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2009

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

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Articles 61 - 80 of 80

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Implications Of Integrating Test-Driven Development Into Cs1/Cs2 Curricula, Chetan Desai, David S. Janzen, John Clements Mar 2009

Implications Of Integrating Test-Driven Development Into Cs1/Cs2 Curricula, Chetan Desai, David S. Janzen, John Clements

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Many academic and industry professionals have called for more testing in computer science curricula. Test-driven development (TDD) has been proposed as a solution to improve testing in academia. This paper demonstrates how TDD can be integrated into existing course materials without reducing topic coverage. Two controlled experiments were conducted in a CS1/CS2 course in Winter 2008. Following a test-driven learning approach, unit testing was introduced at the beginning of the course and reinforced through example. Results indicate that while student work loads may increase with the incorporation of TDD, students are able to successfully develop unit tests while learning to …


Decentralized Robust Control Of Robot Manipulators With Harmonic Drive Transmission And Application To Modular And Reconfigurable Serial Arms, Z. Li, W. W. Melek, Christopher M. Clark Mar 2009

Decentralized Robust Control Of Robot Manipulators With Harmonic Drive Transmission And Application To Modular And Reconfigurable Serial Arms, Z. Li, W. W. Melek, Christopher M. Clark

Computer Science and Software Engineering

In this paper, we propose a decentralized robust control algorithm for modular and reconfigurable robots (MRRs) based on Lyapunov’s stability analysis and backstepping techniques. In using decentralized control schemes with robot manipulators, each joint is considered as an independent subsystem, and the dynamical effects from the other links and joints are treated as disturbance. However, there exist many uncertainties due to unmodeled dynamics, varying payloads, harmonic drive (HD) compliance, HD complex gear meshing mechanisms, etc. Also, while the reconfigurability of MRRs is advantageous, modifying the configuration will result in changes to the robot dynamics parameters, thereby making it challenging to …


Planning For Success: The Interdisciplinary Approach To Building Bayesian Models, Alex Dekhtyar, Judy Goldsmith, Beth Goldstein, Krol Kevin Mathias, Cynthia Isenhour Mar 2009

Planning For Success: The Interdisciplinary Approach To Building Bayesian Models, Alex Dekhtyar, Judy Goldsmith, Beth Goldstein, Krol Kevin Mathias, Cynthia Isenhour

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper describes a process by which anthropologists, computer scientists, and social welfare case managers collaborated to build a stochastic model of welfare advising in Kentucky. In the process of collaboration,the research team rethought the Bayesian network model of Markov decision processes and designed a new knowledge elicitation format. We expect that this model will have wide applicability in other domains.


Overland Flow And Rainfall Simulation Studies On Ornamental Vegetation, Compost, And Jute Netting, Brent G. Hallock, Candace Kimmelshue, Steve Rein, Michael Curto, Misty Scharff Feb 2009

Overland Flow And Rainfall Simulation Studies On Ornamental Vegetation, Compost, And Jute Netting, Brent G. Hallock, Candace Kimmelshue, Steve Rein, Michael Curto, Misty Scharff

Earth and Soil Sciences

The literature is replete with studies quantifying erosion control effectiveness from raindrop impact on various vegetation types and erosion control products. However, there is little published overland flow research documenting the effectiveness of ornamental vegetation and erosion control products in filtering sediment and nutrients from stormwater runoff. The California Department of Transportation and the Office of Water Programs, California State University, Sacramento, has conducted two studies at the Erosion Control Research Facility at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo addressing the use of ornamental vegetation as an erosion control treatment. The first study addressed how well ornamental vegetation, jute …


Icodes Global Services (Gs): A Single Load-Planning Capability, Jens G. Pohl Feb 2009

Icodes Global Services (Gs): A Single Load-Planning Capability, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

