Digital Commons Network^™

Lovejoy: Imagination And Community, Julia D'Amico

Theses

Lovejoy is a photographic portrait of memory, imagination and the future of a neighborhood in Buffalo, New York. For nearly a century, my great-grandparents, grandfather, uncles and cousins lived in the house on Goethe Street in Lovejoy. It was once a vibrant working-class community of immigrants from a few towns in Central and Southern Italy. In 2020, I moved back to Buffalo, regularly visiting my elderly relative who still lived there. She died later that same year. Photography, which has long been a form of self-expression for me, was the medium I had at hand when we started to clean …

Embracing Unpredictability, Stella Huang

Theses

This paper explores the theory and practice of combining unpredictability in life with reverse thinking in modern jewelry design. Traditional jewelry design is often based on fixed aesthetics and strict craftsmanship. This study uses three concepts of jewelry design and clothing wear that break the conventions - a silver mask worn on the face, a skirt worn above the head and not touching the human body, and jewelry made of gallium that melts at human body temperature - as cases to analyze how to express the artistic concepts of "change" and "breaking boundaries" by breaking traditional rules and using material …

Prediction Of Diabetes Using Machine Learning, Walid Abdulla Abdulrahim

Theses

This research seeks to compare the overall health of diabetic patients with that of their healthy counterparts based on various heath indicators obtained from a large dataset comprising of pregnancies, glucose levels, blood pressure, skin thickness, insulin, BMI, diabetes pedigree function and age. Relative to the healthy group, increased average glucose level, higher BMI, and older age are identified in the diabetic participants. Most importantly, the results show that obesity is a significant risk factor for diabetes, and many diabetics have BMIs that are elevated above healthy levels. The data also points towards the fact that insulin resistance and prevalence …

Urban Heat Island Mitigation: A Gis Based Analysis Of Cool Roofing, Canopy Cover, And Imperviousness In Rochester, New York, Benjamin Lyon

Theses

Urban Heat Islands (UHI’s) pose an increasing risk to public and environmental health. This phenomenon of heightened temperatures occurs in developed cities around the world, largely due to anthropogenic changes in the landscape. This study investigates the interactions of two UHI mitigation strategies, cool roofing, and altering vegetation cover and impervious surfaces, within the city of Rochester, New York. Using Landsat 9 band 10 imagery and land cover data, surface temperature patterns were analyzed in relation to roof color, imperviousness, and canopy cover across the neighborhoods within the city. GIS based statistical analyses were utilized to predict temperature changes resulting …

An Investigation Of Electrical Surface Impact As A Three-Dimensional Low-Energy Defibrillation Method, Rhiannan Ruef

Theses

Ventricular fibrillation is a medical emergency that leaves the heart unable to beat properly, and is fatal within minutes if left untreated. Furthermore, it’s the leading cause of sudden cardiac arrest according to the NIH, killing over 400,000 Americans every year. Previously, we’ve proposed a new low-energy defibrillation method to restore the heart to its normal rhythm during fibrillation. Our method required further investigation due to the presence of several important dynamical processes. In this dissertation, we report the results of these investigations. First, we will present our results related to a novel behavior called “flopping,” which occurs when a …

Narrow Band Random Vibration Reliability Of A Doped Near Eutectic Tin-Bismuth-Based Alloy With A Large Fine-Pitch Ball Grid Array Device, Gregory Derr-Haverlach

Theses

This thesis investigates the vibration reliability and microstructure of two low temperature lead-free solder alloys. The experimental design involved a 2x2 factorial setup, with solder paste type and time above liquidus (TAL) as the primary factors. The solder pastes tested were Indalloy 281 and Indalloy 303, with TALs of two minutes and three minutes. Indalloy 281 is a eutectic Sn42/Bi58 solder and Indalloy 303 is a doped near eutectic Sn-Bi solder. The objective of the study is to identify how reliability changes between solders and the time above liquidous and to also examine the microstructure and the significant factors that …

