Digital Commons Network^™

A Whole Word And Number Reading Machine Based On Two Dimensional Low Frequency Fourier Transforms, Mark A. O'Hair

Theses and Dissertations

The Fourier transform is investigated as a means for developing an optical reader capable of reading a large vocabulary without segmenting the image of a word into individual characters. The reader is capable of reading printed and cursive font styles, is scale invariant, and is substantially insensitive to noise. The image of a particular word is treated as a single symbol; the two dimensional low frequency Fourier coefficients (assuming n coefficients are calculated) define the word's location on an n dimensional hypersphere of unit radius. The distance between individual locations (words) categorizes similar and dissimilar words. The smaller the distance, …

Estimation Of Evoked Fields Using A Time-Sequenced Adaptive Filter With The Modified P-Vector Algorithm, Jeffery A. Kepley

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes a time sequenced adaptive filter developed to estimate visually evoked fields (EF) using visually evoked potentials (EP). These non-stationary signals are buried in strong background noise. The two types of noise are magnetoencephalogram (MEG) and electronencephalogram (EEG). The filter implementation is based on the Ferrara Time Sequenced Adaptive (TSAF) using the Least-Mean-Square (LMS) algorithm and the Williams modified P-vector algorithm (mPa). This essentially results in two filters. A two stage filter structure is used in which the first stage removes the time-varying mean of the input signals. This allows the second stage to process zero-mean signals which …

An Evolution Operator Solution For A Nonlinear Beam Equation, Carl E. Crockett

Theses and Dissertations

A nonlinear partial differential equation, motivated by the transverse vibration of a beam, is shown to have a unique solution. The existence theory, which is in the setting of semigroups and evolution operators, is a composite and synthesis of theorems of Kato. The formulation of the problem and the verification that the formulation leads to a solution are new. The introductory chapter provides background on the topic generally. Chapter 2 provides detailed formulations for the constant coefficient case. Chapter 3 describes nonautonomous cases. The general theorem is presented here. In Chapter 4, a more general case is considered. Namely, Kelvin …

Analysis Of Parking Orbits For A Sts External Tank In Low Earth Orbit, James E. Cross

Theses and Dissertations

A study was conducted of a single external tank in low earth orbit. Criteria for a parking orbit are then defined. Various orbits are then selected by varying the semi-major axis, eccentricity, and inclination. The resulting equations of motion for each of the above orbits (including atmospheric drag and a 2x0 gravity model) are numerically integrated over a time span of 90 earth days. An examination was made of the lowest initial altitudes which allowed the external tank to remain in the orbit window.

Minimum Orbits About The Planet Venus, Jeffrey J. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

An investigation is conducted into low orbiting satellites around the planet Venus with drag limited lifetimes. It is possible to specify combinations of orbital elements which result in orbital lifetimes in excess of some desired value. These combinations can be assembled into Critical Curves and Critical surfaces. Critical Curves and Surfaces are defined as curves and surfaces in orbital element space above which initial element sets will result in orbits that meet or exceed lifetime requirements. A numerical method is implemented for finding these combinations, and three Critical Surfaces are examined. A decay threshold is selected for bounding satellite lifetime. …

Numerical Analysis Of Critical Inclinations About The Planet Mars, Kenneth J. Hyatt

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated critical inclinations about the planet Mars. Averaged equations of motion were numerically integrated over a time span of ten Earth years for various inclinations, eccentricities, and perigee heights. Each orbit (i.e. set of initial conditions) produced a standard deviation of the variations in eccentricity (SDE) and inclination (SDI). These were calculated using a polynomial approximation to the variations. Surface plots of SDI and SDE vs the initial conditions are then examined to ascertain the critical inclinations.

