Digital Commons Network^™

Opal: In Vivo Based Preservation Framework For Locating Lost Web Pages, Terry L. Harrison

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

We present Opal, a framework for interactively locating missing web pages (http status code 404). Opal is an example of "in vivo" preservation: harnessing the collective behavior of web archives, commercial search engines, and research projects for the purpose of preservation. Opal servers learn from their experiences and are able to share their knowledge with other Opal servers using the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH). Using cached copies that can be found on the web, Opal creates lexical signatures which are then used to search for similar versions of the web page. Using the OAI-PMH to facilitate …

A Feature Specific Modular Approach For Pose And Illumination Invariant Face Recognition, Praveen Sankaran

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A feature specific modular-PCA (Principal Component Analysis) approach on face images in multiple views for pose and illumination invariant face recognition is presented in this thesis. Principal components are extracted from different sub-modules of the image and are concatenated to make a single signature vector to represent a face region in a particular viewing angle. Additional principal components are extracted horn image regions representing key facial feature and are added as an extension of the signature vector. Feature specific modular-PCA approach is capable of recognizing faces in varying illumination conditions and facial expressions as the modular components represent the local …

A Multiplier-Less Architecture For High Speed Computation Of Multi-Dimensional Convolution, Ming Zhu Zhang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

One of the most computationally intensive operations in digital image/video processing systems is multi-dimensional convolution. Every image/video processor needs the convolution module in its pre-processing stage. Fast and efficient design of the convolution module in an application specific system is a great challenge in VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) design. Convolution operator requires a large set of multipliers and accumulators. A high precision multiplier takes enormous amount of VLSI area and it consumes more power. Hence reduction of the number of multipliers is another important challenge in VLSI design. A multiplier-less architecture for the design of a multi-dimensional convolution module …

Strategies For Analysis Of Unimodal And Multimodal Data For Simulation, Anshul Rai Sharma

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The primary objective of this thesis is to provide strategies for analysis for data associated with simulation. Data analysis is an important part of the simulation process. Typically more stress is laid upon the development of the computer simulation while the data analysis takes a back seat. However, the accuracy of a simulation depends on the data driving it. In other words, any simulation is only as accurate as the input data fed into the simulation. Also, the output of simulation should be analyzed properly in order to validly estimate the performance of the system being simulated. The focus of …

Dream: A Theoretical Analysis, Xueying Qi

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

A Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET, for short) is a collection of mobile nodes deployed in support of a short-lived special-purpose operation. Examples include search-and-rescue missions, law-enforcement, multimedia classrooms, and among many others. Unlike cellular or satellite networks, MANET do not rely on any form of pre-existing infrastructure. The mobility of nodes combined with the lack of infrastructure makes routing in MANET notoriously difficult. It was recently suggested that routing in MANET can use to advantage geographic information that the nodes may acquire either by endowing them with a GPS chip or simply by using known localization algorithms. Distance Routing Effect …

Design And Fabrication Of A Prototype Fabry-Perot Cavity For The Compton Polarimeter Upgrade At Jefferson Lab, Deepa Deepa

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Upcoming experiments at Hall A at Jefferson lab require 1 % absolute accuracy of the electron beam polarization measurement at 0.85 Ge V energy. The Compton polarimeter at Hall A is capable of measuring beam polarization with 3 - 4 % accuracies at this beam energy. Hence it was proposed to upgrade the present Compton by doubling the laser frequency [2]. The present Compton polarimeter operates with a 1064 nm, continuous wave laser at 200 mW. This power is enhanced to 1.5 kW using a 0.85 m long Fabry-Perot Cavity. Changing to 532 nm laser with the same power would …

Modeling The Effects Of Physical And Biogeochemical Processes On Phytoplankton Species And Carbon Production In The Equatorial Pacific Ocean, Baris Salihoglu

OES Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this research is to investigate phytoplankton community response to variations in physical forcing and biological processes in the Cold Tongue region of the equatorial Pacific Ocean at 0°N, 140°W. This research objective was addressed using a one-dimensional multi-component lower trophic level ecosystem model that includes detailed algal physiology, such as spectrally-dependent photosynthetic processes and iron limitation on algal growth. The ecosystem model is forced by a one-year (1992) time series of spectrally-dependent light, temperature, and water column mixing obtained from a Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean (TAO) Array mooring. Autotrophic growth is represented by five algal groups, which have …

