Digital Commons Network^™

Short-Term Retention Of Location-Identity Bindings For Complex Objects, Alexander Nalbandian

Theses

Knowing what is where is an essential and complex component of human perception. This ability refers to the concept of Situation Awareness (SA). The underlying mechanisms for this ability show parallels to the tracking of a set of identical objects moving on a screen, a theory known as Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) (Pylyshyn & Storm, 1988). This theory was useful for investigating the fundamental factors of visual tracking, but lacked a connection to real-world scenarios. In an attempt to bridge that gap, Oksama and Hyönä (2008) created the Model of Multiple Identity Tracking (MOMIT), which includes unique identities for each …

Harvesting A Sustainable Energy Future: Examining The Effect Of Chemical Composition On The Electromechanical Properties Of Polymer Gel Beads, Kaushik Kudtarkar

Theses

Clean energy is required to ensure global prosperity and economic growth. Increased industrialization is expected to increase energy demand by 50% by 2035. This will result in increased air pollution. Carbon dioxide emissions have been linked to global warming and other pollution related problems. These emissions can be reduced by recapturing the waste energy in the form of heat, vibration, and friction.

Common applications like transportation can lose as much as 78% of the energy they generate. Energy harvesters can be used to recapture energy lost through vibration, heat, etc. This recaptured energy will be reused and hence, we don’t …

Isolation Of Pharmaceutical-Degrading Bacteria From Lake Sediments Associated With Wastewater Effluents, Noreen Anne Gallagher

Theses

Many wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not properly equipped for the removal of various compounds, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), analgesics, and hormones. These compounds are continually discharged into surface waters, which has become an emerging issue for environmental and public health. Microorganisms in the natural environment may play a crucial role in ecosystem self-purification processes such as contaminant degradation. The aim of this research was to determine if there were microorganisms from water and sediment samples located near wastewater effluent outfalls in Central and Western New York capable of degrading ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, and 17β-estradiol, and if the degradation …

Implementing Partial Blind Estimation Of Alamouti Space-Time Coding In Software-Defined Radios, Sai Gautham Peesapati

Theses

The aim of this thesis is to develop and study the performance of an algorithm to perform blind estimation of Alamouti space-time coding (STC) on Zedboard’s ARM core and FPGA, and propose improvements based on the collected data. In the first part, previous methods to accomplish blind estimation of Alamouti STC are presented, and a new method that is simple enough for hardware implementation is proposed. The system of linear equations in the final step of the proposed method is not mathematically solvable. Hence, in the next part, the thesis proposes a method to accomplish partial blind estimation of Alamouti …

A Proposed Imaging System To Spatially And Temporally Monitor Unburned Hydrocarbons In Jet Engine Exhaust, Emily E. Berkson

Theses

The local air quality surrounding airports is significantly impacted by ground-based airplane operations, such as landing, taxiing, idling, and takeoff. In recent years, studies performed across the country revealed that people living near major airports suffer from increased cancer risks and higher likelihoods of developing respiratory issues. Jet engine emissions have been monitored extensively by direct probing of the exhaust, but there are currently no inexpensive, portable, and unobtrusive methods with which to study exhaust plume dynamics. This study assesses the feasibility of designing a multispectral imaging system to track the spatial-temporal nature of a jet engine plume. Ideally, the …

Engineered Emitters For Improved Silicon Photovoltaics, Ronak A. Kamat

Theses

In 2014, installation of 5.3GW of new Photovoltaic (PV) systems occurred in the United States, raising the total installed capacity to 16.36GW. Strong growth is predicted for the domestic PV market with analysts reporting goals of 696GW by 2020. Conventional single crystalline silicon cells are the technology of choice, accounting for 90% of the installations in the global commercial market. Cells made of GaAs offer higher efficiencies, but at a substantially higher cost. Thin film technologies such as CIGS and CdTe compete favorably with multi-crystalline Si (u-Si), but at 20% efficiency, still lag the c-Si cell in performance.