Specification And Equivalence Verification Of Sequential Circuits Via Vhdl, Richard L. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This research presents a merger of the specification and design capabilities of the Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL) with a known verification method (UC Berkeley's verify software) in order to solve the design and verification problem of sequential circuits. The fruits of this research are a behavioral VHDL model for sequential circuit specification, a structural VHDL model for sequential circuit design, and a method for comparing two circuits described using these VHDL models in order to demonstrate circuit equivalence. The behavioral and structural VHDL models were developed and tested within the Intermetric's VHDL software support …

Continuous Wave And Pulsed Solid State Laser Model, Matthew D. Rotondaro

Theses and Dissertations

A solid state laser is modeled for use on a personal computer. The model can accurately represent Nd:YAG and Nd:Glass lasers during both continuous wave and repetitively pulsed operation. The large number of input variables allow the user to make changes to the cavity, optical pump source, and the cooling system. The model calculates the energy, power, and divergence angle of the beam along with other variables. Because of its user-friendly interface, it is possible for someone with limited laser experience to obtain useful information.

Perceptions Of Retired Public School Teachers Regarding Retirement: Implications For Preretirement Planning, Rollie Duane Morud

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify perceptions about retirement and suggestions regarding retirement planning from retired public school educators. The writer's primary interest was in developing a data base regarding the non-financial issues of retirement leading to the design of a preretirement preparation planning program.

A random sample of 393 retired North Dakota teachers from a population of 3930 was surveyed. Seventy percent (274) returned the eight-page survey. The sample had the following characteristics: average age--73 years, average length of retirement--10.65 years, 74 percent were female, 72 percent lived in their own home, 37 percent had moved since …

An Analogous Instructional Model Of Automotive On-Board Engine Management Computer Systems, Lloyd R. Walker

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Integrating Language Arts With Graphic Communications In An Inner City Junior High School, Kurt Proctor

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching the youth of today is becoming an important issue. Alarming statistics prove that the problems of illiteracy and high dropout rates are not decreasing. If nothing is done to change the prospects of the 13 million school-aged children currently at serious risk of school failure, says a coalition of eleven education organizations, these children will grow up to become adults who will drain the economy in welfare and social service costs and seriously hamper the nations ability to compete internationally. L. B. Schorr (1988) states that in 1987,"the one million youngsters who leave high school without graduating will be …

The Conjunctive Novel: Form And Function, Joanne Ruth Gowey Desotelle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to identify the function of characters who recur in more than one text by the same author.

Chapter One reviews critical opinions regarding repeating characters. These range from Percy Lubbock who believes that the other lives of a character should be ignored or they will distort the truth of the individual novels, to Michel Butor who recognizes that repeating characters serve a unique function within the texts. The term “conjunctive” novel is coined to identify texts which are conjoined by repeating characters.

Applying Mikhail Bakhtin’s terminology, Chapter Two argues that conjunctive novels are double-voiced …

The Air Force Comes To North Dakota: A Study In The Site Selection Of Grand Forks And Minot Air Force Bases, Rich J. Nolan

Theses and Dissertations

In 1954 the Air Force decided to locate two air bases in North Dakota. After deciding on locations at Fargo and Bismarck, the Air Force then changed the locations to Grand Forks and Minot. The decision created an uproar in the state as each major city fought to receive a base. Another controversy erupted over the site selection within Grand Forks County when the Air Force changed the locations from its original choice.

A wide variety of research sources were used in the the paper. The papers of United States Senator Milton R. Young were extensively used. Government documents in …

A Comparative Study Of The Identification Of Learning Disabilities In A Multi-District Special Education Unit, Jacqualene Trefz

Theses and Dissertations

Statement of the problem. Variability within learning disability programs is a common problem with implications for all aspects of service delivery. This study was designed to analyze and describe inconsistencies in procedures for the identification of learning disabled students within Buffalo Valley Special Education Unit in central North Dakota.

Methods and procedures. A multiple case study approach was used within the framework of the naturalistic paradigm. A single case was defined as the identification and placement of students within the schools served by one learning disability teacher during the 1988-89 and 1989-90 academic years. Data collection was specific to the …

The Influence Of Age On The Mmpi Responses Of Adult Male Alcoholics., Gary A. Sacks

Theses and Dissertations

Recent cluster-analytic research with alcohol-dependent men has demonstrated the existence of several Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) subtypes that are consistent across diverse samples. Few such studies have been reported which employed age as a variable of interest. Shortcomings of this research include a lack of external, independent measures against which to evaluate the predictive validity of cluster typologies. Subjects were divided into four groups according to age in 10-year increments. The current study detected age-related changes in derived MMPI clusters for 387 male alcoholics who were admitted to a private inpatient treatment program. Subsequent multivariate analyses employing alcohol-use scales …

