Digital Commons Network^™

Soy- Based Flexographic Ink For Linerboard Printing, Rahul Ramchandra Pingale

Masters Theses

Many printing inks use volatile solvents in the formulation, which are hazardous to the environment from emission of VOC’s and at the same time, synthetic resins in these inks are not biodegradable. These problems with the fluctuating and rising price of petroleum are main reasons to look for new resources for making more environmentally friendly printing inks. The majority of the commercially available water based inks are formulated based on using acrylic resins, synthetic colorants, solvents/water and additives, which are the common main components for formulating printing inks. In this research, soy proteins were tested for their suitability to partially …

Agent Based Terrain Generator: Cruthú, Lawrence L. O'Boyle

Masters Theses

Terrain generation models are applied in different industries and fields of study. Current techniques assist in planning transportation networks, visualizing population migrations, conducting epidemiology research, and training self-driving cars and drones. Many current applications and research models generate complex realistic artifacts, e.g., trees, rivers, coastlines, populations, and even cities. Unfortunately, most of these techniques are described and implemented separately. Techniques do not work together to generate a complete holistic view. This thesis proposes a model, Cruthú (Gaelic for "creation"), that provides a novel platform allowing for complete world generation by integrating existing research and algorithms. The model is inspired by …

Regional Sulfur Isotope Study Of The Vms Deposits In The Penokean Volcanic Belt, Nicholas M. Moleski

Masters Theses

The Penokean Volcanic Belt (PVB), located in northern Wisconsin and Upper Peninsula, Michigan hosts several volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits (VMS) including the well-known deposits of Flambeau and Crandon. The host rocks of the VMS deposits are Paleoproterozoic in age overlying Archean age basement rocks. This study provides δ³⁴S (VCDT) values for the following deposits within the PVB; (1) Eisenbrey, (2) Schoolhouse, (3) Bend, (4) Flambeau, (5) Reef, (6) Horseshoe, and (7) Back Forty, and explains the distribution of δ³⁴S values in the region.

The study reveals tight ranges of δ³⁴S values for each deposit …

A Structural And Stratigraphic Study Of The A-2 Carbonate In Southwest Michigan And Reservoir Characterization Of An A-2 Carbonate Gas Storage Field, Clayton Joupperi

Masters Theses

The Overisel and Salem gas storage fields of southwest Michigan annually store 34 Bcf of natural working gas in the upper dolomitized portion of the Silurian A-2 Carbonate. Porosity and permeability in these fields is thought to be enhanced by fracturing and dolomitization associated with the dissolution and collapse of underlying salt units. This study utilizes wire-line logs from 383 wells to explore the structural and stratigraphic controls on the deposition and diagenesis of the A-2 Carbonate in southwest Michigan. Core and thin sections from 4 wells serve as the primary data for investigating the depositional and diagenetic history of …

Object Detection, Classification, And Tracking For Autonomous Vehicle, Milan Aryal

Masters Theses

The detection and tracking of objects around an autonomous vehicle is essential to operate safely. This paper presents an algorithm to detect, classify, and track objects. All objects are classified as moving or stationary as well as by type (e.g. vehicle, pedestrian, or other). The proposed approach uses state of the art deep-learning network YOLO (You Only Look Once) combined with data from a laser scanner to detect and classify the objects and estimate the position of objects around the car. The Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF (ORB) feature descriptor is used to match the same object from one image …

The Design, Analysis, Development, And Test Of A High-Energy Trauma Prevention Safety Device, Samuel B. Schaefer

Masters Theses

The continued development of modern-day vehicles has allowed innovators to shape their design to meet the consumer’s requirements. Vehicles have become faster and larger to accommodate more passengers and their belongings. The increased popularity of Light Trucks or Vans (LTVs) and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) elevated their sales to approximately 50% of all vehicles sold in the United States by 1999 [1]. These advancements have created a high-energy world, which poses a serious threat to the ever-growing population. Unprotected pedestrians come in all too frequent contact with these vehicles creating the potential for high-energy blunt force trauma. This thesis aims …

Liquid-To-Liquid Low Grade Waste Heat Recovery Using A Two-Channel Loop, Waleed Farwana

Masters Theses

The use of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) for producing electric energy from low grade “waste heat” has been theorized to provide a sustainable and low-cost energy source for electric power plants. The purpose of this study is to model and experimentally validate a TEG device that takes advantage of low grade waste heat (approximately 100-150 degrees Celsius) in liquid form in order to generate power that can be used for various applications in the surrounding environment. This research aims to demonstrate that optimized TEG designs bear the potential to compete with other methods of low grade waste heat energy harvesting in …

Limited By Design: Expanding The Boundaries Of Schooling Policies From Demanded Passivity To Transformative Practice, Natalia T. Carvalho-Pinto

