Digital Commons Network^™

On Measuring The Cost Of Children:The Case Of Rural Maharashtra., Manisha Chakrabarty Dr.

Doctoral Theses

In this dissertation we have attempted to measure the cost of children, which plays a crucial role in matters relating to welfare and public policy like child benefits and compensation policies of the government. The cost is measured based on the single equation as well as the systems approach using the 38th round National Sample Survey (NSS) data on household consumer expenditure for rural Maharashtra (relating to the period of January to December, 1983).The first chapter provides a brief account of the basic literature on empirical demand analysis which is relevant for welfare comparison between households. To be specific in …

Various Pushing Methods On Grid Graphs, Jiaxin Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This thesis describes algorithms for determining if a grid of switches can be turned into all-off state from any initial configuration by various methods of activation operation (push). Among these push methods, besides the regular "+" push, "+" push with no center, "X" push, "X" push with no center, and a "V"-typed unbalanced push are studied. The research methods used in this work are mainly linear algebra and algorithm analysis. Results obtained include that the grid m x n is completely solvable with push "+" no center, if and only if co-prime (m+1, n+1).

On The Relationships Between Linear Extensions And Multiprocessor Scheduling., Jodi Wineman

Student Work

Scheduling is a classical field with many challenging problems and interesting results. A scheduling problem emerges wherever there is a choice as to the order in which a number of tasks can be performed and/or the assignment of the tasks to the available resources for processing . In this thesis, we focus on a version of the scheduling problem that deals with scheduling precedence constrained tasks onto the multi processors of a given distributed system with the goal of minimizing the schedule time. This scheduling problem has been proven to be NP-hard even when several restrictions are applied. This implies …

Interactive And Zero-Knowledge Proofs, Molli Noland

Theses

An interactive proof involves two parties, the prover and the verifier. The goal of the proof is for the prover to convince the verifier that some instance of a decision problem is true. A zero-knowledge proof is an interactive proof where the only information learned by the verifier of the proof is the outcome of the proof. This thesis contains a theoretical overview of interactive and zero-knowledge proofs and describes experiments with implementations of some of them. Two examples of interactive proofs from number theory are given, a protocol for quadratic non-residues and a protocol for subgroup non-membership. The third …

Use Of Wavelet-Packet Transforms To Develop An Engineering Model For Multifractal Characterization Of Mutation Dynamics In Pathological And Nonpathological Gene Sequences, David Lee Walker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study uses dynamical analysis to examine in a quantitative fashion the information coding mechanism in DNA sequences. This exceeds the simple dichotomy of either modeling the mechanism by comparing DNA sequence walks as Fractal Brownian Motion (fbm) processes. The 2-D mappings of the DNA sequences for this research are from Iterated Function System (IFS) (Also known as the "Chaos Game Representation" (CGR)) mappings of the DNA sequences. This technique converts a 1-D sequence into a 2-D representation that preserves subsequence structure and provides a visual representation. The second step of this analysis involves the application of Wavelet Packet Transforms, …

Time-Space Harmonic Polynomials For Stochastic Processes., Arindam Sengupta Dr.

Doctoral Theses

The sequence of polynomials of a single variable known as the Hermite polynomialshala) = ), k21, (-1)* ha(z) =has many close links with the Normal distribution. Their association goes very doep, and extends to several connections bet ween the two-variable Hermite polynomialsHll, 2) = the(z/t), . k21.and the prime example of Gaussian processes, that is Brownian motion, as well. Much of this connection stems from what we term the time-space harmonic property of these polynomials for the Brownian motion process. An exact definition of this property follows later. A natural question that arises is, for stochastic processes in general, when …

Muyltivariate And Regression Analysis Based On The Geometry Of Data Clouds., Biman Chakraborty Dr.

Doctoral Theses

Median is a natural estimate of location of a data set, and there are several versions of inultivariate median studied in the literature, each of which is an interesting descriptive statistic for multivariate data and provides some nice geometric insights into the data cloud. One would expect that multidimensional median will be a natural estimate for the center of symmetry of a multivariate distribution. However, there is no unique concept of symmetry in multivariate problems. The center of symmetry can be defined in several ways there. For example, the d-dimensional random variable X is spherically symmetric about e €Rd if …

Pattern Classification Using Genetic Algorithms., Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay Dr.

