Digital Commons Network^™

Modesty As A Global Perspective, Nicholas Ryan Baima

Theses

In this paper I give an account of modesty that focuses on having an appropriate global perspective of your achievements. Unlike other philosophers, I take a disjunctive approach, arguing that there are at least four ways one can have an appropriate global perspective of her achievements. Additionally, I argue that if one is to be modest she must not brag about or dwell on her achievements and she must believe with sufficient reason that she has achievements. I argue that modesty defined as such is both extrinsically and intrinsically valuable. Its extrinsic value derives from the positive social consequences it …

The Plan Put Into Practice: Usaaf Bombing Doctrine And The Ploesti Campaign, Sean Herbert Seyer

Theses

This thesis is a contribution to the continuing study of the development of American daylight precision strategic bombing doctrine. Using the multiple USAAF bombing attacks on the oil targets of Ploesti, Romania, it concludes that the USAAF entered the war with preconceived, untested notions regarding the effects of bombing and, because of bureaucratic inertia, failed to adjust to German passive and active defenses. The new technology of bombardment aviation therefore did not result in the desired destruction of the industrial targets, but only inflicted damage at high costs to the attackers. Resting on extensive archival research, the study brings to …

We Support Our Troops, Javier Maldonado-O'Farrill

Theses

We Support Our Troops is a series of three mural sized prints in panoramic format. The images can be described as Rochester urban landscapes in which the commercial images of the billboards were replaced with images of Latin American resistance movements. The title is an appropriation of the United States pro-war slogan twisted into the support context of these movements. The prints are made in the contemporary and non-toxic printmaking technique 4 Color Inversion Intaglio-Type, developed by Master Printmaker Keith Howard. The Intaglio-Type techniques are the ones in which the photopolymer film ImagOn® is used.

A technical and historical approach …

Exploring The Relationships Between Executive Functions And The Big Five Personality Traits Using The Behavior Rating Inventory Of Executive Functioning-Adult Form, Kira Formicola

Theses

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between three subscales of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Form (BRIEF-A) and the Big Five personality traits. The data used for this study consists of 126 hearing, college age participants from the Rochester Institute of Technology who were used as a control group for a previous study. As hypothesized, Emotional Regulation and Shift scales of the BRIEF shared a significant negative correlation with Neuroticism. Contrary to the hypothesis, the scale Inhibit shared a positive correlation with Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Shift was significantly correlated with Openness to Experience. No …

Linking Community Revitalization, Urban Agriculture, And Elementary Education, Mary Alexis Blondrage

Theses

A university/community partnership in Rochester, NY was the context for this research addressing the development of collaboration between local elementary School 45 and the community's agriculture education initiative. At the school and community's request, a possible partnership was researched to find the appropriate linkage that would address both the school and community's needs. Participatory action research was the framework for the qualitative research methodology. Data are presented from various sources including extensive participant observation, field notes, in-depth interviews, and document review. The findings indicated diverse implications for the consideration of a school-community partnership, and highlighted the importance of organizational and …

Coping With Relational Aggression: A Qualitative Study, Rebecca M. Haderer

Theses

This study explored effective techniques girls use in coping with relational aggression victimization. A qualitative approach was used to capture the experience and problem solving process in arriving at solutions. Participants included 7 female students age 12 to 14 who attended a western New York junior high school. A semi-structured interview format was employed. Results indicated that victims of relational aggression were targets of rumors that frequently involved a theme of denigration. Initial reactions to the victimization always included a negative emotional response followed by a behavioral response. Victims engaged in a step-by step problem solving process to arrive at …

A Localized Morphometric Study Of Panicum Virgatum And Sister Taxa (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Paniceae), Sarah Elizabeth Youngstrom

Theses

Morphological distinctions were evaluated between taxa of Panicum section Virgata Nees as recognized by Hitchcock and Chase (1951) and Freckmann and Lelong (2002b): P. virgatum var. virgatum, P. virgatum var. cubense, P. amarum subsp. amarum, and P. amarum subsp. amarulum, using morphometrics and greenhouse experiments on material from the southeastern United States, a region with the most extreme overlap in distribution. 31 characters for 104 specimens were subject to univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses. Spikelet bivariate graphs showed two groups with large (C) and small (A+B) spikelets. When habitat, distribution, and phenology was superposed on these graphs, non-exclusive trends polarized …

Big-Screen Aftershock: How 9/11 Changed Hollywood’S Middle Eastern Characters, Matthew Dana

Theses

Did the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, carried out by extremists from the Middle East, affect the way Hollywood portrayed Middle Eastern characters in films? This content analysis compares Middle Eastern characters in films from the five years before September 11, 2001 to those in films from the five years after. On average, Middle Eastern characters in post-9/11 films were found to be significantly darker-skinned, less intelligent, more likely to wear traditional (non-Western) clothing, and more likely to commit acts of terrorism.

