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Item 2017-2018 Design, Build, Fly: A Regional and Business Aircraft(2018-05-08) Monroe, Robert; Lee, Seong-Jin; Rosiczkowski, Joseph; Ghotbi, EhsanThis honors thesis covers the design and construction of the aircraft built by Alfred University's Gold Team for the Design, Build, Fly competition hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).Item 3D Motion Analysis from 2D Monochromatic Images of a Solar Prominence(2013-05) Gai, Anthony DavidSolar prominences are the massive formations of ionized gas collecting above the Sun's surface. Even after more than half a century of research, there is not a full understanding of the processes involved in the formation, support, and features of solar prominences. Solar prominences are often associated with flares and coronal mass ejections, both of which can be harmful to the earth. A deeper understanding of these solar phenomena will protect us from dangerous solar storms. In this report I present 3D motion analysis, via Doppler measurements (H-_, H-_, and Na-D), extracted from 2D monochromatic images of a prominence observed on 10 October 2012 from the Richard B. Dunn Solar Vacuum Tower, Sacramento Peak, NM. Magnetograms from THEMIS, Tiede Observatory, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain describe the magnetic field. Monochromatic images from Hinode's Solar Optical Telescope provide high resolution views (Ca II and H-_).Item The ABCs of Cinematic Beauty(2022-05) Torthe, Talulla; Kuplen, Mojca; Schlegel, Nicholas; Schultz, PamelaSome films have a special allure, a spark that evokes a deep feeling of pleasure in the viewer. It is my objective, through The ABCs of Cinematic Beauty, to put into writing what gives some films that spark—what make these films, in my opinion, undeniably beautiful.Item Abstracting Femininity(2021-05) Aldrich, Kayleah; Wahl, Colleen; McMahon, Stephanie; Riesing, KatarinaMy project reflects on my experiences that relate to movement, the body, and being a girl/woman in a world that favors the power of men. I describe pivotal moments and highly influential environments in my life, as well as my experience in learning and applying newfound knowledge of feminist theory, art history, and movement studies. Beginning by defining what feminism, bodies, and dance means to me, I outline these terms and ideas from my own perspective. I then reflect on these propositions through my more conscious lens onto past moments throughout my life that exemplify certain societal values based on bodies and gender. From there, I present how these narratives apply through theory on the body, and how these elements inspire and influence my artistic practice as I in a sense, abstract femininity.Item Academic Exploration: A Look at Decision-Making in College(2015) Johnson, ViennaMany college students today are plagued with questions and uncertainties. They are struggling to discover what values they hold most dear and other such indicators of who they are as people. Emerging adulthood is a time of change, discovery, and decision. Decisions made at this time will follow young adults for the rest of their lives. Making choices about what career to pursue and what kind of person to be can be extremely challenging. Many college students are haunted by their inability to make satisfying decisions regarding their careers and are searching for answers as to why that is. This thesis undertook a critical literature review in order to better understand the choice-overload phenomenon as it relates to college uncertainty. The author sought to address three main ideas to explain decision-making problems that commonly affect college students: indecision, choice overload, and identity theory.Item Addressing Toxocara in humans and companion animals as a public health issue(2018-04-16) Naclerio, Allison; Cardinale, Jean A.; Myers, Robert; Zimbler-DeLorenzo, HeatherToxocara canis and Toxocara cati are zoonotic parasites that primarily infect dogs and cats. Toxocara is especially relevant to human health because humans frequently live in close contact with companion animals. Young animals are at risk for complications while adult dogs and cats rarely experience severe illness due to Toxocara infection. Infected humans can develop toxocariasis, which can be very dangerous. Both humans and animals can become infected by accidently ingesting Toxocara eggs. Because Toxocara eggs can persist in the environment under harsh conditions and for very long periods of time, infection is significant health concern. The issue of Toxocara is not currently being addressed properly. In order to comprehensively and effectively address Toxocara infection, public health initiatives targeting human health, animal health, and Toxocara in the environment must be implemented to decrease incidence and prevalence of Toxocara infection.Item Alexithymia in College-Aged Students(2017-05-02) Carosa, Catarina L.; Button, Amy; Johnson, Beth; Lowry, MicheleThis epidemiological study focused on prevalence of the personality trait, alexithymia–the inability to recognize and describe one’s own emotions–among college-aged students. Levels of normative alexithymia (measured by the NMAS), clinical alexithymia (measured by the TAS), as well as attitudes towards help seeking behavior (measured by the ATSPPH) were assessed. A