Digital Commons Network^™

Favecity: A Visual Exploration Of City Travel Information, Ching-Ping Chen

Theses

Web 2.0 provides a great environment for interactive information sharing and collaboration. We are no longer to receive information passively. On the contrary, everyone can contribute content and share personal experiences. It is a perfect social media for travelers to be connected. faveCITY is a visual exploration of what do people think and how do they feel about their favorite cities. It collects users' opinions about the city such as city emotion, favorite city feature, best season to visit and a souvenir recommendation. The goal of this project is to combine Web 2.0 features with information visualization to create an …

Reorganization Of Massive Multiagent Systems: Motl/O, Aruntej Seelam

Theses

MOTL/O embodies the MOTL paradigm and models organizational adaptation. We report progress on developing computational tools for systematically altering organizational components. This adds a novel dimension to MOTL (Hexmoor, et.al., 2008). This extension is necessary to allow communities of agents or robots to reconfigure their organizational structure in response to changes in the environment. Traditional approach of a hierarchical command and control (C2) structure is ineffective (Alberts & Hayes, 2003). Recently, an edge organization has been proposed as a more suitable alternative Command and control structure in the current information age, due to its empowerment of the edge members, better …

Fire History And Current Stand Structure Analysis Of A Midwestern Black Oak Sand Savanna, Cody Douglas Considine

Theses

Management and restoration of black oak dominated sand savannas often rely on historic vegetative descriptions (settler accounts, surveyor notes, aerial photographs). It is commonly assumed that fire alone maintains savanna structure and composition, however little information is known about the specific fire frequency needed to maintain these systems. The objective of this study was to quantify and correlate characteristics of stand structure with fire history of the Kankakee Sands savannas in northeastern Illinois. Fire history chronologies were determined through dendrochronological methods from 289 dated fire scars identified on 58 black oak (Quercus velutina) trees located throughout four wooded sites. Tree …

An Evaluation Of Hibiscus Moscheutos Ssp. Lasiocarpos And Ipomoea Pandurata As Host Plants Of The Specialist Bee, Ptilothrix Bombiformis (Apoidea: Emphorini) And The Role Of Floral Scent Chemistry In Host-Selection., Melissa Diane Simpson

Theses

Ptilothrix bombiformis (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) is a specialist bee belonging to the tribe Emphorini. The emphorine phylogeny suggests that Convolvulacea is the ancestral plant family and independent evolutionary host-switches to several unrelated plant families have occurred. The role of floral scent has been well-characterized in pollination systems involving moths, butterflies, bumblebees, and honeybees, but little is known about how specialist bees mediate host selection, or how host-choice evolved in specialist bees. This research investigates the role of floral scent in host selection by P. bombiformis. Ptilothrix bombiformis has traditionally been classified as a Hibiscus (Malvaceae) oligolege. My research shows that it …

Evaluating Logical Pluralism, David Pruitt

Theses

Recently some philosophers, in particular J. C. Beall and Greg Restall, have defended a view they refer to as ‘logical pluralism’. This is the position that there are, in fact, several equally good but distinct logical systems according to which different arguments come out valid and invalid. No one system, they claim, is any more ‘correct’ than any other. I will have several criticisms of this view. I first argue that the phenomena of logical recapture causes problems for the pluralist. Somewhat roughly a logic is recaptured if, though all its argument forms were not valid in the full language, …

Design For Invisibility: Designing A Placing System Through The Study Of User-Object Relationships In Everyday Life, Gahyung Song

Theses

The world we live in is a place where people are influenced by designed objects, often without noticing their presence or the fact that they have been designed at all. Although these objects are taken for granted their impact on our everyday life is immeasurable. By examining designed objects with regard to their relationship to users, this thesis attempts to rediscover the meaning of design in everyday life by encouraging a fluid user-object relationship, rather than a passive consumer-product relationship. It is important to understand the everyday phenomena by which designed objects become invisible when they fit one's environment well. …

In Dreams, Jesse Bickel

Theses

Dreams are a nightly phenomenon that everyone experiences. They are full of vivid imagery, imagination, and emotion. Using dreams as a rich source of inspiration I created wooden objects and furniture for the bedroom, the place where dreams occur. Even though dreams vary from person to person, there are common themes that can be found regardless of culture or gender. I tried to combine those themes with unique and specific imagery from my own dreams. Capturing the intangible quality of dreams proved to be difficult. A dream is like a memory, at times clear and intense, or contrastingly brief and …