Collaborative Caching For Efficient And Robust Certificate Authority Services In Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks, Laith Abdulaziz Al-Sulaiman

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Security in Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) is getting a lot of attention due to its inherent vulnerability to a wide spectrum of attacks. Threats exist in every layer of MANET stack, and different solutions have been adapted for each security problem. Additionally, availability is an important criterion in most MANET solutions, but many security frameworks did not consider it. Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI) is no exception, and its deployment in MANET needs major design and implementation modifications that can fit constraints unique to this environment. Our focus in this dissertation is to adapt and increase the availability of Certificate Authority (CA) …

Active Control Of Large Amplitude Nonlinear Free Vibrations And Nonlinear Supersonic Panel Flutter Of Beams And Composite Plates Using Piezoelectric Self-Sensing Actuators, Qinqin Li

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis employs a coupled structural-electrical finite element modal formulation for the control of nonlinear free vibrations, and supersonic panel flutter of beams and composite plates with and without thermal environment. Multiple modes of the nonlinear free vibration and supersonic panel flutter are considered in the closed loop simulations. Two different controllers are designed and investigated. The first one is the output feedback controller comprised of a Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) and an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). EKF considers the nonlinear state space matrix and has a gain sequence evaluated on-line. Thus the LQR/EKF nonlinear controller has more accurate state …

The Determinants Of Academic Performance Of African American Males, Marvin K. Hall

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

In this research on the academic performance of African American males I used data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study: Base Year 1988 to examine the factors that effect academic performance of one small group, the African American male. Independent variables that were used were SES, self-efficacy, self-esteem, two cultural variables, marital status of parents, and discipline. After controlling for SES two variables were related to GPA. The higher the self-efficacy of African American males the higher their GPA and the more discipline problems they had the lower their GPA. Results of this research identify the need to address cultural …

Modeling And Simulation Of Silicon Photonic Crystals Effect Of Oxidation And Etching, G. M. Haider Ali

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Recent inventions of a silicon Raman laser and a high speed photon modulator might motivate integration of electronic and photonic active devices on the same silicon chip. Passive photonic devices in silicon such as waveguides, couplers and splitters have been developed. Photonic devices must be compatible with standard silicon CMOS fabrication processing in order to achieve the integration. Since CMOS fabrication involves a myriad of process steps, it is important to study the effect of processing on photonic devices. Oxidation and etching, two fundamental processes in silicon technology, are utilized in this thesis to model their effects on silicon photonic …

Non-Linear And Linear Transformations Of Features For Robust Speech Recognition And Speaker Identification, Saurabh Prasad

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Automatic speech recognizers perform poorly when training and test data are systematically different in terms of noise and channel characteristics. One manifestation of such differences is variations in the probability density functions (pdfs) between training and test features. Consequently, both automatic speech recognition and automatic speaker identification may be severely degraded. Previous attempts to mm1m1ze this problem include Cepstral Mean and Variance Normalization and transforming all speech features to a uni-variate Gaussian pdf. In this thesis, two techniques are presented for non-linearly scaling speech features to fit them to a target pdf - the first is based on the principles …

Recruitment In Degraded Marine Habitats: A Spatially Explicit, Individual-Based Model For Spiny Lobster, Mark J. Butler Iv, Thomas W. Dolan Iii, John H. Hunt, Kenneth A. Rose, William F. Herrnkind

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Coastal habitats that serve as nursery grounds for numerous marine species are badly degraded, yet the traditional means of modeling populations of exploited marine species handle spatiotemporal changes in habitat characteristics and life history dynamics poorly, if at all. To explore how nursery habitat degradation impacts recruitment of a mobile, benthic species, we developed a spatially explicit, individual-based model that describes the recruitment of Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) in the Florida Keys, where a cascade of environmental disturbances has reconfigured nursery habitat structure. In recent years, the region has experienced a series of linked perturbations, among them, seagrass die-offs, …

Side-By-Side Comparison Of Young Grab And Composite Petite Ponar Grab Samples For The Calculation Of The Benthic Index Of Biological Integrity(B-Ibi), Daniel M. Dauer, Michael F. Lane

Benthic Applications

(First paragraph) The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) intends to unite elements of its National Coastal Assessment Program (NCA) with its Chesapeake Bay Probabilistic Benthic Monitoring (CBP-PBM) Program beginning in the summer of 2005. The primary motivations for this decision were two-fold. First, the probable reduction of federal grant support for the NCA Program after the summer of 2004 would require considerable restructuring of the of DEQ’s estuarine probabilistic monitoring to continue with a comprehensive program in the future. Second, the current CBP-PBM Program has not provided sufficient data for the assessment of minor tidal tributary segments using the …

Virginia Junior Academy Of Science 2005 Awards

Virginia Journal of Science

Listing of award winners by section for the Virginia Junior Academy of Science 2005 Awards. Virginia Academy of Science.

