Digital Commons Network^™

Intelligent Pattern Analysis Of The Foetal Electrocardiogram, Nicholas John Outram

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The aim of the project on which this thesis is based is to develop reliable techniques for foetal electrocardiogram (ECG) based monitoring, to reduce incidents of unnecessary medical intervention and foetal injury during labour. World-wide electronic foetal monitoring is based almost entirely on the cardiotocogram (CTG), which is a continuous display of the foetal heart rate (FHR) pattern together with the contraction of the womb. Despite the widespread use of the CTG, there is no significant improvement in foetal outcome. In the UK alone it is estimated that birth related negligence claims cost the health authorities over £400M per-annum. An …

Endomorphism Rings And Automorphism Groups Of Separable Torsion-Free Modules Over Valuation Domains, Brendan Goldsmith, P. Zanardo

Book chapter/book

No abstract provided.

Isomorphic Automorphism Groups Of Torsion-Free P-Adic Modules, Brendan Goldsmith, A. L. S. Corner

Book chapter/book

No abstract provided.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Experimental Testing And Modeling Of Automotive Automatic Belt Tensioners, Jiaxin Zhao, Clark R. Barker, Larry Oliver, William Breig, Joey Edson

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Automatic belt tensioners are used in serpentine belt drive systems in many automotive front end accessory drive (FEAD) applications. The dynamic characteristics of the tensioner must be well defined in order to accurately model the entire belt drive system for system simulation studies. In order to determine required tensioner performance parameters, six different configurations of a production unit were tested over a wide range of frequencies at two different amplitudes of the arm travel. Data was recorded to define the total torque generated by the tensioner as a result of the known input motion to which the arm was subjected. …

Bioremediation Of Soil Contaminated With Explosives, Catherine A. Axtell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Bioremediation of contaminated soil and water has been the topic of considerable research interest. White rot fungi have recently been proposed for use in biodegradation of explosives. The explosives, TNT, RDX and HMX are integral components of the manufacture of munitions. The wastes from the production of these and other explosives have been discharged into the surrounding environment resulting in contamination. Phanerochaete chrysosporium and strain F600, a proprietary white rot fungus developed by Mycotech Corporation, were studied with regard to their ability to degrade TNT, HMX and RDX in liquid cultures and in soil. Laboratory studies demonstrated that P. chrysosporium …

A Case Study Of Four Fifth Grade Teachers And Their Perceptions Of How And Why They Teach Science, Ana K. Houseal

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of four 5th grade teachers and their perceptions of the influences on how and why they taught science in their classrooms. The four participating teachers who were from three school districts in Iowa were observed teaching science lessons and interviewed following the observations. The results of the study showed that the data obtained during the observations and interviews focused on three major themes. The first theme centered on the teachers' perceptions of changes in teaching elementary science. These included a move away from text-based learning with a subsequent move …

A Program Evaluation Of An Elementary Science Teacher Preparation Program, Lisa Renee Krapfl

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this qualitative study was to listen to teachers who have graduated from a specialized science minor program at the University of Northern Iowa and learn what their current experiences could share with the current undergraduate program. The nine participants who were interviewed were all graduates of this program. They were chosen by the researcher out of a larger group of PEMST graduates with respect to gender, year graduated, and science specialist versus generalist teaching positions. Each semi-structured interview was transcribed to print and later analyzed for common trends in the data. The results of the study showed …

Inactivation Of Soybean Peroxidase During Sodium Azide Oxidation: A Comparative Study, Mohamed Yehia Zakaria Aboul Eish

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Azide ion is a mechanism-based inactivator of a number of peroxidases. However, there are often variations in the manner in which inactivation occurs. Soybean Peroxidase (SBP) is found in the plant's seed coat. Unlike many other peroxidases, a single enzyme rather than several isozymes are produced thus making more simple the purification and characterization of the enzyme. In this research it was shown that, as with other peroxidases, SBP is inactivated by azide during turnover. During azide oxidation SBP forms a ferrous-NO intermediate. In this respect, SBP is similar to the lignin peroxidases from Phanerochaete chrysosporium which also form ferrous-NO …

Network Security: An Evaluation Of Security Policies And Firewall Implementations, Melanie L. Abbas

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This paper begins focusing on network security issues. The areas of physical security, access security, and connection security are explored. Connection security provides the biggest need for improvement in the entire security field. This type of security is managed best with firewall implementations. Various firewall models are discussed.

