Digital Commons Network^™

Say Hello To Yesterday, Tianyi Zhang

Theses

This project investigates the therapeutic potential of picture books in addressing grief, focusing on a narrative about a woman navigating the aftermath of her husband's death. It integrates traditional artistic techniques with modern digital tools to explore loss's emotional and psychological impacts. The use of dark tones accented with bright colors such as pink, orange, and green symbolizes the transition from sorrow to hope and healing. Key symbols like labyrinths and cameras deepen thematic resonance, with labyrinths depicting the protagonist's confusion and cameras representing fixed memories of the past. This approach highlights the dualities of memory and progress, illustrating the …

Introducing Students To Material Libraries Through Interactive Play, Evan Murphy

Theses

In 2023, Rochester Institute of Technology finished construction of a state-of-the-art makerspace to their growing campus. It was named the Student Hall for Exploration and Development, or, the SHED. It includes classrooms, lecture halls, collaborative makerspaces and a material library. The materials library offers hundreds of material samples - metals, plastics, naturals and more. Material libraries are a great resource for students looking to find high performing, sustainable and elegant materials for any project. They give students and professionals a hands-on understanding of available materials. In conversations with Mike Buffalin, the director of the SHED, I learned about the recent …

Busy World: 3d To-Do Lists App, Zhixiao Shen

Theses

Today, people encounter many arduous tasks every day. Heavy work tasks and tedious tasks always remind people, tormenting people who work hard to live. Life is busy, and there are many things to do every day. Without to-do lists to help us organize the tasks we need to get done each day, our lives would be a mess. Not only that, but unplanned tasks can also trigger procrastination. According to a survey, more than 40% of people suffer from procrastination. Procrastination affects the lives of many people, causing them to be inefficient and waste a lot of time. The central …

M’Ma, Charlotte Rose Eshelman

Theses

As I wrestle with myself, I wrestle with my mother. Both my mother and I survived domestic abuse as children, my mother again as an adult. Our bodies carry our trauma, her body carried mine, and someday, my body will carry my children. M’ma contemplates what we do with what we’re given, how trauma is inherited and passed down to the next generation through the body, and the complex intimacy of the mother-child relationship. I express and project my questions about my future children, my relationship with and understanding of my mother, and of myself in anticipation of being a …

Quantum Lissajous Figures Via Projection, Errico Russo

Theses

We present and investigate a new category of quantum Lissajous states for a two-dimensional Harmonic Oscillator (2DHO) having commensurate angular frequencies. The states themselves result from the projection of ordinary coherent states (i.e. quasi-classical) onto a degenerate subspace of the 2DHO. In this way, new, highly non-classical quantum mechanically stationary states arise “organically” from the highly classical but non-stationary coherent states. The connection to Lissajous figures is evident in the result that our states so defined all have probability densities that are localized along the corresponding classical Lissajous figures. We further emphasize the important interplay between the probability current density …

Atoms And Leaves, Patty Tomanovich

Theses

Atoms and Leaves is a photographic project presented as windows into a utopia. The glass images display a potential time and place where the landscape, photography, and transness intertwine and grow from each other. Photography historically harms the landscape- requiring precious metals, releasing pollution into the atmosphere, and creating hazardous water waste. The traditional photographic canon erases the connection between queerness and ecology. Atoms and Leaves rethreads these connections, creating a world where photography collaborates with the landscape and takes on a transgender perspective by reshaping given material. The photographic printing process developed in this project was inspired by the …

Attentional Alchemy: Crafting Meaning In The Fabric Of Experience ---An Argument From Attention For The Content View, Ling 鳕鱼 张 Zhang

Theses

Abstract: In the realm of philosophy of mind, a central inquiry concerns whether perceptual experiences have content. This paper aims to construct an argument, termed Argument from Attention, which asserts that all visual experiences have content in the minimal sense, drawing upon insights from phenomenological features of attentional experience and mechanisms of attention elucidated in The Erotetic Theory of Attention. To achieve this goal, the paper begins by clarifying the essential features of contentful experience in Section 2. Furthermore, the second subsection scrutinizes Siegel's Argument from Appearances, highlighting the susceptibility of her Weak Content View to the …

Passing Away, Xin Li

Theses

My paper revolves these wonderful things from our lives, fading away from our world until even ourselves vanish from this world. I am often hijacked by groundless panic, even when I possess something, I dare not think about losing it, just the thought makes me anxious. I would even rather not have had beautiful things to avoid losing them. In my perception, all beautiful things are fragile, brittle. When I realized I was trapped by this fear, unable to move forward towards a new life, I decided to rescue myself. In the society and culture that I grew up in, …

