Digital Commons Network^™

Polyvinylidene Fluoride Composites As An Option For Proton Exchange Membranes In Fuel Cells, Rohini P. Sajanpawar

Theses

This thesis details approaches for the preparation of composite membranes derived from poly (vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, or copolymers thereof. It was expected that these membranes would withstand the harsh thermal oxidative conditions of a practical fuel cell and might exhibit high proton mobility. Sulfonated carbon black was used as the proton conducting component in the membrane. The advantages and the disadvantages of the materials used for fabrication of proton exchange membranes were reviewed. This thesis provides procedures for the preparation of composites of PVDF with sulfonated carbon black (CB) which might be employed as proton exchange membranes. Thin films from …

Expression Of Tumor Suppressor Genes During Breast Cancer Progression In The Rat, Wafa Saqer Rashid Abdullah Aldhaheri

Theses

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the United Arab Emirates and all over the world. Although many factors contribute to the high incidence of breast cancer, a considerable number of cases are related to environmental factors. In this study, breast cancer was induced in female rats using a single dose, 80 mg/kg body wt, of the environmental carcinogen 7,12- dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA). The aim was to characterize some of the early cellular and molecular changes that occur during breast cancer development in the DMBA-treated rat model. Mammary gland …

Health Monitoring Of Lav Planet Gear Bushings Using Signature Analysis Techniques, Victoria L. Parnell

Theses

The Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) is studying the improvement of military Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs) for the United States Department of Defense. A focus of this study is the Marine Corps LAVs that are experiencing failures in the planetary assembly which serves as the vehicle's final drive system. The primary failure source is the bushings that provide the interface between the planet gears and their respective pins.

Currently, to detect a bushing failure, vehicle occupants must exit the LAV and place their hand on the wheel hub cover to check for excessive heat. If the hub "feels too …

Computational Fluid Dynamics And Experimental Studies Of An Energy-Efficient Uv Disinfection System For Water Treatment, Nancy Goenawan

Theses

In typical commercial UV treatment system, water is flushed through a reactor vessel, where a UV lamp irradiates the flowing water. The distribution of the UV dose is extremely non-uniform. At distances away from the light, the dosage will be too low to kill the microorganism. As a result more power is needed in such a system for an effective treatment. A new energy-efficient UV disinfection system, named "Off Center", was designed, developed, and tested. This "Off Center" system consists of a UV bulb that has been relocated from its traditional central location to a location closer to the 4-in …

Modeling Of Diesel Particulate Emissions Aftertreatment System Using Non-Thermal Plasma, Cheng Chen

Theses

There is a growing demand for energy usage in the world, primarily due to increasing economic activity. This need can be met by pursuing increased power generation. However the impact of emissions from power generation sources on the health of human beings and environmental continues to be a major concern. In order to maintain and enhance environmental quality there is a need for the development of clean energy products. A diesel aftertreatment device was developed at RIT to reduce particulate matter (PM) in the emissions of generators and diesel engines by using the combination of non-thermal plasma oxidation and emission …

Removal Of Heavy Metals From Aqueous Solutions Using Local Adsorbents, Moza S. Al-Sharyani

Theses

The recent rapid increase in industrialization activities contributed to most of aquatic pollution problems. Among aquatic pollutants, heavy metals, such as zinc, lead, cadmium, and copper have gained relatively more significance in view of their persistence and toxicity. Due to their health and toxicological effects, environmental agencies and authorities have set strict regulations to maintain the limit of heavy metals in wastewater below the maximum acceptable concentration levels.

The technical feasibility of using raw date pits and different activated carbons prepared from date pits by air and acid activation as low cost local adsorbents for the removal of different heavy …

Proteomic Studies Of Pseudomonas Putida Kt2440 In Carcinogenicity Screening Via 2-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis, Mingyi Yao

Theses

This project is part of a pilot study designed to establish a two dimensional gel electrophoresis-based protocol, which can be utilized in screening mutagencity/carcinogencity of uncharacterized substances. Currently, the Ames test is the most commonly used method, which is solely based on mutation at the genome level. In contrast to the genome, which is static, protein expression in a cell under a given set of conditions (the proteome) is dynamic. A screening method based on the proteome rather than the genome may prove more reliable and quantitative in predicting mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. In this project, Pseudomonas putida KT2440 was employed …

Isolation And Characterization Of Hydrocarbon Degrading Bacteria From Environmental Habitats In Western New York State, Katarina Malatova