Software evaluations were performed on three different commercial Internet security tools. The software was compared on the basis of ease of installation, functionality, level of security provided, and output available. In summary, the value of the firewall is dependent on the need to implement a firewall in an organization.

However, a security …

Simulation Of Madmel Power Systems Components, Timothy L. Skvarenina, Oleg Wasynczuk, Paul C. Krause, Steven Pekarek

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Detailed computer models of system components for More Electric Aircraft have been developed using the Advanced Control System Language (ACSL) and its graphical front-end, Graphic Modeller. Among the devices modeled are a wound-rotor synchronous generator with parallel bridge-rectifier outputs, a switched-reluctance generator, and various loads including a DC-DC converter, an inverter-driven induction motor, and an electro-hydrostatic actuator. Results from the simulations are presented together with corroborating experimental test results. Copyright © 1998 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.

Evaluating Information Modeling Methods – A Review, Keng Siau, M. Rossi

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Hundreds of modeling methods are in existence today, yet practitioners and researchers are zealously “producing” new modeling methods. The “blooming” of modeling methods is not the problem; the lack of standardized techniques for evaluating them is. To further complicate the matter, most of the modeling methods are introduced based on common sense and intuition. Theoretical foundations and empirical evidence are severely lacking. With the current state of affairs, evaluation of modeling methods has become necessary. Comparing modeling methods provides us with the necessary knowledge and understanding on the strengths and weaknesses of each method. This knowledge can also guide us …

Measurement Of The Axial-Vector Τ Spectral Functions And Determination Of Αs (M2Τ) From Hadronic Τ Decays, R. Barate, M. Thulasidas

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

An analysis based on 124 000 selected ττ pairs recorded by the ALEPH detector at LEP provides the vector (V)(V) and axial-vector (A)(A) spectral functions of hadronic ττ decays together with their total widths. This allows the evaluation of finite energy chiral sum rules that are weighted integrals over the (V−A)(V−A) spectral functions. In addition, a precise measurement of αsαs along with a determination of nonperturbative contributions at the ττ mass scale is performed. The experimentally and theoretically most robust determination of αs(M2τ)αs(Mτ2) is obtained from the (V+A)(V+A) fit that yields αs(M2τ)=0.334±0.022αs(Mτ2)=0.334±0.022 giving αs(M2Z)=0.1202±0.0027αs(MZ2)=0.1202±0.0027 after the extrapolation to the mass …

Search For Supersymmetry With A Dominant R-Parity Violating Llē Coupling In E+E- Collisions At Centre-Of-Mass Energies Of 130 Gev To 172 Gev, R. Barate, M. Thulasidas

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A search for pair-production of supersymmetric particles under the assumption that R-parity is violated via a dominant LLE¯LLE¯ coupling has been performed using the data collected by ALEPH at centre-of-mass energies of 130–172 GeV. The observed candidate events in the data are in agreement with the Standard Model expectation. This is translated into lower limits on the mass of charginos, neutralinos, sleptons, sneutrinos and squarks. For instance, charginos with masses less than 73 GeV/c2c2 and neutralinos with masses less than 23 GeV/c2c2 are excluded at 95% confidence level for any generation structure of the LLE¯LLE¯ coupling, and for neutralino, slepton …

Aerosol Particle Scavenging By Fog And Haze Droplets, Josef Podzimek

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Droplet imprints in thin gelatin layers have been used for the investigation of coarse particles embedded in fog (haze) droplets in comparison to interstitial particles. Droplet samples were taken in less polluted regions of Missouri and Illinois and also in more polluted marine-urban environment in Italy. Considerable differences in particle size distribution and particle location inside the droplets have been found in samples collected on four sampling sites. The deduced relationships can be applied for the description of the aerosol scavenging process in fogs. The pollution of fog (haze) droplets may be related to the droplet mean volume radius and …

