Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Privacy Assurance Methods And Guideline Development: Implications For Dr’S Higher Education Institutions, Noe Luzon

Theses

This project evaluates the actual mechanism of privacy assurance in the Dominican Republic's Higher Education institutions towards a standardization process. International regulations and type codes such as U.S Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and Spain Castilla's University de La-Mancha conduct code for personal data protection have been examined in order to obtain a ground for comparing and evaluating Dominican Republic's higher education privacy assurance methods. The evaluation of the Dominican Republic's actual higher education was developed through investigation of the different processes and procedures that people who are responsible of the students personal data, follow to achieve their …

The Effect Of Dietary Supplement On Risk Of Infection In Community Based Patients With Type Two Diabetes Mellitus, Mamoon Ibrahim Abu Haltem

Theses

Background: Type Two diabetes mellitus prevalence is increasing dramatically universally and locally. Diabetic patients have shown higher risk of infections and associated morbidity. Many factors contribute to this, including poor nutritional status of this population. The lack of evidence in this field inspired us to look at the relationship between the dietary supplements and risk of infection in these patients.

Objective: To measure the effect of dietary supplement on risk of infection in community based patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods: Following informed written consent 100 diabetic patients have been randomly assigned to receive either an oral dose of …

Effect Of Various Heavy Metals On The Enzymatic Activity Of Bacterial Alkaline Phosphatase, Maithah Maktoom Salmeen Al Nuaimi

Theses

Soil is a natural resource that is utmost importance from an agricultural as well as environmental perspective. Good soil health not only helps improve the quality and yield of agriculture products, but is also important for recycling of significant amounts of organic biomass. However, pollution of soil by various pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides or petroleum hydrocarbons, can lead to serious environmental as well as biological effects. This pollution can directly harm animals and human beings, leach into drinking water source, damage plants and vegetation, as well as affect the endemic microorganisms and insects living in the soil.

Microorganisms …

The Effect Of Visfatin And Adiponectin On Metabolic Parameters Of An Animal Model Of Type 2 Diabetes, Thuraya Saeed Ali Alshamisi

Theses

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common exocrine disorders affecting more than 6% of the world’s population. The incidence and prevalence of this chronic disease are on the rise in many parts of the world including the Middle East. DM is caused by defective Insulin production, release and/or function. The causes and nature of abnormal insulin metabolism is less than clear. While defective insulin secretion is observed in type 1 diabetes, insulin resistance is predominant in type 2 diabetes, which affects more than 94% of the diabetic patients.

Materials and Methods: Rats between the age of two …

Re-Evaluating California’S Greenhouse Gas Emission Law: Is It Rational Under The Current Economic Situation?, Hassan Algadi

Theses

This research evaluates the impact of the economic recession on the California Air Resource Board (CARB) strategy for reducing current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from motor vehicles. The principle potential contribution of this work is that it evaluated whether the rationale behind the CARB strategy is or is not valid under the current, unanticipated economic recession.

Service Innovation Framework, John Timmerman

Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify critical success factors and important approaches that service companies can utilize in the design of products, services, and programs. It is common for service companies to have design teams that are responsible for facilitating the innovation process. However, these design teams might not benefit from a systematic training and knowledge transfer process. Therefore, it is important to translate critical success factors and important approaches into a model that will serve as a common framework for both training and facilitating the innovation process. Both qualitative and quantitative research approaches were utilized in this …

Cochlear Implants In The Deaf Community: Current Circumstances Of Cochlear Implant Users Among The Deaf Youth In Sweden’S Educational System, Christopher Samp

Theses

Sweden has maintained an environment of equal opportunities and inclusive disability policies for its citizens. In Swedish education, a bilingualism method of Swedish Sign Language and spoken Swedish is used in teaching deaf children. The cochlear implant device is considered an advanced form of hearing technology and is used with deaf youth to assist with speech development. Several medical experts and researchers support the language development theory that there is a "critical period" for a deaf person to acquire natural language and speech development at a young age. Some experts believe that in order to achieve this language acquisition of …

Internet Economy: Should The Federal Government Intervene, Sha’Kera Bumbray

Theses

Global citizens choose to engage in electronic business every second of the day. The Internet has allowed for businesses to remain constantly open. All over the world people are able to conduct business quickly and cost effectively. Although the use of the Internet has significant benefits, there are also a number of risks. Most importantly there is a risk of the breach of personal security. This paper will use a patchwork design that consists of a case study and survey techniques to collect data on the use of business technologies by faculty and students at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). …

Comparison Of Particle Deposition For Realistic Adult And Adolescent Upper Airway Geometries Using Unsteady Computational Fluid Dynamics, Jonathan Steffens