The Time Course Of Recognition Memory For Pictures., David Paul Lommen

Theses and Dissertations

This study employed complex, pictorial stimuli and a time-course format to explore early-process characteristics of recognition memory. A suggestion that time variables should interact under certain conditions is implicit in some recent dual-process models of recognition memory. A goal of the experiment was to assess compatibility of results with specific models of recognition memory.Item exposure time was crosses with response deadline time in a 3 x 4 design. Seventy-two subjects viewed an input set of 48 scenic, color photographs of cityscapes and landscapes. The set was divided into three blocks of 16 photographs. Exposure time of photographs within each block …

Joint Position And Velocity Derived From Muscle Spindle Output: A Computational Approach., Daniel Leroy Ewert

Theses and Dissertations

Current experimental evidence suggests that muscle spindles do play a significant role in the sensation of joint position and velocity. However, the dynamic characteristics of muscle spindles are complex and highly variable. Researchers have found, in the primary sensory cortex of primates, neurons whose activities are proportional to joint position and velocity. Some of these neurons were excited only by activating muscles spindles. This leads to the research question: can joint position and velocity be extracted from muscle spindle activity using a neurally-inspired mathematical model.The method of solution included modeling a simple hinge joint with an antagonist and agonist muscle …

Information Systems Content In Undergraduate Accounting Programs., Donna K. Dietz

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of this study was to identify information systems content to be taught in an undergraduate accounting curriculum.After a review of the literature, a questionnaire was developed by the researcher. A panel of accountants and educators critiqued the questionnaire and a pilot study was conducted. The final questionnaire was mailed to 2,800 randomly selected Certified Public Accountants (CPA) throughout the United States.The returned questionnaires (41.39 percent of the total mailed) were analyzed by finding the overall mean and the mean of each response group. One-way analysis of variance was used to find significant differences among the response groups. Tukey's …

Vacuum Forming And Styrene Emissions, Kevin D. Matheson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate if production of composites through use of the vacuum bag forming would result in different levels of styrene emission than the use of the hand lay-up process.

The following objectives were outlined:

1. To test styrene emission levels in a controlled setting by using both hand lay-up and vacuum bag forming processes

2. To determine significant differences in styrene emissions between the two processes

3. To research and develop a vacuum bag forming device which will conform to those used in industry

Quasi-experimental research design was utilized by producing twelve composite samples; six were vacuum …

Instructional Modifications For Learning Disabled Students In Elementary Classrooms, Mary Beth Geringer

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Individual Differences In Verbal And Spatial Memory: The Contribution Of Gender, Verbal Ability, Spatial Ability, And Sex-Role Orientation, Mary H. Sarafolean

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the degree to which reported sex differences in verbal and spatial memory performance are due to confounds between the sexes on the individual difference factors of verbal ability, spatial ability, and sex-role orientation. Specifically, college age males and females were administered psychometric tests of verbal ability, spatial ability, and sex-role orientation. The contribution of each of these factors to predicting subjects' scores on verbal and spatial memory tasks was analyzed using regression analysis procedures.

Results indicated a male advantage on spatial ability tasks, however, no sex differences in verbal ability were found. Gender of subject was …

Measured Doppler Radar Profiles Of Wheels, Michael W. Leddige

Theses and Dissertations

The accuracy of traffic control radars has been in controversy for several years. The purpose of this thesis has been to experimentally investigate the contribution of one facet arising from the doppler radar returns from automobile wheels. By measuring the electromagnetic backscatter profiles of an assortment of automobile wheels over a normal operational range of viewing angles, the locations of the dominant scattering centers on the wheels could be identified. Through knowledge of the locations of these scattering centers, velocity error assessments could be made.