Among Cypress And Sawgrass, Chandler Michael Culotta

Theses

Among Cypress and Sawgrass is a photographic series that explores the region I have come to call home, the Florida Everglades. This series explores the vast diversity of species and the ecosystem as a whole, but also speaks to the threats it has faced and continues to face that could devastate it forever. The series brings attention to the importance of this ecosystem, vocalizing support for its preservation, something we often depict in a phrase regarding the entire state; “Keep Florida Wild”. The series brings together photographs of the natural world and photographs of the ways humankind has influenced and …

Block Copolymers And Chirality: Interplay Between Conformations And Structures, Natalie Buchanan

Theses

Block copolymers can exhibit chirality at three different length scales – molecular chirality at the residue scale, conformational chirality at the molecular scale, and structural chirality at the mesoscale from the self-assembly of thousands of molecules. Unique morphologies have been formed due to chirality transfer, a phenomenon where chirality at smaller length scales imparts chirality to larger length scales. However, chirality does not always transfer, with chiral blocks existing in an achiral phase due to chiral frustration. The thermodynamics of the effects of chirality on block copolymer self-assembly is not well understood. This work demonstrates that coarse-grained models can effectively …

Fitopia: Enhancing Online Community Engagement For Gym Enthusiasts Through A Specialized Mobile Application, Yushuang Liang

Theses

In the wake of the pandemic, societal shifts have led to profound transformations in lifestyle, including the widespread adoption of remote education and communication. At the same time, individuals are building new relationships through online platforms. However, traditional gym routines face challenges, distractions from frequent smartphone usage disrupt focus and solitary training lacks motivational support. To address these issues, this study introduces 'Fitopia', a UI/UX design exploration that delves into the potential of mobile apps to revolutionize gym engagement by integrating community engagement features. This project aims to uncover innovative approaches that meld visual and interaction design with user interface …

Advancements In Scanning Electron Microscopy, Surya Kamal

Theses

Scanning electron microscopes (SEM) are poorly characterized imaging instruments. The SEM optics (lens and aperture assembly) is designed to form a focused electron probe that scans the specimen to produce images. Therefore, the imaging efficacy in SEM strongly depends on the quality of the optics. However, there is no way to accurately characterize the optics in an uncorrected SEM (without multipole correctors) due to the lack of an exit wave. This work focuses on improving the imaging capabilities of an uncorrected SEM by understanding its optical performance using wave optical theory, simulation, and experiment. In this dissertation, we have developed …

Blissful (Dis)Comfort, Mei Kiengsiri

Theses

From personal anecdotes and past experiences, “Blissful (Dis)comfort” confronts, celebrates, and humorizes my Thai culture and family dynamics through light, sound, and the subversion of everyday objects. This thesis explores the personal, intimate, and even vulnerable sides of my childhood and personal relationships, as well as their reflections on technical challenges and solutions to everyday electronic devices. The body of work rejects the expectations of cause and effect, logical consequences, and reactions, blending in the child-like sense of wonder, discovery, and play with more complex themes of nostalgia and family.

The Normativity Of Social Role Concepts, Robert Laurent Iii

Theses

This paper argues that social role concepts are both descriptive and normative. A "social role concept" is any concept that describes a person’s station in life from the point of view of society as a whole. Social roles are usually positions into which one is born and which are difficult if not impossible to renounce from within the conceptual system. Social roles are therefore not mere jobs or descriptions. They place certain obligations upon a person that are meant to apply absolutely. This paper first discusses the normativity of rule-governed practices and the rules involved in concept use. The paper …

An Egalitarian Approach To Explanations In Mental Disorders, Eli Driskill

Theses

Explanations of mental disorders come from a wide array of disciplines and epistemologies. How we conceive of and order these explanations has great importance for agency. Yet, psychiatry as a discipline has long suffered from the assumption that these explanations are multi-level. That is, some lower-level mechanism (i.e. neurobiology) constrains the information produced at a higher-level behavior. I argue that this approach is unsatisfying, and offer a new perspective: the egalitarian approach to mental disorders. The egalitarian model of mental disorders is non-hierarchical, dynamic, and cross-cultural. The paper begins by highlighting an inherent feature of psychiatry which I coin the …

Horizonlink： Hud Innovations In Autonomous Vehicles, Xi Yang

Theses

This thesis explores the design and potential of HORIZONLINK, a pioneering concept for a full-windshield Head-Up Display (HUD) in fully autonomous electric vehicles (FAEVs). By transforming the vehicle's windshield into a fully interactive display controlled by eye-tracking and gestures, HORIZONLINK reimagines the in-car experience. This exploration delves into how immersive technologies, combined with intuitive control mechanisms, can enhance passenger comfort and engagement, thus proposing a new paradigm in interior design.

