Digital Commons Network^™

0.35um Implementation Of An Experimental Mixed Signal Image Compression Circuit, Reema Divatia

Theses

Switched-current is an analog, discrete in time, signal processing technique that is fully compatible with any digital CMOS technology. This means that analog circuits can be realized together with digital components on a single chip without any additional technological processes. In designs implemented using the switched-current technique, the individual circuit elements interact by the means of currents, which allows to reduce voltage swings and thus power consumption. This work investigated the implementation of a low power mixed signal image compression system in TSMC 0.35um technology. The major components of this system were two dimensional discrete cosine transform processor, analog to …

The Winner, Sheng Jin

Theses

A descriptive narration of a project to create a 3-D animated action-adventure film set near the end of the Tang dynasty in China, featuring both human warriors and reptile warriors. Includes detailed discussion of the techniques used for character and environment design. Also includes storyboard, screen shots, and a DVD of the film.

Effect Of Glove Port Height On Upper Body Stress For Performing Laboratory Work, Jason Mark Williams

Theses

Glove boxes are used in many industries to constrain environmental contamination and protect the worker from harmful or hazardous exposures. This research specifically evaluates the effect of height of the glove box arm ports on the efficiency of task performance and physiological costs of work for the glove box users.

Seven male and two female participants performed liquid mixing and vial filling tasks within a portable glove box. The tasks were designed to simulate common glove box tasks performed in pharmaceutical and laboratory settings. Each participant repeated the designed tasks while the glove port height was set at two different …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Back Illuminated Cmos Photodiode Array, Amitra Banerjee

Theses

With the rapid development in low-cost CMOS technology, silicon photodiodes are currently recognized as promising choice for the imager core. In this research, the arrays of back illuminated photodiodes were designed, fabricated and demonstrated with CMOS imager fabrication process on silicon wafers. The main purpose of this work was to improve the contribution of these arrays on the imaging systems before committing their design on the chips.

In this CMOS process, first the n-well, p-well, n+and p+ regions were simulated and fabricated by several implantation processes. The n-well region was implanted by phosphorus at an energy of 170 keV and …

Submicron Patterning Using Laser Interference Lithography, Luigi Pollara Verdoni

Theses

In this thesis, the theory, fabrication protocol, and initial results of an alternative nanopatterning technique called Interferometric Lithography (IL) are presented. Comprised of the identical process attributes of traditional projection photolithography, IL mirrors the wafer preparation and development procedures of our existing clean room capabilities. The main departure is solely in means of pattern delineation. IL is a "mask less" technique that employs the interference fringe pattern of two coherent beams, and can therefore be generated with a commercial laser. Due to its simplicity, Interferometric Lithography provides an attractive supplement to existing methods of nano-patterning.

Utilizing a 325 nm HeCd …

Dem Simulated Floor Pressure Induced By A Granular Column, Shawn A. Chester

Theses

At the end of the 19th century, H. A. Janssen discovered that the bottom floor pressure in a cylindrical container of granular material asymptotes exponentially to a value less than the weight of the material i.e., the pressure becomes independent of the fill height of the column. This phenomenon is investigated using discrete element simulations of inelastic, frictional spheres in a cylindrical vessel having a particle-to-cylinder diameter ratio at approximately 13.3 or 26.6, with varying bed heights in both cases. The axial pressure profile and the load experienced by a piston that is supporting the granular column are computed. In …

Earthshine : Photometry, Modeling, And Spectral Observations, Jeffrey Patrick Hickey

Theses

The Earthshine group has been making sustained observations of the Earthshine from Big Bear Solar Observatory in California since late 1998. There have also been intermittent observations from 1994-5. High and low resolution Earthshine spectral observations have also been under taken at Palomar Observatory since 1999. The group has re-invigorated and modernized a nearly forgotten way of measuring the Earth's albedo, and hence its energy balance, previously studied by Danjon (and his followers) for about twenty-five years early in the last century, using their observations of the Earthshine from France. This is an overview paper covering observations, reductions, simulations, and …

A Wireless Method For Monitoring Medication Compliance, Jeffrey Scott Jonas

Theses

There are many devices on the market to help remind patients to take their pills, but most require observation by a caregiver to assure medication compliance. This project demonstrates three modes to detect pill removal from a pillbox: a switch under the pills, a reflective type photointerrupter and a transmissive "electric eye" photosensor. Each mode exhibited blind spots or other failures to detect pill presence, but by combining modes with complementary characteristics, the accuracy of pill detection is greatly increased.

