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Faculty Senate Monthly Packet January 1995, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The January 1995 Monthly packet includes the January agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held December 1994.

Meeting Agenda October 1995 - June 2000, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda Compilations (Five Year)

Meeting agendas of the Faculty Senate for October 1995 to June 2000.

Annual Faculty Senate Minutes October 1995 - June 1996, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Annual Compilations of the Faculty Senate Minutes (Minutes Only)

Minutes of the Faculty Senate for October 1995 to June 1996.

Hardware For Fast Global Operations On Distributed Memory Multicomputers And Multiprocessors, Douglas V. Hall

Dissertations and Theses

"Grand Challenge" problems such as climate modeling to predict droughts and human genome mapping to predict and possibly cure diseases such as cancer require massive computing power. Three kinds of computer systems currently used in attempts to solve these problems are "Big Iron" multicomputers such as the Intel Paragon, workstation cluster multicomputers, and distributed shared memory multiprocessors such as the Cray T3D. Machines such as these are inefficient in executing some or all of a set of global program operations which are important in many of the "Grand Challenge" programs. These operations include synchronization, reduction, MAX, MIN, one-to-all broadcasting, all-to-all …

Beam Modes Of Lasers With Misaligned Complex Optical Elements, Anthony A. Tovar

Dissertations and Theses

A recurring theme in my research is that mathematical matrix methods may be used in a wide variety of physics and engineering applications. Transfer matrix techniques are conceptually and mathematically simple, and they encourage a systems approach. Once one is familiar with one transfer matrix method, it is straightforward to learn another, even if it is from a completely different branch of science. Thus it is useful to overview these methods, and this has been done here. Of special interest are the applications of these methods to laser optics, and matrix theorems concerning multipass optical systems and periodic optical systems …

A Taxonomy Of Types Of Uncertainty, Byrne Elliot Lovell

Dissertations and Theses

This study considers an expanded meaning of "uncertainty" as it affects decision-makers. The definition adopted is based on a decision-maker who is uncertain, i.e. aware of the insufficiency of her knowledge for the purpose of rationally determining which option to choose. A taxonomy of uncertainties is developed from this definition. The first stage is a Generalized Decision Model, which expands on a standard decision model often assumed in technical works by allowing uncertainty over components of the model that are assumed to be perfectly known in the standard model. These additional potential "subjects" of uncertainty include the feasibility of options, …

Viking 1995, Portland State University

The Viking (Yearbooks)

Portland State University 1995 yearbook

Scheduling Of Parallel Jobs On Dynamic, Heterogenous Networks, Dan Clark, Jeremy Casas, Steve Otto, Robert Prouty, Jonathan Walpole

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In using a shared network of workstations for parallel processing, it is not only important to consider heterogeneity and differences in processing power between the workstations but also the dynamics of the system as a whole. In such a computing environment where the use of resources vary as other applications consume and release resources, intelligent scheduling of the parallel jobs onto the available resources is essential to maximize resource utilization. Despite this realization, however, there are few systems available that provide an infrastructure for the easy development and testing of these intelligent schedulers. In this paper, an infrastructure is presented …

Optimizing Object Invocation Using Optimistic Incremental Specialization, Jon Inouye, Andrew P. Black, Charles Consel, Calton Pu, Jonathan Walpole

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

To make object invocation efficient, it is important to minimize overhead. In general, overhead is incurred in order to maintain transparency; with the advent of mobile computer systems, persistence, increasing security and privacy concerns, transparency becomes more expensive and overhead is increasing. Invocation mechanisms maintain transparency by finding objects, choosing communication media, performing data translation into common formats (e.g., XDR), marshalling arguments, encrypting confidential data, etc. Performing all of these operations on every invocation would lead to unacceptable performance, so designers often avoid operations by specializing object invocation for more restricted environments. For example, the Emerald compiler performs several optimizations …

Structuring Skinner: Argument, Structure, And Metaphor In Verbal Behavior, Patrick Hamilton

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

Skinner’s purpose in Verbal Behavior is to make the study of behavior a science and thus to eliminate argument, rhetoric, and metaphor. But clearly Skinner has not completely eliminated argument, rhetoric, and metaphor from his study. This discussion of Skinner’s work demonstrates that these rhetorical and persuasive ways are tied into his "scientific" investigation of language and verbal behavior, and in many ways, it is these very methods that allow Skinner to create and describe his conception of verbal behavior, even as he claims to be eliminating and avoiding the use of these techniques. This analysis of Skinner's Verbal Behavior …

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: Moving PSU athletic teams to the Big Sky Conference—a match made in heaven or a crash landing?; if gangs only conjure up an image of urban black youth, you’re wrong; dealing with today’s complex world requires new thinking, as suggested in this article by System Science professor Harold Lintone; the dinosaur bones Dave Taylor dug up in Oregon this past summer are now part of the museum collection he oversees; a screenplay writer and PSU alum finds success in Tinseltown; and more.

