Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Compressive Sensing For Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Applications, Maria Busuioceanu

Theses

Compressive Sensing (CS) systems capture data with fewer measurements than traditional sensors assuming that imagery is redundant and compressible in the spectral and spatial dimensions. This thesis utilizes a model of the Coded Aperture Snapshot Spectral Imager-Dual Disperser (CASSI-DD) to simulate CS measurements from traditionally sensed HyMap images. A novel reconstruction algorithm that combines spectral smoothing and spatial total variation (TV) is used to create high resolution hyperspectral imagery from the simulated CS measurements. This research examines the effect of the number of measurements, which corresponds to the percentage of physical data sampled, on the quality of simulated CS data …

Understanding And Modeling The Synchronization Cost In The Gpu Architecture, Letendre James

Theses

Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) have been growing more and more popu- lar being used for general purpose computations. GPUs are massively paral- lel processors which make them a much more ideal fit for many algorithms than the CPU is. The drawback to using a GPU to do a computation is that they are much less efficient at running algorithms with more complex con- trol flow. This has led to them being used as part of a heterogeneous system, usually consisting of a CPU and a GPU although other types of processors could be added. Models of GPUs are important in …

Artist Material Brdf Database For Computer Graphics Rendering, Justin Ashbaugh

Theses

The primary goal of this thesis was to create a physical library of artist material samples. This collection provides necessary data for the development of a gonio-imaging system for use in museums to more accurately document their collections. A sample set was produced consisting of 25 panels and containing nearly 600 unique samples. Selected materials are representative of those commonly used by artists both past and present. These take into account the variability in visual appearance resulting from the materials and application techniques used. Five attributes of variability were identified including medium, color, substrate, application technique and overcoat. Combinations of …

Usefulness Of Teaching Security Awareness For Middle School Students, Hani Alhejaili

Theses

Technology and the Internet bring many benefits to students. Studies show that technology and the available online resources encourage inquiry and support student success in schools. However, there are many threats to middle school students as a result of the misuse of technology. I believe that teaching security awareness for middle school students through an online interactive program is essential for reducing the risks that could affect them. The online interactive program should be multilingual, completely visual, continually updating, and suitable for both students and their families. Since many efforts have been made to minimize the risks, it has become …

Current Sensing Feedback For Humanoid Stability, Matthew Decapua

Theses

For humanoid robots to function in changing environments, they must be able to maintain balance similar to human beings. At present, humanoids recover from pushes by the use of either the ankles or hips and a rigid body. This method has been proven to work, but causes excessive strain on the joints of the robot and does not maximize on the capabilities of a humanlike body. The focus of this paper is to enable advanced dynamic balancing through torque classification and balance improving positional changes. For the robot to be able to balance dynamically, external torques must be determined accurately. …

Perceptions, Kathleen Ogden

Theses

My intentions are to create a series of sculptural vessels that consist of complementary forms, which through comparison develop a conversation of contrast and balance. The contrasting elements will help to create the visual disparity that can be associated with duality. This concept will be explored through employing formal issues of sculpture such as, form, color, surface, space, and composition. All of the sculptures in the thesis exhibition will be groups of contrasting vessels relating to the interaction of opposing human personalities. These sculptures will be arranged in a specific manner to exemplify their relationship. Starting with wheel thrown forms, …

A Test Setup For Characterizing High-Temperature Thermoelectric Modules, Satchit Mahajan

Theses

With the tremendous growth in demand for energy resources, there is a growing need to adopt alternative energy technologies, including ones that tap renewable energy sources as well as use non-renewable sources more efficiently. Thermoelectric energy generation is one such emerging technology. Thermoelectrics can convert waste heat from various sources--significantly, many industrial processes as well as vehicles--directly into electrical power. Thermoelectric devices can generate power when a temperature difference is applied across them. Major barriers to mainstream adoption of thermoelectric devices are their low efficiency and high cost. These are mostly limited by the properties of the constituent materials of …

Hawa, Arzouma Kompaore

Theses

The graduate thesis film Hawa is a 29-minute drama about an immigrant African couple in the grip of their "American-dream" and mutual disillusion. When Hawa realizes having a baby is no longer a priority for her husband, she starts questioning the meaning of their ten years of marriage and, most importantly, what is in it for her. She eventually finds herself caught between the old Hawa, the typical African woman swearing by her husband's name, and a new Hawa, westernized and independent. The film was shot on the Red One MX camera in 4K with Zeiss lenses, and edited entirely …

