Digital Commons Network^™

“It's So Normal, And … Meaningful.” Playing With Narrative, Artifacts, And Cultural Difference In Florence, Dheepa Sundaram, Owen Gottlieb

Articles

This article considers how player interactions with religious and ethnic markers, create

a globalized game space in the mobile game Florence (2018). Florence is a multiaward-

winning interactive novella game with story-integrated minigames that weave

play experiences into the narrative. The game, in part, explores love, loss, and

rejuvenation as relatable experiences. Simultaneously, the game produces a unique

experience for each player, as they can refract the game narrative through their own

cultural, identitarian lens. The game assumes the shared cultural space of the player,

the player-character (PC), and the non-player-character (NPC) while blurring the

boundaries between each of these …

Methods For Quantifying Power Characteristics And Chronic Patterns Of Use Behavior Of Electronic Vaping Products, Qutaiba M. Saleh

Theses

Background: The complexity and variety of inhaled tobacco products have increased significantly with the introduction of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). Product characteristics and human behavior are the main factors affecting products' emissions, consumption, and health effects. Combining the understanding of these two factors informs the next generation of regulations of these products. Quantifying use patterns helps health care professionals provide informed treatment of users addicted to nicotine and tobacco products. The literature lacks comprehensive studies to characterize ENDS hardware and operation, such as heating element resistance, battery performance, power, and thermal management. Human behavior is measured as use topography, …

Contraband, Omer Enes Demir

Theses

Contraband is a short fiction film about a young woman’s struggle to escape from a criminal life. As she is forced to smuggle drugs during prison visits to her husband, she must decide whether to protect him or abandon him. Leaving might give her a chance to save herself and her child from this life and have a better future. The movie takes place in modern-day Los Angeles. This paper describes and analyzes my filmmaking process as the writer and director of Contraband, and how my life experience and inspirations influenced my work.

Synthesis Of Modular Do3a-Based High-Relaxivity Contrast Agents For Mri Of Prostate Cancer, Dana Qiang Murphy Soika

Theses

Contrast agents (CAs) are small molecules used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help diagnose various forms of cancer. While MRI is advantageous over other clinical imaging techniques, limitations of today’s contrast agents containing gadolinium (Gd) hinder their safety, sensitivity, and specificity. The conventional CAs that MRI relies on are considered low-relaxivity and are not optimally effective at enhancing MR signal. Additionally, they lack cell-specificity and circulate throughout the body. Furthermore, unbound Gd3+ is nephrogenic which prevents its use in patients with impaired renal function. In the clinic, these limitations mean high dosages of these compounds must be administered to …

Uncovering Inclusivity Gaps In Design Pedagogy Through The Digital Design Marginalization Framework, Jaisie Sin, Cosmin Munteanu, Michael Nixon, Velian Pandeliev, Garreth W. Tigwell, Kristen Shinohara, Anthony Tang, Steve Szigeti

Articles

Designers play a key role in the design of inclusive and socially conscious interfaces. Thus, it is imperative for designers to be thoughtful of the ethical and social implications of design. However, gaps in the foundational training that designers receive (e.g., as university students) can negatively impact their ability to consider the social implications of their design practice. This can result in consequences such as digital marginalization, which, as defined by the Digital Design Marginalization (DDM) framework, is the “pushing away”, whether intentional or not, of a defined group of users from a digital or online service or system, where …

Cochlear Compartments Segmentation And Pharmacokinetics Using Micro Computed Tomography Images, Sanketh Satyanarayana Moudgalya

Theses

Local drug delivery to the inner ear via micropump implants has the potential to be much more effective than oral drug delivery for treating patients with sensorineural hearing loss and to protect hearing from ototoxic insult due to noise exposure. Delivering appropriate concentrations of drugs to the necessary cochlear compartments is of paramount importance; however, directly measuring local drug concentrations over time throughout the cochlea is not possible. Indirect measurement using otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem response are ineffective as they only provide an estimate of concentration and are susceptible to non-linear sensitivity effects. Imaging modalities such as MRI with …

Canine Gait Analysis: Interactive Online Tutorials For Veterinary Students, Allison Buck

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to produce interactive tutorials that veterinary students can use to explore concepts that are often difficult to conceptualize, including (a) change in joint function, (b) muscle action and innervation, and (c) recognizing and locating normal vs. abnormal structure and function. Elements of this thesis include a complete 3D skeleton constructed using a series of canine CT (DICOM) files, illustrated overlays on video footage of a dog undergoing examination, and short interactive self-assessment tools. Students will be able to deconstruct and toggle components of the skeleton, as well as view the animated skeleton superimposed over …

Overview Of The Proceedings Of The 2021 Inclusion In Science, Learning A New Direction, Conference On Disability (Island), Cary Supalo, Jasodhara Bhattacharya, Daniel Steinberg

