Digital Commons Network^™

Arthritis – An Interactive Study Of Common Rheumatic Diseases, Giovanna Santoni

Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to develop an interactive educational tool about Arthritis for medical students at the University of Rochester School of Medicine (URMC). This consisted of an online tutorial that students can access at anytime on the web, containing all lecture material and supplemented by illustrations and animations on the subject. These audiovisual aids aim to engage the student in a study session where he/she can study the material and evaluate their progress in a direct self-paced manner during lecture or later during study sessions for future referencing. This website tutorial was designed using Macromedia Flash 8 …

Real-Time Content-Aware Video Retargeting On The Android Platform For Tunnel Vision Assistance, Thomas Knack

Theses

As mobile devices continue to rise in popularity, advances in overall mobile device processing power lead to further expansion of their capabilities. This, coupled with the fact that many people suffer from low vision, leaves substantial room for advancing mobile development for low vision assistance. Computer vision is capable of assisting and accommodating individuals with blind spots or tunnel vision by extracting the necessary information and presenting it to the user in a manner they are able to visualize. Such a system would enable individuals with low vision to function with greater ease. Additionally, offering assistance on a mobile platform …

Anxious Care, Shara Burrows

Theses

The intent of my thesis is to translate objects that relate to our bodies into glass and mixed media. The purpose of this endeavor is to create a dialogue between media and form about the fragile and dependent nature of human relationships. Glass breaks and it can be repaired. Glass objects must be handled with care. The material translation of functional objects into fragile glass forms supports the content of my work. The basic premise of my thesis is the universality of the human experience of loss. Everyone has or at some time will experience the death of a loved …

Sex Estimation From The Clavicle: A Discriminant Function Analysis, Megan Kathleen Cleary

Theses

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF MEGAN K. CLEARY, for the Master of Arts degree in ANTHROPOLOGY, presented on MARCH 28th at 8am, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale TITLE: SEX ESTIMATION FROM THE CLAVICLE: A DISCRIMINANT FUNCTION ANALYSIS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Gretchen R. Dabbs The development of methods for sex estimation using postcranial remains other than the os coxa is imperative for physical anthropology to improve the reliability of biological profile estimates in cases of incomplete and/or fragmentary skeletal remains. As the last skeletal element to complete fusion, the clavicle has the longest period of time to develop sexually dimorphic …

Perceived Risk Of Homeland Security Incidents: The Insignificance Of Actual Risk Factors, Melissa R. Haynes

Theses

Contingency theory, with regard to risk of homeland security incidents and homeland security preparedness, has received considerable empirical support. In past research, risk has been measured subjectively as agency executives' perceived risk of specific homeland security incidents occurring within their jurisdictions. This study examines actual risk, using the objective risk factors of experience with past natural hazards, social vulnerability, and urbanization. These risk factors, used in combination, have been significantly associated with terrorism-related homeland security incidents in the United States, and are used in risk assessment models of natural hazards. Contrary to expectations, the results of this study indicate that …

Microencapsulation Of The Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Into Biodegradable Polymers Using Supercritical Fluid Technology, Safaa Mohamad Al Mahdi Ali Yousif

Theses

Osteoarthritis is a disease that attacks human bones especially in older people and usually nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are being prescribed for patients with Osteoarthritis. These kinds of drugs usually have low aqueous solubility and in order to have their therapeutic effects, their solubility should be enhanced. The purpose of this study was to find solution for this problem and one way to do that is to reduce the particle size by forming micro particles. In this project, one of these types of drugs ibuprofen (isobutyl-propanoicphenolic Acid) was encapsulated into a polymer (PVP polyvinylpyrrolidone) using supercritical fluid technology (Supercritical CO …

Error Analysis Of Sequence Modeling For Projecting Cyber Attacks, Venkata Mudireddy

