Digital Commons Network^™

Non-Parametric Methods For Soil Moisture Retrieval From Satellite Remote Sensing Data, Tarendra Lakhankar, Hosni Ghedira, Marouane Temimi, Manajit Sengupta, Reza Khanbilvardi, Reginald Blake

Publications and Research

Satellite remote sensing observations have the potential for efficient and reliable mapping of spatial soil moisture distributions. However, soil moisture retrievals from active microwave remote sensing data are typically complex due to inherent difficulty in characterizing interactions among land surface parameters that contribute to the retrieval process. Therefore, adequate physical mathematical descriptions of microwave backscatter interaction with parameters such as land cover, vegetation density, and soil characteristics are not readily available. In such condition, non-parametric models could be used as possible alternative for better understanding the impact of variables in the retrieval process and relating it in the absence of …

Statistical Dynamics Of Flowing Red Blood Cells By Morphological Image Processing, John M. Higgins, David T. Eddington, Sangeeta N. Bhatia, L. Mahadevan

Publications and Research

Blood is a dense suspension of soft non-Brownian cells of unique importance. Physiological blood flow involves complex interactions of blood cells with each other and with the environment due to the combined effects of varying cell concentration, cell morphology, cell rheology, and confinement. We analyze these interactions using computational morphological image analysis and machine learning algorithms to quantify the non-equilibrium fluctuations of cellular velocities in a minimal, quasi-two-dimensional microfluidic setting that enables high-resolution spatio-temporal measurements of blood cell flow. In particular, we measure the effective hydrodynamic diffusivity of blood cells and analyze its relationship to macroscopic properties such as bulk …

Problem Method: No Simple Solution, Shirley Lung

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Biotechnology, Sustainability And Trust, Rebecca Bratspies

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

An Interdisciplinary Approach To Science Communication Education: A Case Study, Amy R. Pearce, Aldemaro Romero Jr., John B. Zibluk

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Most Effective Statistical Approach To Correct Environmental Satellite Data, Md Zahidur Rahman, Leonid Roytman

Publications and Research

The proposed paper apply novel statistical approach to correct radiometric data measured by Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometers (AVHRR) onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites (POES). This paper investigates Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) stability in the NOAA/NESDIS Global Vegetation Index (GVI) data during 1982-2003. AVHRR weekly data for the five NOAA afternoon satellites for the China dataset is studied, for it includes a wide variety of different ecosystems represented globally. It was found that data for the years 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2000 are not stable enough compared to other years …

Lattice Operators And Topologies, Eva Cogan

Publications and Research

Working within a complete (not necessarily atomic) Boolean algebra, we use a sublattice to define a topology on that algebra. Our operators generalize complement on a lattice which in turn abstracts the set theoretic operator. Less restricted than those of Banaschewski and Samuel, the operators exhibit some surprising behaviors. We consider properties of such lattices and their interrelations. Many of these properties are abstractions and generalizations of topological spaces. The approach is similar to that of Bachman and Cohen. It is in the spirit of Alexandroff, Frolík, and Nöbeling, although the setting is more general. Proceeding in this manner, we …

A Reflective Teaching Journal: An Instructional Improvement Tool For Academic Librarians, Elizabeth K. Tompkins

Publications and Research

This paper explores the practice of keeping a reflective teaching journal to improve classroom instruction. Reflective practice and journaling have a rich tradition in the teacher education field. Accordingly, the teacher education literature provides the starting point for this case study of keeping a reflective teaching journal for library sessions given to first semester freshmen enrolled in a learning community. The journaling process proved useful by helping to improve instruction while also providing a mechanism to link theory with practice.

The Maximum Of The Maximum Rectilinear Crossing Numbers Of D-Regular Graphs Of Order N, Matthew Alpert, Elie Feder, Heiko Harborth

Publications and Research

We extend known results regarding the maximum rectilinear crossing number of the cycle graph (Cn) and the complete graph (Kn ) to the class of general d-regular graphs Rn,d. We present the generalized star drawings of the d-regular graphs Sn,d of order n where n + d ≡ 1 (mod 2) and prove that they maximize the maximum rectilinear crossing numbers. A star-like drawing of Sn,d for n ≡ d ≡ 0 (mod 2) is introduced and we conjecture that this drawing maximizes the maximum rectilinear crossing numbers, too. We offer a simpler proof of two results initially proved by …

Series That Probably Converge To One, Thomas J. Pfaff, Max Tran

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Phenyl-Substituted Siloxane Hybrid Gels That Soften Below 140[Degrees]C, Andrei Jitianu, Glenn Amatucci, Lisa C. Klein

