Digital Commons Network^™

Design And Analysis Of An Accelerated Seed Generation Stage For Blastp On The Mercury System - Master's Thesis, August 2006, Arpith Jacob

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

NCBI BLASTP is a popular sequence analysis tool used to study the evolutionary relationship between two protein sequences. Protein databases continue to grow exponentially as entire genomes of organisms are sequenced, making sequence analysis a computationally demanding task. For example, a search of the E. coli. k12 proteome against the GenBank Non-Redundant database takes 36 hours on a standard workstation. In this thesis, we look to address the problem by accelerating protein searching using Field Programmable Gate Arrays. We focus our attention on the BLASTP heuristic, building on work done earlier to accelerate DNA searching on the Mercury platform. We …

Unified Power Management In Wireless Sensor Networks, Doctoral Dissertation, August 2006, Guoliang Xing

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Radio power management is of paramount concern in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) that must achieve long lifetimes on scarce amount of energy. Previous work has treated communication and sensing separately, which is insufficient for a common class of sensor networks that must satisfy both sensing and communication requirements. Furthermore, previous approaches focused on reducing energy consumption in individual radio states resulting in suboptimal solutions. Finally, existing power management protocols often assume simplistic models that cannot accurately reflect the sensing and communication properties of real-world WSNs. We develop a unified power management approach to address these issues. We first analyze the …

Dynamic Conflict-Free Query Scheduling For Wireless Sensor Networks, Octav Chipara, Chenyang Lu, John Stankovic

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

With the emergence of high data rate sensor network applications, there is an increasing demand for high-performance query services in such networks. To meet this challenge, we present Dynamic Conflict-free Query Scheduling (DCQS), a novel scheduling technique for queries in wireless sensor networks. In contrast to earlier TDMA protocols designed for general-purpose networks and workloads, DCQS is specifically designed for query services supporting in-network data aggregation. DCQS has several important features. First, it optimizes the query performance and energy efficiency by exploiting the temporal properties and precedence constraints introduced by data aggregation. Second, it can efficiently adapt to dynamic workloads …

Analysis Of Damage In Laminated Automotive Glazing Subjected To Simulated Head Impact, Shuangmei Zhao, Li Chai, S. D. Barbat, Lokeswarappa R. Dharani

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

During vehicle accidents, occupant's head impacting on windshield or side window is commonly observed. Any attempt to design glazing that minimizes injury to and death of occupants during a vehicle accident requires a thorough understanding of the mechanical behavior of automotive glazing subjected to head impact loads. A continuum damage mechanics (CDM) based constitutive model is developed and implemented into an axisymmetric finite element model to study the failure and impact resistance of laminated automotive glazing subjected to simulated head impact. An anisotropic elastic damage tensor with a linear damage evolution law is chosen to model the failure of the …

University Of Texas At Tyler Catalog, 2006 - 2008, University Of Texas At Tyler

Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Vibration Testing Of Repaired Lead-Tin/Lead-Free Solder Joints, Matthew O'Keefe, S. Vetter, D. Murry, J. Smith, P. Amick, Martin G. Perez, D. W. Kleine, Richard S. Colfax

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Air Exchange Rate In A Horse Trailer During Road Transport, Joseph L. Purswell, Richard S. Gates, Laurie M. Lawrence, Jamey D. Jacob, Timothy S. Stombaugh, Robert J. Coleman

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Horses traveling by road commonly experience heat stress conditions and poor air quality, which may be caused by insufficient ventilation; however, there are few estimates of air exchange in a horse trailer during transport. Air exchange rate was measured at ten locations within a four-horse trailer (internal volume 18.5 m³) using tracer gas decay measurement to assess the adequacy of ventilation. Three vehicle speeds (13, 48, and 97 km h^-1) and three window configurations (all windows and roof vents closed, all windows open, all windows open and roof vents open forward) were tested with and without …

Investigating The Male-Driven Evolution Hypothesis Using Human AluRepeat Elements, Sridhar Ramachandran

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Thousands of copies of short interspersed repeats (SINEs) are scattered essentially ran-domly through the human genome. Although copies of each repeat subfamily are identical at the time of their insertion, they become subject to individual substitutions after insertion. As the relative time of insertion is known for many of these repeats, such "junk DNA" can be used to provide a sizeable number of time-series data points for studying substitution effects in a variety of genomic contexts. This dissertation specifically discusses the usefulness of the Alufamily of SINE repeats towards addressing open problems in genomics, population genetics, and biology in …