Theses

Intrusion Detection System (IDS) has become an integral component in the field of network security. Prior research has focused on developing efficient IDSs and correlating attacks as Attack Tracks. To enhance the network analyst's situational awareness, sequence modeling techniques like Variable Length Markov Models (VLMM) have been used to project likely future attacks. However, such projections are made assuming that the IDSs detect each and every attack action, which is not viable in reality. An IDS could miss an attack due to loss of packets or improper traffic analysis, or when an attacker evades detection by employing obfuscation techniques. Such …

Genetic Modifications Within The Gluconeogenic Organs Following Ileal Interposition In Non-Diabetic Rats: A Role Of Glut2, Shwetha Ravichandran

Theses

Obesity and Diabetes, the major cause for morbidity and mortality in United States raises a general curiosity regarding health care expenses when talked about treating them. Every year approximately 300,000 US adults die of reasons associated to obesity and diabetes, becoming the sixth leading cause of death. The prevalence of those diagnosed with diabetes witnessed an exponential curve in the last decade and for the year 2011 about 8.3% of the population in the US has been diagnosed with diabetes and it is predicted that in the year 2030 the prevalence of diabetes is to reach 4.4% globally. Type 2 …

Voice Of Women In Byzantine Music Within The Greek Orthodox Churches In America, Rachel Nicole Brashier

Theses

Byzantine chant, the music of the Greek Orthodox Churches in America, embeds meanings and functions as a methodological tool which constructs and teaches about the role of women within church communities. This thesis explores how as cultural group identity, belongingness, and gender identity are semiotically iconized, purified, and recursively transmitted through the liturgical music of the church, specifically hymns about women saints and The Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God. This work is a culmination of twelve years of ethnomusicological fieldwork conducted by the author in Midwestern Greek Orthodox churches and monasteries, using participant-observation techniques. The work outlines the …

Nesting Ecology Of Ducks In Dense Nesting Cover And Restored Native Plantings In Northeastern North Dakota, Ryan D. Haffele

Theses

Conservation efforts to increase duck production have led the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to restore grasslands with multi-species (3-5) mixtures of cool season vegetation often termed dense nesting cover (DNC). The effectiveness of DNC to increase duck production has been variable, and maintenance of the cover type is expensive. In an effort to decrease the costs of maintaining DNC and support a more diverse community of wildlife, restoration of multi-species (16-32) plantings of native plants has been explored. Understanding the mechanisms of nest site selection for nesting ducks within these plantings is important in estimating the efficiency of …

O, Karen Donnellan

Theses

My work is driven by the metaphysical and the potential for healing through the manipulation of energy. Points of research include the enso (the only symbol used in Zen Buddhism), which uses the circle as a symbol of wholeness, divinity, and enlightenment. The writings of Alex Grey, Eckhart Tolle and the work of Ann Hamilton will also be investigated. I plan to create work from turned wooden vortex forms, the shapes of which are based on the movement of energy within the body. These objects will be transformed from wood, through rubber, wax, plaster, iron, bronze to cast, and blown …

The Modern Family: Confronting Attitudes And Same-Sex Marriage Legislation Through Gay Male Relationships And Gender Roles On Tv, Alice Telios

Theses

Media portrayals within the ABC television show Modern Family provide insight into how viewers perceive the monogamous gay relationship between the male characters Cameron and Mitchell, and how contact with these characters is related to attitudes and behaviors. A sample of 90 viewers and 157 non-viewers from the University of Missouri and social networks participated in an online survey. Exposure to the program predicted positive attitudes toward gay men and intentions to vote for same-sex marriage legislation. Perceptions of more heteronormative gender roles within the gay relationship did not predict positive attitudes or intentions to vote for same-sex marriage rights. …

Meeting Resistance To A Policy Of Cadaveric Organ Conscription: A Discussion Of The Important Issues And Arguments, Daniel Ryan Sahr