Publications and Research

A characteristic of so-called melting gels is that the gels, which are rigid at room temperature, are able to soften and resoften at temperatures around 110 [degrees]C. However, after consolidation at temperatures higher than 150 [degrees]C, the gels no longer resoften. Two systems of melting gels were investigated: phenyltrimethoxysilane (PhTMS)–diphenyldimethoxysilane (DPhDMS) and phenyltriethoxysilane (PhTES)–diphenyldiethoxysilane (DPhDES). The influence of disubstituted versus monosubstituted alkoxide on the softening behavior and the temperature of decomposition was studied. The consolidation temperature increased as the amount of disubstituted alkoxide increased, while the decomposition temperature increased only slightly. In general, the ethoxy-containing gels (maximum at 150[degrees]C) consolidated …

Flocking In The Time-Dissonance Plane, Adam James Wilson

Publications and Research

This paper describes a technique for the sonification of an idealized model of the flocking behavior of birds, fish, and insects. Flocking agents are represented by pitches that move through time to produce chords of variable dissonance. The objective of each agent is to move toward more consonant chord formations with other agents. The output of the sonification is intended to provide material for use in musical composition.

A-State Celebrates Contributions To Science By Darwin, Lincoln, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Specifying Reusable Aspects, Neelam Soundarajan, Raffi Khatchadourian

Publications and Research

Aspect-Oriented Programming enables developers to manage, in a more modular fashion, implementations of crosscutting concerns that might be scattered or tangled if aspect-oriented techniques were not utilized. Our interest in this paper is in considering techniques for specifying precise properties of aspects. In particular, we are interested in specifying reusable aspects; i.e., aspects that correspond to crosscutting concerns that occur in many systems. These abstract aspects can be reused in various systems where a particular concern is applicable. Although there has been work on issues related to reasoning about aspects and the behaviors of aspect-oriented systems, specifying reusable abstract aspects …

Qualitative And Quantitative Methods In Occupational-Stress Research, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Edwin Farrell

Publications and Research

The paper examined the ways in which qualitative and quantitative methods support each other in research on occupational stress. Qualitative methods include (a) eliciting from unconstrained descriptions of work experiences, (b) careful first-hand observations at the workplace, and (c) participant‑observers describing “from the inside” a particular work experience. The paper shows how qualitative research stimulates theory development, hypothesis generation, and the identification of job stressors and coping responses. The limitations of qualitative research, particularly in the area of verification, are also described.

A Symbolic Sonification Of L-Systems, Adam James Wilson

Publications and Research

This paper describes a simple technique for the sonification of branching structures in plants. The example is intended to illustrate a qualitative definition of best practices for sonification aimed at the production of musical material. Visually manifest results of tree growth are modelled and subsequently mapped to pitch, time, and amplitude. Sample results are provided in symbolic music notation.

The Orchard Crossing Number Of An Abstract Graph, Elie Feder, David Garber

Publications and Research

.We introduce the Orchard crossing number, which is defined in a similar way to the well-known rectilinear crossing number. We compute the Orchard crossing number for some simple families of graphs. We also prove some properties of this crossing number.

Moreover, we define a variant of this crossing number which is tightly connected to the rectilinear crossing number, and compute it for some simple families of graphs.

Volunteers: Beyond Government Partners, Maria J. D'Agostino

Publications and Research

Over the past several years, practitioners and academics have expressed concern about the deteriorating morale and effectiveness of the federal civil service, given its aging workforce and the competition with the private sector for human capital. Recruiting qualified public servants is complicated by the negative perception of government. Attacks by politicians of all sides have contributed to a negative stereotype of the American civil service. Therefore, finding new ways to recruit and retain the best-qualified young graduates has become critical. This paper reports on an untapped resource – volunteers, explores the youth volunteer activity that occurs in the federal government, …

Quirky, Not Quacky: Quantum Computing For Librarians, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

This slideshow introduces librarians and non-scientists to the relatively young field of quantum computing.

An Analysis Of Entries In The First Tac Market Design Competition, Jinzhong Niu, Kai Cai, Peter Mcburney, Simon Parsons

Publications and Research

This paper presents an analysis of entries in the first TAC Market Design Competition final that compares the entries across several scenarios. The analysis complements previous work analyzing the 2007 competition, demonstrating some vulnerabilities of entries that placed highly in the competition. The paper also suggests a simple strategy that would have performed well.

On The Assessment Of Pointcut Design In Evolving Aspect-Oriented Software, Raffi Khatchadourian, Phil Greenwood, Awais Rashid

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Rejuvenate Pointcut: A Tool For Pointcut Expression Recovery In Evolving Aspect-Oriented Software, Raffi Khatchadourian, Awais Rashid

Publications and Research

Aspect-oriented programming (AOP) strives to localize the scattered and tangled implementations of crosscutting concerns (CCCs) by allowing developers to declare that certain actions (advice) should be taken at specific points (join points) during the execution of software where a CCC (an aspect) is applicable. However, it is non-trivial to construct optimal pointcut expressions (a collection of join points) that capture the true intentions of the programmer and, upon evolution, maintain these intentions. We demonstrate an AspectJ source-level inferencing tool called rejuvenate pointcut which helps developers maintain pointcut expressions over the lifetime of a software product. A key insight into the …

