Digital Commons Network^™

Encouraging Children To Actively Recycle: A Mobile Application To Promote Recycling In The Dominican Republic, Noelia A. Rivera Pagan

Theses

The Dominican Republic generates 14,000 tons of solid waste daily, 49% of this is recyclable, but only 5% is. This waste is causing health problems, affecting the tourism industry, and the quality of life of its residents. Problems of confusion, lack of motivation, and lack of prioritization of the activity, affect the decision-making process when recycling.

What if there was a way to motivate the Dominican population to recycle, and change the behavior towards this activity? Children learn new behaviors faster than adults. Why not use this opportunity to incorporate the engaging factor of design and technology to help improve …

Behind The Lens, Guoxiang Zhao

Theses

Time flies. I arrived at my thesis year after two years of study at RIT, and began working on my film “Behind the Lens.” The film runs for five minutes and 56 seconds, and includes hand-drawn animation, music and sound created by me. After some personal changes, I re-pitched a whole new thesis proposal in the fall semester of my thesis year because I felt passionate and committed to the important message of the film. In truth, this story didn’t have a clear outline until April in my last semester. The story is about a camera character going through his …

Evaluation Of Phytochemical Composition And Anti-Cancer Potential In Root Extracts Of Moringa Peregrina (Forssk.) Fiori, Salama Khamis Sultan Saeed Al Kaabi

Theses

Natural products provide many bioactive lead molecules for the discovery of new medicines. Naturally, derived phytochemicals have exhibited tremendous biological activities including anticancer activity. More than 60% of antitumor medicines are closely associated with natural products. In the present study, hexane, chloroform, acetone and, methanol extracts from roots of Moringa peregrina were screened for phytochemical analysis and anticancer activity. Phytochemical analysis was performed by Gas Chromatography and Mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The anticancer potential of the extracts was done on the human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and cell viability was measured using WST-1 Cell Proliferation Assay Kit. The cell line …

The Assessment Of Walkability As A Social Aspect Of Sustainability: The Case Of Dubai Neighborhoods, Uae, Rania Elsaed Elesawi

Theses

In an attempt to reduce car dependency, the process of planning, mainly on a neighborhood level, has recently been directed to focus on the accommodation of walkability as a significant factor of planning development. This approach contributes not only to improving urban patterns but also majorly in addressing issues of sustainability. The social aspect of sustainability has not received much attention and is considered the least described pillar. The positive association between aspects of human behavior and built environment, particularly walkability, suggests that measuring social aspects of sustainability may be conceivable especially in the context of community development. Sustainable neighborhoods …

Hypervirulent Klebsiella Pneumoniae Bloodstream Isolates In The United Arab Emirates, Shaikha Awad Mohammed Al Kaabi

Theses

As the presence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) has not been studied in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the aim was to determine its rate among bloodstream isolates collected in a tertiary care hospital during two years. K. pneumoniae blood isolates of 125 individual patients from Tawam Hospital, Al Ain in 2014-2015 were investigated. Clinical data on patients’ demographics and underlying medical conditions were collected. Speciation was carried out by VITEK 2, antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disc diffusion, and for colistin by microdilution. Hypermucoviscosity was assessed by string test. Genetic markers of hypervirulence (iucA, rmpA, rmpA2), …

Prevalence, Antibiotic-Resistance And Growth Profile Of Vibrio Spp., Isolated From Imported Fish In The Local Markets, Tarfa Ali Mohamed

Theses

Seafood and fish are important food components for a large section of the world population. Seafood is prone to bacterial contamination, many are pathogenic to human and marine animals, and three species, Vibrio mimicus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus, are responsible for most cases of seafood-related human illness caused by Vibrio species. The study on the prevalence of these microorganisms in seafood of the United Arab Emirates is vital due to the cultural background of the Emiratis as a coastal heritage. A study was conducted to assess the prevalence of Vibrio spp. in imported fishes from local …

Assessment Of Conventional Wastewater Treatment Plants In Removing Pharmaceutical Compounds: A Case Study Of Al Ain City, Uae, Ahmad Mohammad I Hassan Alhalab

Theses

This thesis is concerned with the assessment of conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in removing pharmaceutical compounds (PCs). PCs have classes like analgesics, antibiotics, antiseptics, hormones, cosmetic products, personal care products. They are used extensively by humans and they don’t have actual guidelines describing their concentration in domestic wastewater discharge. Thus, they may still be present in treated sewage effluent (TSE) or sludge and could consequently pose adverse environmental effects. Limited work has been done to assess the removal of PCs at WWTPs in arid and semi-arid countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As such, this study aimed at …