Theses

Particle deposition in the respiratory tract is studied in order to better understand the negative health effects due to cigarette smoke inhalation. Until recently, idealized models of the respiratory airways based on the original Weibel model have been used to calculate deposition. These models consist of symmetric bifurcating airways and do not take into account variations of airway diameter, and asymmetry in the human respiratory tract. Until recently, little work has been done to accurately recreate the entire upper respiratory tract including the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx. Technological improvement has changed the way in which researchers approach this problem. …

Data Privacy: Legal And Business Malpractice, Gulmira Zhavgasheva

Theses

While banking system of Kazakhstan has been reformed during the past two decades to transition to the international standards, privacy of financial information seems to be left neglected. With the advent of the technological era and, hence, the rapid growth of computer crime, privacy of financial information has become a primary necessity in the context of relationship between financial institutions and their customers. However, collecting, storing, processing and transferring such data raises issues regarding security and privacy of customer's data. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the extent, to which privacy of credit card and cardholder data was …

Development Of An Air Quality Monitoring Network For Kosovo : [Presentation Given December 13, 2010], Visare Hoxha

Theses

This Capstone Project addresses the important problem of air pollution in Kosovo and the need for improvement of the air quality monitoring system, in compliance with Directive 2008/50/ EC on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe. This project has identified eight new possible locations taking in consideration all relevant information about the source of pollution, types of areas, number of inhabitants and other relevant factor. The outcome of this project is a functional and reliable Air Quality Network Monitoring System for Kosovo in order to facilitate the air quality assessment and improve air quality in Kosovo.

A Multi-Sensor Chip For Monitoring The Quality Of Drinking Water, Heidi Purrington

Theses

A MEMS based multi-sensor chip has been developed for the purpose of monitoring turbidity, TDS, and temperature in a sample of drinking water. The benefits of MEMS technology over conventional sensors include compact size, low power consumption, integration capability, and low cost bulk manufacturing. Two revisions of the multi-sensor silicon chip were designed, fabricated, and tested. The layout of the chip and the fabrication process were redesigned in the second spin to provide more robust and sensitive responses. The sensor structures include photodiodes, temperature diodes, interdigitated electrodes in direct contact with the sample, and capacitive interdigitated fingers. The sensors were …

Accuracy Of Real Time Radiography Burning Rate Measurement, Bisola Olaniyi

Theses

The design of a solid propellant rocket motor requires the determination of a propellant's burning-rate and its dependency upon environmental parameters. The requirement that the burning-rate be physically measured, establishes the need for methods and equipment to obtain such data. A literature review reveals that no measurement has provided the desired burning rate accuracy. In the current study, flash x-ray modeling and digitized film-density data were employed to predict motor-port area to length ratio. The pre-fired port-areas and base burning rate were within 2.5% and 1.2% of their known values, respectively. To verify the accuracy of the method, a continuous …

Development Of A Liquid Oxygen Facility For Rocket Engine Injector Performance Testing, Henry W. Mulkey

Theses

This study demonstrated the successful operation of a new liquid oxygen - gaseous methane rocket engine test facility to characterize the performance of a swirl coaxial injector. In support of safe system functional development, an oxygen compatibility and hazards assessment was completed to identify and minimize operational risks. Facility changes were implemented to create a more fault tolerant system. Major upgrades included initiatives to manage the oxygen risk and mitigate specific oxygen ignition mechanisms. Oxygen compatible materials and facility configuration changes were instituted to achieve safer experimentation. The demonstration testing of the cryogenic propellant system employed the swirl coaxial injector …

Experimental Injector Element Stability Characterization And Combustion Imaging, Robert Lashawn Ikard

Theses

This research evaluated the stability characteristics of a swirl-coaxial injector in an atmospheric combustion chamber using gaseous oxygen and gaseous methane as the propellants. The experiment studies the mixing processes in a laboratory-scale analogue to full-scale engine operating conditions. The injector was tested over a range of mass flow conditions that matched specified scaling parameters for a notional space engine. The scaling parameters used were mixture ratio, velocity ratio, momentum ratio, and momentum flux ratio. A maximum amplitude of 3.52% of chamber pressure was measured when the injector was placed 19 mm from the chamber wall. The associated instability mode--determined …

A Project-Based Learning Approach To Applied Craft Calculations Within Apprenticeship Education: An Action Research Study, Kevin Furlong

