Digital Commons Network^™

Chinchi And Eleanor, Jonathan Cone

Theses

I once heard a female animator say that giving birth to her child was easier than making a film. Making an animation is indeed a very long and arduous task. It takes both the craftsmanship of an artist and the skill of a technician. The making of my film, Chinchi and Eleanor, was no different. It is difficult to explain to the average person exactly how a film is made. Every artist has their own practices, some useful and some just old habits. Animators generally keep to a set of methods that were handed down from the animators before them. …

Grandpa?!, Tzuhui Lin

Theses

"Grandpa?!" is a short film produced and shot in Taiwan. It tells the story of a traditional Taiwanese family recovering from the death of its patriarch. Certain family relationships come to the forefront, demanding attention. This film is about not only family issues but also addresses Taiwanese culture. Shot with an HD camera, Taiwanese and Mandarin are the languages spoken by the actors, with English subtitles. This thesis report provides an overview of the filmmaking process, including writing the script, the proposal, pre-production, film shooting and post-production.

Catch Santa, H. Kamau Buchanan

Theses

Catch Santa is a short film and a comedy about a two hearing robbers who rob Christmas gifts in the homes of deaf families on Christmas Eve. These robbers are able to steal the Christmas gifts while the Deaf residents are asleep. The conflict occurs when they confront with a deaf young boy who was determined to secretly videotape Santa Claus in the act of delivering Christmas presents. The thesis report discusses the technical and artistic process of making the film.

Effects Of Video-Conferencing On Gaze Behavior And Communication, Leanne Bohannon

Theses

Through the use of eye-tracking and conversation analysis this study examined the impact of video-conferencing on communication. Paired participants performed a collaborative task over four communication media: face-to-face; desktop video-conferencing with eye contact; and life-size video-conferencing with and without eye contact. Participants more frequently checked the information their partner verbally relayed when communicating face-to-face and over life-size video-conferencing with eye contact. They also looked more at their partner when conversing over life-size video-conferencing with eye contact compared to the other conditions. The results imply that the mode across which we communicate does influence our verbal and non-verbal interactions but that …

Study On Developing A Potential Way-Finding Map Design Of An Iphone & Ipod Web Application For Rochester Institute Of Technology (Rit) Library, Jeong Kim

Theses

Have you ever wondered how many wall maps are actually used as "maps" rather than as decoration? Have you ever had trouble finding your way around small areas? Have you ever had a hard time finding brochures, even when they're displayed right at the entry or on the first floor of a building? Since the beginning of human civilization, wayfinding systems have been developed as tools to deliver information and assist people seeking routes or specific locations. Updates to new technologies have allowed vast quantities of information of varying quality to become a huge part of our lives. However, signs …

Online Social Network Member Attitude Toward Online Advertising Formats, Shirley Cox

Theses

The predicted growth of advertising in online social networks and the cluttered online advertising environment dictates that the advertising industry be concerned about how online social network members view online advertising formats. The question this research seeks to answer is what are the attitudes of online social network members toward online advertising formats in their online social networks? The findings indicate that the leader board, blogs, video, brand page, and brand channel formats are perceived to have the most positive attributes. Pop-ups, expandable and floating ads were perceived to have the most negative attributes. The findings also introduce a new …

Asset Protection In A Limited Swarm Environment Utilizing Artificial Potential Fields, Dieter Laskowski

Theses

Asset protection is a behavior in which a team of robots establishes a formation around a resource marked as an asset in a hostile environment in order to protect the asset from threats. The robots are assumed to be homogeneous and run a decentralized control algo- rithm and possess a repulsive quality to the threats. Previous works in this area have used centralized control or considered the use of many robots. This work aims at developing an algorithm that is both decentralized, and able to protect assets using only a few robots. In order to provide this behavior an algorithm …

Mashed, Adam Fisher

Theses

My thesis film, "Mashed", was created with multiple purposes in mind. I wanted to use and build on everything I learned at RIT, entertain both young and old audiences, and support my belief that shooting mediums should be a choice tailored to fit the needs and purposes of a character in a film. Popular trends in animation and visual effects sometimes overshadow the fact that technological advancements benefit more than just computer-generated graphics. Convincing stop-motion characters (and characters of other mediums) can benefit from these same advancements, and even coexist with multiple other styles within the same frame. My film …

Stiffness Of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells From Aged Primates Measured Using Reconstituted Tissue Model, Shilpa Nagendra

Theses

Increased stiffness of the aorta is an important detrimental change that occurs with aging. Most previous research has implicated stiffening of the extracellular collagen matrix with age. The study reported in this thesis focused instead on the potential contribution from stiffening of the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) with age.

