Digital Commons Network^™

A New Approach To Scalable Lindasystems Based On Swarms, Ronaldo Menezes, Robert Tolksdorf

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Natural forming multi-agent systems (aka Swarms) have the ability to grow to enormous sizes without requiring any of the agents to oversee the entire system. The success of these systems comes from the fact that agents are simple and the interaction with the environment and neighboring agents is local in nature. In this paper we look at abstractions in the field of swarms and study their applicability in the context of coordination systems. In particular, we focus on the problematic issue of scalability of Linda systems. The purpose of this work is to look at abstractions yielded from observations of …

Designing, Debugging, And Deploying Configurable Computing Machine-Based Applications Using Reconfigurable Computing Application Frameworks, Anthony Lynn Slade

Theses and Dissertations

Configurable computing machines (CCMs) offer high-performance application acceleration with custom hardware. They are also dynamically reconfigurable and give significant internal visibility. Such features are useful throughout the design, debug, and deploy stages of CCM-based application development. However traditional, monolithic design tools do not offer adequate support for all of these development stages. This thesis describes a specification for a reconfigurable computing application framework (RCAF) which is more suitable for CCM application development. It also describes an implementation of such an RCAF. This RCAF improves the efficiency of application design and debugging. It also establishes an application architecture framework which helps …

Optomechanical Properties Of Stretched Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Films For Scattering Polarizer Applications, Iciro Amimori, Nikolai V. Priezjev, Robert A. Pelcovits, Gregory P. Crawford

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

A scattering polarizer is created by subjecting a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) film to tensile strain. The optomechanical properties of the film are investigated by simultaneously measuring the stress-strain and polarization dependent optical transmission characteristics. The correlation between transmittances of two orthogonal polarizations and the stress-strain curve reveals that the polymer orientation as well as the droplet shape anisotropy influences the liquid crystal alignment within the droplets. A Monte-Carlo simulation based on the Lebwohl-Lasher model is used to explain the subtle influence of polymer orientation on liquid crystal alignment.

An Analysis Of Microbial Contamination In Military Aviation Fuel Systems, Harold W. Graef

Theses and Dissertations

Military aviation fuel systems can be an ideal environment for microorganisms. Microbial growth in hydrocarbon fuel systems arises because of the impracticality of keeping fuel tanks sterile and the inevitable presence of water from condensation. Microbial contaminants in aviation fuel systems are a concern because of their potential to degrade the fuel, accelerate tank corrosion, and threaten flight safety. This research addresses the concern of using more environmentally friendly Fuel System Icing Inhibitors (FSII), which are also biocidal. Are significant levels of microorganisms growing in military aviation fuel systems, and if so, are there any common variables? Forty aviation fuel …

Natural Convection And Solid Phase Combustion, S. E. Whitney, Hendrik J. Viljoen

Papers in Reaction Kinetics

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis [SHS] is a combustion process involving two or more solid reactants. The typical SHS configuration consists of a cylindrical preform of mixed powders, placed in an inert gas chamber, and ignited at one end. In past studies, interaction between the solid phase and the ambient gas phase has been limited to heat losses from the solid; the influence of natural convection on the solid phase has never been considered. In this study, computational fluid dynamics [CFD] is used, and it is shown that intense convection flow develops in the proximity of the combustion front. Gas flows adjacent …

Acuta Enews March 2003, Vol. 32, No. 3

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Student Serves Spam on Tufts Network

e Portfolios.............................................. Jeanne Jansenius, Univ. of the South

Take a SIP of this lmportant Protocol........................................ Kevin Tanzillo, Dux Public Relations

Upcoming ACUTA Audio Seminars

ACUTA Member Sites to see

Expanded Eligibility for .EDU Domains

FCC Acts on Local Competition

DC Update...................................... Whitney Johnson, Retired, Northern Michigan Univ.

Survey Results...................................... Jeri Semer, CAE, Executive Director

Board Report...................................... John Bradley, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Welcome New Members

Wright State University College Of Engineering And Computer Science Bits And Pcs Newsletter, Volume 19, Number 5, March 2003, College Of Engineering And Computer Science, Wright State University

BITs and PCs Newsletter

An eight page newsletter created by the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science that addresses the current affairs of the college.

