Digital Commons Network^™

Data Mining Based Learning Algorithms For Semi-Supervised Object Identification And Tracking, Michael P. Dessauer

Doctoral Dissertations

Sensor exploitation (SE) is the crucial step in surveillance applications such as airport security and search and rescue operations. It allows localization and identification of movement in urban settings and can significantly boost knowledge gathering, interpretation and action. Data mining techniques offer the promise of precise and accurate knowledge acquisition techniques in high-dimensional data domains (and diminishing the “curse of dimensionality” prevalent in such datasets), coupled by algorithmic design in feature extraction, discriminative ranking, feature fusion and supervised learning (classification). Consequently, data mining techniques and algorithms can be used to refine and process captured data and to detect, recognize, classify, …

Vascular Countercurrent Network For 3d Triple-Layered Skin Structure With Radiation Heating, Xiaoqi Zeng

Doctoral Dissertations

Heat transfer in living tissue has become more and more attention for researchers, because high thermal radiation produced by intense fire, such as wild fires, chemical fires, accidents, warfare, terrorism, etc, is often encountered in human's daily life. Living tissue is a heterogeneous organ consisting of cellular tissue and blood vessels, and heat transfer in cellular tissue and blood vessel is quite different, because the blood vessels provide channels for fast heat transfer. The metabolic heat generation, heat conduction and blood perfusion in soft tissue, convection and perfusion of the arterial-venous blood through the capillary, and interaction with the environment …

Three Elements Of Self-Regulated Learning: Metacognitive Functioning, Self-Efficacy, And Study Behavior, Catherine E. Overson

Doctoral Dissertations

Individuals' metacognitive insight regarding their own performances -- what people think they know about what they know -- is often flawed. Students' metacognitive functioning was examined in two studies. In Study 1, exam performance estimates compared with actual scores were assessed across three in-class exams. Results demonstrated a systematic tendency for lower performers to overestimate their exam performances. Top performers underestimated their performance. In Study 2, an incentive to be as accurate as possible in exam performance estimations ($50 gift card) did not reduce estimation miscalculations for either bottom or top performers.

In Study 1, higher levels of students' self-efficacy …

Models And Methods For Computationally Efficient Analysis Of Large Spatial And Spatio-Temporal Data, Chengwei Yuan

Doctoral Dissertations

With the development of technology, massive amounts of data are often observed at a large number of spatial locations (n). However, statistical analysis is usually not feasible or not computationally efficient for such large dataset. This is the so-called "big n problem".

The goal of this dissertation is to contribute solutions to the "big n problem". The dissertation is devoted to computationally efficient methods and models for large spatial and spatio-temporal data. Several approximation methods to "the big n problem" are reviewed, and an extended autoregressive model, called the EAR model, is proposed as a parsimonious model that accounts for …

Proof And Reasoning In An Inquiry-Oriented Class: The Impact Of Classroom Discourse, Susan D. Generazzo

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past decade, mathematics educators and researchers have become increasingly aware of the impact of social interactions on students' learning (NCTM, 2000; Bowers & Nickerson, 2001; Forman, 2003). Current research indicates that the classroom environment, including the activities and discussions that take place, can have a significant effect on the ways students make sense of mathematical concepts (Yackel, 2001). Understanding mathematics involves knowing how to make sense of key concepts through the processes of reasoning and justification. Educators and researchers agree on the importance of providing students with opportunities in class to explore, conjecture, and prove in order to …

The Deconstruction Of Ambition: Campus Climate, Stereotype Threat, And The Motivational Goals Of African American Students At A Selective Small Liberal Arts College, Roland S. Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

African American students face many challenges when they attend highly selective, predominantly White institutions. Lack of support for or belief in their academic success on the part of White faculty and peers may contribute to a climate in which it becomes increasingly difficult for African American students to be motivated and believe in their ability to excel academically. Studies suggest that an unsupportive racial climate on campus perpetuates "stereotype threat"---the conception that task performance can be affected by a fear of being evaluated on the basis of, or inadvertently perpetuating a stereotype about one's racial group, and a decade of …

Homotopy Mapping Spaces, Jeremy Brazas

Doctoral Dissertations

In algebraic topology, one studies the group structure of sets of homotopy classes of maps (such as the homotopy groups pin( X)) to obtain information about the spaces in question. It is also possible to place natural topologies on these groups that remember local properties ignored by the algebraic structure. Upon choosing a topology, one is left to wonder how well the added topological structure interacts with the group structure and which results in homotopy theory admit topological analogues. A natural place to begin is to view the n-th homotopy group pi n(X) as the quotient space of the iterated …