Regulation Of The Alr1 Transporter By Mg Supply, Phaik Har Lim

Theses

Magnesium is required for many essential processes and pathways, including protein synthesis and energy metabolism. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Mg2+ uptake across the plasma membrane primarily occurs via the magnesium transporter Alr1. Preliminary data had shown that Alr1-HA accumulation was decreased by Mg. Here I show that the epitope tag was responsible for this differential accumulation of Alr1, as native or N-terminally tagged Alr1 displayed much less differential accumulation. Immunoblotting and Ni2+ uptake assays indicated that both Mg-deficiency and the mnr2 mutation increased Alr1 activity, but under conditions where native protein accumulation was little affected. Since Mg-dependent regulation of …

Unfulfilled Promise: Electrification And The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, Adam T. Michalski

Theses

During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century electricity made inroads into American life. Industry used electricity to power machines. Homemakers utilized electric appliances such as irons and washing machines to perform household chores. Electric lighting was used in homes, factories, railroad stations, advertising, and on city streets. The promise of electricity transformed everyday life. Electricity also held the promise of making it easier to transport freight and passengers on steam railroads. Despite electricity's superiority to steam, a few railroads decided to electrify because it was necessary. Only one railroad, the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, electrified a major …

The Tragedy Of Nigel Rain, Jason W. Dockery

Theses

This work is a two-part collection of poems examining creative loss and gain and human dysfunction. The first part details the struggles of Nigel Rain, a persona born through an artist’s pen who finds himself abandoned by his creator. Nigel believes himself saved through the perpetuation of desire, and these poems show Nigel’s attempts at redefining his purpose in life by projecting his fortunes upon a woman he believes to be an embodiment of the Tarot card of helpful fortunes, the Star. Nigel’s tragedy is his failure to realize and ultimately survive the fragility of human connections. Language proves as …

Extending The Body: A Niche Design For Seamstresses, Brandon Mckean

Theses

As consumers, we are faced with a glut of products, the source of which we are dimly aware. Being unaware of the source of products, we are also unaware of the conditions under which they are produced. Designers often have an analogous relation with users. Unless we are directly involved with field research or user testing, we have an indirect relationship with our audience; hence, the conditions under which the products designed are actually used. To add to the gulf between users and designers, we are often tasked with designing mass-produced items meant to serve the needs of a vast …

Adaptive Difference Of Gaussian Algorithm For Coherent Line Drawing, Abadi Kurniawan

Theses

Non-photorealistic rendering is a method of imitating hand-drawn images using computer as the tool. One of hand-drawn techniques used by artists is line drawing. This goal of this thesis is to produce a technique to create line drawing images from real life picture. Based on a previous technique called Flow-based Difference of Gaussian (FDoG), we try to improve the output image so that it will create more believable pictures, as it if were hand-drawn by an artist. FDoG has proven to be able to produce results with coherent and connected lines, but it fails to capture coarse details on isotropic …

Developing New Products For Emerging Markets: A Competency Based Approach, Donna Seyler, Kiat Chyai Kang, Matthew Place

Theses

Emerging markets as represented by BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries signify an enormous growth opportunity and a "must win" market for MNCs (multinational companies). It is estimated that by 2013, the middle class in BRIC countries will be larger than the population of Western Europe, USA and Japan combined. For companies focusing on developing new products, emerging markets represent a large and potentially attractive new customer base. Unfortunately, MNCs are strategically disadvantaged in developing new products for the emerging markets. Compared to developed markets, emerging markets have significant geographical, economic, social, culture, infrastructure and governmental differences. The problem …

A Symbol Layout Classification For Mathematical Formula Using Layout Context, Ling Ouyang

Theses

We describe a symbol classification technique for identifying the expected locations of neighboring symbols in mathematical expressions. We use the seven symbol layout classes of the DRACULAE math notation parser (Zanibbi, et al., 2002) to represent expected locations for neighboring symbols: Ascender, Descender, Centered, Open Bracket, Non-Scripted, Variable Range (e.g., integrals) and Root. A new feature based on the shape context (Belongie, et al., 2002), named layout context, is used to describe the arrangement of neighboring symbols relative to a reference symbol, and the nearest neighbor rule is used for classification. 1917 mathematical symbols from the University of Washington III …

Adverse Advertising: The Impact Advertisements Have On Webpage Content Retention, David P. Keppel

Theses

This study examined the effect of Web-based advertising on Webpage content retention. A single-factor experiment was conducted on three groups of subjects (n=105). Each of the three groups differed only regarding the absence or presence of advertisements and the congruity of these advertisements to the thematic design of the Webpage and the informative content. A post-experimental questionnaire assessed the subject's retention of Web page content as well as the subject's retention of any present advertisements. The results suggest advertisement presence significantly reduces a subject's ability to retain informative content. The results do not suggest the congruity of the advertisement to …

