Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Integrating Computer Simulations On The Achievement Of Grade 11 Emirati Students In Uniform Circular Motion, Mohamad Fadi N. Aoude

Theses

Education has been affected by the advancement of technology, especially computer software. This thesis focuses on the impact of computer simulations on students’ acquisition of Physics concepts related to the topic of Uniform Circular Motion. The main purpose of this thesis is to examine to what extent can computer simulations help students of grade 11 from Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), learn factual, conceptual and procedural knowledge related to Uniform Circular Motion. It also aims to investigate how simulations affect students of different abilities in terms of their achievement in Physics. A quazi- experimental method was used, where participants …

Water Based Inkjet Material Deposition Of Donor-Acceptor Nanoparticles For Usage In Organic Photovoltaics, Anirudh Raju Penmetcha

Theses

Significant efficiency increases are being made for bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic prototype devices with world records at 11%. However the chlorinated solvents most frequently used in prototype manufacture would cause local health and safety concerns or large scale environmental pollution upon expansion of these techniques for commercialization. Moreover, research to bridge prototype and large-scale production of these solar cells is still in its infancy. Most prototype devices are made in inert glove box environments using spin-coating. There is a need to develop a non-toxic ink and incorporate it into a material deposition system that can be used in mass production. …

The Look Of Fiction: A Visual Analysis Of The Front Covers Of The New York Times Fiction Bestsellers, Daniel Patrick Gallagher

Theses

In spite of the common saying "don't judge a book by its cover," studies show that actual books are overwhelmingly judged on the appearances of their covers. While studies have been conducted on what style or form of cover art is most attractive, most interesting, or most likely to sell, the current research conducts a visual analysis of the conventions contained in the covers of the best selling fiction books in the US, using the methods and ideas found in the theories of semiotics and visual culture, to offer a new perspective on the visual imagery of the covers. This …

When Coal Was King, Rachele Trzcinski

Theses

My work is my research. Thinking and learning are a part of my process. The lessons and challenges in one project are merely stepping stones for the next. My body of work becomes a long series that shows a connection between each piece, slowly growing and exploring. My ideas stem from my immediate surroundings. I am a reporter and my artwork is my article.

I have been researching the coal mining and other related industries of Scranton, Pennsylvania and its surrounding areas. An area that helped build the industrial revolution in America’s early years, only to be neglected once the …

Treatment Of Greywater Using Bio Filtration And Permeable Pavement Systems, Assem Mahn El-Ashkar

Theses

Municipal wastewater can be divided into two categories, greywater and black water. Greywater occupies about 75% of total wastewater and are relatively less polluted than the black water. Reuse of greywater is becoming popular in many arid and semiarid regions in order to reduce the municipal water demand. They can be reused for groundwater recharge, landscape irrigation and for toilet flushing. However, the main challenges are their collection, storage and selection of the appropriate treatment system. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is located in a hyper arid region, having an annual average rainfall of less than 100 mm. Reliable survey …

A Visualization And Characterization Of Microstructures Of Cohesive Powders, Vineeth R. Patil

Theses

In this work, a framework for the determination of the particle positions in a fluorescent powder structure was created. The feasibility of imaging and quantifying sedimented particulate samples in air was demonstrated by using micron-sized poly-dispersed electrophotographic printing particles. Particle positions were determined by a Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (CLSM) to capture a stack of cross-sectional images of fluorescent particle clusters. The resulting images were analyzed using Matlab image processing tools. The XYZ coordinates and radii for these particles (assumed spherical) were calculated in several selected sampling volumes, and the packing fractions were calculated. A three-dimensional visualization of the particle …

Communicating Vaccination Information On Facebook Utilizing The Health Belief Model, Lindsay Case

Theses

The 2014 Disney measles outbreak brought the issue of vaccinations to the forefront of health communication across all mediums, including social media sites. While the US is considered to have one of the more successful vaccination rates globally, there remain supporters of an anti-vaccination movement and regions of the country with alarming rates of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children. This content analysis study of Facebook first identified the current trend of more activity amongst those who do not support the use of vaccines than those supporting vaccines. The user generated content was also evaluated for the use of …

Expanding Dimensionality In Cinema Color: Impacting Observer Metamerism Through Multiprimary Display, David L. Long

