Digital Commons Network^™

Crystalline, Nicholas Buonarota, John Dunham, Alexander Herdzik, Matthew Mundell

Theses

Crystalline is a fast action arena shooter with a focus on gunplay. The core objective of this project was to create a fun multiplayer First Person Shooter. To achieve this goal as a team we had to best leverage the tools and technology available to us. As First Person Shooter games typically have teams far larger than our own, we had to work hard and smart on Crystalline. Unreal Engine 4 was used in lieu of Unity or an in-house engine, saving hours of development time and allowing us to focus on gameplay and assets more. Thanks to Unreal Engine …

The International Market: Designing An E-Commerce Experience To Promote Different Cultures, Marina Minnikova

Theses

Learning different cultures and promoting international trade can be implemented through web design and marketing. Most e-commerce websites implement design and marketing strategies in an efficient way, however none of them implement the idea of exploring international cultures through purchasing experiences.

This thesis project implements a complex brand identity and determines how to effectively create an e-commerce website employing the ideas of shopping as an online trip (“out shopping”), providing several categories of products for particular user segments. A significant part of the project focuses on determining which graphic elements are applicable for a specific design situation.

Learning Beyond The Classroom: Photography As A Major Design Element In Graphic Design Layouts For Print And Web, John E. Dyer

Theses

Learning Beyond the Classroom: Photography as a major design element in Graphic Design Layouts for print and web, is a thesis which explores alternative methods for learning and the teaching of the design process through the use of shared experiences and expert testimony.

The final thesis will provide a resource for designers and students to be able to discuss the effective and ineffective application of design principles and provide some basic lessons in the use of photography in graphic design.

Elements of design that are to be discussed include, but are not limited to: typography, hierarchy, color, scale and placement. …

Digital Museum Consortia: A Prototype For Interconnected And Accessible Database Design, Ben Heller

Theses

The evolution of the internet and devices allowing access to it indicate that users trend toward networking and interconnectivity in their daily lives. Museums have started to tread into this territory—that is, crafting, managing, and maintaining an effective internet presence and ancillary content tools—on their own. However, many museums still rely upon the earliest types of education and interpretation tools, such as audio tours and recordings that address content from one collection. Moving beyond a single institution’s holdings, a shared database of museum content including photos of artifacts and objects, historic documents, and videos would allow users to examine pieces …

Curating Deaf Spaces In Rochester: A Historical Self-Guided Mobile Application Tour, Allison Thompson

Theses

Rochester is widely considered by many to be one if, if not the most, Deaf-friendly city in the nation due to having the one of the largest Deaf populations per capita in the country.1 The research question focused on whether sufficient material could be assembled to provide a self-guided historical tour application (still in the planning stages) that will feature locations related to Rochester’s deaf community. The content that I curated was chosen based on the historical significance and accessibility of locations to visitors. The tour demonstrates how and why Rochester has achieved its reputation as the location of such …

The Connex: A New User-Interface Design For The Contacts Of A Mobile Phone, Chelsea Lessnick

Theses

Many social media websites including MySpace, AniRoleplay, and Tumblr

give users the opportunity to express their personality by customizing the

profile. The contact list of an Apple iPhone currently does not allow users

to customize features. This project created a new user-interface design for

the contact list of an Apple iPhone which draws inspiration from the

Pokédex used in the popular Pokémon franchise. By rebranding this

fictional device so the core functionality translates into the real world in a

practical and original way, users can bring their personality and creative

expression to other devices outside the internet.

Many key components …

Time Out: Influence Of User Experience Design On Behavior To Reduce Smartphone Use, Tejal Sampat

Theses

We are more connected than we used to be but people are becoming disengaged from the real world. Are smartphones a blessing or a bane? That depends on how we use it. Being hooked to a smartphone while interacting with family or friends is a definite no-no.

To address the issue of being neglected in social situations, timeOut allows neglected users to send anonymous timeouts to obsessive smartphone users who are preoccupied with their smartphones and are in close proximity to neglected users. The timeOut app allows neglected users to express their feelings without upsetting or embarrassing anyone. The application …

Repurposing Vacant Lots For Stormwater Runoff Mitigation In Rochester, New York, Sandra Golberg

Theses

The area of the US known as the Rust Belt had an economic boom in the early 1900’s, and cities expanded rapidly to accommodate bustling manufacturing industries. This area then experienced a significant loss of population due to the migration of manufacturing industries to other areas beginning in the 1970’s. Many lots have become vacant and many homes have been abandoned because of this significant population loss. Industrialization introduces large areas of impervious surfaces and disturbs natural soils and landcovers, resulting in extensive stormwater runoff. While economies have declined, the problem of stormwater runoff remains. To mitigate the cascading problems …

X10 Comics: Reimagining The Sequential Narrative, Sten E. Mckinzie

Theses

At its core a comic book is a narrative told using a sequence of images or a sequential art narrative. There are a number of conventions, established early in the history of comics, which make the comic panel format a powerful tool for visual communication.