Theses

Screening of hydrocarbon degrading microorganisms isolated from three habitats in Western New York State by selective enrichment technique, resulted in the collection of 20 distinct species. All strains were cultivated in liquid media with crude oil as a sole carbon and energy source. Bacterial strains capable of degrading hydrocarbons belong to the genera Serratia marcescens, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas sp. Carbon dioxide evolution experiments were used as the major indicator of microbial degradation of oil in biometric flasks. The measurements of CO₂ evolution rates have shown to effectively evaluate the biodegradation rates by providing significant data within …

Incorporating Adventure Education Into Your Classroom, Dana Romanello

Theses

Approaching outdoor adventure and challenge as a way to teach perseverance, skill, teamwork, leadership, and compassionate service was the brain-child of Kurt Hahn, a native to Berlin, Germany. Hahn became aware of the enormous impact that German submarines had on British ships in the North Sea during World War II. Drawing from his experiences as an educator, he and a team of others devised a program of intensive training for British Seamen. The program became known as Outward Bound, from the nautical term for a ship leaving port on a sea journey. (Sakofs& Armstrong, 1996)

Encouraging Communication With Deaf Children Through Visual Art Activities, Kamila Riscili

Theses

An educational product has been developed based on a review of the literature in the field of art therapy with a focus on how art therapy may affect the communication of deaf children. A literature review has indicated that art therapy, when conducted with hearing and deaf children, has facilitated expression and communication. This has occurred through transference of feelings from the right, visualspatial and creative hemisphere of the brain to the left hemisphere, which includes conceptual and intellectual thinking as well as the 'language function.' Based on these findings, it is projected that art therapy may alleviate some of …

Cochlear Implants: A Tips & Reference Guide For Teachers Working With Students Using Cis, Thomas Ohl

Theses

Like a stampede, the cochlear implant (CI) has taken the worlds of deaf and hardof- hearing persons by storm. From its inception in the mid 1980's, some have embraced the technology as a miracle cure, while others have thought of it as cultural genocide. Yet, today, many would argue that the implant has come and is here to stay. There are many teachers with students using implants who feel inadequately prepared to deal with this technology. You might be one of them. If you are, this booklet is for you...keep reading! This book will provide you with skills and expertise …

Attitudes Toward The Environment: A Curriculum Evaluation Project On Promoting Deaf Students' Awareness Of Environmental Issues, Joy Schultz

Theses

With the increasing importance being placed on the awareness of the environment in today's society, one wonders how Deaf students' attitudes toward the environment are influenced by their experiences or by taking a course on the environment. This Master's Project provides a rationale for the need for Environmental Science courses in Deaf Education. The study examined whether the attitudes of postsecondary Deaf students may be influenced by an academic course. Seventeen students enrolled in an Environmental Science course at NTID took a pre and post survey to study the change in attitudes. Students completed the Environmental Science course as a …

Add And Deafness: A Qualitative Study Of Professionals With Background In Add And Deafness, Cynthia Didonna

Theses

This qualitative research project was designed to gather information poorly understood topic: ADD and deafness. The information came from 5 detailed interviews with professionals who have experience with ADD deaf students. The interview protocol included parts: (a) questions about the problems and issues involved in identifying deaf students who have ADD, (b) possible protocols and instruments useful for diagnosing ADD in deaf students, and (c) possible accommodations and strategies for deaf students with ADD. The results indicated 4 primary themes: possible roles of interpreters, language issues, views of medication, and accommodation strategies. Future research should be directed towards standardizing ADD …

Student Outcomes Assessment: Ntid's Business Careers Department, Kathleen Garlinghouse

Theses

1. The need for the project (What is the severity of the problem or magnitude of the need for the services (local/national): Students graduate from college with a variety of general and specific skills. However, most colleges would have a difficult time "describing" to potential employers the specific skills work related attitudes that their graduates possess. During the last decades, interest has grown in what is called "Student Outcomes Assessment". This term has come to mean the activities undertaken by a college to identify and measure academic and job related skills that the college feels most, if not all, of …

Wireless Technology And Its Application In Wireless Local Area Networks Using The Ieee 802.11 Standards, Philip Curneen

Theses

This research thesis examines the area of wireless communication and its use in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). It examines the Spread Spectrum methods of Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) and Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) used in WLANs. The International Governing body, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) have devised standards and protocols called 802.11 to be used as guidelines for semiconductor chip and WLAN equipment manufacturers. These protocols have been adopted in implementing WLANs. Their specifications, which address data rates, bandwidth, power requirements, quality of service, spectrum management and security, are discussed in this thesis.

