Digital Commons Network^™

Bubble Stream Production By Belugas (Delphinapterus Leucas), Megan Slack

Theses

Bubble stream production in belugas has been poorly characterized and its function is not well understood. I examined behavioral states when producing bubble streams (“bubbling”), and when bubbling calls, to determine whether bubbling was significantly associated with a particular call category or behavioral state. Using 19 hours of video and audio recordings collected over a two-day period, I quantified bubble streams of a 4-month old calf and an unrelated adult female housed together. Based on the overall activity budgets and pool of vocalizations for both animals, I calculated the expected counts of bubble streams with and without vocalizations, assuming that …

Modification Of A Current Coalbed Methane Permeability Model For Horizontal Strain Only, Sawyer David Schrader

Theses

Cleat permeability of coal is the most critical parameter affecting the amount of production from a coalbed methane (CBM) reservoir. As a result, there have been many studies about how cleat permeability changes over the life of a reservoir, leading to the development over time of several different permeability models. Most permeability models used today consider volumetric strain as an input parameter; however, permeability is impacted primarily by the increase in cleat aperture, resulting from matrix shrinkage in the horizontal direction. Recent work has shown that coal exhibits transverse isotropy, with total strain in the vertical direction being significantly higher …

Time Reversal Symmetry Breaking In 4f-Doped Topological Insulators, Stephen Hofer

Theses

Time-Reversal Symmetry (TRS) is a hallmark of Topological Insulator (TI) systems. TRS in conjuction with the strong Spin-Orbit Coupling (SOC) present in Bismuth Selenide is responsible for the uniquely robust surface states shown in this material. Breaking TRS in these systems in order to achieve gapped surface states requires the presence of a magnetic field throughout the material. We achieve this effect by doping the system with 4f elements whereby the magnetic field is provided by the local magnetic moments of the dopants manifesting ferromagnetic behavior. Through this spontaneous gap opening in the surface states in is expected that the …

Lvad Occlusion Condition Monitoring Using State Augmented Acoustic Spectral Images, Ian Richard Prechtl

Theses

Each year, thousands of people die from heart disease and related illnesses due to the lack of available donor organs. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) aim to mitigate that occurrence, serving as a bridge-to-surgery option. While short term survival rates of LVAD patients near that of orthotopic surgery they are not viable long term options due to varied reasons. This work examines one cause, outlet graft thrombosis, and develops an algorithm for increasingly robust classification of device condition as it pertains to thrombosis or more generally occlusion. In order to do so an in vitro heart simulator is developed so …

Novel Detection And Analysis Using Deep Variational Autoencoders, Tucker B. Graydon

Theses

This paper presents a Novel Identification System which uses generative modeling techniques and Gaussian Mixture Models (GMMs) to identify the main process variables involved in a novel event from multivariate data. Features are generated and subsequently dimensionally reduced by using a Variational Autoencoder (VAE) supplemented by a denoising criterion and a β disentangling method. The GMM parameters are learned using the Expectation Maximization(EM) algorithm on features collected from only normal operating conditions. A one-class classification is achieved by thresholding the likelihoods by a statistically derived value. The Novel Identification method is verified as a detection method on existing Radio Frequency …

Characterization Of Shear-Induced Hemolysis In Rotational Medical Devices, James A. Krisher

Theses

The implantation of a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) is a rapidly growing means of treatment for a large variety of heart ailments. These blood pumps necessarily exert some degree of shear stress on blood passing through them, which, over time, may cause the rupture of red blood cells, coagulation, thromboses, and bleeding. This limits their use as long term treatment and therapy. While the relationship of fluid shear to blood damage has been demonstrated previously, there is significant variance in the reported levels of damage. Were these stresses and subsequent damage to be well understood and related, existing and …

Statistics Anxiety Towards Learning New Statistical Software, Shahd Saad Alnofaie

Theses

Based on previous research, statistics anxiety towards statistics were discussed. There is a study about anxiety and attitude of graduate students in on-campus vs. online statistics courses, and student attitude toward statistics. To date, no one has seemed to examine anxiety toward statistics with regard to use of coding vs. noncoding software. The purpose of this study was to know the level of anxiety towards learning new statistical software. Responses from seventy-nine graduate students who have or had classes in the Applied Statistics Division were collected. The survey made for this study had a Likert scale that included three categories …

Design, Fault Modeling And Testing Of A Fully Integrated Low Noise Amplifier (Lna) In 45 Nm Cmos Technology For Inter And Intra-Chip Wireless Interconnects, Tanmay Vinay Shinde