United Arab Emirates Post Oil Strategy: An Examination Of Diversification Strategies And Challenges, Noura Hamad Salim Al Jaberi

Theses

For decades, oil-rich countries have been thoroughly discussed in the literature; regarding the heavy dependence on oil revenue for the state’s development, and economic diversification has become one of the main issues of oil-producing countries worldwide, due to the critical situation and different factors and pressures surrounding the global oil market. To achieve the research objectives and to answer the research questions, the paper analyzes the post-oil strategy of the United Arab Emirates and examines its challenges as a country located in a region with abundant oil wealth that has allowed it to become one of the main oil exporters …

Deepcon-Pre: Improved Protein Contact Map Prediction Using Inverse Covariance And Deep Residual Networks, Nachammai Palaniappan

Theses

As with most domains where machine learning methods are applied, correct feature engineering is critical when developing deep learning algorithms for solving the protein folding problem. Unlike the domains such as computer vision and natural language processing, feature engineering is not rigorously studied towards solving the protein folding problem. A recent research has highlighted that input features known as precision matrix are most informative for predicting inter-residue contact map, the key for building three-dimensional models. In this work, we study the significance of the precision matrix feature when very deep residual networks are trained. Using a standard dataset of 3456 …

Proposed Microgrid For Hatta City-Dubai, Amna Al Ansaari, Bashaer Al Shamsi, Mariam Al Hameli

Theses

Inspired by Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to make Dubai a global hub for clean energy and green economy, this research is conducted to study the feasibility of proposing a microgrid design in Hatta city, with taking into consideration its energy demand and locality. The research encompasses a detailed analysis of three successfully applied microgrid projects in three different countries to extract best practices that can be efficiently applied in Hatta and to provide guidelines that show how to develop a microgrid for this chosen city. The benefits of this project are to improve the electrical grid resiliency and efficiency …

Representing Mathematical Concepts Associated With Formulas Using Math Entity Cards, Abishai Dmello

Theses

We introduce Math Entity Cards, a modified version of existing Entity Cards specifically tailored for Math Information Retrieval. Math Entity Cards help connect formulas to titles and description and make the navigation between formulas and text related to formulas, seamless. These cards are populated from a new knowledge base, created by extracting and combining formulas, titles and descriptions from three different sources, Wikidata, Wiktionary & ProofWiki. We demonstrate a novel approach of using entity cards for auto-complete by integrating our cards into a Math-Aware Search Interface: MathSeer. This helps create a new ecosystem for consuming information during formula editing and …

Lvad Occlusion Condition Monitoring Using Boost Classification Trees, Steven Paul Reuter

Theses

Cardiac related diseases are a serious health risk for adults. Consequently, therapies exist to treat these aliments such as heart transplant and medication. Heart transplant remains the gold standard for treating severe heart failure, however left ventricular assistive devices, a cardiac blood pump, are become a viable long term treatment. Unfortunately, with the benefits of these devices come risks of clot formation. These occlusions can cause strokes, further cardiac damage, or even death. Therefore, it is critical that these occlusions be detected as early as possible. This work presents an expanded method to non-invasively monitor the condition of a Thoratec …

Evaluation Of A New Approach For Qualitative Gas Analysis Based On Diffusion Properties, Abdalla Jamal Abunamous

Theses

The design and construction of a 6-channel parallel gas diffusion system and its application to evaluating the proposed novel approach for gas fingerprinting are described. The present gas diffusion system allows the simultaneous recording of the pressure accumulation of the permeating test gas behind six different gas permeable membranes, respectively. The obtained simultaneous diffusion rates through different membranes demonstrated clear potential as a new technique for qualitative gas identification of the ten test gases used in the present work. The test gases were helium, neon, argon hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, ethane, propane, and ethylene, which are representative examples of …

The Impact Of Epidemics On Future Residential Buildings In China, Jinyan Xu

Theses

With global pandemics such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the recent novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), awareness of disease prevention and control is increasing. Concern over the spread of viruses within residential buildings, especially multi-unit apartment and condominium buildings, is growing. The design of residential buildings in China is often focused on comfort, aesthetics, appearance, and lifestyle. This is in contrast to Western countries, where physical and mental health considerations are integrated with the design of residential buildings. Many recent reports and investigations have focused on infection and cross-infection of diseases and viruses occurring in residential buildings, especially in …

Sustainable Tourism Heritage Village – Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, Hatan A. Alshammaa

Theses

The city of Al-Ula in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a historic city that considered as a supplier of natural and cultural heritage that allows the city to be a unique tourist destination that distinguished with a specific type of nature that attracts tourists to enjoy the natural desert mountainous landscape. However, Al-Ula city lacks accommodation and entertainment to encourage tourists to come according to MAS (Tourism Information and Research Center for the tourist investment in al-Ula city).