Two methods of caregiver notification are demonstrated: text messages transmitted via an attached cellular phone, or the status is collected …

Individual Cell Pressure Control In An Air Mattress For The Prevention Of The Pressure Sores, Kapilchandra Anand

Theses

Many kinds of pressure-relieving mattresses have been developed to prevent pressure sores in patients with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) and obesity. Current technology uses alternating air pressure mattress, foam and low pressure mattress for reducing the incidence of pressure sores in SCI and obesity patients. These mattresses do not have control of pressure in individual air chambers. They are open loop system and they do not receive any feedback from the system. They have at the most control of two different pressures. The purpose of this study is to improve the current assistive technology in reducing pressure sores and to …

Fpga-Based Implementation Of Parallel Graph Partitioning, Mohammad Kharashgeh

Theses

Graph partitioning is a very important application that can be found in numerous areas, from finite element methods to data processing and VLSI circuit design. Many algorithms have been developed to solve this problem. Of special interest is multilevel graph partitioning that provides a very efficient solution. This method can also be parallelized and implemented on various multiprocessor architectures. Unfortunately, the target of such implementations is often unavailable high-end multiprocessor systems. Here a parallel version of this method for an in-house developed multiprocessor system is implemented on an FPGA. The system designed provides a cost-effective solution.

The design is based …

An Ergonomic Job Analysis Of A Work Process Within A Glovebox, Tamara Mcnair

Theses

Gloveboxes have been used in various industries to protect the user and environment from hazardous materials and/or isolate the materials from environmental contamination. As the use of gloveboxes continues to grow in an effort to reduce contamination and the dependency of personal protective equipment as well as increase the level of safety through containment, technical design specifications have been studied and investigated to great lengths. Unfortunately, ergonomic design criteria for this enclosed and restricting workstation have not been extensively investigated or documented.

This research evaluated ergonomic risk factors associated with the use of a glovebox in a pharmaceutical production facility. …

In-Vitro Characterization Of Boronized Titanium Alloy By Means Of Corrosion And Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Methods In Simulated Body Fluids, David Anthony Panus

Theses

Titanium and titanium alloys are becoming the backbone of medical implants and prosthetics. Titanium alloys are used because of its high biocompatibility and similarity to bone. However, titanium and titanium alloys have a low wear resistance. Titanium and titanium alloys are susceptible to particle erosion, which can cause inflammation, infection, and even implant rejection. Boronizing titanium alloy improves titanium's wear resistance and also improves corrosion resistance.

The target of this research was to characterize the corrosion characteristics of both unboronized and boronized titanium using both electrochemical corrosion methods and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (ELS) in simulated body fluid. Using electrochemical methods …

Characterization Of Thermally Diffused Bordie Layers On Aisi 1018 Steel : Residual Stresses (By Synchrotron Radiation) And Microhardness, Joel A. Payne

Theses

Boronization is a thermal diffusion process in which needle like boride layers are formed at the surface of the metallic substrate. The boride coatings formed by the diffusion process have high hardness and strong ware and corrosion resistance. In order for coatings of this nature to be industrially successful, their service life should be long and characterization should be extensive. Measuring the residual stresses of the coatings caters to each of these aspects.

In this study, AISI 1018 steel samples were boronized by a powder-pack process for four hours at 850°C in an argon atmosphere. Characterization techniques included coating thickness, …

Fabrication Of Hydroxyapatite-Biodegradable Polymer Scaffolds By Electrospinning For Potential Bone Tissue Application, Satomi Suzuki

Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the potential of combining hydroxyapatite (HA) and polymers to form synthetic composite materials used for bone tissue engineering applications. In this study, ceramic-biodegradable polymer composites are fabricated by electrospinning method. The biodegradable polymers used are poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA). Two types of HA-polymer solutions are first prepared to achieve HA weight percentage of 0, 10, and 25%of the total combined weight of HA and PLLA, and HA and PLGA. The solutions are electrospun to form nanofibrous mats incorporated with HA powder. A biomimetic process was also conducted as a …

Search Optimization Techniques In The Creation Of An Online Store Website, Anna Y. Boriskina