Theses

Television and cinema display are both trending towards greater ranges and saturation of reproduced colors made possible by near-monochromatic RGB illumination technologies. Through current broadcast and digital cinema standards work, system designs employing laser light sources, narrow-band LED, quantum dots and others are being actively endorsed in promotion of Wide Color Gamut (WCG). Despite artistic benefits brought to creative content producers, spectrally selective excitations of naturally different human color response functions exacerbate variability of observer experience. An exaggerated variation in color-sensing is explicitly counter to the exhaustive controls and calibrations employed in modern motion picture pipelines. Further, singular standard observer …

Investigation Of Reactively Sputtered Titanium Oxide Memristors, Wilkie Olin-Ammentorp

Theses

Over the previous decade, flash memory has made massive gains in storage density and market share. However, due to fundamental scaling limits being reached, a replacement memory device must be found. Resistive random access memory (RRAM) is a leading candidate to replace flash memory as a storage-class memory. RRAM is a broad classification of devices, all of which share the commonality that their information is stored in the resistance of a material. These devices are often described as being memristive.

The objective of the study performed was to develop a process for fabricating microelectronic structures to investigate the memristive behavior …

Evaluative Measures: Assessing The Effectiveness Of Exhibits And Programs In Zoos, Drew Johnson

Theses

This thesis examines program and exhibition evaluation as pertaining to zoos and aquariums in the United States from the 1960’s to the present. Research conducted for this thesis focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of zoological programs and exhibitions. Also examined are studies of zoo and aquarium visitors related to audience research, informal learning, and psychographics. Case studies as well as published procedural and evaluative methods from zoos and aquariums across the United States are used to identify best practices. In addition, two evaluation tool kits are presented to assist the Seneca Park Zoo with evaluative measures for exhibits …

Use Of Experts' Gaze By Novice Usability Practitioners To Perform A Better Heuristic Evaluation, Sree Anirudh J. Bhandaram

Theses

Proficiency in conducting heuristic evaluations does not come easily; it is an acquired skill that takes years to master. It is often difficult to convey an effective evaluation strategy through a verbal approach. While communicating verbally, people may prompt to where they focus their attention, but this is often difficult to convey. Through an eye tracking study, the relationship between an expert’s gaze while performing a task and a novice’s learning to better perform a heuristic evaluation will be explored. Novices concentrate on basic, but irrelevant parts of a task while processing complex stimuli whereas experts process stimuli quicker while …

Branding A Professional American Football Franchise, John J. Ragone Jr.

Theses

The original intent of my thesis was to create a professional-level team identity that a community can embrace and emotionally bond with by utilizing contemporary design trends. As I researched the visual aspects of the brand strategy, it became apparent that current trends toward multiplicity of uniform designs could become a threat to an organization’s brand equity.

A corporate identity is the strategically engineered “personality” of an organization created to facilitate business objectives. How that identity is perceived and accepted supports relationship building between an organization and its audience or customers. Brand equity is developed through ease of recognition and …

(Re)Connecting With Listeners: How Radio Stations Are Reaching Beyond The Dial (And Their Competitors) To Connect With Their Audience, Alyxandra Sherwood

Theses

Radio has a history of adapting to new technologies to spread its signal farther and more efficiently to a larger audience. With the emergence of social media, the audience has begun to use non-traditional media channels to reach back and out to each other, thus by-passing traditional media outlets such as radio. Prior studies examined how the audience has shifted its daily routine to incorporate new technology. The present study sought to determine to what extent radio stations in New York State have adapted to use non-traditional media channels, how often they update those channels, and if revenue type had …

A Cognitive Theory-Based Approach For The Evaluation And Enhancement Of Internet Security Awareness Among Children Aged 3-12 Years, Asma Eidhah M. Aloufi

Theses

In the age of technology, the Internet has spread widely and used for multiple purposes by users of all ages, especially children who start using it frequently to play in their spare time. With the use of the Internet, children must have a sufficient security awareness to avoid security risks found online. This study takes us through the journey of evaluating and enhancing the level of the Internet security awareness among a group of Saudi children aged 3-12 years. The developed evaluation survey shows that there is some awareness among the Saudi Children; however, they still need more concrete ways …

Comparing Uncivil Discourse With A Conversational Intelligent Agent In Public And Private Online Settings, Mark Marcello

Theses

According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, 60% of participants of a survey said they have witnessed online abuse, and 66% of that abuse occurred via social media. This study looks at online communication, and tests if anonymity increases the amount of abuse that occurs during online communication. A quasi-experiment was developed to look for uncivil discourse using a conversational intelligent agent to create a controlled, repeatable conversational environment. The interactions with the agent occur in two settings: one in public at a kiosk, and a second in private. The researcher hypothesized that the interactions that occur …

Individual Colorimetric Observers For Personalized Color Imaging, Yuta Asano

Theses

Colors are typically described by three values such as RGB, XYZ, and HSV. This is rooted to the fact that humans possess three types of photoreceptors under photopic conditions, and human color vision can be characterized by a set of three color matching functions (CMFs). CMFs integrate spectra to produce three colorimetric values that are related to visual responses. In reality, large variations in CMFs exist among color-normal populations. Thus, a pair of two spectrally different stimuli might be a match for one person but a mismatch for another person, also known as observer metamerism.