This design thesis will support the development of tourism by designing a sustainable tourism heritage village that matches the existing environment …

Guide For Sustainable Design Of Neom City, Khaled Fallatah

Theses

Urban planners and architects have concerned about the architectural style and theme of the NEOM city, because most of the new cities in the area seemed to be a generic city, no one wants to have another Dubai, Manhattan and Singapore. So what is the best code or development guideline should a new city in the area of Saudi Arabia should fallow to become the most sustainable city without losing the Saudi’s identity? This thesis research will provide a form-based code guide for sustainable development of NEOM City in Saudi Arabia for architectural character based on research and analysis of …

Unfold—An Interactive Experience On Mixed Reality Platform To Solve Communication Problems Faced By Children With Asd In The Age Group Of 4-7 Years., Akanksha Vishwakarma

Theses

Improving communication with a child with ASD has become an indispensable need in order to make the life smooth for the special child. Research has shown that communication gets driven by mood dynamics, non-verbal interactions, gestural communication and expressions. With the growth in technology, mixed reality and eye tracking are playing a major role in imparting experiences and making us learn about an environment without having to physically be in them. This research work explores how mixed reality can take a child with ASD through an experience that could help them open up and communicate well with others both with …

Kick Boxing Coaching System, Wentian Chen

Theses

There are three key considerations when training for kickboxing; correct body position, motivation, and how to achieve different training goals. Training gear available on the market does not provide enough relevant feedback to the user to validate the effectiveness of their training. I will design a coaching system for recreational and avid kick boxers that records user input while also providing an interactive experience that tracks training in a more meaningful way. This is a project focused on user experience and product testing. User Experience requires me to study the response of the human body when it is hit, and …

Proposed Improvements In Veteran Administration Mental Health And Substance Abuse Treatment Services, Kyla A. Driver

Theses

The U.S. government provides many health care benefits to veterans, both during and after they serve. Unfortunately, the benefits become a necessity for many veterans who return home because of the mental and physical trauma that they sustain during their time being active duty. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has created a healthcare system specifically for veterans that provides medical centers and outpatient clinics with a variety of services throughout the country. The trauma that veterans experience often requires them to have care that is specialized for them in areas like substance abuse and mental health. While they can …

Feng Shui: A Comparison Of The Original Concept And Its Current Westernized Version, Shih-Jung Wu

Theses

Feng Shui is an ancient art, science, and philosophy that originated in China 3000 years ago. Followers of Feng Shui believe that they can find a better place or create a better living environment through the Feng Shui principles. Feng Shui is not only popular in China and Asia; its popularity also has dramatically increased in Western countries. Architects, interior designers, and landscape architects in the West have used Feng Shui as a design guideline for pursuing a harmonious living environment for many years. However, the different cultural backgrounds, the lack of basic knowledge of its true principles, and the …

Leap Of Faith Megaprojects: The Effect Of Civic Dialogue On Megaproject Legacies In The St. Louis Region, Nathan Theus

Theses

Megaprojects are unique capital improvements that are defined by their large-scale development plans and construction budgets. Industrial Belt cities, like St. Louis, are no stranger to these projects, and both government actors and private developers have walked hand in hand in planning and constructing megaprojects, while assuring the general public that the benefits would always outweigh the costs. Though there has been considerable quantitative research analyzing the statistical economic effects of various megaprojects, there has been relatively little discussion on other, specifically, qualitative means of analysis. This paper will examine the role civic dialogue has on the perceived and real …

The Influence Of A Growing Urban Tree Canopy On Municipalities And Urban Stormwater: A Cost Analysis, Lisa Rain

Theses

As many cities and local municipalities face the increasing problems associated with climate change, many are turning to trees to rebuild the natural environment and ecosystems within their urban cores. Many are choosing to increase their tree canopies in order to conserve energy, remove carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the air, provide habitat for animals, and much more. While urban tree canopies have countless benefits, and should be protected and expanded, they also have costs. These costs are often direct dollar values that fall onto the responsibility of the local municipalities. Costs include maintenance, debris cleanup, irrigation, infrastructure repair, …

Uses And Gratifications Of Watching Youtube Beauty Vlogs, Katherine Ray Lantigua

Theses

YouTube Beauty vlogs is a growing area on the YouTube platform. There are over one billion users who use this platform to watch videos about beauty products and tutorials, and they generate billions of views (YouTube, 2017). This quantitative study employs the uses and gratification theory to understand the needs of people who watch YouTube beauty vlogs on a regular basis and the gratifications they seek. A survey of 426 participants found that YouTube users seek for mostly entertainment and habit gratifications when they interact with the beauty vlogs. The audience’s age was found to be a factor in gratifications …

