Digital Commons Network^™

Making Memories: Location-Based Learning On The Erie Canal At A National Historical Park, Katherine C. Hensel

Theses

Onsite educational programming at National Parks provides groups with a unique opportunity to interact with history and science. How can Women’s Rights National Historical Park be used to create an onsite educational tour and program that will deliver a memorable experience for their visitors? I conducted research on the history and anthropological consequences of the Erie Canal for an onsite program that will be implemented by the National Park Service. An example interpretive tour route is included that examines the significance of the Erie Canal for the movement of people, the local economy, the movement of ideas and religion, and …

Exploring Neuromodulatory Systems For Dynamic Learning, Anurag Daram

Theses

In a continual learning system, the network has to dynamically learn new tasks from few samples throughout its lifetime. It is observed that neuromodulation acts as a key factor in continual and dynamic learning in the central nervous system. In this work, the neuromodulatory plasticity is embedded with dynamic learning architectures. The network has an inbuilt modulatory unit that regulates learning depending on the context and the internal state of the system, thus rendering the networks with the ability to self modify their weights. In one of the proposed architectures, ModNet, a modulatory layer is introduced in a random projection …

A Mechanized Theory Of Communication Analysis In Cml, Thomas Logan

Theses

For this master's thesis, I have developed a formal semantics of a language with concurrent processes (or threads), an initial formal analysis, along with related theorems and formal proofs. The language under analysis is a very simplified version of Concurrent ML. The formal analysis recasts an analysis with informal proofs developed by Reppy and Xiao. It categorizes communication described by programs into simple topologies. One description of topologies is static; that is, it describes all static topologies of a program in a finite number of steps. Another description is dynamic; that is, it describes topologies in terms of running a …

A Comparative Assessment Of The Impact Of Various Norms On Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Networks, Chandini Ramesh

Theses

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) provide a fascinating new paradigm in machine learning and artificial intelligence, especially in the context of unsupervised learning. GANs are quickly becoming a state of the art tool, used in various applications such as image generation, image super resolutions, text generation, text to image synthesis to name a few. However, GANs potential is restricted due to the various training difficulties. To overcome the training difficulties of GANs, the use of a more powerful measure of dissimilarity via the use of the Wasserstein distance was proposed. Thereby giving birth to the GAN extension known as Wasserstein Generative …

Research On A Future Senior Housing Model In Wuhan, China, Fangyuan Shi

Theses

Recently in China, seniors’ health and living conditions after retirement have become the focus of increasing political and social concerns. Due to fertility policies in China since the 1980s, improvements in living conditions have led to longer average lifespan, increasing demand in the country’s senior housing market. This research explores the future development of senior housing for this and the next generation, the evolution of needs after retirement, and possible future solutions for providing an up-to-date senior housing community in Wuhan, China. Through documentary analysis of the current conditions as well as the needs and social concerns of seniors, case …

Real-Time Facial Emotion Recognition Using Fast R-Cnn, Salem Bin Saqer Almarri

Theses

In computer vision and image processing, object detection algorithms are used to detect semantic objects of certain classes of images and videos. Object detector algorithms use deep learning networks to classify detected regions. Unprecedented advancements in Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) have led to new possibilities and implementations for object detectors. An object detector which uses a deep learning algorithm detect objects through proposed regions, and then classifies the region using a CNN. Object detectors are computationally efficient unlike a typical CNN which is computationally complex and expensive. Object detectors are widely used for face detection, recognition, and object tracking. In …

Examining The Impact Of Using Point Of View Video Modeling On Improving Self-Care Skills Of A Student With Autism, May Ali Elmetwally Ghoneim

Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of using point of view video modeling intervention strategy on improving the self-care skills of a student with autism. The target skills were handwashing and toothbrushing skills. A single-subject ABA design was used in this study. Data was collected using mixed-method approach. The intervention lasted for six weeks. The results of this study indicated that point of view video modeling is an effective instructional tool to improve handwashing and toothbrushing skills for a student with autism. Moreover, the participant was able to generalize handwashing and toothbrushing skills to two different …

Exploring Emirati Ninth Grade Students’ Use Of Edmodo In Learning English: A Mixed-Method Study, Amna Hamad Al Nuami

Theses

This mixed-method study is aimed at exploring the use of EDMODO by Emirati ninth grade female students (n = 97) who are studying English as a second language. In the first phase of the study, quantitative data were collected by using a questionnaire. Additionally, from the original pool, a subset of students (n = 11) were interviewed with regards to EDMODO usage in the classroom. The findings from this study revealed that ninth-grade students found EDMODO to be first and foremost an interesting and joyful learning experience; Second, they also reported it is an efficient platform for …