Observer metamerism is a serious …

The Effect Of The Introduction Of The Euro On The Stock Price Volatility In The Belgian Equity Market, Hanne Zmierczak

Theses

This study serves to research the effect of the introduction of the Euro as a currency on the volatility in the equity market in Belgium. It particularly looks at the Bel20 index volatility, which includes the twenty largest companies listed in the Belgian stock exchange. This study incorporates ordinary least squares regressions with a time series component. Various models with a timeframe between January 1992 and December 2013 are run. The dependent variable of this research is Bel20 volatility, while the independent variables include inflation, consumer confidence, change in industrial production, GDP growth, Euro dummy variables, and a financial crisis …

A Study To Assess The Efficacy Of Implementing An In-Season Psychological Skills Training Program With Elite Level Cyclists, Christopher L. Curan

Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of developing and implementing an in-season Psychological Skills Training (PST) program to increase performance, mood state, and self-efficacy mental skills for elite cyclists. Additionally, the goal of the study was to develop a success profile for elite cyclists after completing a PST program. A collegiate cycling team formed the treatment group (N=25), who received a 12-week in-season PST program, and a similar demographical control group (N=28) received no mental skills training. Sports psychology instruments using pre- and posttest included the Sports Emotional Reaction Profile (SERP), Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28 (ASCI-28). …

Spiritus, Matthew Spaull

Theses

On February 25th, 1999, The Roman Catholic Church excommunicated Father James Callan and the parishioners of Corpus Christi Church in Rochester, NY. Covered by Media nationwide, the excommunication was portrayed as the latest struggle of progressive Catholics against the more conservative Church authorities. Growing from 200 to more than 3,000 parishioners in less than a decade, Corpus Christi became home to an impressive range of social justice programs, including a health care center, a halfway house for former prisoners, a home for recovering addicts, a hospice, and a daycare center. What got Callan and the church into trouble were the …

Empirical Measurement And Model Validation Of Infrared Spectra Of Contaminated Surfaces, Sean Archer

Theses

The goal of this thesis was to validate predicted infrared spectra of liquid contaminated surfaces from a micro-scale bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model through the use of empirical measurement. Liquid contaminated surfaces generally require more sophisticated radiometric modeling to numerically describe surface properties. The Digital Image and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG) model utilizes radiative transfer modeling to generate synthetic imagery for a variety of applications. Aside from DIRSIG, a micro-scale model known as microDIRSIG has been developed as a rigorous ray tracing physics-based model that could predict the BRDF of geometric surfaces that are defined as micron to …

Analyzing Domestic Abuse Using Natural Language Processing On Social Media Data, J Nicolas Schrading

Theses

Social media and social networking play a major role in billions of lives. Publicly available posts on websites such as Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, and Facebook can contain deeply personal accounts of the lives of users – and the crises they face. Health woes, family concerns, accounts of bullying, and any number of other issues that people face every day are detailed on a massive scale online. Utilizing natural language processing and machine learning techniques, these data can be analyzed to understand societal and public health issues. Expensive surveys need not be conducted with automatic understanding of social media data, allowing …

Pulsar: Design And Simulation Methodology For Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation In Photonic Network-On-Chip Architectures In Heterogeneous Multicore Systems, Kwadwo Opong-Mensah

Theses

As the computing industry moved toward faster and more energy-efficient solutions, multicore computers proved to be dependable. Soon after, the Network-on-Chip (NoC) paradigm made headway as an effective method of connecting multiple cores on a single chip. These on-chip networks have been used to relay communication between homogeneous and heterogeneous sets of cores and core clusters. However, the variation in bandwidth requirements of heterogeneous systems is often neglected. Therefore, at a given moment, bandwidth may be in excess at one node while it is insufficient at another leading to lower performance and higher energy costs. This work proposes and examines …

Fear Feedback Loop: Creative And Dynamic Fear Experiences Driven By User Emotion, Charlene Dimeglio

Theses

This thesis examines whether it is possible to generate fear-eliciting media that custom fits to the user. The system described uses a genetic algorithm to produce images that get more scary through the generations in reaction to either physiological signals obtained from the user or a user-provided fear rating. The system was able to detect differing levels of fear using a regression trained on EEG and heart rate data gathered while users view clips from horror movies. It was also found to produce images with significantly higher fear ratings at the fifth generation as compared to the first generation. These …

3d Printed Footwear Design, Seyed Behrad Ghodsi

Theses

This project is focused on developing a range of design concepts for printable footwear. The idea is to build a consumer based system, which reduces labor for manufacturing and provides ease of access to new products for consumers.

