Digital Commons Network^™

Directing A Technical Cyclone, Leonard A. Lively

Theses

In October 2023, the Southern Illinois School of Theater and Dance produced Ride the Cyclone. This thesis documents the participation of the technical director, Leonard Lively, in this collaborative production process. The project involved multimedia construction, CNC technology to manufacture custom components, curtain fabrication, engineering inspiration from anatomical structures, and advanced AutoCAD drafting techniques. Chapter one explores the play’s text, past productions, and the production’s possibilities. The design process is documented in the second chapter. The third chapter covers the production process and the fourth chapter reflects and evaluates the effectiveness of the production.

Busy World: 3d To-Do Lists App, Zhixiao Shen

Theses

Today, people encounter many arduous tasks every day. Heavy work tasks and tedious tasks always remind people, tormenting people who work hard to live. Life is busy, and there are many things to do every day. Without to-do lists to help us organize the tasks we need to get done each day, our lives would be a mess. Not only that, but unplanned tasks can also trigger procrastination. According to a survey, more than 40% of people suffer from procrastination. Procrastination affects the lives of many people, causing them to be inefficient and waste a lot of time. The central …

M’Ma, Charlotte Rose Eshelman

Theses

As I wrestle with myself, I wrestle with my mother. Both my mother and I survived domestic abuse as children, my mother again as an adult. Our bodies carry our trauma, her body carried mine, and someday, my body will carry my children. M’ma contemplates what we do with what we’re given, how trauma is inherited and passed down to the next generation through the body, and the complex intimacy of the mother-child relationship. I express and project my questions about my future children, my relationship with and understanding of my mother, and of myself in anticipation of being a …

Passing Away, Xin Li

Theses

My paper revolves these wonderful things from our lives, fading away from our world until even ourselves vanish from this world. I am often hijacked by groundless panic, even when I possess something, I dare not think about losing it, just the thought makes me anxious. I would even rather not have had beautiful things to avoid losing them. In my perception, all beautiful things are fragile, brittle. When I realized I was trapped by this fear, unable to move forward towards a new life, I decided to rescue myself. In the society and culture that I grew up in, …

Among Cypress And Sawgrass, Chandler Michael Culotta

Theses

Among Cypress and Sawgrass is a photographic series that explores the region I have come to call home, the Florida Everglades. This series explores the vast diversity of species and the ecosystem as a whole, but also speaks to the threats it has faced and continues to face that could devastate it forever. The series brings attention to the importance of this ecosystem, vocalizing support for its preservation, something we often depict in a phrase regarding the entire state; “Keep Florida Wild”. The series brings together photographs of the natural world and photographs of the ways humankind has influenced and …

Atoms And Leaves, Patty Tomanovich

Theses

Atoms and Leaves is a photographic project presented as windows into a utopia. The glass images display a potential time and place where the landscape, photography, and transness intertwine and grow from each other. Photography historically harms the landscape- requiring precious metals, releasing pollution into the atmosphere, and creating hazardous water waste. The traditional photographic canon erases the connection between queerness and ecology. Atoms and Leaves rethreads these connections, creating a world where photography collaborates with the landscape and takes on a transgender perspective by reshaping given material. The photographic printing process developed in this project was inspired by the …

Quantifying Landscape Change Using Different Spectrometers, Spectral Unmixing, And Uas Imagery, Bianca Cilento

Theses

Climate-driven land cover change and biodiversity loss are problems impacting food security, economic growth, human health, and cultural identity of arctic environments, such as Stordalen Mire, Abisko, Sweden (68.35’ N, 18.82’ E). The sensitive nature of these remote areas necessitates large-scale, less-invasive monitoring of environmental change via remote sensing combined with low-impact, cost-effective field validation of remote sensing products. This project assesses the accuracy and utility of two low-cost spectrometers, the Sherwin-Williams® ColorSnap® and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science and Technology Education for Land/Life Assessment (STELLA-Q), in conjunction with ArcGIS and GoogleEarth Engine programs and aerial imagery …

Voltex： Hmi Concept Design, Zhengyu Pan

Theses

This thesis introduces 'VOLTEX,' a pioneering exploration into enhancing user interaction and experience within Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) through innovative visual design. It delves into the evolving trends in screen development for future vehicles, investigating how HMI design can adapt and potentially transform these trends. This exploratory project is designed to investigate and develop design principles that significantly enhance user interaction, showcased through a prototype that serves as a proof of concept rather than a final, market-ready product. This study applies practical design techniques and conceptual exploration to evaluate current trends and explore potential innovations in HMI design. Through this approach, …

Horizonlink： Hud Innovations In Autonomous Vehicles, Xi Yang

Theses

This thesis explores the design and potential of HORIZONLINK, a pioneering concept for a full-windshield Head-Up Display (HUD) in fully autonomous electric vehicles (FAEVs). By transforming the vehicle's windshield into a fully interactive display controlled by eye-tracking and gestures, HORIZONLINK reimagines the in-car experience. This exploration delves into how immersive technologies, combined with intuitive control mechanisms, can enhance passenger comfort and engagement, thus proposing a new paradigm in interior design.

