied using measures of speed, number of mouse-clicks, accuracy, and user recollection of website content information. This study investigates self-reported user confidence and satisfaction of websites using two different organizational schemes. Users were randomly assigned to one of the two sites and asked to perform a series of information-retrieval tasks. Time taken to complete the tasks was recorded and participants completed a survey measuring their confidence and satisfaction using a website. No significant differences were found between the two websites in respect to user self-reported confidence and satisfaction. The results …

High Resolution Source Localization In Near Field Sensor Arrays By Mvdr Technique, Joseph J. Handfield

Theses

Research over the last decade has led to technological advances in high frequency active and passive detection technology and signal processing. An emerging application area is the standoff detection of concealed objects such as weapons and explosives using penetrating electromagnetic radiation such as terahertz waves (THz). Here sensor arrays are employed in the near field to image the concealed objects. A new approach is investigated to improve upon methods such as Fourier inversion and sum and delay beamforming. A method based on the Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) filter technique is developed to localize source points in the electric field …

Character Design And Marketing – Designer Toys, Yen-Fu Chen

Theses

Designing a series of my characters and one story for those characters is the first step in this project. Those characters will be presented on my design products from 2D to 3D and from t-shirt to cell phone downloads. There are four categories for my design works. The first part is 2D print media. I will put those characters on posters, stickers and post cards. Also, the customers can have my character designs on their t-shirts. The second is that I will have real toy models for my characters. The customers can have my real design works, and they can …

Development Of A Cyber Attack Simulator For Network Modeling And Cyber Security Analysis, Kevin Costantini

Theses

Computer networks are now relied on more than ever before for gathering information and performing essential business functions. In addition, cyber crime is frequently used as a means of exploiting these networks to obtain useful and private information. Although intrusion detection tools are available to assist in detecting malicious activity within a network, these tools often lack the ability to clearly identify cyber attacks. This limitation makes the development of effective tools an imperative task to assist in both detecting and taking action against cyber attacks as they occur. In developing such tools, reliable test data must be provided that …

A Link-Quality-Aware Graph Model For Cognitive Radio Network Routing Topology Management, Andrew Michael James

Theses

Wireless communications is one of the fastest growing fields in the world; however this creates a problem since all wireless signals are fighting for the same limited amount spectrum in any given space. The underutilization of licensed spectrum has created a need for a new way to use it. Cognitive Radio Networks and Dynamic Spectrum Access are a solution to this problem. By opportunistically using spectrum, devices can gain access to more wireless bandwidth while not violating FCC regulations. The concepts of Cognitive Radio Networks and Dynamic Spectrum Access are very new topics and have yet to be fully explored. …

Uncovering Local History: 16mm Tv News Film Remaining In U.S. Television Stations, Rob Jason Fain

Theses

Beginning in the 1940s, the U.S. television news industry used 16 millimeter film to gather daily local field footage. By 1980 videotape pushed news film aside. Though historians and others would later find value in the film, many TV stations had by then disposed of their film. Reported here are results of a survey that determines which U.S. TV stations still have their news film and its current physical condition. A six-page survey was mailed to chief engineers and operations managers at more than 600 commercial TV stations that went on the air prior to January 1, 1977. The response …