This …

The Psychological/Social Impact Of Cochlear Implants, Bonnie Bell

Theses

As technology keeps advancing, more and more young deaf children will be given a cochlear implant. Yet, how will this decision influence their future lives? This research project focused on the perceptions that cochlear implant users, deaf professors, and future teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing have of the cochlear implant, for their reactions or opinions could influence the user’s potential benefit from the device. Its purpose was to provide some insights into what perceptions future generations of cochlear implant users may encounter through the use of questionnaires that consist of demographic and open-ended questions. One of the …

Introducing Deaf Children To The Mainstreamed Classroom Through Literature, Shannon Seleen

Theses

This project creates a product that teachers can use in the classroom to help introduce a Deaf or Hard of Hearing student to a mainstream class. As I started researching I discovered that there was are no similar products and that many teachers are not aware of deafness and the related issues. In order to create a children's book to help address this gap, I took a class about how to write children's books. For background I researched why Deaf and Hard of Hearing students are mainstreamed, as well as the problems with integrating Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. …

Multifractal Analysis Of Heart Rate Variability Using Wavelet-Transform Modulus-Maxima Method, Chirag Jani

Theses

Physiological signals are complex and carry information of human health. Recent studies reveal that under normal conditions, the heart rate time series shows multifractal behavior. In contrast, HRV in the pathological state such as congestive heart failure exhibits more monofractal-like structure. Recent advances in the assessment of heart rate variability (HRV) uses a nonlinear dynamics approach. In this study, the main objective is to use the wavelet-transform modulus-maxima method for the multifractal analysis of the heart rate time senes.

The degree of the multifractality is defined by the singularities (a point in time series where a mathematical function is not …

Quantification Of Long-Range Power Law Correlations Among Healthy And Pathologic Subjects Using Detrended Fluctuation Analysis And Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis, Hardick Raval

Theses

The healthy heartbeat is traditionally thought to be regulated according to the classical principle of homeostasis whereby physiologic systems operate to reduce variability and achieve an equilibrium-like state. However recent studies reveal that under normal conditions, beat-to-beat fluctuation in heart rate display the kind of long-range correlations typically exhibited by the dynamical system far away from equilibrium. In contrast, heart rate time series from patients with severe congestive heart failure show a breakdown of this long-range correlation behavior. Two different non-linear dynamic methods namely Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) and Multifractal (MF) DFA are used for the quantification of this correlation …

The Creation And Testing Of A Mock Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Facility For Pain Patients, Gladstone Vincent Reid

Theses

Unfamiliarity with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) facilities leads to unwanted stress-related disturbances in the processing of fMRI data. A mock fMRI facility was developed to increase familiarization among subjects participating in fiviRI studies and to alleviate the time and cost of familiarizing each subject in an actual fMRI facility. A decommissioned Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit was remodeled to visually and aurally resemble the Siemens Magnetom Allegra 3 Telsa fMRI machine currently used at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), Newark, New Jersey. Instrumentation was developed using LabVIEW software which presented subjects with recreated sounds …

Quantification Of Regularity In Rr-Interval Time Series Using Approximate Entropy, Sample Entropy, And Multi-Scale Entropy, Nirvish Shah

Theses

Heart rate variability (HRV) has proven to be a useful noninvasive tool to study the neuronal control of the heart. Recently, nonlinear dynamic methods based on chaos theory and fractal dynamics have been developed to uncover the nonlinear fluctuations in heart rate. Approximate Entropy (ApEn), Sample Entropy (SampEn) and Multi-scale Entropy (MSE) are measures based on chaos theory that quantify the regularity in time series. This study has been designed to examine the ability of these measures to distinguish the RR-interval time series of normal subjects (NSR) from subjects with congestive heart failure (CHF). The study was conducted on the …

Combined Effects Of Prozac And Hypothalmic Mediated Response On Masseter Muscle Activity In The Cat, Chika P. Nwaorgu

Theses

The present study tested the hypothesis that infusion of Prozac would serve to suppress defensive rage elicited from the medial hypothalamus of the cat. Cats are known to exhibit certain kind of behavior, known as the "defensive rage response" such as unsheathing of the claws, retraction of the ear and vocalization (hissing).

