Digital Commons Network^™

Investigation Of Sequential Experimental Approaches In Logistic Regression Modeling, Darsh Thakkar

Theses

Binary responses are routinely observed in practice whether it is medicine, geology, defense or day to day life situations. Logistic regression methods can be used to capture the binary responses. Modeling becomes critical when there is sensitivity analysis involved, and the selection of the settings of variables depends on sequential design methodology. A total number of experimental runs is also an important factor since cost is directly related to it. In this research different experimental approaches for logistic regression modeling are investigated to improve the estimation of median quantile, to reduce the number of experimental runs as well as to …

Outburst, Benjamin A. Strack

Theses

Outburst is the story of 17-year-old Tommy, a young musician who views life differently: from the seat of a wheelchair. He is working with his best friend, Joey, to come up with a winning entry for a songwriting contest. They are a complementary ensemble, as Joey has the greatest skill with the guitar and Tommy’s abilities are stronger as a lyricist. With a lot of work left on the song, and only four days to the competition, Joey’s new girlfriend drives a wedge in their friendship and musical partnership.

Tommy tries to accommodate Kristin’s entry into their social circle, but …

The Real Face Of Arabic Symbols, Leena Yahya Sonbuol

Theses

This is a brief insight into my thesis: "The Real Face of Arabic Symbols". I have examined in depth the artwork I completed for my Masters of Fine Arts degree at Rochester Institute of Technology, the work for which was exhibited in the Bevier Gallery for two weeks during March 2017.

The aim of this study is to explore differences in symbolic language between the Eastern and Western cultures in visual arts and explain the misconception of Arabic symbols in the western world. It examines Arabic cultural symbols in contemporary art, and the creation of a symbolic language for a …

Fixino 1.0, Sultan Alshehri

Theses

Fixino 1.0 is 3D short film that explores the contrast between a lazy human and an efficient robot in a comedic visual-gag style narrative. Produced at the Rochester Institute of Technology, this 3D short attempts to take the audience on a journey of contrasting spaces and characters. On one side, we have the efficient robot, Fixino and his well-kept operation space. On the other, we have the careless and lazy human, Charlie, and his disorderly environment.

I wanted this story to comment on our current world state, as well as the near future, where humans become a liability in the …

Larval Rockfish Diversity Abundance Dynamics In Association With A Marine Protected Area In The Southern California Bight, Dustin Chen

Theses

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are areas aimed at protecting natural and cultural resources that are often proposed as a way to alleviate the effects of overfishing on populations of targeted species; these areas have varying degrees of fishing and recreational use restrictions. In order to assess MPA efficacy, it is important to determine the mechanisms by which the presence of MPAs affect reproductive output within and potentially even beyond their boundaries. I attempted to address this through studying the responses of rockfish (Sebastes spp.) larval abundances to the presence of the Cowcod Conservation Areas (CCAs) located within the Southern California …

Flux Guard: An Exploration Of Situational Rigidity, Nicholas Miclette

Theses

In 2014 there was an estimated 15 million snowboarders worldwide. Like many extreme sports there is always the possibility of injury. Extensive research has shown snowboarders sustain more wrist injuries than any other sport in the world. In particular beginner or novice snowboarders are the most susceptible to injury and often times wear no protective gear when first learning. Although there has been research into the efficacy of upper extremity protection in snowboarding, a universal standard has yet to be developed to judge current wrist protection. Due to this fact my thesis explores innovative ways to reinvent the wrist guard …

Landsat Surface Temperature Product: Global Validation And Uncertainty Estimation, Kelly Laraby

Theses

Surface temperature is an important Earth system data record that is useful to fields such as change detection, climate research, environmental monitoring, and many smaller scale applications like agriculture. Earth-observing satellites can be used to derive this metric, with the goal that a global product can be established. There are a series of Landsat satellites designed for this purpose, whose data archives provides the longest running source of continuously acquired multispectral imagery. The moderate spatial and temporal resolution, in addition to its well calibrated sensors and data archive make Landsat an unparalleled and attractive choice for many research applications. Through …

Symbol Synchronization Techniques In Digital Communications, Mohammed Al-Hamiri

Theses

Timing synchronization plays an important role in recovering the original transmitted signal in telecommunication systems. In order to have a communication system that operates at the correct time and in the correct order, it is necessary to synchronize to the transmitter’s symbol timing. Synchronization can be accomplished when the receiver clock tracks the periodic timing information in a transmitted signal to reproduce the original signal.

