Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of A Community Sharps Collection Pilot Program For The Town Of Northampton, Massachusetts: A Review Of The Barriers, Carmela (Deb) Laino

Theses

Not provided.

Light Pollution: A Case For Federal Regulation, Timothy Berthaume

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the body of evidence concerning light pollution and exposure to artificial light and determine if the scientific research warrants regulatory oversight in the United States. The first question that guided this effort was: Does improper artificial lighting and exposure to light-at-night constitute a risk to human health and safety? The follow up question being: Is light pollution a concern to ecological systems, and if so to what extent? A comprehensive literature review was conducted to ascertain the status of the research—if any—in these two areas and what the findings were. The overarching …

Characterization Of Stress Ulcer Model In Mice, Abeer Hamed Rubayea Hamed Aldhaheri

Theses

Stress ulcer is a common problem in critically ill patients. Recent statistics indicated that bleeding from stress ulcer is a common cause of death in patients admitted to intensive care units. Little is known about the cellular changes that occur in the gastric mucosa during stress ulcer formation. The aim of this study is to define the changes that occur in the mouse stomach during development of stress ulcer by using different microscopy techniques.

The cold-restraint mouse model of stress ulcer was used in this study. Mice of both sexes were restrained and maintained in a cold (4°C) room for …

Effects Of Soil Solarization On Seed Viability Of Serious Weeds Of Crops In The Uae, Fatema Khalil Al-Hammadi

Theses

The efficacy of solarization in weed control under field conditions of the united Arabs Emirates (UAE} was evaluated by conducting field experiments in a farm near Al-Ain. The soil of the farm was artificially infested with seeds of the following weeds: Amaranthus viridus, A. hybridus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Chenopodium murale, Launea mucronata, Malva parviflora, Capsella bursa-pastoris, Echinochloa colona, Portulaca oleracea, and Melilotus indica. The soil was plowed, rotovated to provide a smooth surface and divided into 12 raised plots, 10 x 1 m each: seven were solarized and five non-solarized. Soils …

A Program Of Self-Esteem Development For Deaf Children In Rural Areas, Candi Daviton

Theses

Deaf children in rural areas often lack the development of self-esteem essential to their overall development of social and academic skills. Deaf children in rural communities generally have low interpersonal communication and leadership skills. Being isolated with no role model for their identification (deafness) could limit their language acquisition and identity development. The purpose of this project is to develop a special curriculum project which would help initiate a program that would enable deaf children in rural areas to develop self-esteem skills through a one week summer camp program focusing on learning about themselves and related essential self-esteem skills through …

Graphical Microcode Simulator With A Reconfigurable Datapath, Brian Vanburen

Theses

Microcode is a symbolic way to simplify control design that allows changing, testing and updating the control unit of processors. By changing the microcode, the same datapath can be used for an entirely different application, such as supporting a completely different instruction set. For these reasons, a majority of control units in modern day processors are microcoded. The object was to investigate and implement a graphical microcode simulator with a reconfigurable datapath and microcode format. By allowing a wide configuration of the datapath, many types of logical processors can be designed and simulated. The resulting implemented simulator is able to …

Hindsight: The Moving Image And The Post-Photographic, John Aäsp

Theses

My recent video work employs a chronophotographic template to play on the idea of extracting knowledge from a fragmented visual sequence. Rather than freezing separate frames as instances of motion (as seen in a Muybridge sequence), motion is left within the sequence—looping continuously to create a paradox of stasis and dynamism. Using found footage from an older film era or clips from modern television, sequences are recaptured and reorganized to create a media-hybridized moment standing in a new temporal flow.

Influenced by the philosophy of Henri Bergson, this work explores a gray area between cinema and photography, motion and stillness, …

Strange Way Home, Seema Raju Mukhi

Theses

Set in India, this novel follows the narrator, sixteen-year-old Asha Mehtani, in her two-year struggle to decide between following tradition and following her own desires. Asha encounters an American teacher at her school who encourages her to read, to learn, and to follow her own path in life. But Asha¿s parents want her to get married right after she finishes high school, in an arranged marriage. By refusing to get married, Asha will damage her family¿s reputation and ruin her younger sister¿s chances of finding a good husband. Will Asha choose to follow her heart, to go to college and …