VSMCs previously obtained from young and old monkeys (macaca fascicularis) were seeded into a collagen gel to form a reconstituted tissue. The aim of this study was to quantitatively characterize the mechanical properties of this reconstituted tissue model via uniaxially stretching each ring to defined levels of strain. The total …

Development Of A Device For Whole Body Stimulation Of The Otoliths, Jon Edward Weimer

Theses

Over the past few decades, research has been conducted to explore the effects of microgravity on human musculature, As seen in astronauts upon their return to Earth after prolonged spaceflight, extensive muscle atrophy due to adaptation to conditions of microgravity many times decreases a person's ability to walk or even stand, With an understanding of the anatomical mechanisms that provide postural control, the proper stimulation, resulting in a reduction in spasticity, could be provided by simulating these conditions of microgravity.

In order to simulate microgravity, a device has been developed that is capable of providing whole body stimulation of the …

Poisonous Heritage: Pesticides In Museum Collections, Leslie Omstein

Theses

No abstract provided.

" Lu-Li-Lunacy And Sorrow:" The Grotesque In John Irving's The World According To Garp, Nicole J. Homer

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Insulin And Glutathione On In Vitro Spermatogenic Cyst Maturation, Peta-Gay A. Ricketts

Theses

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Open Reading Frames 58 And 27, Jennifer L. Quiceno

Theses

No abstract provided.

Towards Scale-Invariant Aboveground Biomass Estimation In Savanna Ecosystems Using Small-Footprint Waveform Lidar, Dave Kelbe

Theses

Land degradation is becoming an issue of increasing concern in the savanna ecosystems of southern Africa. As a result, there is a growing need to map structural changes at the fine scale, while retaining the ability to aggregate up to landscape level for analysis across land use gradients. Aboveground biomass (AGB) is an important indicator of vegetation structure and therefore is the ideal variable for estimation from light detection and ranging (lidar) data. To avoid the effects of scale, this paper takes a tree-delineation approach for segmentation of the structurally heterogeneous savanna environment. Diameter at breast height (DBH) measurements collected …

A Power Systems Transients Controller Using Transient Analysis Of Control Systems (Tacs) Modules., Shonique L. Miller

Theses

In the electrical power industry one of the most challenging tasks is to produce and provide electrical energy in a safe, reliable, efficient and economically sound manner under stressed conditions such as: (i) harmonic variation, (ii) frequency variation, (iii) voltage magnitude variation, (iv) transient overvoltages and inrush currents after a disturbance to the power system occurs. There are many disturbances that occur that provoke transients in power systems including: (i) lightning, (ii) capacitor switching events, (iii) faults, (iv) startup of motors and generators. Although they last for very short periods of time, the appearance of these transient overvolatges and inrush …

Investigating The Role Of Toll Like Receptor-4 (Tlr-4) In Goats, La'toya D. Lane

Theses

An animal's ability to fight off infections with Escherichia coli can be impacted by polymorphisms in the TLR-4 gene. In goats, the effects of polymorphisms of the TLR4 gene are not known and need to be researched to improve goat herd production. The objectives of this study were to evaluate gene polymorphism and transcription of TLR-4 and to assess the effects of LPS exposure on gene expression and signaling in neutrophils from Spanish and Boer goats. To study genetic polymorphisms, gene segments using primers specific for TLR-4 were amplified. PCR products were then examined on a 1% agarose gel to …

Pretreatment And Fractionation Of Biomass For Biological Production Of Transportation Fuels And Value Added Chemicals, Samuel Asomaning Agyemang

Theses

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant renewable material from hardwood, softwood, grasses and agricultural residues for ethanol production. Pretreatment of lignocellulosic materials has been a main technical challenge to a cellulosic ethanol production process. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate four pretreatment methods and conduct comparative analyses among pretreatment methods, chemicals used and biomass species to determine the best process in terms of glucan to ethanol conversion efficiencies. The separation of hemicellulose fractions to be used as precursors for the production of high value chemicals after pretreatment of biomass samples is also investigated. Pretreatment methods including Accelerated Solvent Extraction …

Bovine Colostrum And Gene Expression In E. Coli., Savanna Love Schepis

Theses

Escherichia coli cause mastitis upon entry into the mammary gland. Colostrum is the first milk produced by the lactating mother and provides immune nutrients for protection of the newborn. Bacterial pathogenesis may be modulated by exposure to colostral components. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of host immune factors in colostrum on E. coli K-12 growth, RNA transcription, and gene expression. Samples of E. coli K-12 were grown to mid-log in LB (Luria Bertani) broth and colostrum-treated LB broth. One of each culture was heat shocked to create one control and three different treatments. Growth was …

Museum Education And Professional Development Partnerships: How The Educational Programs Of Museums Enhance Career Goals And Professional Development Skills In Adults, Victoria A. Jensen

Theses

No abstract provided.