Proceedings: Abstracts Of Papers, 83rd Annual Meeting Of The Virginia Academy Of Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the papers presented at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 17-20, 2005, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Quantifying Vulnerability To Critical Infrastructure, Barry Charles Ezell

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Military and civilian leaders have the responsibility to protect our Nation's critical infrastructure, communities, and symbols of American power from terrorists, home and abroad, as well as from natural disasters. To this end, assessments are conducted to reduce vulnerability. The literature offers multiple definitions of vulnerability and measurement has not been adequately addressed. Thus, the purpose of this research has been to develop and deploy a systems-based model that quantifies vulnerability to critical infrastructure. This research defines critical infrastructure vulnerability as a measure of the susceptibility of critical infrastructure to threat scenarios. Vulnerability is a function of (1) threat scenario, …

Generalization Issues In Pattern Classification Applied To Speaker Identification, Mame C. Sall

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is an extension of previous work on speaker identification, but with a primary focus on the generalization performance of patterns classifiers for speaker identification. The goal for all pattern classifiers is to generalize to new data, not just perform well on the training data set. The error on the training data is typically a biased estimate of the generalization error. The training set error tends to be smaller than the generalization error if the model is selected such that it minimizes the training error. Therefore, the training error alone should not be used as a good predictor of …

Applying A Simulation-Based Real-Time Decision Making Method To Mass Casualty Scenarios In Hospital Emergency Departments, Fatemah Al-Douli

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The high possibility of having a mass casualty incident compels hospitals to plan ahead in order to sufficiently provide the healthcare needed to as many casualty victims as possible. The Emergency Rooms (ER) are usually hospitals' main entrance for many casualties. Therefore, the ER in the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters (CHKD) was selected as the system to be examined. The ER in CHKD, the only specialized pediatric ER in the region, already struggles to handle very high patient arrival rates. Consequently, it is expected that treating a large number of patients surviving within a very short period of …

Image Compression By Vector Quantization Of Dct Coefficients Using A Self-Organizing Neural Network, Kirankumar Boyapati

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Image compression is used to remove different types of redundancies and irrelevant information in an image so that the space required for storing the image is minimized. Conventional transform based techniques remove the redundancies between adjacent pixels and irrelevant information in the image but fail to remove the redundancies between different parts of the image. There are techniques like vector quantization, which take care of the redundant information in different parts of the image, but fail to remove the irrelevant information in the image. In this thesis a new technique for lossy digital image compression is proposed which is a …

Programmable Process Flow Networks, Filip D. Cuckov

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A model that introduces programmability to processes occurring in a cargo terminal simulation through the use of a process language is presented in this thesis. The model provides a means for a straight-forward definition, and redefinition of changing processes, their incorporation in the simulation architecture and efficient execution. The model was built to investigate a solution for transforming the cargo terminal simulation CPortS into a process-oriented simulation without hard-coded processes. The approach taken separates the system into an architecture and a set of processes which utilize and interact with the architecture's resources and infrastructure. The processes that take place within …

Defensin In The Ticks Dermacentor Variabilis And Ixodes Scapularis, Shane Michael Ceraul

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

This dissertation presents the identification, molecular structure and expression of defensin, an antimicrobial peptide, in the ticks, Dermacentor variabilis and Ixodes scapularis. A 624 bp cDNA molecule for defensin was cloned and sequenced from hemocytes, fat body and midgut of unstimulated D. variabilis ticks. Defensin peptide was detected only in the hemocyte lysates. These results suggest that the defensin from D. variabilis is synthesized and stored in the hemocytes, although the role of other tissues is not excluded.