Theses

Business organizations involved in e-commerce recognize the importance of how commerce searches are conducted by individual customers. In 2005, 80% of all Website visits began with Internet searching. Altering a Website so that it ranks higher for particular terms used in Web searches is called 'search engine optimization.' The present study investigates how search engine marketing activities may result in higher rankings by such search engines as Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask. One method of search engine marketing is illustrated by optimizing a new Website, www.thelightingdivision.com. The results may interest online marketers and search engine optimizers wishing to increase the …

Sweet! Cartoons And Contemporary Painting, Sarah Atlee

Theses

I am an artist, and I use cartoons. My work consists mainly of images that communicate to the viewer through recognizable forms. I also use text to help tell my stories. I often create visual elements that function in place of text or information. I use a third visual tool, a hybrid descendant of images and words: the cartoon. Cartoons, once situated at the margins of visual discourse, now have a place in the fine art world. There are comics and animated television shows created for adult audiences. There are gallery and museum shows of work influenced by cartoons, not …

The Expression Of Emotions, Hweawon Chung

Theses

Throughout history, humans have been interested in the relationship between the mind and emotion. I am interested in the way in which people transmit their unique feelings to others. These sculptures represent my perspective of this phenomenon. Often people will communicate with their faces instead of their voices. Facial expression is the way to convey one’s true sentiments. Through my work, I try to recreate the moment in which one’s inner thoughts are expressed. In my personal experience, the speaking of a foreign or non-native language often causes misunderstanding. To address this problem, I try to read the face of …

Remembering Polish Town: A History Of Polish Americans In Rochester, James Bulmahn

Theses

Remembering Polish Town: A History of Polish Americans in Rochester Remembering Polish Town is an interactive multimedia presentation that explores the colorful history and culture of Rochester's Polish community. Based on writings and research conducted by local historian Kathleen Urbanic, the presentation tells the story of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church and the Polish immigrant neighborhood that formed around it. By exploring archival images and video interviews in the presentation, users can: Learn about the history of St. Stanislaus Church and how it serves as the spiritual heart of Rochester's Polish community Learn about St. Stanislaus School and explore class pictures …

Size Reduction Of Microstrip Antennas Using Left-Handed Materials Realized By Complementary Split-Ring Resonators, Aparna Limaye

Theses

Recently, metamaterials (MTMs) engineered to have negative values of permittivity and permeability, resulting in a left-handed system, have provided a new frontier for microwave circuits and antennas with possibilities to overcome limitations of the right-handed system. Microwave circuit components such as waveguides, couplers, power dividers and filters, constructed on left-handed materials, have demonstrated properties of backward coupling, phase compensation, reduced sizes, and propagation of evanescent modes. However, there is very limited work to date, on the microstrip antennas with metamaterials. Microstrip antenna is widely used for its low-profile, simplicity of feed and compatibility with planar microstrip circuitry. As the trend …

Tool For The Identification Of Differentially Expressed Genes Using A User-Defined Threshold, Renikko Alleyne

Theses

Microarray and 2D gel experiments are used for the large scale measurement, and comparison of gene expression. Since these experiments generate large and complex amounts of data, a great challenge the researcher faces is trying to find ways to analyze this data. This paper focuses on the tool DiffExpress, which was designed to make the gene expression analysis process easier. One of the main features of DiffExpress is the user defined threshold which allows users to set their personal restriction of the expression change at which genes are differentially expressed. DiffExpress also makes use of graphs such as the Scatter …

Storytelling Of The Korean Traditional Dance "The Hahoe Mask" Using Interactive Multimedia, Hee Jung Lee

Theses

The project, "Storytelling of Korean traditional dance 'The Hahoe mask'" is the cultural collection using interactive multimedia. It provides a way to keep our intangible properties and interpret Korean cultural performances to users who are interested in Korean culture. This thesis is developed in two categories: three stories and one game. The three stories are the Mudong Play, the Monk Play and the Yangban Play and the game is the Butcher's shooting game, referring to the Peakchong Play. This project has presented a way to keep Korean cultural resources in an entertaining and user-friendly way. Through this project, users can …

Structural Analysis Of The Egr Family Of Transcription Factors: Templates For Predicitng Protein - Dna Internations, Jamie Duke