Masters Theses

Schooling is often imagined as the great equalizer and the primary venue towards personal and collective liberation. However, hegemonic ideals and practices have limited the ability for educators to craft and utilize policy in a way that best benefits their students. In this thesis, I utilize the state of Michigan’s Common Core curriculum to examine the limits beyond policy and practice. Specifically, I argue that the demands for student passivity and institutional measurable as signs of success, prohibit student growth. Throughout the document, I describe hope in the ability to instill a variety of transformative educational theories and practices that …

Exploring The Impact Of Pretrained Bidirectional Language Models On Protein Secondary Structure Prediction, Dillon G. Daudert

Masters Theses

Protein secondary structure prediction (PSSP) involves determining the local conformations of the peptide backbone in a folded protein, and is often the first step in resolving a protein's global folded structure. Accurate structure prediction has important implications for understanding protein function and de novo protein design, with progress in recent years being driven by the application of deep learning methods such as convolutional and recurrent neural networks. Language models pretrained on large text corpora have been shown to learn useful representations for feature extraction and transfer learning across problem domains in natural language processing, most notably in instances where the …

Evaluation Of Bike Boxes And Protected Intersections With Bicycle Signal Treatments For Improving Safety And Multimodal Mobility At Urban Signalized Intersections, Odai Al Houz

Masters Theses

With the dramatic increase of non-motorized transportation users, more people are concerned about the non-motorized traffic safety. Unfortunately, bicyclist and pedestrian are prone to more severe injuries when involved in a crash. For bicycle crashes, failing to yield/disregarding traffic control device, and lack of non-motorized facilities were identified to be the main causes of bicycle crashes in urban intersections. This research investigated the effectiveness of two bicycle crash countermeasures with bicycle signal treatments at urban signalized intersections. The two countermeasures are the bike boxes and the protected intersections. The bicycle signal treatments are the leading bicycle interval and the exclusive …

Equals: Redefining The Way Graphic Design And Narrative Film Combine To Create Visual Metaphor, Kevin Harris

Masters Theses

This paper provides a methodology for combining Graphic Design and Narrative Film together in a way that creates a type of visual metaphor that is central to the story and characters of the film. Because visual mediums of communication are so intrinsically tied to verbal means of communication, this methodology is grounded in the linguistic study of poetry and metaphor. Thus, the concept of metaphor will be analyzed thoroughly in language, poetry, fine arts, and modern arts. The ways in which metaphor is created visually through the art forms of graphic design and narrative film will be of upmost interest …

Music Therapy: Effects On Children Diagnosed With Asd, Jennifer Lynn Mahr

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to focus on the use of music therapy as a treatment to serve people of special needs, including individuals with ASD. The research seeks to inform parents/students of children with ASD that music therapy could be the avenue in which their children/students are treated in certain areas. The information in this research can assist parents with the knowledge and understanding they need relating to music therapy in order for their child to overcome weaknesses associated with ASD. Similarly, music teachers can gain further insight into the world of music therapy to encourage students who struggle in …

The Origins And Uses Of The Three-Fifths Clause Related To Slavery And Taxation, William F. Hughes

Masters Theses

The Three-fifths clause of the 1787 U.S. Constitution is noted for having a role in perpetuating racial injustices of America’s early slave culture, solidifying the document as pro-slavery in design and practice. This thesis, however, examines the ubiquitous application of the three-fifths ratio as used in ancient societies, medieval governments, and colonial America. Being associated with proportions of scale, this understanding of the three-fifths formula is essential in supporting the intent of the Constitutional framers to create a proportional based system of government that encompassed citizenship, representation, and taxation as related to production theory. The empirical methodology used in this …

Mathematical Modeling And Empirical Validation Of A Conceptual Exoskeleton For Astronaut Glove Augmentation, Joseph Kissling

Masters Theses

Space presents numerous difficulties for astronauts conducting their work, not the least of which is the spacesuit that is worn to protect them from space. It has long been known that a spacesuit is difficult to work in, especially the rigid and pressurized gloves that put strain on the astronaut's hands, frequently leading to injuries. Astronaut gloves inhibit more than 50% of their strength in some cases [1]. NASA and other space agencies have been working to alleviate these problems by attempting to mechanically augment the gloves to reduce the exertions of the astronaut. To date, no augmentation systems have …

Deep Reinforcement Learning For Autonomous Search And Rescue, Juan Gonzalo Cárcamo Zuluaga

