Digital Commons Network^™

The Rochester Institute Of Technology: An Interactive Computer Disk, Lim Hee-Kyung

Theses

The nature of this thesis is to explore the possibilities of interactive animation. An animated, interactive program which shows various activities and programs of the Rochester Institute of Technology, (R.I.T.), is the finished product. R.I.T's history, upstate New York location, and academic philosophies are incorporated. The interactive disk contains information about the various programs the college offers, as well as, many examples of actual student work. It also shows these students creating their projects. In their own words, they tell about their lives at R.I.T., both in and out of the classroom. Faculty and staff also offer their views, lending …

Seven Panels On Preservation: Ruminations Of A One-Eyed Fat Man, Phillip Austin

Theses

None provided.

A Simpler Robotics Controller For A Photocd, Jeffrey Jackson

Theses

In the current industrial and economic environment, research and development funds are very limited. There is strong motivation from management to build upon existing hardware and software whenever possible. The premise is that time-tomarket will be reduced and more utility can be gleaned from previously spent development moneys. This paper is the combination of a case study of the reengineering of an existing product and the design and implementation of the next step in the process, whereby parts count is reduced to cut costs and increase reliability.

An Examination Of Distributional Assumptions In Landsat Tm Imagery, Elizabeth Frey

Theses

The first portion of this study checked water, vegetation, and urban class features of LANDSAT TM data for univariate normality using Pearson's system of frequency curves. Results indicated that of the 144 image bands tested 135 were determined to be normal in distribution. The second part of the study developed an image generator that uses the mean, covariance matrix and intraband correlation of LANDSAT TM images to create synthetic class scenes. Imagery composed of multiple synthetic class scenes, which ranged from normal to non-normal in their distributions, were classified using a maximum likelihood classifier. No significant difference in classification accuracy …

Methods For Minimizing Performance Degradation Caused By Branch Delays, Debbie St. Onge

Theses

The presence of branch instructions in an instruction stream may adversely affect the performance of a processor by introducing significant delays in the execution process. As processors become more pipelined, the impact these delays have upon performance increases. This thesis investigates why delays occur when branch instructions are encountered. It also summarizes various hardware methodologies which can alleviate the performance degradation due to these delays. Simulation results show that these hardware methodologies can improve branch performance by up to 45 percent. Some branches are inherently necessary in order to implement programming decisions. However, the use of branches within programs can …

A Personal Mobile Computer (A Notebook Computer Without A Keyboard), Kwan-Sik Cho

Theses

None provided.

The Interrelationship Of Graphic Design And Fine Art, Antoinette Monnier

Theses

The graphic designer is a visual communicator who transmits messages from a client to an audience. The message must be clear and free of the distracting presence of the designer, because a designer's personal biases and feelings are irrelevant to the client's message. However, work produced by some contemporary designers has challenged the notion of clear visual communication and problem-solving. It is self-expressive, ambiguous, and open to interpretation, taking on characteristics traditionally associated with fine art rather than graphic design. While the production and viewing of some graphic design is becoming a more private experience, the reverse is true in …

The Influence Of Format On Accessibility, Audrey Sumberg

Theses

The initial idea for this thesis project stems from an interest in artists' books. Of particular interest is the way in which the physical format of the book can be an integral part of the artistic concept. Artists' books are books as art rather than books about artists or their work. As such, they exceed the boundaries of conventional expectations. They are about themselves, not simply passive vehicles for carrying information. The "reader" experiences an artist's book in much the same way the viewer experiences a painting, a sculpture, or a ceramic vase. The format for carrying information is as …

A Computational Analysis Of Observer Metamerism In Cross-Media Color Matching, Richard Alfvin

Theses

Standard color-matching functions are designed to represent the mean color-matching response of the population of human observers with normal color vision. When using these functions, two questions arise. Are they an accurate representation of the population? And what is the uncertainty in color-match predictions? To address these questions in the dual context of human visual performance and cross-media reproduction, a color-matching experiment was undertaken in which twenty observers made matches between seven different colors presented in reflective and transmissive color reproduction media and a CRT display viewed through an optical apparatus that produced a simple split field stimulus. In addition, …

Flying Fingers, Tracey Salaway

Theses

None provided.