Identification Of System Design Features That Affect Sickness In Virtual Environments, Julie Drexler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The terms "simulator" and "VR" are typically used to refer to specific types of virtual environments (VEs) which differ in the technology used to display the simulated environment. While simulators and VR devices may offer advantages such as low cost training, numerous studies on the effects to humans of exposure to different VEs indicate that motion sickness-like symptoms are often produced during or after exposure to the simulated environment. These deleterious side effects have the potential to limit the utilization of VE systems if they jeopardize the health and/or safety of the user and create liability issues for the manufacturer. …

Analysis Of Aircraft Arrival Delay And Airport On-Time Performance, Yuqiong Bai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While existing grid environments cater to specific needs of a particular user community, we need to go beyond them and consider general-purpose large-scale distributed systems consisting of large collections of heterogeneous computers and communication systems shared by a large user population with very diverse requirements. Coordination, matchmaking, and resource allocation are among the essential functions of large-scale distributed systems. Although deterministic approaches for coordination, matchmaking, and resource allocation have been well studied, they are not suitable for large-scale distributed systems due to the large-scale, the autonomy, and the dynamics of the systems. We have to seek for nondeterministic solutions for …

Advances And Applications Of Dezert-Smarandache Theory (Dsmt) For Information Fusion (Collected Works), Vol. 2, Florentin Smarandache, Jean Dezert

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

This second volume dedicated to Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT) in Information Fusion brings in new fusion quantitative rules (such as the PCR1-6, where PCR5 for two sources does the most mathematically exact redistribution of conflicting masses to the non-empty sets in the fusion literature), qualitative fusion rules, and the Belief Conditioning Rule (BCR) which is different from the classical conditioning rule used by the fusion community working with the Mathematical Theory of Evidence.

Other fusion rules are constructed based on T-norm and T-conorm (hence using fuzzy logic and fuzzy set in information fusion), or more general fusion rules based on N-norm …

Variation Of Geotechnical Strength Properties With Age Of Landfills Accepting Biosolids, Kishore Pinapati

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The solid portion of waste disposal, known as Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) can be landfilled. Landfilling has proved to be a safe, sanitary and economical method of disposal. A by-product from wastewater treatment plants called biosolids is sometimes co-disposed along with MSW in landfills. Recent work at the University of Central Florida has focused on the behavior of the mixture of MSW and biosolids. As an increased amount of waste accumulates in these landfills, it creates a new problem – the geotechnical stability of landfills. In current literature, classical geotechnical testing methods have been followed to find the strength properties …

A Three-Dimensional Bay/Estuary Model To Simulate Water Quality Transport, Jing Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the development of a numerical water quality model using a general paradigm of reaction-based approaches. In a reaction-based approach, all conceptualized biogeochemical processes are transformed into a reaction network. Through the decomposition of species governing equations via Gauss-Jordan column reduction of the reaction network, (1) redundant fast reactions and irrelevant kinetic reactions are removed from the system, which alleviates the problem of unnecessary and erroneous formulation and parameterization of these reactions, and (2) fast reactions and slow reactions are decoupled, which enables robust numerical integrations. The system of species transport equations is transformed to reaction-extent transport equations, …

Sarp Net: A Secure, Anonymous, Reputation-Based, Peer-To-Peer Network, Sean Mondesire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the advent of Napster, the idea of peer-to-peer (P2P) architectures being applied to file-sharing applications has become popular, spawning other P2P networks like Gnutella, Morpheus, Kazaa, and BitTorrent. This growth in P2P development has nearly eradicated the idea of the traditional client-server structure in the file-sharing model, now placing emphasizes on faster query processing, deeper levels of decentralism, and methods to protect against copyright law violation. SARP Net is a secure, anonymous, decentralized, P2P overlay network that is designed to protect the activity of its users in its own file-sharing community. It is secure in the fact that public-key …

Effectiveness And Kinetics Of Ferrate As A Disinfectant For Ballast Water, Andrea L. Jessen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and bacterial pathogens from discharge of ballast water by sea-faring vessels is an ongoing problem that threatens ecosystems and human health. This study investigates the disinfecting capability of ferrate in a marine environment on several organisms listed in international standards for ballast water management. Organisms were grown in a saline solution and were treated with dosages of ferrate ranging from 0.25-5.0 mg/l. A ferrate dose of 5 mg/l resulted in almost complete kill for all organisms tested. Smaller dosages have also been very effective, particularly if all organic material from the nutrient broth …