The Contribution Of Advective Fluxes To Net Ecosystem Exchange In A High-Elevation, Subalpine Forest, Chuixiang Yi, Dean E. Anderson, Andrew A. Turnipseed, Sean P. Burns, Jed P. Sparks, David I. Stannard, Russell K. Monson

Publications and Research

The eddy covariance technique, which is used in the determination of net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE), is subject to significant errors when advection that carries CO₂ in the mean flow is ignored. We measured horizontal and vertical advective CO₂ fluxes at the Niwot Ridge AmeriFlux site (Colorado, USA) using a measurement approach consisting of multiple towers. We observed relatively high rates of both horizontal (F_hadv) and vertical (F_vadv) advective fluxes at low surface friction velocities (u_*) which were associated with downslope katabatic flows. We observed that F_hadv was confined to …

Keeping Abreast Of Quantum News: Quantum Computing On The Web And In The Literature, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

This appendix describes tools that can help you track developments in quantum computing.

Historical Bibliography Of Quantum Computing, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

This bibliographic essay reviews seminal papers in quantum computing. Although quantum computing is a young science, its researchers have already published thousands of noteworthy articles, far too many to list here. Therefore, this appendix is not a comprehensive chronicle of the emergence and evolution of the field but rather a guided tour of some of the papers that spurred, formalized, and furthered its study.

Pointcut Rejuvenation: Recovering Pointcut Expressions In Evolving Aspect-Oriented Software, Raffi Khatchadourian, Phil Greenwood, Awais Rashid, Guoqing Harry Xu

Publications and Research

Pointcut fragility is a well-documented problem in Aspect-Oriented Programming; changes to the base-code can lead to join points incorrectly falling in or out of the scope of pointcuts. In this paper, we present an automated approach which limits fragility problems by providing mechanical assistance in pointcut maintenance. The approach is based on harnessing arbitrarily deep structural commonalities between program elements corresponding to join points selected by a pointcut. The extracted patterns are then applied to later versions to offer suggestions of new join points that may require inclusion. To illustrate that the motivation behind our proposal is well-founded, we first …

Validation Of Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (Tes) Nadir Ozone Profiles Using Ozonesonde Measurements, Ray Nassar, Jennifer A. Logan, Helen M. Worden, Inna A. Megretskaia, Kevin W. Bowman, Gregory B. Osterman, Anne M. Thompson, David W. Tarasick, Shermane Austin, Hans Claude, Manvendra K. Dubey, Wayne K. Hocking, Bryan J. Johnson, Everette Joseph, John Merrill, Gary A. Morris, Mike Newchurch, Samuel J. Oltmans, Françoise Posny, F. J. Schmidlin, Holger Vömel, David N. Whiteman, Jacquelyn C. Witte

Publications and Research

We compare Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) version 2 (V002) nadir ozone profiles with ozonesonde profiles from the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment Ozonesonde Network Study, the World Ozone and Ultraviolet Data Center, the Global Monitoring Division of the Earth System Research Laboratory, and the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesonde archives. Approximately 1600 coincidences spanning 72.5°S–80.3°N from October 2004 to October 2006 are found. The TES averaging kernel and constraint are applied to the ozonesonde data to account for the TES measurement sensitivity and vertical resolution. TES sonde differences are examined in six latitude zones after excluding profiles with thick high clouds. Values …

Characterizing Effective Auction Mechanisms: Insights From The 2007 Tac Mechanism Design Competition, Jinzhong Niu, Kai Cai, Simon Parsons, Enrico Gerding, Peter Mcburney

Publications and Research

This paper analyzes the entrants to the 2007 TAC Market Design competition. It presents a classification of the entries to the competition, and uses this classification to compare these entries. The paper also attempts to relate market dynamics to the auction rules adopted by these entries and their adaptive strategies via a set of post-tournament experiments. Based on this analysis, the paper speculates about the design of effective auction mechanisms, both in the setting of this competition and in the more general case.

Methods Of Assessing And Ranking Probable Sources Of Error, Nataniel Greene

Publications and Research

A classical method for ranking n potential events as sources of error is Bayes' theorem. However, a ranking based on Bayes' theorem lacks a fundamental symmetry: the ranking in terms of blame for error will not be the reverse of the ranking in terms of credit for lack of error. While this is not a flaw in Bayes' theorem, it does lead one to inquire whether there are related methods which have such symmetry. Related methods explored here include the logical version of Bayes' theorem based on probabilities of conditionals, probabilities of biconditionals, and ratios or differences of credit to …

Jcat: A Platform For The Tac Market Design Competition, Jinzhong Niu, Kai Cai, Simon Parsons, Enrico Gerding, Peter Mcburney, Thierry Moyaux, Steve Phelps, David Shield

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.