Digital Commons Network^™

Anytime Top-K Queries On Exact And Fuzzy Data, Bhushan P. Chaudhari

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Top-k queries on large multi-attribute data sets are fundamental operations in information retrieval and ranking applications. In this thesis, we initiate research on the anytime behavior of top-k algorithms on exact and fuzzy data. In particular given specific topk algorithms we are interested in studying their progress towards identification of the correct result at any point of the algorithms' execution. We adopt a probabilistic approach where we seek to report at any point the scores of the top-k results the algorithm has identified, as well as associate a confidence with this prediction. Such functionality can be a valuable asset when …

Towards A Stronger Peer-To-Peer Anonymous System, Arjun R. Nambiar

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Anonymous communications systems on the Internet provides protection against eavesdroppers and others that seek to link users with their communications. These systems have many important applications in areas such as law enforcement, intelligence gathering, business privacy, anonymous publishing, and personal privacy. Currently deployed systems rely on a relatively small set of advertised servers to forward messages for the user. These systems can suffer from scalability problems, with potentially large bandwidth and system overhead costs, and the servers themselves can be targets of direct attacks. Peer-to-peer anonymous communications systems, such as Tarzan[1] and MorphMix [2], have been proposed as a way …

Self-Organization And Resource Allocation In Wireless Sensor Networks, Liang Zhao

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In this dissertation, we utilize clustering to organize wireless sensors into an energy-efficient hierarchy. We propose a Medium-Contention Based ClusterHeadship Auction (MCCHA) scheme, through which sensors self-organize themselves into energy-efficient clusters by bidding for cluster headship. This scheme is based on a new criterion that can be used by each sensor node to make a distributed decision on whether electing to be a cluster head or a non-head member, which is a fully distributed approach. Although MCCHA uses only local information, it achieves better performance in terms of effective lifetime and Data/Energy Ratio compared with native LEACH, which relies on …

Investigation Of Techniques To Increase The Scalability Of Graph-Based Data Mining Algorithms., Srilatha Inavolu

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Frequent subgraph pattern recognition and graph-based relational learning have been an emerging area of data mining research with scientific and commercial applications. At the kernel of these algorithms are the computationally-expensive graph and subgraph isomorphism tests. The graph isomorphism problem consists in deciding whether two graphs are isomorphic i.e., whether there is a one-one mapping between the vertices of the two graphs that respects the edge connections. Many graphs will be depicted quite differently but in actuality have the same inherent structure. This leads to the isomorphism problem. The graph isomorphism problem belongs to the class of NP problems and …

Multiple Object Tracking Using Particle Filters, Hwangryol Ryu

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

We describe a novel extension to the Particle filter algorithm for tracking multiple objects. The recently proposed algorithms and the variants for multiple object tacking algorithms estimate multi-modal posterior distributions that potentially represent the multiple peaks (i.e., multiple tracked objects). However, the speci¯c state representation does not demonstrate birth, death and more importantly partial/complete occlusion of the objects. Furthermore, the weakness of the Particle Filter such that the representation may increasingly bias the posterior density estimates toward objects with dominant likelihood makes the multiple object tracking algorithms more di±cult. To circumvent a sample depletion problem and maintain the computational complexity …

A Physics Based Multi-Resolution Technique For Extraction Of Finite Duration Time Responses In Radar Images, Nancy Lanett

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

This paper presents a wavelet multi-resolution technique for examination of scattering phenomena in radar images. Through multi-resolution frequency domain analysis, range gating is implemented for extraction of wave medium interaction phenomena. To analyze the data, a sliding range gate is implemented by applying a phase shift to the spectral domain far field data prior to wavelet analysis. A method for efficient removal of window effects, which occur due to the finite nature of the data, is demonstrated through reconstruction of the decomposed waveform following removal of the lowest resolution. A correlation of the physical meaning of the multi-resolution data to …

Design Of A Cmos Vco And Frequency Divider For 5 Ghz Applications, Prithvi Shylendra

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

This thesis presents the design of a new CMOS Voltage Controlled Oscillator and a frequency divider, both of which form important blocks in the design of a PLL synthesizer. These components are important because they operate at the highest frequencies within the PLL and also consume most of the power as compared to the other components. Both these circuits have been an active topic of research in recent years especially with the scaling of technology bringing hopes of complete system-on-chip (SOC) integration at RF frequencies. The circuits in this thesis are designed for 5 GHz applications, mainly for the IEEE …

Supervised Learning From Embedded Subgraphs, Joseph T. Potts

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

We develop a machine learning algorithm which learns rules for classification from training examples in a graph representation. However, unlike most other such algorithms which use one graph for each example, ours allows all of the training examples to be in a single, connected graph. We employ the Minimum Description Length principle to produce a novel performance metric for judging the value of a learned classification. We implement the algorithm by extending the Subdue graph-based learning system. Finally, we demonstrate the use of the new system in two different domains, earth science and homeland security.