System Identification And Fault Detection Of Complex Systems, Dapeng Luo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The proposed research is devoted to devising system identification and fault detection approaches and algorithms for a system characterized by nonlinear dynamics. Mathematical models of dynamical systems and fault models are built based on observed data from systems. In particular, we will focus on statistical subspace instrumental variable methods which allow the consideration of an appealing mathematical model in many control applications consisting of a nonlinear feedback system with nonlinearities at both inputs and outputs. Different solutions within the proposed framework are presented to solve the system identification and fault detection problems. Specifically, Augmented Subspace Instrumental Variable Identification (ASIVID) approaches …

Modeling The Influences Of Personality Preferences On The Selection Of Instructional Strategies Inintelligent Tutoring Systems, Robert Sottilare

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis hypothesizes that a method for selecting instructional strategies (specifically media) based in part on a relationship between learning style preference and personality preference provides more relevant and understandable feedback to students and thereby higher learning effectiveness. This research investigates whether personality preferences are valid predictors of learning style preferences. Since learning style preferences are a key consideration in instructional strategies and instructional strategies are a key consideration in learning effectiveness, this thesis contributes to a greater understanding of the relationship between personality preferences and effective learning in intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). This research attempts to contribute to the …

Heuristic Prioritization Of Emergency Evacuation Staging To Reduce Clearance Time, Steven Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A region's evacuation strategy encompasses a variety of areas and needs. Primary among these is the minimization of total evacuation time, represented in models as the clearance time estimate (CTE). A generic testbed simulation network model was developed. An input/output (I/O) analysis was performed to establish a theoretical baseline CTE. Results were compared with simulations; analysis showed that the I/O method underestimated simulated CTE as a function of network size, with a correction factor range of 1.09 to 1.19. A regression model was developed for the generic network. Predictors were total trips, and network size defined as a function of …

An Assessment Of Alignment Between Project Complexity And Project Management Style, Alper Camci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main drivers for this research are the complexities associated with the project management and an organization's project management style in dealing with these complexities. This research aims to demonstrate that alignment between project complexity and project management style increases project performance and decreases project issues, and also, with increased project issues, project performance deteriorates. In order to test these claims, this research developed measures for assessing project complexity, project management styles and project issues by employing a survey of project management professionals. The measure for project complexity is based on a taxonomy with four categories: organizational complexity, product complexity, …

Intrusion Detection In Wireless Sensor Networks, Hong Nhung Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are several applications that use sensor motes and researchers continue to explore additional applications. For this particular application of detecting the movement of humans through the sensor field, a set of Berkley mica2 motes on TinyOS operating system is used. Different sensors such as pressure, light, and so on can be used to identify the presence of an intruder in the field. In our case, the light sensor is chosen for the detection. When an intruder crosses the monitored environment, the system detects the changes of the light values, and any significant change meaning that a change greater than …

A Multi-View Framework For Defining The Services Supply Chain Using Object Oriented Methodology, James Barnard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Supply-chain management is the practice combining theory from logistics, operations management, production management and inventory control. Therefore, it is often associated exclusively with manufacturing or materials management industries. Application of supply-chain management to other industries often results in implementations that do not satisfy the needs of the involved enterprises. To improve the implementation of supply-chain solutions outside of the materials management and manufacturing industries there is a need for industry specific standards. One industry sector in need of a standard is the services industry. The current problem facing the services sector is the inability to adapt current frameworks to the …

Bench Scale Analysis Of Experimental Fouling-Resistent Low Pressure Reverse Osmosis Membranes Using High Organic Surface Water And Synthetic Colloidal Water, Matthew Doan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The utilization of membrane treatment for the production of potable water has become more prevalent in today's industry. As drinking water regulations become more stringent this trend is expected to continue. Widespread use is also a result of membrane treatment being the best available treatment in many cases. While membrane treatment is a proven technology that can produce a consistently superior product to conventional treatment methods, membrane fouling and concentrate disposal are issues that drive up the cost of membrane treatment and can effectively eliminate it from consideration as a treatment alternative. This research focused on membrane fouling. A series …

Alumina-Aluminum Titanate-Titania Nanocomposite: Synthesis, Sintering Studies, Assessment Of Bioactivity And Its Mechanical And Electrical Properties, Vikas Somani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reports the development, synthesis and characterization of a ceramic-ceramic nanocomposite system for its possible application as structural and electronic biomaterial in the biomedical industry. The study selected and synthesized alumina-aluminum titanate-titania (Al2O3-Al2TiO5-TiO2) nanoceramic composite using a simple Sol-Gel technique, which can be easily reproduced. Aluminum propoxide and titanium propoxide were used as precursor chemicals. Propanol and 2- methoxy ethanol were used as solvent and stabilizer, respectively. Thermal analyses were performed for a systematic understanding of phase evolution from the synthesized gel. X-Ray diffraction technique was used to confirm the phase evolution, phase purity, crystallite size and crystal structure(s) …