Theses

Research in recent years has demonstrated that intra and inter-chip wireless interconnects are capable of establishing energy-efficient data communications within as well as between multiple chips. This thesis introduces a circuit level design of a source degenerated two stage common source low noise amplifier suitable for such wireless interconnects in 45-nm CMOS process. The design consists of a simple two-stage common source structure based Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) to boost the degraded received signal. Operating at 60GHz, the proposed low noise amplifier consumes only 4.88 mW active power from a 1V supply while providing 17.2 dB of maximum gain at …

Validation Of An Innovation Mining Framework, Karthikeyan Subramani

Theses

The driving hypothesis of this thesis is that a quantitative approach linking business objectives of an organization with technological limitations of the physical product would enable industry to create more innovative products. The main goal of this research is to validate the applicability and reliability of the innovation mining framework developed by Peyyeti (2016) to identify innovation opportunities and components worth innovating in a product. In this work, the innovation mining framework is applied with minor modifications to a mechanical pencil, innovation scenarios were then compared to existing innovations in mechanical pencils. Based on the success of the feasibility trial, …

Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics, Tanmayee Gupte

Theses

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is a meshfree particle method based on a Lagrangian formulation, which has been widely applied to different areas in astrophysics involving complicated fluid dynamical processes. For the first part of this project we have expanded an existing smoothed particle hydrodynamic code (StarCrash). We have added different time integration methods and used them to study the code's overall ability to conserve energy. In the second part we have evaluated the StarCrash code's ability to use different numerical treatments to perform shock tube simulations via Sod's shock tube test. We have used different evolution schemes involving either the …

Efficient Inventory Management Of Hospital Supply Chains Using A Sim-Heuristic Approach, Siddharth Garg

Theses

Inventory management is a vital section of a supply chain system. In a hospital setting, where delivering high quality patient care is a prime concern, inventory management is often overlooked. With the ever increasing demand for products, it becomes challenging to manage inventory in a dynamic facility such as a hospital. Although there is abundant research in supply chain, seldom have the proposed methods found their way into execution in actual hospital settings. Additionally, much of the literature focuses on particular aspects of the supply chain. Current methods used in practice lead to system performance that is suboptimal, resulting in …

Mathematical Model And Parameter Estimation For Tumor Growth, Lujun Yin

Theses

We consider a tumor growth model initially proposed by Ward and King in 1997. Our primary goal is to find an efficient and accurate numerical method for the identification of parameters in the model (an inverse problem) from measurements of the evolving tumor over time. The so-called direct problem, in this case, is to solve a system of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations for given fixed values of the unknown parameters. We compare several derivative-free and gradient-based methods for the solution of the inverse problem which is formulated as an optimization problem with the system of partial differential equations (PDEs) …

Holographic Generative Memory: Neurally Inspired One-Shot Learning With Memory Augmented Neural Networks, Dillon R. Graham

Theses

Humans quickly parse and categorize stimuli by combining perceptual information and previously learned knowledge. We are capable of learning new information quickly with only a few observations, and sometimes even a single observation. This one-shot learning (OSL) capability is still very difficult to realize in machine learning models. Novelty is commonly thought to be the primary driver for OSL. However, neuroscience literature shows that biological OSL mechanisms are guided by uncertainty, rather than novelty, motivating us to explore this idea for machine learning.

In this work, we investigate OSL for neural networks using more robust compositional knowledge representations and a …

Fissures And Fractures: An Investigation In Natural Breakdowns, Joshua Dewall

Theses

Growing up in a mostly rural area in the Midwest, I spent great lengths outside as a child. Sure, I was born into the era of arcade games and Nintendo, but I remember preferring more active experiences rather than the stationary ones held within doors. Maybe it was hard to keep my focus; maybe I was a bit hyperactive. Whatever the reason, I wasn’t inside when I didn’t have to be. I recall escaping into the woods for hours when I was younger. I would take long bike rides or escape into the horse pasture deep behind our house. Not …

Convex Optimization Approach To The Optimal Power Flow Problem In Dc-Microgrids With Energy Storage, Abdullah Mohammed Alzahrani

Theses

Humanity is currently facing a global energy crisis. This is due to the shortage in the conventional energy resources while the demand for energy is rising. In response to this crisis, research in designing more energy efficient systems has gained significant importance. The Microgrids (MGs) are one of the main key elements in giving significant momentum to efficient decentralized energy generation.

From the perspective of MGs power management, economical scheduling for generators, energy storage, and demand loads are critical. Performance optimization processes are needed to minimize the operating costs while considering operational constraints.