Finite Element Analysis Of Moisture And Thermal Induced Stress In Flip Chip Packages, Santanu Ghosh

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

The process of moisture absorption and subsequent hygroswelling stress development is a cause of concern in the IC packaging industry. Also thermal stresses developed during the lead free reflow process with a high peak temperature (~ 250oC) add to the problem. In Flip Chip packages, the related effects are high shear stresses at the multilayer interfaces and normal stresses in solder balls. This can lead to phenomenon like delamination at the interfaces and UBM opening. In this work we have made an attempt to simulate the moisture absorption process, subsequent hygroswelling stress development, and thermal stress generated during reflow using …

An Empirical Test Of The Situational Leadership® Model In Japan, Riho Yoshioka

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

Since the collapse of the "bubble economy" in the early 1990s, Japanese companies have been struggling with financial difficulty, and have been forced to change their structure, strategies, and management systems. The trend of learning and importing successful American management theories and systems expanded to Japanese society. The Situational Leadership® model, developed by Hersey and Blanchard, is an example of this phenomenon. However, many cross-cultural studies propose that Japanese society has a different culture and values from American society. Therefore, by focusing on Situational Leadership®, this study examined whether models developed in the United States are suitable for Japanese companies. …

Design And Development Of Embedded Dsp Controllers For Power Electronic Applications, Raman Nair Harish Gopala Pillai

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

Power applications like motor drives, inverters have complex algorithms that can be used to improve their efficiency. More often reduced manufacturing cost takes precedence over better efficiency. DSPs with their high computational power can provide reduced cost and higher efficiency. Though the cost of a standalone DSP chip has reduced, its integration to form a complete embedded product is an area often overlooked. High frequency of operation, reduced package size, and sensitivity to component placement are some of the factors that affect the interface between input/output devices and the DSP. This thesis presents the design and development of an embedded …

Conditions For Wave Propagation Along Solar Magnetic Flux Tubes, Swati Routh

Physics Theses - Archive

There is an intimate relation between all aspects of the solar activity and the presence of solar magnetic fields. Observations showed that the magnetic field at the photospheric level consists of magnetic flux tubes, which are located at supergranule boundaries. The flux tubes interact with the solar granulation and convection and, as a result, longitudinal, transverse and torsional magnetic tube waves are generated. These waves are responsible for carrying the energy to the upper parts of the solar atmosphere and heating the atmosphere to temperatures much higher than the solar photosphere. The energy carried by transverse and torsional waves may …

Planning Cities For The Other Percent Of The Residents: Impacts On The Elderly And Disabled Community, Kellie D. Foster

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

The urban environment has evolved in the time since the Second World War. Advances in technology have been a catalyst for numerous urban problems; urban sprawl, poverty and a shortage of low to moderate-income housing, for example. When addressing these issues, city planners often neglect the needs of the disabled community. This is cause for concern because society is aging and due to advancements in medicine, the disabled population is growing exponentially. The focus of this thesis is the roll urban design and city planning has in the issues that plague the disabled community by examining both physical design and …

Robust Airline Fleet Assignment, Venkata Pilla

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The fleet assignment model allocates the fleet of aircraft types to the scheduled flight legs in the airline timetable published 90 days prior to the departure of the aircraft. The objective is to maximize profit. While costs associated with assigning a particular fleet type to a leg are easy to estimate, the revenues are based upon demand, which is realized close to departure. The uncertainty in demand makes it challenging to assign the right type of aircraft to each flight leg based on the forecasts taken 90 days prior to departure. Therefore, in this dissertation a two-stage stochastic programming framework …

Registration Of Beta-Cit Dopamine Transporter Spect Images, Abhinay Dilip Joshi

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

This work outlines a method for quantification of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons by means of SPECT using the cocaine derivative [123I] β-CIT (123I-labelled 2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) tropane (β-CIT))as a radiotracer which binds with high affinity to the dopamine receptors. It has been validated (1) that the calculation of a simple ratio of specific/non-specific displaceable binding during a period of binding-equilibrium in the striatum about 20 hrs after the administration of a bolus injection of the tracer gives a strong and reliable index of the binding potential of dopamine uptake sites. Previous studies [2] have shown that the dopaminergic deficit in patients with Parkinson's …

Phenotypic Differences In The Behavior Of Immortalized Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells In Three Dimensional Culture Systems, Anusha Sridharan