Variance And Uncertainty Measures Of Population Diversity Dynamics, Mark A. Bedau, Martin Zwick, Alan Bahm

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

We define variance and uncertainty measures of population diversity. Both measures have precise decompositions that we can exploit in analysis of evolutionary dynamics. We discuss how these measures are related and how they can be observed in artificial and natural evolving systems.

Information Theoretic Mask Analysis Of Rainfall Time Series Data, Martin Zwick, Hui Shu, Roy Koch

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study explores an information-theoretic/log-linear approach to multivariate time series analysis. The method is applied to daily rainfall data(4 sites, 9 years), originally quantitative but here treated as dichotomous. The analysis ascertains which lagged variables are most predictive of future rainfall and how season can be optimally defined as an auxiliary predicting parameter. Call the rainfall variables at the four sites A...D, and collectively, Z, the lagged site variables at t-1, E,,,H, at t-2, I...L, etc. and the seasonal parameter, S. The best model, reducing the Shannon uncertainty, u(Z), by 22%. is HGFSJK Z, where the independent variables, H through …

Evolution Of Emergent Computation, James P. Crutchfield, Melanie Mitchell

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

A simple evolutionary process can discover sophisticated methods for emergent information processing in decentralized spatially-extended systems. The mechanisms underlying the resulting emergent computation are explicated by a novel technique for analyzing particle-based logic embedded in pattern-forming systems. Understanding how globally-coordinated computation can emerge in evolution is relevant both for the scientific understanding of natural information processing and for engineering new forms of parallel computing systems.

On Modeling Of A Mobile Multipath Fading Channel, Heng Xiao

Dissertations and Theses

Multipath fading is one of the major practical concerns in wireless communications. A multipath transmission takes place when a transmitted signal arrives at a receiver by two or more paths of different delay. Such multiple paths may be due to atmospheric reflection or refraction, or reflections from buildings or other objects. A multipath fading channel is usually modeled as a time-variant tapped delay system. RAKE receiver can be used to detect the signal from the multipath fading channel. However, the number of delay taps, the time delay of each path, and the tap weight for each delay path need to …

Methodology For Accurate Speedup Prediction, Aruna Chittor

Dissertations and Theses

The effective use of computational resources requires a good understanding of parallel architectures and algorithms. The effect of the parallel architecture and also the parallel application on the performance of the parallel systems becomes more complex with increasing numbers of processors. We will address this issue in this thesis, and develop a methodology to predict the overall execution time of a parallel application as a function of the system and problem size by combining simple analysis with a few experimental results. We show that runtimes and speedup can be predicted more accurately by analyzing the functional forms of the sequential …

Meeting Notes 1994-12-08 [Part B] , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

Predicting Solute Transport In Natural Streams - A Stochastic Approach, Xueqing Zhou

Dissertations and Theses

The existing theories for predicting longitudinal dispersion in straight open channels have long been recognized as inadequate when applied to natural rivers. These theories tend to grossly underestimate dispersion in real streams since an important mixing mechanism due to nonuniform river cross-section variations is not explicitly taken into account. Recognizing the important role of stream irregularities on solute transport and the analytical difficulties of classical deterministic analysis, we develop a stochastic approach for analyzing solute transport in natural streams. Variations in river width and bed elevation are conveniently represented as one-dimensional random fields, characterized by their autocorrelation functions. Advection and …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet December 1994, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The December 1994 Monthly packet includes the December agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held November 1994.

Erp Analysis Using Matched Filtering And Wavelet Transform, Xueming Lin

Dissertations and Theses

Event related potentials (ERP's) carry very important information that relates to the performance of the brain functions of the human being. Further studies have identified that one component, in particular, P₃₀₀, is affected by the memory process. Matched filter is used to improved the SNR of signal ERP's. We use the output of the matched filter to distinguish the difference of the waveforms between normal subjects and memory-impaired subjects. In our study, we found that the peak values of the matched filtering output were different between normal subjects and memoryimpaired subjects. Also, as an application, wavelet transform is …

Meeting Notes 1994-11-10 , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.