Theses

Conscripting organs from cadavers represents a radical new approach to the problem of organ procurement for transplantation. As it currently stands, there is a wide disparity between the supply of viable organs and the need for those organs in order to perform life-saving transplantations. There is, therefore, a major problem with the current organ procurement model in the United States. Cadaveric organ conscription avoids the requirement for consent in organ donation; all candidates for organ donation will have viable organs harvested for transplantation under this policy. Organ conscription has the potential to close the widening gap between the number of …

Modeling The Potential Effects Of Plasmodium Infection On The Galapagos Penguin (Spheniscus Mendiculus), Robert James Meile

Theses

The recently discovered presence of a species of Plasmodium infecting the endangered Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) potentially threatens their long-term persistence. However, not much information is available on the transmission dynamics of Plasmodium in Galapagos or the impact of the parasite on infected penguins. The present work takes the model of the Galapagos penguin population devised by Vargas et al. (2007)—which did not include any impacts from disease—and adds a simple model of infection. Two variables—the probability of an individual becoming infected each year, and the increase in annual mortality caused by infection—define the dynamics of the disease …

Mathematical Modeling And Screening Of Ligand Binding Sites In Protein Using The Tetrahedral Motif Method And Double-Centroid Representation, Arkanjan Banerjee

Theses

A pharmacophore consists of the parts of the structure of the ligand that are sufficient to express the biological and pharmacological effects of the ligand. It is usually a substructure of the entire structure of the ligand. Small organic molecules called ligands or metabolites in the cell form complexes with biomolecules (usually proteins) to serve different purposes. The sites at which the ligands bind are known as ligand binding sites, which are essentially "pockets" which have complementary shapes and patterns of charge distribution with the ligands. Sometimes a pocket is induced by the ligand itself. If we study different bound …

Supercritical Co2 Extraction Of Oil From Henna Flower: Experimental, Mathematical Modeling, And Antioxidant Activity, Bushra Saeed Mohammed Dohai

Theses

Henna is a plant that has been used traditionally for coloring nail, skin, and hair, and as medicinal plant. The supercritical fluid technology offers a considerable promise as extraction media due to its advantages over other conventional extraction techniques. The extraction of volatile components from flowers of henna was studied using supercritical carbon dioxide at temperatures and pressures ranging from 35 to 55°C and 80 to 120 bar, respectively. A maximum extraction yield of 31 % from 2g of henna flowers was obtained at 45 °C and 120 bar. The composition of the extracts was investigated by gas chromatography technique. …

Imagomachines, John Aymong

Theses

This thesis document was prepared in consideration for a degree of Master of Fine Arts in Fine Arts Studio from the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences. It describes the concepts within the body of the artist's work that includes imagomachines, the name given to the thesis' mixed media kinetic sculptures. Also included in the thesis are large-scale, non-toxic prints. This document describes the methods of printing, fabrication, and construction used to resolve the works and have them ready for their installation at the MFA exhibition in the Bevier Gallery at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Within the thesis, associations …

Design Optimization Framework To Estimate Environmental Impact Of Design Decisions In Consumer Products, Carlos M. Briceno

Theses

Most products have the potential to negatively impact the environment during all life-cycle stages. However, most environmental impact assessment methods focus on a single product life-cycle and on a specific lifecycle stage. In addition, consumer products can potentially amplify these impacts with their larger production volumes, wide dispersion, and miniaturization trends. The main objective of this project is to develop a design optimization framework that allows for estimating the environmental impact of design decisions (e.g. materials choice, etc.) across all life-cycle stages in consumer products. This work incorporates into one framework customer preferences (including preference for environmental friendliness), consumer adoption …

Visualizing Actin Regulatory Proteins & The Mechanoelectrical Ion Channel In Inner Ear Stereocilia, Chih-Tao Tu

Theses

My thesis was a continuation of the "3D Virtual Ear Animation" project for the Imagine RIT Festival held in spring 2010. I worked with Dr. David Corey, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, whose research publications I had been reading since the spring of 2010. I learned about information that explains how hearing is transformed into neural signals ultimately perceived by the brain. Motivated by the presence of hearing-impaired students on the campus, I decided to continue this animation project. Another motivation for this topic was the lack of illustrations and animations that captured the latest discoveries, particularly the …