Assessing Interpretability Of Visual Symbols Of Varied Colors Across Demographic Profiles, Brendan Parker

Theses

Visual symbols are often ambiguous. An icon is meant to convey a particular meaning, but viewers may interpret the image differently. This thesis shows how a viewer`s demographic background and icon color can affect their interpretation of a symbol. A website survey, featuring a library of icons, asked users of varied demographic profiles to interpret each figure presented randomly in one of five colors: black, blue, red, green, and orange. The qualitative text data from the participants` interpretations were compared to the quantitative data from icon and demographic information by means of multinomial logit analysis. The experiment found numerous noteworthy …

The Pathology Of Addiction, Janis Dougherty

Theses

The field of addiction has grown exponentially in the last 60 years with abundant research and results. Today we understand that addiction is less of a disease and more of a choice, however, it continues to be a perplexing disease. The focus of this thesis project is to condense the theories presented in Dr. Ronald Ruden's book The Craving Brain into a 7 minute animated film. The film illustrates three major topics outlined in the book: "Landscaping the Brain", stress, and neurotransmitters. The conclusion ties it all together showing how each individual piece contributes to the makeup of the addictive …

Application Of Liquid Chromatography - Tandem Mass Spectrometry For The Determination Of Veterinary Drug Residues In Food Of Animal Origin, Brian Kinsella

Theses

The QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) sample preparation approach was evaluated for the extraction of anthelmintic residues from bovine milk and tissues. Liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrom.etry (LC- MS/MS) was used for detection and quantification of residues, which included the benzimidazoles (BZs), macrocyclic lactones (MLS) and the generally overlooked flukicides.

Initial work focused on the optimisation of a QuEChERS method to effectively extract anthelmintic residues from milk and liver. The method involves the extraction of residues with acetonitrile (MeCN) in the presence of salts (MgS04 and NaCl) to induce phase separation. After shaking and centrifugation, …

Antimicrobial Activity Of Copper Alone Or In Combination With Lactic Acid On The Growth Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Laboratory Medium And On The Surface Of Lettuce And Tomatoes, Rabin Gyawali

Theses

In recent years, Escherichia coli O157:H7 has been a major foodborne pathogen associated with fresh produce. Many outbreaks of foodborne illnesses have raised concerns in the microbial safety of fresh produce. Several different treatment solutions are being used to decontaminate fresh produce, but still it is very difficult to guarantee the microbiological safety. Therefore, the development of effective treatment for reducing E. coli O157:H7 on fresh produce is needed. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of copper alone or in combination with lactic acid on the survival and growth of E. coli O157:H7 in laboratory medium …

The Potential For Gaseous Biofuels In Ireland, Darren Kenneally

Theses

According to the EU Renewables Directive 2009/28/EC, 20% of the energy across Europe needs to be renewable by 2020. This is inclusive of the energy utilised in the transport sector where 10% of this energy needs to be renewable. In order for Ireland to meet the targets set in the Renewables Directive various changes need to be applied. The utilisation of gaseous biofuels produced from the anaerobic digestion of various feedstocks will aid Ireland in meeting this directive.

In this study biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) and energy crops are analysed as potential feedstocks for the production of biomethane. This biomethane …

Petals And Mortar, Amanda Rose Bramley

Theses

The stories in this collection focus on the little, almost insignificant symbols that appear in our daily lives. People, in general, don't notice how certain objects gravitate toward us. The symbols in my life and in my writing appear in places and forms unexpected: a bird outside of a windowsill, flowers that grow by themselves in our backyards, a scarf purchased at a discount store, domino tiles in a common game. How easy it is to take pieces of our lives for granted. They can, for many, hold an almost transcendental power. They provide landmarks for the steps we choose …

The Understudy, Linda Denise Harris

Theses

This story is a first person true account of love and loss between two sisters. The sisters are separated by seven years and other siblings, yet the bond formed in childhood is strengthened through the trials and tribulations of life. When the older sibling learns that she has terminal cancer she wants her sister by her side.

From the perspective of the younger sister, the story weaves from past to present, back and forth, as each substantial scene unfolds. Through her eyes, the younger sibling sheds light on the early years and the reader learns what it was like growing …

Imagining The Imaginary: Finding Mr. Marmalade, Brian Kappler

Theses

Unavailable.

A Critical Analyses Of How The Hse’S Communications And Public Relations Department Responded To The Swine Flu Pandemic In The Southern Region Of Ireland., Suzanne Mccarthy

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how the HSE South handled the Swine Flu pandemic. This was largely focused on how the HSE communicated with their publics as well as how they carried out such a large public information campaign. It is also important to understand how the public felt about the management of this pandemic. This thesis was dependant on interviewing various individuals from relevant backgrounds. This included PR and communication personnel employed by the HSE, representative of the media and health care professionals who deal directly with different communities within the general public. The objectives of …

Upon Wakening, Joan M. Lovelace

Theses

Upon awakening is a memoir essay that details the free fall from my prime into the disease of addiction, which took everything from me but the one thing I willingly would have given: my life. Instead, alcoholism dragged me on a horrifying public journey that began in a secret place in my mind.

At first, only I knew the trouble I was in, as I began drinking from the liquor bottles in the wet bar of our home. As my craving for booze grew beyond my control, I lost my career as a television journalist, my self-respect, my dignity and …