Digital Commons Network^™

A Mathematical Model Of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Karthik Bathena

Theses

A SIS model for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is developed and analyzed. The model contains a human population of incidental hosts, along with animals that are the reservoir hosts and the sandfly vector. Reproductive rates for the persistence of the infection are derived from the model. Conditions for the existence of endemic and disease-free equilibrium are obtained. The stability analysis of the disease-free equilibrium is investigated and numerical simulations for the model are provided.

Testability Of A Swarm Robot Using A System Of Systems Approach And Discrete Event Simulation, Matthew R. Hosking

Theses

A simulation framework using discrete event system specification (DEVS) and data encoded with Extensible Markup Language (XML) is presented to support agent-in-the-loop (AIL) simulations for large, complex, and distributed systems. A System of Systems (SoS) approach organizes the complex systems hierarchically. AIL simulations provide a necessary step in maintaining model continuity methods to achieve a greater degree of accuracy in systems analysis. The proposed SoS approach enables the simulation and analysis of these independent and cooperative systems by concentrating on the data transferred among systems to achieve interoperability instead of requiring the software modeling of global state spaces. The information …

Improving Electronics With Use: Design To Wear, Sung Hye Park

Theses

Today's products are designed to exude high fashion and flawless beauty, which are inevitably susceptible to deterioration over time, making the aesthetic value disappear due to wear and tear. The purpose of this thesis is to design modern products not only to improve their aesthetic value and meaning but also their usability, while taking advantage of wear and tear in order to improve value. The majority of previous studies focused on preventing the deterioration of products, whereas, this thesis approaches the opposite view of allowing wear to boost the product's value, thereby improving functionality with desirable appearance by design. The …

Fabrication Of Nickel Nanodots For Application In Memory Devices, Karishma Diwan

Theses

Non-volatile memory (NVM) technology is widely used for data storage applications and embedded systems. Flash memory has been the most popular kind of NVM owing to the high demand of portable electronic devices in the market. One way to implement NVM is by incorporating a floating gate in the device structure [...]. Nanodot based memory devices have gained a lot of importance recently due to their potential in overcoming the limitations of conventional conductive floating gate based memory devices. The presence of nanodots in the floating gate can provide the additional advantage of discrete storage of charge and overcome the …

Experimental Investigation Of Mixing Time In A Stirred, Torispherical-Bottomed Tank Equipped With A Retreat-Blade Impeller, Nonjaros Chomcharn

Theses

Glass-lined reactors are typically used in the pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals industries because of their material compatibility with most reactants and their cleanability. These reactors are typically equipped with a retreat-blade impeller placed close to the bottom of the tank a single baffle mounted from the top. The mixing performance of such reactors has not received significant attention in the literature, despite their ubiquitous presence in the pharmaceutical industry. In particular, mixing time, i.e., the time required by the system to achieve a predefined level of homogeneity, has not been studied to any significant degree.

In this work, the mixing …

Reliability Of Resting Brain Networks Using Fmri, Suril Rajeshkumar Gohel

Theses

Resting state FMRI studies on human subjects are primarily focused on elaborating effects of resting state brain networks on task induced paradigm and to check consistency of these networks between different groups of populations. Recent studies have shown consistency of RSFC networks within same subjects with intra-site and intra-session variation.

The primary objective of this study was to check consistency of resting state networks between sites and between different groups of people in spite of change in scanning parameters and population. A total of 437 subjects resting state FMRI data from six different sites were collected varying in age group …

Mixing Performance Of A Novel, Continuous Confined Impinging Jets Mixer Using Competitive Reactions, Han Zheng

Theses

In this work, a novel continuous flow apparatus featuring the impingement of fluid jet streams in the presence of ultrasonic energy provided by an ultrasonic probe was tested using competitive reactions in order to determine its mixing effectiveness. The ultrasonic energy enhances micromixing of the fluid jet streams, which results in an overall mixing effectiveness improvements in different physical and chemical processes.

