Digital Commons Network^™

Fanciful Animals In Captivity, Kyle Lascelle

Theses

“Poetry [or Pottery] is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.” –William Wordsworth

It is easy to romanticize the past. Driving past a dairy farm, reading animal noise books with a daughter, drawing a picture with a brother—moments that seem ordinary become more significant as time passes. Even difficult moments—sleepless nights, traffic jams, tantrums— soften and transform as they are “recollected in tranquility.”

Such everyday memories inspire my work with clay. Each object becomes a monument to moments in my personal narrative. At the same time I use elements of historical ceramics, …

Xaminer, Terry Artis

Theses

“Rocket” Rowan Bell is a young Black idealist who has an audacious notion to disseminate what he perceives as truth to his community through news publication. As an adolescent boy, he was a good kid and athlete with a good heart from a poor Black neighborhood. Rocket experienced what seemed to be an episode of sexual assault by a youth-minister/track-coach at his church. The ordeal may have shaped his young adult perspective and evolved into a philosophy through which Rocket contends:There are three Negro (P)s that perpetuate the pathetic plight of Black people — the Negro Preacher, the Negro …

Evaluation Of Vaporization Enthalpies And Vapor Pressures Of Various Aroma And Pharmacologically Active Compounds By Correlation Gas Chromatography, Daniel Simmons

Theses

Scientists in the pharmaceutical, food, and aroma industries can benefit from reliable thermochemical data. Vaporization enthalpy and vapor pressure data are not available for all compounds. Furthermore, some literature data is conflicting. The goal of this work was to use a method called correlation gas chromatography (CGC) to generate reliable vaporization enthalpy data in instances where other experimental methods are not applicable. Vapor pressures of the targets were also calculated in cases where the required literature data on the standards used in this technique were available.

CGC involves making a standard cocktail that includes a mixture of standards and one …

Planning To Fail: The Eurozone, Its Sovereign Debt Crisis, And The Future Of The Union, Kyle Whitworth

Theses

The European Union has been one of the greatest accomplishments of modern history. Through economic and political integration has ended centuries of warfare on the continent while producing the worlds largest trading bloc. Despite the initial success of the monetary union and its single currency, the Union has been bogged down economic troubles in the form of a debt crisis among several of the member states. The recovery period of the crisis has produced growth that is slow and uneven. Countries such as Germany has assumed the role of the economic powerhouse of Europe and therefore a political leader in …

Risk-Taking, Temper, And Impulsivity: An Investigation On The Effects Of Dimensions Of Self-Control On Adolescent Violent And Minor Delinquency., Lauren Mcleod

Theses

The current study explores potential disaggregated, simultaneous, and interactive effects of a composite scale measure of self-control on self-reported adolescent violent delinquency and minor delinquency. Using data from 616 Dutch adolescents participating in the Study of Peers, Activities, and Neighborhoods (SPAN), this exploratory study seeks to investigate the full utility of the self-control measure and its effect on adolescent delinquency. Specifically, this thesis explores if a composite measure of self-control—along with corresponding disaggregated measures—significantly predicts violent and minor delinquency independently from and simultaneously with one another. Interaction effects are also investigated with exploratory analysis. Using negative binomial regression, results indicated …

Analysis Of Grape Berry Epiphytic Microbiomes Via Qiime, Isabelle O'Bryon

Theses

Research in the wine industry has previously characterized many aspects of the wine making process from soil fertility to the community of microbes in must and wine, but the epiphytic bacterial and fungal communities have not been studied throughout grape development. This project aims to investigate the epiphytic grape microbiome to better understand its role in disease and grape development, and the effects of terroir on the microbiome, by examining the epiphytic microbiome of developing and sour rot infected grapes in New York and Tasmania. Sour rot is characterized by a distinct vinegar smell that is caused by the combination …

At The Fire: An Investigation In The Transformation Of Matter, Darren T. Adair

Theses

My Thesis Work investigated the infinite possibilities in transformation of matter. I wanted to identify and suspend stages within natural cycles through the manipulation of glass and other mixed media. Furthermore, I looked to explore degradation and regeneration of components— at a microscopic and macroscopic level—to create sculptural pieces.

