Digital Commons Network^™

Estimation And Goodness-Of-Fit In The Case Of Randomly Censored Lifetime Data, David M. Reineke

Theses and Dissertations

A new continuous distribution function estimator for randomly censored data is developed, discussed, and compared to existing estimators. Minimum distance estimation is shown to be effective in estimating Weibull location parameters when random censoring is present. A method of estimating all 3 parameters of the 3-parameter Weibull distribution using a combination of minimum distance and maximum likelihood is also given. Cramer-von Mises and Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit test statistics are modified to measure the discrepancy between the maximum likelihood estimate and the Kaplan-Meier product-limit estimate of the distribution function of the random variable of interest. These modified test statistics are used to …

Evolving Compact Decision Rule Sets, Robert E. Marmelstein

Theses and Dissertations

While data mining technology holds the promise of automatically extracting useful patterns (such as decision rules) from data, this potential has yet to be realized. One of the major technical impediments is that the current generation of data mining tools produce decision rule sets that are very accurate, but extremely complex and difficult to interpret. As a result, there is a clear need for methods that yield decision rule sets that are both accurate and compact. The development of the Genetic Rule and Classifier Construction Environment (GRaCCE) is proposed as an alternative to existing decision rule induction (DRI) algorithms. GRaCCE …

Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithms: Classifications, Analyses, And New Innovations, David A. Van Veldhuizen

Theses and Dissertations

This research organizes, presents, and analyzes contemporary Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) research and associated Multiobjective Optimization Problems (MOPs). Using a consistent MOEA terminology and notation, each cited MOEAs' key factors are presented in tabular form for ease of MOEA identification and selection. A detailed quantitative and qualitative MOEA analysis is presented, providing a basis for conclusions about various MOEA-related issues. The traditional notion of building blocks is extended to the MOP domain in an effort to develop more effective and efficient MOEAs. Additionally, the MOEA community's limited test suites contain various functions whose origins and rationale for use are often …

Implementation Of A Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Shock Code Based Upon The Weighted Average Flux Method, Mark P. Wittig

Theses and Dissertations

Numerical modeling of shock propagation and reflection is of interest to the Department of Defense (DoD). Propriety state-of-the-art codes based upon E. F. Toro's weighted average flux (WAF) method are being used to investigate complex shock reflection phenomena. Here we develop, test, and validate a one-dimensional hydrodynamic shock code. We apply WAF to Gudonov's first-order upwind method to achieve second-order accuracy. Oscillations, typical of second-order methods, are then removed using adaptive weight limiter functions based upon total variation diminishing (TVD) flux limiters. An adaptive Riemann solver routine is also implemented to improve computational efficiency. This one-dimensional code is then extended …

Parallel Digital Signal Processing On A Network Of Personal Computers Case Study: Space-Time Adaptive Processing, Fernando Silva

Theses and Dissertations

Network based parallel computing using personal computers is currently a popular choice for concurrent scientific computing. This work evaluates the capabilities and the performance of the AFIT Bimodal Cluster (ABC); a heterogeneous cluster of PCs connected by switched fast Ethernet and using MPICH 1.1 for interprocess communication for parallel digital signal processing using Space Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) as the case study. The MITRE RT_STAP Benchmark version 1.1 is ported and executed on the ABC, as well as on a cluster of six Sun SPARC workstations connected by a Myrinet network (the AFIT NOW), and on a IBM SP for …

Cobol Reengineering Using The Parameter Based Object Identification (Pboi) Methodology, Sonia De Jesus Rodrigues

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on how to reengineer Cobol legacy systems into object oriented systems using Sward's Parameter Based Object Identification (PBOI) methodology. The method is based on relating categories of imperative subprograms to classes written in object oriented language based on how parameters are handled and shared among them. The input language of PBOI is a canonical form called the generic imperative model (GIM), which is an abstract syntax tree (AST) representation of a simple imperative programming language. The output is another AST, the generic object model (GOM), a generic object oriented language. Conventional languages must be translated into the …

Bistatic Radar Cross Section (Rcs) Characterization Of Complex Objects, Robert L. Eigel Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses some phenomenological aspects of bistatic scattering from a complex object with an emphasis on specular, shadowing, dihedral, and cavity effects. Five targets are investigated for their simplicity and ability to highlight certain scattering phenomena. Direct measurements of scattered electromagnetic energy and simulation data is gathered for a frequency bandwidth of 6-18 GHz. Both ray tracing and scattering center approaches are used to describe the bistatic mechanisms. An appraisal of the effectiveness and utility of the monostatic-to-bistatic equivalence theorems (Kell's and Crispin's) and several commercial scattering prediction codes is also accomplished. Simulation data is generated from two different …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet June 1999, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The June 1999 Monthly packet includes the June agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held May 1999.