Theses

Using an Action Research methodology, this study was based in Technologicl University Dublin and conducted with the cooperation of three groups of Phase Six Plumbing apprentices over a ten-month period (three cycles). The main aim of the research project was to establish if a deeper understanding and application of Building Services Applied Calculations could be achieved through the implementation of Project-Based Learning within Apprenticeship Education? Research literature shows that not only in Ireland but also abroad, third level education is experiencing what is described as a ‘maths problem’. With applied calculations and mathematics being a fundamental and essential part of …

The Watchdog Role Of Newspapers: Newspaper Coverage Of Sinclair Broadcasting's Announcement To Air A One-Sided Documentary Right Before The 2004 Presidential Election., Greta Kaye Weiderman

Theses

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Greta K. Weiderman, for the Master of Arts degree in Mass Communication and Media Arts, presented on Aug. 21, 2009, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: THE WATCHDOG ROLE OF NEWSPAPERS: NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF SINCLAIR BROADCASTING'S ANNOUNCEMENT TO AIR A ONE-SIDED DOCUMENTARY RIGHT BEFORE THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. William Babcock This thesis is a content analysis examining newspaper coverage of Sinclair Broadcasting's announcement that it planned to air a program titled "Stolen Honor: Wounds that Never Heal" 13 days before the November 2004 presidential election. Sinclair Broadcast Group ordered its 61 …

Theodore Wilson Thompson: Southern Illinois Pioneer, Elisha L. Szyjka

Theses

Giant City State Park in Makanda, Illinois contains graffiti created by passersby and local residents. Many deem modern graffiti in parks as a depreciative behavior. However, the inscription created by Theodore Wilson Thompson in 1862 along the Giant City Nature Trail has implications for interpretive use by park staff. This is due to the inscription being etched prior to the park's establishment and Theodore's pioneering contributions to Makanda and Carbondale, Illinois. Therefore, Theodore Thompson was the focus of this study due to his inscription and the lack of park research conducted on his life history. In 1852, as a young …

Perceptions And Attitudes Of College Science Students Regarding Carrers In Clinical Laobratory Science, Maureen L. Doran

Theses

Histology as a career offers many challenging and diverse job opportunities but few qualified applicants pursue this vocation. The purpose of this research was to collect data to identify factors impacting this problem. The study investigated the awareness, attitudes and perceptions of community college and university science students towards laboratory health science and histology as a career option. The goal was to develop strategies to identify and recruit potential individuals who are qualified for the histology profession. The researcher surveyed 15 undergraduate science classes from two community colleges and one university in the Midwest. The community colleges and university surveyed …

Thermoregulation Of Capsule Production Of Streptococcus Pyogenes Strain Hsc5, Trilce Michelle Galeas

Theses

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is responsible for mild and common infections like tonsillitis and pharyngitis, and more serious invasive disorders like necrotizing fasciitis and glomerulonephritis. The ability to invade tissues is closely linked to the virulence factors expressed by the bacterium. Hyaluronic acid capsule expression is variable among all the strains in S. pyogenes and confers the capacity to evade the immune response. In a previous study, it was found that capsule production in CovR mutants was temperature-regulated, showing no capsule production at 37℃ but increased production was observed at 25℃. In this study, the objective is to find the …

Design For Invisibility: Designing A Placing System Through The Study Of User-Object Relationships In Everyday Life, Gahyung Song

Theses

The world we live in is a place where people are influenced by designed objects, often without noticing their presence or the fact that they have been designed at all. Although these objects are taken for granted their impact on our everyday life is immeasurable. By examining designed objects with regard to their relationship to users, this thesis attempts to rediscover the meaning of design in everyday life by encouraging a fluid user-object relationship, rather than a passive consumer-product relationship. It is important to understand the everyday phenomena by which designed objects become invisible when they fit one's environment well. …

Unfulfilled Promise: Electrification And The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, Adam T. Michalski

Theses

During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century electricity made inroads into American life. Industry used electricity to power machines. Homemakers utilized electric appliances such as irons and washing machines to perform household chores. Electric lighting was used in homes, factories, railroad stations, advertising, and on city streets. The promise of electricity transformed everyday life. Electricity also held the promise of making it easier to transport freight and passengers on steam railroads. Despite electricity's superiority to steam, a few railroads decided to electrify because it was necessary. Only one railroad, the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, electrified a major …

Regulation Of The Alr1 Transporter By Mg Supply, Phaik Har Lim

Theses

Magnesium is required for many essential processes and pathways, including protein synthesis and energy metabolism. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Mg2+ uptake across the plasma membrane primarily occurs via the magnesium transporter Alr1. Preliminary data had shown that Alr1-HA accumulation was decreased by Mg. Here I show that the epitope tag was responsible for this differential accumulation of Alr1, as native or N-terminally tagged Alr1 displayed much less differential accumulation. Immunoblotting and Ni2+ uptake assays indicated that both Mg-deficiency and the mnr2 mutation increased Alr1 activity, but under conditions where native protein accumulation was little affected. Since Mg-dependent regulation of …