The body of work I produced for my Thesis Exhibition was a culmination of many components. Embracing process art making was the most successful outcome that resulted from making this collection; through experimentation, I was able to gather more information about the objects I was creating. Another useful aspect to my …

For The Sake Of The Intellect, Let Them Have Art: A Possible Reconciliation For The Value Of Mimetic Arts In The 'Republic', Breanna Liddell

Theses

This paper explores the possibility of a cohesive philosophy that recognizes both Plato’s concern about art as a moral danger in the Republic and the aesthete’s—a worthy adversary—position of art as something worth preserving. Plato understood the arts as mimêsis, or imitative and representational. Additionally, this paper suggests that Plato’s take on art extends beyond the limited realm of the performative arts that depict the misguided actions of Greek heroes and gods and how those arts positively or negatively impact the educational development of a citizen of the Republic. Rather, I assert that what he means by “art” is …

"Through Me Tell The Story": A New Historical Analysis Of Bob Dylan As A Nobel Laureate, Abby Mangel

Theses

Bob Dylan's receipt of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016 for "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition" is perhaps the strongest validation for New Historicism as a method of literary analysis. The individual puzzle pieces of Dylan's postmodern rock poems are themselves little bits of history, but combined within the context of the massive paradigm shifts of the 1960s, they become something new and entirely relevant to the nonstop turmoil of contemporary life in America.

An Investigation Of Low Frequency Noise In Server Rooms, Ahmed Al Naami

Theses

Noise in a server room can have a major impact on the performance and well-being of the occupants. Sound level and low frequency noise are considered factors that influence the hearing ability of workers. This thesis is an investigation of low-frequency noise in server rooms. We conducted the field study in a server room for a large financial institution. Some employees in this study indicated that they experienced headaches from the noise and requested an analysis of the sound to determine if there were any potential adverse health effects. Attributes of the noise were investigated by evaluating the sound pressure …

Thermal And Structural Characterization Of Macro-Encapsulated Phase Change Material Integrated Into Concrete Cubes, Yasir Rashid

Theses

High-energy consumption in buildings is a research issue of great importance today, with solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs) proving an excellent candidate for passive means to reduce energy consumption. In the current research, a novel protective coating was developed from geopolymer to encapsulate a PCM to prevent leakage in the liquidous phase. The PCM was characterized using a customized temperature history method (THM) and standard differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Two different porous materials, polyurethane foam and lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA), were selected to hold the PCM and act as a matrix in which to develop PCM capsules. Ingredients of …

Examining University Faculty Attitudes Towards Including College Students With Disabilities In Higher Education Fn The Uae, Amel Benkohila

Theses

Recent research indicated that the success of inclusion programs is dependent on teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion. Therefore, the objective of this study was fivefold as follows: i) investigating university faculty attitudes toward including college students with disabilities in higher education, ii) examining the impact of university faculty teaching experience and their previous contact with individuals with disabilities on their attitudes towards including college students with disabilities in higher education, iii) examining the impact of the severity of the disability on the university faculty attitudes toward including college students with disabilities in higher education, iv) investigating willingness of university faculty toward …

On Contact Line Region Heat Transfer, Bubble Dynamics And Substrate Effects During Boiling, Pruthvik A. Raghupathi

Theses

Rapid advancement of electronics used in domestic, commercial and military applications has necessitated the development of thermal management solutions capable of dissipating large amounts of heat in a reliable and efficient manner. Traditional methods of cooling, including air and liquid cooling, require large fluid flow rates and temperature differences to remove high heat fluxes and are therefore unsuited for many advanced applications. Phase change heat transfer, specifically boiling, is capable of dissipating large heat fluxes with low temperature gradients and hence is an attractive technique for cooling high heat flux applications. However, due to the complex interactions between the fluid …

Urban Subterranean Space: A Link Between A Ground Level Public Space And Underground Infrastructure, Junghwa Lee

Theses

The global trend of urbanization requires an increased demand for reliable infrastructure in urban land. The lack of buildable space in urban areas has been resolved traditionally by skyscrapers and sometimes, the location of new development is shifted to the outside of the central city due to the lower density and property values. However, longer distance between the traditional city center and the new developed area requires additional infrastructure to support the networks.

Urbanization allows economic and social development as well as an opportunity to lessen the impact of consumption and production on the environment. However, the urbanization and denser …

Assessing The Influence Of Variable Cognitive Load On Fatigue Development And Recovery Of The First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle, Sidharajsinh Jadeja

Theses

Localized muscle fatigue (LMF) has been associated to many adverse effects on human performance and the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). While the development of LMF can be dependent on several factors, the influence of cognitive demands is still uncertain. This study analyzed the influence of varying levels of cognitive load for a simple biomechanical system involving static exertions at a moderate level (25% of maximum voluntary capacity). Participants performed 1-hour sessions of intermittent isometric abductions of the index finger for four experimental conditions including passive rest and added cognitive load in the form of an arithmetic task. Both …

Sustainable Learning Through Architecture Elementary School: A Synergy Of Metrics, Anita Parvathi Darla

Theses

Sustainability (noun): “Sustainable development is built environment that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

When is a good time for our future generations to start learning about sustainability? Education is humanity’s best hope and most effective means in the quest to achieve sustainable future. Sustainability has become a priority and needs to be addressed as a school of thought from a very young age to be more effective and achieve better results. Research shows that sustainability education must begin in early childhood when children tend to learn, absorb, …

A New Platform For Knee Surgery Patient Rehabilitation, Motivating Mirror: Providing An Interactive Experience To Knee Surgery Patients To Assist Them With A More Effective Rehabilitation., Yu He

Theses

There are many tools for knee injury patients to use for rehabilitation. Both Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists work with patients on rehabilitation to help them recover, bring them back from illness or injury. For knee surgery patients, they will go through rehabilitation including CPM (Continuous passive movement) and exercises assigned by PT (Physical Therapists) to improve recovery.