The Role Of Parathyroid Hormone 1 Receptor (Pth1r) Signaling In Gastric Epithelial Homeostasis, Maram Maher Al-Hasan

Theses

In the stomach, the epithelial stem cells are responsible for glandular homeostasis. These stem cells continuously undergo cellular proliferation and differentiation to balance the death of senescent cells. Studies conducted on gastric cancers showed a significant increase in parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH). Moreover, both PTHLH along with parathyroid hormone (PTH) act as endogenous ligands for parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (PTH1R) which belongs to family B of G- protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This receptor functions by mediating many different signaling pathways and the most studied pathway is the stimulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) as a second messenger.

There are very few …

Writing Workshops’ Impact On Third-Grade Students’ Writing Achievements And English Teachers’ Perceptions About Using Writing Workshops To Teach Writing In An Elementary Public School, Safeya Othman Abdulla Bin Mahri Alkatheeri

Theses

The present study examines the impact of writing workshops on third-grade students’ writing achievements and English teachers’ perceptions about the use of writing workshops to teach writing in an elementary public school in Al Ain, UAE. This study also addresses the challenges that English teachers encounter when implementing writing workshops in writing classes. A mixed-method design was employed to answer the three main research questions of the study. Initially, the quantitative data were collected through the pre-post writing test which was administered to third-grade students (N=83). Subsequently, the qualitative data in the form of the semi-structured interviews were collected from …

Selection Of Best Sites For Aquifer Storage And Recovery In The Eastern District Of Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates, Karim Ali Mahfouz Abdou Khalil

Theses

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi relied on groundwater as the main source of fresh water for several decades in the past. This resulted in the deterioration of the non-renewable groundwater aquifers; and thus, desalination plants have become the major source of freshwater supply in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Diminishing natural groundwater is a serious threat to freshwater security in arid regions. Because UAE has the world’s highest per capita water consumption rate, more than 70 desalination plants have been built in the last two decades. A major concern, therefore, is the vulnerability of these desalination plants to pollution and …

Innovation In Kindergarten (Kg) Schools In Al Ain: Enabling And Hindering Factors And Procedures Followed, Asma Saeed Khethail

Theses

This thesis is concerned with innovation in KG schools in Al Ain, specifically the enabling and hindering factors and procedures followed. The government of Abu Dhabi established Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) in 2005 which is now known as the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK). ADEK seeks to develop education and educational institutions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, implement innovative educational policies and programs which aim to improve education in accordance with the highest international standards by the launching of the New School Model (NMS) which includes a new curriculum, advanced teaching methods, learning materials, and resources. These …

Hyperspectral Imaging Evaluation Of The Freshness Of Mushrooms (Agaricus Bisporus), Meera Hmoud Saeed Aldhaheri

Theses

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a non-destructive analytical tool that can be used for sensing multiple attributes of foods. This thesis evaluates the application of HSI for measuring the freshness of the mushroom Agaricus bisporus (A. bisporus) in comparison with traditional seed methods. Three separate experiments were performed with 135 mushroom samples stored either in packed or unpacked conditions for 11 days. The overall results suggest that the HSI spectral region between 400 and 1000 nm is suitable for the inspection of mushroom freshness. Two distinguishing variables that aligned with physicochemical and microbiological analysis were recognized. Moisture loss was the main …

Mechanical Characterization And Fracture Behavior Of Magnesium Zk60a Alloy (Uns M16600), Mohamed Kamal I. H. Temraz

Theses

This research work focuses on studying the mechanical and fracture behavior of one of magnesium ZK60A (UNS M16600) extrusion. The material has many industrial applications and its characteristic should be measured for proper component or system design. Several tests were conducted following the standard procedures to determine the mechanical characteristics of the material. In addition, the fracture toughness of the material has been measured using the fracture toughness-thickness curve. A stress intensity factor K was used as a fracture parameter to determine the plane strain fracture toughness KIC of ZK60A magnesium alloy using a single edge notch bend (SENB) specimen …

Environmental Risks And Benefits Of Nano-Enabled Clean Energy Technologies, Elizabeth A. Moore

