Digital Commons Network^™

L’Dor Vador: Remembering The Cleveland Jewish Immigration Experience, Roxanne Feldman

Theses

Jewish people heavily contributed to the growth and development of the city of Cleveland. Their impact extended from creating major businesses to influence in education and culture. Jewish immigration, an integral piece of Cleveland’s history, offers many memories that constitute an interactive, educational, and engaging exhibit. The goal of this interactive project is to inform users about what life was like as a Jewish immigrant or resident in Cleveland by sharing stories of individuals in the community and in my family. Through exploration of photographs, videos, and an interactive map, users will be able to identify noteworthy businesses, organizations, and …

Online Cake Instructor, Jen-Chun Tseng

Theses

This thesis will be an e-learning website about making cakes. Users will learn how to make a cake in a virtual environment by following the instructions and interacting with the surroundings, instead of learning from text statements. “Simulation” will be a focus in this thesis. Users will go through the cooking process by using virtual tools and a virtual oven. The final goal of the online courses is that users should use those virtual materials and tools correctly without a cue. Still images, videos, 3D models, and animations will be used to simulate the whole process. As an e-learning material, …

Characterization Of Putative Magnesium Transport Systems In Yeast, Andrew James Franklin

Theses

Magnesium (Mg2+) is essential for all life, and is utilized for many important biological processes. Despite the fundamental importance of Mg2+ homeostasis to life, relatively little is known about Mg2+ homeostasis in eukaryotes. The goal of this work was to identify proteins required for the active transport of Mg2+, which are essential to prevent the overaccumulation of cytosolic Mg2+, but have not been identified from any organism. In yeast, a vacuolar Mg2+/H+ exchange activity has been described but the molecular identify of this protein is unknown. To try and identify this activity, a candidate gene approach was used. Four yeast …

Interactivity And Health Communication: Content Analysis Of Interactive Elements On Hiv/Aids Awareness And Prevention Websites, Vikas John

Theses

Individuals increasingly turn to the Internet to satisfy their information needs, including information on health-related issues like HIV/AIDS. Researchers agree that an important characteristic of this medium is interactivity. The concept can be viewed from either a user perspective, focusing on the user’s experience with the medium or a system perspective, analyzing the design of technology. The current study followed the system perspective to analyze the various features on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention websites. Although all websites were interactive, there was considerable variation in the types of features present. This study attempted to find a relationship, if any, between the …

A Novel Approach To Determine Arsenic Contamination In The Environment, Dean Franklin

Theses

This study examines a novel method to determine heavy metal contamination in the environment. This method will combine the established technique of atomic absorption spectroscopy with terrestrial isopods. The terrestrial isopods bioaccumulate heavy metals. The established forensic analysis by atomic absorption was used to quantify heavy metal poisoning. Spectroscopy determined the presence of arsenic and lead in four study areas. Arsenic contamination was the focus of this study. Lead contamination was done in parallel to verify the method. As part of the controls, three types of lumber were offered the isopods to feed on. Those lumber samples were kiln dried …

Countdown To Hiroshima, David S.R. Bridges

Theses

On August 6th, 1945 at approximately 8: 15 a.m. the United States dropped a uranium-based atomic bomb code named "Little Boy," on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The initial explosion, which was the equivalent of 13,000 tons of TNT, killed 45,000 of the largely civilian population instantly. Hundreds of thousands more would die of radiation-related illnesses in the decades to follow and a conservative estimate puts the death toll from the Hiroshima bombing at 200,000.

Three days later, the United States would drop another atomic bomb composed of plutonium and code named "Fat Boy," on the Japanese city of Nagasaki …

Finding Yosemite: A Reflection On Conservation, Jennifer Witkowski

Theses

Yosemite National Park has always been a National treasure of natural beauty, making it a popular tourist attraction by providing protection for unique geological formations, wildlife, and land of historic value. The parks mission is to provide recreation while educating and preserving the history and environment in which the park resides on. Recently, the mission of Yosemite National Park has been threatened by an increase in the number of people who visit the park annually and budget cuts that have a direct effect on the amount of resources the park has available to counteract the environmental impact of the rise …

