Digital Commons Network^™

All Memories Fade, Lynn Bierbaum

Theses

All Memories Fade is an installation and sculptural exhibition examining familial connection through my developed fear of forgetting. These works comprise many materials, including glass, resin, silk fabric, wet plate collodion images, and chemigrams. This installation uses light and optical variants to communicate the fear of losing one’s most cherished memories in life. All Memories Fade draws inspiration from my family farm in Minnesota that had been sold when I was young. The encapsulated sculptures and installation produce a distorted perception of home through material memory, utilizing light and shadow to highlight those distortions and abstractions that checker one’s past. …

Are Numerical Symbols Fundamental To Neural Computation?, Mirinda James

Theses

Abstract: Neuroclassicism is the view that cognition is computation and that core mental processes, such as perception, memory, and reasoning are products of digital computations realized in neural tissue. Cognitive psychologist C. R. Gallistel uses this classical framework to argue that all cognitive information processing is based on symbolic operations performed over quantitative values (i.e. numbers) stored in the brain, much like a digital computer. Assuming this hypothesis, he investigates how the brain stores quantitative information (i.e. the numerical symbols involved in neural computation). He claims that it is more plausible that memories for numbers are stored within molecular mechanisms …

The Effects Of Floral And Social Information On Bumblebee Forager Learning And Memory, Avery Hume Baker

Theses

Bumblebees rely on information gathered from their environment to make the best choices they can when foraging for pollen and nectar. The type of information gathered should influence how a bee learns and remembers it, but other factors such as the size of the bee’s brain may also play a role in the learning and remembering process. While social information learned from other organisms and information gathered directly from flowers can each be used alone to improve both the efficiency with which a bee learns to forage from a flower and how accurately and how long the bee remembers these …

The Potent And Selective Histamine H3 Receptor Antagonist E169 Alleviates Cognitive Deficits And Mitigates Disturbed Pi3k/Akt/Gsk-3Β Signaling Pathway In Mk801-Induced Amnesia In Mice, Sabna Tagelsir Hassan Abdalla

Theses

The role of Histamine H3 Receptors (H3Rs) in memory and the prospective of H3R antagonists in pharmacological control of neurodegenerative disorders, e.g., Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is well-accepted. Therefore, the procognitive effects of acute systemic administration of H3R antagonist E169 (2.5-10 mg/kg, i.p.) on MK801- induced amnesia using the Novel Object Recognition Test (NORT) paradigm in C57BL/6J mice were evaluated. E169 (5 mg) provided a significant memory-improving effect on MK801-induced short- and long-term memory impairments in NORT. The E169 (5 mg) provided effects were comparable to those observed with the Phosphatidyl Inositol 3-Kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 and were abrogated with the …

An Investigation Of Novel Object Recognition Memory In A North American River Otter (Lontra Canadensis), Jessica J. Wegman

Theses

Memory is the mental processes of receiving and storing information for later retrieval, with long-term memories being those that are stored longer than 30 seconds. Little research has been done to investigate memory in any of the 13 species of otters. Object recognition memory has the potential to aid otters in identifying conspecifics, prey, and predators, which would contribute to better survival and fitness. Object recognition memory has been investigated in many non-human animals using the novel object recognition (NOR) task. This study was the first to investigate long-term object recognition memory in the North American river otter using the …

Art Curriculum Lesson Plan: Horace Pippin’S World War I Journal, Tracie Dana Sykes

Theses

This report contains a detailed curriculum plan for a ninety-minute, eleventh grade Art class. The purpose is to provide the students with a thorough study of Horace Pippin’s World War I journal, while implementing two assignments to test their understanding of the areas which will be emphasized in the lesson. The students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of Pippin’s War journal by presenting a detailed slideshow about the artist and his journal. The students' foundational knowledge of Naive art will be recognized through the creation of his/her unique piece of art which will implement the mannerisms of Naive …

Journo: Organize And Share The Memory Of Travel Experience, Ziyi Tao

Theses

With the improvement of living standards and the construction of public transportation, many people travel more frequently. They want to record those experiences and get more enlightenment when they look back upon the memory. Additionally, many people have eagerly requested to share their travel experiences due to the development of social media and the information explosion era. Less than a decade ago, people would travel without a smart device. They tended to take photos along the way with a film camera, and stick them on a physical photo album to share with friends and family. The other traditional method of …

Examining Own-Race Bias: A Cooperation And Memory Study Using Diverse Emojis, Jillian Franks