Warrant And The Value Of Knowledge, Jonathan Scott Fuqua

Theses

There is a widespread intuition that knowledge is more valuable than any of its subparts. In the literature the need to show that this is the case is known as the secondary value problem. In this paper I propose to defend this intuition by solving the secondary value problem. In the first part of the paper I introduce and explain the problem I propose to solve. In the second part of the paper I discuss two objections to the very possibility of solving the secondary value problem. In parts three and four I attempt to solve the secondary value problem …

In Memory Of Trauma, Amber Johnston

Theses

This thesis delves into the psyche of a survivor of sexual molestation, exploring defense mechanisms, PTSD, and elusive memory in an audio and visual context. Three photographic gazes appear in this work, the dissociative gaze, the experiential gaze and the metaphoric gaze. These gazes are shown in the series In Memory of Trauma which consists of ten large Photographic prints on the gallery wall. Disarticulation is a book of images that discuss the dissociation between mind and body happening after a traumatic experience. There is also a confrontational sound installation, Confessional, that speaks to denial and self-hatred. Work by artists …

Hyperspectral Clustering And Unmixing Of Satellite Imagery For The Study Of Complex Society State Formation, Justin Kwong

Theses

This project is an application of remote sensing techniques to the field of archaeology. Clustering and unmixing algorithms are applied to hyperspectral Hyperion imagery over Oaxaca, Mexico. Oaxaca is the birthplace of the Zapotec civilization, the earliest state-level society in Mesoamerica. A passionate debate is ongoing over whether the Zapotecs' evolution was environmentally deterministic or socioeconomic. Previous archaeological remote sensing has focused on the difficult tasks of feature detection using low spatial resolution imagery or visual inspection of spectral data. This project attempts to learn about a civilization on the macro level, using unsupervised land classification techniques. Overlapping 158 band …

Thermal Conductivity Measurement Of Gas Diffusion Layer Used In Pemfc, Arjun Radhakrishnan

Theses

The objective of the present work is to develop an apparatus to measure the thermal conductivity of gas diffusion layer (GDL) as a function of temperature and compression, and also to develop an effective thermal conductivity (ETC) model to predict thermal conductivity of fibrous media as a function of compression. Thermal conductivity of GDL at different operating conditions is essential for accurate thermal modeling in a Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack. Steady state method of guarded hot plate method was used to perform the thermal conductivity measurements and the measurements were carried out on commercially available GDL samples …

Investigation Of Tetrahedron Elements Using Automatic Meshing In Finite Element Analysis, Gordon Bae-Ji Tseng

Theses

This investigation examines the quality of finite element analysis (FEA) results based on the use of tetrahedron elements. For some classes of problems analyzed by the finite element method (FEM), the use of various polynomial order tetrahedra is considered quite acceptable. However, in other classes of problems, particularly stress analysis, users have a strong bias against these types of elements. Various case studies are performed, comparing results based on several types of three-dimensional elements.

The Potential Impact Of Riparian Buffer Zones On Sediment And Phosphorus Loading In Two Canandaigua Lake Subwatersheds, Valerie George

Theses

Thousands rely on the water of Canandaigua Lake for drinking water, fishing, boating and swimming each year. The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council (CLWC) was formed with the goal of protecting the high quality of this water source. The CLWC has been monitoring the lake and its tributaries for thirteen years. The lake remains in good condition, but testing has revealed an overall increase in total phosphorus (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS). This study identifies potential TSS and TP sources in the Eelpot Creek subwatershed. This creek has some of the highest concentrations of these pollutants in the entire Canandaigua …

Anisotropic Acid Catalyst Displacement In A Chemically Amplified Photoresist Via Application Of An Electric Field, Ward A. Johnson

Theses

Electrostatic force theory and Fickean diffusion theory both predict that anisotropic movement can be conveyed to chemically amplified resist (CAR) acid catalysts via an electric field during the post exposure bake (PEB). A demonstration of this effect was attempted through photoresist thickness loss measurements with and without the addition of an electric field. The experimental design underwent multiple evolutionary iterations and measured as much as 86 nm of additional thickness loss with the presence of an electric field compared to a PEB control. Repeatability was inconsistent and several principal assumptions were found to be in violation. From measurements of current …

Analysis Of A New Modulation/ Multiplexing Technique Using Mutually Orthogonal Chaotic Waveforms, Chaitanya Jidge