Willingness To Pay For A Clear Night Sky: Use Of The Contingent Valuation Method, Stephanie N. Simpson

Theses

A clear night sky is a public good, and as a public good government intervention to regulate it is justifiable. Light pollution decreases the ability to view a clear, unobstructed night sky and can have biological, human health, energy related, and scientific consequences. In order for governments to intervene more effectively, an economic analysis of light pollution with regards to costs and benefits needs to be performed. This thesis demonstrates the use of the contingent valuation method to place an economic value on light pollution. Students in the RIT community were surveyed regarding their willingness to pay for a clear …

Emphasizing The User In The Usability Study: Investigating Activity Theory And Website Navigation, Heidi Trost

Theses

The effects of organizational schemes in website design have been studied using measures of speed, number of mouse-clicks, accuracy, and user recollection of website content information. This study investigates self-reported user confidence and satisfaction of websites using two different organizational schemes. Users were randomly assigned to one of the two sites and asked to perform a series of information-retrieval tasks. Time taken to complete the tasks was recorded and participants completed a survey measuring their confidence and satisfaction using a website. No significant differences were found between the two websites in respect to user self-reported confidence and satisfaction. The results …

Awen: Flowing Spirit, Matt Costanza

Theses

None provided.

Character Design And Marketing – Designer Toys, Yen-Fu Chen

Theses

Designing a series of my characters and one story for those characters is the first step in this project. Those characters will be presented on my design products from 2D to 3D and from t-shirt to cell phone downloads. There are four categories for my design works. The first part is 2D print media. I will put those characters on posters, stickers and post cards. Also, the customers can have my character designs on their t-shirts. The second is that I will have real toy models for my characters. The customers can have my real design works, and they can …

Imaginary Spaces, Daniel J. Weisbard

Theses

Current three dimensional computer graphics technology has given artists and computer generated images. Imaginary Spaces is a series of images which visually depict two unique and imaginative digitally produced environments. By utilizing modern computer graphics technology, these have been brought to life in stunning realism and detail. Imaginary Spaces consists of seven total images which showcase each environment from alternating vantage designers a new set of tools for producing amazingly life-like com artificial spaces points in virtual space.

Gardenscapes: A Harmonious Approach To 3d Art, Charmie Tate

Theses

None provided.

Theoretical Framework For Predicting Joint Reaction And Ground Reaction Forces In A Dynamic Pendulum Tree Model Of Human Motion, Peyman Rajai

Theses

Lagrangian dynamics and the method of superfluous coordinates are applied to find ground and joint reaction forces on the human body modeled as a general branched 2-D pendulum tree system with arbitrary segments and arbitrarily distributed point masses. A theoretical framework is established for predicting these constraint forces during human motion and consequently their effects on dynamics, dynamic stability, energy efficiency and the potential of these forces to produce joint injury and/or pain. Applications to human walking are initiated. During idealized phases where there is only single point contact of the stance leg with the ground such as just after …

A Caza De Dientes (Hunting For Teeth), Erick Rohn

Theses

A descriptive narration of a project to create a 3-D computer animated film based on Francisco Goya's series of etchings "Los Caprichos." Includes proposal, storyboards, shot comparisons, shading network, and grant proposal.

Manifestations Of Nature, Bethany Krull

Theses

I feel that humans in today’s society are distanced so much from their origins that we need to be reminded that our roots are deeply and firmly planted in the natural world. I feel that it is our society’s current disconnection and alienation from nature that is a key reason we have let the destruction of the environment go on for so long. This thesis consists of two parts. The first being a written investigation of the root causes of our society’s current alienation from nature and the second being a written account of the exhibition of a body of …

Breaking Barriers Of Regeneration: Examining The Effectiveness Of Bird Perches In Facilitating Seed Dispersal In A Tropical Dry Forest, Muldrow Milton

Theses

This project examined the use of bird perches in facilitating seed dispersal to address the lack of seed dispersal and seed rain in degraded tropical forests. The goal of this project was to learn more about this practice in order to derive more realistic expectations of its effectiveness. After four months, significantly more seeds were dispersed into plots containing introduced perches as compared to subplots that lacked perches. Seed rain was dominated by Ficus citrifolia, a mid-level successional species, indicating that introduced artificial perches may influence the regeneration of more mature forests. Seeds recovered from seed traps represented species with …