In this thesis, the optimal power flow …

Exploring The Application Of Homomorphic Encryption For A Cross Domain Solution, Cody W. Tinker

Theses

A cross domain solution is a means of information assurance that provides the ability to access or transfer digital data between varying security domains. Most acceptable cross domain solutions focus mainly on risk management policies that rely on using protected or trusted parties to handle the information in order to solve this problem; thus, a cross domain solution that is able to function in the presence of untrusted parties is an open problem.

Homomorphic encryption is a type of encryption that allows its party members to operate and evaluate encrypted data without the need to decrypt it. Practical homomorphic encryption …

Incremental And Adaptive L1-Norm Principal Component Analysis: Novel Algorithms And Applications, Mayur Dhanaraj

Theses

L1-norm Principal-Component Analysis (L1-PCA) is known to attain remarkable resistance against faulty/corrupted points among the processed data. However, computing L1-PCA of “big data” with large number of measurements and/or dimensions may be computationally impractical. This work proposes new algorithmic solutions for incremental and adaptive L1-PCA. The first algorithm computes L1-PCA incrementally, processing one measurement at a time, with very low computational and memory requirements; thus, it is appropriate for big data and big streaming data applications. The second algorithm combines the merits of the first one with additional ability to track changes in the nominal signal subspace by revising the …

An Analysis Of The State Matura Exam In Kosovo, Vjolla Gashi

Theses

This paper’s aim is to analyze the State Matura Exam. The focus of the analysis is in particular on the administration process of the exam. The analysis is conducted by relying on both primary and secondary research. The research discusses the issues with the administration process of the test, whereby it identifies organized cheating as one of the most problematic issues. It also identifies methods of cheating by relying on primary research e.g. surveys and focus groups. Thus, the study analyzes whether the State Matura Exam fulfills the criteria needed to be considered a standardized test.

To conclude, the purpose …

A Study Of The Lightfastness Of High-Chroma Water-Based Flexographic Printing Inks, Nuanjan Narakornpijit

Theses

The study of new material for package printing is critical because packaging is not only about visual aesthetics, but also function. Technologies such as High-chroma ink that aid expanded gamut printing can be especially useful in package printing.

The thesis experiment examined the lightfastness characteristics of High-chroma water-based flexographic printing inks sets within the context of package printing applicability. Using conventional water-based flexographic printing inks as a standard, the study examined whether High-chroma inks exhibit different lightfastness characteristics. First, the researcher chose yellow and magenta process color water-based flexographic inks because of the traditional process colors, they are the least …

Numerical Investigation Of Heat And Mass Transfer Phenomena In Boiling, Isaac Bernabe Perez-Raya

Theses

Applications boiling are found in heat sinks for electronics cooling, nuclear and fossil fuel powered steam generators, distillation columns, concentrated solar power systems, glass melting furnaces, desalination chambers, and heat and mass exchangers. In order to increase the performance and safety margins of these applications, there is a need to develop tools that predict the thermal and fluid behavior during bubble growth. The analysis of boiling has been addressed by computer simulations, which employ methods for approximating mass and heat transfer at the interface.

However, most simulations make assumptions that could adversely affect the prediction of the thermal and dynamic …

Graph-Based Performance Estimation On Customized Mips Processors, Saaim Valiani

Theses

The desire for greater processor performance with shrinking technologies and increasing heterogeneity, leads to a need for improvement in performance estimation. Being able to estimate the performance of an application without needing to implement the application on the available hardware and soft-core choices can decrease development time and help expedite the process of choosing which platform would be the best choice to use for development.

This thesis work focuses on using a graph-based description of an application to estimate performance. By using a graph-based approach, the need for a hardware specific implementation is eliminated and the design space is simplified. …

Empirical Satellite Characterization For Realistic Imagery Generation, Nilay Vijay Mokashi

Theses

There is an increasing interest in the use of machine learning deep networks to automatically analyze satellite imagery. However, there are limited annotated satellite imagery datasets available for training these networks. Synthetic image generation offers a solution to this need, but only if the simulated images have comparable characteristics to the real data. This work deals with analysis of commercial satellite imagery to characterize their imaging systems for the purpose of increasing the realism of the synthetic imagery generated by RIT’s Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG) model.