Integrated Marketing Communication Project For American Aerogel, Samary De La Cruz Rosado

Theses

This project created a marketing plan for a specific company “American Aerogel” to increase sales and to penetrate Clinical Research Organizations; thus, the project considered the comprehensive integrated marketing communication in the company. A survey was used to determine whether the marketing strategy selected for the project—direct marketing email—would be beneficial for the company to help it increase brand awareness in the clinical research field. More specifically, emailing a marketing campaign to a specific target audience is likely to increase results. Therefore, data from 150 surveys about email marketing was collected and analyzed to determine the usefulness of email marketing …

Pulsed Photonic Sintering Of Lithium Doped Potassium Sodium Niobate (Knn) For Flexible Energy Harvesting Devices, Sara Hernandez Juarez

Theses

In this work, KNNL was sintered as a lead-free alternative to PZT using a pulsed photonic sintering method. The KNNL post-sintering composition remained close to theoretical composition indicating minimal volatilization of alkali metals. Furthermore, a remnant polarization was observed in the processed material. Energy and time demands were greatly reduced using the pulsed photonic sintering method versus conventional furnace sintering.

Piezoelectric materials can produce electric current when bent or compressed. Currently lead zirconium titanate (PZT) is the most widely used piezoelectric material. A promising lead-free alternative is sodium potassium niobate (KNN), which can be doped with lithium (KNNL) to improve …

Curo — Patient Home Recovery Guide For Stressfree And Better Recovery After Hospitalization, Khushboo Rajesh Agarwal

Theses

The transition from in-hospital illness management to self-management exposes patients to many risks such as inadequate training before leaving the hospital and medication errors which can lead to patient re-hospitalization. Effective care after discharge can improve patients’ health, reduce chances of re-hospitalization and decrease healthcare costs.

A patient leaves the hospital with a complex and verbose discharge summary. Once home they rely on this discharge summary to guide their recovery. Most of the printed summaries use medical jargon that informs the clinicians more than the patients. To help patients understand better, nurses go through the discharge papers with the patient …

A Performance Analysis Of The Meshed Tree Protocol And The Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol, Peter Willis

Theses

Loop avoidance is essential in switched networks to avoid broadcast storms. Logical Spanning Trees are constructed on the physical meshed topologies to overcome this issue and preserve the stability of the network. However, during topology changes as the result of a failure, frame forwarding latency or frame loss is introduced when re-converging and identifying new spanning tree paths. The Meshed Tree algorithm (MTA) offers a new approach. Meshed Trees support multiple tree branches from a single root to cut down on re-convergence latency on link failures. A Meshed Tree Protocol (MTP) based on MTA is currently under development as an …

Evaluation Of Pixel-Scale Tunable Fabry-Perot Filters For Optical Imaging, Daniel L. Edwards

Theses

The Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) is a well-developed and widely used tool to control and measure wavelengths of light. In optical imaging applications, there is often a need for systems with compact, integrated, and widely tunable spectral filtering capabilities. We evaluate the performance of a novel tunable MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) Fabry-Perot (FP) filter device intended to be monolithically integrated over each pixel of a focal plane array. This array of individually tunable FPIs have been designed to operate across the visible light spec-trum from 400-750 nm. This design can give rise to a new line of compact spectrometers with fewer moving …

Being A Social Enterprise: Value-Added Or Fuel To The Misconceptions? The Case Of Social Enterprises In Kosovo, Majlinda Dervishi

Theses

The main focus of this research study is to understand the current state of social enterprise development in Kosovo and public perception about them, as well as to look at the methods that social enterprises use to reach their customers. Since social enterprises have emerged as innovative models in the recent decades, their importance has been growing continuously. The social enterprise’s approach to address social and environmental issues through a market-driven approach has contributed to its financial stability and long-term sustainability. However, the public has not been able and has not been educated to grasp the concept of social enterprises. …

Human Activity Recognition And Prediction Using Rgbd Data, Paul Dixon Coen

Theses

Being able to predict and recognize human activities is an essential element for us to effectively communicate with other humans during our day to day activities. A system that is able to do this has a number of appealing applications, from assistive robotics to health care and preventative medicine. Previous work in supervised video-based human activity prediction and detection fails to capture the richness of spatiotemporal data that these activities generate. Convolutional Long short-term memory (Convolutional LSTM) networks are a useful tool in analyzing this type of data, showing good results in many other areas. This thesis’ focus is on …