Wireless Sensor Integrated Tool For Characterization Of Machining Dynamics In Milling, Christopher Adam Suprock

Doctoral Dissertations

A first step towards practical sensing in the machining environment is the development and use of low cost, reliable sensors. Historically, the ability to record in-process data at an end mill tool tip has been limited by the sensor location. Often, these sensors are mounted on the material workpiece or the machine spindle at significant physical distance from the cutting process. Of specific interest are the problems of tool chatter which causes limitations to productivity and part quality. Although tool chatter is a substantial issue in machining, it remains an open research topic. In this research, a sensor integrated cutting …

Design Of A Low Power Switched-Capacitor Pipeline Analog-To-Digital Converter, Gang Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

An Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) is a circuit which converts an analog signal into digital signal. Real world is analog, and the data processed by the computer or by other signal processing systems is digital. Therefore, the need for ADCs is obvious.

In this thesis, several novel designs used to improve ADCs operation speed and reduce ADC power consumption are proposed. First, a high speed switched source follower (SSF) sample and hold amplifier without feedthrough penalty is implemented and simulated. The SSF sample and hold amplifier can achieve 6 Bit resolution with sampling rate at 10Gs/s.

Second, a novel …

Analytical And Numerical Prediction Of Localized Necking In Sheet Metal Forming Processes, Raed Zuhair Hasan

Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of this research is to investigate, develop and validate analytical and numerical tools that can accurately predict failure in sheet metal forming operations. The strain-based forming limit curve (FLC) is one of the tools to predict the maximum permissible strains of thin metallic sheets which are loaded in the plane of the sheet to different states of stress. It may be used to assess forming operations in the press shops as well as unintentional deformations, such as vehicle, aircraft, or train crashes. The accurate prediction of failure in sheet metal stamping can shorten product lead times, decrease tooling …

Aspects Of String Compactification, Guoqin Ren

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation addresses some interesting problems in string compactification relevant to phenomenology, especially cosmological models derived from string theory Most attention is drawn to stabilizing the moduli and discussing the cosmology solutions given the effective potential obtained from string theory. We first discuss compactification of type IIB string theory in the presence of flux. With the moduli stabilized, we obtain the effective potential in the large volume limit. We then focus on getting the vacua of the potential and solving the cosmology equations. Finally we compare the solutions with observations in cosmology.

On Decompositions And Connes's Embedding Problem Of Finite Von Neumann Algebras, Jinsong Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

A longstanding open question of Connes asks whether every finite von Neumann algebra embeds into an ultraproduct of finite-dimensional matrix algebras. As of yet, algebras verified to satisfy Connes's embedding property belong to just a few special classes (e.g. amenable algebras and free group factors). In this dissertation we establish Connes's embedding property for von Neumann algebras satisfying Popa's co-amenability condition. Some decomposition properties of finite von Neumann algebras are also investigated.

Chapter 1 reviews von Neumann algebras, completely bounded mappings, conditional expectations, tensor products, crossed products, direct integrals, and Jones basic construction.

Chapter 2 introduces new decompositions of finite …

A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study Of Two-Phase Flows In The Presence Of Surfactants, Yuanyuan Cui

Doctoral Dissertations

Drop formation in co-flowing fluids and drops rising in a tube are important in applications such as microencapsulation and enhanced oil recovery. A hybrid volume-of-fluid method with a front-tracking scheme is developed to study two-phase flows in the presence of surfactants at finite Reynolds numbers. Both fluids can be Newtonian or shear-thinning, and surfactants are soluble in the adsorption-desorption limit. A drop in the co-flowing geometry typically breaks up at the primary neck. The drop breaks faster with smaller volumes as the outer flow rate increases or the drop viscosity decreases. When surfactants are present, they accumulate in the neck …

Artifact-Based Reflective Interviews For Identifying Pragmatic Epistemological Resources, Christopher Walden Shubert

Doctoral Dissertations

Physics Education Research studies the science of teaching and learning physics. The process of student learning is complex, and the factors that affect it are numerous. Describing students' understanding of physics knowledge and reasoning is the basis for much productive research; however, such research fails to account for certain types of student learning difficulties. In this dissertation, I explore one source of student difficulty: personal epistemology, students' ideas about knowledge and knowing.