Greater Sensitivity To The Stimulating And Anxiety-Like Effects Of Methamphetamine In The Hiv-1 Transgenic Rat, Marley D. Kass

Theses

No abstract provided.

Poly[4(5)-Vinylimidazole]/Polyvinylidene Fluoride Composites As Proton Exchange Membranes, Jingjing Pan

Theses

In the present research, the morphology and thermal chemical characteristics of composite films comprised of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVF2) and poly[4(5)-vinylimidazole/vinylimidazolium trifluoromethylsulfonylimide] (PVIm/VIm+TFSI-]) were studied. In these composites, conditions such as choice of solvent and drying and annealing conditions can affect the crystal habit, crystallite size and degree of crystallinity of PVF2 as well as the distribution of the minor component, poly[4(5)-VIm/VIm+TFSI-]. Such composites may have potential in fuel cells as high-temperature proton exchange membranes. When cast from either dimethylformamide (DMF) or dimethylacetamide (DMAC) at ambient temperature and dried at temperatures below 100°C, PVF2 homopolymer films and PVF2//PVIm/VIm+TFSI- composite films were …

The Use Of Computer-Based Interventions In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Policy Implications For Violence And Delinquency Prevention In Community Corrections, Chad M. Posick

Theses

Abstract: This thesis tests the applicability of computer-based cognitive behavioral therapy for building skills that prevent deviancy and delinquency among youth. This is accomplished by first understanding cognitive behavioral therapy through an extensive literature review and then through data analysis of the SMART program which emphasizes anger management and conflict resolution skills using a pre- and post-test questionnaire. This thesis uses the SMART program as a self-administered cognitive behavioral intervention with youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who are on juvenile probation with a juvenile delinquent status. This is an innovative way of using the SMART program from …

Modeling The Environmental Impact Of Demand Variability Upon Supply Chains In The Beverage Industry, Jorge Y. Daccarett-Garcia

Theses

High demand variability can produce several inefficiencies in the supply chain, increasing cost and decreasing service level. This research focuses on the environmental impact of demand variability on supply chains especially in the beverage industry by investigating the relationship between demand variability and the emissions of carbon dioxide. The analysis was based on a beverage industry case, considering a two-stage supply chain. A simulation model was developed to represent the supply chain. The experimental factors demand variability, demand level, forecast method, system size, and truck fleet configuration were manipulated in order to represent different scenarios. A statistical Design of Experiment …

Communication Framework For Distributed Computer Vision On Stationary And Mobile Platforms, Christopher Armenio

Theses

Recent advances in the complexity and manufacturability of digital video cameras coupled with the ubiquity of high speed computers and communication networks have led to burgeoning research in the fields of computer vision and image understanding. As the generated vision algorithms become increasingly complex, a need arises for robust communication between remote cameras on mobile units and their associated distributed vision algorithms. A communication framework would provide a basis for modularization and abstraction of a collection of computer vision algorithms; the resulting system would allow for straightforward image capture, simplified communication between algorithms, and easy replacement or upgrade of existing …

Foufou: Using Multimedia To Promote A New Product And Establish A Brand Identity Online, Yu-Chang Huang

Theses

One night, my friend and I went to a night market in Taiwan and we were amazed by the great variety of adorable and interesting merchandise items, such as: puppets, stationery, t-shirts, and gadgets that were imprinted with Mashimaro, a Korean fictional character. Mashimaro has becaome incredibly popular in Asian countries, with it coming to force mainly through the Internet. In Japan, most popular cartoon characters, including Doraemon, Pokemon, and Hello Kitty, are introduced and established rapport with the people because of a bombardment of cartoons and advertisements on television. As these cartoon characters become more popular, merchandising begins. They …

"Do You Hear What I Hear", Zachary Giles

Theses

This paper will follow the creative process which I underwent while making the film “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Starting with the initial inspiration and breaking down each process so that the reader may better understand my creative motivations for the film. The Character and Set Design, along with Lighting and Rendering will be paid the most attention because, in my studies, these areas were where most of my attention was being placed. I will discuss the creative choices which were made in each area, and finish with the first official screening of the film as well as the …