Neural Patterns Of Self-Efficacy And Resulting Changes After Cognitive Rehabilitation In Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Emma N. Tribbey

Theses

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) often leads to cognitive impairments, which can significantly affect recovery outcomes. Although there are many different interventions available for individuals with mTBI, evidence-based research has indicated that cognitive rehabilitation programs can lead to significant improvement in psychological symptoms as well as psychosocial and vocational functioning in mTBI. Additionally, clinical research has identified a construct, self-efficacy, or the belief in one's capacity to achieve goals, that may play a critical role in further improving cognitive rehabilitation outcomes. Current research examining self-efficacy and cognitive rehabilitation in mTBI has found that higher self-efficacy is associated with greater treatment …

Nietzschean Expressivism, Cameron Jackson

Theses

What is Nietzsche’s metaethical stance? Does he even have one? We can, I argue, reconstruct an interesting metaethical view from his writings. Rather than focusing narrowly on his claims about moral judgement, I explore Nietzsche’s philosophical psychology broadly in order to argue that he is best interpreted as holding an emotivist type of expressivism. The function of moral judgement lies within its affective and action-guiding nature, and its communal role of coordinating our evaluative attitudes with one another.

Urban Pollinator Vertical Garden: Design Strategies For Sustainable Human - Pollinator Interaction In Urban Environments, Chungmin Park

Theses

The project focuses on the urban spaces as vibrant ecosystems, integrating pollinator habitats, vertical gardens, and green spaces. It emphasizes community engagement and education to promote environmental responsibility and calls for global urban stakeholders to prioritize collaboration and innovation for sustainable urban development. Ultimately, it aims to create resilient and vibrant cities for future generations.

Moonstorm In The Mainstream Or On The Margins?: Constellating St. Louis Lesbian Rhetorics From The Archives, Aurora Blanchard

Theses

Combining rhetorical analysis, oral history collection, and archival study, this multi-genre research project explores lesbian feminist organizing in the 1970s. Moonstorm was a St. Louis lesbian feminist magazine that operated in the 1970s and 1980s. The sample in this research project focuses on the issues of Moonstorm published between 1973 and 1977. Issues of Moonstorm are available for viewing in the archives of the State Historical Society of Missouri. Building on V. Jo Hsu’s theory of constellating, the poems and stories found in Moonstorm serve as sites of both contested and unconditional belonging for modern LGBTQ+ activists. Constellating, specifically in …

Vigilante Justice Violence In Ghana: Does A Visible Police Force Reduce Support For Instant Justice?, John Ampomah

Theses

Vigilante justice remains a persistent issue in Ghana, with a significant portion of Ghanaians subscribing to it to address their grievances. While existing research has examined the social and cultural drivers of vigilante justice in Ghana, the role of visible police presence (i.e., police station and police patrol) on vigilante justice has received limited attention. This study seeks to add to the literature by exploring the relationship between visible police presence and support for vigilante justice by drawing on Black’s (1983) Self-Help Theory. First, I argue that a visible police force directly reduces public support for vigilante justice and indirectly …

Colloidal Control Via Micellar Solutions, Timothy F. Niper

Theses

Mesoscale colloids composed of polyoctahedral silsesquioxanes (POSS) are promising candidates for the self-assembly of hierarchical structures as a continuum of size and morphology can be readily synthesized. However, there are substantial challenges in creating customized colloids that exhibit specific structural features, programmable binding, and stimuli responsiveness. Here, we explore a novel route to gain structural and directable control of these colloids by pairing them with thermoresponsive, polymeric micelles. These polymeric micelles cannot only swell the interstices of oligomeric colloidal droplets with the accuracy provided by the well-defined polymer micellization transition, but also act as absorbable colloidal depletants—a new class of …

How Bats View Their Flowers: Exploring The Use Of Visual Floral Cues By Nectarivorous Neotropical Bats, Lindsey R. Dennison