Theses

The EGR family of transcription factors is known to be activated in cells exposed to growth factors in a variety of tissues. The overall structure of the family is highly conserved while the amino acid sequence can be quite diverse allowing for a wide array of DNA recognition sequences. Through homology modeling it is possible to reproduce the structure of the DNA binding domain of EGR proteins, which consists of three zinc fingers. It has also been determined through molecular dynamic simulations that most side chains within the domain reach an equilibrium state. However, residues that are essential for DNA …

Modeling Holographic Grating Imaging Systems Using The Angular Spectrum Propagation Method, Thomas Blasiak

Theses

The goal of this research was to describe the angular spectrum propagation method for the numerical calculation of scalar optical propagation phenomena. The angular spectrum propagation method has some advantages over the Fresnel propagation method for modeling low F# optical systems and non-paraxial systems. An example of one such system was modeled, namely the diffraction and propagation from a holographic diffraction grating. To accomplish this goal MATLAB® code was developed to implement the angular spectrum propagation method. Some classical imaging problems such as diffraction from a rectangular aperture, Talbot imaging, focal shift for converging beam illumination, and two beam interference …

Driving Monro Muffler Brake With An It Dashboard, April Miller

Theses

Monro Muffler Brake, Inc started in 1966 when the founder Charles (Chuck) J. August discontinued his franchise affiliation in order to expand the service offered at his muffler shops. A locally owned and managed company, Monro went public in 1991. Monro has grown from 20 locally owned stores in 1977 to over 700 stores located in seventeen states. I made contact with my Monro client, John Appleman, through a professional networking group. We met and discussed two areas of the business that had potential Capstone Project opportunities – an inventory project and the creation of a dashboard for the IT …

A Study Of Producing Smoother Gradients In The Flexographic Process On Oriented Polypropylene With Uv Ink By Varying Screening Techniques, Gradient Lengths And The Surrounding, Wimonrat Boonprasit

Theses

Printers find that producing smooth gradients in the highlight area is a great challenge for flexographic printing. Screening technology vendors claim that hybrid screening technologies produce smoother gradients and enhance reproducible dots in the highlight areas. This study was designed to investigate if hybrid screening technologies can achieve better gradient results than other screening technologies—conventional screening and FM screening—with the flexographic process. A single test form was printed on oriented polypropylene with UV ink, as these are common materials used in flexible packaging. The first objective was to see how different pressure settings impact tone reproduction of each screening technique. …

Genetic Algorithms Applied To Biological Sequence Analysis, James Thompson

Theses

Recently biological sequence databases have grown much faster than the ability of researchers to annotate such sequences. Techniques for computational analysis of biological sequences have grown in importance as researchers attempt to understand some features of these sequences. These features are computationally predicted through correlation with the presence of signals, which are measurable characteristics of a sequence correlated with the sequence feature. This study describes a general methodology for combining the information from signals in order to predict the presence of sequence feature. The methodology is based on Genetic Algorithm, which are a class of computational techniques that borrow concepts …

Infection, Moonsik Chung

Theses

Describes the creation of a short 16mm live-action film, Infection, which features a veteran of the 1991 Gulf War, Nathaniel, who was traumatized by his experiences and lost his specific memories about what he did in Iraq. 12 years later, Nathaniel is haunted by the ghost of one of his dead fellow soldiers, who taunts him with hints of what he has forgotten. Then Nathaniel learns from his troubled parents the secret of who his true father was.

The Dream Of The Butterfly: Experimental Illusions In Motion Graphics, Su Young Kim

Theses

The Dream of the Butterfly: Experimental Illusions in Motion Graphics is a series of motion graphics and applications defined from visual illusions, which are based on the study of patterns and interactive multimedia. This project is not only focused on making and showing motion graphic pieces, but also providing a basis of studies and enough of the experimental process of creating them, by incorporating sections for the user to interact with. By creating a web-based interface, it provides people with a chance to experiment with the elements of basic patterns and understand visual illusions which were chosen by me for …

Infestus Tutamen (Aggressive Protection), Shane M. Keena

Theses

Not Included

Near-Surface Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Christina L. Bray

Theses

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are well established techniques. Both require samples to be placed inside spatially-homogeneous static magnetic and radio frequency magnetic fields. This research focuses on applying the principles of NMR spectroscopy and imaging to design a system that can produce images of the NMR signal from a sample placed adjacent to it. The long term goal is to image at distances of meters from the device. The specific application of interest is locating buried utilities in fully-hydrated soils by identifying non-signal bearing features in an NMR signal rich background. This thesis asserts …