Inside Unlv, Gian Galassi, Jennifer Vaughan, Carol C. Harter, Carolyn Sabo

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Gibbs Dividing Surface And Helium Adsorption, Sasidhar Gumma, Orhan Talu

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

All adsorption data is based on the definition of Gibbs dividing surface, which is a purely mathematical transformation. Adsorption measurements in microporous solids necessitate experimental determination of the dividing surface. An international protocol does not exist on how to perform this important measurement. Commonly, helium is assumed not to adsorb and used as a probe molecule for this measurement. Each experimentalist chooses an arbitrary set of conditions, often without even disclosing them, which adds to the confusion in adsorption literature. Here, a self-consistent method for the analysis of helium data is proposed which does not assume non-adsorbing helium …

Single Fiber Model Of Particle Retention In An Acoustically Driven Porous Mesh, Michael T. Grossner, Alan E. Penrod, Joanne M. Belovich, Donald L. Feke

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

A method for the capture of small particles (tens of microns in diameter) from a continuously flowing suspension has recently been reported. This technique relies on a standing acoustic wave resonating in a rectangular chamber filled with a high-porosity mesh. Particles are retained in this chamber via a complex interaction between the acoustic field and the porous mesh. Although the mesh has a pore size two orders of magnitude larger than the particle diameter, collection efficiencies of 90% have been measured. A mathematical model has been developed to understand the experimentally observed phenomena and to be able to predict filtration …

Inquisitive Pattern Recognition, Amy L. Magnus

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense and the Department of the Air Force have funded automatic target recognition for several decades with varied success. The foundation of automatic target recognition is based upon pattern recognition. In this work, we present new pattern recognition concepts specifically in the area of classification and propose new techniques that will allow one to determine when a classifier is being arrogant. Clearly arrogance in classification is an undesirable attribute. A human is being arrogant when their expressed conviction in a decision overstates their actual experience in making similar decisions. Likewise given an input feature vector, we say …

Experimental And Computational Failure Analysis Of Graphite/Bismaleimide Laminated Composite And Carbon Foam In Sandwich Construction, Troy C. Welker

Theses and Dissertations

Sandwich beams consisting of a carbon foam core and graphite/bismaleimide face sheets were constructed and tested. Nine specimens were fabricated using three distinct cross-ply symmetric face sheet layups with a constant core thickness. Four-point bend testing controlled by a constant rate of midspan vertical displacement was used to load the specimens to failure. Displacements and strains from the experiment were compared to analytical sandwich beam theory and displacements and failure loads were compared to a layerwise finite element solution. A phenomenological failure criterion was developed that compares favorably with experimental failure data. The finite element solution gives failure within an …

The Air Warrior's Value Of National Security Space, John D. Loftis

Theses and Dissertations

The 2001 Report of the Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization recommended that U.S. efforts in national security space be elevated to the highest national security priority. With more focused high-level attention on national security space decisions a measure that captures and quantities the value of space capabilities to combat operations professionals is desired. This thesis models what the air warriors desire from space assets in combat. A Value-Focused Thinking (VFT) approach was used to elicit values from air combat experts with operational experience. An initial Gold Standard value model was constructed and validated by …

Groundwater Flow Through A Constructed Treatment Wetland, Jack A. Blalock

Theses and Dissertations

This study is an analysis of the flow of water through a constructed treatment wetland at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. The purpose of the treatment wetland is to biodegrade perchioroethylene, which is present in the groundwater as a contaminant. Contaminated water enters the bottom of the wetland and flows upward, exiting the wetland from a weir at one end. The wetland is designed for water to move vertically through the soil layers composing the wetland. The main purpose of this study is to characterize the water flow through the different layers of soil in the wetland. In this study, hydraulic parameters …

Modeling Catalytic Destruction Of Subsurface Contaminants In Recirculating Wells, Kerry J. Cadena

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater and soil contamination is a significant problem throughout the nation, with approximately 300,000 to 400,000 sites affected (National Research Council, 1994). Examples of groundwater contaminants of special interest to DoD and AF installations include fuel hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and nitroaromatic compounds. Traditional remediation technologies, which include pump-and-treat, permeable reactive barriers, and natural attenuation, have numerous drawbacks associated with them. These drawbacks have prompted researchers to look for innovative contamination clean-up methods. The technology investigated in this thesis, reticulating horizontal flow treatment wells (HFTWs) with in-well palladium (Pd) catalyst reactors, offers the potential for destruction of groundwater contaminants commonly found …

Optimizing An In Situ Bioremediation Technology To Manage Perchlorate-Contaminated Groundwater, Mark R. Knarr