Blockchain Applications And Industrial Development, Hamad Aiman

Theses

World economies and industries are witnessing a rapid yet discreet change in the perception of data, information, and finance, paradigms that have been static for centuries. This shift is fueled by the expansive network of the internet, which is still far from being fully utilized. Emerging from this digital expanse, blockchain technology today influences how finance, services, and data collection are conducted. In a dynamically evolving economy, this innovative development prompts organizations and individuals with high stakes to accelerate their digital transformation. This research paper aims to educate readers about the potential impact of blockchain technology and digital assets across …

American Absurd, Kelly Stolle

Theses

There is perhaps one line that separates the American mindset from all others in the world. That is the fascination with the American Dream. This dream, having existed since the creation of this nation, has guided almost all developments we have seen it undertake. The question that lingers, however, is what this “American Dream” actually is. How does one interpret freedom? Further, what is one to do with it? This work suggests that what fuels the American Dream is an absurdist philosophy that ripples through every aspect of American life. Utilizing the modernist literary movement, I will analyze 6 key …

On Learning Your Gender: A Comprehensive View, Audra M. Hazelwood

Theses

This essay provides a metaphysical and epistemological account of gender. The metaphysics involves a ‘non-reductionist view of gender’, which is to say that gender cannot be reduced to a single factor. On this view gender begins with one’s innate gender inclinations (in the vein of Julia Serano). These inclinations pick out a specific range of gender possibilities from the gender spectrum that apply to a person. At the same time we live in communities and cultures with certain gender norms. This is where epistemology comes into play since our gender inclinations are filtered through gender norms and some people are …

Towards Erasing The Distinction Between The Computational And Syntactic Accounts Of Scientific Theories, Timothy Luft

Theses

One of the main goals of philosophy of science is to give a proper account of scientific theories and their structure. One way that accounts of the structure of scientific theories can be distinguished is by the mathematical or logical structures that they involve. For instance, syntactic accounts of scientific theories hold that theories are axioms in a logical framework, whereas semantic accounts are more liberal in the range of mathematical and logical structures they take as pertinent to the structure of scientific theories. Paul Thagard (1988) offers a computational account of scientific theories, which holds that theories are complex …

Between Fodor And Sellars -- A Middle Ground For Language-Like Neural Representations, Hanzhe Dong

Theses

The recent resurgence of the language of thought (LOT) hypothesis has drawn much attention. The history of philosophy and cognitive science has provided us with various versions of LOT. From Sellars to Fodor, theorists have offered us considerations on the vehicles, content, and functions of such a representation format. However, it’s been more than 50 years since Fodor’s publication on LOT (1975), and the resurgence suggests that we need a modern iteration of LOT to fit with recent developments in the study on cognition. Therefore, in this paper, I argue that we need a middle ground between Fodor and Sellars’s …

A New Vicarious Technique For Radiometric And Spatial Calibration Of Drone-Based Multispectral And Hyperspectral Imaging Systems, David N. Conran

Theses

A new technology (convex mirrors) used for radiometric and spatial characterization of remote sensing imaging systems has demonstrated equal, but unique results when compared to Lambertian targets for vicarious calibration. Using convex mirrors to characterize the radiometric and spatial response of hyperspectral and multispectral imaging systems has yet to be thoroughly investigated for drone-based platforms. When imaged, a convex mirror produces a known radiant intensity source that can characterizes the radiometric and spatial performance of an imaging system. The simultaneous assessment supports a unique understanding of the hyperspectral and multispectral instrument’s response for vicarious characterization. Assessing a new technique for …

Comparison Of Constant Prompt Delay And Least-To-Most Prompting To Teach Receptive, Sarah Gindelberger

Theses

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is used in schools to teach students with autism spectrum disorder. Policies guide the selection and implementation of research-based practices to ensure positive student outcomes. Discrete trial teaching is often used as an instructional teaching method. To maximize learning, different prompting interventions can be used during discrete trial teaching. Constant prompt delay and least-to-most prompting are effective research-based interventions that can be implemented as instructional teaching procedures for students with autism spectrum disorder. Constant prompt delay was compared to least-to-most prompting to determine whether constant prompt delay would lead to more effective and efficient mastery acquisition …

