The Transition Of The College Quarterback To The Nfl: Why The Hardest Position In Sports Is Getting Easier, Derik Abbott

Theses

The NFL is changing. Score boards are being lit up by young quarterbacks like never seen before. Rookie quarterbacks are playing like 10 year veterans. Offenses are playing at light speed paces. But why? This Thesis paper looks to uncover why college quarterbacks are playing at MVP caliber levels at such a young age. With research in multiple fields such as analytics, neuroscience, youth football developmental leagues and artificial intelligence,, this paper seeks to determine the relationship between what strategies front offices and coaching staffs are using and the high success rate of young quarterbacks in the National Football League. …

Using Microalgae To Remediate Food And Bio-Digester Effluents From Western New York Agro Industries And Prospecting Harvested Algae Biomass For Biofuel Feedstocks, Daniel Anini Baah

Theses

Agro-industries of Western NY contributes to the US economy in diverse ways. Among these are dairy, poultry, cheese, tofu and Greek Yogurt plants whose processes discharge effluents high in pollutants such as NH3, PO4, NO3, and Fe which adversely affect aquatic systems and the watershed if discharged untreated. Waste hauling causes an economic burden to industries as WWTPs remain restrictive to these effluents, but Algae Remediation Technology provides a sustainable alternative to treating agricultural wastewaters onsite. This study sampled, assessed and treated effluents from selected production plants within NY State with various algae. The research applied free suspended Algae technology …

The Photometric Effect Of Macroscopic Surface Roughness On Sediment Surfaces, Greg Badura

Theses

The focus of this work was on explaining the effect of macroscopic surface roughness on the reflected light from a soil surface. These questions extend from deciding how to best describe roughness mathematically, to figuring out how to quantify its effect on the spectral reflectance from a soil’s surface. In this document, I provide a background of the fundamental literature in the fields of remote sensing and computer vision that have been instrumental in my research. I then outline the software and hardware tools that I have developed to quantify roughness. This includes a detailed outline of a custom "LiDAR" …

Chinese Ornaments Of The Imperial Robe: A Modern Motif Design Interpretation, Xiaoya Shen

Theses

“Twelve Ornaments” are a group of ancient Chinese symbols and designs that are considered highly auspicious. In ancient China, because they signified authority and power, they were employed in the decoration of textile fabrics, and were embroidered on vestments of state, such as the Imperial Robe. They are the patterns that could represent the essence of Chinese traditional national dress.

This thesis project is based on the analysis, research and summarization of this design history as well as the establishment of effective visual design solutions intended to transform the twelve ornaments into modern motif designs. The design will retain the …

Art Museums And Early Childhood: Enhanced Interactions For Young Audiences In Art Museums, Evgenia Tranevskaya

Theses

Muse House is an engaging experience for young audiences in art museums.

This project was conceived as an appealing and creative way to attract families with little children to art museums and galleries, for the reason that these places are not parent’s first-choice of leisure time with their children. Children 3–6 years old tend to explore the environment using all their senses, but in art museums, there is hardly anything they can touch. The content in art museums is usually not meant for the young audiences, and children easily get bored and tired. If tangible objects and age-appropriate activities are …

Evaluation Of Alternative Valorization Options For Institutional And Industrial Food Wastes, Swati Hegde

Theses

In recent years many countries and several regions in the United States have passed legislation on banning landfilling of organic waste. It is a well-known fact that organic wastes, including food scraps, generate methane under anaerobic landfill environments and contribute significantly to global warming. As more regions are mandated to follow the landfill ban, there is an increasing demand for alternative technologies for the disposal, treatment and upcycling of food wastes. Disposal and treatment may not result in any value-added products and hence are not the most efficient ways to manage food waste. As food waste has a high energy …

The Semi-Volatile Fraction Of Atmospheric Aerosols, Daniel J. Ruff

Theses

Atmospheric aerosols are significant contributor to climate effects as well as health problems. Many of these aerosols are mostly organic where their effects are dependent on their chemical composition. Atmospheric aerosols consist of a complex mixture of organic and inorganic components. The properties of the organic components within the aerosols can vary widely including the degree of oxidation and their vapor pressure. Recent studies have shown that a large fraction of newly formed atmospheric aerosols are semi-volatile and may vaporize back into the environment. This semi-volatile fraction of organic aerosols is largely unknown due to its difficulty to model. We …