Theses and Dissertations

Combining horizontal flow treatment wells (HFTWs) with in situ biodegradation is an innovative approach with the potential to remediate perchlorate-contaminated groundwater. A technology model was recently developed that combines the groundwater flow induced by HFTWs with in situ biodegration processes that result from using the HFTWs to mix electron donor into perchlorate-contaminated groundwater. A field demonstration of this approach is planned to begin this year. In order to apply the technology in the field, project managers need to understand how contaminated site conditions and technology design parameters impact technology performance. One way to gain this understanding is to use the …

Palladium-Catalyzed Destruction Of Nitro Aromatic-Contaminated Groundwater, Dennis Landon Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

Of the over 17,000 DoD sites that potentially require remediation, sites containing soil and groundwater contaminated by energetic compounds are prevalent (Larson et al., 2001). Production of energetics such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), hexahydro-1,3,5 - trinitro- 1,3,5 -triazine (RDX), and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro- 1,3,5,7-tetrasocine (HMX) for use in munitions has created a DoD-wide problem due to improper disposal techniques (Price et al., 2001), Nitro aromatic compounds (NACs) similar to those used in explosives can also be found in insecticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, plastics, and many other commonly used products. The natural breakdown of these contaminants creates byproducts such as amines, which are known …

Theoretical Analysis Of Information Watermarking In Wavelet-Based Video Compression, Brendan K. Casey

Theses and Dissertations

Embedding audio bits into images for transmission of video data alleviates the synchronization problem common in video transmission techniques. We continue work combining audio or other information bits and images into one file using digital watermarking techniques to correct the synchronization problem. The system compresses the file by using wavelet image coefficients and implementing bit plane coding. Our research encompasses incorporating five free variables into the watermark/compression technique. These variables are watermark robustness, number of coding iterations, number of image coefficients, number of watermarked information bits, and number of watermarked error correcting bits. By altering these variables, four measurements of …

Fast Compression Of Imagery With High Frequency Content, D. Scott Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Image compression is an active area due to the many applications involving electronic media. Much research has been focused on image quality versus bit rate and/or algorithm speed. Here, we seek an effective image coder with a weighted constraint on speed. However, the compression must not taint the quality of impulsive features on the image. Moreover, the camera is operated in a mode that creates a dominant fixed pattern noise across the image array, degrading visual quality and disrupting compression performance. We propose a method that efficiently compresses such an image. We begin by characterizing and removing the fixed pattern …

The Air Force Operational Risk Management Program And Aviation Safety, Matthew G. Cho

Theses and Dissertations

Aviation mishaps are extremely costly in terms of dollar value, public opinion, and human life, The Air Force drastically reduced Class A mishap rates in its formative years. The rate plummeted from 44.22 mishaps per 100,000 flight hours in 1947 to 2.33 mishaps in 1983 and has held steady around 1.5 mishaps since. The Air Force implemented the Operational Risk Management (ORM) program in 1996 in an effort to protect their most valuable resources: aircraft and aviators. An AFIT thesis conducted in 1999 by Capt Park Ashley studied the Army similar Risk Management (RM) program. Ashley concluded that since his …

Calculation Of The Actual Cost Of Engine Maintenance, Oguz Ezik

Theses and Dissertations

The cost of military operations has been difficult to determine, yet considered of high importance. The cost of an operation is largely dependent upon the answers to subordinate questions involving the discrete costs of military activities, like supporting individual items, While different cost estimates have received attention from the media, the question arises as to how accurate these figures are, There have been numerous studies performed by the Operations Research analysts to minimize costs while allocating scarce resources, However, the values of these studies are dependent upon whether or not the cost figures used are sufficiently "true" or accurate, This …

Mass Transfer And Benzene Removal From Air Using Latex Rubber Tubing And A Hollow-Fiber Membrane Module, Mark W. Fitch, Jeffrey Neeman, Ellen England

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A Dense-Phase Latex Rubber Tube and a Polyporous Propylene Hollow-Fiber Membrane Module (HFMM) Were Investigated for Control of Benzene-Contaminated Gas Streams. the Abiotic Mass Flux Observed through the Latex Tube Was 3.9-13 Mg/(Min·m2) for 150 Ppm of Benzene at Various Gas and Liquid Flow Rates, While a 100-Fold Lower Mass Flux Was Observed in the HFMM. after Seeding with an Aromatic-Degrading Culture Enriched from Activated Sludge, the Observed Removal Was 80% of 150 Ppm, Corresponding to a Mass Flux of 45 Mg/(Min·m2). the Observed Mass Flux through the HFMM during Biofiltration Also Rose, to 0.4 Mg/(Min·m2). Because the HFMM Had …