Masters Theses

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming more prevalent every day. In addition, advances in battery life and electronic sensors have enabled the development of diverse UAV applications outside their original military domain. For example, Search and Rescue (SAR) operations can benefit greatly from modern UAVs since even the simplest commercial models are equipped with high-resolution cameras and the ability to stream video to a computer or portable device. As a result, autonomous unmanned systems (ground, aquatic, and aerial) have recently been employed for such typical SAR tasks as terrain mapping, task observation, and early supply delivery. However, these systems were …

Use Of Fluorescein Dye For Characterizing Water And Solute Flux Across The Groundwater – Surface Water Interface, Ryan Nicholas Cascarano

Masters Theses

Quantifying groundwater discharge across the sediment—surface water interface remains a challenge due to streambed heterogeneity and the integration of disparate measurements over a continuum of spatial and temporal scales. In this study, mini-piezometers are first used to identify areas of groundwater discharge in lakes and streams, and micro-pulses of fluorescein dye are released at precisely known shallow depths as a conservative tracer. The use of fluorescein dye allows for visual dye detection regardless of light conditions, and measurements of dye concentrations over time using a fluorometer are used to generate high resolution breakthrough curves. Accurate determination of groundwater velocity and …

Implemenatation Of Additive Print Manufacturing Processes For The Development Of Flexible Thermal Sensors, Vikram Shreeshail Turkani

Masters Theses

This work focuses on the design, fabrication and characterization of novel flexible thermal sensors using additive print manufacturing processes. Initially, a carbon nanotube (CNT) based negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor was fabricated on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using screen and gravure printing processes. The thermistor consists of two silver (Ag) electrodes deposited using screen printing process. A CNT based sensing layer was deposited using gravure printing process on the Ag electrodes. Finally, a primary polymer and a secondary Ag encapsulation layer were deposited using screen printing process. The capability of the fabricated thermistor was investigated by measuring its …

Effects Of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (Epa) On Mouse Endothelial Cell Health, Spencer C. Pageau

Masters Theses

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of adults in the US (~800,000 lives every year:1 in 3 deaths). Evidence suggests omega-3 fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), found in fish oils, reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Many of these diseases are caused by atherosclerotic plaque development in vessels due to endothelial cell damage initiating inflammatory responses. Recent work argues omega-3 fatty acids stimulate anti-inflammatory responses by binding to Free Fatty Acid (FFA) receptors. Inflammatory responses in endothelial cells alter the expression of many proteins that affect the function of those cells. In particular, gap junction protein (connexin: …

Estimating Components Of Stream Metabolism Using The Free Water Dissolved Oxygen Method, Jay R. Zuidema Jr.

Masters Theses

Stream ecosystem metabolism is commonly measured in stream ecology studies in order to understand the functioning of the stream ecosystem and as an indicator of stream health. One common method for gathering the time series data required to estimate stream metabolism is the free water dissolved oxygen method, which involves measuring dissolved oxygen in freely moving water. This is accomplished by taking measurements at a single location (one-station monitoring method) or at two locations (two-station monitoring method). In conjunction with these data, a process-based model of dissolved oxygen dynamics is used to estimate gross primary production, respiration, and net production. …

An Investigation Of Sub-Meter Skill In Stem And Non-Stem Undergraduate Students, Laura A. Tingin

Masters Theses

This study designed a nationally-relevant, valid, and reliable survey that measures STEM and Non-STEM undergraduate student familiarity with sub-meter metric scale and common sub-meter sized science objects. The instrument assesses scalar relationship and scalar magnitude, as explained by Cheek, LaDue, and Shipley (2017). The instrument development was based on an existing Scale of Objects Questionnaire (SOQ) instrument created by Tretter, Jones, Andre, Negishi, & Minogue (2006a) which was modified to be nationally relevant and in an electronic format in two phases: online survey development and undergraduate pilot testing. Online survey development was framed in the tailored design method described by …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Convolution Neural Networks In Age At Deat Estimation Using 3d Scans Of The Pubic Symphyseal Face, Melissa A. Brown

Masters Theses

The research presented assesses the utility of machine learning approaches, specifically convolutional neural networks (CNNs), to the estimation of age at death in adult decedents by analysis of the pubic symphyseal face of the os coxa rendered as a 3D image. Age at death estimation is an important duty of forensic anthropologists working in medico-legal contexts, as well as bioarcheological researchers. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of a CNN relative to the performance of human observers using traditional methods of age estimation. To accomplish this, a CNN created for this project and expert anthropologists were …

Computational Study Of The Nature Of Tetrel Bond, Yama Aman

Masters Theses

For more than a hundred years, the type of a chemical bond has been distinguished according to the relative electronegativities of chemical units at the ends of a bond. Whereas, the bond of unequally electronegative on both ends is called a polar covalent or even ionic bond or a non-polar covalent bond in case of both equal. Regardless the type of bonded elements, the whole idea for the bond was believed to be electron driven only. In the 20th century the development of the idea, that not just the electronic relation but specific elements are also able to characterize the …