A System Study Of Sparse Aperture Sensors In Remote Sensing Applications With Explicit Phase Retrieval, Brian Daniel

Theses

Sparse aperture designs use multiple primary mirrors in alignment to increase optical resolution, as opposed to using just one bigger primary mirror. Sparse apertures are defined to have a low amount of active optical area compared to the encircling area of the array. Previous works on sparse aperture systems have studied several configurations based on the gray-world assumption, where the spectral nature of the object, or scene, is assumed independent of its spatial location. In other words, the scene is the same color for every pixel. Robert Introne, Ph.D. (2004) and Noah Block, M.S. (2005) have tested this assumption and …

Longshi, Pei-Cheng Lee

Theses

LONGSHI is a Graduate Thesis film, a M.F.A Thesis at the Rochester Institute of Technology 2009, made by Pei-Cheng Lee. LONGSHI is a story about a man in search of a legendary treasure which is very valuable in the historical record. The reality of this treasure is actually a trap set up by barbarians to attract the greedy. The film is a 3D computer animation, created primarily using Autodesk MAYA 8.5 for production, Adobe Photoshop, After Effect, and Premiere for pre and post-production. This film＇s technical aspects focus on texturing, lighting and compositing to represent an illustration-style animation. The following …

Past With Present: A Design Process, Spencer Knape Biegler

Theses

The design process detailed in this thesis addresses how a designer brings a design that is both relevant but dated into the present. Four stages make up the design process: investigation, scattered design, design réseau, and focused design, and the process covers the choice of artifact, historical and cultural research, and the conclusions derived from research. The chandelier acts as artifact in this design process iteration. The goal of the thesis project is a process that stresses both innovation as well as the cultural and symbolic importance of older designs; the outcome of this design iteration is honed chandelier concepts …

Fast Unsupervised Multiresolution Color Image Segmentation Using Adaptive Gradient Thresholding And Progressive Region Growing, Sreenath Rao Vantaram

Theses

In this thesis, we propose a fast unsupervised multiresolution color image segmentation algorithm which takes advantage of gradient information in an adaptive and progressive framework. This gradient-based segmentation method is initialized by a vector gradient calculation on the full resolution input image in the CIE L*a*b* color space. The resultant edge map is used to adaptively generate thresholds for classifying regions of varying gradient densities at different levels of the input image pyramid, obtained through a dyadic wavelet decomposition scheme. At each level, the classification obtained by a progressively thresholded growth procedure is combined with an entropy-based texture model in …

Ecological Balance: The Greater Goal Of The Environmental Manager, Brian P. Butler

Theses

Whether realized or potential there are a multitude of goals that the environmental manager may be working toward achieving. This thesis evaluated the hypothesis that regardless of the operational goal(s) that the environmental manager may be working toward, the ultimate goal is to achieve ecological balance. This research defines ecological balance, with specific regard to a company's activities, as a stable and productive (rather than destructive) interrelationship of a company with its environment with regard to the contrasting, opposing, or interacting elements that are present as a result of the company's actions.

This research defined five operational goals of the …

Developing An Imaging Bi-Spectrometer For Fluorescent Materials, Mahnaz Mohammadi

Theses

Fluorescent effects have been observed for thousands of years. Stokes, in 1852, began the science of fluorescence culminating in his law of fluorescence, which explained that fluorescence emission occurs at longer wavelengths than the excitation wavelength. This phenomenon is observed extensively in the art world. Daylight fluorescent colors known as Day-Glo have become an artistic medium since the 1960s. Modern artists exploit these saturated and brilliant colors to glitter their painting. Multispectral imaging as a noninvasive technique has been used for archiving by museums and cultural-heritage institutions for about a decade. The complex fluorescence phenomenon has been often ignored in …

The Relationship Between Human Beings And Nature, Donghee Woo

Theses

The symbolic value of art helps me as a metal artist to depict the relation between human beings and nature. Humans have created a culture and a world but this world appears to coldly separate itself from its surroundings. Life continues to assert its will on human creation; plants sprout amongst concrete and steel environments. The composite shape of my sculptures and thesis help me to present a contemporary perspective on this issue.