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Towards A Carbon-Neutral City By 2035: Innovative Transformation Of Domestic Solid Waste Collection And Recovery Services In Sharjah, Basem Abu Sneineh

Theses

This study quantifies the impact of an identified major step in the process of significant contribution to the transformation of Sharjah into a carbon-neutral city by the year 2035. This identified step applies to the concept of waste segregation at the residential sector source which means that the waste generators, i.e. Sharjah residents, are required to segregate the waste that they generate in their houses while disposing it. The march towards a carbon neutral city means driving the carbon dioxide emissions of the city to reach net-zero. This requires the UAE adopt this concept to ensure that the emitted amount …

Understanding Color Associations And Their Effects On Expectations Of Drugs’ Efficacies, Rema M. Amawi, Michael J. Murdoch

Articles

Colors influence our daily perceptions and expectations that manifest in a variety of ways. This research has three main objectives: to demonstrate the relationship between the colors of pills and their expected efficacies, to test this effect on a wide variety of demographics, thereby demonstrating their influence on choices made by participants. Finally, to understand the reasoning behind the choices made by participants, and the color associations exhibited. The results of a series of surveys showed clear similarities and differences across various demographics. The strongest and most consistent color associations were those of white with pain relief and red with …

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Enhancement From Complex Nanoscale Geometries, Jacob T. Waitkus

Theses

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for portable, sensitive, and accurate biosensors. Here, a novel biosensor that takes advantage of localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) through unique nanoscale geometries was fabricated for sensitive detection of biomarkers. The formation of an adaptable system capable of combining with other sensing methods, such as CRISPR-Cas13a assays, allowed for the detection of specific targets to be realized. In this system, streptavidin-coated gold nanoparticles (GNPs) hybridize with single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) before binding to the surface of gold nanomushrooms (GNMs). Through LSPR enhancement, this binding event produces a red shift in the resonance wavelength peak …

Kf-Loc: A Kalman Filter And Machine Learning Integrated Localization System Using Consumer-Grade Millimeter-Wave Hardware, Abhishek Vashist, Maojia Li, Amlan Ganguly, Sai Manoj P. D., Clark Hochgraf, Raymond Ptucha, Andres Kwasinski, Michael E. Kuhl

Articles

With the ever-increasing demands of e-commerce, the need for smarter warehousing is increasing exponentially. Such warehouses requires industry automation beyond Industry 4.0. In this work, we use consumer-grade millimeter-wave (mmWave) equipment to enable fast, and low-cost implementation of our localization system. However, the consumer-grade mmWave routers suffer from coarse-grained channel state information due to cost-effective antenna array design limiting the accuracy of localization systems. To address these challenges, we present a Machine Learning (ML) and Kalman Filter (KF) integrated localization system (KF-Loc). The ML model learns the complex wireless features for predicting the static position of the robot. When in …

A Physiological Computing System To Improve Human-Robot Collaboration By Using Human Comfort Index, Celal Savur

Theses

Fluent human-robot collaboration requires a robot teammate to understand, learn, and adapt to the human's psycho-physiological state. Such collaborations require a physiological computing system that monitors human biological signals during human-robot collaboration (HRC) to quantitatively estimate a human's level of comfort, which we have termed in this research as comfortability index (CI) and uncomfortability index (UnCI). We proposed a human comfort index estimation system (CIES) that uses biological signals and subjective metrics. Subjective metrics (surprise, anxiety, boredom, calmness, and comfortability) and physiological signals were collected during a human-robot collaboration experiment that varied the robot's behavior. The emotion circumplex model is …

Nlp And Ml Methods For Pre-Processing, Clustering And Classification Of Technical Logbook Datasets, Farhad Akhbardeh

Theses

Technical logbooks are a challenging and under-explored text type in automated event identification. These texts are typically short and written in non-standard yet technical language, posing challenges to off-the-shelf NLP pipelines. These datasets typically represent a domain (a technical field such as automotive) and an application (e.g., maintenance). The granularity of issue types described in these datasets additionally leads to class imbalance, making it challenging for models to accurately predict which issue each logbook entry describes. In this research, we focus on the problem of technical issue pre-processing, clustering, and classification by considering logbook datasets from the automotive, aviation, and …

Critical Regionalism- Integrating Traditional Chinese Architecture Into Contemporary High-Rise Residential Building, Yang Li

Theses

In the field of modern architecture, a clear path indicates architecture’s historical development, from the very beginning of ancient Egypt to the emergence of modernism in the first half of the twentieth century, and finally to the dominant architectural style of today. Compared with the Western world, the Chinese developed their unique architectural style thousands of years ago. The style can be summed up as the difference between wood and stone, which deeply influenced surrounding countries. Unfortunately, the evolution of the style was suddenly interrupted at the end of the 19th century, which was the emerging modernism in the West. …