Many Are The Deceivers, Cassie Worley

Theses

This thesis examines the adaptations and disseminations of ancient and modern dominant Western Parables. It investigates both Biblical myths and fairy tales, as they are used as socializing tools, which set standards in Western culture, and prescribe conventions to our children. Within the thesis, themes from Little Red Riding Hood will be extrapolated, and compared to those found in Old Testament tales such as, The Expulsion from Eden, the Deluge, The Ten Plagues, and Exodus. Throughout the thesis, the history and function of the myth and fairy tale will be defined, and questions will be raised regarding the role of …

Robot Rescue, Hui Yu Ruan

Theses

Recently, it is very common in Asia that people put little toys on their office desks. It doesn’t mean they sometimes have their kids visiting them nor they are not grown up yet. These are toys, which can soothe their stress from work. I am always attracted by toys and also animations designed or directed by many artists and designers. In this fantasy world of toys, there may not be only human beings. As in Hayao Miyazaki’s animation “Spirited Away,” where there was a magic world ruled by a witch; and there was also an old spider man, a frog …

Proving Ground, Alison Secrest

Theses

This thesis seeks to explain and explore the work in Proving Ground, the thesis exhibition that accompanies this written thesis. The exhibition consists of an installation titled Proving Ground, a series of photographs titled All New Materials, and a series of small sculpture titled New Evolutions.

The installation Proving Ground is a set of life size animals; a cow, deer, and two smaller creatures that reference Romulus and Remus. The cow and the deer are made out of paper mache and discarded stuffed animals. Romulus and Remus are made out of paper mache and horse hair. …

Avian Seed Dispersers Of The Invasive Rubus Niveus (Rosaceae) In The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Monica C. Soria

Theses

The foraging behavior of bird assemblages at Rubus niveus was determined over two seasons in the agricultural zone of Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos in order to identify effective seed dispersers of the species and understand the factors that aid invasion of fleshy fruited weeds. A total of seven bird species were observed feeding on R. niveus fruits. In both seasons, the small ground finch (Geospiza fuliginosa), the introduced smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani ) and the small tree finch (Camarhynchus parvulus) were the most common visitors. Mean number of seeds removed per visit was higher for …

Sunny Side Up, Lori L. Phillips

Theses

A description of the author's thesis project creating pots with a chicken motif, with the intention of conveying grace and Southern hospitality. Includes 18 slides of her thesis exhibition and a CD-ROM including many more images in .jpg format.

The Free Gift, Chia-Chi Cho

Theses

Not Included

"All Aboard!", Grant Chang

Theses

Not Included

Assessing Ecological Correlates Of Avian Disease Prevalence In The Galapagos Islands Using Gis And Remote Sensing, Shane Robert Siers

Theses

In recognition of the potential consequences of pathogen introduction to the Galapagos Islands, the Saint Louis Zoo and the University of Missouri¿Saint Louis, in cooperation with the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station, implemented an avian disease surveillance program in 2001, with the objective of identifying and monitoring for pathogens that pose risk for native bird populations. The purpose of this thesis is identify environmental factors that might influence the geographic distribution of avian pathogen infection, based on two data sets obtained as a result of these surveillance efforts: 1) seroprevalence data on 10 common poultry …

Green Power In Green Spaces: Policy Options To Promote Renewable Energy Use In U.S. National Parks, Erin Green

Theses

The National Park Service (NPS) has a mission of sustainability: to conserve its resources for the enjoyment of future generations. The mission implies the use of sustainable technologies. In order to best make use of sustainable energy technologies, the NPS must have an understanding of the most significant barriers inhibiting such technologies’ use. The purpose of this research is to identify barriers to renewable energy technologies (RETs) at U.S. national parks located in the Pacific West Region (PWR), and to develop recommendations for appropriate policy interventions to address the barriers. A survey of energy managers representing the approximately 50 parks …

Preliminary Finite Element Modeling Of A Piezoelectric Actuated Marine Propulsion Fin, Andrew Streett

Theses

New technologies surrounding composite materials and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) design have led to numerous studies involving the marine propulsion for these AUVs. AUVs traditionally are classified as highly efficient, payload capable, and can be utilized as reconnaissance or surveillance vehicles. Undullatory and oscillatory propulsion devices have been conceived to replace the present propulsion technologies, of propellers, with highly maneuverable, efficient, and quiet propulsion systems. Undullatory and oscillatory propulsion has been around for centuries employed by aquatic life, but only recently have the mini-technologies been available to present such propulsion devices economically and with enough materials research as to mimic …

"No One At The Bridge", Jeffery J. Lester

Theses

Not Included

Potential Field Based Approach For Multi-Threat Containment With Cooperative Robots, Bhushan Mehendale