Doctoral Theses

Pattern recognition and machine learning form a major area of research and develop- ment activity that encompasses the processing of pictorial and other non-numerical information obtained from the interaction between science, technology and society. A motivation for the spurt of activity in this field is the need for people to com- municate with the computing machines in their natural mode of communication. Another important motivation is that the scientists are also concerned with the idea of designing and making intelligent machines that can carry out certain tasks that we human beings do. The most salient outcome of these is the …

Using Character Varieties: Presentations, Invariants, Divisibility And Determinants, Jeffrey Allan Hall

Doctoral Dissertations

If G is a finitely generated group, then the set of all characters from G into a linear algebraic group is a useful (but not complete) invariant of G . In this thesis, we present some new methods for computing with the variety of SL2C -characters of a finitely presented group. We review the theory of Fricke characters, and introduce a notion of presentation simplicity which uses these results. With this definition, we give a set of GAP routines which facilitate the simplification of group presentations. We provide an explicit canonical basis for an invariant ring associated with a symmetrically …

A Model, Secondary Level, Mathematics Curriculum Developed In Alignment With Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements, Easton School District, Seyed Victor Nourani

All Graduate Projects

The purpose ofthis project was to design and develop a model secondary level mathematics curriculum, in alignment with Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements, for the Easton School District in Washington. To accomplish this purpose, a review of current research and literature regarding Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements related to secondary mathematics was conducted. In addition, related information from selected sources was obtained and analyzed.

A Comparison Of Problem-Centered Learning Model And Guided-Practice Model On High-School Students' Mathematics Performance And Attitude, Samer G. Malouf

Master's Theses

Digitized thesis

Weierstrass Pairs And Minimum Distance Of Goppa Codes., Gretchen L. Matthews

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

We prove that elements of the Weierstrass gap set of a pair of points may be used to define a geometric Goppa code that has minimum distance greater than the usual lower bound. We determine the Weierstrass gap set of a pair of any two Weierstrass points on a Hermitian curve and use this to increase the lower bound on the minimum distance of certain codes defined using a linear combination of the two points. In particular, we obtain some two-point codes on a Hermitian curve that have better parameters than the one-point code on this curve with the same …

Structure And Minors In Graphs And Matroids., Galen Ellsworth Turner Iii

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation establishes a number of theorems related to the structure of graphs and, more generally, matroids. In Chapter 2, we prove that a 3-connected graph G that has a triangle in which every single-edge contraction is 3-connected has a minor that uses the triangle and is isomorphic to K5 or the octahedron. We subsequently extend this result to the more general context of matroids. In Chapter 3, we specifically consider the triangle-rounded property that emerges in the results of Chapter 2. In particular, Asano, Nishizeki, and Seymour showed that whenever a 3-connected matroid M has a four-point-line-minor, and T …

On Harmonic Analysis For White Noise Distribution Theory., Aurel Iulian Stan

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is composed of two parts, each part treating a different problem from the theory of Harmonic Analysis. In the first part we present an inequality in White Noise Analysis similar to the classical Heisenberg Inequality for functions in L2Rn . To do this we replace the finite dimensional space R n and its Lebesgue measure by the infinite dimensional space E' , which is the dual of a nuclear space E , and its Gaussian measure. Choosing an arbitrary element eta in E , we may define the multiplication operator Q&d5;h , which is the sum between the …

Integral Kernel Operators In The Cochran -Kuo -Sengupta Space., John Joseph Whitaker

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation contains several results about integral kernel operators in white noise analysis. The results found here apply to the space of test functions and generalized functions that were constructed in the paper of Cochran, Kuo, and Sengupta, based on a sequence of numbers &cubl0;an&cubr0; infinityn=0. . We shall prove results about existence, restrictions, and extensions of integral kernel operators based on the conditions on &cubl0;an&cubr0; infinityn=0. contained in the paper of Kubo, Kuo, and Sengupta. Also, we shall prove an analytic property and growth condition of the symbol of a continuous operator in CKS space. Our results are similar …

Dynamic Analysis Of Unevenly Sampled Data With Applications To Statistical Process Control, Laura Ann Mcsweeney

Doctoral Dissertations

Dynamic analysis involves describing how a process changes over time. Applications of this type of analysis can be implemented in industrial settings in order to control manufacturing processes and recognize when they have changed significantly. The primary focus of this work is to construct methods to detect the onset of periodic behavior in a process which is being monitored using a scheme where data is sampled unevenly.