Using The Contrast Ratio Method And Achromatic Transmission Densitometry As A Substitute For Status A Transmission Densitometry With The Photographic Activity Test For Enclosure Materials, Ishtar Laguna Monroy

Theses

The discontinuation of conventional photographic spot-reading transmission densitometers -including the widely adopted X-Rite model 310- due to the rapid decrease in demand for analogic photographic laboratory work has had a broadly felt effect in the conservation community. In the cultural heritage conservation field, instruments like the X-Rite 310 are widely used, specifically in the performance of the Photographic Activity Test (PAT) for the preservation of photographic materials. In the present research, five possible alternate metrics were investigated as substitutes for the increasingly unavailable spot reading transmission densitometers in Status-A readings as mandated by the current PAT. The analyzed metrics were: …

Understanding And Modeling The Synchronization Cost In The Gpu Architecture, James Letendre

Theses

Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) have been growing more and more popu- lar being used for general purpose computations. GPUs are massively paral- lel processors which make them a much more ideal fit for many algorithms than the CPU is. The drawback to using a GPU to do a computation is that they are much less efficient at running algorithms with more complex con- trol flow. This has led to them being used as part of a heterogeneous system, usually consisting of a CPU and a GPU although other types of processors could be added. Models of GPUs are important in …

Design Genealogy, Casey Kelly

Theses

The importance of understanding and sharing graphic design history is under-appreciated. A few observations were taken into consideration regarding the sharing of design history information. Formats include content that is often text-dense and overwhelming. While great design history resources do exist, there is opportunity to develop a method for sharing design history that addresses these observations.

The Design Genealogy thesis project provides opportunity for the discovery of connections among designers and their work through a memorable, fun, and engaging learning experience. Its flexible format attempts to provoke inspiration, foster investigation, strengthen the retention of information, and encourage an eagerness to …

How Online Learning Can Benefit Deaf And Heard Of Hearing People, Matthew Bilowus

Theses

Online learning can be used for those who are not able to physically attend classes. Rapid expansion of online tools and technologies make online learning more available. Testing was done in applications of Online Learning classes for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at the collegiate level. Experiments show that interactivity and responsiveness of the instructor plays an important role in Online Learning as applied to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.

Human Figure Of Furniture, Keun Park

Theses

My thesis draws inspiration from three distinct sources - the functional aspect of an object providing sensual experience, the sculptural quality produced by a personal aesthetic and technical consideration from the maker's perspective. My creative process involves finding a balance between these three considerations. The choice of wood as the primary material plays a decisive role in providing the sensual experience and visual effect for the work. Smooth wooden surfaces provide sensory enjoyment and warmth, especially on types of furniture that involve intimate body contact such as a chair, bench, or even stair railing. This kind of distinctly human interaction …

Evaluation And Improvement Of The Workflow Of Digital Imaging Of Fine Art Reproduction In Museums, Jun Jiang

Theses

Fine arts refer to a broad spectrum of art formats, ie~painting, calligraphy, photography, architecture, and so forth. Fine art reproductions are to create surrogates of the original artwork that are able to faithfully deliver the aesthetics and feelings of the original. Traditionally, reproductions of fine art are made in the form of catalogs, postcards or books by museums, libraries, archives, and so on (hereafter called museums for simplicity). With the widespread adoption of digital archiving in museums, more and more artwork is reproduced to be viewed on a display. For example, artwork collections are made available through museum websites and …

Fluid, Ben Dombey

Theses

For my thesis body of work, I created sculptures comprised of glass and other components. Through material explorations, trial and error, and experimentation, I further developed my sensibilities toward glass. By stretching, curving, stacking, and encasing glass, the resulting sculptures are abstract and self-referential. Through the process of creating, I made many discoveries. I hope viewers will connect with the work and create their own dialogue amongst the sculptures. Experimentation and trial and error were key to the body of work. Implementing my knowledge of glass and the successes of previous attempts, I created controlled scenarios to manipulate glass. Once …

Numerical Identification Of A Variable Parameter In 2d Elliptic Boundary Value Problem By Extragradient Methods, Selin Sariaydin

