Digital Commons Network^™

Operational Lightning Forecasting Technique Development And Testing Utilizing C-Band Dual-Polarimetric Radar, Crystal J. Woodard

Theses

No abstract provided.

[Pi]-[Pi] Molecular Interactions Between Intercalating Antitumor Agents And Caffeine, Gabrielle Hill

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Irrigation On Nutrient Export From Agricultural Fields, Walter Lee Ellenburg Ii

Theses

No abstract provided.

Acoustic Emission Detection In Carbon Composite Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Optical Sensors, Nehemiah J. Mabry

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Food Tourism Branding: The Case Of Kinsale, The Gourmet Food Capital Of The South., Lisa O'Riordan

Theses

Kinsale is a small fishing village in West Cork. During the summer months, the population increases from three thousand to over twelve thousand, due to the influx of tourists. This may be attributed, in no small way, to Kinsale’s reputation as the gourmet capital of Ireland. Kinsale has been at the core of Ireland’s food circles for many years, and has successfully branded itself as a food tourism destination.

Despite Ireland’s long association with agriculture, food tourism is a relatively unknown concept in the country. Food tourism includes visiting food producers, attending food festivals, restaurants and specific locations for food …

Development, Validation And Application Of Uhplc-Ms/Ms Methods For The Detection Of Veterinary Drug Residues In Food Of Animal Origin, Michelle Whelan

Theses

Ultra high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) technology was utilized for the development of analytical methods for the detection of veterinary drug residues in foods of animal origin. Initial work focused on the development of the mass spectrometry (MS) method for the detection of the analytes of interest and subsequent chromatographic separation. The MS method was optimised to detect both positively and negatively ionised analytes from different classes in a single injection in a 13 minute run time at μg kg^-1levels.

Sample preparation procedures were modified to extract the residues from muscle and …

Are American Women Turning To Reusable And Greener Menstrual Products Due To Health And Environmental Pollution Concerns?, Ann Borowski

Theses

This research investigates environmental and health concerns related to disposable tampons and sanitary napkins. Much like diapers, tampons and sanitary napkins are comprised of synthetic materials that do not readily decompose. A woman will menstruate for approximately 40 years of her life. During that time, a significant amount of disposable feminine hygiene products accumulate in landfills and at times wash up on the shores of local beaches. Additionally, during the manufacturing and bleaching process, there is potential for dioxin to be created which has both health and environmental impacts. From a health perspective, many women experience discomfort, infection, and in …

Implementing Field Portable X-Ray Fluorescence During Environmental Investigations For Radioactive Materials, Neil Miller

Theses

During sampling or remediation of radiologically contaminated sites quantitative results are needed to determine where to sample or where to excavate soils. Although some portable gamma spectroscopy equipment does exist for field identification of radionuclides, they are not commonly used during remedial investigations. The current, and very common, process for sampling involves scanning soil with field portable gross measuring radiation detectors (i.e. Sodium Iodide, Scintillation, etc) that measure counts per minute of ionizing radiation; this does not give any information on the nuclides present or their concentrations in the soil. Samples are then collected at biased locations, based on the …

Potential Additional Revenues For Kosovo / [Presentation Given May 16, 2011], Lindita Toci

Theses

Kosovo has inherited a weak economy, and dilapidated infrastructure. The main objective of the Kosovo Government is to create preconditions for economic growth. The objective of this research is to find the potential for additional revenues, by finding possibilities to intervene on existing taxes and introducing new taxes, and in the same time to take into account the harmonization of taxes with EU and region countries. Three sources of potential extra revenues were considered such as VAT, excise tax, and introducing new tax as transfer on real estate and as transfer on vehicles.

A Study Of Poly Lactic Acid Bio-Polymer For Cereal Packaging, George Tuszkiewicz

Theses

The aim of this research has provided a technical framework for evaluating Co-Ex film structures of Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) for Ready to Eat (RTE) cereal primary packaging. This was accomplished through increased percentages of PLA content in each identified film candidate. The foundation for this research is that Bio Polymers are gaining market popularity as a result of the increasing world demand on plastics. As a result of plastics high market volatility and the strain on fossil fuel it has created focused research on Bio Polymers. However, it is widely known there are intrinsic …

Financial Planning For The Future Of The Kosovo Security Force 2013-2018 : [Presentation Given On November 16, 2011], Shqipe Jashari

Theses

After the declaration of Kosovo’s independence on 17th February 2008, new institutions including the Ministry for the Kosovo Security Force (MKSF) and the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) were formed. This capstone project has assessed the financial obstacles and challenges confronting the MKSF. It considered the future financial planning after the Ahtiaaris Plan for Kosovo 2013 -2018, and offers potential alternatives for solving the growing strategic and financial needs.

Application Of The Polyurea Coating On High-Performance Organic Aggregate Cementitious Materials, Hyungjoo Choi

Theses

No abstract provided.