total of 547 participants were collected from over 48 colleges and universities, primarily in Western New York. Results indicated that 89.5% of college students displayed moderate to high levels of normative alexithymia and 48.7% displayed moderate to high levels of clinical alexithymia. Additionally, there were no significant differences between the scores of men and women on either alexithymia measure. Significant findings indicated that there was a positive relationship between clinical alexithymia scores and attitudes toward help-seeking. These results call into question previous literature, which states that there is no correlation between alexithymia and help-seeking behavior (Berger et al., 2005). The results of this study show a shift in culture as well as a need for more research regarding and focus on alexithymia.Item The Alfred Book of Ghastly Tales(2018-04-25) Woznica, Elizabeth; Grove, Allen; Gray, Juliana; Morehouse, SusanMy main goal with The Alfred Book of Ghastly Tales is to showcase the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) here at Alfred University. Seeing an anthology of student and faculty writing for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble is something that would have convinced me to attend Alfred University long before I actually came to Accepted Students Day and met with the friendly and inviting Division of English. Although an English degree is available at nearly all colleges across the country, I think the opportunities offered by the Division of English here are unparalleled. I hope that this book will encourage prospective students to consider attending the small liberal arts college “nestled away ‘mid the Empire State hills” by using our society’s obsession with the paranormal.Item All Together: Connecting to Place & Cultivating Ecological Citizenship(2017-04-22) Percy, Emma; Cox, Diane; Hluchy, Michele; Atlas, GordonAs a new generation of people enter adulthood and the next generation is becoming aware of the world, we have an opportunity to change the way we exist on the planet. This thesis became an opportunity for the artist to take on a didactic and socially engaged project, with the goal of achieving a deeper understanding of ecological citizenship and then sharing that understanding with others. This process took the form of two iterations of a workshop in Alfred, NY, and then of a zine which will be distributed both within and beyond the immediate community.Item Analysis of Gender in Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun(2022-05-05) Peterson, Sabastian; Reginio, Robert; DeGraff, David; Grove, AllenUpon starting Gene Wolfe’s The Shadow of the Torturer, the reader will be immersed in what seems like a distinctly patriarchal story. The beginning of the series concerns a member of a violent all male organization pining for the love of a woman. Although it is not a particularly “action packed” story compared to many other novels within the world of speculative fiction, it certainly has its share of sex and violence, all of which comes from a masculine point of view. However, as one continues the series, the ways in which the author criticizes patriarchy and toxic masculinity become more apparent. Severian’s journey is largely about moving his identity away from the guild he was once a part of. He can only become the planet’s savior after abandoning the cruel ideology that was imposed upon him throughout most of his life. The story is about an immoral person gradually donning a new identity in order to defeat the violent and power-obsessed aspects of himself. However, this does not mean that the story is completely free of misogyny. Particularly towards the end of the series, the implications of the narrative reveal a rather traditional view of gender roles. Within Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, the character of Severian, the organization he belongs to, and his interactions with other characters serve to point out how patriarchy pushes men towards toxicity and cruelty. The text argues that men must eschew certain “masculine” characteristics such as the need to exert power and seek domination in order to dismantle oppressive systems that restrict people’s autonomy. However, it also argues for a worldview where it is “right” for people to embody traditionalist roles based on their gender.Item Analysis of Journal of Natural Products Publications for Novelty in Structures(2019-05-10) Muehl, Madison; D'Angelo, John; Lippa, Geoffrey; Zimbler-DeLorenzo, HeatherMy research focuses on identifying and classifying the sources of all novel compound isolations published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Natural Products from 2015 to 2017. This project acts as a guide about and comprehensive review of novel natural compound sources, bioactivity, and chemical structures.Item Analysis of Quartz Dissolution Rims(2015) Turner, Alexander; Knapp, MichaelPrevious thesis work has recently built on the fact that quartz dissolution rims are dependent on dwell temperature. It was sought after to determine if the dissolution rims were also dependent on the temperature at which dwells were held. With results from gradient runs not yielding reliable data, the scope of the thesis was changed. It was thought that analyzing both dwell temperature and time would help determine the onset temperature