Lumens, Manuel Moreno Lee

Theses

This paper is about the process and creation of my final MFA thesis assignment, a 5 minute and 30 second short animated film titled “Lumens”. This film was primarily animated in 3D and created over the course of two semesters. Lumens is about the journey of an unnamed heroine hunting a creature that swallowed the sun, bringing perpetual darkness into the world. As the heroine travels the dark landscape, she lights up old forgotten lampposts, bringing light back into the world. In the end, the heroine is unable to complete her task and dies in the end, failing to reach …

Flightfit: An Application Enabling Air Travelers To Do Stretches Onboard, Ninglin Jiang

Theses

Currently, with the development of economy and the improvement of people's living standards, more people would prefer traveling by air. However, sitting for extended periods of time on a long flight would be an uncomfortable joyless experience and it may have negative implications for health. A study from the World Health Organisation confirmed that the risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) approximately doubles after travel lasting four hours or more. So carrying out some stretches frequently as well as standing up and moving around as often as possible under permitted conditions would help to improve blood circulation and relieve muscle …

Looking Past The Images: Art And Film As Propaganda Apparatuses, Alexander Schumm

Theses

This paper aims to show that art and film can operate as propaganda in subtle and unintentional ways. Jacques Ellul called such propaganda “sociological propaganda.” Recent work in philosophy has relied on the notion of intention in defining how propaganda works to affect the beliefs and attitudes of its recipients. This paper argues that intention is not a necessary condition for messages to be propagandistic and works to decouple propaganda from intention. Because our current models rely on intention in defining propaganda, recent work in philosophy cannot account for sociological propaganda. Ellul’s gestures toward defining propaganda explicitly feature intention as …

Behrdie, Brendan T. Murphy

Theses

Humans are and always will be consumers. They have utilized goods to solve problems and explore creative ideas. As cultures evolved, new products came about with increasing complexities and functions. People began to consume products for their meaning rather than for the service the objects provided. Currently, products dominate human life, a culture of materialism driving incredible consumption rates. Excessive consumption creates problems for the environment and human well-being. Many strategies have been proposed to reduce the rapid accumulating of products, however, as they do not address consumers, but instead producers, lasting impact has yet to be found. A solution …

Temporal Changes In The Diversity And Composition Of Tropical Andean Forest Communities, Claudia Andrea Aparicio-Chavez

Theses

During the last few thousand years, human population growth and resource use has been reshaping the planet’s nutrient cycles, climate and biodiversity and might be causing significant changes to spatial and temporal patterns in the distribution of species, and a general erosion of biodiversity at global scales. Many studies have been looking to model and predict how species could respond to actual rates of change on environmental conditions, with a high interest in terms of species distribution and richness with potential extinctions. However, how global change impact local communities still remains unclear. Moreover, previous research suffers from a significant bias …

Trēfolio: Protecting Trees Through Emotional Connections And Greater Awareness, Surudhakeerthi Sivakumar

Theses

Trees are being burned, degraded, and logged at astonishing rates. 80% of the world’s forests are already destroyed. It is estimated that within 100 years there will be no rainforests left. Urbanization, Mining, Fires, Logging, and Agricultural activities are all to blame for this destruction (Vidal 2017).

The first step in solving this problem is to raise awareness. Each tree is unique, and every tree has an interesting story to tell. When people realize this and start building a personal connection with the trees around them, they will naturally develop a protective instinct towards the trees they like. The goal …

Augmented Reality: Will Burtin - The Past Becomes The Future, John Edward Koegel

Theses

This thesis work concentrated on imperative historical content, extensive design research, and Microsoft HoloLens technology (microsoft.com/en-us/hololens). Archival content and technology were brought together to effectively develop a viable augmented environment in which to enrich archival experiences with the potential to be accessible by anyone, anywhere, at any time. For the first time since the original exhibit installation in 1971, viewers can now visit the AIGA Exhibit,

The Communication of Knowledge (http://library.rit.edu/gda/designers/will-burtin). The exhibit presented a summary of pioneering American graphic designer Will Burtin’s innovative design career which has now been regenerated in its original scale and dimensions to demonstrate how …

Coloquio: Pro-Social Games For Healthy Social Interaction, Mintesinot T. Gebre

Theses

This study was conducted to address the unhealthy social and emotional development of children today as they are exposed to the adverse effects technology dominant environment. The extent of interference of screen interaction in today’s group activities at home, hinders opportunities for families to interact with one another. Surveys and tests were conducted for the purpose of finding where the undesired behaviors and habits formed by screen interaction become very pervasive. And the design solution proposes a pro-social activity that makes use of cognitive abilities to allow social activities and conversations to happen in parallel.

