Digital Commons Network^™

How Disgust Affects Romantic Attraction: How Our Moods Affect Our Judgments Of Attractiveness, Nicholas Phelan

Theses

Facial attractiveness is an important part of our initial judgments of people and in our ability to determine their compatibility as a mating partner. Just as mating is evolutionarily important, the emotion disgust is one of the most evolutionarily beneficial emotions as it helps keep us away from poisonous and possibly infectious substances or foods. We instinctively avoid people with facial scars and other facial deformities because these are seen as a sign of illness or generally poor well-being. Facial attraction is one component of how we choose a mate. The current experiment examined whether or not being disgusted created …

Typography For Non-Designers, Caitlyn Redden

Theses

Understanding typography is an essential part of visual communication. Typography communicates the message of the design. I plan to create a piece that will inform the non-designer about the basic rules of typography in a quick and engaging motion graphics animation.

With the expansion of the digital world, design has become accessible to anyone with an internet connection through software applications and tutorials. Even with these tools, there is a significant lack of design knowledge available. I will guide the audience through concepts that are most often used inappropriately. The concepts include: alignment, grid structure, hierarchy and typeface choice.

Unfolding Thailand: Tourism Promoted By 3d Motion Graphics, Nonthawan Pisessith

Theses

Unfolding Thailand is a project that aims to bring a new approach in introducing the country as well as promoting the tourism. My specific scope of this project is to create a visual representation of popular destinations from the northern, central, and southern areas through the use of 3D motion graphics. These three of the six regions in Thailand are chosen because they vary in geography, have a very distinctive characteristic and most importantly, they are the most popular vacation destinations for locals and tourists alike.

I'M Listening With Dabdoop: A Phonological Stimulation App For Arabic Preschoolers, Manal Alyaba

Theses

Recognizing the sounds around us is the first step humans take to develop reading skills. Children who are at risk of dyslexia have a weakness in differentiating between sounds that make up our language. Testing for phonological awareness, a crucial part of reading development, can aid in detecting dyslexia. English speaking children have the luxury of being able to access varied programs designed to promote phonological awareness, knowledge of which, in turn, can assist as an early intervention instrument for dyslexia. In Saudi Arabia there are no programs that exist to detect dyslexia in children at an early age. The …

Assembling 3d Objects With Artificial Spatial Intelligence, Eugene Koon

Theses

The focus of this thesis is to provide an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can develop spatial intelligence. A MATLAB application of a genetic algorithm AI system has been implemented. The AI system will incorporate three dimensional (3D) objects that can learn to maneuver in 3D space so that they may be assembled with each other. As an example, two rectangles with holes and a nut will maneuver itself onto a screw. The performance of the AI system will then be recorded as video results.

Blast-Off: Determining Glioblastoma Goi Sequence Conservation Across Model Organisms, Joseph K. Kaplan

Theses

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are aggressive brain tumors found in the nervous system of humans. Derived from glia such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and Schwannn cells, glioblastomas can develop throughout the nervous system, but are most commonly found in the brain. Prognosis following glioblastoma diagnosis is often very grim; only 3-5% of patients diagnosed with glioblastoma live beyond 36 months, therefore early detection and proper treatment are imperative. Scientists have studied the genetic factors linked to GBM development in humans and model organisms and determined a number of glioblastoma GOI. Many of the glioblastoma GOI have been previously identified as oncogenes such …

Nowhere: A Kinetic Typography Motion Graphic About The Pursuit Of Happiness, I-Cheng Lee

Theses

nowhere is a motion graphic project that expresses my personal journey of pursuing happiness. To be happy or not happy, people have the choices of their own lives and thoughts. This project shows that positive thinking could lead to better lives through my example.

A short poetic script on how I realized happiness in my life will be expressed in this project through visuals and composition. Every stylized sentence has a particular connection with the inspiring visuals and transitions. The intent of the piece is to install the viewer with the power of positive thinking by reading the poem with …

Mookkoori, Myungsuk Kim

Theses

Mookkoori is a 20-minute narrative film written and directed by Myungsuk Kim. The film was completed and shown in May 2014 at the RIT School of Film and Animation's Spring Screenings. The film's main character is Bora, who is the teenage daughter of a shaman in Korea. She is betrayed by Sunhee, her only friend in high school and she is being bullied and threatened by a gang. Bora's mother, who reveals herself to be quack shaman, blames Bora for getting involved in fighting. Fearing for her future, Bora reads her fortune at a shrine and sees three different ways …