of quartz dissolution. With analysis of existing samples, which were fired at fixed temperatures and times, the onset temperature of quartz dissolution could be calculated using linear regression analysis. A linear regression analysis was used on each set of samples to obtain the onset temperature. This yielded a linear relationship between dwell time and onset temperature. Error analysis determined that the some differences in rim thicknesses could be attributed to where the quartz particles were sectioned. Future work to further observe this relationship could include a 100-hour run to help further determine the data. Analyzing more rims per sample will result in a more accurate average rim thickness.Item The Analysis of the Breeding Program for Guiding Eyes for the Blind(2019-05-09) Wach, Valerie; Emmons, Cheryld; Cardinale, Jean; Zimbler-DeLorenzo, HeatherGuiding Eyes for the Blind (GEB) has been using heritability estimates to breed for desirable behavioral traits in their dogs. Guiding Eyes for the Blind is an organization that breeds, raises, and trains dogs—specifically Labrador retrievers and German shepherds—to become guide dogs for visually impaired people. The method of using heritability estimates for breeding, especially for behavioral traits, is very useful for GEB, because it increases the chances for potential guide dogs to become a phenomenal guide dog to help visually impaired people. The context for the subject of heritability for this thesis is that Guiding Eyes for the Blind uses heritability measurements and Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) to decide what traits to apply selective pressure to in order to improve these traits. GEB also uses these measurements to determine the extent to which each trait is connected to genetics, and to determine the extent to which the environment the dogs are raised in impacts the behaviors of these dogs.Item Antimicrobial Properties of Gallium-Infused and Zinc-Infused Bioglasses: A Potential Cure for Coronavirus(2020-05) Roberts, Kristina M.; Wren, Anthony; Keenan, Timothy; Cox, TimothyOver the last several months, the world has drastically changed because of a new generation of coronavirus and the pandemic it has caused. Researchers have taken into consideration previously studied biomaterial solutions against microbes and have manipulated these materials to hypothesize a potential cure against this raging virus. Previous literature supported the use of gallium-infused bioglasses as a way to inhibit bacterial and cancerous tumor growth, but this glass was restricted in how well it could prevent viral replication. These findings, along with other literature supporting the key immunological and antiviral properties of zinc ions, lead to the proposal of creating a zinc-infused bioglass to work against coronavirus. The effectiveness of a packed and sintered gallium-infused glass was tested against E. coli, the lack of success of this experiment, showcasing how ion release is affected by glass preparations and influencing how glass preparations for a zinc-infused glass should be done. Experiments regarding how to prove the success of this alternative glass composition were discussed and include: creating an ideal composition that will not generate an immune response, characterization of the glass, and direct testing against the strain of coronavirus directly impacting the world today. The success of these future studies would bring the world closer to developing a solution to an urgent problem.Item The Apparel Oft Proclaims the Man: Interpreting Shakespeare through Knitting(2020-05-08) Savickas, Claudia; Riesing, Katarina; Calvert, Myles; Mayberry, SusanFor my Honors Thesis, I’ve taken on the challenge of translating characters from Shakespeare’s 4 Great Tragedies (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth) into hand-knit garments. From each play, I made a sweater for one man and one woman, totaling eight sweaters. For the most part, these are the lead characters of the play, with the exception of Cordelia, who is the most beloved daughter in King Lear, but nowhere near as active on-stage as her cruel sisters. The sweaters I’ve designed exist somewhere in between costume, illustration, and interpretation. Some are garments that I would want my actors wearing on stage, if I were to direct a play. But more often than not, these sweaters express what is at the core of each character—their conflicts, their personalities, their words. They can be worn every day in the modern world, but are encoded with literary interpretations.Item Apparent Correlation of Sintering Temperature with Viscosity of the Grain Boundary Liquid(2014-05-13) Pettit, CorineIt is common for industrial polycrystalline alumina to contain a significant amount of liquid, but it is unclear what dictates the densification temperature. It is proposed that the viscosity of the grain boundary liquid dictates the densification temperature of polycrystalline alumina. To test this hypothesis, two glass chemistries were engineered, one in the invert glass region and one in the normal glass region. In addition, two levels of each chemistry were evaluated to demonstrate that densification is independent of the amount of liquid in the grain boundary. In support of the hypothesis, samples containing a low viscosity liquid densified at 1600 