Over the past decade the Collaborative Agent Design Research Center (CADRC) at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo) and its commercial arm CDM Technologies, Inc. (CDM) have developed a suite of information-centric software tools in support of military deployment and distribution processes. All of these tools feature agents that are capable of reasoning about data in the context provided by an internal information model. Together they represent an evolving suite of adaptive Knowledge Management Enterprise Services (KMES) that can be readily configured into a net-centric, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) based planning and decision-support toolset for a particular application …


Small-Volume U-Pb Zircon Geochronology By Laser Ablation-Multicollector-Icp-Ms, Scott Johnston, George Gehrels, Victor Valencia, Joaquin Ruiz Feb 2009

Small-Volume U-Pb Zircon Geochronology By Laser Ablation-Multicollector-Icp-Ms, Scott Johnston, George Gehrels, Victor Valencia, Joaquin Ruiz

Physics

U–Pb zircon geochronology is hampered by problems acquiring meaningful geologic ages on zoned grains that retain isotope signatures from multiple growth or thermal events. We present a new method using laser ablation-multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to overcome complications associated with intricately zoned zircon crystals through in situ sampling of zircon volumes as small as 12–14 µm in diameter by 4–5 µm in depth (< 3 ng of zircon). Using Channeltron multipliers to monitor Pb intensities in conjunction with a total ion counting method and errors calculated as function of the number of counts, the small-volume technique reproduced published ages on eight Mesoproterozoic–Cretaceous secondary zircon standards precise and accurate within 2%, and an age not, vert, similar 1 Ma too young on a Oligocene-aged grain. Two initial applications of the small-volume technique — the detrital zircon provenance of fine-grained mudstones and shales and the creation of zircon U–Pb age maps to investigate the detrital and metamorphic history of a granulite-facies paragneiss — demonstrate the utility of this technique to a variety of geologic problems and confirm the viability of laser ablation-multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry as a tool for high spatial resolution U–Pb geochronology.


The Discovery Of Magnetotactic/Magnetosensitive Bacteria, Richard B. Frankel Feb 2009

The Discovery Of Magnetotactic/Magnetosensitive Bacteria, Richard B. Frankel

Physics

No abstract provided.


Abstract: Estimating Soil Erosion After Fire And Fuel Treatments In Coast Redwood: A Gis-Based Approach, Eric J. Just, Christopher Dicus Jan 2009

Abstract: Estimating Soil Erosion After Fire And Fuel Treatments In Coast Redwood: A Gis-Based Approach, Eric J. Just, Christopher Dicus

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.


Predicted Fire Behavior And Societal Benefits In Three Eastern Sierra Nevada Vegetation Types, Christopher Dicus, Kenneth Delfino, David R. Weise Jan 2009

Predicted Fire Behavior And Societal Benefits In Three Eastern Sierra Nevada Vegetation Types, Christopher Dicus, Kenneth Delfino, David R. Weise

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

We investigated potential fire behavior and various societal benefits (air pollution removal, carbon sequestration, and carbon storage) provided by woodlands of pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla) and juniper (Juniperus californica), shrublands of Great Basin sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), and recently burned annual grasslands near a wildland-urban interface (WUI) community in the high desert of the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Fire behavior simulations showed that shrublands had the greatest flame lengths under low wind conditions, and that pinyon-juniper woodlands had the greatest flame lengths when winds exceeded 25 km hr-1 …


Modeling Slug Tests In Unconfined Aquifers With Both Oscillatory And Overdamped Responses, And With Low-K And High-K Skin Effects, M J Thoma, B Malama, W Barrash, G Bohling, J J Butler Jan 2009

Modeling Slug Tests In Unconfined Aquifers With Both Oscillatory And Overdamped Responses, And With Low-K And High-K Skin Effects, M J Thoma, B Malama, W Barrash, G Bohling, J J Butler

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.