Theses

Other-race-effect or own-race bias is a well-documented phenomenon in memory. Findings suggest that humans are better at recognizing and remembering faces of their own race than other races. Previous research suggests that these results are due to a lack of interracial contact or exposure to other racial groups. Evidence from previous studies has demonstrated that individuals process own-race faces differently than other-race faces, paying more attention to more salient features that become better encoded. While there is empirical support for both hypotheses, it has yet to be studied if the other-race effect for memory extends to representational human faces, for …

Those Thrice Marked By Time: The Significance Of The Last Known Survivor, Their Death, And Our Remembrance, Michael Tofte

Theses

Following Adam Zarakov, the last known survivor is a significant figure and a representative of a larger type that is under-considered. Last known survivors are ubiquitous in fictional media and how history is told. Some survivors like Frank Buckles are given lavish state funerals with participation of strangers. Yet, this under-analysis is concerning as the 21^st century will likely feature the recognition of last known survivors of many significant 20^th century events. I offer one attempt of addressing this lacuna.

The first aim is to motivate philosophical interest in the phenomenon of the last known survivor. I present …

Engram, An Application Of Recording And Throwing Back Memories With Your Parents, Tong Wu

Theses

Adults can recall memories from the age of three. Our brains help us sort out important things for long-term memory and more trivial things for short-term memory. 1 We pull up these pieces of memory when we need them. We can remember a lot, but we also keep forgetting, forgetting details.

Therefore, humans have always had the habit of recording. Today we record our lives by posting in social media, taking photos, and so on. In most of the more modern methods, we record our life initiatively, which means we need to do something to record a piece of memory. …

Clam: Compiler Lease Of Cache Memory, Ian Prechtl

Theses

Caching is a common solution to the data movement performance bottleneck of today’s computational systems and networks. Traditional caching examines program behavior and cache optimization separately, limiting performance. Recently, a new cache policy called Compiler Lease of cAche Memory (CLAM), has been suggested for program-based cache management. CLAM manages cache memory by allowing the compiler to assign leases, or lifespans, to cached items over a hardware-software interface, known as lease cache. Lease cache affords new performance potential, by way of program-driven cache optimization. It is applicable to existing cache architecture optimizations, and can be used to emulate other cache policies. …

Teasing Apart The Roles Of Fluency And Memory Beliefs In The Self-Regulated Learning Behaviors Of Visually-Impaired And Unimpaired Participants, Payne A. Winston-Lindeboom

Theses

Participants give higher judgments of learning to words presented in large font compared to those in small font despite memory performance not differing. One argument is large fonts seem more fluent than small. Another suggests participants have memory beliefs that large fonts will be more memorable. The present study sought to tease apart these arguments using vision impairment. We were also interested if self-regulated learning habits of these individuals differ. Both vision-impaired and unimpaired participants studied word pairs presented in both fonts. After studying the word pairs, participants were asked to select up to half of the word pairs they …

On Unifying Declarative Memory, Thomas Ames

Theses

The distinction between episodic and semantic declarative memory systems, as introduced by Tulving (1972, updated in 1984, 1991), was a revolutionary approach to human memory. While the distinction is now widely endorsed in the study of memory, there are debates about what constitutes each system’s domain, how each system is used, how each system functions, and the phenomenal experiences associated with the functioning of each system. On the basis of clinical studies and insights from conditions affecting memory, this paper argues that the episodic/semantic distinction can be reframed as a result of a unified declarative memory system. In this view, …

/Səm/ Of The Parts, Marija Ratkeviciute

Theses

This thesis focuses on the role of memory in identity development and discusses the creation of work that explores transitions that we go through in life, the effects of time on our relationships, and the shifts that happen within the person involved. The emphasis of my exploration is the investigation of states of being where the past is more than a memory, and the future is yet unclear.