The Interaction Between An Omnivorous Mud Snail And Bloom-Forming Macroalgae Is Context-Dependent In Shallow Estuaries, Charles Yarrington

Theses

Eutrophication due to anthropogenic nutrient enrichment is the greatest factor leading to estuarine degradation. Even after external nutrient loading has been reduced, internal nutrient recycling has the potential to keep the system in a eutrophic state. In field studies, an association between the Eastern Mud Snail, Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say), and the opportunistic green macroalgae Ulva sp., has been observed and attributed to the detrital food source associated with the algal mat. In this study, we sought to determine the spatial and temporal context-dependence of this relationship, the reciprocal benefits of the association, and the potential feedbacks to macroalgal bloom formation …

Development Of A Process For Identification Of The Operational Mode Of Industrial Sites Using High Dimensional Multi-Modal Data, Jake Clements

Theses

Many algorithms exist to determine the physical contents of an image. Target detection or anomaly detection algorithms, for example, use statistical and geometric approaches in high dimensional space to locate objects within a scene. Instead of target detection, however, it has become of interest of late to delve deeper into the field of remote sensing in order to perform textit{process detection}. Process detection refers to the ability to identify the operational mode of an industrial facility. To accurately complete this task will require a new set of analysis tools. This thesis discusses a method that can be used to perform …

An Integrated Physics-Based Approach To Demonstrate The Potential Of The Landsat Data Continuity Mission (Ldcm) For Monitoring Coastal/Inland Waters, Nima Pahlevan

Theses

Monitoring coastal or inland waters, recognized as case II waters, using the existing Landsat technology is somewhat restricted because of its low Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) as well as its relatively poor radiometric resolution. As a primary task, we introduce a novel technique, which integrates the Landsat-7 data as a surrogate for LDCM with a 3D hydrodynamic model to monitor the dynamics of coastal waters near river discharges as well as in a small lake environment. The proposed approach leverages both the thermal and the reflective Landsat-7 imagery to calibrate the model and to retrieve the concentrations of optically active components …

Otter Spotter: The Creation And Evaluation Of An Educational Resource For The Association Of Zoos And Aquariums, Rochester Institute Of Technology, And The Seneca Park Zoo, Emily Coon-Frisch

Theses

Otter Spotter is an educational website providing information about otters found in Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) facilities. Though the site includes five species of otter it focuses primarily on the North American river otter. It was designed to meet the needs of AZA's Otter Species Survival Plan (SSP) committee, Rochester Institute of Technology's (RIT) Otter Research group, and the Seneca Park Zoo. This site helps fulfill the mission of modern zoos to become centers for conservation and education. Otter Spotter contains species information, photos, video clips, research summaries, teacher resources, and a blog with the latest news related …

Effect Of Soil Salinity Level On Development And Functioning Of Endomycorrhizae In The Groundcover Wedelia Trilobata (L.) Grown On Dune Sand From The Uae, Farivash Abdullah Rajaei

Theses

In semi-arid parts of the world such as the U A E, salinity is a major constraint to plant growth and development. More than 80 % of a land plants live in symbiosis with soil fungi of the Glomeromycota. These are also called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and have been shown to contribute to growth and nutrient uptake of a broad range of agricultural plants. A positive effect of the AM symbiosis on plant performance under salinity has often been observed, but the precise mechanisms behind this effect are unknown to date. Mycotrophic plants common I) grown on saline sandy …

The Development Of Resistance To Antibiotics From Bacteria Exposed To Triclosan And Triclocarban In Lake Ontario, Daniel Boone