The Use Of Bacteriophages To Control Legionella Spp. In Environmental Water Samples, Naama Abdulla Ali Al-Kaabi

Theses

Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia which can affect human, but principally affects those who are susceptible and predisposed to infection due to old age, illness, immunosuppressed and patients at risk. Legionnaires' disease is caused by Gram-negative rod bacteria called Legionella pneumophila. An estimation of 8,000 to 18,000 are actually confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease per year in the USA. In the UAE, there has been an increase in the number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease which are associated with recent travel to Dubai. Incidents doubled between October 2016 and August 2017. Legionella pneumophila is found …

Evaluating Different Densities Of Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa L) With Varying Levels Of Feeding Regimes On Tilapia Fish (Oreochromis Niloticus L) In Aquaponics System, Ahmed Salem Mohammed Suhail Alkaabi

Theses

Aquaponics uses waste generated by fish as plant nutrients within a re-circulating system that returns clean water back to the fish. The purpose of this study was to cultivate the high quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) production in an integrated aquaponic system with recirculating aquaculture system in the UAE climatic condition on three different densities and feeding regimes. An experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions in the United Arab Emirates in 2016 (from April to August). The evaluation of the production was based on three parameters viz., head of the …

Evaluating The Profitability Of Natural Gas Combustion Turbine Power Plants In The Us And Its Implications On Future Of Natural Gas As A Bridge Fuel For Electricity Generation, Rexon Joe Carvalho

Theses

Investment in electricity generation infrastructure has been long lived because of its high lead times and high capital cost. In addition to its long-lived nature, the investment has also become riskier with the deregulated market structure and high electricity price volatility. The push towards building generators with flexible generation, low capital cost and low lead times has driven the investment towards natural gas fired generation resulting in large amount of capacity addition in the 2000s. Natural gas fired generation technologies have different economics compared to other technologies. In this study we find that as most of the cost of a …

Forensic Art In Law Enforcement: The Art And Science Of The Human Head, Kourtnei F. Rodriguez

Theses

Forensic art is a highly specialized career field, but there are very few full-time forensic artists working today. There is only one school in the world that offers a degree in forensic art and it is located in Dundee, Scotland at the University of Dundee. The university’s School of Science and Engineering offers a Master of Science (MSc) in Forensic Art and Facial Identification. However, there have been a variety of training courses and workshops provided for individuals interested in studying forensic art locally throughout the United States. Some people may have heard the term used before, but they still …

Genesee Waterways Center, Andrea Stylianou

Theses

The Genesee Waterways Center, or GWC, is home to multiple competitive and recreational rowing programs and clubs, but lacks the appropriate facility to properly house and cater to its patrons and visitors. Rowing is an activity that values discipline and teamwork and has evolved into a sport that welcomes all those who are interested in joining. The GWC is located in Rochester, NY’s Genesee Valley Park which brings many recreational visitors past or through the boathouse. GWC wants to provide the opportunity for all those interested, but faces three major problems: a disconnection with its surroundings, lack of a facility …

Using Social Media Data In Demand Forecasting: The Case Of Walmart, Aybike Akici

Theses

We describe a fully empirical study on demand forecasting, that is applicable to any real-world data. This is a hands-on case study on the power of social media in demand forecasting. We implement a Box-Jenkins methodology with exogenous variables, namely ARIMAX, to forecast Walmart's future sales. The social media components that we utilize are the number of likes and comments on the official Facebook page of Walmart. The details of the empirical investigation for fitting the best ARIMAX model are presented, and the results are discussed. With this thesis, we demonstrate that social media information should be considered in forecasting, …

The Design And Realization Of A Dual Mode Photoacoustic And Ultrasound Imaging Camera, Zichao Han

Theses

Prostate cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Diagnosis of the disease is based on persisting elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and suspicious lesion felt on digital rectal examination (DRE), prompting transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) imaging guided biopsy. This method, however, has long been criticized for its poor sensitivity in detecting cancerous lesions, leading to the fact that these biopsies generally are not targeted but systematic multi-core in nature that try to sample the entire gland. The thesis presents a new modality that, in combination of ultrasound (US) imaging with multi-wavelength photoacoustic (PA) imaging, improves …

Design Vs. War: Modular System Of Toys For War-Affected Children, Shima Ghaheri

Theses

Toy and play as integral childhood components have proven to be crucial in child development. [1] It has been adults’ responsibility to provide children with suitable toys or help them find or make ones. However, this task seems to be challenging about children in war zones. Children that still have the rights to be recognized as children, to spend their time playing delightfully, and to grow peacefully.