Epidemiological Study Of Road Traffic Accidents, Casualties And Fatalities In The United Arab Emirates, Ahmed Saif Al-Falasi

Theses

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with its rapid expansion of road construction and increase in the number of vehicle, road traffic accidents are becoming a serious public health problem. It was aimed to study road traffic accidents (RTA) in view of the fact that cause a substantial waste of national resources which could be used fruitfully for the improvement of health schemes and other aspects of life in UAE. It was observed that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of registered vehicles during this period. During the ten years period 1983 to 1992, the population of …

Heavy Minerals And Metals Content Of Coastal Sediments Between Dibba And Kalba, Eastern Coast (U.A.E.)., Aisha Hader Juma

Theses

The present project deals with the study of coastal sediments along the Eastern Coast of United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), and it has two main objectives:

• Determination of heavy mineral contents of the coastal sediments in relation to the geology of the hinterlands.
• Trace metals studies (Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr, Cu, Co, Cd, Mn and organic carbon) as a measure of environmental pollution.

The results of heavy minerals separation (fine sand fraction) from the Eastern Coast sediments reflect that these sediments are generally rich in heavy minerals content with percentages reaching up to 78% with some areas reaching upto 98%. The …

Management Of Hospital Wastes In The United Arab Emirates, Hanan Ahmed Ali Shuwaiter

Theses

The gradual expansion and development of new public and private medical complexes have resulted in the production of various types of wastes which include hazardous materials. Such wastes require appropriate handling and management schemes based on safer disposal methods. There are no reliable figures for quantifying the amount of medical waste generated or appropriate legislation and guidelines for handling, storage, transport and disposal of medical waste in the United Arab Emirates. No previous detailed studies have been conducted for the management of medical waste in the UAE. In general there is insufficient awareness of the health hazard associated with improper …

Polarization Modulation And Splicing Techniques For Stressed Birefringent Fiber, Risa Robinson

Theses

A study has been conducted in the areas of polarization modulation and splicing techniques for a polarization maintaining PANDA type fiber. Polarization modulation was achieved by compressing the fiber both along the fast and slow axes. A sensitivity of 16.69 rad/(g/um) and 27.56 rad/(g/um), corresponding to a maximum phase diffrerence of 2.39 radians and 3.96 radians for compressing along the x and y birefringent axis, respectively, was achieved, with the compression material complying to a 15 degree arc around the fiber circumference. Polarization cross coupling was measured to be 0.6% for compressing with a force of 1.3 g/um. Polarization cross …

Convergence Of Adaptive Morphological Filters In The Context Of Markov Chains, Yidong Chen

Theses

A typical parameterized r-opening *r is a filter defined as a union of openings by a collection of compact, convex structuring elements, each of which is governed by a parameter vector r. It reduces to a single parameter r-opening filter by a set of structuring elements when r is a scalar sizing parameter. The parameter vector is adjusted by a set of adaptation rules according to whether the re construction Ar derived from r correctly or incorrectly passes the signal and noise grains sampled from the image. Applied to the signal-union-noise model, the optimization problem is to find the vector …

The Effects Of Inlet Water Temperature On Condensing Film Coefficiencts, Alan Smith

Theses

This experiment investigated the effects of the inlet water temperature on the overall condensing heat transfer coefficient in a surface condenser. The results of the testing during the investigation were used to determine a temperature correction factor which was then compared to the correlation published by the Heat Exchange Institute ' . The comparison revealed that the correlation published by the Heat Exchange Institute is not accurate for inlet water temperature less than 65 F and greater than 75 F. In addition, a comparison was made between the overall heat transfer coefficient that was obtained by experiment and the overall …

Reducing Rail-Truck Freight Intermodal Drayage Costs, David Moy Jr.