My thesis project examines these conventions and attempt to distinguish which ones are results of the unique nature of sequential art and which began as a byproduct of technological limitations. By doing so my goal is to take advantage of current technology by creating a new comic book format that integrates digital media while celebrating …

Museums And Visitors With Autism: An Overview Of Programs, Rachel Varner

Theses

Across the world, several museums are committed to accessibility and accommodations for the general public, such as closed captions for the D/HH (deaf and hard-of-hearing) visitors and ramps for wheelchair users. However, not all disabilities and disorders are visible. When it comes to working with people who have a specific disability or disorder, it is critical that museum professionals be aware of what should be done to ensure that visitors with disabilities or disorders have a pleasant experience in the museum. Numerous museums have already created programs for people with specific disabilities or disorders. Workshops about disabilities and disorders should …

Dreamland:, Xiaohe Shen

Theses

I was attracted by the interaction between dream and reality. Not long before I started my thesis, I read Freud’s book, The Interpretation of Dreams, and it quite interested me. In Freud’s theory, the complete personality is composed of id, ego and super-ego. The id is the set of coordinated instinctual trends; the super-ego plays the critical and moralizing role; and the ego is the organized, realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego. The super-ego can stop one from doing certain things that one’s id may want to do. These three parts dominate a …

Rematerialize, Eunmi Han

Theses

The universal thinking about jewelry is that it is an art form with monetary value. Often, people consider jewelry or body ornamentation to be a symbol of riches—precious items with great monetary value. As a result, most jewelers prefer to use precious metals, gemstones and the like, in its production.

This thesis explores the meanings and forms of jewelry that does not incorporate such precious materials. Instead of focusing on the value of the materials, their other qualities and the alternative aesthetics will be approached and discussed. Creating new meanings and visual designs that address the beauty, style, wearability, and …

Pictorial Health Warnings In Croatia, Borna Dolezil

Theses

This research aims to discover how pictorial health warnings impact young female adults in comparison to currently used written health warning in Croatia. In order to assess the impact, research is using a small-scale quantitative research method, to be more precise a survey. Pictorial health warning regulation is a fairly new method of reducing number of smokers in countries of the European Union and is currently in the phase of assessment. As Croatia faces high smoking incidence, especially among the female population, the purpose of this research is to investigate what are the effects of pictorial health warning in terms …

Leadership Cultural Values Of United Arab Emirates-The Case Of United Arab Emirates University, Ebtesam Ali Alteneiji

Theses

UAE is a young country with a young population that has witnessed tremendous changes over the past decades. There has not been much research about the cultural values of the UAE in generational perspectives, and there have been rapid changes. Therefore, this study aimed at exploring systematic changes in leadership cultural values among the older and the younger generations of the United Arab Emirates. The author utilized Hofstede’s (VSM08) instrument to survey undergraduate students, administrators and faculty at UAE University.

The study found no significant differences between the younger and older generations’ tolerance to unequal distribution of power (power distance), …

Neural Chimeras In The Huber-Braun Model With Abrams-Strogatz And Kuramoto Coupling Schemes, Tera Ashley Glaze

Theses

A chimera state occurs when a group of identical oscillators divides into two subgroups, one with synchronized activity, and one with unsynchronized activity. Found commonly in Abrams-Strogatz and in Kuramoto coupling, this state has been studied in many media, such as chemical, mechanical, and optical. Similar simulations have been investigated for media not as easily studied experimentally, such as neurons. The theoretical basis of the chimera state is still under study. Here, the chimera state is studied in context of the Huber-Braun model for neurons, with the two aforementioned coupling schemes. Forms of the chimera state different from the norm …

Uncomfortably Numb: News Media’S Effects On Generational Perceptions Of Cancer Prevention, Jillian Elizabeth Seaton Ference

Theses

This study investigated the effects news media have on perceptions of cancer prevention for three generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. It explored the relationship between self-reported exposure to general news media and knowledge of cancer prevention by generation, the relationship between self-reported exposure to news media by generation, and the likelihood of participating in preventative actions. A snowball survey was distributed throughout Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Statistically significant relationships were found between exposure to news media pertaining to cancer and knowledge about cancer, as well as exposure to general news media and knowledge about cancer prevention. Differences …