The c-Si …

Putting Your Best Face Forward: A Critical Visual Analysis Of Gay Advertising Images And Self-Branding On Grindr, Gigina A. Giorgi

Theses

Advertising is used to sell a brand by depicting a lifestyle or persona that one aspires to attain. We brand ourselves, or self-brand, in accordance to how we want to be perceived by others and to convey a particular message. This study addresses the following research questions: 1) How are men presented in advertisements in gay orientated magazines? 2) How do gay men portray themselves in online dating profiles? 3) Is there a relationship between the portrayal of the male body in advertisements in Out and self-portrayal on online dating profiles? 4) What messages are gay men portraying on online …

Interracial Advertising: A Comparative Analysis On Youtube Comments On A Controversial Interracial Commercial, Jeannine Alsous

Theses

This paper examines online comments to an interracial family portrayed in two online commercials for Cheerios. The study focused on an in-depth review of literature of history, symbolic interaction theory, critical race theory and co-creation of value, followed by comparative content analysis of online comments and intercoder reliability test. Four-hundred total comments were analyzed; 100 positive from each commercial and 100 negative from each. The comments were chosen by a filtering method the social media site YouTube has to select and analyze the top and most popular comments from each. After collection, a comparative content analysis of the comments was …

Live-Action And Animated Disney Films: An Analysis Of Themes And Family Structures Over Time, Meghan Moran

Theses

The themes and family structures of Disney’s live-action and animated films have significantly changed over time. This study addressed the following research questions: 1) What are the thematic differences between live-action and animated Disney films? 2) What are the differences in family structure comparing live-action and animated Disney films? and 3) What are the differences between theme and family structure in relation to the film’s release date? A random sample of live-action and animated Disney films was content analyzed by theme and family structure. The results indicate that the majority of the films analyzed demonstrated the theme of growth and …

Investigating Visual Differences Between Japanese And American Animation, Boyao Dai

Theses

This study looked at animation produced in the US and Japan, in order to discover the visual differences between the two. After sampling from four distinct animations of the US and Japan, over 300 screenshots were captured. A visual content analysis of the 300 screenshots was conducted, focusing on differences in character psychological status and environment rendering. Results revealed that Japanese animation contained at least three times more psychological depictions and used more subdued coloring than American animation. Lastly, using semiotic analysis, the findings from the content analysis were interpreted and potential reasons for the differences between the two animations …

The Effect(S) Of Media On The National Football League, Christian J. Bunce

Theses

Exemplification theory states that the sample is applied to the whole. This paper specifically look into how the media’s coverage of certain high-profile National Football League (NFL) cases may have created a negative perception about the NFL. Specifically, this paper will compare exemplars and the effects they have. The media play a large role in how players, leagues, and teams are perceived. However, our results do not support this idea. Both groups were asked the same questions, the questions were designed to gauge subject’s opinions of the NFL. After analysis, there was not a significant statistical difference in the responses …

Implementation Of An Object-Oriented Life Cycle Assessment Framework Using Functional Analysis And Systems Engineering Principles, Shantanu Avinash Gadre

Theses

There has been a growing awareness about the environmental impacts of producing and consuming goods and services. Among the various tools that have been developed to better understand these impacts, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the most commonly used tools to estimate the environmental effects of products and services. Given that a significant percentage of a product’s impacts are defined during the design and development, it is necessary to effectively integrate LCA into these early phases of the product lifecycle. However, the lack of standardized practices, complex modelling approaches, data and time requirements, special training requirements for designers, …

Framing Of Skill Problems, Kirk M. Winans

Theses

More frequently since the Great Recession, various concerns about a “skills gap” have been raised by industry leaders and organizations, politicians, and some economists. The most basic definition of a “skills gap” is that the workforce does not possess the skills required by employers. The most prominent concerns have been with STEM education and “middle skills” occupations, those that require more than a high school diploma but less than a 4-year degree. However, the various causes and solutions to these issues are widespread. Much of the alarm has been stimulated by reports published by industry and trade organizations asserting specific …

Survival Of Various Pathogenic Microorganisms In Surface Waters And Sediments In Western New York, Lorne Farovitch

Theses

In 2005-2006, 87% of all reported cases of disease outbreak in the United States related to recreational water use was caused by bacterial infections of the gastrointestinal tract. Several locations featuring recreational bodies of water in Western New York include: Durand Eastman Beach, Charlotte Beach, the Genesee River, Black Creek, Irondequoit Bay and Oatka Creek. Adequate monitoring of water quality is necessary due to contamination with pathogenic strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and enteric pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, and Shigella sonnei that can threaten the safety of swimming in these recreational waters. Except for P. aeruginosa, which …

A Methodology To Quantify Cumulative Damage Function (Cdf) For Integration Into An Object-Oriented Life Cycle Assessment (Lca), Devdatta Deo

Theses

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the most widely used tools to determine the environmental impact of products and processes. One of the main concerns with LCA is the limited comparability of the results due to limitations in defining the functional unit. This affects goal and scope definition of the LCA studies. A result, an object-oriented framework for LCA that integrates functional analysis and systems engineering principles was developed. In this research a cumulative damage function (CDF) to quantify the life of components, subsystems and components was defined. However, the development of the methodology and underlying principles to develop …