Freight Transportation And The Environment: Using Geographic Information Systems To Inform Goods Movement Policy, Arindam Ghosh

Theses

The freight transportation sector is a major emitter of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) which has been recognized by numerous experts and science organizations as a significant contributor to climate change. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a a framework for obtaining the freight flows for containerized goods movement through the U.S. marine, highway, and rail systems and to estimate CO2 emissions associated with the freight traffic along interstate corridors that serve the three major U.S. ports on the West Coast, namely the port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Port of Oakland and the Port …

Modeling Lean Six Sigma In The Small Packaging Industry In India, Robin Patel

Theses

This thesis is a result of my interest in implementing Lean Six Sigma into Indian packaging companies because the Indian industry is growing at 18-20% annually (Samal, 2010). This growth rate is expected to triple in the next five years. With USA outsourcing to foreign nations this substantial growth, as I envision the USA companies who are seeking India packaging materials will benefit from my original approach for converting the Indian packaging industry using Lean Six Sigma. I have a strong personal and professional desire to improve the manufacturing within India. It is the country in which I grew up …

Implementation Of Kosovo's Action Plan On Decentralization : [Presentation Given On September 6, 2011], Rozafa Ukimeraj

Theses

Kosovo is passing through a dramatic transitional phase of political, economic and social development. In these circumstances decentralization has taken primacy among political and institutional developments. This capstone project addressed the problem of the implementation of the Action Plan on Decentralization in Kosovo, used by the government as a “tool”, to implement the local reform in Kosovo. The capstone project examined the main issues through the process of decentralization, including the acceptance of the decentralization by the Albanians, being the ethnic majority in Kosovo, and the impact of implementation of decentralization on the integration of Serbs.

Parliament's Role In Prospering European Integration And The Relations Between The Republic Of Kosov And The Republic Of Serbia : [Presentation Given On September 6, 2011], Ariana Musliu

Theses

There are several difficulties enforcing Kosovo in European Integration. One of these is most notably the relation with Serbia. The EU does not accept members into its family that have regional disagreements. One solution that was offered by the European Union and the United States of America was for a technical dialogue to solve the problems between these two states ... Based the results from the research study the technical dialogue between Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia will continue.

Research For Ansi Accredited “Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate Program” In Packaging Science For Undergraduate Students, Ankush Sharma

Theses

This research project is a result of a problem-solving proposal that was submitted to Program Chair Dr. Daniel Goodwin on June 28, 2010. The proposal recommends that RIT’s Packaging Science Program establish a unique Lean Six Sigma Green Belt in Packaging Science Certificate program for undergraduate students. The proposal was developed as a result of receiving input from the RIT Packaging Industrial Advisory Board, from researching packaging job descriptions and from Professor Dr. Duane P. Beck’s extensive Lean Six Sigma experience. Students who are successful in receiving the certificate will be able to demonstrate problem-solving skills in the packaging industry. …

Look, Cook, Learn: A Recipe For Improved Functionality In Cooking Design, Anna Mizer

Theses

Look, Cook, Learn: A Recipe for Improved Functionality In Cooking Design is a thesis which explores the relationship and differences between print media and digital media. Both are studied in respect to instructional cooking materials with their strengths and weaknesses .The final application involves a digital application for the Apple iPad as well as a printed recipe book. The user experience is of great importance and therefor information layering, visual layout, and consumer expectations are all considered. All information that is included in both the digital application is broken into sections depending on the function or action that the user …

Combating Counterfeit Goods Entering Kosovo : [Presentation Given On November 16, 2011], Zana Batusha

Theses

This capstone project assesses the impact of counterfeit goods imported into Kosovo. Over the past twelve years, Kosovo Customs has been fighting smuggling of goods, mainly for two reasons: protecting legitimate trade and collecting more revenue. Although it is known that low economic growth drives the need for more taxes in order for the state institutions to function, limited attention was given to the protection of citizens from counterfeited goods. In 2010 some progress was achieved regarding the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), but even this had limited impact concerning the protection of public health. However, the need to …

Screening Procedures For Strategic Environmental Assessment In Kosovo : [Presentation Given In November 2011]., Laura Krypa Gjakova

Theses

This capstone project considered the priorities that need to be given to the implementation of the Law Nr.03/L-230 on the Strategic Environmental Assessment, 2010 (Law on SEA). This is one of the basic horizontal environmental policy tools applicable for a wide range of issues such as climate change, water, air protection and biodiversity. Currently, Kosovo is fullfilling the European Union requirement for the transposition of the Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 27 June 2001 into national legislation. It assesses the effects of certain plans and programs on the environment. Implentation of the newly adopted …

Department Of Engineering And Building Management Planning Capacity For Prishtina's Current And New Government Buildings : [Presentation Given In November 2011], Mimoza Kurteshi

Theses

This capstone project assesses the restructuring of the Engineering and Building Management (DEBM) within Kosova’s Ministry of Public Administration (MPA). There are serious capacity shortages and delays in implementation of projects, in existing structure of DEBM and changes are required to be implemented.