Theses

This work focuses on the inverse problem of identifying a variable parameter in a 2-D scalar elliptic boundary value problem. It is well-known that this inverse problem is highly ill-posed and regularization is necessary for its stable solution. The inverse problem is studied in an optimization framework, which is the most suitable framework for incorporating regularization. This optimization problem is a constrained optimization problem where the constraint set is a closed and convex set of the admissible coefficients. As an objective functional, we use both the output least squares and modified output least squares functionals. It is known that the …

A Graph Theoretic Approach To Quantifying Grey Matter Volume In Neuroimaging, Ashley Zanca

Theses

Brain atrophy occurs as a symptom of many diseases. The software package, Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) is one of the most respected and commonly used tools in the neuroimaging community for quantifying the amount of grey matter (GM) in the brain based on magnetic resonance (MR) images. One aspect of quantifying GM volume is to identify, or segment, regions of the brain image corresponding to grey matter. A recent trend in the field of image segmentation is to model an image as a graph composed of vertices and edges, and then to "cut" the graph into subgraphs corresponding to different …

Understanding Effects Of Presentation On Concept Learning In Technology Supported Learning, Nivedita Singh

Theses

The world of technology has had a significant impact on learning and instructional domain. Today, a large number of devices and software are specifically designed to afford faster and effective learning and instruction. They have not only erased the physical boundaries to resources in education but have also helped create new interactions and engagements for learners and instructors. With this changed scenario, the content or instructional material also needs our attention to become usable and compatible with the changed learning styles and preferences of the learners today. Not only does the content need to seamlessly integrate with the delivery methodology …

Calibration For Real-Time Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring, Matthew Sidley

Theses

Blood glucose monitoring is a primary tool for the care of diabetic patients. At present there is no non-invasive monitoring technique of blood glucose concentration that is widely accepted in the medical industry. Some promising success has been shown by the RIT ETA Lab research group that an antenna's resonant frequency can track, in real time, changes in glucose concentration. However, these changes in antenna response would be unique to an individual depending on various parameters such as the person's metabolism, body mass index, chemical profile etc. Therefore, amongst the several issues that still need to be addressed in the …

Information In Formation: Cognition Inspired Objects And Furniture, Katherine Marsh

Theses

For this thesis, I intend to identify subject matters that reflect my interpretation of modern, relevant accounts about the world. Through research into the chosen subjects, I will gather related data and observations. This information will be processed to formulate relationships and narrative. Such graphic displays of information for these stories will be my inspiration. My interpretations will be further realized visually through my design process. Archetypes of the proposed furniture or object will be chosen based on the potential relationship between them and the chosen narrative topic. Visual abstractions and patterns will emerge from inspiration derived from the topographical …

Designing Pictorial Stimuli For Perceptual Image Difference Experiments, Susan Farnand

Theses

Imaging system development often involves impact assessment of design choices. For systems that generate images for human consumption, such as cameras and displays, the effect of design decisions are often evaluated using `real-world' images. System changes can have complicated effects on pictorial images that do not, as yet, have specified instrumental measurement methods. Consequently, human observers are often used in image quality assessment. However, human observers can react differently to complex pictorial stimuli both between observers and for a single observer over the course of a lengthy experiment. In an experimental setting, pictorial scenes present a greater opportunity than do …

Natural Navigation In Space And Time, Dmitriy Bespalov

Theses

Faculty at the Department of Computer Science at RIT had developed the Spiegel, a scientific data visualization framework. The system needed a natural interface to control 3D data visualizations in real-time. This thesis describes an extendable system for testing remote control interfaces for 3-dimensional virtual spaces. We had developed and compared 4 remote controls: multi-touch TouchPad, gyroscope-based GyroPad, wearable Data Glove, and Kinect-based Hands controller. Our research study revealed TouchPad as the most natural remote control.