Beyond The Surface: An Analysis On The Journalistic Reporting Of Native American Issues, Nicole Dorothy Irene Scott

Theses

This study analyzes the reporting of four issues that have impacted the Native American community. The research begins by addressing historical events that transformed Native American identity and have shaped the media’s representation of Native identity. Framing theory, muted group theory, and tribal critical race theory support this study, with framing theory focusing on examining the news discourse. This study seeks to identify how Native American issues are framed differently in Indian Country Today Media Network and the New York Times, and seeks to identify if the Native voice can be heard in articles written by Native journalists. The results …

Implementation Of The Meshed Tree Algorithm On A Switched Network, Kuhu Sharma

Theses

Loop avoidance is a critical component of switched networks. Protocols like STP, RSTP, TRILL, etc solve this problem in different ways, but there is room for improvement. The Meshed Tree Protocol aims to improve the performance of switched networks while avoiding loops. In this research, a working model of the Meshed Tree Protocol (MTP) using OPNET was created. The performance of RSTP, the current industry standard, was examined and performance metrics like link failure convergence time and root failure convergence time were documented to create a baseline for further development of MTP.

Asset Protection In Escorting Using Multi-Robot Systems, Stephen Powers

Theses

Swarm robotics is a field dedicated to the study of the design and development of certain multi-robot systems. Often times, these groups prove to be more beneficial than a single complex robot as swarms typically provide a more robust and potentially more efficient solution. One such case is the task of escorting a specified target while addressing any potential threats discovered in the environment. In this work, a control algorithm for a high volume, decentralized, homogeneous robot swarm was developed based upon a technique commonly used to model incompressible fluids known as Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH).

This proposed solution to …

Radiometrically Accurate Thermal Vehicle Targets For Synthetic Video Development, David B. Rhodes

Theses

Collecting large scientific quality thermal infrared image and video data sets is an expensive time consuming endeavor. Thermal infrared imagers cost much more than comparable visible systems and require skilled experienced operators. Also, time and experienced personnel are required to collect quality ground truth. Often it is advantageous to perform computer simulations as an alternative to collecting image and video data with real camera systems. As long as enough physics is incorporated into the models to give accurately comparable results to real imagery, simulated data can be used interchangeably. Generating synthetic images and video has the added benefit of being …

3d Subject-Atlas Image Registration For Micro-Computed Tomography Based Characterization Of Drug Delivery In The Murine Cochlea, Zhenlin Xu

Theses

A wide variety of hearing problems can potentially be treated with local drug delivery systems capable of delivering drugs directly to the cochlea over extended periods of time. Developing and testing such systems requires accurate quantification of drug concentration over time. A variety of techniques have been proposed for both direct and indirect measurement of drug pharmacokinetics; direct techniques are invasive, whereas many indirect techniques are imprecise because they rely on assumptions about the relationship between physiological response and drug concentrations. One indirect technique, however, is capable of quantifying drug pharmacokinetics very precisely: Micro-Computed tomography (micro-CT) can provide a non-invasive …

Design And Construction Of A Multispectral Camera For Spectral And Colorimetric Reproduction, Yixuan Wang

Theses

Multi-spectral imaging and spectral reflectance reconstruction can be used in cultural-heritage institutes to digitalize their collections for documentation purposes. It can be used to simulate artwork under any lighting condition, and to analyze colorants that were used. The basic idea of a multi-spectral imaging system is to sub-sample spectral reflectance factor, producing results similar to a spectrophotometer. The sampled data are used to reconstruct reflectance for the visible spectrum.

In this thesis, a wide band multispectral camera was designed and constructed to achieve high spectral and color accuracy as well as high image quality.

Noise propagation theory was introduced and …

Design For Working Day’S Lunchtime: Lunch With Me, Han Zhang

Theses

Lunch is one of the indispensable meals to take in a day. Eating lunch energizes our bodies and makes us concentrate more on our work. Nowadays, people always have a hard time enjoying their lunch during weekdays most especially college students and office workers because of their fast working mode. These people have limited time during lunch break or working in not so ideal place to eat such as their office. Unlike having meals with families, eating lunch with colleagues can be a huge opportunity of socializing with each other. Fresh new connections can be made in these occasions.