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells (HBECS) immortalized with viral oncoproteins E6/E7, are potentially malignant due to numerous chromosomal aberrations. Recently a model system was established in which HBECS were immortalized with Cyclin-dependent-kinase-4 (Cdk4) and human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (hTERT). These cells were shown to have intact p53 checkpoints and had well expressed differentiation markers. HBECS are non-tumorigenic as they do not form tumors in nude mice or colonies in soft agar. The purpose of this research was to establish the differences in phenotypic behavior between HBECS immortalized with E6/E7 viral oncoproteins and HBECS immortalized with Cdk4/hTERT. A three dimensional culture model …

Development Of A Multi-Channel Handheld Probe Designed For Near Infrared Spectroscopy And An Exploration Into Its Clinical Applications, Pradheep Raman

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and imaging has become popular in research fields for the past 2 decades. My research focuses on the development of a handheld, multi-channel, multi-separation probe for the low-cost, compact, NIR spectroscopy (LCC-NIRS) system and also on the exploration into its possible clinical applications. The work is divided into three parts. The first part deals with the development of the multi-separation probe with source-detector separation of 3.8 cm, 3.3 cm, 3.0 cm, and 2.3 cm. The probe is designed to work as a tri-wavelength system for the LCC-NIRS, which was developed earlier, consisting of one light emitting …

High Precision Spatial And Temporal Control Of Neural Circuitry Using Semi-Automated, Multiwavelength Nanopatterning System, Nagasandhya Mitnala

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

The ideal way to manipulate neurons would be to reversibly activate and inactivate neuronal firing and thus enable a bi-directional control. Many attempts have been made in the past to have such a tool. The traditional approach for controlling neural circuits is to generate a local electric field which has been shown to be highly effective at triggering action potentials in neurons [53]. Although the timing of the electrode stimulation is very precise, its specificity and spatial control are poor. Also, silencing neuronal activity is as important as stimulating it. Ed Boyden described a protein that switches off nerve firing …

Optimization Of Methods For In-Vitro Expansion And Cryopreservation Of Mammalian Stem Cells, Harikrishnan Balachandran

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

The recent advances in the field of Tissue Engineering have given rise to the need for a tremendous quantity of cells. The search for and use of an appropriate multipotent or pluripotent stem cells in tissue engineering is an emerging concept. Mesenchymal stem cells hold a very great deal of promise because of their capacity to self-renew and to differentiate into various lineages. These cells are very low in number in the body but their in vitro expansion capacity is very unique. Taking into consideration the lack of uniform approach for expansion of these MSCs and storing these cells for …

Derivation Of Generalized Lorenz Systems To Study The Onset Of Chaos In High Dimension, Dipanjan Roy

Physics Theses - Archive

This thesis provides a new method to derive high dimensional generalized Lorenz systems. Lorenz system is a celebrated nonlinear dynamical dissipative system which was originally derived by Lorenz to study chaos in weather pattern. The classical two dimensional and dissipative Rayleigh-Benard convection can be approximated by Lorenz model, which was originally derived by taking into account only the lowest three Fourier modes. Numerous attempts have been made to generalize this 3D Lorenz model as the study of this high dimensional model will pave the way to better understand the onset of chaos in high dimensional systems of current interest in …

Phylogenetic Study Of Diadegma Species (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) Inferred From Analysis Of Mitochondrial And Nuclear Dna Sequences, Barbara Wagener, Annette Reineke, Bernhard Löhr, Claus P.W. Zebitz

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The genus Diadegma consists of a large group of parasitoid wasps with a confusing taxonomy based on morphological characters. No phylogenetic studies on this genus or any of its species have been published so far. We examined DNA variations in a 498 bp segment of the cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and in the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and compared nine different Diadegma species (i.e., D. semiclausum, D. insulare, D. fenestrale, D. mollipla, D. rapi., D. leontiniae, D. chrysostictos, D. armillata, D. blackburni) from various geographical origins. Interspecific variation ranged from …

Mate Location Mechanism And Phase-Related Mate Preferences In Solitarius Desert Locust, Schistocerca Gregaria, Sidi Ould Ely, Hassan Mahamat, Peter G.N. Njagi, Magzoub Omer Bashir, Salah El-Tom El-Amin, Ahmed Hassanali

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Mate location responses of male and female solitary-reared locusts that had either experienced no crowding or that had been crowded for varying periods were studied in a flatbed wind tunnel. Two hypotheses were explored: that both sexes of this phase of the locust participate in locating the other by using a combination of chemical and visual signals, and that individuals that experience some crowding (i.e., undergo varying levels of phase shift) can compete effectively with their solitary counterparts in mate location and mating. Our results confirm that both male and female solitarious locusts actively participate in mate location, although the …