Advances In Undergraduate Control Education: The Analytical Design Approach, Chaouki T. Abdallah, Peter Dorato

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Introductory undergraduate control courses in the USA are generally limited to trial-and-error design techniques, based largely on the Nyquist stability criterion and root-locus analysis. The corresponding theory is well over fifty years old. Very little is presented on analytic design, where one has an existence theorem, and a computable algorithm to find a solution when one exists. One reason for the lack of analytic design in introductory courses is the level of mathematics required to understand much of this theory. Here we summarize some of the existing analytic design techniques, and their mathematical pre-requisites, and then we propose the interpolation …

Novel Quantization Schemes For Very Low Bit Rate Video Coding Based On Sample Adaptation, Dong Sik Kim, Ness B. Shroff

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technical Reports

In this report, we introduce a novel feed-forward adaptive quantization scheme called SAPQ (sampleadaptive product quantizer) as a structurally constrained vector quantizer. SAPQ is based on a concept of adaptive quantization to the varying samples of the source and is very different, from traditional adaptation techniques for non-stationary sources. SAPQ quantizes each source sample using a sequence of quantizers. Even when using scalar quantization in SAPQ, we can achieve perforrnance comparable to vector quantization (with the complexity still of the order of scalar quantization). We also show that important lattice based vector quantizers can be constructed using scalar quantization in …

(Almost) Optimal Parallel Block Access For Range Queries, Mikhail J. Atallah, Sunil Prabhakar

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Removal Of Trace Contaminants From Wastewater Effluents Using Local Adsorbents, Kasim Ghulam Haider Ghulam

Theses

Wastewater reclamation must ensure removal of residual pollutants to a high degree so as to make the water acceptable for the designated reuse. There has been a growing interest worldwide to employ cost-effective treatment methods for polishing secondary treatment wastewater effluents. Carbon adsorption has proved to be an effective method for effluent polishing but treatment costs are relatively high.

AI-Ain wastewater treatment plant at Zakher has a design capacity of 54,000 m³/day and incorporates preliminary treatment, followed by extended aeration and dual-media filtration for effluent polishing before water reuse in irrigation. The chemical quality of the treated effluent …

Toboggan-Based Intelligent Scissors With A Four-Parameter Edge Model, William A. Barrett, Eric N. Mortensen

Faculty Publications

Intelligent Scissors is an interactive image segmentation tool that allows a user to select piece-wise globally optimal contour segments that correspond to a desired object boundary. We present a new and faster method of computing the optimal path by over-segmenting the image using tobogganing and then imposing a weighted planar graph on top of the resulting region boundaries. The resulting region-based graph is many times smaller than the previous pixel-based graph, thus providing faster graph searches and immediate user interaction. Further, tobogganing provides an new systematic and predictable framework for computing edge model parameters, allowing subpixel localization as well as …

Dynamics Of Formation Of Soliton Conductivity In A 2 D-Array Of Linear Chains Containing Commensurate Charge Density Waves Near The Contact With A Normal Metal, Yuriy V. Pershin Dr, Alexander S. Rozhavsky

Faculty Publications

We make a numerical study of the conversion of conduction electrons into charge density wave (CDW) topological solitons at the interface between a normal metal and a 2D-array of the CDW-carrying linear chains. The interplay of commensurability potential, interchain interaction, and electric field on the dynamics of soliton formation is studied. When the interchain interaction exceeds the commensurability energy, the dynamic mechanism of creation of fractionally charged solitons near the contact is suppressed and specific contact nonlinearity in transport current is not observed.

Junior Master Gardeners[Tm] Program Addresses Youth Needs, Douglas F. Welsh, Lisa A. Whittlesey, Randy L. Seagraves, Gayle W. Hall

Journal of Extension

The new JMGs[TM] - Junior Master Gardeners[TM] program is building on the success of the adult Master Gardener program in order to provide positive learning experiences for youth and to develop their leadership, responsibility and community pride through organized gardening activities.

Piezoelectric And Pyroelectric Properties Of Ferroelectric Langmuir-Blodgett Polymer Films, A.V. Bune, Chuanxing Zhu, Stephen Ducharme, L.M. Blinov, V.M. Fridkin, S.P. Palto, N.N. Petukhova, S.G. Yudin

Stephen Ducharme Publications

The piezoelectric and pyroelectric responses of ferroelectric Langmuir–Blodgett polymer films are less than the largest values measured with bulk films of the same composition. The films of the crystalline copolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) fabricated by the Langmuir–Blodgett technique are 30 ML thick (15 nm) and are highly crystalline and oriented with polarization perpendicular to the film. Both piezoelectric and pyroelectric measurements show reversible ferroelectric switching. The films are suitable for use in pyroelectric infrared imaging and in piezoelectric acoustic transducers.

Quality Assurance And The Scientific Method, Ray T. Sterner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As all RMRCSQA members know, during the 1980s the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food a d Drug Administration (FDA) implemented 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 160/792 and 21 CFR Part 58, respectively. These regulations outlined GLPs for data data collections needed to register pesticides, toxic substances, and drugs in the U.S.; QA concepts fix study oversight Were also described in these parts (see Sterner and Fagerstone, 1997). What you may not have considered is the relationship of these regulations to the scientific method.