Extending The Body: A Niche Design For Seamstresses, Brandon Mckean

Theses

As consumers, we are faced with a glut of products, the source of which we are dimly aware. Being unaware of the source of products, we are also unaware of the conditions under which they are produced. Designers often have an analogous relation with users. Unless we are directly involved with field research or user testing, we have an indirect relationship with our audience; hence, the conditions under which the products designed are actually used. To add to the gulf between users and designers, we are often tasked with designing mass-produced items meant to serve the needs of a vast …

Hyperspectral Clustering And Unmixing Of Satellite Imagery For The Study Of Complex Society State Formation, Justin Kwong

Theses

This project is an application of remote sensing techniques to the field of archaeology. Clustering and unmixing algorithms are applied to hyperspectral Hyperion imagery over Oaxaca, Mexico. Oaxaca is the birthplace of the Zapotec civilization, the earliest state-level society in Mesoamerica. A passionate debate is ongoing over whether the Zapotecs' evolution was environmentally deterministic or socioeconomic. Previous archaeological remote sensing has focused on the difficult tasks of feature detection using low spatial resolution imagery or visual inspection of spectral data. This project attempts to learn about a civilization on the macro level, using unsupervised land classification techniques. Overlapping 158 band …

The Potential Impact Of Riparian Buffer Zones On Sediment And Phosphorus Loading In Two Canandaigua Lake Subwatersheds, Valerie George

Theses

Thousands rely on the water of Canandaigua Lake for drinking water, fishing, boating and swimming each year. The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council (CLWC) was formed with the goal of protecting the high quality of this water source. The CLWC has been monitoring the lake and its tributaries for thirteen years. The lake remains in good condition, but testing has revealed an overall increase in total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS). This study identifies potential TSS and TP sources in the Eelpot Creek subwatershed. This creek has some of the highest concentrations of these pollutants in the entire Canandaigua …

Sustainable Intermodal Freight Transportation: Applying The Geospatial Intermodal Freight Transport Model, Bryan Comer

Theses

To study the energy and environmental impacts of emissions associated with freight transportation, the Geospatial Intermodal Freight Transport (GIFT) model was created as a joint research collaborative between the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and the University of Delaware (UD). The GIFT model is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based model that links the U.S. and Canadian water, rail, and road transportation networks through intermodal transfer facilities to create an intermodal network. The purpose of my thesis is to apply the GIFT model to examine potential public policies related to intermodal freight transportation in the Great Lakes region of the …

Smooth Flexible Models Of Nonhomogeneous Poisson Processes Fit To One Or More Process Realizations, Shalaka C. Deo

Theses

Simulation is a technique of creating representations or models of real world systems or processes and conducting experiments to predict behavior of actual systems. Input modeling is a critical aspect of simulation modeling. Stochastic input models are used to model various aspects of the system under uncertainty including process times and interarrival times. This research focuses on input models for nonstationary arrival processes that can be represented as nonhomogeneous Poisson processes (NHPPs). In particular, a smooth flexible model for the mean-value function (or integrated rate function) of a general NHPP is estimated. To represent the mean-value function, the method utilizes …

Implementation Of Functional Safety In A Robotic Manufacturing Cell Using Iec 61508 Standard And Siemens Technology, Darshana M. Kamtekar

Theses

The past 50 years have seen a staggering amount of change in the technology and the business of process automation. The programmable logic controller (PLC) based control and monitoring system is a proven technology used to not only control processes but also to perform safety functions for processes in many industrial applications. There are many opportunities for improvements in any process or manufacturing system. One of the opportunities is achieving accurate safety function for measurement and process control to prevent human injury or death. The programmable electronic systems (PES) such as PLC systems are increasingly being used to perform safety …

Gestural Interaction Of In‐Vehicle Tasks: Audio And Climate Controls, Chongyoon Chung

Theses

I thought if in-vehicle interaction were as easy and spontaneous as our language, it would ensure safe driving. Through this research, I found drivers preferred gestural language to voice language when the control was simple and repetitive. This study investigates gestural interaction of secondary in-vehicle tasks while driving. I researched

functions that were most distractive to drivers and applied those to my new interaction. According to Paul Green, the most distractive in-vehicle interaction was audio and climate controls. Based on this research, I then applied audio and climate controls gestures as input for the interactions. The best eyes and hands …