Bilingualism, Executive Function, And Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Carina Ann Beck

Theses

In an era where the diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is as high as 7% in school-aged children, the search for causes and preventions has never been more important. Current research indicates a positive relationship between bilingualism, particularly native bilingualism, and executive function in normally developing individuals. This study served to examine the potential relationship between bilingual education in a public school setting and the presence of ADHD symptoms in that school's students. This was a comparative analysis of students in a South Florida School District's two-way immersion program with the national average in terms of frequency of ADHD …

The Dupe, Jiaqing Qiang

Theses

The story happens in the near future. Astronaut Patrick U7's mission is to find members of a space team who have been lost for two months on a Planet M-6 expedition. He travels alone in a spacecraft headed for Planet M-6. Patrick U7 will confront his own fears and mortality when he discovers the truth about the space team's fate and his real mission, which is linked to the deaths of the space team members.

I want to use science fiction as a mechanism for conveying a truth about the darker side human nature. Even though the main character is …

A Flower In The Box, Xin Yin

Theses

A Flower In The Box is an animated graduate thesis film with a total timescale of 7 minutes and 13 seconds.

This is a film about my grandma and me. When I was young, I spent a lot of time with my grandma. She was a very important person to me in my life. She loved me very much and did many things for me. For example, she used to tell me a lot of stories before going to bed when I was very young. I still remember them today. They brought me a lot of imagination and inspiration. My …

X, Xiaoyu Liu

Theses

"X" is an animated graduate thesis film. The entire animation including credits was 5 minutes 36 seconds long by the time of my thesis screening at SOFA, RIT. The story was initially developed to express the emotional side of robots (or intelligent machines) and finally was changed with a new idea to put the emotional elements into the robot program itself. The story takes place in a robot factory and the main character is a newly produced robot named "X-100". X-100, as the 100th robot product, is facing a crucial test determining his eligibility for being a qualified product. All …

Unmentionable: Socio-Structural Discrimination Of Incontinence; Engendering Dignity By Design, Brendan Charles Gordon

Theses

Although present in medical and historical texts for millennia, urinary incontinence remains a somewhat taboo topic, with both affected individuals and remedies for the condition--such as adult diapers--subject to ridicule, embarrassment, status loss, discrimination, and even exile. Reinforcing this discriminatory behavior, the adult diaper--a spur from the baby diaper invention--tracks a parallel path to incontinence. With diapers and adult incontinence rooted in a misunderstood cross-pollination with infant incontinence, individuals must struggle against known stereotypes and stigmas liable to label them as incompetent, impotent, or unclean. The stigma of incontinence is thus aligned with the diaper, reinforcing social ignorance and discriminating …

Forword: A Study On An Interactive Learning Environment In Foreign Language, Christina A. Curtis

Theses

With constant advances in technology, the world becomes a smaller community each day. In line with its reputation as a cultural melting pot, children of immigrants are the fastest growing student population in the United States today. It's clear that the U.S. needs a strong approach in language education; one that can keep pace with our potential and our lives. Technology can be used to foster student collaboration and shared learning experiences, thereby increasing learner interest, motivation and learning outcomes. ForWord aims to use interaction design in foreign language education to meet this need. ForWord has four main goals: provide …

Using Motion For Educational Information Design Max’S Story: Teenagers With Type1 Diabetes, Wenyu Ouyang

Theses

Today, some younger people are suffering from chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, leukemia, and depressive disorder, which are some of the most significant concerns in the world. In spite of advancements made by modern science and technology, some chronic illnesses still last a lifetime, such as Type 1 Diabetes, known as T1D. In this situation, positive attitudes and correct understanding of the disease is extremely important in educating children how to manage their condition.

There are some excellent educational materials with a large quantity of text, which are good for parents to read. At the same time, there are picture …

Simorgh, Meghdad Asadilari

Theses

"Simorgh" is a 4 minutes and 30 second 3D animated graduate thesis film which is a personal interpretation of a traditional Persian poem "The Conference of the Birds" by "Farid ud-Din Attar" from 12th century.

This animation is a choreographic piece that incorporates Persian music, calligraphic art and ornament designs to tell the traditional Persian story of life that deals with the fragility of self worth.