Theses

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are increasingly incorporated into clean energy technologies due to observed improvement in technological and system performance. Though these materials could revolutionize many products and technologies, increased use of ENMs can also introduce uncertainty and risks that are difficult to predict. Increase in ENM use could significantly increase ENM releases to the environment across their life cycle, from material synthesis to end-of-life. To address knowledge gaps and uncertainties, this work assesses a portfolio of ENMs from a systems perspective. First, characterization and quantification methods were developed for three carbonaceous ENMs, fullerenes (C60, C70, and derivative PCBM), which have …

Deep Learning Methods For 3d Aerial And Satellite Data, Mohammed A. Yousefhussien

Theses

Recent advances in digital electronics have led to an overabundance of observations from electro-optical (EO) imaging sensors spanning high spatial, spectral and temporal resolution. This unprecedented volume, variety, and velocity is overwhelming our capacity to manage and translate that data into actionable information. Although decades of image processing research have taken the human out of the loop for many important tasks, the human analyst is still an irreplaceable link in the image exploitation chain, especially for more complex tasks requiring contextual understanding, memory, discernment, and learning. If knowledge discovery is to keep pace with the growing availability of data, new …

Smile, Luke Polito

Theses

Smile is a film about June, an unhappy high school girl who lives in a world of unrelenting positivity. Everyone in this world has a massive, overwhelming smile and wears bright, vibrant colors. As she leaves school one day June is invited to a karaoke party that evening by a group of exceedingly enthusiastic students, which she hesitantly agrees to attend. June rides her rusty, uneven bicycle home to find her father working in the garage. She tries to enter the house unnoticed, but her father scoops June up in a massive hug and excitedly tells her that he picked …

Multiscale Fluid-Structure Interaction Models Development And Applications To The 3d Elements Of A Human Cardiovascular System, Yogesh Karnam

Theses

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the number one cause of death of humans in the United States and worldwide. Accurate, non-invasive, and cheaper diagnosis methods have always been on demand as cardiovascular monitoring increase in prevalence. The primary causes of the various forms of these CVDs are atherosclerosis and aneurysms in the blood vessels. Current noninvasive methods (i.e., statistical/medical) permit fairly accurate detection of the disease once clinical symptoms are suggestive of the existence of hemodynamic disorders. Therefore, the recent surge of hemodynamics models facilitated the prediction of cardiovascular conditions.

The hemodynamic modeling of a human circulatory system involves varying levels …

Advancing Implementation Conditions Of Optimal Experimental Design For Dual Response Systems Using One Continuous Response And One Binary Response, Rory W. Little

Theses

Optimal designs are computer-generated experimental designs that provide an experimenter with an ‘optimal’ set of experimental trials. Historically, optimal experimental design has been limited to optimization with regards to a single criterion for a single response variable. Recent research by Burke et al. (2017) made it possible to create a dual response optimal designs for cases involving experiments with one continuous response and one binary response. The algorithm in Burke et al. (2017) provides a series of weighted optimal designs across a range of weights between the continuous and binary response cases. This thesis extends the work by Burke et …

My Dear Americans, Ileana Hernandez

Theses

My Dear Americans is a multimedia project that includes photographs, video work and interactive installations. The pieces in this project are in response to gun violence in the United States. This body of work is influenced by my perspective as a mother and as a Mexican immigrant living in the US for the last eight years. Through the use of multiple materials, I provoke the audience to think specifically about gun laws, white privilege and the effect of gun violence on children. This work draws on propagandistic artworks, and has been influenced by Felix-Gonzalez Torres, Jenny Holzer and activist artists …

Schuhplattler Verein Heidengold: Preserving And Perpetuating German Cultural Heritage In Rochester, New York, Jennifer Roeszies

Theses

Cultural heritage is passed down from generation to generation through songs, dance, customs, festivals, plays, costumes, and other traditions. Without the continuation of these practices by the next generation, this heritage is destined to be lost, possibly forever. How does a contemporary American organization such as the Schuhplattler Verein Heidengold in Rochester, New York, help to perpetuate and preserve the traditional 19th century cultural heritage of Germany, and why is it important for them to do so? Interviews conducted with current Heidengold members, along with consultation with multiple outside sources including the Federation of German American Societies (FGAS) and the …

Full Circle, Hang Zhang

Theses

This body of work “福壽”/“Full Circle” explores my grandparents’ experiences and aspirations, generational relationships in a traditional Chinese family, and my process of re-establishing a connection with my family. “福壽” is a group of multimedia works composed of photographs, videos, and sculpture. My grandparents’ experiences with the Cultural Revolution, coupled with my memories and desire to rekindle a connection with my family, inspired this project from a personal and cultural point of view. In this work, I aim to showcase for the viewer the history and current situation of the Chinese elderly while highlighting the importance for members of my …