Sustainability Impact Of Nanomaterial Enhanced Lithium Ion Batteries, Matthew Ganter

Theses

Energy storage devices are becoming an integral part of sustainable energy technology adoption, particularly, in alternative transportation (electric vehicles) and renewable energy technologies (solar and wind which are intermittent). The most prevalent technology exhibiting near-term impact are lithium ion batteries, especially in portable consumer electronics and initial electric vehicle models like the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf. However, new technologies need to consider the full life-cycle impacts from material production and use phase performance to the end-of-life management (EOL). This dissertation investigates the impacts of nanomaterials in lithium ion batteries throughout the life cycle and develops strategies to improve each …

Control Of Invasive Typha Spp. In A Restored Freshwater Wetland, Kathryn Boa

Theses

Wetlands are critically important habitats that provide many ecosystem services but loss and degradation of wetland habitat and functions has led to the growing need to create and restore functionally sound wetlands. In temperate climates, Typha spp. are an invasive plant genus that is problematic for mitigation efforts as it spreads quickly and aggressively into disturbed habitats and creates monotypic stands with dense rhizomes that are difficult to eradicate. Control is most often attempted through mechanical cutting or application of herbicide. In this study I surveyed four mitigation wetland vegetation communities in two years to determine species distribution and change …

Integration Technologies For Implantable Microsystems, Dean Johnson

Theses

Microsystems targeted for implantation require careful consideration of power, thermals, size, reliability, and biocompatibility. The presented research explored appropriate integration technologies for an implantable drug delivery system suitable for use in mice weighing less than 20 grams. Microsystems technology advancements include in situ pump diaphragm formation; integrated, low volume microfluidic coupling technologies; and incorporation of a low voltage, low-power pump actuation with a zero-power off state. Utility of the developed integration technologies have been tested through in vitro reliability and validation experiments. A four-chamber peristaltic pump was created using micromachining (e.g. thin film deposition and Si etching) and direct write …

The Influence Of Media Displays And Image Quality Attributes For Hdr Image Reproductions, Kristen Oney

Theses

High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography has been in existence at least since the time of Ansel Adams, with his experiments using analog film and darkroom techniques for the production of black and white prints in the 1940's (Ashbrook, 2010). This photographic method has the ability to provide a more accurate representation of a scene through a greater range of the light and dark areas captured in an image. In the mid-20th century HDR Photography it has continued to grow in popularity among those interested in photography wishing to optimize their resulting image beyond a more commonly used technique. Presently, the …

The Influence Of Media Displays And Image Quality Attributes For Hdr Image Reproductions, Kristen Oney

Theses

High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography has been in existence at least since the time of Ansel Adams, with his experiments using analog film and darkroom techniques for the production of black and white prints in the 1940's (Ashbrook, 2010). This photographic method has the ability to provide a more accurate representation of a scene through a greater range of the light and dark areas captured in an image. In the mid-20th century HDR Photography it has continued to grow in popularity among those interested in photography wishing to optimize their resulting image beyond a more commonly used technique. Presently, the …

A Context-Based Framework For Mobile Applications, Omkar Kolangade

Theses

Mobile applications have become commonplace in the past few years. In domains such as healthcare, app user experience becomes even more critical. If healthcare apps are not user friendly, patients simply stop using them, or worse still, they may use these apps with disastrous consequences. One approach to improving app user experience is to keep track of mobile context, which is any information that can be used to characterize the situation of an entity, where an entity can be a person, place, or object. In this thesis, a system was designed using the following features. Relevant, context-based alerts are provided …

Role Of Smarcad1 In Human Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation, Colony Growth, Migration And Invasion, Elham M. Al-Kubaisy

Theses

Breast cancer is the most common cancer seen in women worldwide accounting for more than 1.3 million cases and 458 000 deaths a year worldwide. Breast cancer patients are at high risk of recurrence in the form of metastatic disease. Genes associated with invasion and metastasis provides an aggressive edge in proliferation and growth during colonization of the metastatic site. The SMARCAD1 (SWI/SNF-related, Matrix-associated, Actin-dependent Regulator of Chromatin, containing DEAD/H box 1) protein is the human homolog of yeast Fun30 (Function Unknown Now 30) proteins. These proteins are members of the Snf2 helicase motif-containing protein families, and are known to …

Enzymatic Production Of Biodiesel From Fats Extracted From Lamb Meat Using Supercritical Co2, Hanifa Easa Taher

Theses

Due to the reduction in fossil fuel reserves and associated environmental impacts from using petroleum fuels, biodiesel has been presented as a feasible alternative because it is sustainable and environmentally friendly. In this study, it is proposed to investigate the feasibility of enzymatic production of biodiesel from waste animal fats using supercritical fluid technology for the extraction and reaction. The operating conditions that resulted in the optimum extraction and biodiesel production yield were identified. To the best of my knowledge of the investigators, the waste animal fat extracted by supercritical CO₂ (SC-CO₂) for the production of biodiesel …