degrees Celsius, whereas samples containing a high viscosity liquid densified at 1700 degrees Celsius. These results illustrate an opportunity to tailor the grain boundary chemistry in order to control the densification temperature for industrial sintering systems.Item The Aqueous Corrosion of Nuclear Waste Glasses with Varying Compositions(2014-05-13) Esham, KathrynNuclear energy makes up a significant portion of today's energy industry, unfortunately the by-products are radioactive and need to be safely contained. Glass is currently being considered for use in such a containment unit. In this study, three alumino-borosilicate glasses with varying amounts of Na, Ca, and Zr were mixed to achieve different non-bridging oxygen (NBO) concentrations. The expectation is that the glass with the most NBOs will corrode the fastest, while the glass with the fewest NBOs will corrode the slowest. The glass powders were subjected to 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15 day corrosion periods, in pH 3 and pH 9 solutions, at 90_C. To evaluate the corrosion of each glass, inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP) was used to measure the amount of ions released into solution, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) allowed for chemical and visual surface analysis of the glass powders before and after corrosion. XPS and ICP analysis showed leaching in all glasses, possibly indicating the presence of a sodium-boron rich phase. SEM revealed surface feature formation on Glasses 2 and 3. It was determined that glass composition with respect to NBO concentration and testing conditions affected the corrosion of the glasses.Item The Archive At Hand(2021-05-10) Barger, Susanna; Contino, William; Vajda, Kathryn; Riesing, KatarinaAll the art is books. The books presented in this exhibition are at first glance independent from each other. There is photography, print, painting, drawing, hand and print lettering, crochet, fiber work, etc. on into a limited forever. Some pieces (intentionally) push the definition of “book” quite hard. The concepts range from interpretations of biblical text to meditations on calendar cycles to dream documentation to self-obsessed skin collages and more. However, these books did not come into existence one at a time. With a few exceptions, almost all the pieces exhibited were worked on simultaneously. The last one finished (“12Set/The Labours of the Months”) was the first one started in August of 2020. They have been feeding off and into each other since their genesis. As a body, there are two common threads: Isolation and the passage of time. Most of the narratives and images are escapist. While not childish, they’re whimsical, soft even. But Noah’s Ark (“Afloat”) is a story about a life altering cataclysm and weathering the storm with only an immediate few. Self-stalking photography (“Obsess Over Reruns”) walks through living the same day over and over and over, with only a camera to archive it. Making jokes at old secrets (“Isaac”) processes the loneliness of an insecure identity. With greater and lesser degrees of self-insertion, they all can be tied to those two ideas. The works do not name the time they were made during, and yet this body of art is so clearly obsessive, scared, lonely, fantastical, and biting its nails while watching the minutes tick by. Yet the wonderful thing about books is they are open to greater interpretation after being made public. So what do I know?Item Are the Pines There Now? An Historical Study of Pine Hill, Alfred University, Alfred, NY(2000-05) Sloane, Kristin E.Pine Hill is a tract of land that is used often by Alfred University students and faculty, but its history has not been well recorded. The forest has been mentioned fondly in diaries and memoirs of students and faculty, and the history of its development goes back to 1824. Records show that this acreage has changed in composition from dense forest, to farmland and grazing fields, to a reforested recreational area for the University. Past and present University leaders have shown their dedication to the environment and campus beautification through vast planting and reforesting projects on Pine Hill. Yet, the developmental history of this valued tract has not been reviewed in depth and an accurate map of the current Pine Hill has not been created. Due to the importance of this land to the University, an in-depth historical study of the management of Pine Hill would be an important tool to be used by current students and faculty. The new trail map and discoveries from this study will be presented.Item Art and Mental Health: A Personal Narrative(2017-05-06) Schnepf, Robin; McCarthy, Lydia; Contino, William; Singer, SandraThis thesis is a personal account of the relationship between art and mental health. It is a common misconception that being mentally ill is a ticket to creativity. While there is a known and studied phenomenon of mentally ill people being more drawn to creativity, the matter is simply not that straightforward. Mental health issues may impact the art that a person makes, but they also impact the art a person is unable to make, or the art that never becomes fully realized. Photography aids in telling the artist's story, as images of beautiful nature are juxtaposed with the less appealing effects of humans on their environment.