On Learning Your Gender: A Comprehensive View, Audra M. Hazelwood

Theses

This essay provides a metaphysical and epistemological account of gender. The metaphysics involves a ‘non-reductionist view of gender’, which is to say that gender cannot be reduced to a single factor. On this view gender begins with one’s innate gender inclinations (in the vein of Julia Serano). These inclinations pick out a specific range of gender possibilities from the gender spectrum that apply to a person. At the same time we live in communities and cultures with certain gender norms. This is where epistemology comes into play since our gender inclinations are filtered through gender norms and some people are …

Enhancing Pump Efficiency And Reducing Energy Consumption At The Sea Water Distillation Plant Of An Aluminium Company, Essa Binshaqooi

Theses

The objective of this project is to enhance pump efficiency by at least 10% and reduce energy consumption by 5% in the Sea Water Distillation Unit of a major Aluminium Company. Challenges include progressive wear, abrasion, and sea water scaling, which contribute to major losses in pumps, leading to inefficient performance and increased operational costs. Failure Mode Analysis (FMA) and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) were conducted on both Sea Water Pumps (SWPs) and Brine Circulation Pumps (BRPs) to identify these major losses. Strategic improvements recommended for both pumps include the required pump rating, changes in composition, and performance monitoring. Detailed …

Design And Test Of Wpum Topography Monitor For Iqos, Rawah Azeez

Theses

With the emergence of diverse tobacco product forms, such as electronic cigarettes and heat-not-burn, the global user base has surged to an estimated 1.3 billion. In the United States, 28.3 million adults and 3.08 million middle and high school adolescents engage in tobacco product use. However, our understanding of the usage behaviors of these various products is lacking. Puff topography, which measures the inhalation patterns of tobacco products, provides a wealth of information, including puff flow rate, duration, volume, and more. This information is crucial in understanding the health effects of tobacco products and the influence of usage behavior on …

Supercook: Design Interactive Culinary Experiences With Ai Technology, Yize Peng

Theses

The project 'SuperCook' is a groundbreaking design project that explores the integration of AI with culinary apps. It aims to revolutionize the kitchen experience by connecting users to new and accessible culinary adventures through personalized recipe recommendations, real-time cooking guidance, and interactive meal planning. By leveraging AI technology, 'SuperCook' not only enhances user convenience and efficiency but also fosters a deeper engagement with cooking and promotes healthier eating habits. This thesis delves into the design process, user testing, and iterative improvements that culminated in a user-centered, intuitive, and visually appealing UI/UX solution for modern cooking enthusiasts. In designing 'SuperCook,' attention …

Unearthing The Past: A Comprehensive Study Of Natural And Anthropogenic Changes At An Archaeological Site Through Hydrogeologic Connectivity Utilizing Gis, Mehlich Ii Phosphorus Extractant, And Ph, Dana L. F. Herren

Theses

This thesis aims to thoroughly analyze the Mehlich II Phosphorus Extractant and pH levels at the Bains Gap Village Site in Anniston, AL., while examining the impact of various environmental factors and human activities on them. Phosphorus is often used in archaeology as an indicator of human activity. Soil core samples were collected to analyze anomalies in phosphorus levels.

To establish any relationships, phosphorus and pH levels from soil cores were correlated with findings from past excavation units and features. The potential effects of hydrogeologic connectivity on soil phosphorus and pH levels were investigated. Geospatial technologies were used to manage …

The Interaction Of Sodium Fluoride And Sodium Selenate On The Developmental Toxicity To Xenopus Laevis And Ambystoma Maculatum Embryos, Shelby Wolfram

Theses

Amphibians play critical roles in the environment's wellness. Fluoride (F) is a widely existing environmental pollutant. It is commonly known for being added to drinking water and as a topical dose on teeth. Selenium (Se) can be found in organic and inorganic forms in nature. Many different fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides contain sodium selenate in them. The range selenium has between deficiency and toxicity is narrow, meaning excess exposure could cause various adverse effects in aquatic organisms. Xenopus laevis is a standard model for developmental toxicity due to being minimal maintenance, cost efficient, and having transparent embryos. Xenopus makes …

Exploring The Potential Pathogenicity Of A Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Associated Insr Missense Variant Of Uncertain Significance Through Daf-2 In The Caenorhabditis Elegans Model, Brittany White

Theses

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is hallmarked by insulin resistance, with the INSR gene identified as a key player in this condition in humans. This gene is known to harbor genetic variants with a wide range of clinical significance from pathogenic to variants of uncertain significance (VUS) to benign. This project investigates a VUS associated with T2DM identified through ClinVar. A gene mutational analysis, predictive amino acid substitution analysis, and protein modeling predict INSR c.1628C>T (p. Thr543Met) to be likely pathogenic or damaging. PolyPhen-2 predicts this variant to be probably damaging (HumDiv score of 1.000).