Ionization Dynamics In Fast Ion-Atom Collisions. Ii. Final-State Momentum Distributions Of The Ionization Products In Collisions Of He With Bare Carbon Ions, Lokesh C. Tribedi, P. Richard, Y. D. Wang, C. D. Lin, Ronald E. Olson, L. Gulyas

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We have used the energy and angular distributions of the low-energy electron emission cross sections from the preceding paper [Lokesh C. Tribedi et al., Phys. Rev. A 58, 3619 (1998)] to derive the doubly differential final-state longitudinal momentum distributions of the electrons, recoil ions, and projectiles in ion-atom ionization for [Formula Presented] The complementary nature of the electron spectroscopy and the recoil-ion momentum spectroscopy have been investigated using a formulation based on three-body kinematics to explore the ionization dynamics in detail. The influence of the three-body ionization as well as the binary-encounter processes on the recoil-ion (and projectile) longitudinal momentum …

Utopia In Iowa?: Etienne Cabet And The Icarian Concept Of Progress, John Davis Higdon

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Nineteenth century America was a period of transition. Reform movements paralleled and sometimes replaced politics as idealistic people worked for a cornucopia of social causes. Believing man capable of finding a universally correct lifestyle, numerous activists designed communities to guide the world to peace and prosperity. One of these groups, the Icarians, following the teachings of their founder Etienne Cabet, built several utopian hamlets in the United States and existed for over half a century. Their longevity can be primarily accredited to their espousal of the philosophical doctrine of Progress. An examination of the Icarian's history shows that a quasi-religious …

Analysis Of The Value Of The Fe Examination For The Assessment Of Student Learning In Engineering And Science Topics, John L. Watson

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents the results of a project, which investigated the potential of fully using previously unreleased data from the nationally normed Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination to assess learning in key engineering and science topics. In the past, very limited information was released by the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES) for the eight hour FE examination, which is composed of 150-200 questions in ten morning and five afternoon topics. For the purposes of this project the NCEES agreed to release information to the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) to permit the value of the FE data …

Magnetic And Thermal Properties Of Pr In La₁₋ₓprxbacacu₃O₇ System With 0.0, Rajvir Singh, S. Uma, E. Gmelin, William B. Yelon, V. P. S. Awana, S. X. Dou, A. V. Narlikar, Satish K. Malik

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Pressure Induced Reversal Of The Volume Expansion Caused By Interstitial Nitrogen In Nd₂Fe₁₇N₃, R. Luo, William B. Yelon, Yusheng S.. Zhao, M. Ellouze, Ph. I'Héritier, G. K. Marasinghe, Peter C. Ezekwenna, R. B. Von Dreele, William Joseph James

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

A Transaction Model For Mobile Computing, Sanjay Kumar Madria, Bharat Bhargava

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

We introduce a prewrite operation before a write operation in a mobile transaction to improve data availability. A prewrite operation does not update the state of a data object but only makes visible the value that the data object will have after the commit of the transaction. Once the transaction has read all the values and declares all the prewrites, it can precommit at a mobile host. The remaining transaction's execution is shifted to the stationary host. Writes on a database consume both time and resources at the stationary host and are therefore delayed. A pre-committed transaction's prewrite values are …

Systolic Algorithm For Processing Rle Images, Hao Feng, Fikret Erçal, Filiz Bunyak

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Image difference operation is commonly used in on-line automated printed circuit board (PCB) inspection systems as well as many other image processing applications. In this paper, we describe a new systolic algorithm and its system architecture which computes image differences in run-length encoded (RLE) format. The efficiency of this operation greatly affects the overall performance of the inspection system. It is shown that, for images with a high similarity measure, the time complexity of the systolic algorithm is a small constant. A formal proof of correctness for the algorithm is also given in the paper.