In this project, first I examine how wars affect lives. To dig into the effect further, I explore the affected war children as the most vulnerable group of the society. Then I study …

For That What Didn't, Sue Britt

Theses

ABSTRACT The work of this book was pursued with the objective of exploring psychological and sociological causes and effects of the human condition with themes including family, love, solitude, loss, abandonment, estrangement, maternity, sex, and gender power dynamics--especially that of male dominance of women and varying female responses to this sociological organization--using characters, animals, settings and voices in the artistic medium of poetry. The assembly of the book is in the style of novel structure, but neither story nor chronology were considered in the order of organization as each poem is an independent piece. Epigraphs were used at the beginning …

Web Whys? An Investigation Into The Capacity, Capability And Commitment Of Youth Work Providers To Engage Young People In Their Services Through New Media And Technologies., Nora Butler

Theses

Firstly, we shall explore what technologies young people have at their disposal and how tools like social networking sites have created a shift in our communication processes. In order to harness the potential of this technology and improve the relationship between youth work and technology, we must first understand how it is used in practice which requires investigative research, of which this paper has undertaken. I suggest that Web Whys? is used as a resource for other practitioners in Youth Work to understand the real impact and potential of digital platforms for improving young people’s lives.

A mixed method approach …

Sustaining Dockless Bike-Sharing Based On Business Principles, Neil Horowitz

Theses

Currently in urban areas, the value of money and fuel is increasing because of urban traffic congestion. As an environmentally sustainable and short-distance travel mode, dockless bike-sharing not only assists in resolving the issue of urban traffic congestion, but additionally assists in minimizing pollution, satisfying the demand of the last mile problem, and improving societal health. Despite the positives that this new transportation mode provides, currently there are few effective measures in place to make the development of dockless bike-sharing providers more sustainable.

This study endeavors in establishing a foundation for resolving this problem through developing business models of dockless …

#Metoo: Personal Accounts Of Sexual Violence On Facebook Analyzing Individual Stories To Reveal Themes About Gender, Power, And Intersectional Factors, Lauren Depoint

Theses

This study examines the types of narratives constructed about experiences with sexual violence shared in Facebook posts using the hashtag #MeToo. Feminist and intersectional theories were used to contextualize a textual analysis of 61 public posts to explore how individuals were presenting their experiences for a mass audience online in the absence of traditional gatekeepers. Most of the posts featured graphic details, strong emotion, and patterns of internalized misogyny. Stories shared revealed troubling power dynamics involving disability, race, and gender. Intersectional groups are underrepresented in online spaces, indicating a problematic absence of these individuals within online movements like #MeToo that …

Perceptions Of Non-Americans Towards American Tv Series, Thaarika Charumathy Seetharaman

Theses

Television drama is one of the most entertaining genre of the media industry, and it serves as a socialization platform (Greenberg, 1982). American TV series have gained audience and fans from all around the world which opens up the scope for examining the effects of American media on the secondary audience. Drawing on the framework of cultivation theory, this study examined the effect of American TV series on non-American population. The results suggested that the cultivation effects are dependent on age and gender of the respondents, in connection with the genre of the series influencing the audience’s framing of the …

Understanding Motives For Posting Online Reviews, Mara Plecas

Theses

With the help of the Internet, information is no longer only controlled by large businesses and news media. Consumers now have an opportunity to assert their opinion of products or services online in form of online reviews and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication. Both positive and negative word-of-mouth communication can have a strong influence on consumers’ behavior and on business performance. Positive word-of-mouth is becoming a new way of promoting and building brand relationships with consumers. Negative worth-of-mouth is motivated by revengeful behavior due to a negative or dissatisfying experience. Vast amount of research has shown that word-of-mouth can be a …

Professional Heartbreakers: Male Entertainers And The Divide Between Popular Culture And History In Japan, Meradeth Lin Edwards

Theses

While prostitution in Japan is widely studied, there are seldom specific examinations of males in these roles. This paper uses primary sources and secondary sources to study men as purchasable commodities, and how these roles have shaped the fictional world as well as the real world in Japan.