Communication Considerations And Relational Dialectical Tensions Experienced By University Sign Language Interpreters, Morgan L. Tucker

Theses

The sign language interpreter/student relationship is unique. The interpreter is present in the educational environment to facilitate communication between deaf/hard of hearing students and hearing professors and fellow students; interpreters help people who use different language modes to communicate effectively. In university environments it is not uncommon for interpreters and students to build relationships and even friendships while they work together. However, professional codes and ethics for interpreters can conflict with the normal affinity and closeness developed in many interpersonal relationships. This can lead to contradictory impulses and tensions. The relational dialects theory is guided by the premise that different …

Aura: Social Impacts Of Everyday Objects, Bijal Patwa

Theses

Today, the relationship between subject and object has been reversed, and we are becoming more and more technology dependent, resulting in objects ruling us. The physical presence of people is losing its value. Small incidents or situations between strangers might lead to meaningful relationships. Everyday objects, such as a coffee table, salt-pepper shakers or phones are ubiquitous and are part of our lives in a way that influences our cultural and social behavior. The effect these objects create is more important than the objects themselves. Hence the name “Aura”, for the objects created during my thesis. These objects have a …

Custovo: A Digital, Personalized Job Search Collection Aid, Streamlined For Creatives, Anna Vecchi

Theses

In today’s society, the most common way for people to search for job opportunities is by using the internet on their personal electronic device, whether it be a laptop, desktop, tablet, or mobile phone. There are hundreds of websites and mobile applications catering to all kinds of career services in a plethora of fields. One specific sector of employment that is rather unique is the creative field. Creative positions are posted on their own websites like Behance, AIGA, Coroflot, etc. Since these niche websites exist, there are also hundreds of articles discussing how creative individuals approach the job searching process. …

Reality Mining Techniques Applied To Telecommunication Data, Sunil Maharjan

Theses

In this thesis, the application of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) techniques are examined in order to further develop and improve the field of Reality Mining. Reality Mining refers to the collection of machine sensed environmental data, from which, it is hoped future human social behaviour can be predicted. Large datasets for Reality Mining study have been generated by recording the patterns of human activity and social interactions over an extended period of time. Reality Mining techniques can provide information on important social clues for the better understanding of how humans live their lives. This information can then be used to help …

Analysis Of Cycle 2 Science Textbooks Representation Of Scientific Literacy And Readability Level, Aisha Abdulla Salem Al Qaydi Al Qaydi

Theses

For over half a century, textbooks have played a decisive role in teaching and learning activities. In today’s classrooms, textbooks serve as primary teaching instruments and greatly influence how knowledge is delivered and communicated. With the development of the society, a majority of teachers use textbooks to guide their instruction. On the other hand, readability of textbooks is an important construct for both educators and textbook authors. Finding the right fit between the students’ reading ability and the text difficulty is an important and challenging task for teachers. This study is about how scientific content is presented and represented in …

Applications Of Pure And Recycled Polymeric Micronanofiber For The Removal Of Oil Spills, Afra Gharib Khamis Al-Blooshi Al-Blooshi

Theses

Cleaning oil spills is a universal concern due to its environmental impact. The aim of this study is to study the effectiveness and applications of pure and recycled polymers in clean-up and the recovery of crude oil from oil spills. In this study, micro-nanofibers of analytical-grade and commercial polystyrene samples were prepared by electrospinning technique. Fiber size distribution was shown to vary with the electrospinning parameters and type of polymer. Fibrous sorbents prepare hereafter were investigated for their efficiency in removing oil spills. Results showed a variation in the sorption capacities of the fibers to various types of crude oils …

Risks Identification And Mitigation In Uav Applications Development Projects, Ahmed Yousif Mohsmed Idries

Theses

With the recent advances in aircraft technologies, software, sensors, and communications, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can offer a wide range of applications. UAVs can play important roles in applications, such as search and rescue, situation awareness in natural disasters, environmental monitoring, and perimeter surveillance. Developing UAV applications involves integrating hardware, software, sensors, and communication components with the UAV’s base system. UAV applications development projects are complex because of the various development stages and the integration complexity of high component. This research addresses the business and technical challenges encountered by UAV applications development and Project Management (PM). It identifies the risks …