Environment-Induced Degradation And Crack-Growth Studies Of Candidate Target Materials, Ajit K. Roy, Brendan O'Toole

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

During the past two years (2001-2002) of this project, the primary effort was focused on evaluating the effect of hydrogen on the cracking behavior of candidate target materials namely, Alloys EP-823, HT-9 and 422 in aqueous environments of different pH values at ambient and elevated temperatures. More recently, emphasis is being placed to evaluate the cracking behavior of these materials in molten lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) environment at much higher testing temperatures so as to compare the cracking susceptibility in environments containing molten metals and aqueous solutions, respectively. The most recent tests to evaluate the cracking susceptibility were primarily based on …

Design And Analysis Of A Process For Melt Casting Metallic Fuel Pins Incorporating Volatile Actinides, Yitung Chen, Darrell Pepper, Randy Clarksean

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

UNLV has developed and will continue to develop process models for the analysis of melt casting processes. This work will continue to be performed under the guidance of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) engineers to insure that their knowledge and experience benefits the project. The research to be conducted during year three will center on performing detailed analyses on a conceptual design of an inductively heated skull-crucible casting furnace. Processing conditions will be analyzed, basic models utilized, and detailed heat and mass transfer models will be developed to analyze the most promising processes. The goal of this third year is to …

Satisficing Applied To Simulated Soccer, Jay Packard

Theses and Dissertations

Satisficing was introduced by the economist Herbert Simon to allow for decisions that are "good enough" when there are insufficient computational resources and knowledge to obtain the optimal outcome. Autonomous multi-agent systems often require such decision making because of the complexity and unknown factors present in such an environment. Satisficing has been extended significantly by Wynn Stirling. Through extended satisficing, he has departed from conventional approaches to autonomous multi-agent systems, based as they usually are on the assumption that each participant is motivated exclusively by its own self interest, and will therefore attempt to maximize its benefit, regardless of the …

Orientation Of Self-Assembled Block Copolymer Cylinders Perpendicular To Electric Field In Mesoscale Film, S. Elhadj, J. W. Woody, V. S. Niu, Ravi F. Saraf

Ravi Saraf Publications

The possibility of using self-assembled films of block polymers as templates to fabricate nanoscale structures for devices has attracted great attention towards this class of material. Self-assembly of a block copolymer can be directed by using an electric field to orient features (i.e., ~10-nm-diam cylinders) parallel to the electric field, making the material more attractive as a nanoscale lithography mask. In this letter we describe an approach to influence the electric field orientation phenomena by interfacial effects. As a result, the 15-nm-diam polystyrene cylinders of the polystyrene–polyisoprene–polystyrene triblock copolymer orient perpendicular to the electric field. The described approach along with …

Time Aliasing Methods Of Spectrum Estimation, Jason F. Dahl

Theses and Dissertations

Time aliasing methods of spectrum estimation alter the time representation of a signal for the purpose of improving its frequency domain representation. Time aliasing allows characteristics of longer time window functions to be used with shorter DFT length. Windows designed specifically for use with time aliasing have improved properties compared to conventional windows. Many previous uses of time aliasing, including overlap-and-add methods of digital filtering, have focused on the elimination of time aliasing effects in the frequency domain in order to improve the representation of reconstructed signals in the time domain and have not addressed the issues associated with spectrum …

Index-Matched Boundary Techniques For The Elimination Of Acoustical Resonances, Jack H. Parker, Bradley D. Duncan

Electro-Optics and Photonics Faculty Publications

We extend the principle of optical index of refraction to apply the concept of acoustical index for transverse acoustical wave propagation in strings. The relationship between acoustical index and mass density of the acoustic material is developed. With this theoretical link established, classic index-matching techniques are explored at acoustical boundaries. Proper selection of boundary interface segments leads to the elimination of resonant vibrationalmodes that occur in rigidly supported strings, while maintaining the nonresonant vibration response.

Web Mining For Web Personalization, Magdalini Eirinaki, M. Vazirgiannis

Faculty Publications

Web personalization is the process of customizing a Web site to the needs of specific users, taking advantage of the knowledge acquired from the analysis of the user's navigational behavior (usage data) in correlation with other information collected in the Web context, namely, structure, content, and user profile data. Due to the explosive growth of the Web, the domain of Web personalization has gained great momentum both in the research and commercial areas. In this article we present a survey of the use of Web mining for Web personalization. More specifically, we introduce the modules that comprise a Web personalization …

Inside Unlv, Gian Galassi, Richard Jensen, Carol C. Harter, Kenneth E. Marks

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.