Modeling Wildland Fire Radiance In Synthetic Remote Sensing Scenes, Zhen Wang

Theses

This thesis develops a framework for implementing radiometric modeling and visualization of wildland fire. The ability to accurately model physical and op- tical properties of wildfire and burn area in an infrared remote sensing system will assist efforts in phenomenology studies, algorithm development, and sensor evaluation. Synthetic scenes are also needed for a Wildland Fire Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems (DDDAS) for model feedback and update. A fast approach is presented to predict 3D flame geometry based on real time measured heat flux, fuel loading, and wind speed. 3D flame geometry could realize more realistic radiometry simulation. A Coupled Atmosphere-Fire …

Feasibility And Performance Analysis Of Sensor Modeling In Opnet, Niranjan Krishnamurthi

Theses

The current surge in wireless sensor network research has led to the extensive use of network simulation software to simulate new and novel protocols. Analysis via simulation allows for the validation of protocols before being fully deployed in physical networks. Though superior in modeling RF signals and network operations, current wireless network simulation software lack fully functional sensor models that replicate a sensor’s interaction with the environment. Realistic and specific sensor models do exist, however very little has been incorporated into commonly used network simulators. It is questionable whether the typical approach of modeling sensed data as random processes offers …

Using Multispectral Sensor Wasp-Lite To Analyze Harmful Algal Blooms, Shari J. Mcnamara

Theses

Developing methods to monitor harmful algae is a current research “hot-topic.” One type of algae, the blue-green algae or Cyanobacteria, cause blooms that can lead to a health threat to humans and animals. This research will test the use of a cost effective and temporally efficient method using multispectral remote sensing system, WASPLITE, as a monitor of algal blooms. This airborne system will be optimized to the specific application of detecting Cyanobacteria on optically complex waters. Attempts have been made in the past using existing instruments, e.g., SeaWiFS and Landsat, to provide these data, but our solution can provide more …

An Integrated Water Quality Modeling System With Dynamic Remote Sensing Feedback, Yan Li

Theses

A coupled hydrodynamic-optical water quality modeling system based on Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems (DDDAS) concepts that assimilates remote sensing data into a hydrodynamic model was developed and tested. The modeling system includes the hydrodynamic model (ALGE), a radiative transfer model (Hydrolight), and remote imagery (MODIS) as a dynamic feedback. The DDDAS was implemented through an Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) with a small ensemble space. Large scale thermal structure and circulation patterns in Lake Ontario were simulated during the spring and summer seasons. High-resolution stream plume studies were performed in Conesus Lake and for the plume of the Niagara River …

Synchronicities 4:4, Emily M. Sperry

Theses

This thesis paper examines the work presented in my M.F.A. thesis installation Synchronicities 4:4. The paper explores the aesthetic and theoretical concepts compiled within this project, in order to reveal the mindset and motivations of the artist. Elements covered in this text include installation design, research of its conceptual history, and citations of various artists working in similar methods to achieve equivalent creative goals. This thesis project uses the mediums of sound and video to elucidate a greater understanding of the realms of human awareness, particularly in relation to the mystical characteristics of invisible sensory information. This thesis describes theories …

Counting The Vote: An Interactive Study Of Electoral College Reform, Joe Hribar

Theses

With each presidential election comes talk of a fundamental and significant change to our democracy. Every four years brings about discussion between political pundits and casual conversation between office coworkers. All this talk is about reforming, or in some cases dismantling, the Electoral College. Over the past several decades, numerous proposals to reform the Electoral College have been advanced. Adopting any one of these proposals would certainly have far-reaching effects on our future, but what about our past? What would have happened in 1960, for instance, if instead of the winner-take-all method of assigning electoral votes, a district method were …

Ez-Viz Movie, Laura Lynn Grell

Theses

The molecular modeling program PyMOL [1], developed by DeLano Scientific, has the capabilities to produce high-quality molecular images and animations. Although it is a very powerful tool, working with PyMOL requires the use of complex, syntactical commands that can be difficult for users to learn. To address this issue, a plugin coined EZ-Viz was developed in the summer of 2005 to provide an easy-to-use interface for interacting with PyMOL. While the interface replaced many PyMOL commands with buttons and menus, it lacked functionality that was dedicated to aiding users who wanted to create their own custom, molecular animations in PyMOL. …

Comprehensive Food System For Outdoor Use, North Chandler

Theses

Enjoying outdoor activities has become a lesson in environmental responsibility and spatial awareness.