The story centers around a few birds of different breeds, each representative of a particular human characteristic; ego, greed, avarice, etc. The birds are seemingly satisfied with their perceptions of self, but on a …

Preserving Han-Ok: Reimaging The Korean Traditional House For Today Using 3d Design, Haiden Park

Theses

The purpose of this thesis project was to preserve the traditional elements of Han-Ok in the modern architecture in Korea. I have integrated traditional Korean design elements into modern architecture. I also solved the problems that the Han-Ok currently faces. This topic is important because a lot of the traditional culture has been disappearing within the current Korean society. Of all the aspects of Korean traditional culture, the Han-Ok, the Korean traditional house itself, is very important. A lot of Korea's culture is represented in the Han-Ok, but people think this type of architecture is unnecessary and uncomfortable, and because …

Re÷Belief, Raymond Mccarthy Bergeron

Theses

re÷belief, is a 3D Printed, hand crafted, zoetropic short-film that asks if recalling memories can break a cycle. re÷belief is a graduate student produced animated thesis, completed for the MFA in the School of Film and Animation at Rochester Institute of Technology. Much of this film is a personal story that recalls nine very specific instances of my life. These are memories that have repeatedly haunted me throughout my youth and adulthood. The memories regularly reflected times of bliss mixed with sullen, miserable moments.

Ultimately, the story thread focuses on cycles, and choosing 3D printed zoetropes as the metaphor and …

Brick Walls, Tina Chapman Dacosta

Theses

This paper will outline the scriptwriter's experience and creation process for writing the feature film script Brick. A summary of the preparation, writing process, advisor meetings, research, committee feedback, and writing challenges will be shared along with the screened script reading's audience responses. The thesis proposal, story elements, representative photos and the Brick Walls script are included.

Brick Walls chronicles the life of my father Elza "Buddy" Cannaday (1922 - 2006) from ages 8 to 32, between the years 1930 to 1954 in the cities of Mechanicsburg, Springfield, Urbana, and Cleveland, Ohio. Young Buddy is the son of Hazel Lee …

Reflection, Vijay Chandrasekhar

Theses

"Reflection" is my animated graduate thesis film. The film is 6 minutes and 30 seconds long. The concept for the story was developed with a focus on character driven animation, acting and performance. I wanted to challenge myself animating a character type that I was not familiar with, something that I could not relate to on a personal level. I chose to animate a mother of 2 kids who is about 40 years old. I wanted her to go through a wide range of emotions throughout the film. I wanted it to be a silent film, so I could bring …

Exploring Cultural Identity: Learning Culture Through Effective Interactive Design, Augie Park

Theses

Culture defines groups of individuals by language, religion, art, or tools. In today's ever growing sector of computers, smart phones, and tablets, mobile technology is used as a means to discover a sense of individuality through wireless devices and essentially the Internet. This is a case study on how to design a better educational app designed to teach culture through visual exploration and user testing. This thesis also explores how design affects behavior through usability. Through an analysis of interdisciplinary subjects, Exploring Cultural Identity aims to provide a visual prototype to teach culture, specifically focusing on Korean art. The goal …

Omnidirectional Control Of The Hexapod Robot Tigerbug, Christopher B. Johnson

Theses

TigerBug is a six legged, hexapod robot built and designed by students in the Rochester Institute of Technology's (RIT) Multi Agent Bio-Robotics Laboratory (MABL). TigerBug is comprised of 18 servo motors, 3 degrees of freedom (DOF) per leg, supported by carbon fiber wrapped foam legs placed in a circular pattern around its hexagon shaped body. In order to control such a complex system, much research has been done in the field of kinematics. There exist two derivations of kinematic solutions, forward and inverse. The forward kinematic (FK) solution tends to be much simpler than its inverse kinematic (IK) counterpart. There …

Developing A Tool For Site-Specific Gene Inactivation In Chlamydia, Cayla Marie Johnson

Theses

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen that infects both humans and domestically important animals. Research in the field has until more recently been hindered by a lack of genetic tools. We have modified Sigma's TargeTron^TM Gene Knockout System, which utilizes a mobile group II intron for site-specific insertion and gene inactivation, for use in C. trachomatis. As proof of principle, we used the system to inactivate incA, creating mutant strains DFCT3 and DFCT4 (independent clones both carrying incA::GII[bla]). IncA is a chlamydial inclusion membrane protein involved in homotypic fusion of inclusions when cells are infected with more …

The Homeless Bird: A Motion Graphics Narrative About Deforestation And Animals., Kyle Griffin

Theses

The Homeless Bird is a short animated story expressing the loss of homes for wildlife due to the destruction of habitats such as deforestation. With the loss of natural habitats each year, many animals have to migrate to areas that are unfit to provide for them. The main goal is to draw attention to this problem and to help encourage the audience to act.