CPM is a passive motion that a machine forces patients to do, and along with and after that, patients need to be active to do other exercises themselves. Lots of patients run into trouble when rehabbing. Some of them refuse to do …

What The Smell? An Empirical Investigation On The Distribution And Severity Of Test Smells In Open Source Android Applications, Anthony Shehan Ayam Peruma

Theses

The widespread adoption of mobile devices, coupled with the ease of developing mobile-based applications (apps) has created a lucrative and competitive environment for app developers. Solely focusing on app functionality and time-to-market is not enough for developers to ensure the success of their app. Quality attributes exhibited by the app must also be a key focus point; not just at the onset of app development, but throughout its lifetime.

The impact analysis of bad programming practices, or code smells, in production code has been the focus of numerous studies in software maintenance. Similar to production code, unit tests are also …

Think And Stop: Share Your Knowledge To Help Others, Unez Akbar

Theses

Often, individuals develop habits that do not seem to have an adverse effect initially. However, these habits may lead to critical problems in the long run. It is important to create awareness about these critical problems as unawareness would lead to major challenges in the future.

"Think and Stop” is a social responsibility campaign that focuses on creating awareness amongst people about everyday facts.

The campaign would share some existing facts on specific topics such as eating disorder, harmful effects of wearing heels every day and excessive use of mint.

This thesis investigated how big these problems could become if …

Design Considerations For Training Memristor Crossbars Used In Spiking Neural Networks, Lydia M. Hays

Theses

CMOS/Memristor integrated architectures have shown to be powerful for realizing energy-efficient learning machines. These architectures are recently demonstrated in reservoir computing networks, which have reduced training complexity and resource utilization. In reservoir computing, the training time is curtailed due to random weight initialization in the hidden layer, which will remain constant during training. The CMOS/memristor variability can be exploited to generate these random weights and reduce the area overhead. Recent studies have shown that the CMOS/memristor crossbars are ideal for on-device learning machines, including reservoir computing networks. An exemplary CMOS/memristor crossbar based on-device accelerator, Ziksa, was demonstrated on several of …

Application Of Convolutional Neural Network Framework On Generalized Spatial Modulation For Next Generation Wireless Networks, Akram Marseet

Theses

A novel custom auto-encoder Complex Valued Convolutional Neural Network (AE-CVCNN) model is proposed and implemented using MATLAB for multiple-input-multiple output (MIMO) wireless networks. The proposed model is applied on two dierent generalized spatial modulation (GSM) schemes: the single symbol generalized spatial modulation SS - GSM and the multiple symbol generalized spatial modulation (MS-GSM). GSM schemes are used with Massive-MIMO to increase both the spectrum eciency and the energy eciency. On the other hand, GSM schemes are subjected to high computational complexity at the receiver to detect the transmitted information. High computational complexity slows down the throughput and increases the power …

I Need You, Hao Shen

Theses

I Need You is a 4-minute 3D-animation thesis film. This 3D animation film premiered on May 12, 2017 in the School of Film and Animation’s End-of-Semester screenings program at Rochester Institute of Technology.

This story is about a grown son who returns to his father’s house to help his father find the source of a mysterious ghost-like, screeching sound inside the house. However, the son is really confronted with his relationship with his father.

I Need You is a 3D Virtual Reality animation that combines traditional 2D, 3D software and game engine to create a new-tech 3D animation film. The …

How We Refactor And How We Mine It ? A Large Scale Study On Refactoring Activities In Open Source Systems, Eman Abdullah Alomar

Theses

Refactoring, as coined by William Obdyke in 1992, is the art of optimizing the syntactic design of a software system without altering its external behavior. Refactoring was also cataloged by Martin Fowler as a response to the existence of design defects that negatively impact the software's design. Since then, the research in refactoring has been driven by improving systems structures. However, recent studies have been showing that developers may incorporate refactoring strategies in other development related activities that go beyond improving the design. In this context, we aim in better understanding the developer's perception of refactoring by mining and automatically …

Adjustment Of Parametric Dynamic Scheduling Heuristics For Heterogeneous Systems To Account For Heterogeneity, Thomas G. Guerin

Theses

Modern computing applications are becoming increasingly data-hungry and computationally expensive. This trend continues even as hardware performance constraints loom with the impending death of Moore's law. Hence, systems have become increasingly heterogeneous in the pursuits of improving performance and reducing power consumption. Such a heterogeneous system relies on a variety of different specialized processors with differing architectures, rather than processing units of a single type. Given their architectural differences, any given computation will not perform equally on all processors. As such, efficient scheduling of computations to processors is an essential design consideration.

