Digital Commons Network^™

Design And Analysis For Melt Casting Metallic Fuel Pins Incorporating Volatile Actinides, Xiaolong Wu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Fundamental issues related to the selection of a metallic fuel casting furnace design are presented and discussed including heating mechanisms, casting issues, crucible design, and issues related to the mass transport of americium. The process of evaluating all of these different criteria is undertaken to select a concept that would have the greatest chance of success for casting americium in a metallic fuel rod. Based on this evaluation process, a concept for the casting of metallic fuel pins containing high vapor pressure materials is selected and discussed. The important physics of this concept include mass transport of americium from the …

Clinically Relevant Aspects Of Chronic Pain: Normal Personality Predictors, Stephen Ray Nitch

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study examined the normal personality characteristics of chronic pain patients using cluster analysis. To date, much of the research involving chronic pain and personality has assumed that signs of psychopathology are likely to be present (Jay, Grove, and Grove, 1987; Love and Peck, 1987). There have been some exceptions to this trend by researchers who sought to measure the normal personality structure of individuals with chronic pain (see Wade, Dougherty, Hart, and Cook, 1992). One of central aims of the current study was to further refine the psychosocial taxonomy of chronic pain patients by paying more attention to individual …

Hci Research Issues In Electronic Commerce, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Sid Davis

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This article outlines a number of important research issues in human-computer interaction in the e-commerce environment. It highlights some of the challenges faced by users in browsing Web sites and conducting searches for information, and suggests several areas of research for promoting ease of navigation and search. Also, it discusses the importance of trust in the online environment, describing some of the antecedents and consequences of trust, and provides guidelines for integrating trust into Web site design. The issues discussed in this article are presented under three broad categories of human-computer interaction – Web usability, interface design, and trust – …

Analyzing Unified Modeling Language Using Concept Mapping, Keng Siau, Z. Shen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a visual modeling language for object-oriented software development. Although the Object Management Group (OMG) adopted UML as its standard modeling language in 1997, the consensus in the academic community and the industry is that further research is needed to evaluate, enhance, extend, and formalize UML. A substantial amount of research has been conducted to this end, but most was based on common sense, informal observation, and intuition. Systematic and empirical studies to analyze, evaluate, and enhance UML have been lacking. This paper attempts to evaluate and study UML from a cognitive perspective. Specifically, the …

Some Thoughts On Human Nature: A Discussion Of Human Strenghts And Weaknesses, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This paper attempts to explore the behavioral characteristics of human beings from a point of view that is not based on inter-human comparisons, but on an examination of the intrinsic physical, biological, intellectual, emotional, and social characteristics of this species. It is argued that the experience-based nature of the human cognitive system greatly reduces our ability to adapt to changes in our environment, exploit opportunities, and create new knowledge. A fundamental biological survival instinct drives the human being to seek a level of certainty and security that is irreconcilable with a continuously changing and largely unpredictable environment. The symptoms of …

A Digital Library For Geography Examination Resources, Lian-Heong Chua, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Zehua Liu, Ee Peng Lim, Rebecca Pei-Hui Ang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We describe a Web-based application developed above a digital library of geographical resources for Singapore students preparing to take a national examination in geography. The application provides an interactive, non-sequential approach to learning that supplements textbooks.

Water Policy And Cultural Exchange: Transferring Lessons From Around The World To The Western United States, James L. Wescoat

Allocating and Managing Water for a Sustainable Future: Lessons from Around the World (Summer Conference, June 11-14)

27 pages.

Contains references (pages 19-27).

Roundtable Series On Innovative Approaches To Land Conservation And Smart Growth, New England Environmental Finance Center

Smart Growth

A series of six roundtable discussions was conducted by the New England Environmental Finance Center (NE/EFC) from January through May 2002, one in each New England state. The objectives of the series were to consolidate expertise in financing and coordinating projects that combine conservation and development on the landscape, and to identify key areas of unmet need that could be addressed by the NE/EFC. Each discussion entailed several case study presentations and facilitated discussion about what works, what doesn’t work, and what might work in financing and coordinating efforts that combine conservation and development. Key areas of opportunity that emerged …

A Brief Look At Mathematics And Theology, Philip J. Davis

Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: The Teaching Gap By James W. Stigler And James Hiebert, Michael L. Brown

Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Teaching As Though Students Mattered: A Biography Of Alvin White As Told To Sandra Keith, Alvin White, Sandra Z. Keith

Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Humanistic Mathematics: Personal Evolution And Excavations, Stephen I. Brown

Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Creating In Our Own Image: Artificial Intelligence And The Image Of God, Noreen L. Herzfeld