In the competitive reactions system used here (third Bourne reaction), one stream containing sodium hydroxide was continuously fed to the first impinging jet, while an aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid and ethyl chloroacetate was fed to the second …

Development Of An Experimental System To Determine The Contribution Of Titin And Collagen To Passive Stiffness Of Myocardium, Saurin Bharat Shah

Theses

Diastolic dysfunction is known to be a major factor for congestive heart failure in aged humans and other mammals. The main contributors to increase in the myocardial stiffness, hindering the cardiac mechanics, are alterations in intracellular titin and extracellular collagen matrix. Titin is a giant extensible protein, the third filament of striated muscle after actin and myosin, which provides elasticity to passive sarcomeres. The aim of this study is to develop an efficient experimental system that will prove to be instrumental in comparing the contribution of titin against collagen to the passive stiffness of cardiac muscle extracted from experimental animals …

An In Vitro Study To Characterize A New Automated High Throughput Neuronal Stretch Injury System, Nicolae Valerian Hususan

Theses

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most prevalent long-term neurological conditions and its overall economic consequences rival that of stroke. Considering the importance of the topic, new models for studying TBI are often designed and created. Based on a model developed by the University of Pennsylvania, NJIT constructed a fully automated version, which injures neuronal cell cultures in uniaxial regime and provides the high experimental yield required in pharmaceutical and neuroscience studies.

In this investigation, a new methodology for culturing primary cortical neurons of rat origin was established. Viable cell cultures developed for the first time in NJIT …

In Vitro Comparison Of A New Stand-Alone Anterior Lumbar Interbody Cage Device With Established Fixation Techniques, Nitin Chawla

Theses

Around 70% of the population in the United States experience low back pain at some point of their lives, of these 4% underwent surgical intervention on the lumbar spine to relieve the pain. Spinal arthrodesis, i.e. joint fusion, is beneficial in many cases as the final option for patients suffering from certain types of low back pain (LBP). In order to promote solid fusion across a decompressed spinal segment, interbody spacers/cages are used with and without posterior instrumentation to provide an initial "rigid" fixation of the segment.

In this study three fresh/frozen human cadaveric lumbar spines were used. Each lumbar …

Characterization Of The Type Vi Secretion Systems Of P. Syringae Pathovars Phaseolicola And Syringae

Theses

Pseudomonas syringae is a bacterial plant pathogen that infects a large variety of agricultural crops. Bacteria colonize leaf surfaces and enter plant mesophyll tissue through wounds or stomata. Once inside, P. syringae can alter plant cell signaling pathways and suppress plant defense responses enabling it to grow in the intercellular space in the mesophyll. P. syringae possesses at least two types of virulence factors that suppress plant defense responses: i) small phytotoxin molecules, and ii) effector proteins that are translocated through specialized secretion systems. Gram-negative bacteria possess at least six types of secretion systems. The P. syringae type II and …

Modeling The Infrared Emission From Cygnus A, George C. Privon

Theses

The Spitzer Space Telescope provides a unique view of the Universe at infrared wavelengths. Improved sensitivity and angular resolution over previous missions enable detailed studies of astrophysical objects, both in imaging and spectroscopic modes. Spitzer observations of active galactic nuclei can help shed light on the physical conditions of the central regions of these active galaxies. The nearby radio galaxy Cygnus A is one of the most luminous radio sources in the local Universe. In addition to the high radio power, it is also very luminous in the infrared. New Spitzer spectroscopy and photometry of Cygnus A is combined with …

Moarabisque: The Essence Of Arabia : A Motion Graphics Piece That Promotes The Diverse Saudi Arabian Arts And Culture, Wail Al Hamid

Theses

Moarabisque: The essence of Arabia is an "Arabian custom designed motion graphics series". This Series is inspired by the diverse geography, architecture, arts, and culture of the Arabian Peninsula. These series are merged together as a cohesive motion graphics piece that visually reflects and promotes the varied Arabian culture through arts, architecture, music, and Islamic iconography. The final motion graphics video will introduce a series of visual icons that are of vital importance to religious and cultural values of Muslims; especially the Arabic nation. These icons delineate the characteristics of the Arabian culture; an Islamic civilized culture that emerged from …

The Potential For Misleading Visual Communication On Food Packaging, Terry Ann Hayes

Theses

Consumers today are becoming more health conscious in light of America's growing obesity epidemic. Because of this, food companies often selectively highlight the healthfulness of their products, while carefully de-emphasizing the unhealthy components. These messages are frequently communicated by the food packaging itself, because packaging is a major influence on a shopper's perception of the food inside. The design of the food package, comprising both the two-dimensional surfaces and overall three-dimensional form, conveys these messages through variables related to color, imagery, typography, language, and shape. This thesis examined both organic and natural food packaging to uncover how healthfulness is communicated …

Racial Framing In The 2008 Presidential Election: A Content Analysis Of Geographically Diverse Newspapers And The Framing Of Barack Obama, Jeffrey Mason

Theses

This study content analyzed three geographically diverse newspapers: The Boston Globe, The Star Tribune, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to determine if there were geographic differences in the frequency that Barack Obama was referred to by his race and the frequency that the race of the voters was mentioned regarding then-candidate Obama. No differences were found in how Obama or the voters were referenced across the three newspapers.