In this thesis work, we report the design, implementation and evaluation of a timing synchronization algorithm based on the technique first proposed by Gardner [1], applied to wireless communication using the Alamouti spacetime code [2] …

Public Sector Wages: The Implications For The Private Sector, Drenusha Berisha

Theses

Acknowledging the contribution of public sector in the well-being of every country, this project focuses on the potential effects of a growing public wage bill for private sector in Kosovo. The public sector is the main employer in the country, where the increase in the staff size is also followed by wage increases which are mainly election induced. While government spending and employment can be considered as complements to private sector as they provide the infrastructure for private sector activity, they can also induce adverse effects. As such, the goal of this project was to provide an analysis of private …

Predicting Cholera Positive Cases In Haiti, Jessica Young

Theses

While Western countries typically run census surveys frequently, poorer countries such as Haiti do not have the money to do so; thus research into how Haitians live is severely lacking. Furthermore, studies that do exist tend to be not only old and outdated, but also lacking in depth. Using new census data recently collected from Haiti, I attempt to predict if certain behaviors and living situations can be used as indicators for determining if someone has cholera. Challenges for exploring this data center on getting the surveys into a format suitable for analysis and the severe class imbalance between the …

A Strategy Of Maximizing Profit In The Long Run Using The Concept Of Kelly’S Criterion, Binyi Xu

Theses

One of the fundamental problems of portfolio theory is how to rationally optimize the portfolio using diversification. In practice, maximizing the short term interest is not equivalent to maximizing the long term interest. Kelly’s criterion is considered to be the best strategy of maximizing profit in the long run. In this paper, we discussed the applications of Kelly’s criterion in various scenarios, including binomial cases, univariate stock, uncorrelated and correlated stocks. Different approaches were introduced to construct the model of stocks’ behavior. For the first time, we discussed the feasibility of extending Kelly’s criterion to option trading.

Ferromagnetic Resonance To Investigate Spin Pumping In Permalloy Multilayers, Thomas White

Theses

Coplanar Waveguide Ferromagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (CPW-FMR) was used to investigate the spin dynamics of the thin film multilayers Py/Ir vs. Py/Cu/Ir. The properties of both sample sets were evaluated as a function of the Ir thickness. The gyromagnetic ratio, 𝛾, is found to be independent of the Ir thickness and determined to be approximately 29.4 GHz/T for all samples. The magnetization, M, is found to be 7249 G for the Py/Cu/Ir samples compared to 7630 G for the Py standard. For the Py/Ir bilayer, M decreases as Ir thickness increases, ranging from 7641 G to 7293 G. The thickness dependence …

Effect Of Habitat Management On Dabbling Ducks During Spring Migration In Southwest Indiana, John Michael Lindstrom

Theses

Historically, management for migratory waterfowl was focused around providing hunting opportunity each fall. More recently habitat during spring migration has received attention as a potentially limiting factor for some species of waterfowl, considering the carry-over effects that have been observed in both capital and income breeders. Habitat needs have been compounded by the flashy flood events that now occur in the highly modified landscape. The discovery of carry-over effects has led to an increase in habitat management actions and a diversification of available management strategies. In my study I hoped to identify the best management strategies for spring migratory waterfowl. …

Vedic Based Division Core Design, Ryan Hinkley

Theses

Processors and embedded systems perform algebraic manipulations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division on integers in order to complete and execute programs. Unfortunately, most division cores in these devices take significantly more time to compute than other manipulations. Because of this, research has been conducted on finding a division algorithm that does not take as long to execute. This graduate paper discuses and proposes a division core design based on ancient Vedic mathematics. The design is created and simulated as a 4-bit system for completion and analyzed for timing, power consumption, and cell area usage. Estimations on larger designs …

Trade-Offs In Distinguishing Two-Qubit State Preparations Using One-Way Locc, Alvin Rafer Gonzales

Theses

Quantum state discrimination is a fundamental problem in quantum information science. We investigate the optimal distinguishability of orthogonal two-qubit (bipartite) quantum states. The scenario consists of three parties: Alice, Bob, and Charlie. Charlie prepares one of two orthogonal states and sends one qubit to Alice and the other to Bob. Their goal is to correctly identify which state Charlie sent. In most state discrimination scenarios, it is assumed that Alice and Bob can freely communicate with one another so as to collectively agree on the best guess. In this research, we consider a more restricted setting where only one-way classical …

Acquisition Geometry-Related Noise Reduction For A Crooked-Line Seismic Reflection Profile In White County, Illinois, Jacob Smelker