Experts predict that everyone will have a 3D printer at home in the near future and people will be able to design and make objects on their own (Dale Nicholls 2014).

Currently the 3D printing technology is not developed enough for non-designer use. By developing a range of stylish footwear design concepts, the production process would speed up and the costs of …

A Study Of Das Delays And Their Impact On The Wireless Channels With Application To Indoor Localization, Ahmed Sallam Mohamed Ibrahim

Theses

This research evaluates the Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) introduced delays and their effects on the indoor channel in simulcast situations where the effect of delays is most prevalent. Different simulcast cases that form the basic building blocks are analyzed to form an understanding of the problem. Two case studies of important indoor environments are presented. Importance of improving ray tracing simulations to include propagation and DAS delays is highlighted.

The paper also introduces a DAS element representation and delay mapping model and explores techniques of engineering DAS delays to optimize location estimation by ranging and RF fingerprinting to achieve E911 …

Changes In Properties Of Coal As A Result Of Continued Bioconversion, Rohit Pandey

Theses

Microbial actions on coal have long been identified as a source of methane in coalbeds. Andrew Scott (1995) was the first to propose imitating the natural process of biogenic gasification, possibly leading to recharging coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs, or setting up natural gas reservoirs in non-producing coalbeds. This study was aimed at identifying the changes in coal properties that affect gas deliverability in coal-gas reservoirs, when treated with microbial consortia to generate/enhance gas production. The experimental work tested the sorption and diffusion properties for the coal treated and, more importantly, the variation in the relevant parameters with continued bio-conversion since …

Influence Of Tio2 Engineered Nanoparticles On Photosynthetic Efficiency And Contaminant Uptake, Scott Jared Bradfield

Theses

The production of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) is growing at an incredibly fast rate and will soon become a trillion dollar industry. At this rate of production, there is a great potential for engineered nanomaterials to be released into the environment, both intentionally and unintentionally. TiO2 ENPs are one of the most widely produced nanoparticles with a broad range of applications in paints, inks, sunscreens, cosmetics, astronautics, and air/water purification. TiO2 ENPs have been proposed for their use in agricultural settings as a UV protectant, a defense against harmful bacteria and fungi, or a catalyst for the degradation of pesticides and …

Expression Identity/Culture, Hyekeun Helen Park

Theses

The following thesis contains the background and inspiration for my thesis paintings. I will be explaining how my works reflect my identity and culture and the background of my artistic history, which include Korean calligraphy. I also go into how the paintings of Jackson Pollock, Hans Hofmann and Sam Gilliam have influenced my own paintings. I will explain the artistic and technical process of my paintings in detail and show how each processes affected my work.

Tcp – Random Early Detection (Red) Mechanism For Congestion Control, Asli Sungur

Theses

This thesis discusses the Random Early Detection (RED) algorithm, proposed by Sally Floyd, used for congestion avoidance in computer networking, how existing algorithms compare to this approach and the configuration and implementation of the Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED) variation.

RED uses a probability approach in order to calculate the probability that a packet will be dropped before periods of high congestion, relative to the minimum and maximum queue threshold, average queue length, packet size and the number of packets since the last drop.

The motivation for this thesis has been the high QoS provided to current delay-sensitive applications such …

Seasons: A Motion Graphics Depicts Activities Of Ancient Chinese People In Four Seasons, Qina Chen

Theses

Seasons is a 2D motion graphics film that aims to visually depict my interpretation of seasons changing and seasonal activities of ancient Chinese people. It is an attempt to reproduce two classical arts on modern media. I mimic and mix the visual effects of Chinese shadow puppets and Chinese ink wash strokes through digital media technologies. Neither Chinese painting nor shadow puppet emphasize on reproducing the appearance of subject. It is more regarded as a form of expressionistic art, which intends to capture the spirit of the subject and illustrate the perception of the scene. My graphics are not planned …