A hiker muse anticipate the equipment chat is appropriate for the weather and terrain conditions along with the amount of food and water that will be consumed. Once on the expedition, it becomes the responsibility of the individual to be aware of the surroundings and to minimally affect other people and the environment.

As an outdoor enthusiast concerned with the state of natural areas for recreation and environmental preservation, it seemed appropriate for this project to reflect my personal concerns and passions.

Preliminary ideas for an environmentally …

Mechanical Fatigue In A Magnetically Levitated Axial Blood Pump, Amy Slevar

Theses

This research investigated some of the mechanical fatigue associated with the use of a rotary pump as a left ventricular assist device, LVAD, for long term therapy (>20 years). In this magnetically levitated axial pump, we identified one feature most susceptible to mechanical stress and fatigue. the thin-sectioned inducer blade is made of titanium and is the first point of contact between the housing and impeller should the levitation system momentarily lose control. !e inducer blade is also long and thin and will experience both normal and bending loads when contacted by the impeller. The incidence of contact and …

In Vitro Feasibility Testing Of Floating Light-Activated Minroelectrical Stimulators, Ammar Riad Abdo

Theses

One of the major challenges of neural stimulation is the mechanical stress and resulting trauma induced on the implanted electrodes by the constant movement of the interconnects. A potential way of eliminating interconnects is to use floating micro-stimulators that can be activated through optical means. As a method of energy transfer to the micro-stimulator, we propose to use a laser beam at near infrared (NIR) wavelengths.

There are two main objectives in this project to test the feasibility of the main approach; investigate the charge injection capacity of titanium nitride (TiN) and iridium oxide (IrOx) as potential contact materials, and …

Adaptable Videogame Platform For Interactive Upper Extremity Rehabilitation, Sally M. Jensen

Theses

The primary objective of this work is to design a recreational rehabilitation videogame platform for customizing motivating games that interactively encourage purposeful upper extremity gross motor movements. Virtual reality (VR) technology is a popular application for rehabilitation therapies but there is a constant need for more accessible and affordable systems. We have developed a recreational VR game platform can be used as an independent therapy supplement without laboratory equipment and is inexpensive, motivating, and adaptable. The behaviors and interactive features can be easily modified and customized based on players' limitations or progress.

A real-time method of capturing hand movements using …

Recall And Comprehension Of Signs By High School Asl Students:A Study Of Two Movie Formats For An Online Lexical Database, Maria Tedeschi

Theses

This study compared two technical sign movie formats, Quicktime (2D) and threedimentional animations (3D) and examined recall, comprehension, and rehearsal time of signs. There was no significant difference found between the formats for comprehension and recall. However, for rehearsal the high school students had significantly higher sign production scores after viewing 2D signs as comparaed to 3D signs. In addition, there was a significant difference found relating to gender. Girls scored significantly higher on all three measures, regardless of the movie format. In addition, students with more than two years experience with ASL scored significantly higher than those with less …

Printability And Environmental Testing Using Silver-Based Conductive Flexographic Ink Printed On A Polyamide Substrate, Kathryn Cole

Theses

The effect of simulated environmental exposure conditions (high heat, freezing temperature, rain, and vacuum pressure) on the performance of a silver-based conductive flexo ink printed on a polyamide (nylon 6,6) substrate was examined. Conductivity, density, color, adhesion, abrasion resistance and creasing were evaluated. The tested environmental variables did not have an effect on the performance quality of silver conductive flexographic ink when printed on a polyamide substrate for the 85 – 100% solid ink density levels. Rain and temperature had the greatest impact on print performance in the 70–80% tint range. Exposure to these elements affected adhesion properties of the …