Illustrative Neighborhood Redevelopment, Bradley Bethel

Theses

Urban planning is implemented under many theories and purposes. But often times, due to difference in public preferences, plans can become inconsistent and lack harmony with other neighborhoods. Design theories may become muddled in other design theories. Sometimes, even basic design principles are undermined or ignored completely. The city of Buffalo, New York is distinguished by several major characteristics in area planning. However, those plans have been threatened by inconsistent planning from the past sixty years. Only in recent years have plans been sought for more concise methods to preserve the past and establish newer, progressive plans. The Illustrative Neighborhood …

A Study Of A Management Supported Single Minute Exchange Of Die (Smed) Program For The Flexible Packaging Industry, Jared Unterborn

Theses

The principle objective of this study was to quantify the effectiveness of a management supported process improvement program versus a non-management supported program. The test took two plants with the same machine and a similar job mix were chosen to implement a common process improvement program in the exact same way with the only difference being that one of the plants would have strong involvement from the management team. The data that was used to quantify this theory was an employee survey and data collection. The data showed Plant A's management supported program resulted in a 25% lower changeover time …

An Analysis Of Flow-Based Routing, Jennifer Casella

Theses

Since their development in the early 1970's, the underlying function of IP routers has not changed - they still support a best effort delivery method in order to pass frames from source to destination. With the advent of newer, bandwidth intensive Internet-based services and applications, such as video conferencing and telemedicine, many individuals wonder if the current approach to routing is the most practical. "The Internet needs to provide quality of service ("QoS") as predictably as conventional circuit switching networks. Although some QoS capabilities in an isolated environment have been demonstrated, providing end-to-end QoS at a large scale across the …

A Comparative Study For Cold Chain Packaging Options., Pooja Ashokan

Theses

This thesis will evaluate the possibility of eliminating EPS from the cold chain packaging system by replacing it with Vacuum Insulated Panels in Greenbox to create a sustainable and reusable packaging system.

The most widely used packaging materials in the cold chain system have been compared amongst each other for their Design, R value, Cost, Availability and End use. While these are generally the primary concerns in making decisions about packaging, it is also important to consider recyclability and reusability and overall presentation. This paper will briefly examine these issues while looking at some of the more common types of …

Rit Influenza Virus Database And Evidence For Differential Selection Pressures On Geographically Distinct Human Influenza A/H3n2 Virus Populations, Bindhu Satheeshkumar

Theses

Increasing amounts of data available from influenza virus genome sequencing projects have necessitated the need for centralized repositories for the collection, integration, and dissemination of these data to researchers for further research. The RIT Influenza Virus Database, a complete genome database for influenza viruses, has been created with a web interface so that users could query for viruses of interest and download complete genome sequences and metadata of isolates. The interface of the database is publicly accessible at http://bucatini.bioinformatics.rit.edu/bindhuURMC/. Even though it is known that influenza viruses are under constant evolution at the surface glycoproteins to develop drug resistance or …

Implementation Of The Kosovo Government Capital Investment Projects : An Analysis Of The Project Budgeting And The Project Implementation Performance / [Presentation Given In May 2011], Selim Thaci

Theses

The aim of this project is to identify the shortfalls of the budgeting process, with a particular focus on allocation procedures and execution of the funds allocated for public capital projects. Based on the findings of the project, a set of recommendations has been produced. These recommendations have the potential to assist policymakers in optimizing allocation procedures for capital projects, and to support them in designing a more efficient fiscal framework.

Dustbowl, Patrick Scott Harned

Theses

Dustbowl is a dystopian novel that follows a young man named Ward as he joins a deadly cult that is intent on leaving the planet. He travels with a cleaning crew—a group of killers—through small towns, abducting children for the cult’s plan to have humankind populate the stars. The novel explores concepts like loneliness, grief, violence, love, and family, among others, as Ward traverses across a dust-filled, shambling American Midwest that is falling apart all around him. He finds solace from the harshness of the world in his crewmates, in a stray dog that he happens upon, in a girl …

Improving The Enabling Environment For Electronic Communications And Ict Development In Kosova : [Presentation Given On November 17, 2010], Agim Kukaj

Theses

This Capstone Project addresses an important problem hampering growth and development in the Kosova electronic communications sector, namely that its legislative enabling environment is seriously out of phase with current communications technology convergence, modern competition-based regulatory practices, and European Union (EU) information society policies. This is because the existing Law on Telecommunications is eight years old and urgently requires updating, and at the urging of the European Commission (EC), has led Government to commit to completing a new Electronic Communications Law based on EU legislation by end 2010. Specifically, of the many issues to be addressed by a new legislative …

Gender Differences In Resilience In The Emerging Adulthood Population, Erin Bezek

Theses

Risk factors and protective factors influence an individual's resilience. For this study archival data collected from Rochester Institute of Technology college students were used. Specifically the participants' responses on the 16PF- Adolescent Personality Questionnaire (APQ) Life Difficulties Scale (LDS) were analyzed. After reconfiguring the Life Difficulties Scale using the literature review to analyze the items, results indicated that specific items can be considered risk factors, whereas others can be considered protective factors. Results from this emerging adulthood population did not indicate gender differences in the risk and protective factors.