Theses

The Indian Creek seismic reflection profile located in White County, Illinois is a crooked seismic line with four 90 degree bends in the line, but otherwise it is generally straight. Data acquisition geometry-related noise is present on shot records as well as final stacked records. The purpose of this thesis is to process the Indian Creek seismic data using industry standard seismic reflection processing software in various attempts to reduce the noise associated with the profile geometry. Methods applied were based on three different data acquisition binning geometries and five different line geometry acquisition scenarios selected from the complete 120 …

Re-Presenting Racist Objects: A Case Study Of The Dentzel Carousel At Ontario Beach Park In Rochester, Ny, Kelli M. Spampinato

Theses

Caricatures of African Americans and associated racist imagery, once commonplace in American life, have been used to display dominance and oppression over African Americans. These images were created in order to support the Jim Crow hierarchy, which white Southerners established in the late 1800s and upheld until the 1960s, with white people reigning at the top and black people at the bottom. This Southern social construct was not limited to this geographical area, but also influenced white opinions and attitudes towards the black population in the north as well. In part, white supremacy was maintained through the creation of everyday …

Fiddle Me This: A History And Discussion Of Old-Time Fiddle Tunes In Western New York, Christopher M. Fisher

Theses

This thesis documents the history of fiddle tunes in Western New York from their introduction to the area in the mid-seventeenth century to the present day. Using a wide array of both primary sources and scholarly articles, I demonstrate the importance of this musical tradition. In addition, the thesis presents new primary and secondary sources created by the author in the spring of 2017, including the recording of interviews and performances and their presentation online. The primary research included interviews with three musicians, whom I ask, “How do these fiddle tunes continue to influence people today?” In these sessions with …

The Process Of Creating Accurate Reproductions Of Fragile Objects: Fabricating 3d Facsimiles With Limited Resources, Katherine E. Curran

Theses

Museums and other cultural institutions must consider how to best preserve their collections for an exponentially digital world. Our digital age is providing new avenues for preservation, accessibility, viewing, and interaction. This thesis assesses the feasibility of utilizing and creating accessible and readable 3D digital surrogates and prints. To consider and adapt current best practices "what are the implications of creating accurate reproductions for the research environment as well as for online and in person use”? This thesis presents themes that relate to the broader fields of digitization, reproduction, and fabrication in museums and cultural institutions, presents findings in the …

The Power Of After-Hours: Young Adult Engagement And Programming In Museums, Hannah E. Barber

Theses

This project explores the cultivation of an ever deepening relationship between young adult audiences (ages 21-40) and museums and cultural institutions through the use of special event programming. Museums are turning to after-hours events to capture this audience’s attention, developing them as a mode of communication to solidify connections between the institution and young adults. Drawing on Ray Oldenburg’s construct of a “Third Place,” developed in his psychological study focused on the comfort of individuals in physical spaces, I investigate how several museums in the Rochester, New York, area are pursuing young adult audiences by creating social and engaging spaces …

Optimization Of A Combined Carbon/Oxygen And Neutron Porosity Oil Well Logging Tool, Entisar Ali Al Muraikhi

Theses

Well logging technique is used to determine the physical and chemical properties of borehole formation, by using neutron porosity oil well logging tools. The present study simplifies logging tool design in order to reduce the time spent on obtaining well logging. We have combined both carbon/oxygen (C/O) tool and thermal neutron porosity tool. This has been done by adding boron lining on the detectors in C/O tool, where the boron lining acts as a thermal neutron porosity tool while maintaining C/O functions simultaneously. The Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) Transport Code, which was originally developed in Los Alamos National Laboratory, is …

Effects Of Rapid Weight Loss And Dehydration On Performance In Female Collegiate Wrestlers, Brittany David

Theses

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available on the physiological responses of female collegiate wrestlers to weight cutting practices and their impact on performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of rapid weight loss (R WL) and dehydration on the performance of female collegiate wrestlers one hour post RWL, and 12-hours postRWL.

METHODS: Five female collegiate wrestlers (age= 20.0 ± l .2 yrs, 62.9±2.2 in., 152.9±32.5 fbs., 27.24±3.33% body fat) underwent a pre-competition style period ofRWL where they voluntary cut 5.3 ± 0.2% of their initial body mass in four days. Performance tests were performed prior to …

Effects On Muscular Strength And Muscular Power While Using Weighted-Chains During A 4-Week Bench Press Resistance-Training Program, Richard Stecker

Theses

This study investigates the effects of weighted chains on muscular strength and power during a four-week bench press resistance-training program in recreationally trained college-aged men. The research addresses a gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of chain-loaded resistance as a method to enhance upper body performance, particularly in the bench press. Thirty healthy males aged 18–40 with a minimum of two years of training experience were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a weighted-chains group (60% 1RM: 40% bar weight, 20% chain), a top-weight-matched group (60% 1RM with no chains), and a bottom-weight-matched group (40% 1RM with no …