Enhancing Pump Efficiency And Reducing Energy Consumption At The Sea Water Distillation Plant Of An Aluminium Company, Essa Binshaqooi

Theses

The objective of this project is to enhance pump efficiency by at least 10% and reduce energy consumption by 5% in the Sea Water Distillation Unit of a major Aluminium Company. Challenges include progressive wear, abrasion, and sea water scaling, which contribute to major losses in pumps, leading to inefficient performance and increased operational costs. Failure Mode Analysis (FMA) and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) were conducted on both Sea Water Pumps (SWPs) and Brine Circulation Pumps (BRPs) to identify these major losses. Strategic improvements recommended for both pumps include the required pump rating, changes in composition, and performance monitoring. Detailed …

From Market Research To Product Design: The Process Of Building The Webguru Ai Optimization Tool, Zhen Bi

Theses

The COVID-19 virus has brought a significant transformation in e-commerce, with a lot of businesses not only selling products in physical stores but also conducting transactions online. However, the cost and expertise required for personalized website design and programming are prohibitive for a lot of small business owners. This has prompted many small business owners to adopt generic templates, failing to characterize their products and get the style they really want. In 2023, rapid advances in artificial intelligence technologies have resulted in a range of tools capable of generating text and images, catalyzing a transformation in online content creation. In …

Design And Test Of Wpum Topography Monitor For Iqos, Rawah Azeez

Theses

With the emergence of diverse tobacco product forms, such as electronic cigarettes and heat-not-burn, the global user base has surged to an estimated 1.3 billion. In the United States, 28.3 million adults and 3.08 million middle and high school adolescents engage in tobacco product use. However, our understanding of the usage behaviors of these various products is lacking. Puff topography, which measures the inhalation patterns of tobacco products, provides a wealth of information, including puff flow rate, duration, volume, and more. This information is crucial in understanding the health effects of tobacco products and the influence of usage behavior on …

Education Practicum Project, Chinwe Uzodinma-Jones

Theses

Implementation of IDSE promotes interprofessional communication by exposing scholars to such experiences prior to entering professional practice (Aebersold, 2018; Wang et al., 2015). Further inquiry has led to the development of the PICOT research question. In a population of pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing scholars (Population) what is the effect of an interdisciplinary simulation-based education (IDSE) scenario (Intervention) in comparison to no IDSE (Comparison) on improving self-perceptions of competent care among critical care nursing students (Outcome) over a period of 8 weeks (Time)?

Controlling The Narrative: The Effects Of Media Coverage On Fear Of Crime And Socio-Political Ideology, Andrew Koppelman

Theses

Several decades of study have established an understanding that media have a unique power to influence the perspectives and worldviews of audiences. This phenomenon has been explored through the lenses of Social Learning and Cultivation theory, wherein media appeal to base human tendencies of self-preservation and teaches audiences how to maximize rewards for their actions by acting as a sort of instructor or friendly warning from members of the community. While prior studies have suggested the presence of this effect, little research has been devoted to understanding the ways that this may influence behaviors in viewers. My research seeks to …

Unearthing The Past: A Comprehensive Study Of Natural And Anthropogenic Changes At An Archaeological Site Through Hydrogeologic Connectivity Utilizing Gis, Mehlich Ii Phosphorus Extractant, And Ph, Dana L. F. Herren

Theses

This thesis aims to thoroughly analyze the Mehlich II Phosphorus Extractant and pH levels at the Bains Gap Village Site in Anniston, AL., while examining the impact of various environmental factors and human activities on them. Phosphorus is often used in archaeology as an indicator of human activity. Soil core samples were collected to analyze anomalies in phosphorus levels.

To establish any relationships, phosphorus and pH levels from soil cores were correlated with findings from past excavation units and features. The potential effects of hydrogeologic connectivity on soil phosphorus and pH levels were investigated. Geospatial technologies were used to manage …

The Interaction Of Sodium Fluoride And Sodium Selenate On The Developmental Toxicity To Xenopus Laevis And Ambystoma Maculatum Embryos, Shelby Wolfram

Theses

Amphibians play critical roles in the environment's wellness. Fluoride (F) is a widely existing environmental pollutant. It is commonly known for being added to drinking water and as a topical dose on teeth. Selenium (Se) can be found in organic and inorganic forms in nature. Many different fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides contain sodium selenate in them. The range selenium has between deficiency and toxicity is narrow, meaning excess exposure could cause various adverse effects in aquatic organisms. Xenopus laevis is a standard model for developmental toxicity due to being minimal maintenance, cost efficient, and having transparent embryos. Xenopus makes …