Technology Use By Registered Dietitians For Patient Care In An Outpatient Setting, Donika Emerllahu

Theses

Background Technology use in digital health tools has increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many in-office patient care services. Although healthcare practices have adopted several technologies, they remain surrounded by a saturated increase in consumer-based wearables and smartphone applications. As a result, attitudes and acceptability toward integrating these technologies for patient care are evolving. Digital health tools is an umbrella term including several technologies utilized among health care providers for the purpose of patient care. The inclusion of digital health tools by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists’ (RDNs) in practice provides a more robust and personalized approach to patients and their …

Towards A Robust And Long-Lasting Antimicrobial Surface, Justin A. Silva

Theses

Bacterial adhesion to surfaces such as medical devices causes approximately 1.7 million infections and 75,000 deaths each year in the United States. Throughout the past several years, many studies have been conducted on micro- and nanostructure-enabled antimicrobial surfaces. However, this idea is controversial, as some studies have shown that superhydrophobic micro and nanostructures cannot prevent bacterial growth over time and that they are not a practical solution to reduce healthcare-related infections. The objective of this study is to develop a mechanically durable and long-lasting antimicrobial surface to prevent bacterial growth. High-aspect-ratio micro mushroom structures are fabricated by high resolution stereolithography …

Gastro-Tourism Well-Being: The Interplays Of Salient And Enduring Determinants, Muhammet Kesgin, Irfan Onal, Ihsan Kazkondu, Muzaffer Uysal

Articles

Purpose-This research developed and tested an integrated structural gastro-tourism well-being model consisting of food-related lifestyle and leisure attitude as precursor of the consumption enjoyment of the gastro-tourism experience with satisfaction, life domain outcomes, tourism autobiographical memory and life satisfaction as outcomes of the consumption enjoyment. Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual model was assessed with quantitative data collected from tourists based on their deliberate and incidental gastro-tourism experiences (N=617). Findings – Findings indicated that enjoyment of gastro-tourism consumption experience significantly influences satisfaction, life domain outcomes, life satisfaction, and tourism autobiographical memory. Life domain outcomes and tourism autobiographical memory have enduring influence on …

Introduction: 2021 Frameless Xr Symposium, Susan Lakin

Frameless

The Frameless XR Symposium is an interdisciplinary conference focused on research, innovation, and artistic creation in the fields of augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality. As we continue to navigate the global pandemic and follow the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) COVID-19 Dashboard guidelines, the symposium organizing committee choose a hybrid format for safety and flexibility, as well as in the spirit of extended reality.

Memory Protection With Dynamic Authentication Trees, Matthew T. Millar, Marcin Łukowiak, Stanisław Radziszowski

Presentations and other scholarship

As embedded devices increase in use and handle more critical information and functionalities, the importance of security grows even greater. Defense against bus attacks such as spoofing, splicing, and replay attacks is of particular concern. Traditional memory authentication techniques, such as hashes and message authentication codes, require significant amounts of on-chip memory and introduce a large performance impact when protecting off-chip memory during run-time. Balanced authentication trees such as the well-known Merkle tree or TEC-Tree can be used to reduce this cost. This work proposes a new method of dynamic authentication trees, which updates a tree structure based on a …

Analysis Of Global Banking Network, Sonali Kannan

Theses

The outbreak of the Global Pandemic Covid-19 that spread terribly across various countries from the end of 2019, has severely altered people’s life and economy. Various reports across papers and news articles on how each government was managing the costs of vaccines, medical equipment, and necessities. The world saw shifts in stock markets, unemployment, the tourism industry completely coming to a standstill, and more. Has this Covid Pandemic which played a crucial role within geographical boundaries altered the financial transactions across countries on a higher level? With the help of the statistics available with the Bank of International Settlements, this …

Biophysical Mechanisms Of Cell-Substrate Interactions Over Porous Membranes, Zahra Allahyari

Theses

There is an increasing interest in the development of microphysiological systems due to their applications in drug discoveries and development of therapeutic strategies. Porous membranes are major components of these in vitro biological systems. The interest in using porous membranes, especially ultrathin ones, stems from their capabilities in providing physiologically relevant tissue interfaces and cell-cell communication between the co-cultured cells. Despite the wide applications of these membranes in biomimetic platforms, their role in modulating different cellular behaviors and the enabling mechanism for these effects are not fully understood. It has been previously shown that porous membranes generally weaken cell-substrate interaction. …

Investigation Of Thickness And Robustness Of Ultrathin Parylene Membranes For Tissue Barrier And Co-Culture Models, Shayan Gholizadeh