Theses

In rail-truck intermodal transport, a highway truck-trailer or container is moved by truck from a shipper to a rail terminal in the shipper's vicinity, and by rail in line haul between rail terminals. Upon being unloaded at the destination rail terminal, the container is delivered to a receiver (consignee) by truck. The highway portion of the move, or drayage, accounts for a relatively high percentage of total origin to destination cost, and it limits severely the competitiveness of intermodal service with door-to-door truck service. The approach used in this thesis is to examine in detail the current costs and potential …

Radiation Damage Studies In Gate Oxides, Sandeep G. Bharathi

Theses

Detailed investigation of the effects of Gamma-ray irradiation on the electrical properties such as current-voltage arid capacitance-voltage characteristics in thermally grown SiO₂ films in the thickness range of 15 to 120 nm on silicon substrates is presented in this thesis. The structures used in this study are Al/Poly/SiO₂/Si/Al and Al/SiO₂/Si/Al MOS capacitors. Based on the electrical characterization studies, we observe that irradiation causes generation of positive charges in the oxide leading to a shift of the high frequency Capacitance-Voltage (C-V) curves. An increase in surface state density at the SiO₂-Si interface with increase …

Effect Of Fiber-Matrix Coupling On The Mechanical Properties Of A Totally Bioabsorbable Composite, Barbaro Jesus Perez

Theses

The mechanical properties of a new class of bioabsorbable polymer-composite based on the amino acid tyrosine and calcium phosphate fibers were studied. The effect of the fiber aspect ratio on the elastic modulus of a discontinuous fiber composite was analyzed using the SMC composite micromechanics computer model. The mechanical stiffness of this polymer was found to be superior to that of poly-p-dioxanone, caprolactone and poly-o-ester.

The fiber surface was modified with methane plasma spray to improve the fiber-matrix coupling. The treated fiber composites had 16-40% higher tensile modulus than the untreated fiber composites. From the flexural test results it is …

Integration Of Pneumatic Fracturing And In Situ Vitrification In Coarse Grained Soils, Sean Thomas Mcgonigal

Theses

This thesis investigates conceptual integration of the Pneumatic Fracturing (PF) process with In Situ Vitrification (ISV) for remediation of contaminated soil. Integration will permit ISV melts to be initiated below the ground surface and extend the depth of the ISV process.

Bench scale experiments were conducted in 4.9 ft³ (0.14 m³) Plexiglas tanks filled with a test soil that was specifically blended to simulate the Hanford Formation in Richland, WA. Discrete pneumatic fractures were successfully created and filled with the ISV starter path material. Conductivity measurements made across two graphite electrodes exhibited a pre-fracture soil resistance of …

Recombinant Architecture On Materiality In Architectural Methods, James P. O'Brien

Theses

This thesis is an argument for the development of a sound material method in architecture. In order to establish what constitutes a sound material method for artistic production, an historical survey is made of architecture, fine arts and literature in the 20th century. The primary method of research used is the critical analysis and comparison of artistic methodologies. Key sources in this analysis are Walter Benjamin's The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, and The Author as Producer.

It is found that artistic methods that use modern materials and methods creatively can be learned from to inform …

The Architecture Of Ricardo Porro : Questions Of Form And Content, Mariano Alemany

Theses

Aside from the two Schools of the Arts built In Cuba during the early sixties, the work of Ricardo Porro is unknown to most American architects. This essay is intended to make available to an American audience a critical examination of Mr. Porro's work. His work consists not only of buildings which have been erected in Cuba, France and Liechtenstein, but also of numerous unbuilt projects. Ricardo Porro is not only an architect but also a painter, sculptor and cabinetmaker. He has also written various articles on architecture which have been published in European journals and, most importantly, he has …

Application Of Signal Processing Techniques For Measurement Of Muscle Fiber Conduction Velocity, Satheesh Kumar Swaminathan

Theses

The objectives of this study were to evaluate if muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) could be used as a reliable indicator of fatigue and to characterize the recovery of MFCV after a fatiguing contraction. The decline of MFCV with fatigue was modelled using linear regression and compared with the decline in median frequency (MF). It was found that the percent decline in MF with fatigue was greater than that of MFCV with fatigue and that the decline of MFCV was consistent in all subjects tested. It was thus determined that MFCV could be used as a reliable indicator of fatigue. …

Analysis Of A Design For Its Quality Manufacturability In Terms Of Misalignments And Fastener Related Problems, Abhinav Dhar

Theses

This study analyzes the relationship between design parameters established at the initial stage of the design process and the manufacturing quality problems that manifest themselves during production. Specifically, we study the relationship between design features and the occurrence of misalignment defects and fastener related problems.