Multiscale Registration Of Planning Ct And Daily Cone Beam Ct Images For Adaptive Radiation Therapy, Dana C. Paquin, Doron Levy, Lei Xing Jan 2009

Multiscale Registration Of Planning Ct And Daily Cone Beam Ct Images For Adaptive Radiation Therapy, Dana C. Paquin, Doron Levy, Lei Xing

Mathematics

Adaptive radiation therapy (ART) is the incorporation of daily images in the radiotherapy treatment process so that the treatment plan can be evaluated and modified to maximize the amount of radiation dose to the tumor while minimizing the amount of radiation delivered to healthy tissue. Registration of planning images with daily images is thus an important component of ART. In this article, the authors report their research on multiscale registration of planning computed tomography (CT) images with daily cone beam CT (CBCT) images. The multiscale algorithm is based on the hierarchical multiscale image decomposition of E. Tadmor, S. Nezzar, and …


An Optimal Method To Combine Results From Different Experiments, Theodore P. Hill, Jack Miller Jan 2009

An Optimal Method To Combine Results From Different Experiments, Theodore P. Hill, Jack Miller

Research Scholars in Residence

This article describes an optimal method (conflation) to consolidate data from different experiments, and illustrates the advantages of conflation by graphical examples involving gaussian input distributions, and by a concrete numerical example involving the values of lattice spacing of silicon crystals used in determination of the current values of Planck's constant and the Avogadro constant.


The Theory Of Interval Probabilistic Logic Programs, Alex Dekhtyar, Michael I. Dekhtyar Jan 2009

The Theory Of Interval Probabilistic Logic Programs, Alex Dekhtyar, Michael I. Dekhtyar

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Two approaches to logic programming with probabilities emerged over time: Bayesian reasoning and probabilistic satisfiability (PSAT). The attractiveness of the former is in tying the logic programming research to the body of work on Bayes networks. The second approach ties, from the point of view of computation, reasoning about probabilities to linear programming, and allows for natural expression of imprecision in probabilities via the use of intervals. In this paper we construct precise semantics for one PSAT-based formalism for reasoning with interval probabilities: disjunctive probabilistic logic programs (dp-programs). It has two origins: (1) disjunctive logic programs, a powerful language for …


Energetic Path Finding Across Massive Terrain Data, Andrew Tsui, Zoë J. Wood Jan 2009

Energetic Path Finding Across Massive Terrain Data, Andrew Tsui, Zoë J. Wood

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Throughout history, the primary means of transportation for humans has been on foot. We present a software tool which can help visualize and predict where historical trails might lie through the use of a human-centered cost metric, with an emphasis on the ability to generate paths which traverse several thousand kilometers. To accomplish this, various graph simplification and path approximation algorithms are explored. We show that it is possible to restrict the search space for a path finding algorithm while not sacrificing accuracy. Combined with a multi-threaded variant of Dijkstra’s shortest path algorithm, we present a tool capable of computing …


Application Of Hertz Vector Diffraction Theory To The Diffraction Of Focused Gaussian Beams And Calculations Of Focal Parameters, Glen D. Gillen, Kendra Baughman, Shekhar Guha Jan 2009

Application Of Hertz Vector Diffraction Theory To The Diffraction Of Focused Gaussian Beams And Calculations Of Focal Parameters, Glen D. Gillen, Kendra Baughman, Shekhar Guha

Physics

Hertz vector diffraction theory is applied to a focused TEM00 Gaussian light field passing through a circular aperture. The resulting theoretical vector field model reproduces plane-wave diffractive behavior for severely clipped beams, expected Gaussian beam behavior for unperturbed focused Gaussian beams as well as unique diffracted-Gaussian behavior between the two regimes. The maximum intensity obtainable and the width of the beam in the focal plane are investigated as a function of the clipping ratio between the aperture radius and the beam width in the aperture plane.