Development And Modeling Of A Low Temperature Thin-Film Cmos On Glass, Robert G. Manley

Theses

The push to develop integrated systems using thin-film transistors (TFT) on insulating substrates (i.e. glass) has always been limited due to low-mobility semiconducting films such as amorphous and polycrystalline silicon. Corning Incorporated is developing a new substrate material known as silicon-on-glass (SiOG). It is intrinsically better than amorphous and polycrystalline silicon materials due to its single crystal nature of the silicon film. This however does not mitigate the challenges associated with low temperature CMOS process and fabrication. The first generation of TFTs fabricated at RIT showed the potential of SiOG as a viable substrate material, but were plagued by considerable …

Genesis, Xinxin Su

Theses

Genesis is a feature-length science fiction/fantasy screenplay written for partial fulfillment of the requirements for the MFA degree in Imaging Arts/Film. The script tells the story of two parentless children and their rescuer as they journey across a barren landscape in a world disintegrating before an impending catastrophic event. Their goal is to reach a generation ship called Genesis designed to save only a portion of humankind. Along the way they encounter rebels and misfits who threaten and assist the three along their way. This submission includes: a thesis report which contains an analysis of the conception and writing process; …

Neuronic Sonic, Nicholas G. Baish

Theses

The production, Neuronic Sonic, partially fulfills the requirements for the degree of Masters of Fine Arts in Imaging Arts/ Computer Animation from the School of Film and Animation at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The completed work is a high-definition digital movie file that was created with custom coded software designed specifically for the purpose of this project, as well as off-the-shelf, industry standard, visual hardware and computer software technology. The following paper details the development of the work starting with the initial concept, and it explores areas such as pre-production experiments and production phases, as well as my personal …

In Silico Drug Design Of Potential Novel Anti Malarial Agents, Vishal Thovarai

Theses

This thesis project incorporates the principles of rational and computer aided drug design in the quest for an improved anti-malarial agent. The target, a pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis (the deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate (DOXP) pathway) occurs in the parasite plastid – the apicoplast, and among the factors that make it an excellent target for an anti-malarial agent is its uniqueness from the pathway in the host, thus accounting for its specificity and low toxicity. A library of 18 potential anti malarial analogues/ ligands were designed and tested in silico against the receptor using molecular docking. The analogue L ο (omicron) - {3-[acetyl(hydroxy)amino]-1-hydroxypropyl} phosphonic …

The Interaction Of Peptides With Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes, Poulami Barman

Theses

A literature study was conducted to review peptide adhesion to carbon nanotubes and they were found to be important in the drug designing industries. To attain target specificity CNTs (functionalized with DNA, peptides etc.) have been used as potential vector system. Prior studies show that single walled nanotubes (SWNTs) when functionalized with peptides have been proven to be better delivery systems than the previous vector delivery systems. Functionalized SWNTs can deliver the peptides to the specific target organs in the right concentration without having prominent toxic effect. Toxicity studies show that since the SWNTs have shorter half life periods most …

Direct Occlusion Handling For High Level Image Processing Algorithms, Carl Ryan Kelso

Theses

Many high-level computer vision algorithms suffer in the presence of occlusions caused by multiple objects overlapping in a view. Occlusions remove the direct correspondence between visible areas of objects and the objects themselves by introducing ambiguity in the interpretation of the shape of the occluded object. Ignoring this ambiguity allows the perceived geometry of overlapping objects to be deformed or even fractured. Supplementing the raw image data with a vectorized structural representation which predicts object completions could stabilize high-level algorithms which currently disregard occlusions. Studies in the neuroscience community indicate that the feature points located at the intersection of junctions …

An Investigation Into The Viability Of Heat Sources For Thermoelectric Power Generation Systems, Kevin D. Smith

Theses

Thermoelectric materials are a potential means of converting thermal energy into clean and reliable electric power. Although current commercially-available modules are not economically viable, there is hope that in the next few years recent breakthroughs in the laboratories will result in a whole new class of high efficiency modules. To access the viability of the next generation of thermoelectric modules, improved system-level modeling tools are necessary. To this end, a versatile system model is developed, with the capability of accommodating many configurations, including but not limited to the number of modules, type of modules, geometrical parameters, and heat exchanger parameters. …

Face Recognition With Variation In Pose Angle Using Face Graphs, Sooraj Kumar

Theses

Automatic recognition of human faces is an important and growing field. Several real-world applications have started to rely on the accuracy of computer-based face recognition systems for their own performance in terms of efficiency, safety and reliability. Many algorithms have already been established in terms of frontal face recognition, where the person to be recognized is looking directly at the camera. More recently, methods for non-frontal face recognition have been proposed. These include work related to 3D rigid face models, component-based 3D morphable models, eigenfaces and elastic bunched graph matching (EBGM). This thesis extends recognition algorithm based on EBGM to …