Preparation And Characterization Of Copper-Doped And Silver-Doped Titanium Dioxide Nano-Catalysts For Photo Catalytic Applications, Haya Abdel Ra’Ouf Ahmed Ra’Ouf Ahmed

Theses

The goal of this work was to improve the performance of TiO2 nanomaterials by increasing their optical activities by shifting the onset of the response from the UV to the visible-light region. Among the several ways to achieve this goal, doping TiO2 nanomaterials with other elements (e.g. metals) was selected to narrow the band gap and enhance the optical properties of TiO2 nanomaterials. In this work, we have prepared Cu-doped TiO2 and Ag-doped TiO2 nano-catalysts, characterized them and studied their properties, and the optical ones in particular. The Ag-doped TiO2 catalyst was prepared by the sol-gel method while the Cu-doped …

Efficient Data Communication In Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Farhan Mohamed

Theses

A large number of recent advancements in the technology of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have enabled them to be very useful and effective in many applications in today’s society. They demonstrate a high degree of stability and agility in the air. A few years ago military applications were the main driving force behind the development of UAVs and UAV systems. Many of their applications included monitoring, surveillance, data transmission and communication. Recently, several opportunities have emerged and participated in driving the development of UAV technology further ahead. Such opportunities include integration of UAVs with smart cities, disaster recovery, military and …

This Thesis Is Submitted In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Master Of Science In Information Technology Management, Farhan Mohammed

Theses

A large number of recent advancements in the technology of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have enabled them to be very useful and effective in many applications in today’s society. They demonstrate a high degree of stability and agility in the air. A few years ago military applications were the main driving force behind the development of UAVs and UAV systems. Many of their applications included monitoring, surveillance, data transmission and communication. Recently, several opportunities have emerged and participated in driving the development of UAV technology further ahead. Such opportunities include integration of UAVs with smart cities, disaster recovery, military and …

Uav-Cloud: A Platform For Uav Resources And Services On The Cloud, Sara Yousif Mohamed Mahmoud

Theses

UAVs - Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – have gained significant attention recently, due to the increasingly growing range of applications. However, developing collaborative UAV applications using traditional technologies in a tightly coupled design requires a great deal of development effort, time, and budget especially for heterogeneous UAVs. Moreover, monitoring and accessing UAV resources using traditional communication media suffer from several restrictions and limitations. This research aims to simplify the efforts, reduce the time, and lower the costs of developing collaborative applications for distributed heterogeneous UAVs. In addition, the research aims to provide ubiquitous UAV resources access. A platform is proposed for …

Control Of Radiation Exposure To Paediatric Patients At Conventional Radiology And Cardiac Centers At Dubai Hospital, Najlaa Khalfan Saeed Almazrouei

Theses

In view of increasing the number of x-ray examinations over the years, paediatric radiation safety is considered as one of the critical subjects in the modern medical imaging. Paediatric patients are at higher risk from ionizing radiation than adults if they receive same amount of dose. This project was conducted to evaluate paediatric patient radiation dose levels in digital radiology (both fixed and mobile x-ray units) and interventional cardiology at Dubai Hospital. The results of this study are expected to contribute in establishing local and national diagnostic reference levels in United Arab Emirates (UAE). A combination of phantom studies and …

Spectrum Sharing In Cognitive Radio Networks With Quality Of Service Awareness, Nadir Hussin Sulieman Adam

Theses

The goal of this thesis is to study performance of cognitive radio networks in terms of total spectrum utilization and throughput of secondary networks under perfect and imperfect sensing for Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and fading channels. The effect of imperfect sensing was studied by applying non-collaborative and collaborative sensing techniques using energy detecting and square law combining techniques, respectively. Spectrum allocation for heterogeneous networks in cognitive radio networks was discussed and a new sharing algorithm that guarantee Quality of Service (QoS) for different secondary users’ applications was proposed. The throughput degradation of secondary users due to the activities …

Applications Of Pure And Recycled Polymeric Micro-Nanofiber For The Removal Of Oil Spills., Afra Gharib Khamis Al Blooshi

Theses

Cleaning oil spills is a universal concern due to its environmental impact. The aim of this study is to study the effectiveness and applications of pure and recycled polymers in clean-up and the recovery of crude oil from oil spills. In this study, micro-nanofibres of analytical-grade and commercial polystyrene samples were prepared by electrospinning technique. Fiber size distribution was shown to vary with the electrospinning parameters and type of polymer. Fibrous sorbents prepared hereafter were investigated for their efficiency in removing oil spill. Results showed variation in the sorption capacities of the fibers to various types of crude oils with …