The project concerns the combination of practicing motion graphics design theories and experimenting with available computer graphics integration technologies. The final piece is a 2:55 minute visual story that combines both a fantasy and realistic setting.

Dynamics Of A Kinetic Energy Storage Device For A Translating Hydrokinetic System, Matthew Robert Douglas

Theses

Current hydropower is sourced predominately from dams, which have several ecological and societal issues. Despite growing demand for energy, dam construction has recently been at a standstill. Hydrokinetic systems are new methods of harvesting renewable energy from rivers without requiring dams. Hydrokites, a subset of hydrokinetic systems, use a translating hydrofoil to generate electricity. Previous models of hydrokite systems have been promising, but their performance in experimental settings has not been as expected. One possible cause for this discrepancy is a loss in system energy when the hydrofoil reaches the end of its stroke, resulting in significantly less power generation. …

The Effect Of Repeated Reading Strategy On Oral Reading Fluency Of A Fourth Grade Student With Reading Difficulties, Fatmeh Mahmud Al Jaffal

Theses

This study aims at examining the effects of repeated reading strategy on the oral reading fluency of a 9-year-old Fourth Grader with reading difficulties in a private school in the United Arab Emirates. The research employed a quantitative means by using a SingleSubject Design. A pre-post-test design was used. The results of this study indicate that repeated reading strategy is found to be overall effective on oral reading speed and oral reading accuracy. This study has some recommendations for teaching instructions and research. For example, teachers can use it as an instructional approach for improving the oral reading 11w1fluency not …

Screening For Novel Inhibitors Of Alpha-Ynuclein Seeded Nucleation-Dependent Aggregation And Toxicity As A Potential Therapeutic Strategy For Parkinson’S Disease, Mustafa Taleb Ardah

Theses

α-Synuclein aggregation is the key pathogenic event in several important neurological disorders including Parkinson’s Disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy, giving rise to a distinct group of neurodegenerative diseases known as synucleinopathies. Although the molecular basis of α – syn toxicity is mediated by a nucleation-dependent aggregation process. To elucidate the structural basis of α-synuclein mediated toxicity, we developed various methods to prepare different α-synuclein species of a defined size and morphology distribution, and we investigated their toxicity in different human dopaminergic cell lines. We observed that crude α-synuclein oligomers preparations, containing both monomeric and heterogeneous mixtures …

A Comparative Study Of Domestic And Hospital Environmental Microbial Populations In Al-Ain (Uae), Amna Ali Jaffal

Theses

This is the first attempt to estimate biological indoor pollution in the environment of AI-Ain city. The numbers and types of bacteria and fungi in the air and on the surfaces were measured in AI-Ain hospital and three different types of domestic environments.

Five different types of wards at AI-Ain hospital, medical, surgical, pediatrics, operating theater, and intensive care unit were studied. Their estimated indoor bioaerosols were compared to indoor bioaerosols in three types of dwelling houses, very good, average, and poor quality houses in AI-Ain city. A bacteriological mechanical air sampler, MK2 (Casella London) was used in this study. …

Terms And Conditions, Megan Emily Mccormack

Theses

This thesis, titled “Terms and Conditions,” is a collection of five short stories. Although there is a mix of realist and speculative fiction, there are themes as well as other similarities that these stories share. All the characters in the following stories feel a lack of something that they desperately want, and in most cases that is love in the form of a parent, a sibling, or a friend. These characters not only uncover the harsher side of life in their search for a real connection, but they also reveal who they are as a person. Dr. Kruegler wants a …

Eagles Circle The Drum, Mark Shaw

Theses

Mark Shaw’s Eagles Circle the Drum: A Novel My thesis, for the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Missouri—St. Louis, is a Native American Literary Novel. When Jimmy Moses—a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Nation—dies, his mother chooses to have a Christian funeral instead of an American Indian burial ceremony. The reservation community becomes upset, particularly Johnny Bear Moses, her son and Jimmy’s older brother. The novel shifts between various points of view, including Reylene Fisherman, the mother; Johnny Bear; and his daughter, Akasha. These three major characters represent a different opinion of creed and …