Theses

A new digital modulation technique proposed [3] by Dr. Chance M. Glenn is presented and analyzed in this report. The report explains the MOC algorithm as a means of creating information-bearing baseband signals for modulation in digital communications. The process uses the natural diversity of chaotic oscillations. An orthogonal triplet of waveforms is extracted from the oscillations produced by a chaotic process. A simple digital communication system is built, which uses this triplet as basis waveforms to formulate a baseband waveform. There is a lot of research work done and still going on to use chaotic oscillations in the communication …

An Experimental Study Of Differences In Reading Photo Books By Presentation Media: Print Vs. Screen, Ya-Fang Tsai

Theses

As photography technology changes, the penetration of digital cameras is increasing, especially among young users. Compared to conventional camera users who print most of their images, digital camera users print about one-third of their digital images (PMA, 2009b, p. 10). Moreover, only 5 percent of camera phone users make photo prints (Henning, 2008, p. 4). One popular photo-finishing product is the photo book. The objective of this research was to determine whether people interacted differently with photographic content presented in print versus on screen. This research was focused on: 1. Time spent interacting with photo books. 2. Differences of recall …

True West, Chris Toalson

Theses

This thesis, True West, utilizes photography to investigate the myth of the American West. I reflect on the ways that myth has been used to symbolically situate the West at the heart of our American identity, in order to discern our seeming fascination with this imagined West. Looking to photography's historical precedence as a purveyor of myth, my photographs explore notions of representation and re-presentation to question both photographic truth and western authenticity. I focus on the intertwining of history and myth, where more often than not, myth prevails. True West urges a refocus toward a more factual history, where …

Sustainable Intermodal Freight Transportation: Applying The Geospatial Intermodal Freight Transport Model, Bryan Comer

Theses

To study the energy and environmental impacts of emissions associated with freight transportation, the Geospatial Intermodal Freight Transport (GIFT) model was created as a joint research collaborative between the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and the University of Delaware (UD). The GIFT model is a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based model that links the U.S. and Canadian water, rail, and road transportation networks through intermodal transfer facilities to create an intermodal network. The purpose of my thesis is to apply the GIFT model to examine potential public policies related to intermodal freight transportation in the Great Lakes region of the …

Characterization Of Relevant Attributes Using Cyber Trajectory Similarities, Jordan Bean

Theses

On secure networks, even sophisticated cyber hackers must perform multiple steps to implement attacks on sensitive data and critical servers hidden behind layers of firewalls. Therefore, there is a need to study these attacks at a higher multi-stage level. Traditional taxonomy of cyber attacks focuses on analyzing the final stage and overall effects of an attack but, not the characteristics of an attack movement or `trajectory' on a network.

This work proposes to investigate trajectory similarities between multi-stage attacks, allowing for the characterization of both a hacker's behavior and vulnerable attack paths within a network.

Currently, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) …

Designing For Digital: Skill Sets Needed To Design For Variable Data, Jessica Jordan

Theses

Variable data printing (VDP) is a key technology in the production of unique and personalized products. Derived from digital printing, the three key components in a successful VDP workflow are the creative aspect, the database management, and the print production. A designer needs to be familiar with all three in order to obtain the skills needed to design for VDP. However, VDP's trend for growth is not as rapid as the industry had projected. This research examined how a variable data workflow was set up in a print production environment. The production workflow and the skills needed to properly design …

Gestural Interaction Of In‐Vehicle Tasks: Audio And Climate Controls, Chongyoon Chung

Theses

I thought if in-vehicle interaction were as easy and spontaneous as our language, it would ensure safe driving. Through this research, I found drivers preferred gestural language to voice language when the control was simple and repetitive. This study investigates gestural interaction of secondary in-vehicle tasks while driving. I researched

functions that were most distractive to drivers and applied those to my new interaction. According to Paul Green, the most distractive in-vehicle interaction was audio and climate controls. Based on this research, I then applied audio and climate controls gestures as input for the interactions. The best eyes and hands …

Chascript: A Chinese Interactive Typographic Drawing Application, Yiyi Lu

Theses

Chinese characters have a complex beauty as well as individual meanings. People, like artists and designers, are often drawn to this. But it is not easy for non-Chinese people to use these characters to design. This work explores how interactive multimedia can be utilized as a tool for users in type drawing. Divided in to four main sections, this thesis will offer general information about Chinese characters, will explain what stroke and stroke order is, will offer a pictograph form, and will allow the user to try and play with Chinese characters interactively in order to get the art work …