Techniques that can be used to identify statistically significant periodic structure using the periodogram will be reviewed and developed. The statistical properties of the periodogram for unevenly sampled data will be calculated. These …

The Word Problem And The Ideal Membership Problem, Damon Anthony Demas

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation concerns two problems from computational algebra, the word problem for semigroups and the ideal membership problem for noncommutative polynomial rings. Historically, the word problem provided one of the first examples of an algorithmically unsolvable problem from outside of logic and computability theory. In terms of solvability, the word problem is equivalent to a restricted version of the membership problem.

For ideals whose membership problem is solvable, computational techniques such as Grobner basis methods often can be used to solve the problem, but not always. In Chapter two, we develop a method which can be used to solve the …

Central Sequences And C*-Algebras, Hemant Pendharkar

Doctoral Dissertations

We study central sequences of C*-algebras. We find connections of the central sequences of a C*-algebra and its representations. More specifically, we prove the following results: (a) Characterization of central sequences in certain C*-subalgebras of C(X, Mn), where X is a compact Hausdorff space. We also state the conditions under which central sequences are trivial/hypercentral. (b) A representation of the C*-algebra is in the point norm closure of the set of all equivalence classes of irreducible representation if and only if it is multiplicity free. (c) For a C*-algebra A, all of whose representations are bounded by some fixed number, …

Topics In Chaotic Secure Communication, Andrew Thomas Parker

Doctoral Dissertations

Results in nonlinear dynamics and chaos during this decade have been applied to problems in secure communications with limited success. Most of these applications have been based on the chaotic synchronization property discovered by Pecora and Carroll in 1989 [37]. Short [44, 45, 48] demonstrated the effectiveness of nonlinear dynamic (NLD) forecasting methods in breaking this class of communication schemes. In response, investigators have proposed enhancements to the basic synchronization technique in an attempt to improve the security properties. In this work two of these newer communication systems will be analyzed using NLD forecasting and other techniques to determine the …

The Effects Of Applied Technology Instruction On Mathematics And Science Achievement Of Eighth Grade Students, John D. Hammons

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of he Grafton Middle School technology education program's interdisciplinary activities in improving math and science grades of its students.

Inequalities Between Pythagoras Numbers And Algebraic Ranks In Witt Rings Of Fields., Sidney Taylor Hawkins

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation establishes new lower bounds for the algebraic ranks of certain Witt classes of quadratic forms. Let K denote a field of characteristic different from 2 and let q be a quadratic form over K. The form q is said to be algebraic when q is Witt equivalent to the trace form qL∣K of some finite algebraic field extension L∣K . When q is algebraic, the algebraic rank of q is defined to be the degree of the minimal extension L∣K whose trace form is Witt equivalent to q. It is an important, unsolved problem to find reasonable bounds …

The Applications Of The Method Of Quasi Reversibility To Some Ill-Posed Problems For The Heat Equation., Xueping Ru

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this work, we study the Cauchy problem for the heat equation, as well as the inverse heat conduction problem, both of which are ill-posed problems in the sense of Hadamard. The first chapter provides the background material about the previous investigations on the ill-posed Cauchy problem for the heat equation and the inverse heat conduction problem by other mathematicians. The method of Quasi-Reversibility is also introduced. In the second chapter we apply the method of Quasi-Reversibility to the Cauchy problem for the heat equation and obtain a formal approximate solution. We prove that the convergence of the approximate solution …

General Riemann Integrals And Their Computation Via Domain., Bin Lu

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this work we extend the domain-theoretic approach of the generalized Riemann integral introduced by A. Edalat in 1995. We begin by laying down a related theory of general Riemann integration for bounded real-valued functions on an arbitrary set X with a finitely additive measure on an algebra of subsets of X. Based on the theory developed we obtain a formula to calculate integral of a bounded function in terms of the regular Riemann integral. By classical extension theorems on set functions we can further extend this generalized Riemann integral to more general set functions such as valuations on lattices …

Totally Ordered Monoids., Gretchen Wilke Whipple

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this work, we explore properties of totally ordered commutative monoids---we call them tomonoids. We build on the work in [E]. Our goal is to obtain results that will be useful for studying totally ordered rings with nilpotents. Chapter 1 presents background information. In Chapter 2, we present some criteria for determining when a tomonoid is a quotient of a totally ordered free monoid by a convex congruence. In Chapter 3, we show that every positive tomonoid of rank 2 is a convex Rees quotient of a subtomonoid of a totally ordered abelian group. In Chapter 4, we provide a …