Light truck and car wheels were the targets examined in this thesis. A target pedestal …

Seeing The Palm Trees Again, Jie Wang

Theses and Dissertations

A translation, analysis, and commentary on Seeing the Palm Trees Again, a highly regarded novel in contemporary Chinese fiction by Chinese-American novelist Lihua Yu, are presented. The novel is about a trip home by a professor of Chinese who has lived in the United States for ten years. It depicts the attitude of common Chinese people toward sending their children to America. It also describes the life of Chinese students in the United States. In creating the character of Tianlei Moe, the author has said what many people in Tianlei's situation feel but are reluctant to express openly: the feeling …

Classroom Modifications For Learning Disabled Adolescents: The Effects Of Inservice And Follow-Up Consultation On Four Regular Classroom Teachers, Lynne Chalmers

Theses and Dissertations

This study asked the question: What are the effects of an inservice on classroom modifications for secondary learning disabled students on the teaching practice of four highly able teachers? A secondary question asked was: To what extent are teachers‘ behavior and attitudes affected by follow-up consultation? The participants were four secondary regular classroom teachers representing four curricula areas (English, social studies, health, and biology). All four had been recognized as having the ability to work well with learning disabled students. The procedure used for the study was a form of naturalistic inquiry, specifically participant observation. All four teachers participated in …

Introductory Dataperfect® Instruction, Frances Jenson Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

The project should be used in a beginning computer class. These units contain projects from simple to complex. The first instructional unit uses a database that comes with the DataPerfect® program. The students build and manipulate a small database. Reports are prepared, and finally the students design an original database. These instructional units are intended to be used in a high school classroom with the DataPerfect® computer program. DataPerfect® is a copyrighted program marketed by WordPerfect Corporation of Orem, Utah.

The Relationship Between Secondary Students' Attitude Toward Science And Gender Or Grade Level, Kathleen W. Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible relationships between students' attitude toward science as a subject in school and their gender or grade level. The subjects for this study were 108 ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students enrolled in summer school. The instrument used, Attitude Toward Science in School Assessment, was a 14-item questionnaire which used the Likert scale to register the extent of agreement or disagreement with each opinion statement. The results, subdivided according to gender and grade level, indicated that there were no significant differences in attitude toward science between male and female students …

The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Academic Success Of Post-Secondary Students In Electronics Technology, Robert D. Mccollum

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between internal locus of control and academic success in students taking courses in Electronics Technology at a post-secondary technical school. The Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal External Control-Scale was used to determine a locus of control score for each subject, and the students' current GPA scores were used as a measure of success. The study implemented a correlational research design, and the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the locus of control scores and the GPA scores. Results indicated a significant relationship between the internal dimension …

Advanced Placement Chemistry Curriculum, Michael H. Edmondson

Theses and Dissertations

Literature related to the Advanced Placement program ln Chemistry was reviewed. Discussions were held with the Science Consultant for Muscogee County, Ms. Ann Murrah, and with Dr. Carolyn Cartledge, Chair of the Specialist Project Committee. Discussions regarding the appropriateness of certain content were held wlth Mr. Mahesh Sharma and Dr. John Pyle, both of the Chemistry department of Columbus College. Textbooks were reviewed and an outline of content was developed which was then used to determine concepts to be taught and student objectives. A listing of necessary laboratories and laboratory equipment was developed based on the recommendations of the College …

Sciençe Denartment Evaluation With Focus On Quality Basic Education And National Science Teachers Association Criteria, David Wayne Donalson

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a descriptive investigation of science instructional programs in three senior high schools, reviewed from four different standpoints. Criteria set forth by the Quality Basic Education Act of Georgia (QBE) and recommendations given by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) were used for the establishment of i Likert-style questionnaire which was distributed among a group of twenty-eight science teachers. Three of the seven high schools located in a southeastern city of approximately 200,000 population were selected at random to participate in this study. These schools ranged in enrollment from 1100 to 1250 students.

Lack of computer training was …

Attitudes Toward Science Among Participants Of A Summer Science Enrichment Program, Jan. White

Theses and Dissertations

Eighteen high school and junior high school participants of a summer science enrichment program at a selected college in Georgia were the subjects of this study which described and measured changes in attitudes towards science as a result of the program. A fifty-item questionnaire, developed on a modified Likert scale of one to four and administered on a pretest-posttest basis, served as the measuring instrument. Differences between pretest and posttest responses indicated changes in attitudes towards science.

Changes occurred in 37.1% of all individual responses. Analysis of responses within the various categories of items revealed the greatest positive change in …