Everyone grows through liminal states, especially in this time of globalization and social change. There are some rituals to help us transition into different social roles and stages of life, such as …

Minutes, Days, Years, Lindsey Palmer

Theses

Minutes, Days, Years, is a body of photographic work presented in an installation format alongside a written companion book. In this work I seek to rebuild my mother’s memories which were lost to electro-convulsion therapy that she received in January 2012. The images are 42 cyanotypes on glass, made from personal archive photos from the years 2008-2011; the time period which her memory is most damaged, and the time I began learning photography. These images are placed atop a 60-inch by 14-foot paper backing, made of two images from the same time period. Minutes, Days, Years references photography as manipulatable …

Full Circle, Hang Zhang

Theses

This body of work “福壽”/“Full Circle” explores my grandparents’ experiences and aspirations, generational relationships in a traditional Chinese family, and my process of re-establishing a connection with my family. “福壽” is a group of multimedia works composed of photographs, videos, and sculpture. My grandparents’ experiences with the Cultural Revolution, coupled with my memories and desire to rekindle a connection with my family, inspired this project from a personal and cultural point of view. In this work, I aim to showcase for the viewer the history and current situation of the Chinese elderly while highlighting the importance for members of my …

Transcriptomics Of Learning, Pablo Iturralde

Theses

Learning is a basic and important component of behavior yet we have very little empirical information about the interaction between mechanisms of learning and evolution. In our work, we are testing hypotheses about the neurogenetic mechanisms through which animal learning abilities evolve. We are able to test this directly by using experimentally evolved populations of flies, which differ in learning ability. These populations were previously evolved within the lab by creating worlds with different patterns of change following theoretically predicted effects on which enhanced learning will evolve. How has evolution acted to modulate genes and gene expression in the brain …

Modeling And Implementation Of Hfo2-Based Ferroelectric Tunnel Junctions, Spencer Allen Pringle

Theses

HfO2-based ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) represent a unique opportunity as both a next-generation digital non-volatile memory and as synapse devices in braininspired logic systems, owing to their higher reliability compared to filamentary resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) and higher speed and lower power consumption compared to competing devices, including phase-change memory (PCM) and state-of-the-art FTJ. Ferroelectrics are often easier to deposit and have simpler material structure than films for magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). Ferroelectric HfO2 also enables complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility, since lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and BaTiO3-based FTJs often are not.

No other groups have yet demonstrated a HfO2-based FTJ …

Dear Objects,, Jee Young Bang

Theses

Dear Objects, is a personal, diaristic documentation of everyday life that combines brief stories and still-life photographs. Experiencing everyday moments as a single parent in an expatriated situation, this body of work collects personal memories through temporary or worthless things. Capturing everyday objects of little value from around the home is for remembering and holding indelible memories of daily occurrences. By using domestic settings with objects in a given natural light, this photo/text work depicts ephemeral moments and shares nostalgic memories by taking the viewer on a journey through time. The Korean texts, accompanying the photographs, are written by hand …

Picking At Scabs, Robert Gordon

Theses

Picking at Scabs is a body of photographic work that engages with the fragile and unreliable nature of memory. The book and installation address, with differing levels of narrative clarity, my adolescent struggles with my father’s alcoholism. In an accompanying book, Five-lined Skink, photographs from the family album are curated and annotated to reclaim the structure and narrative of the photographic record and act as a visual and thematic counterpoint.

The autobiographical work uses recent photographs, images from my personal archive, and photographs from the family album to create an emotional space described by writing. Photographs range from unsettling images …

Where They Wander, Kevin T. Gleich

Theses

The stories contained within are all concerned in one way or another with our memory. More specifically, what it means to remember something. With a fictional drug, referred to only as “serum,” the characters in these stories all fall victim to what can be described as an overdose of experience. Our memories are what allow us to develop ideology, our concept of self, and intimacy with others. Each story in “Where They Wander” deals in some way with these basic human traits by exaggerating the characters’ abilities to confront their experiences.

There is another thread that pulls these stories together. …

The Role Of Schematic Support And Fluency In Value-Directed Remembering, Donald J. Skinner

Theses

Value-directed remembering can be influenced by multiple factors, such as learners’ goals, perceptual cues, and perceived familiarity and fluency. Font size, type, and clarity are all perceptual cues that have been found to influence the subjective value of to-be-learned information. Fluency, or the ease with which information is processed, a factor influenced by familiarity, can also impact value-directed remembering. More fluent information is perceived as easier to process and thus more likely to be remembered. Judgments of learning (JOLs; i.e. subjective ratings regarding whether information will be remembered) can also be influenced by these three factors. The present study examined …

The Influence Of Jailhouse Informant Testimony On Eyewitnesses' Propensity To Change Their Identification, Preston M. Smith

Theses

The present study investigated the influence of jailhouse informant testimony on eyewitness identifications and self – reported confidence. Participants watched a video of an actual armed robbery and, after, made an identification decision from a photo lineup. Except for those in the no – feedback control condition, all participants then read that certain lineup members either confessed to the crime, denied involvement or were implicated by a jailhouse informant. Jailhouse informant testimony implicating the identified lineup member led participants to have higher confidence in their identification. In contrast, jailhouse informant testimony implicating one of the unidentified lineup members led participants …