Influence Map Methodology For Evaluating Systemic Safety Issues, Timothy Barth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Raising the bar in safety performance is a critical challenge for many organizations. Contributing factor taxonomies organize information on why accidents occur. Therefore, they are essential elements of accident investigations and safety reporting systems. Organizations must balance efforts to identify causes of specific accidents with efforts to evaluate systemic safety issues in order to become more proactive about improving safety. This research successfully addressed two problems: (1) limited methods and metrics exist to support the design of effective taxonomies, and (2) influence relationships between contributing factors are not explicitly modeled within a taxonomy. The primary result of the taxonomic relationship …

The Effectiveness Of A Specifically Designed Green Roof Stormwater Treatment System Irrigated With Recycled Stormwater Runoff To Achieve Pollutant Removal And Stormwater Volume Reduction, Michael Hardin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of our greatest threats to surface-water quality is polluted stormwater runoff. In this research, investigated is the use of a green roof irrigated with recycled stormwater runoff to remove pollutants from stormwater runoff and reduce the volume of stormwater runoff leaving developed areas. The green roof properties of interest are the filtration and biological processes as well as the roof's ability to hold water and increase evapotranspiration, reducing the volume of stormwater runoff from the source. Because of the above mentioned reasons the experiment consists of a water quality analysis and a water budget done on several experimental chambers …

Computational Sciences: At The Intersection Of Science And Engineering - Case Study For Academic And Research Programs, Menas Kafatos, P. A. Becker, Z. Boybeyi

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

No abstract provided.

Erosion Control Products From Sugarcane Bagasse, Irina Dinu

LSU Master's Theses

The erosion control industry uses different types of geosynthetics in order to mitigate the negative impact that erosion has on the environment. One of the most rapidly growing segments within this industry is the natural mats and blankets market. With new environmental regulations and enforcement, the demand for these natural products has considerably increased because of their biodegradability, good moisture retention, low cost and environmentally friendly image. The goal of this present work was to develop a continuous manufacturing process for sugarcane bagasse mats, which could be implemented in the local sugar mills and could provide an economic benefit to …

Simulations Of A Modified Micro-Scale Electrophoretron, Nada Elmajdoub

LSU Master's Theses

This paper presents theoretical analysis and numerical simulations of a modified micro-scale electrophoretron adapted for cycling reaction applications (PCR, LDR...). The electrophoretron consists of a closed-loop microchannel. If one part of the length of the channel has an electroosmotic mobility of an opposite sign than the remaining part, a continuous cyclic motion of the fluid can be sustained if a potential difference is applied on two electrodes strategically placed along the channel. Conservation of mass leads to the formation of a pressure gradient and a related hydrodynamic flow. Under appropriate combination of design parameters, the combined Electroosmotic -hydrodynamic flow contributes …

Automatic Active Contour Modelling And Its Potential Application For Non-Destructive Testing, Srinath Vepathur Sitaraman

LSU Master's Theses

Active contouring techniques are very useful in medical imaging, digital mapping, non-destructive ultrasonic evaluation, etc. Therefore, we try to explore and investigate the advanced automatic active contouring methods, which can benefit the aforementioned applications. In this thesis work, we study the automatic active contour models adopted for the object characterization, whose extensions could include the potential defect analysis in the ultrasonic non-destructive testing. The active contouring scheme (also called a snake) or an energy minimizing spline, is an algorithm which is very sensitive to the manually marked initial points, and thereby requires an expertly operation. Therefore, we make new research …

Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds In Wood Soot Extracts From Henan, China, Robyn Joy Cabrido Alcanzare

LSU Master's Theses

Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) are organic compounds composed of two or more fused benzene rings. These compounds are ubiquitous in the environment and some are found to be mutagenic and carcinogenic. High rates of esophageal cancer in the Henan Province of China had led to the suspicion that PAC from domestic coal and wood combustion are the main cause. Extraction of PAC from wood soot was done with a Soxhlet apparatus using dichloromethane as the solvent and concentration of the solution using a Kuderna Danish apparatus. Analysis of the different PAC was performed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with …