The Evolving Perception Of Charles Ives And His Music, Hsiang-Chi Liao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

When Charles Ives's music began to appear in performances and publications in the 1920s, his admirers often regarded him as an American experimentalist who had created radically new kinds of music that was independent from the European musical tradition. This outlook characterized much of what was written on Ives before the 1980s. At that time, a different picture of Ives gradually began to emerge. It argues that in fact, Ives's music owes as much to the European classical tradition as to American vernacular traditions. Scholars began to reconsider Ives's place in music history and stress his debt to the European …

Decision Making Through The Simulation Of Centralized And Decentralized Distribution Storage Systems, Tomasz M. Kosalka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The design of a Supply Chain network has a great impact on a company's performance. Simulation modeling and optimization techniques were selected to analyze and solve supply chain and distribution storage problems.;The techniques were applied to a decision making process of reconfiguring an existing distribution storage system for a Warehouse Chain Company, and modifying it from centralized to a decentralized one. This research presented a methodology for identifying data needs, building an analytical database, creating simulation models with Arena software, optimizing the models with OptQuest software, and performing sensitivity analysis.;As a result of applying this methodology, it was found that …

The Relationship Between Body Mass Index (Bmi) And Beverage Consumption Among 5th Grade Students In West Virginia, Jill A. Kloss

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A large portion of the childhood population in the US is overweight, and beverage consumption may be a contributing factor. A total of 125 students participated in both Healthy Hearts and CARDIAC over two school years. Beverage consumption data from Healthy Hearts and cardiovascular risk factors data (BMI, total cholesterol, HDL, triglycerides, and acanthosis nigricans) from CARDIAC were analyzed. One percent milk was consumed the least and 100% fruit juice was consumed the most. When separated into BMI categories, 69 students were at a healthy weight (BMI85th percentile). Soft drink consumption was significantly different (p=0.02) between the two groups, with …

Psd-Project Sequence Database, Matthew Kayala, Akhila Kambhampati, Stephanie Forschner, Bethany D. Jenkins

Bioinformatics Software Design Projects

1. Introduction

The sequencing of nucleic acids and the subsequent analysis of their encoded the genes and proteins has revolutionized biological sciences and allowed for the determination of evolutionary origins and biochemical potential of organisms. While the technology to determine molecular sequence data has become extremely powerful in terms of both automation and thoughput, sequence analysis technology has lagged behind, unable to efficiently keep up with the vast amount of sequence data being generated both in individual labs and by researchers worldwide. The foundation of robust sequence analysis is dependent on the building and maintaining of project sequence databases (PSD) …

A Probabilistic Approach To Model The Nonisothermal Nucleation Of Triacylglycerol Melts, Alejandro G. Marangoni, Thomas C. Aurand, Silvana Martini, Michel Ollivon

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Crystallization studies are usually performed under isothermal conditions. Kinetic parameters characterizing the isothermal nucleation and growth processes can be obtained using classical nucleation and growth models. However, crystallization regimes found in nature, as well as those used in food and pharmaceutical processing, are rarely isothermal. Focusing on the nucleation stage, the approach followed in this work was to define a new parameter to characterize the driving force of nucleation, the supercooling-time exposure (β), which not only depends on the difference between the melting temperature (Tm) and the onset temperature of nucleation (Tc) ΔTc but also on the induction time of …

Alternative Models Of Knowledge Production: A Step Forward In Information Literacy As A Liberal Art, Shilpa Shanbhag

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Information literacy is embedded within the traditional disciplinary model of knowledge production wherein the role of the scholar/expert and the process of peer-review are emphasized. Exclusive reference to this model is inadequate in informing the production of knowledge outside of formal academic setting and consequently inadequate in supporting the objectives of liberal learning. Shapiro and Hughes' concept of information literacy as a liberal art provides a useful framework for discussion on alternative models of knowledge production.

Federal Environmental Impact Statements: Overly Inflated Needs Result In Needlessenvironmental Harm, Gorden Steinhoff

Languages, Philosophy, and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

According to federal regulations, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) must include a statement of the purpose of, and need for, the proposed action. Unfortunately, the regulations do not specify how to determine the need. Typically, the declared need for a proposed action includes items that are not genuine needs. They are necessary conditions for achieving goals that are merely desired. The result of such overly inflated needs is, literally, needless environmental harm. The author presents criteria for identifying needs that have been developed by philosophers David Braybrooke and Garrett Thomson. These criteria are useful for gauging how far federal agencies …

Depression In Older Adults, Fred Stickle, Dr. Jill D. Duba

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to address selected aspects of depression in older adults. Specifically, symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, and interventions for depression in older adults are reviewed.