In this thesis work, a simulation of an …

Study Of Rheological, Chemical, And Microbiological Properties Of Chami, A Traditional Emirati Soft Cheese, Aysha Othman Abdullah Al Katheeri

Theses

In this work, ten Emirati Chami cheese samples were collected and analyzed to determine their chemical composition, texture, rheology, and microbiological properties. Chami cheeses showed large variations in moisture (60.9–84.1%), protein (7.5–14.6%), fat (0.5–7.8%), and ash (3.4–8.0%) contents as well as in pH (3.6–4.4), and water activity (0.977–0.999%). The variation in fat content of samples suggested that extra fat was added; this added fat was either butter or vegetable oil as indicated by the fatty acid composition. The different samples showed peaks of variable size for fat melting. The sodium content in the 10 cheese samples varied from 223–2410 mg/kg, …

Role Of The Snf2 Homolog, Irc20, In Yeast Genome Maintenance, Deena Mohamed Galal Eldin Ahmed

Theses

In eukaryotes, DNA is wrapped around histone proteins forming a highly compact structure, the chromatin. All DNA-based processes must occur within the complex organization of the chromatin, and this requires modulation of its structure when needed. This is accomplished by covalent histone modifications that alter histone-DNA contacts, as well as through the actions of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. These multi-subunit complexes play major roles in transcription regulation, replication and repairing DNA damage. This thesis aims to characterize a poorly studied member of the SWI/SNF family of ATPases/helicases, Irc20, from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Previously, Irc20 has been shown to be involved in …

Performance Prediction Of Concrete Deep Beams Containing Cutouts Internally- Reinforced With Composite Bars, Somoud Jebril Arabasi

Theses

The development of code provisions for the use of strut-and-tie model (STM) in structural design has been hindered by great uncertainties due to the lack of experimental evidences. The problem becomes more complex when the conventional steel reinforcing bars around disturbed regions are replaced by non-metallic composite reinforcement. This research aimed to investigate the structural behavior of concrete deep beams with cutouts internally reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars around regions of discontinuities. Different STMs were developed for the design of GFRP-reinforced concrete deep beams. The models were analyzed through the use of ACI 318 (2014) and CSA S806 …

Determination Of The Ideal Plant Density Of Tomato Solanum Lycopersicum Under An Aquaponic Production System With Tilapia Oreochromis Aureus Under Uae Conditions, Mohamed Ahmed Al Dhanhani

Theses

Aquaponics is an agricultural system that saves water and fertilization and offers a way of growing plants without soil pest infestation or pesticide residues. This system ensures the production of hazardous chemical free food for humans. This system also ensures sustainability by creating a natural relationship between fish and plants and makes gardening more productive and economical.

Aquaponics system is a dynamic ecosystem that can be integrated to achieve food security through the production of fish and vegetables without the intervention of fertilizers.

The focus of this study is optimizing planting density of tomato in an aquaponics system; with assess …

النظام القانوني للعقوبة التأديبية في نطاق قانون الموارد البشرية الاتحادي وتعديلاته (دراسة مقارنة), حمد سالم سيف علي القايدي

Theses

It is known that the State exercises its activities through public facilities and these public facilities are managed by public officials. As the number of employees increases to satisfy the needs of the society and their ethics, it is possible that the employee will violate the ethics of work, do not do his job properly or beg him And the administrative penalty was imposed by the administrative authority, there was a set of principles and guarantees that the administrative authority must abide by when signing the administrative penalty to protect the rights The public servant The arbitrariness and the spirit …

The Effect Of Β-Caryophyllene On Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity, Hasan Al-Taee

Theses

Doxorubicin is an effective and widely used chemotherapeutic drug. However, its clinical use is limited due to cardiotoxicity which it causes that appears in the form of dilated cardiomyopathy. Many efforts have been devoted to developing/discovering agents which can counter DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the cardioprotective potential of β Caryophyllene (BCP), a dietary phytocannabinoid, in a rat model of DOX-induced acute and chronic cardiotoxicity. BCP is widely found in various herbs and spices and is a full agonist of the cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB₂) and exhibits potent anti-inflammatory effects. In the present …