Theses

Triclocarban (3,4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide) (TCC) and Triclosan ( 2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenyl ether) (TCS) are antimicrobials used extensively in soaps and detergents. They're known to bypass wastewater treatment plants and bioaccumulate in aquatic sediments. Their accumulation leads to an increase in bacterial exposure, which may lead to both antiseptic and antibiotic resistance, known as cross-resistance. This study investigates the occurrence of cross-resistance with bacteria exposed to TCS and TCC in Lake Ontario sediments. Sediment samples were chosen at various sites with a high probability of TCS and TCC exposure. The bacteria were enriched with 5mg/L TCS (equivalent to environmental concentrations) and the top biodegraders were …

In Vitro Complex, Anna Druzcz

Theses

Contemporary technological developments allow for greater manipulation of the natural world than ever before. While the increasing variety of synthetic materials, techniques, and equipment employed in horticulture and urban development are reshaping the land, sophisticated digital imaging tools, ranging from computer-generated graphics to 3D modeling and rendering software, are changing the way we design and represent landscapes. Through technology, we are continually imitating, reconstructing, and perfecting the natural environment. As a result, the physical and conceptual borders between the organic and synthetic elements, the "born" and the "made," in our physical environments are becoming progressively obscured, as are the lines …

Preparation Of Different Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes By Interfacial Polymerization And The Effect Of Post-Polymerization Treatment On Separation Performance, Yu Qin

Theses

Interfacial polymerization (IP) is a powerful technique for fabrication of thin film composite (TFC) membranes. In this study, polyamide nanofiltration (NF) composite membranes ware prepared by interfacial polymerization of polyethylenimine (PEI) or m-phenylene diamine (MPD) with isophthaloyl dichloride (IPD) on the surface of a porous polyethersulfone (PES) support. Concentrations of monomer reactants for this reaction were decided by equivalent weight ratio. A standard IP procedure was applied to successfully coat PES flat films. After preparation, three different post-polymerization treatments were employed and one optimal treatment was proven after membrane testing.

The TFC flat film membranes were characterized by nanofiltration of …

Non-Destructive Evaluation Of Agglomerated Cork Products Using Thz Spectroscopy And Imaging, Han Zhang

Theses

Terahertz spectroscopy from 0.15 to 0.3 THz is used to classify agglomerated cork products. Position dependent scattering of radiation allows one to image the internal structure of cork products. Previous studies have focused on natural (solid) cork stoppers. In this study, the feasibility of classifying agglomerated cork structures using THz imaging and spectroscopy is investigated. Both THz images and spectra are used to classify the agglomerated cork samples. Classification of the samples used three methods: visible examination of the THz images, statistical analysis of the pixel intensities, and a polynomial regression of the THz spectral data averaged over all pixels. …

The Mechanical Testing Of Single Nanofiber, Pratik Manohar Dahule

Theses

Polymer nanofibers exhibit properties that make them a favorable material for the development of tissue engineering scaffolds, filtration devices, sensors, and high strength lightweight materials. Perfectly aligned PLLA Nanofibers were fabricated by an electrospinning technique under optimum conditions and the diameter of the electrospun fibers can easily be tailored by adjusting the concentration of the polymer solution. To align the nanofibers, special arrangement was made in terms of two aluminum plates. Good alignment of polymer nanofibers on specimen was confirmed by SEM observation. The effect of different electro-spinning parameters on maximum fiber length, average fiber diameter, diameter uniformity, and fiber …

Combustion Dynamics Of Individual Reactive Material Particles, Carlo Francisco Badiola

Theses

Metallic reactive powders are widely used as solid fuels, pyrotechnic materials, and components of enhanced blast explosives. Metals are attractive because of their high combustion enthalpies and temperatures. Quantitative descriptions of the combustion processes and mechanisms for both pure metal and composite particles are also desired for their proper implementation in specific applications. Among reactive metals, Al is used most widely and its combustion has been studied extensively. A recently developed experimental setup using laser-ignited metal powders enabled one to record optical signatures for time-resolved combustion instances for 2-25 µm diameter aluminum particles burning in different atmospheres. Individual particle diameters …