Theology Faculty Publications

There is remarkable convergence between twentieth-century interpretations of the image of God (imago Dei), what it means for human beings to be created in God's image, and approaches toward creating in our own image in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Both fields have viewed the intersection between God and humanity or humanity and computers in terms of either (1) a property or set of properties such as intelligence, (2) the functions we engage in or are capable of, or (3) the relationships we establish and maintain. Each of these three approaches reflects a different understanding of what …

Creating Successful Calculus Writing Assignments, Kris H. Green

Mathematical and Computing Sciences Faculty/Staff Publications

I discuss three different writing assignments that I have used in my calculus courses. These assignments are introduced with a discussion of purpose and audience. Defining these qualities of an assignment will ensure that your writing assignments are more successful. The assignments discussed and explored here represent three different purposes: personal, informational and a blend of the two. The audiences for these assignments are diverse and force the students to incorporate particular modes of writing that demonstrate much of their thinking. Assessment of student learning as a result of these assignments is discussed. A fourth writing assignment is developed from …

Development And Characterization Of Methodology And Technology For The Alignment Of Fmri Time Series, Carlo Ciulla

Dissertations

This dissertation has developed, implemented and tested a novel computer based system (AUTOALIGN) that incorporates an algorithm for the alignment of functional Magnetic Resonance Image (fMRI) time series. The algorithm assumes the human brain to be a rigid body and computes a head coordinate system on the basis of three reference points that lie on the directions correspondent to two of the eigenvectors of inertia of the volume, at the intersections with the head boundary. The eigenvectors are found weighting the inertia components with the voxel's intensity values assumed as mass. The three reference points are found in the same …

Collaborative Problem Solving And Program Development Model, Joanna Defranco-Tommarello

Dissertations

A model to enhance collaborative problem solving and program development is presented. The collaborative model is a detailed cognitive model that takes into consideration the cognitive and social activities that occur during collaborative problem solving and program development. The cognitive activities required for collaborative problem solving and program development are identified and integrated into a six-stage model. An extensive literature review in the associated fields is presented to show the need for the model described in this dissertation. In addition, a comprehensive study of tools to support collaboration during problem solving and program development was also performed as well as …

An Evolving Approach To Learning In Problem Solving And Program Development : The Distributed Learning Model, Idania Espinosa

Theses

Technological advances are paving the way for improvements in many sectors of society. The US education system needs to undergo a transformation of existing pedagogical methods to maximize utilization of new technologies. Traditional education has primarily been teacher driven, lectured-based in one location. Advances in technology are challenging existing paradigms by developing tools and educational environments that reach diverse learning styles and surpass the boundaries of current teaching methods.

Distributed learning is an emerging paradigm today that has promise to contribute significantly to learning and improve overall academic success. This research first explores various systems that provide different modes of …

Power Analyses When Comparing Trimmed Means, Rand R. Wilcox, H. J. Keselman

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Given a random sample from each of two independent groups, this article takes up the problem of estimating power, as well as a power curve, when comparing 20% trimmed means with a percentile bootstrap method. Many methods were considered, but only one was found to be satisfactory in terms of obtaining both a point estimate of power as well as a (one-sided) confidence interval. The method is illustrated with data from a reading study where theory suggests two groups should differ but nonsignificant results were obtained.

Six Modifications Of The Aligned Rank Transform Test For Interaction, Kathleen Peterson

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Testing for interactions in multivariate experiments is an important function. Studies indicate that much data from social studies research is not normally distributed, thus violating that assumption of the AN OVA procedure. The aligned rank transformation test (ART), aligning using the means of columns and rows, has been found, in limited situations, to be robust to Type I error rates and to have greater power than the ANOVA. This study explored a variety of alignments, including the median, Winsorized trimmed means (10%) and (20%), the Huber_1.28 M-estimator, and the Harrell-Davis estimator of the median. Results are reported for Type …

The Trouble With Trivials (P > .05), Shlomo S. Sawilowsky, Jina S. Yoon

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Trivials are effect sizes associated with statistically non-significant results. Trivials are like Tribbles in the Star Trek television show. They are cute and loveable. They proliferate without limit. They probably growl at Bayesians. But they are troublesome. This brief report discusses the trouble with trivials.

Parametric Analyses In Randomized Clinical Trials, Vance W. Berger, Clifford E. Lunneborg, Michael D. Ernst, Jonathan G. Levine

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

One salient feature of randomized clinical trials is that patients are randomly allocated to treatment groups, but not randomly sampled from any target population. Without random sampling parametric analyses are inexact, yet they are still often used in clinical trials. Given the availability of an exact test, it would still be conceivable to argue convincingly that for technical reasons (upon which we elaborate) a parametric test might be preferable in some situations. Having acknowledged this possibility, we point out that such an argument cannot be convincing without supporting facts concerning the specifics of the problem at hand. Moreover, we have …

Alternatives To SW In The Bracketed Interval Of The Trimmed Mean, Jennifer Bunner, Shlomo S. Sawilowsky

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

The aim of this Monte Carlo study is to examine alternatives to estimated variability in building bracketed intervals about the trimmed mean.