This outcome of this work is a methodology, Design for Quality Manufacturability (DFQM). DFQM addresses the likelihood that defects will occur during the manufacture of a product in a standard plant. This is based on the premise that defects in assembled products are often influenced by some features of the design and/or assembly process. These …

The Morphology Of Uhmwpe Wear Debris Generated By A Hip Joint Simulator, Aaron P. Essner

Theses

The size, quantity and shape of total hip replacement wear debris may identify wear mechanisms as well as play a role in osteolysis. Characterization of wear particles generated from a hip joint simulator was conducted followed by comparison with literature reported in vivo results. The effect of counterface material and lubricant type on particle morphology was assessed. Biomaterial pairs including UHMWPE articulated against CoCr, Alumina and Zirconia were considered. Deionized (D.I.) water and bovine serum were used as lubricants. Particles generated from Alumina/UHMWPE in serum were slightly larger than those for CoCr and Zirconia against UHMWPE in serum. Particle shape …

Analysis Of The Oxidation Of Isotox By Immobilized Bacteria, Chad Sheng

Theses

The purpose of this work is to show the effects of bio-oxidation of a pesticide through a spiral wound bioreactor using immobilized mixed culture bacteria. The pesticide used for this study is Isotox® and its active ingredients are acephate or O,S-dimethyl acetylphosphoramidothioate and vendex or hexakis (2-methyl-2-phenylpropyI)- distannoxane. Qualitative analysis of the product indicated presence of sulfate.

A consistent and unique DO pattern for Isotox^® showed at least 4 minima, whereas phenol has only one minimum. The consistency of the DO pattern for Isotox^® has been observed for over 30 injections into the bioreactor system. For both an …

A Study Of Transit Corridors Within The Njtpa Region, Mark Kagen Berger

Theses

Identifying potential bus and rail transit corridors for the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) region by examining current travel patterns of commuters was the purpose of this thesis. The current transit corridors within the NJTPA region was discussed first, followed by the methods for selecting specific municipalities for analysis. At this point, specific examinations of the selected municipalities' origin and destination travel patterns were mapped. The results were then summed up, along with a discussion of potential new bus and rail transit corridors based on trips originating along a corridor enroute to the same municipality. The final discussion examined …

Modeling The Fate Of Volatile Organic Compounds In Wastewater Treatment Facilities; Implementation Of Volatilization Models In Envirocad, Vinita Chhahira

Theses

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments have identified wastewater treatment facilities as a major source of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. VOCs present in wastewater discharges affect the quality of receiving waters, while emissions to the air affect downwind populations. The primary mechanisms involved in VOC removal from a wastewater treatment facility are volatilization and stripping, biodegradation, and sorption to either suspended or biological solids. Although many models have been developed to predict the fate of VOCs in wastewater treatment facilities, no model completely predicts emissions for an entire wastewater treatment facility. The focus of this work is to incorporate …

A Modified Lrt-Based Spread-Spectrum Receiver Using Spatial And Temporal Processing, Jeffrey L. Cutcher

Theses

The problem of demodulating a direct-sequence (DS) spread-spectrum signal in the presence of single-tone or narrow-band interference and multi-path is discussed. A likelihood-ratio test (LRT) receiver is presented which consists of a whitening filter and a RAKE correlator.

A modified LRT receiver structure is then considered where the whitening filter is replaced by an antenna array with corresponding tap coefficients. The array spatially removes the interference by estimating it's angle-of-arrival. Using the array has an advantage over the original LRT receiver when a narrow-band interference is present. Both receivers are identical in performance under the single-tone interference model.

A third …

A Defect Detection Algorithm For Sequential And Parallel Computers, Ralf Hross

Theses

The comparison of images containing a single object of interest, where one of them contains a model object, is frequently used for defect detection/identification. This is often a problem of interest to industrial applications. To make this task more efficient, the implementation on parallel computers should be a major objective. This thesis introduces sequential and parallel versions of an algorithm that compares original(reference) and processed images in the time and frequency domains. The emphasis is on parallel implementation. This comparison may help to detect changes in images. Extracted data is also compared to database data in an attempt to pinpoint …