Minutes, Days, Years, Lindsey Palmer

Theses

Minutes, Days, Years, is a body of photographic work presented in an installation format alongside a written companion book. In this work I seek to rebuild my mother’s memories which were lost to electro-convulsion therapy that she received in January 2012. The images are 42 cyanotypes on glass, made from personal archive photos from the years 2008-2011; the time period which her memory is most damaged, and the time I began learning photography. These images are placed atop a 60-inch by 14-foot paper backing, made of two images from the same time period. Minutes, Days, Years references photography as manipulatable …

Dream Life, Menghan Tsai

Theses

Dream Life, is a series of photographic work based on the contemporary Chinese phenomenon known as social media celebrity (SMC). In order to achieve an identical trendy “perfect” appearance, numerous young women undergo cosmetic surgery, apply on bold makeup, and use heavy Photoshop on their social media photos. I aim to criticize this practice and question how this distorted aesthetic standard for females is developed. By reconstructing the elements that the SMCs are showing, I want to show the absurdity of this “dream life”.

Portraits Of A Camoufleur, Michael C. Guinto Ii

Theses

Portraits of a Camoufleur is a body of photographic work which features military veterans who have transitioned back and forth between the military and civilian world. The photographic sculptures serve as portraits created by stacking collected archive photographs together inside shadowbox frames. The photographs have also had camouflage patterns physically cut out of them which reveal more of the underlying images and experiences the veterans have provided. The work serves as a window into military experiences, attempting to close the gap that exists between military and civilian culture.

That Which Has No Name, Jean Marques

Theses

That Which Has No Name is an ongoing body of collage work about home, memory, intimacy, and family history. The photographs in these collages were made out of the process of photographing my daily experience between 2017 and 2019. Alongside them are the original family photographs that were made when my parents and I immigrated from Cuba to the United States in 1998. In these collages, expressive marks of ink, handwriting, and text are combined with photographs that are glued onto paper in order to communicate experiences and emotions. They depict a personal experience that is unique, one in which …

Flesh So Peach, Mireya Salinas

Theses

Flesh So Peach is an interactive art piece that addresses the hypervisibility of “whiteness” using the Vogue September 2018 issue. In this work, I remove “whiteness” from the magazine and set up a space for the audience to do the same. The removal of “whiteness” is a physical representation of the frustration, anxiety, and anger I feel with the omission of women of color, specifically within the pages of this highly influential fashion magazine. Tools typically used to promote and emphasize the ideals of beauty have been used to tear, cut, and rip away white women’s flesh. The removal of …

Lightweight Information Security Methods For Indoor Wireless Body Area Networks: From Channel Modeling To Secret Key Extraction, Ruslan Dautov

Theses

A group of wirelessly communicating sensors that are placed inside, on or around a human body constitute a Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN). Continuous monitoring of vital signs through WBANs have a potential to revolutionize current health care services by reducing the cost, improving accessibility, and facilitating medical diagnosis. However, sensitive nature of personal health data requires WBANs to integrate appropriate security methods and practices. As limited hardware resources make conventional security measures inadequate in a WBAN context, this work is focused on alternative techniques based on Wireless Physical Layer Security (WPLS). More specifically, we introduce a symbiosis of WPLS …

Design And Production Of 3d Animation Short Film “Relict”, Rundong Wang

Theses

Relict is a science fiction 3D animated short film that surrounds a fantasy of future Beijing, the capital city of the People's Republic of China. The short film critically explores three important problems, which are heatedly discussed nowadays in Beijing, of large population, environmental pollution and declination of people’s living standard through a fictional point of view of several Landmark buildings of the metropolis.

These three issues I hope to discuss in this short film are closely related to each other. Firstly, the large population problem is caused by the fact of its greater resources in politics, economy and education …

Biochar As A Substitute For Carbon Black In Lithographic Ink Production, Vanessa Hulse

Theses

Replacing carbon black with biochar, a more sustainable carbon negative material, in commercial inks will be presented. The overall project goal was to produce an optimal feedstock for biochar through impurity removal techniques. Biochar is most commonly used in soil applications or water remediation, due to its highly porous nature, leading to high contaminant adsorption. This project however, focuses on biochar as a pigment for lithographic inks. When raw boxboard or recycled paper pulp was subjected to pyrolysis, an appreciable amount of mineral impurities remained. These harder mineral impurities result in poor black coverage power. Harder mineral impurities also made …