Theses

Target or threat containment is a process where a team of robots forms a particular formation around a target so that it gets engulfed in it. The robots under consideration run decentralized Swarm-Algorithms that make them cooperate with each other using their local sensing capabilities. Previous work in this area has dealt with robot formations and single threat containment where the target is either fixed or dynamic. In either case the same targets exist throughout the containment process. The challenge is to use such collaborative robots to contain multiple targets that appear at random times, and expire after some time. …

Food Habits Of A Re-Introduced River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Population In Western New York- Annual Diet, Temporal And Spatial Variation In Diet And Prey Selection Conclusions, Melissa Skyer

Theses

River otters were re-introduced to Western New York by the Department of Environmental Conservation between 1995 and 2000. The success of this population relies heavily on the availability of suitable prey. Diet was investigated via frequency of prey occurence in scats from 2004-2006. Overall diet was comprised mostly of fish and crayfish. The major fish taxa were Centrarchidae (sunfish), Cyprinidae (carp), and Salmonidae (trout); less common were Esocidae (pike and Castostomidae (sucker). All fish species combined ocurred at 100% frequency during the winter and spring months, but declined during the summer and fall. Sunfish prey were at their highest frequency …

The Winner, Sheng Jin

Theses

A descriptive narration of a project to create a 3-D animated action-adventure film set near the end of the Tang dynasty in China, featuring both human warriors and reptile warriors. Includes detailed discussion of the techniques used for character and environment design. Also includes storyboard, screen shots, and a DVD of the film.

Inspiration, Wan-Chun Lee

Theses

Not Included

Shinies, Seth Mccaughey

Theses

Not Included

Sweet! Cartoons And Contemporary Painting, Sarah Atlee

Theses

I am an artist, and I use cartoons. My work consists mainly of images that communicate to the viewer through recognizable forms. I also use text to help tell my stories. I often create visual elements that function in place of text or information. I use a third visual tool, a hybrid descendant of images and words: the cartoon. Cartoons, once situated at the margins of visual discourse, now have a place in the fine art world. There are comics and animated television shows created for adult audiences. There are gallery and museum shows of work influenced by cartoons, not …

Remembering Polish Town: A History Of Polish Americans In Rochester, James Bulmahn

Theses

Remembering Polish Town: A History of Polish Americans in Rochester Remembering Polish Town is an interactive multimedia presentation that explores the colorful history and culture of Rochester's Polish community. Based on writings and research conducted by local historian Kathleen Urbanic, the presentation tells the story of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church and the Polish immigrant neighborhood that formed around it. By exploring archival images and video interviews in the presentation, users can: Learn about the history of St. Stanislaus Church and how it serves as the spiritual heart of Rochester's Polish community Learn about St. Stanislaus School and explore class pictures …

Storytelling Of The Korean Traditional Dance "The Hahoe Mask" Using Interactive Multimedia, Hee Jung Lee

Theses

The project, "Storytelling of Korean traditional dance 'The Hahoe mask'" is the cultural collection using interactive multimedia. It provides a way to keep our intangible properties and interpret Korean cultural performances to users who are interested in Korean culture. This thesis is developed in two categories: three stories and one game. The three stories are the Mudong Play, the Monk Play and the Yangban Play and the game is the Butcher's shooting game, referring to the Peakchong Play. This project has presented a way to keep Korean cultural resources in an entertaining and user-friendly way. Through this project, users can …

The Dream Of The Butterfly: Experimental Illusions In Motion Graphics, Su Young Kim

Theses

The Dream of the Butterfly: Experimental Illusions in Motion Graphics is a series of motion graphics and applications defined from visual illusions, which are based on the study of patterns and interactive multimedia. This project is not only focused on making and showing motion graphic pieces, but also providing a basis of studies and enough of the experimental process of creating them, by incorporating sections for the user to interact with. By creating a web-based interface, it provides people with a chance to experiment with the elements of basic patterns and understand visual illusions which were chosen by me for …

Infection, Moonsik Chung

Theses

Describes the creation of a short 16mm live-action film, Infection, which features a veteran of the 1991 Gulf War, Nathaniel, who was traumatized by his experiences and lost his specific memories about what he did in Iraq. 12 years later, Nathaniel is haunted by the ghost of one of his dead fellow soldiers, who taunts him with hints of what he has forgotten. Then Nathaniel learns from his troubled parents the secret of who his true father was.

Infestus Tutamen (Aggressive Protection), Shane M. Keena

Theses

Not Included