The Meditative State Of Surface, Dan Rioz

Theses

None provided

Mathematical Methods For Anomaly Grouping In Hyperspectral Images, Timothy J. Doster

Theses

The topological anomaly detection (TAD) algorithm differs from other anomaly detection algorithms in that it does not rely on the data's being normally distributed. We have built on this advantage of TAD by extending the algorithm so that it gives a measure of the number of anomalous objects, rather than the number of anomalous pixels, in a hyperspectral image. We have done this by identifying and integrating clusters of anomalous pixels, which we accomplished with a graph-theoretical method that combines spatial and spectral information. By applying our method, the Anomaly Clustering algorithm, to hyperspectral images, we have found that our …

Charitable Women: Volunteerism In The St. Louis Ladies Union Aid Society, Kathryn Elizabeth Bloomberg

Theses

In this work I examined the Ladies Union Aid Society as an example of the female benevolent movement during the Civil War. The Ladies Union Aid Society (LUAS) was an organization that focused on supporting the Union cause financially and through charity. I used a variety of primary and secondary sources, notably the Missouri Historical Society’s wealth of primary sources including newspapers and letters from the period.

Anecdotes, James Bellucci

Theses

Anecdotes is a set of illustrations derived from Biblical text, scientific discovery and self-created stories. This body of work questions these texts through the temporal nature of the anecdotal storytelling convention. The images, created through the manipulation of three-dimensional materials such as paper, cardboard, string, and fabrics in constructed sets and photographically represented as a two-dimensional images, question the authenticity of the grand narrative. The images explore scientific discoveries along with religious beliefs revealing my reservations, perceptions, and sentiments toward both. In considering my changing knowledge and beliefs from childhood into adulthood, Anecdotes deconstructs these conflicting narratives into a directorial …

The Experience Of Grey, Andrew Super

Theses

This text is an accompaniment to an endeavor spanning approximately thirteen months in which I used photographic and literary processes to create documents concerning my history. These nearly universal processes were chosen because of their correlative nature. Images are read in a similar fashion to texts and both facilitate discourse. This thesis is an investigation on a personal level about the manner in which experiences are had, documented, and in many ways conditioned. The photographs that amount to the physical portion of this thesis explore the personally anecdotal within the context of generalized methods of documentation. In this work I …

Apparent Horizons Of N Black Holes And Black Hole Rings, Gabriela Jaramillo

Theses

We first study systems of N Schwarzschild black holes in a time-symmetric spacelike hypersurface with axial symmetry. Apparent horizons are found by numerically solving a non linear system of 3 coupled ODE's using Mathematica. The location of the apparent horizon is calculated in each system in order to find the critical separation between the black holes that creates an encompassing apparent horizon. A method for approximating the critical separations of N black holes by representing them as an effective system of two black holes is developed. Next, we study black hole rings of different mass. The apparent horizon is …

Sleep Shift, Neal Dhand

Theses

An overview of the process of the proposal, attempt at production, re-proposal, and ultimate result of the live-action feature film, Sleep Shift. The goal of Sleep Shift on the technical level is to write a feature-length script, raise funds, and produce and finish the film. The aesthetic purpose of Sleep Shift is to evoke a visceral response from the audience as they watch a murder mystery unfold. Included are the original proposal and re-proposal, sample budgets, sample business plans, a finder's agreement, a letter of intent from a production company, storyboards, trailer stills, and the script.