The ability of the juvenile stage ticks to express the defensin gene was confirmed. Detection of the defensin transcript in all …

Predictors Of Student Success In An Entry-Level Baccalaureate Dental Hygiene Program, Mohammad J. Alzahrani

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure the utility of a variety of predictors that have been used by the Old Dominion University, Gene W. Hirschfeld School of Dental Hygiene and other baccalaureate dental hygiene programs in selecting dental hygiene students who are most likely to graduate and be successful in passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE). Specifically this study attempted to determine whether or not the following factors are reliable predictors of success in a an entry-level baccalaureate dental hygiene program as evidenced by graduation and successful entry into the profession as evidenced by passing the …

Modeling Multilevel Supply Chain Systems To Optimize Order Quantities And Order Points Through Mathematical Models, Discrete Event Simulation And Physical Simulations, Alok K. Verma

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Managing supply chains in today's distributed manufacturing environment has become more complex. To remain competitive in today's global marketplace, organizations must streamline their supply chains. The practice of coordinating the design, procurement, flow of goods, services, information and finances, from raw material flows to parts supplier to manufacturer to distributor to retailer and finally to consumer requires synchronized planning and execution. Efficient and effective supply chain management assists an organization in getting the right goods and services to the place needed at the right time, in the proper quantity and at acceptable cost. Managing this process involves developing and overseeing …

The Link Between Corporal Punishment And Teen Pregnancy, Jennifer M. Hagberg

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between corporal punishment and teen pregnancy among women participating in the 2000 survey round of the NLSY Child and Young Adult Surveys. Zero order correlations were used to examine the bivariate relationship between the corporal punishment and teen pregnancy. OLS regression was used to determine if a direct relationship exists between corporal punishment and teen pregnancy after controlling for a host of variables. It was hypothesized that the more frequently a respondent received corporal punishment, the more likely she was to have reported a pregnancy during adolescence, and that this relationship would manifest itself primarily …

Circulation, Vol. 12, No. 1, Center For Coastal Physical Oceanography, Old Dominion University, Chester E. Grosch

CCPO Circulation

Spring 2005 issue of CCPO Circulation featuring article "Large Eddy Simulation of Langmuir Circulation in Shallow Water" by Dr. Chester Grosch

The Role Of Inferential Accuracy In Performance Rating Accuracy: A Field Study Of Teacher Performance Appraisal, Cynthia L. Cooper

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This study first assessed the accuracy of performance appraisal ratings of high school teachers in comparison to the achievement of their students as measured by Virginia's Standard of Learning (SOL) tests. The overall performance rating scores of 145 teachers were compared to the pass rates of their students on SOL end-of-course tests. The rating sub-scores in each of four domains of performance were also compared to the SOL pass rates.

The study then tested the influence of Inferential Accuracy, a model proposed by Jackson (1972), on rating accuracy overall and of individual raters in the study. Inferential Accuracy is comprised …

Grand Strategy Analysis: A Proto-Theoretical Approach, Patrick Magee

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

International relations scholarship begins and ends with assumptions—about human nature; about human interaction; about starting points, relative information, and outcomes. Such assumptions are necessary to further the intellectual coherence and development of scholarly work. However, they restrict the applicability of scholarly research to those situations that parallel the work's underlying assumptions.

This work argues the body of international relations scholarship as a whole would benefit from the development of a pre-theory state, absent any assumptions about international relations, from which observers can identify those works of scholarship that are most effective in explaining perceptive states and the strategic decisions taken …

Bridegroom, Joseph K. Stertz Jr.

English Theses & Dissertations

The thesis contains a collection of poems, which together form an "identity piece," or more specifically, a work of identity-making or construction. The heart of the collection contains poems about the speaker's grandfather, father, an unrequited love and the speaker himself. The speaker is the "I" in the poems.

The collection includes these separate pieces in order to show their significance in the building of the speaker's identity. The thesis attempts to tell the story of the struggle between the identity given by his family (an identity received) and the new identity he seeks to make or construct for himself. …

Clustering And Hybrid Routing In Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, Lan Wang

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on clustering and hybrid routing in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANET). Specifically, we study two different network-layer virtual infrastructures proposed for MANET: the explicit cluster infrastructure and the implicit zone infrastructure. In the first part of the dissertation, we propose a novel clustering scheme based on a number of properties of diameter-2 graphs to provide a general-purpose virtual infrastructure for MANET. Compared to virtual infrastructures with central nodes, our virtual infrastructure is more symmetric and stable, but still light-weight. In our clustering scheme, cluster initialization naturally blends into cluster maintenance, showing the unity between these two operations. …