“Lunch …

Feminist Complaint Department, Sarah Taavola

Theses

This body of work and research is focused upon finding connections between the artist’s personal trajectory, Surrealist ideology, and Feminist texts. Starting with the Surrealist’s ideology of the unconscious, dreams, and use of objects, the artist investigates the eroticism and fetishization of female imagery. Surrealist work is brimming with portrayals of women as man’s mediator, muse, femme-enfant [child-woman], source and object of man’s desire, and the embodiment of l’amour fou [crazy love]. These representations of women depicted through fragmented female bodies transform into objects to be easily used and consumed, like furniture or food. The artist investigates how Surrealist women …

Wemingle - Meet-Ups Simplified, Amith Rajagopal Kozhipuram

Theses

Today’s ever-changing social life and work life demand frequent and sometimes impromptu interactions & meetings. Arranging a meeting at short notice among people poses innumerable challenges for finalization of a rendezvous and time involving back and forth communication among people involved. A plethora of social platforms mushrooming around is not able to address the challenges posed in collaboratively organizing or scheduling a meeting of people from within the city or from different cities.

A few platforms are available currently which serve varied purposes such as get-together among a group of friends, scheduling of meet ups, browsing and rating POIs. However, …

Mechanical And Physical Characterization Of Foams Made Of Gelatinized Starch And Pre-Polymer Polyurethane, Baxter J. Lansing

Theses

Previous work in this field of research has proven that the intrinsic properties of native starch can be modified to have desirable traits. For example there are two widely researched natural properties of native starch: physically brittle and hydrophilic. Researchers have been successful at mixing native starch with various polyols or water to yield a modified starch with viscoelastic behavior. Furthermore low miscibility of native starch with other polymers has made it the topic of polymer blend studies to help alleviate its hydrophilic nature.

For this study materials were selected based on both previous research and ability to create test …

Implementation Of The Array-Based Approach For The Evaluation Of Randomness Of The Advanced Encryption Standard (Aes), Hanadi Yahia Alomari

Theses

Randomness is critical when it comes to cryptography. When a cryptographic system has randomness in it, it is impossible to decrypt the codes and break the system. To evaluate a cryptographic function’s randomness, many statistical tests were developed such as: Diehard and ENT, but these tests are not well suited for block ciphers. CryptoStat is the best statistical test suite to test the randomness of the Advanced Encryption Standard or AES, which is a block cipher established by NIST, the National Institute of Standard and Technology. An array based approach is also used to apply the CryptoStat test suite on …

Advance Android Phas/Malware Detection Techniques By Utilizing Signature Data, Behavioral Patterns And Machine Learning, Suyash Jadhav

Theses

During the last decade mobile phones and tablets evolved into smart devices with enormous computing power and storage capacity packed in a pocket size. People around the globe have quickly moved from laptops to smartphones for their daily computational needs. From web browsing, social networking, photography to critical bank payments and intellectual property every thing has got into smartphones; and undoubtedly Android has dominated the smartphone market. Android growth also attracted cyber criminals to focus on creating attacks and malwares to target Android users. Malwares in different category are seen in the Android ecosystem, including botnets, Ransomware, click Trojan, SMS …

Separators In High-Genus Near-Planar Graphs, Juraj Culak

Theses

Graph separators are a powerful tool that are motivated by divide and conquer algorithms on graphs. Results have shown the existence of separators in arbitrary planar graphs and other graphs with less restricted structure. This work explores planar separators and the planar separator theorem, as well as the existence of separators in the class of high genus near-planar graphs. These graphs have unbounded genus, where additionally the edges that cross each other are located near each other in the graph. Several different graph classes that are high genus near-planar graphs are investigated for their feasibility for an extended separator theorem …

A Validation Study Of Gearing And Musculoskeletal Performance In Simple Biological Systems Through Theoretical And Experimental Methods, Jenna Marie Hopkins

Theses

Musculoskeletal (MSK) systems have long been compared to simple mechanical machines. This not only allows for ease of understanding locomotion, but ease of modeling a biological system during complex motion. More specifically, simple lever systems are most commonly employed to approximate mechanical performance of complex biological systems. Every simple lever system can be characterized by its mechanical advantage, also known as gearing. Through this concept, the performance of a biological system can be modeled for comparability of theoretical concepts to actual MSK systems. In this thesis, a numerical model of a simple lever system, analogous to a locust leg and …

Effect Of Transmission Line Measurement (Tlm) Geometry On Specific Contact Resistivity Determination, Sidhant Grover

Theses

Ohmic metal semiconductor contacts are indispensable part of a semiconductor device. These are characterized by their specific contact resistivity (ρ_c) in expressed in Ohm-cm^2, defined as the inverse slope of current density versus voltage curve at origin. Engineering and measurement of specific contact resistivity (ρ_c) is becoming of increasing importance in the semiconductor industry. Devices ranging from integrated circuits to solar cells use contact resistivity as a measure of device performance. Novel methods such as contact silicidation, doped-metal contacts, dipole inserted contacts etc. are continually being developed to reduce specific contact resistivity and improve device performance. The Transmission Line Measurement …