Theses

Neotropical nectar bats in cloud forest ecosystems must navigate and forage in dark, complex landscapes containing an incredible diversity of flowering plants. Despite these challenges, nectar bats are extremely successful at exploiting nectar resources from plants. Much of the sensory ecology behind these bat-plant interactions has been investigated and we know from previous studies that echolocation and olfaction are critical sensory modalities to nectar bats. Echo-acoustically conspicuous floral and vegetative structures as well as sulfur-containing volatile compounds function as signals, allowing bats to sense plants. However, not all plants exhibit conspicuous echo-acoustic and/or olfactory characteristics. Furthermore, many neotropical bat-pollinated plants …

Exploring Rural Vs. Urban Variations In Emt Scope Of Practice: Advanced Airway And Iv Access Policies, Michaela Geffert

Theses

This thesis investigates how states across the United States (US) modify the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Scope of Practice (SoP) to permit advanced skills, with a focus on advanced airway management via supraglottic airways (SGAs) and intravenous (IV) access procedures, and whether rurality plays a role in these decisions. While the National EMS SoP Model establishes minimum competencies for each emergency medical services (EMS) provider level, individual states often alter their standards in response to local demographic, geographic, and resource-based needs. This study reviewed SoP policies from all 50 states, and 44 states were included. Logistic regression analysis was utilized …

A Computational Framework For Investigating Novel Bacterial Conjugation Inhibitors, Serena Tuytschaevers

Theses

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global threat, contributing to an estimated 700,000 deaths annually. One of the main ways that AMR genes spread among bacteria is through conjugation. Therefore, it is crucial to develop conjugation inhibitors (COINs) to combat AMR. Shared characteristics between known COIN molecules are a hydrophobic tail, unsaturations, and a polar head. Considering these characteristics and accounting for the efficacy of 2-hexadecynoic acid and Tanzawaic Acids (TZAs) low toxicity, we designed a new set of TZA analogs. The predicted protein target of previously identified COINs is TrwD, an ATPase in the type IV secretion system (T4SS). …

Protpen: A Pipeline That Combines Sequence- And Structure-Based Approaches To Predict Protein Functions, Diya Mathai

Theses

Proteins of unknown function represent a significant gap in our understanding of biological processes, with many organisms, especially prokaryotes, harboring large portions of their proteomes that remain uncharacterized. For example, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a major human pathogen, a large proportion of proteins are categorized as unknown or hypothetical in function. The precise number varies across species, but studies have shown that up to 30–50% of proteins in bacterial proteomes can lack functional annotations. Addressing this gap is critical to understanding the biology and pathogenicity of such organisms. Recent advancements in computational tools, particularly those in sequence and structure-based prediction, offer …

Examining The Influence Of Sports Nutrition Counseling On Collegiate Athletes, Jenelle Leon Saravia

Theses

This study explored the influence of nutrition counseling provided by registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) on collegiate athletes’ dietary behaviors, knowledge, and perceptions of nutrition. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating qualitative interviews with 15 athletes from six sports across four schools. Participants reflected on their counseling experiences, focusing on its impact on their nutritional habits, health, and athletic performance. Quantitative data, including a one-sample t-test on recommendation scores, revealed a mean score of 6.73 (SD = 0.46) on a 7-point scale, indicating consistently high satisfaction with nutrition counseling. Thematic analysis identified five themes: Influence of Counseling, Behavioral Changes, Self-Reported Understanding …

Application Of Science And Technology Studies To Global Medical Device Donation Policy, Jolie Crunelle

Theses

In low and middle income countries, the World Health Organization estimates that nearly 80% of medical devices and equipment are procured through donation (WHO 2000). While these donations have the potential to play a critical role in the recipient communities’ health, the donated devices sometimes fall short of their potential due to improper use or lack of support—despite the existence of a variety of guidelines and regulations for medical equipment donations. While conducting volunteer biomedical equipment technician work in Guatemala and Uganda, I came to notice the disparity between the guidelines and the reality on the ground. This study aims …

Animating The Mechanism Of Action Of The Novel Glioblastoma Vaccine Survaxm, Sheila Figel