Epistemology traditionally answers three questions: What is knowledge? How is knowledge created? And, how do we know what we know? An individual's responses to these questions can affect …

Investigation Of Microbubble/Droplet Formation In Cross-Flow And Co-Flow Micro Devices, Tom J. John

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary goal of the work presented in this dissertation is to generate microbubbles of a diameter of less than 15μm inside micro channels. In order to achieve this detailed understanding, the facts and limitations behind the generation of microbubbles inside a micro channel are determined from existing literature. The major limitations of the current bubble/droplet generators are found to be the bubble confinement effect, the merging of bubbles, the difficulty in determining bubble diameter and the need for smaller channels to generate smaller bubbles. A device eliminating these drawbacks is conceptualized, and its feasibility is studied using COMSOL® and …

Proton-Proton Correlation Functions As A Probe To Reaction, Micha A. Kilburn '95

Doctoral Dissertations

In an experiment at NSCL, proton-proton (p-p) correlation functions were measured in ⁴⁰Ca+⁴⁰Ca and ⁴⁸Ca+⁴⁸Ca reactions, both at E/A = 80 MeV. The High Resolution Array (HiRA) detected light particles with excellent energy (<200 keV) and angular (~0.2^o) resolution. The MSU 4pi Array covered 77% of the total 4pi solid angle and was used to determine the impact parameter for collisions using transverse energy (E_t) as the relevant observable.

Two-particle correlation functions are employed in this work to measure the space-time …

One Pot Synthesis Of Metal, Carbides And Polymeric Aerogels, Naveen K. Chandrasekaran

Doctoral Dissertations

"Ultra-low density, three-dimensional assemblies of nanoparticles are referred to as aerogels, and typically are derived from supercritical fluid (SCF) drying of wet-gels. Aerogels are generally fragile materials, but that issue has been addressed successfully by X-aerogels, in which the inorganic nanoparticle framework plays the role of the template for the accumulation of polymer that connects covalently and crosslinks the nanoparticles. The resulting materials can be 300x stronger than the native network, for a nominal increase in density by a factor of 3x. Since the exceptional mechanical properties of X-aerogels are traced to the conformal polymer coating, it was reasonable to …

Minimal And Near Minimal Congruence Lattice Representations Of Finite Lattices By Finite Algebras On Sets Of Integers, Roger Lee Bunn

Doctoral Dissertations

"We give finite congruence lattice representations of some finite distributive, modular and nonmodular lattices by means of finite algebras on sets of integers. These representations are minimal or near minimal as determined by ρ, a mapping from the class R of finitely representable lattices into the natural numbers N"--Abstract, page iii.

Apparent Weekly And Daily Earthquake Periodicities In The Western United States, And Evolution Of Wadi Kubbania In Egypt, Ali Hadi Atef

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dissertation consists of two separate sections. The first section is on apparent daily and weekly periodicities in earthquake occurrence in the western United State [sic]. Analysis of Apparent Seismicity Rate (ASR) in the western United States confirmed the existence of prominent spectral peaks with a period of 1 and 7 days. The number of recorded earthquakes on Sundays for the duration of 1963-2008 is about 5% higher than that on weekdays, and, more significantly, there is a 9% increase of ASR in the early morning compared with that in the middle of the days. Significant similarities between the spatial …

Approximate Dynamic Programming Solutions With A Single Network Adaptive Critic For A Class Of Nonlinear Systems, Jie Ding

Doctoral Dissertations

"Approximate dynamic programming formulation implemented with an Adaptive Critic (AC) based neural network (NN) structure has evolved as a powerful technique for solving the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations. As interest in ADP and the AC solutions are escalating with time, there is a dire need to consider possible enabling factors for their implementations. A typical AC structure consists of two interacting NNs which is computationally expensive. In this work, a new architecture, called the "Cost Function Based Single Network Adaptive Critic (J-SNAC)" is presented that eliminates one of the networks in a typical AC structure. This approach is applicable to a …

The Effects Of Three Concept Mapping Strategies On Seventh-Grade Students' Science Achievement At An Urban Middle School, Navdeep Dosanjh

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

Integrated Computational Intelligence And Japanese Candlestick Method For Short-Term Financial Forecasting, Takenori Kamo

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research presents a study of intelligent stock price forecasting systems using interval type-2 fuzzy logic for analyzing Japanese candlestick techniques. Many intelligent financial forecasting models have been developed to predict stock prices, but many of them do not perform well under unstable market conditions. One reason for poor performance is that stock price forecasting is very complex, and many factors are involved in stock price movement. In this environment, two kinds of information exist, including quantitative data, such as actual stock prices, and qualitative data, such as stock traders' opinions and expertise. Japanese candlestick techniques have been proven to …