Forgetting And The Value Of Social Information, Benjamin James Abts

Theses

Information is everywhere in nature, however it can be deceitful or incorrect, so not all information should be used. Foraging pollinators utilize variable and ephemeral resources so learning about patch quality and nectar replenishment rates are essential to success and survival. However, remembering information after it is no longer relevant is not advantageous. It has been theorized that a pollinator’s memory should reflect their environment. Bumblebees are known to use both personal information (information gathered through trial and error) and social information (information gained through observations of or interactions with other animals or their products) in foraging decisions; however, it …

Memory Emphasizing Digital Camera, Jae Ho Seo

Theses

The thesis is focused on how users can realize the value of personal memories when they use cameras.

The design of a camera has barely changed over the hundreds of years of its history. In the current market, most companies emphasize functionalities, such as better quality images, faster processors, and safer storage. However, the basic rectangular form factor, the round lens, and the layout of control knobs and buttons are essentially the same amongst many different companies. Similar to the auto design, the camera design has changed minimally in its outer shape with slightly advanced inner components.

It is important …

Predicting Choices In Bumblebees (Bombus Impatiens): Learning Rules And The Two-Armed Bandit, Isabel Lucia Rojas-Ferrer

Theses

Animals must make estimates about possible resources in order to choose the resource which will save them time and energy while conferring high energetic content. In order to make the most optimal decision, foragers must use various parameters to come up with an accurate estimate for each possible alternative. Learning rules allow us the possibility of analyzing which parameters animals may be using in order to make the best decision. We use compare known learning rules (i.e. Linear Operator Rule, Relative Payoff Sum Rule, Perfect Memory) and experimental data extracted from bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) subjected to a two armed bandit …

The Home, Memory, And Materialism Explored Through Landscape, Kelly Wilton

Theses

Moving from Arizona two years ago meant editing down my possessions to fit in the back of a pickup truck that my best friend, two cats, and I shared for three days. I have been moving on average about once a year since I was fourteen. This nomadic lifestyle meant constantly having to get rid of things that felt unimportant and insignificant. Certain things, however, have survived the moves. Throughout my nomadic lifestyle, the bedroom became a curated space for possessions put on display, showcasing the importing things I own. In my travels, landscape and house became equally important in …

A Scalable Flash-Based Hardware Architecture For The Hierarchical Temporal Memory Spatial Pooler, Lennard G. Streat

Theses

Hierarchical temporal memory (HTM) is a biomimetic machine learning algorithm focused upon modeling the structural and algorithmic properties of the neocortex. It is comprised of two components, realizing pattern recognition of spatial and temporal data, respectively. HTM research has gained momentum in recent years, leading to both hardware and software exploration of its algorithmic formulation. Previous work on HTM has centered on addressing performance concerns; however, the memory-bound operation of HTM presents significant challenges to scalability.

In this work, a scalable flash-based storage processor unit, Flash-HTM (FHTM), is presented along with a detailed analysis of its potential scalability. FHTM leverages …

Anticonvulsant And Procognitive Properties Of Novel Histamine H3 Receptor Antagonists In Male Adult Rats, Ali Kassem Saad

Theses

To determine the potential of histamine H3 receptor (H3R) ligands as new antiepileptic and procognitive drugs, aromatic ether derivatives (1-12) belonging to the nonimidazole class of ligands, with high in-vitro binding affinity at human H3R, were tested for their in-vivo anticonvulsive activity in maximal electroshock (MES)-, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-, and strychnine (STR)-induced seizure models in male adult rats having phenytoin (PHT) and valproic acid (VPA) as the reference antiepileptic drugs, pitolisant (PIT) as the standard H3R antagonist/inverse agonist, and donepezil (DOZ) as a reference procognitive drug. Among the H3R ligands (1-12) tested in the current project, H3R …

197_, Jason Paul Reimer

Theses

This past year, two life-altering events descended on my life within a few months of each other: the death of my sister from cancer, and the birth of my first child. Both were anticipated, but hit me with a kind of emotional power that I couldn’t have imagined until they actually happened. The extremes of the highs and lows these events brought induced a mental whiplash as I thought about what they meant, and how they would affect my family and me. Grief and celebration seldom inhabit the same place at once, but I found my-self living shoulder to shoulder …