Theses

Ultrathin porous membranes are currently used for various biomedical applications, ranging from co-culture systems to tissue barrier models. In the blood-brain barrier model, the intimate proximity between endothelial and glial cells plays a significant role in cell-cell communication and transmigration across the barrier, which cannot be physiologically modeled with conventional co-culture systems typically separating cell types by more than 10 μm. A thickness gradient membrane can enable studies where the goal is to understand the physical characteristics of co-culture arrangement in the barrier model. Here, a robust method to generate ultrathin porous Parylene C (UPP) membranes is developed not just …

Smart City Operation System An Innovative Approach For A Collaborative Smart City Platform, Mohamed Gaber Abouelkassem

Theses

Command and Control Centers (CCCs) are an essential building block in the structure of smart cities. Typically, in most developed cities, CCCs are built to serve a certain function or application as a dedicated and standalone center that belongs to a certain entity or city department, such as transportation, police and security, utilities, or municipal operations departments, etc. The integrated command and control center (ICCC) has a central platform that integrates some of the city systems. The ICCC output is a sophisticated dashboard that acts as an interface to display and analyze collected data with the objective to help operators …

The Origin Of Knowledge And Interest In Interpreting: Mapping Out White And Bipoc Interpreters Experiences In Rochester, Ny, Jonathan Roman

Theses

High schools across the United States, located in a range of communities, offer American Sign Language (ASL) courses as a foreign language option. Some are in 'disadvantaged communities'; a school area where there is a lack of economic resources present for students to benefit from (McKillip, M. E. E., Godfrey, K. E, & Rawls, A, 2012). As terminology would suggest, the inverse of that are schools in advantaged communities. Also in the past, there have been BIPOC recruitment efforts for associates and bachelor level signed language interpreter training programs (ITP) by organizations like the National Interpreter Education Center (NIEC). But …

Evaluation Of The Accessibility Of Touchscreens For Individuals Who Are Blind Or Have Low Vision: Where To Go From Here, Elizabeth Codick

Theses

Touchscreen devices are well integrated into daily life and can be found in both personal and public spaces, but the inclusion of accessible features and interfaces continues to lag behind technology’s exponential advancement. This thesis aims to explore the experiences of individuals who are blind or have low vision (BLV) while interacting with non-tactile touchscreens, such as smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, coffee machines, smart home devices, kiosks, ATM machines, and more. The goal of this research is to create a set of recommended guidelines that can be used in designing and developing either personal devices or shared public technologies with accessible …

Buyer Prediction Through Machine Learning, Rashed Ibrahim Karmostaje

Theses

Targeted marketing has grown in popularity in recent years, as well as recognizing when a consumer will desire a commodity may be extremely important to a business. Predicting this demand, however, is a complex procedure. Businesses, promoters/marketers, and sellers are using machine learning approaches to execute buyer prediction. This study focuses on when a customer would buy fast-moving retail merchandise by evaluating a customer’s purchase history at partner vendors. The projections should be used to customize special discounts for customers who are about to make a purchase. In addition, buying behavior is a set of consumption habits that can be …

Hourly Demand Prediction Of Shared Mobility Ridership, Eman Asa'ad

Theses

This research focuses on predicting the hourly number of bikes needed using Citi bike data. Micro mobility is the new trend that serves the transportation sector in any city. With the development of technology and introduction of new modes, comes new challenges. Bike sharing is the most developed and standard micro mobility device with extensive data sources. In this research we introduce the rebalancing bike sharing problem, which is very recent and interesting problem. Bikes are being ridden from a station and returned to another, not necessarily the same one of departure, this procedure can cause some stations to be …

Using An Agent Based Model And Deep Learning To Simulate And Infer Market Behavior On Networks, Benjamin Weir

Theses

The financial markets have been affected by the recent advancements in social media. Retail traders often use social media as a source of financial information. This thesis provides a mathematical proof of concept for how retail traders on social media can cause a large change in market price and that it is possible to identify the factors that drive the price change before it is seen in the market. An Agent Based Model is used to simulate a self-contained artificial market on a network. Traders gather pricing information from social media posts created by traders on the network and their …

Hate Speech Detection In A Mix Of English And Hindi-English (Code-Mixed) Tweets, Mohamed Sameer

Theses

With the increasing usage of social networking platforms seen over recent years, there has been an extensive rise in hate speech usage between the users. Hence, Government and social media platforms face lots of responsibility and challenges to control, detect and eliminate massively growing hateful content as early as possible to prevent future criminal acts such as cyber violence and real-life hate crimes. Since Twitter is used globally by people from various backgrounds and nationalities, the platform contains tweets posted in different languages, including code-mixed language, namely Hindi-English. Due to the informal format of tweets with variations in spelling and …