On Wlan Fingerprint Indoor Positioning Systems Clustering, And Classification For Enhanced Performance, Haider G. Al Glehawi

Masters Theses

The most economic and affordable IPS are those incorporating existing infrastructure, such as the widely spread Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). The Received Signal Strength (RSS) fingerprinting-based system is one of the most promising and powerful techniques so far to be used for indoor positioning. However, there are two challenges in using RSS based IPS; the first challenge is the variation of RSS to indoor multipath propagation, and the second is the high number of Access Points (APs) that are deployed in the region of interest. The first issue leads to degradation in the performance of RSS based IPS, while …

A Parametric Analysis Of Choice Under Risk, David W. Sottile

Masters Theses

Accurate assessment of risk propensity is important because risky choices underlie a broad range of behavioral problems. The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) is an assessment that measures propensity to engage in risky choice. While this is a useful assessment, the BART changes two variables that affect risky choice simultaneously, probability of an undesirable outcome and stake size, which cannot be separated within the context of the BART. The goal of this study was to evaluate the separate and combined effects of key factors that are likely to risky choice (Magnitude of payoff, probability of an undesirable outcome, and stake …

Control-Oriented Automatic Transmission- Based Powertrain Modeling And Simulation With Judder, Harshal B. Kundale

Masters Theses

This work presents automatic transmission-based powertrain modeling. The powertrain consists of an engine, torque converter with lock up clutch, transmission gearbox, propeller shaft, and vehicle body. Simplified powertrain component models are developed for vehicle powertrain dynamic response analysis and future control work. The powertrain components are modeled with algebraic and first order non-linear differential equations. A MATLAB-based powertrain simulation system is developed to investigate the transient characteristics during lock up of torque converter. Simulation results are used in the determination of effects of judder on torque and angular velocity. Clutch judder is a self-excited vibration that occurs during the clutch …

Trinity, Freedom, And Evil: The Importance Of The Triune Nature Of God In The Problem Of Evil, Seth Pryor

Masters Theses

This thesis presents an abductive argument for a trinitarian conception of God as opposed to a unitarian conception especially when juxtaposed against the problem of evil. On the whole, this author argues, the Trinity has more conceptual resources to answer the problem of evil by granting freedom of the will to its creation, specifically the will to go against God, by himself consisting in an inherently relational ontological structure of three persons yet the same being that would grant such a capability.

Defining Contagion : Examining Imagination As A Source Of The Infection In Print Studios, Joshua Tangen

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I attempted to define a contagious component of art education within a community print shop. In this quest, I examine theories around imagination, creativity, and psychology through an analysis of the work of Maxine Greene, Kieran Egan, Ken Robinson, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Gathered from a variety of sources that include, books, scholarly articles, and online video, I link Greene’s concepts of what role imagination plays in critical thinking and empathy, Egan’s promotion of imagination’s ability to create personal and emotional engagement, Robinson’s ideas about creativity in learning, and Csikszentmihayli’s theory of flow. Connecting these four philosophers are …

Learning Environments Of Our Stories, Grace M. Kim

Masters Theses

This thesis reframes the traditional classroom as a “learning environment” in order to broaden the perspective of the causes and effects of learning in the context of today’s culture and technology. Learning environments are examined through the lens of three key learning theories: Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, the Montessori Method of Education , and the Reggio Emilia Approach. The learning environments are further dissected into the three dimensions of: (1) the physical space, (2) the psychological space, and (3) the virtual space, and these dimensions are examined through the various interactions, which happen within each space. Through qualitative …

A Place For Plastics : Bioplastics, Bacteria And Our Thoughtless Acts, Megan Valanidas

Masters Theses

One third of all plastics end up in the ecosystem. It is time we start designing for this outcome. 311 million tons of plastics were produced in 2014 and that number is projected to more than double by 2050. Just 5% of plastics are recycled. Recycling alone is not mitigating the problem. The carbon footprint alone is massive. China’s recent announcement to no longer recycle the West’s waste promises even more challenges. We need to design for plastics to end up in the ecosystem and in the waste stream. This is where plastics go and this is where they should …

Environmental Diversity For Student Residence Life, Jiaying Bai

Masters Theses

Anxlety, stress and difficulties in handling human relationships are the three most serious and common mental health problems among students of the Rhode Island School of Design, according to Shauna Summers, director of RISD Counselling and Psychological Services. As one of the best design schools in the country, RISD admits top applicants. It's common for students who had brilliant grades and performance in high school to find themselves no longer the best among their collea13ues, Moreover, the seemingly constant perfect performance of those around them adds to anxiety and stress. For these students, it is hard to recognize value in …