Dysarthric Speech Recognition And Offline Handwriting Recognition Using Deep Neural Networks, Suhas Pillai

Theses

Millions of people around the world are diagnosed with neurological disorders like Parkinson’s, Cerebral Palsy or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Due to the neurological damage as the disease progresses, the person suffering from the disease loses control of muscles, along with speech deterioration. Speech deterioration is due to neuro motor condition that limits manipulation of the articulators of the vocal tract, the condition collectively called as dysarthria. Even though dysarthric speech is grammatically and syntactically correct, it is difficult for humans to understand and for Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems to decipher. With the emergence of deep learning, speech recognition systems …

Configurable Verification Of Risc Processors, Namratha Pashupathy Manjula Devi

Theses

The Verification methodology of modern processor designs is an enormous challenge. As processor design complexity increases, an elaborate and sophisticated verification environment has to be employed to identify, assist in debug, and document design bugs. This paper presents a configurable verification environment for RISC processors. The verification environment is developed in SystemVerilog, an IEEE standard that bridges the gap between design and verification by delivering a single language and environment for both. The verification environment will validate the performance of the RISC processors with a micro-architectural model developed in SystemC. The system also comprises of an intelligent Instruction Generator that …

Algorithmic Framework And Implementation Of Spectrum Holes Detection For Cognitive Radios, Ian J. Frasch

Theses

The ability to dynamically discover portions of unused radio spectrum (spectrum holes) is an important ability of cognitive radio systems. Spectrum holes present a potential opportunity for wireless communication. Detection of holes and signals allows cognitive radios to dynamically access and share the spectrum with minimal interference. This work steps through the design, implementation, and analysis of a spectrum holes detector for cognitive radios. Energy detection and cyclostationary detection algorithms for detecting spectrum holes are compared through computer simulations. Ultimately an energy detection algorithm is proposed which performs better than the cyclostationary detection algorithm and requires no a-priori knowledge of …

Akchessima: Latin Type Design For Digital Chinese (Seal Script) Typefaces, Xuan Zhang

Theses

As multi-language text layout and Chinese/Japanese/Korean typefaces has become an important topic in modern day typography, the visual match-making between Latin and Chinese writing is a very important issue in type design.

For this thesis project, Latin letters are designed based on a Chinese seal script style typeface, in seek of a design principle of matching Latin letter forms for Chinese calligraphic styles, originating from different writing tools and traditions.

There is not one universal principle that would apply on all different Chinese typeface styles. However, based on research of writing habits and technology, multiple methods have been developed in …

Imaging Polarimetry With Polarization-Sensitive Focal Plane Arrays, Dmitry V. Vorobiev

Theses

Polarization is an intrinsic property of light, like frequency or coherence. Humans have long benefited from our ability to distinguish light of different frequency based on its color. However, our eyes are not sensitive to the polarization of light. Devices to measure polarization are relatively rare and expertise in polarimetry even more so. Polarization sensors based on micropolarizer arrays appear to be the first devices capable of bringing polarimetric capability to a wide range of applications. Whereas previous polarimeters were built to perform very specific measurements, the same micropolarizer-based camera can be used on a telescope, a microscope, or with …

A Model-Free Control System Based On The Sliding Mode Control Method With Applications To Multi-Input-Multi-Output Systems, Fares El Tin

Theses

In this work, a model-free sliding mode control technique for linear and nonlinear uncertain multi-input multi-output systems is proposed. The developed method does not require a mathematical model of the dynamic system. Instead, knowledge of the system’s order, state measurements, and control input gain matrix shape and bounds are assumed to develop the control law and drive the system’s states to track a desired trajectory. The control system relies on estimating the error between previous and current control inputs to stabilize the system. Lyapunov’s stability criterion is used in the derivation process to ensure closed-loop asymptotic stability. High frequency chattering …

Alphabot: Using Interaction Design To Help Children With Reading Disabilities Through A Multi-Sensory Approach, Chao Luo

Theses

A reading disability is one form of learning difficulty, caused by neurological factors. Young children with reading disabilities are recognized as having trouble with spelling, reading, writing, and other academic activities. Even though there is no cure for reading disabilities so far, there are many things we can do to help these children. For young children, the best way to help them learn is taking advantage of all their senses.

Multimedia has been widely used in education today. Designers use various formats of digital multimedia to enhance user’s experience in learning. It provides an excellent opportunity to help children with …