Optical Digital Fragmentation Measuring Systems -- Inherent Sources Of Error, Norbert H. Maerz, Wei Zhou

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Automated optical imaging systems of measuring fragmentation are increasingly being used in the mining, comminution, and materials handling industries. These methods have been well received in many of the industries involved. Considering that in many of these applications there are no alternative ways of sizing material, having even a rudimentary measurement of size distributions allows evaluations of explosive, blast design, detonator performance, crusher and milling performance, and material degradation due to transport.

Optical methods have inherent limitations, which reflect on accuracy, precision, and reproducibility of measurement results. This stems from the fact that there are myriads of variables, which affect …

A Practical Continually Online Trained Artificial Neural Network Controller For A Turbogenerator, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper reports on the simulation and practical studies carried out on a single turbogenerator connected to an infinite bus through a short transmission line, with a continually online trained (COT) artificial neural network (ANN) controller to identify the turbogenerator, and another COT ANN to control the turbogenerator. This identifier/controller augments/replaces the automatic voltage regulator and the turbine governor. Results are presented to show that this COT ANN identifier/controller has the potential to allow turbogenerators to operate more closely to their steady-state stability limits and nevertheless “ride through” severe transient disturbances such as three phase faults. This allows greater usage …

Segmentation Of Printed Circuit Board Images Into Basic Patterns, Madhav Moganti, Fikret Ercal

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Segmentation is the first and foremost step in the inspection of the printed circuit boards. In this paper a new technique for the segmentation of printed circuit board (PCB) images is presented. The technique basically segments a given PCB into small windows containing primitive PCB subpatterns. The technique proposed exploits the simplicity and the homogeneity of the PCB images and is inherently parallel. A detailed discussion of the experiments and the results obtained is also presented. © 1993 Academic Press.

An Interlibrary Loan System On The World Wide Web, Schubert Shou Boon Foo, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service is one of the services provided by libraries that offers users a way to access library resources beyond their affiliated libraries. Additionally, it allows participating libraries to share and maximize their resources. This work examines the ILL process used by libraries in Singapore and proposes that the existing paper-based manual system be replaced by a Web-based ILL system. Such a Web-based system has been successfully designed and implemented at the Nanyang Technological University. The paper presents an overview of the system requirements and architecture, implementation details and demonstrates the feasibility and advantages of the new system.

An Integrated Web-Based Ill System For Singapore Libraries, Schubert Foo, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The paper proposes an integrated Web-based inter-library loan (ILL) system to replace and enhance the existing manual-based ILL system used by Singapore libraries. It describes the system requirements that must be supported in order to make it a viable and acceptable solution to all participating libraries. Subsequently, it presents the client-server Web-based system architecture, database design and Java development platform that are used to implement the system. The new system exhibits a host of advantages over the manual system including the minimising of human resource by eliminating form-filling and other forms of paper work completely, improving the access and speed …

Java, Java, Java, Chaman Sabharwal

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Everyone is talking about Java. The driving force for this chatter is Java''s simplicity and potential power. Java is programming language, and a language for the intranet and the World Wide Web (WWW). Java is a Write On one platform and Run on Many platforms (WORM) language. For network-friendly, platform-independent applications, Java (originally Oak) is an object oriented programming language. Java source code is compiled into a virtual machine code or bytecode. This makes the Java platform independent. It can be placed on a Web site, and executed on the client side on a PC-Intel, Mac, Motorola or UNIX-Solaris machine …

A Neutron Diffraction Structural Study Of R₂Fe₁₇₋ₓalx(C) (R=Tb,Ho) Alloys, William B. Yelon, H. Luo, Mingxing Chen, W. C. Chang, S. H. Tsai

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Neutron Diffraction And Frequency Dependence Of The A.C. Susceptibility Of The System Zncr₂Xal₂-₂Xs₄, M. Hamedoun, A. Hourmatallah, N. Benzakour, K. Mediouri, J. Ilali, William B. Yelon, H. Luo

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.