Cosentinoworks, Daniel Cosentino

Theses

My MFA thesis show, Cosentinoworks, depicts my inquiry into self and object through conceptual explorations in the mediums of video, performance and sculptural installation. I use the title of the exhibition as a cue to explore the double meanings and multiple interpretations at play. I explore identity through relationships and narratives employed in the use of recorded performance and exhibition display. I discuss how symbols and symbolism operate in creating a tapestry of meaning and interpretation through associations to historic form, particularly Minimalism and Romanticism. I explore the role of the observer in finding and understanding double meanings through my …

A Conservative In Lincoln's Cabinet: Edward Bates Of Missouri, Mark Alan Neels

Theses

After Lincoln's election, Bates's diary entries began to acknowledge rumors that secessionist were preparing to lead the South out of the Union. Whereas Bates's rejection of offers to join the Taylor and Fillmore Cabinets had occurred during periods of relative tranquility on the national scene, this time Bates found himself a political leader during a time of crisis unlike any previously facing a United States President. His acknowledgement of the disturbing precedent of secession in mind, Bates answered a telegram from Lincoln in early December. Lincoln had originally intended to come to St. Louis, where he would call on Bates …

Black Box, Ryan N. Shuler

Theses

Fear and paranoia are steadily on the rise throughout the world as a result, in part, of media's presentation of violent and traumatic imagery. The dissemination and reception of these types of images are consequential for a viewing public, including an increasing desensitization to violence through over-exposure; the potential for aggressive behavior by people of all ages; and the loss of a viewer's accountability as witness to a disturbing event. Black Box is an aesthetic investigation of the reception of traumatic images by a viewing public. In order to trace this reception, the image of the American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), …

The Effect Of New Media On Political Advertising: Television Ads And Internet Ads In The 2008 Presidential Primary, William Dube

Theses

Internet advertising has become an important political campaign tool, accounting for over $110 million in spending in the 2008 election, but government regulations and industry norms that govern content presented in television advertising do not apply to Internet communication. This study investigated the differences in political advertising content between ads produced for television versus the Internet. First, a content analysis was conducted using a sample of political advertisements produced by the McCain and Obama campaigns during the 2008 election to measure differences in negativity, accuracy, and accountability. Second, content gatekeepers at television stations and Internet companies were interviewed to verify …

Independent Component Analysis (Ica) Applied To Ultrasound Image Processing And Tissue Characterization, Di Lai

Theses

As a complicated ubiquitous phenomenon encountered in ultrasound imaging, speckle can be treated as either annoying noise that needs to be reduced or the source from which diagnostic information can be extracted to reveal the underlying properties of tissue. In this study, the application of Independent Component Analysis (ICA), a relatively new statistical signal processing tool appeared in recent years, to both the speckle texture analysis and despeckling problems of B-mode ultrasound images was investigated. It is believed that higher order statistics may provide extra information about the speckle texture beyond the information provided by first and second order statistics …

Applications Of Continued Fractions In Cryptography And Diophantine Equations, Aaron H. Kaufer

Theses

The theory of continued fractions has applications in cryptographic problems and in solution methods for Diophantine equations. We will first examine the basic properties of continued fractions such as convergents and approximations to real numbers. Then we will discuss a computationally efficient attack on the RSA cryptosystem (Wiener's attack) based on continued fractions. Finally, using continued fractions and solutions of Pell's equation, we will show that the Diophantine equation

x^4-kx^2y^2+y^4 = 2^j (k,j are natural numbers)

has no nontrivial solutions for j=9,10,11 given that k > 2 and k is not a perfect square.

Feasibility Assessment Of A Kalman Filter Approach To Fault Detection And Fault-Tolerance In A Highly Unstable System: The Rit Heart Pump, Erin Gillespie

Theses

The purpose of this project is to assess the feasibility of a Kalman Filter approach for fault detection in a highly unstable system, specifically the heart pump currently under development at RIT. Simulations and experimental work were completed to determine the effects of possible position sensor fault conditions on the system; that information was then used in conjunction with a pair of Kalman filters to create a method of detecting faults and providing fault-tolerant operation. The heart pump system was modeled using Simulink and then the fault diagnosis and tolerance system was added to the model and tested via simulation …

What Surfaces From One, Danielle Johns

Theses

What Surfaces From One is an exploration of the emotive aspects of the human form. I present the figure at a vulnerable moment, in a compromising and often uncomfortable position. In life, people turn away from these awkward moments. My work presents the viewer with the opportunity to reconcile with the uneasiness and vulnerability of human experience. Through a body of prints and paintings I examine the fragility and ephemeral qualities of the human form.