Three adult cats (2 males and 1 female) weighing (2.8 - 3.4 kg) were utilized during the experiments. Cannula-electrodes were implanted into the medial hypothalamus for elicitation of defensive rage behavior. EMG activity was recorded with a bipolar electrode attached to the masseter muscle to establish baseline before …

Automated Liquid Dispensing Pin For Dna Microarray Applications, Suganya Parthasarathy

Theses

This thesis describes the research and development of a new liquid dispensing/aspiring system that is capable of producing micro sized spots/droplets for molecular biology research and analysis. In particular, the application is focused on DNA microarray fabrication with the goals of smaller spot size, higher yield, more efficient usage of biological materials, and capability to handle high viscosity liquids. The new system is based on active sensing and control and it is part of a fully integrated robotic microarray system for genomic and proteomic applications. The prototype system handles water as well as thick liquids such as 100% glycerol and …

Political Humor In Late-Night Television: A Quantitative And Qualitative Examination Of Late-Night Talk Show Monologues, Eileen Shannon

Theses

This study examines political trends that existed in late-night talk show monologues throughout October 2004. Designed to detect which candidates and issues were addressed, along with the degree to which hosts positively or negatively framed the candidates, the results clarify the issues and people that the public was familiar with.

The monologues of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman were examined. A content analysis and a semantic differential scale distinguished important issues, candidates and the framing of those candidates. Trends within each show were noted.

The results show President George W. Bush as …

The Effective Management Of A Recycling Program At A Large Manufacturing Facility, Michael D. Nersinger

Theses

Some companies have realized the benefits associated with an effective recycling program. Xerox Corporation is one of those companies. Effective recycling can bring revenue to a company, while reducing costs associated with waste disposal. Additionally, they may be seen as good corporate citizens to their stakeholders, which can be used as an important marketing tool for the sales force.

This project examined the effective management of a recycling program at a large facility. Xerox Corporation's facilities located in Monroe County, New York have had recycling programs in place for over a decade. Because the program was mature and continued to …

Perceived Social Support And Well-Being Among Gay And Lesbian Parents, Valerie Weck

Theses

Parents who identify as gay or lesbian often face discrimination from the majority population based their sexual orientation. Additionally, gay and lesbian parents may be subject to discrimination from the single-gay and lesbian community for their parental status. However, families of this type continue to grow in number and seem to fare well in the face this adversity. Research to date has not explored the resources that gay and lesbian parents rely on in order to rise above intolerance and promote healthy development of the family. Due to the abundance of literature emphasizing the importance of social support to measures …

A Procedure For Imposing A Dichotomous Incidence Variable On The Weighting Of Items In A Dual Scaling Analysis Of Successive-Categories (Rating) Data, Adam Wyse

Theses

Demographic information collected on surveys is often of certain interest to those who use these surveys to measure customer satisfaction or do market research. This thesis presents a method for imposing a dichotomous incidence variable, possibly a demographic variable, on the weighting of items in a set of successive-categories (rating) data using dual scaling. The idea is to augment the matrix of rating data with the "criterion variable" containing the dichotomous information so that this item determines one of the initial solutions of the dual scaling analysis. In conjunction with the augmentation of the criterion item, the original data are …

Proposed Exergetic Based Leak Detection And Diagnosis Methodology For Automotive Carbon Dioxide Air Conditioning Systems, Erin Canfield

Theses

Due to the overwhelming concern of global warming and ozone depletion, the replacement of many currently used refrigerants is a pressing matter within all sectors of refrigeration. Presently, the hydroflourocarbon (HFC) 134a, the working fluid of automotive air conditioning (AC) systems, greatly contributes to global warming as the result of system leakage. Both chemical and natural refrigerant losses impose threats to the environment and human health as well as reduce operational efficiency which increases energy consumption. If no action is taken to replace the chemical refrigerants, then it is proposed that the emissions from fluorinated gasses would increase from 65.2 …

Internet As A Crisis Management Tool: The Preparedness Of Company Websites, Verda Duygun

Theses

The Internet has become a crucial information resource. People can find what they seek in a matter of seconds. This new medium has provided opportunities as well as challenges for public relations practitioners. Its speed has also produced an increased risk of faster dissemination of rumors, hoaxes, and false information so important to counter in a crisis situation. In this study, I examined the preparedness of the top Fortune 50 companies to manage crises by evaluating the degree of interactivity of their Websites. The results indicate that few of the Fortune 50 companies are very interactive or well prepared to …

The Factors Influencing The College Choice Of The Leaving Certificate Cohort, Patrick O Sullivan

Theses

This thesis examines the factors that influence the college choice and decision making behaviour adopted by Leaving Certificate Students choosing third level colleges in tertiary education. It attempts to understand the decision making process and associated influences that affect students when considering a third level college. The position adopted for this study is that of a consumer behaviour perspective.

Whether or not the potential students operate a systematic process, logically thinking throughout each step, is worthy of research. Secondary research confirms the many variables influencing the decision-making process, particularly in the USA and UK. However, in-depth knowledge regarding the criteria …