Two Dimensional Finite Element Modeling Of Swift Delta Soil Nail Wall By "Abaqus", Richard James Barrows

Dissertations and Theses

Soil nail walls are a form of mechanical earth stabilization for cut situations. They consist of the introduction of passive inclusions (nails) into soil cut lifts. These nailed lifts are then tied together with a structural facing (usually shotcrete) . The wall lifts are constructed incrementally from the top of cut down. Soil nail walls are being recognized as having potential for large cost savings over other alternatives. The increasing need to provide high capacity roadways in restricted rights of way under structures such as bridges will require increasing use of techniques such as combined soil nail and piling walls. …

The Decision And Rationale Which Led To Construction On High-Risk Land After The 1964 Alaska Earthquake: Analysis Of Risk-Based Cultural Dissociation, Sheila Ann Selkregg

Dissertations and Theses

Many lives and much property are lost in disasters when individuals and communities choose to ignore information which could mitigate the potential disaster. This case study examines community and individual decision processes and rationale which led to construction of a high-occupancy high-rise courthouse on land designated as high risk after the 1964 Alaska earthquake. The study reviews policy and decision making, psychology, and risk management literature to explore the psychological mechanisms and processes of hazard mitigation decisions.

It questions why individuals and communities choose not to mitigate when they have the information which makes risk mitigation possible. The hypothesis theorizes …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet November 1994, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The November 1994 Monthly packet includes the November agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held October 1994.

Data Assimilation In Models With Convective Adjustment, Robert N. Miller, Edward D. Zaron, Andrew F. Bennett

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Practical hydrostatic ocean models are often restricted to statically stable configurations by the use of a convective adjustment. A common way to do this is to assign an infinite boat conductivity to the water at a given level if the water column should become statically unstable. This is implemented in the form of a switch. When a statically unstable configuration is detected, it is immediately replaced with a statically stable one in which heat is conserved. In this approach, the model is no longer governed by a smooth set of equations, and usual techniques of variational data assimilation must be …

Beam Propagation In Parabolically Tapered Graded-Index Waveguides, Anthony A. Tovar, Lee W. Casperson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

To a good approximation, the electromagnetic-propagation characteristics of graded-index waveguides can be written in terms of polynomial-Gaussian modes. For uniform quadratic-index waveguides the behavior of these modes is well known. However, there are sometimes practical reasons for using tapered waveguides, but detailed propagation solutions are known for only a few specific taper functions. The parabolic taper is perhaps the most important special case, and the solution-generating techniques that we generalize are used to obtain analytic solutions for this case.

High Level Preprocessor Of A Vhdl-Based Design System, Karthikeyan Palanisamy

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents the work done on a design automation system in which high-level synthesis is integrated with logic synthesis. DIADES, a design automation system developed at PSU, starts the synthesis process from a language called ADL. The major part of this thesis deals with transforming the ADL -based DIADES system into a VHDL -based DIADES system. In this thesis I have upgraded and modified the existing DIADES system so that it becomes a preprocessor to a comprehensive VHDL -based design system from Mentor Graphics.

The high-level synthesis in the DIADES system includes two stages: data path synthesis and control …

An Analysis Of Approaches To Efficient Hardware Realization Of Image Compression Algorithms, Kamran Iravani

Dissertations and Theses

In this thesis an attempt has been made to develop a fast algorithm to compress images. The Reed-Muller compression algorithm which was introduced by Reddy & Pai [3] is fast, but the compression factor is too low when compared to the other methods. In this thesis first research has been done to improve this method by generalizing the Reed-Muller transform to the fixed polarity Reed-Muller form. This thesis shows that the Fixed Polarity Reed-Muller transform does not improve the compression factor enough to warrant its use as an image compression method. The paper, by Reddy & Pai [3], on Reed-Muller …

Minimization Of Generalized Reed-Muller Expansion And Its Sub-Class, Xiaoqiang Zeng

Dissertations and Theses

Several classes of AND-EXOR circuit expressions have been defined and their relationship have been shown. A new class of AND-EXOR circuit, the Partially Mixed Polarity Reed-Muller Expression(PMPRM), which is a subclass of the Generalized Reed-Muller expression, is created, along with an efficient minimization algorithm. This new AND/EXOR circuit form has the following features: • Since this sub-family of ESOP (with a total of n2n-I22n-i - (n-1)2n forms which includes the 2n Fixed-Polarity Reed-Muller forms) is much larger than the Kronecker Reed-Muller(KRM) expansion(with 3n forms), generally the minimal form of this expansion will be much closer to the minimal ESOP than …

Meeting Notes 1994-10-13 , Joint Policy Advisory Committee On Transportation

Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation

No abstract provided.