Theses

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a deadly type of malignant brain tumor affecting over 11,000 people in the United States each year. Treatment options for GBM are limited, with the majority of patients receiving surgery and chemoradiation, and surviving around 15 months. New therapies are desperately needed. A novel peptide vaccine, SurVaxM, has shown promise in phase I and II clinical trials, and is currently under investigation in a Phase IIb trial (the “SURVIVE” trial) for newly diagnosed GBM. As SurVaxM moves closer to FDA approval, there is a need for education about the agent and how it works. In order to …

Basking In Abundance: Distribution And Abundance Of Alabama Map Turtles (Graptemys Pulchra) In The Upper Coosa River, Abigail Wilkins

Theses

The Alabama Map Turtle (Graptemys pulchra) is one of the least studied species of turtle in the United States. Little is known about the species distribution and abundance within the northeastern portion of its range. The aim of this study is to determine the distribution of G. pulchra in the Upper Coosa River drainage as well as estimate population sizes for G. pulchra at 6 sites accessible in the Upper Coosa River Drainage. I used a variety of methods (e.g., rapid assessment surveys, trapping, mark-resight population estimates) to determine the presence and abundance of the species in the Upper …

Enhancing Pedestrian Safety Around Jacksonville State University: A Gis-Based Perception And Crash Analysis, Husain O. Alegimenlen

Theses

This study uses a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based approach to assess pedestrian safety around Jacksonville State University (JSU) by combining vehicle crash data with perception surveys from 111 pedestrians and 97 drivers. The research identifies high-risk areas, explores contributing factors, and recommends targeted safety improvements.

A total of 209 geocoded crash records (2021 to 2024) were analyzed using Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and hotspot analysis in ArcGIS Pro. Crash clusters appeared along Pelham Road North and Mountain Street, marking key vehicular risk zones. Three major pedestrian danger areas were found: (1) Nisbet Street NW and Cardinal Lane NW, (2) …

Flood Risk Assessment In Humanitarian Contexts: A Remote Sensing And Gis Methodology Applied To Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania, Carolyne Vincent Mbirika

Theses

Flooding is a global challenge, with effects mostly experienced in developing countries due to insufficient data for effective flood risk assessment and management. Refugee settlements are particularly vulnerable to flooding due to their remote locations, high population density, and temporary shelters, necessitating flood susceptibility mapping to effectively mitigate risks and minimize damage prior to flooding events. This study assessed flood susceptibility in the Nyarugusu refugee camp, Tanzania, through Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Analytical Hierarchy Process using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approaches. The flood susceptibility map that resulted from this process categorizes flood-prone areas into three classes: …

From Skepticism To Loyalty: A Whitepaper For Companies On Building Consumer Trust In Digital Marketing, Grace Darcy Pora

Theses

Trust is the foundation of business and works as a dynamic relationship between customers and businesses. As social media continues to evolve as the main way that companies promote and sell their products, trust must align with these marketing efforts. Through the analysis of past research, case studies, and current surveys, data, and trends, the relationship between consumer trust and online advertisements can be examined. Consumer trust online is experiencing a consistent downward trend, where consumers are losing trust in the companies and products they purchase from online. There is a heavy amount of skepticism online with the content that …

Scenes Of Self: Redressing Patriarchy Ii, C. Rose Smith

Theses

Drawing together self-portraits and photographic documents, Scenes of Self: Redressing Patriarchy II threads a narrative in black and white on the underpinnings of elitism in US history and culture—a history dating back to the 19th century—of an emerging wealthy economy sustained by the slave market and commodities of its production. A meticulous interpretation of a historicized past eliding with the future, this thesis charts a path toward ancestral recollection to critique the livelihoods of merchants who were also enslavers. This thesis takes up the concept of Afro-surrealism (a movement led by Black artists of the 1970s concerned with the future-past) …

Towards Robust Deep Learning For Medical Imaging With Limited And Noisy Labeled Data, Bidur Khanal