The analysis was applied to satellite imagery from Planet Labs …

Impact Of Snap Fruit And Vegetable Incentive Programs: An Analysis Of Usda Fini Projects, Katherine Engel

Theses

As diet-related chronic diseases continue to jeopardize public health in the United States, improving the dietary quality of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants is essential. One strategy that has been proposed as a means of doing so is utilizing fruit and vegetable incentives. Incentives serve to lower the cost of these foods for participants and thus theoretically encourage and enable them to purchase and consume more fruits and vegetables. The existing research indicates that incentives are an effective approach for increasing fruit and vegetable purchase and consumption. However, there is lack of research on the factors that influence the …

Hypoxic And Viral Contributions To The Etiopathogenesis Of Schizophrenia: A Whole Transcriptome Analysis, Kathryn A. Gorski

Theses

Schizophrenia is a mental illness with a complex and as of yet unclear etiology. It is highly heritable and has a strong polygenic character, however, studies examining the genetics of schizophrenia have not sufficiently explained all variability in its prevalence. Environmental causes are theorized to have a non trivial contribution to the pathoetiology of schizophrenia, including interactions with genetic components, but these mechanisms remain unclear. Analyzing schizophrenia dysfunction using transcriptomic approaches is a paradigm still in its infancy, and fewer studies still have examined non neurological contributions to schizophrenia pathology with next generation sequencing technologies. This pilot study uses several …

Head Impacts In The A7fl, Stephen Mcgeever

Theses

The American 7s Football League (A7FL) is a semi professional football league that does not use helmets or pads. The theory is that the game is safer without helmets and pads because players feel more vulnerable and use a different tackling technique to protect themselves. Rather than lowering and leading with their head when the players tackle, as many helmeted football players do, A7FL players primarily use their arms to wrap the opponent up. A7FL players were given Vector mouth guards designed by Athlete Intelligence to wear. These mouth guards have built in tri-axial accelerometers to record impact data, which …

Modelling Of Oxygen Diffusion In Cork, Swapnil Shivputra Rane

Theses

The primary objective of this project is to better understand gas diffusion through natural cork structures by comparing simulations of gas diffusion through natural cork to experimental measurements of oxygen gas diffusion through the same structure. The cork's internal structure is measured using x-ray computed tomography (CT). From the measured internal structure, a simple mapping is assumed converting the measured x-ray computed tomography images into a 3D map of local diffusion coefficient. Specifically, it is assured that the x-ray CT pixel value is inversely proportional to the diffusion coefficient of oxygen through the cork. A diffusion model for the cork …

Detecting And Characterizing Self Hiding Behavior In Android Applications, Raina Samuel

Theses

Applications (apps) that conceal their activities are fundamentally deceptive; app marketplaces and end-users should treat such apps as suspicious. However, due to its nature and intent, activity concealing is not disclosed up-front, which puts users at risk. This study focuses on characterization and detection of such techniques, e.g., hiding the app or removing traces, known as 'self hiding' (SH) behavior. SH behavior has not been studied per se - rather it has been reported on only as a byproduct of malware investigations. This gap is addressed via a study and suite of static analyses targeted at SH in Android apps. …

Intense Ultrasonic Waves In Fluids: Nonlinear Behaviour, Jitendra Kewalramani

Theses

High-intensity ultrasonic wave has several engineering, biological, medical and chemical applications. High intensity acoustic waves can lead to a desired change in a medium by initiating one or more diverse mechanisms such as acoustic cavitation, heating, radiation pressure, or chemical reactions. Nonlinear nature of intense acoustic waves opens an entire new spectrum of applications. Hence there is need to understand and model the mechanism of nonlinear wave motion for practical applications of intense acoustic waves.

In this research, one-dimensional motion of shock waves in an ideal fluid is studied to include nonlinearity. In nonlinear acoustics, the propagation velocity of different …

Knowledge Management In New Product Development (Npd), Luca Maria Mancinelli

Theses

This thesis analyses features that, in New Product Development process (NPD), foster knowledge, and their contribution to the creation and application of knowledge with the aim of increasing both global performance and organizational effectiveness. Since knowledge is becoming more important to achieve competitive advantage, companies have already started to focus on their ability to generate new competencies and create new opportunities for producing new knowledge.

One of the issues compelling knowledge management understands what aspects of the organization's work system and organizational design affect its ability to acquire, create and apply knowledge. In fact, the way that workers are organized …

Graphs With K-Uniform Edge Betweenness Centrality, Mariya Belchikova

Theses

The edge betweenness centrality of an edge is defined as the ratio of shortest paths between all pairs of vertices passing through that edge. A graph is said to have k-uniform edge betweenness centrality, if there are k different edge betweenness centrality values. In this thesis we investigate graphs that have k-uniform edge betweenness centrality where k=2 or 3, and precisely determine the edge betweenness centrality values for various families of graphs.