Asymptotic And Exact Tests In 2 X C Ordered Categorical Contingency Tables With Statxact 2.0 - 4.0, Margaret Posch

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

The purpose of this study was to compare the statistical power of a variety of exact tests in the 2 x C ordered categorical contingency table using StatXact software. The Wilcoxon Rank Sum, Expected Nonnal Scores, Savage Scores (or its Log Rank equivalent), and Permutation tests were studied. Results indicated that the procedures were nearly the same in terms of comparative statistical power.

Quantifying Bimodality Part I: An Easily Implemented Method Using Spss, B. W. Frankland, Bruno D. Zumbo

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Scientists in a variety of fields are faced with the question of whether or not a particular sample of data are best described as unimodal or bimodal. We provide a simple and convenient method for assessing bimodality. The use of the non-linear algorithms in SPSS for modeling complex mixture distributions is demonstrated on a unimodal normal distribution (with 2 free parameters) and on bimodal mixture of two normal distributions (with 5 free parameters).

A Measure Of Relative Efficiency For Location Of A Single Sample, Shlomo S. Sawilowsky

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

The question of how much to trim or which weighting constant to use are practical considerations in applying robust methods such as trimmed means (L-estimators) and Huber statistics (M-estimators). An index oflocation relative efficiency (LRE), which is a ratio of the narrowness of resulting confidence intervals, was applied to various trimmed means and Huber M-estimators calculated on seven representative data sets from applied education and psychology research. On the basis of LREs, lightly trimmed means were found to be more efficient than heavily trimmed means, but Huber M-estimators systematically produced narrower confidence intervals. The weighting constant of ψ = 1.28 …

Hotelling's T2 Vs. The Rank Transform With Real Likert Data, Michael J. Nanna

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Monte Carlo research has demonstrated that there are many applications of the rank transformation that result in an invalid procedure. Examples include the two dependent samples, the factorial analysis of variance, and the factorial analysis of covariance layouts. However, the rank transformation has been shown to be a valid and powerful test in the two independent samples layout. This study demonstrates that the rank transformation is also a robust and powerful alternative to the Hotellings T² test when the data are on a Likert scale.

Applying Spatial Randomness To Community Inclusion, Michael Wolf-Branigin

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

A spatial analytic methodology incorporating true locations is demonstrated using Monte Carlo simulations as a complement to current psychometric and quality of life indices for measuring community inclusion. Moran's I, a measure of spatial autocorrelation, is used to determine spatial dependencies in housing patterns for multiple variables, including family/friends involvement in future planning, home size, and earned income. Simulations revealed no significant spatial autocorrelation, which is a socially desirable result for housing locations for people with disabilities. Assessing the absence of clustering provides a promising methodology for measuring community inclusion.

Factors Influencing Adoption Of Mobile Computing, Wenli Zhu, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Fan Zhao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The emergence of mobile computing combined with the increased popularity of the Internet is changing our daily lives. The increasing use of small portable computers, wireless networks and satellites un folds the new technology of mobile computing, which allows transmis sion of data to computers that are not physically linked to a network. As a result, people can communicate on the move. Mobile devices with new input and output methods and form factors are dramatically different from traditional desktop computers (Rodden et al., 1998). These technological changes make increasing demands on both the quality of user interface and the functionality …

Shifting Goals And Mounting Challenges For Statistical Methodology, Pranab K. Sen

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Modern interdisciplinary research in statistical science encompasses a wide field: agriculture, biology, biomedical sciences along with bioinformatics, clinical sciences, education, environmental and public health disciplines, genomic science, industry, molecular genetics, socio-behavior, socio-economics, toxicology, and a variety of other disciplines. Statistical science has historically had mathematical perspectives dominating theoretical and methodological developments. Yet, the advent of modern information technology has opened the doors for highly computation intensive statistical tools (i.e., software), wherein mathematical aspects are often de-emphasized. Knowledge discovery and data mining (KDDM) is now becoming a dominating force, with bioinformatics as a notable example. In view of this apparent discordance …

The Q-Sort Method: Assessing Reliability And Construct Validity Of Questionnaire Items At A Pre-Testing Stage, Abraham Y. Nahm, S. Subba Rao, Luis E. Solis-Galvan, T. S. Ragu-Nathan

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

This paper describes the Q-sort, which is a method of assessing reliability and construct validity of questionnaire items at a pre-testing stage. The method uses Cohen's Kappa and Moore and Benbasat's Hit Ratio in assessing the questionnaire.