Evolutionary conservation of the …

Genetic Analysis Of Hereditary Gingival Fibromatosis Associated Sos1 Missense Variants Of Uncertain Significance In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Himani Patel

Theses

Hereditary gingival fibromatosis (HGF) is a disease that can present as benign overgrowth of gingival tissue in the mouth. The overgrowth can enclose the entire mouth and teeth in severe cases or present itself in a concentrated area. Researchers have identified that mutations in the SOS1 gene can be responsible for HGF. This disease can impair basic functions related to the mouth. Eating, smiling, speaking can all be affected. Additionally, excess inflammation can cause periodontal disease because of the difficulty in maintaining proper oral health. Periodontal disease can lead to severe bone loss which can lead to complete loss of …

From Ordinary To Extraordinary: Using Storytelling To Reveal The Hidden Histories Of Objects And Enhance Meaning Making In A Living History Village, Jill Poppenheimer Johnson

Theses

Objects without a narrative are simply things. By contrast, an object with a story can be used as a vehicle for a museum to open dialogues with visitors about the people of that time period, how they lived their lives, and what social aspects influenced them. The story of an object, what makes it different from hundreds of others just like it, can change it from ordinary to extraordinary and be used as a powerful learning tool by helping the audience to create connections and make meaning of what they are seeing and experiencing. This thesis explores the relationships between …

Novel Methods For Modeling And Treating Biofilm Infections, Emily Lazarus

Theses

Biofilms are responsible for the development of chronic infections, which are 10-1000 times more resistant to antimicrobial agents than two-dimensional (2D) planktonic culture. Traditionally, 2D planktonic cultures are used to study efficacy of antimicrobial treatments but 2D cultures have several shortcomings such as increased sensitivity to treatments, lack of complexity of the three-dimensional (3D) environment, limited host defense mechanisms, and lack the structural thickness of natural biofilms. Biofilm-related infections play a critical role in the delayed healing process of chronic skin wounds, and while treatments for chronic skin wounds exist, including negative pressure wound healing (NPWT), biofilm infections still prevail. …

Hierarchical Parameterization In Spherical Domains For Deforming Feature Alignment, Lizhou Cao

Theses

The growing interest in immersive technology and lifelike virtual worlds has underscored the importance of creating automated methods to generate characters with a wide range of morphological variations. Traditional methods have either depended heavily on manual effort or simplified the challenge by only addressing static meshes or basic deformation transfers, without supporting dynamic shape morphing with deformation. In this work, we introduce a novel method that leverages cross-parameterization to semi-automate the creation of characters that are not only morphologically varied but also capable of synthesized deformation and animations. The key innovation of our work lies in the parameterization of deforming …

Documenting The Southern Range Terminus Of The Wood Frog (Lithobates Sylvaticus) In North America, Christian Braswell

Theses

The Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) holds a remarkable position in North American amphibian biology, with its range extending from the Arctic Circle down to the near sub-tropical southeastern United States. This thesis presents a novel quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis (qPCR) primer specific to L. sylvaticus and a survey effort regarding the southernmost distribution and detection of this species in Alabama through the application of environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling techniques. By investigating historical data and employing advanced genetic methodologies, this research provides insights into the contemporary status and distribution of the Wood Frog. This research is important to …

Investigating Essential Oils, Natural Compounds, And Marine Based Rumen Buffers As Feed Additives For Enteric Methane Mitigation And Improved Ruminant Productivity, Ian Hodge

Theses

Ruminant dietary additives were investigated for enteric methane (CH4) mitigation and their effects on rumen fermentation characteristics during both in vitro and in vivo supplementation trials. A meta-analysis of the peer reviewed published literature was initially performed to establish the state of the art in the field and allowed benchmarking of the performance of the dietary additives screened during the project. Investigated feed additives included garlic oil (GO), nitrate, Ascophyllum nodosum (AN), Asparagopsis (ASP), Lactobacillus plantarum (LAB), calcareous marine algae (CMA), chitosan (CHI), essential oils (EO) and 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP). The development of an in vitro screening method to evaluate the …

A Comparison Of The Relative Magnitude Of Combinations Of Relapse Types In Rats, Mary Bridges