High-Temperature Deformation During Continental-Margin Subduction & Exhumation: The Ultrahigh-Pressure Western Gneiss Region Of Norway, Bradley R. Hacker, Torgeir B. Andersen, Scott Johnston, Andrew R.C. Kylander-Clark, Emily M. Peterman, Emily O. Walsh, David Young Jan 2009

High-Temperature Deformation During Continental-Margin Subduction & Exhumation: The Ultrahigh-Pressure Western Gneiss Region Of Norway, Bradley R. Hacker, Torgeir B. Andersen, Scott Johnston, Andrew R.C. Kylander-Clark, Emily M. Peterman, Emily O. Walsh, David Young

Physics

A new dataset for the high-pressure to ultrahigh-pressure Western Gneiss Region allows the definition of distinct structural and petrological domains. Much of the study area is an E-dipping homocline with E-plunging lineations that exposes progressively deeper, more strongly deformed, more eclogite-rich structural levels westward. Although eclogites crop out across the WGR, Scandian deformation is weak and earlier structures are well preserved in the southeastern half of the study area. The Scandian reworking increases westward, culminating in strong Scandian fabrics with only isolated pockets of older structures; the dominant Scandian deformation was coaxial E–W stretching. The sinistrally sheared Møre–Trøndelag Fault Complex …


Magnetosomes And Magneto-Aerotaxis, Richard B. Frankel, Dennis A. Bazylinski Jan 2009

Magnetosomes And Magneto-Aerotaxis, Richard B. Frankel, Dennis A. Bazylinski

Physics

Magnetotactic bacteria orient and migrate along geomagnetic field lines. Magneto-aerotaxis increases the efficiency of respiring microaerophilic cells to efficiently find and maintain a position at a preferred microaerobic oxygen concentration. Magneto-aerotaxis could also facilitate access to regions of higher nutrient and electron acceptor concentration via periodic excursions above and below the preferred oxygen concentration level.


Ham Sandwich With Mayo: A Stronger Conclusion To The Classical Ham Sandwich Theorem, John H. Elton, Theodore P. Hill Jan 2009

Ham Sandwich With Mayo: A Stronger Conclusion To The Classical Ham Sandwich Theorem, John H. Elton, Theodore P. Hill

Research Scholars in Residence

The conclusion of the classical ham sandwich theorem of Banach and Steinhaus may be strengthened: there always exists a common bisecting hyperplane that touches each of the sets, that is, intersects the closure of each set. Hence, if the knife is smeared with mayonnaise, a cut can always be made so that it will not only simultaneously bisect each of the ingredients, but it will also spread mayonnaise on each. A discrete analog of this theorem says that n finite nonempty sets in n-dimensional Euclidean space can always be simultaneously bisected by a single hyperplane that contains at least one …


A Unified Resource Platform For The Rapid Development Of Scalable Web Applications, Russell Palmiter Jan 2009

A Unified Resource Platform For The Rapid Development Of Scalable Web Applications, Russell Palmiter

Master's Theses

This thesis presents Web Utility Kit (WUT): a platform that helps to simplify the process of creating modern web applications. It addresses the need to simplify the web development process through the creation of a hosted service that provides access to a unified set of resources. The resources are made available through a variety of protocols and formats to help simplify their consumption. It also provides a uniform model across all of its resources making multi-resource development an easier and more familiar task. WUT saves the time and cost associated with deployment, maintenance, and hosting of the hardware and software …


Tall Fescue (Lolium Arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire) Cultivar Performance In The Central California Coastal Region, Seril Shimizu Jan 2009

Tall Fescue (Lolium Arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire) Cultivar Performance In The Central California Coastal Region, Seril Shimizu

Master's Theses

Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) S.J. Darbyshire) has long been known as a turfgrass that utilizes lower levels of inputs than most other cool season turfgrasses (Turgeon, 2005). In recent years, turf breeders have been selecting for cultivars of tall fescue that have finer leaf textures. As the use of tall fescue expands, consumers want to now what cultivar to use and how to manage it. This study looked at 18 tall fescue cultivars grown at two mowing heights of five and 10 centimeters and evaluated plant quality based on stand density, leaf texture, and genetic plant color. In the …