Being And Becoming Public School Teachers: Career Mobility Of Chinese Overseas-Trained Teachers In The San Francisco Bay Area, Lily L. Chow

Doctoral Dissertations

Teacher shortage and retention has persisted in the United States for decades. Ethnic minority teachers are underrepresented in public K-12 schools as well as teachers for English learners. Untapped pools of overseas-trained teachers who are lawful permanent residents exist but are unemployed, underemployed, or working in other fields. To earn a local teaching credential, the immigrant bears the burden of proving equivalent knowledge and skills to re-enter her or his profession in the United States. At the time of this study, there was no research about overseas-trained immigrant teachers entering the teaching profession for primary and secondary public school students …

Transcending Borders: The Experience Of Six Undocumented Immigrant Mothers In The United States, Patricia Derobles

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain meaningful insights into the experiences of six undocumented immigrant mothers as they settled in the United States while they raise and participate in the educational life of their children. Currently 10 % of California's 6 million students originate from homes where one or two parents are undocumented, poor and have limited English skills. Undocumented immigrants live in constant fear of deportation, live and work in the shadows of mainstream society, are stigmatized by the media, are criminalized by immigration law and exploited by their employers. Historically, children originating from immigrant homes have …

To Know, Love, And Serve God: The Characteristics Of A Holy Cross School, Walter E. Jenkins

Doctoral Dissertations

Religious congregations have contributed notably to the shaping of the American Catholic experience through their schools. Many of these congregations, founded in Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, brought to the United States their values, traditions and expertise to sustain and complement the growing American Catholic community. However, in the later part of the 20th century, a dramatic decline in the number of religious in these communities posed a challenge to the American Church and its schools. In spite of the dramatically decreasing membership, the Congregation of Holy Cross continues to sponsor 13 secondary schools in the United States. …

Grading And Reporting Purposes And Practices In Catholic Secondary Schools And Grades' Efficacy In Accurately Communicating Student Learning, Peter Imperial

Doctoral Dissertations

Few aspects of school are as controversial as the practice of grading, for grades affect students' educational opportunities. The purpose of this study was to identify the practices Catholic high-school teachers employed in determining students' grades. The study investigated the extent to which academic achievement comprised the grades teachers reported, and the extent to which teachers' practices are consistent with their expressed purposes for grading. The study also explored the extent to which Catholic teachers' grading practices are consistent with their schools' purpose for grading. Using random sampling, 486 Catholic secondary school teachers and 50 administrators from 33 high schools …

The Frequency Of Implementation Of Lasallian Pedagogy In Traditional College-Preparatory High Schools Sponsored By The De La Salle Christian Brothers In The United States, Kristopher White

Doctoral Dissertations

Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the De La Salle Christian Brothers have re-examined the charism of their founder, St. John Baptist De La Salle, and the meaning of their founding documents in light of modern circumstances. Only recently have Lasallian scholars (Campos & Sauvage, 1981, 1999; Lauraire, 2004, 2006; Poutet, 1997; Van Grieken, 1995, 1999) been bridging the gap between the spiritual awareness of the Lasallian charism and the implications for classroom practice.

This study established a baseline measurement for the frequency of implementation of Lasallian pedagogy according to the seven dimensions of Lasallian pedagogy, as defined by White …

Perceptions Regarding The Identity And Culture Of A Lasallian Catholic Secondary School In Australia, Adrian Watson

Doctoral Dissertations

This 2010 qualitative case study explored the perceptions of administrators and teachers regarding the Lasallian Catholic identity and culture of St. John's College (a pseudonym), a secondary school located in Australia. Data collection occurred over a 10-week period primarily from the researcher's interviews with three administrators and 12 teachers, and supplemented by his observations of school events and analysis of school documents.

Overall, the participants in the study identified numerous characteristics of a Lasallian Catholic school, and perceived St. John's College as reflecting many of them. The observed school and faculty activities and the analyzed school documents validated their perceptions. …

Perceptions Of Middle School Latina Students On Factors Effecting Their Education : A Participatory Action Research Study, Katherine L. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable

Text And Mimesis : Reconfiguring Technology And Adult Learning, Nicholas P. Recchia

Doctoral Dissertations

unavailable