Theses

Applied behavior analysis uses scientifically derived methods to create treatments for socially significant behaviors. A threat to these successful treatments is the recurrence of previously reduced behavior (i.e., relapse). Relapse can be categorized into several types depending on the variables that induce relapse. Three types prevalent in clinical settings are reinstatement (i.e., induced by re-exposure to reinforcers or stimuli paired with the target behavior), renewal (i.e., induced by changes in context), and resurgence (i.e., induced by worsening of alternative reinforcement). Because relapse is harmful to long-term treatment maintenance, prior research has developed and tested mitigation strategies for these relapse types, …

Paul Celan And The Processes Of Survival In Post-Shoah Jewish Writing, Ari Savage

Theses

The following is a study of the poetry of Paul Celan as a representation of psychological and social processes present in the written works of Shoah survivors. It begins with an analysis of the place of writing in Jewish culture, then identifies three primary processes which operate in sequence: alienation, individuation, and integration. By examining Paul Celan’s highly personal and autobiographical texts in the context of his life experience as a Shoah survivor it is possible to discern the social and psychological forces at work which compel survivors to express their traumas in written form, and to gain a better …

“Jí'Dë'Ö:H” Means Bird: Decolonizing The Modern Birding Experience Through The Inclusion Of Narratives From Indigenous Communities Of Western New York, Angelique M. Armstrong

Theses

This thesis explores the efficacy of combining Indigenous culture narratives with elements of traditional Euro-American field guides to create an alternative form of birding1 field guide. The desired outcome is to create a more inclusive and well-rounded birding experience that celebrates the wisdom and worldview of the people who inhabited the New World before its European “discovery.” The intention is to approach birding from the standpoint of the past and present Caretakers of the land; the members of Indigenous communities whose ancestors lived (and still live) in harmony with the land and living creatures (including birds). It seeks to answer …

Improving Adaptation Of Deep Learning With Inductive Bias, Xiajun Jiang

Theses

Human intelligence is strong at adapting to a small number of observations, partially because of the human ability to 1) use given knowledge and 2) distill knowledge from related but different data to guide learning for future tasks, where such ability is the inductive bias during learning. Deep learning shows a promising solution to artificial intelligence. However, generalizing or adapting deep learning models to heterogeneous tasks remains an open question. Existing data-driven models often ignore prior knowledge about the underlying problems of interest, or have limitations in incorporating complex knowledge into neural networks. The one-size-fit-all formula assumes the training and …

Prevalence And Risk Factors Of Hikikomori In Young Adults In The Middle East, Harshil Paresh Shah

Theses

Hikikomori, a form of severe social withdrawal that can occur without the presence of any other psychological disorder, was once thought to be a Japanese culture-bound phenomena. However, studies have emerged from several parts of the world showing that this may be a global issue. Extant literature suggests associations between hikikomori and behavioral addictions such as gaming addiction and Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU). Since there is a relative paucity of research examining this phenomenon in the Middle Eastern context, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of hikikomori in young adults of the Middle East. It …

Intelligent Tutoring System Ontology, Wael Mohamed Hassan

Theses

The integration of pedagogical rules into Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) using semantic web technologies, particularly the Web Ontology Language (OWL), holds great promise for enhancing the capabilities of these systems. However, a significant challenge arises from the labor-intensive process of manually constructing ontologies, which can consume valuable time and resources. While ontologies offer numerous advantages, including robust knowledge inference and scalability, the limitations of manual ontology creation are evident in terms of time and flexibility. Therefore, the primary objective of this research is to develop an efficient and automated solution that harnesses the benefits of ontologies while reducing the time …

Expression Of Human Arginine Vasopressin In Arabidopsis Thaliana And Assessment Of Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Maitha Salem Aldarmaki

Theses

Human Arginine Vasopressin (HsAVP) is a nona-peptide that acts as an antidiuretic hormone. In human AVP regulates water permeability through the regulation of the water channel, aquaporin 2. The process begins with the binding of vasopressin to V2 receptor which activates cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA). PKA phosphorylates aquaporin-2 at Ser256 and allows the aquaporin-2-containing vesicle to fuse with the apical membrane which increases water permeability. The present study describes the functional analysis of the codon-optimized HsAVP overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana. The main objective of the study is to assess if HsAVP affects drought and salinity stress …

Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, And Anti-Breast Cancer Evaluation Of Haplophyllum Tuberculatum, A Medicinal Plant Native To The Emirate Of Ras Al Khaimah, Uae, Aaesha Mohammad Adam

Theses

Breast cancer (BC) emerges as the prevailing cancer type diagnosed in women, with more than 2 million new cases documented in 2020 worldwide. BC is the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases and injuries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There are multiple treatment options for breast cancer including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Nevertheless, these treatments often impact surrounding tissues and cause side effects. Consequently, researchers seek an alternative approach that offers high efficacy and reduced cytotoxicity. Medicinal plants serve as a promising alternative for cancer treatment due to their accessibility, efficacy, and lower toxicity. Haplophyllum tuberculatum is …