Theses

Deep learning has emerged as a powerful tool in medical imaging, assisting healthcare professionals with several decision-making tasks, such as disease diagnosis, surgical intervention, and treatment planning. Supervised deep learning methods typically require large amounts of high-quality labeled data for training. However, acquiring high-quality labeled data in the medical domain is challenging due to factors such as the high cost of expert annotation and the presence of label noise, often due to inherent user/expert annotation variability. Models trained on limited or noisy labeled data suffer from poor performance due to overfitting, thus reducing their generalizability and trustworthiness for medical applications. …

The Relationship Between Perceived Stress, Rumination, And Sleep Quality Among University Students, Aljazeeya Almansoori

Theses

Sleep is a crucial physiological function that underpins human health and wellbeing, profoundly affecting cognitive abilities, emotional stability, and the overall quality of life. Disruptions in sleep quality and quantity are commonly associated with increased perceived stress and rumination. This study aimed to investigate the correlations among perceived stress, rumination, and sleep quality in university students in the UAE, while also considering demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status, and educational level. It was hypothesized that higher levels of perceived stress and rumination would be associated with lower sleep quality. The study employed a cross-sectional design, involving a sample …

Human-Aware Reinforcement Learning For Adaptive Human-Robot Teaming, Saurav Singh

Theses

The rise of Industry 5.0 has shifted robotic systems toward human-centric design, emphasizing collaboration between humans and machines. While collaborative robots (cobots) are equipped with sensors for safety, they typically overlook human internal states such as fatigue, stress, and workload—factors that significantly impact performance. This lack of awareness limits their ability to adapt and collaborate effectively, particularly in dynamic, real-time environments where human conditions fluctuate. This thesis introduces a novel framework that integrates human internal states into robot decision-making to enhance human-robot collaboration. This research leverages reinforcement learning (RL) to develop methods that enable robots to adapt their behavior based …

The Use Of Robotic Surveillance In The Uae In 2035: Balancing, Innovation, Regulation, And Privacy, Oasha Yousuf Almohier

Theses

This research explores the future of robotic surveillance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 2035, aiming to balance innovation, regulatory oversight, and privacy protection. It investigates the intersection of national security objectives, ethical AI governance, and public trust within the UAE’s rapidly advancing smart city and law enforcement environments. The focus areas include regulatory gaps in current AI laws, ethical concerns such as data privacy and algorithmic bias, and the societal perception of AI-powered surveillance systems. The background of this study stems from the UAE’s ambition to lead in AI deployment, especially within public security initiatives such as autonomous …

Detection And Quantitation Of A Drug And Pesticides In Food Products Of The Uae (Dates And Camel Milk) By Liquid Chromatographic Techniques, Afnan Wael Alanqar

Theses

In this thesis the detection and quantification of the traces of multi-residue pesticides in 26 date fruits samples as well as the presence of the anthelmintic drug thiabendazole in pasteurized commercial camel milk consumed in the United Arab Emirates is examined. The main objective of this thesis is two folds; first is to determine whether a selected 12 pesticides of 8 different chemical groups- in the case of date fruits- and the drug thiabendazole-in case of camel milk- exists in the randomly collected samples of corresponding matrices. Second, is to quantify these compounds and compare their amount to the established …

Performance Comparison Of Iot-Powered Indoor Hydroponic Systems And Outdoor Traditional Environment, Saleha Alharthi

Theses

Traditional agriculture faces challenges, including high water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and fluctuations in environmental conditions. The research aims to develop alternative sustainable solutions to address issues related to traditional farming. Hydroponics provides opportunities to grow different types of vegetables indoors, where conventional agriculture is challenging. This thesis presents a comparative study of soil-based and hydroponic arugula cultivation using the nutrient film technique (NFT). The proposed methodology focuses on maintaining high similarity in the implementation of components across systems to ensure fair comparison. This thesis utilized distinct approaches. The first approach compared an outdoor soil-based system with an indoor hydroponic …