Molybdenum Accumulation In Cariaco Basin Sediment Over The Past 24 K.Y.: A Record Of Water-Column Anoxia And Climate, Walter E. Dean, David Z. Piper, Larry C. Peterson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Molybdenum (Mo) concentrations in a sediment core from the Cariaco basin on the Venezuelan continental shelf can be partitioned between a marine fraction and a terrigenous fraction. The accumulation rate of the marine fraction of Mo increased abruptly 15 000 calendar years ago (15 ka), from <0.5 mg • cm^-2 • yr^-1 to >4 μg • cm^-2 • yr^-1, and then decreased abruptly at 9 ka. The accumulation rate remained high throughout this 6 k.y. period, but exhibited maxima at 15–14 and 12.5 ka, corresponding in time to meltwater pulse IA into the Gulf of Mexico and the onset …

Spectroscopic And Kinetic Investigation Of Carbocation Reactivity In Supercritical Carbon Dioxide, Hongshu Jin

Masters Theses

Recent interest in the use of supercritical CO₂ as an environmentally benign reaction medium has included the development of solvent systems that may support polar and ionic chemistry. Carbocations are key intermediate in a variety of synthetically important reactions and characterization of their reactivity is the focus of this work. UV-visible absorption, and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to identify and monitor the reaction kinetics of 9- phenylxanthenium carbocation. The arylcarbocation is conveniently generated from 9- phenylxanthen-9-ol in supercritical CO₂ under mildly acidic conditions. Under these conditions 9-phenylxanthenium ion is extremely stable and persists for …

Hydrothermal Sediments Associated With A Relict Back-Arc Spreading Center In The Shikoku Basin, Recovered From The Nankai Accretionary Prism, Japan, Jane L. Alexander, Kevin T. Pickering, Elizabeth H. Bailey

Publications and Research

The hemipelagic mudrocks of the Nankai accretionary prism, Japan, contain hydrothermal deposits associated with a relict spreading center in the Shikoku Basin. Initial work on core samples from Ocean Drilling Program Site 808 found several samples with elevated concentrations of calcium, magnesium, iron and manganese, at depths of between 1060 and 1111 m below sea floor. However, the origin of these sediments was uncertain, due to a lack of data. There was no recorded evidence of whether these elevated concentrations were present throughout this interval of core, or if they were present as discrete layers with the background hemipelagic mudrocks …

Alternative Ways Out: A Remedial Road Map For The Use Of Alternative Electoral Systems As Voting Rights Act Remedies, Steven J. Mulroy

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Dual Channel Matched Filtering And Space-Time Adaptive Processing, Scott D. Berger

Theses and Dissertations

We propose a dual channel matched filtering system that addresses two key challenges in the practical implementation of a single channel matched filtering system: secondary data support and computational cost. We demonstrated that the dual channel system requires half the secondary data to achieve nearly the same signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) as an equivalent single channel system. The key to the dual channel system is the block diagonalization of the interference plus noise correlation matrix with a fixed transformation. We investigated the application of this dual channel concept to the problem of space-time adaptive processing (STAP), referring to the …

An Analysis Of Grade-Level Expenditures Of At-Risk Funding Among Districts Of Different Economic Status In The State Of Michigan, Benard A. Meyer

Dissertations

Many of the recent financial reforms failed to address the needs of at-risk children. Effective solutions to the problems of the educationally disadvantaged must include changes within the schools, how the schools are funded, and how the schools spend their funding. Michigan’s 1994 finance reform included a funded plan for “unequal treatment of unequals” directed for the support of at-risk students. This fund was called Section 31a Program for At-Risk Pupils and involved a 230 million dollar compensatory education funding allowance for students at risk of school failure. This study presented here will determine if there is a relationship between …

Camera Break Detection By Partitioning Of 2d Spatio-Temporal Images In Mpeg Domain, Chong-Wah Ngo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we propose a new approach to detect camera cuts and wipes. The approach projects a video into two images representing the spatio-temporal continuity of a video life. Visually, these images are composed by regions of different patterns, each region represents the temporal location of a shot. The shape of a region boundary inherently classifies cut and wipe, and most importantly, marks the start and end of a wipe sequence. We hence formulate algorithms to locate the color and texture discontinuities occurring at the boundaries of image regions.

The Effectiveness Of Expert Support Technology For Decision Making: Individuals Versus Small Groups, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Jiye Mao, Izak Benbasat

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Expert support systems (ESSs) are increasingly used in organizations to support individuals and groups in decision making. Although ESSs have been shown to enhance the decision-making capabilities of individuals, their benefits in supporting group decision making are less clear. To the best of our knowledge, no empirical research has evaluated the effectiveness of the technology in the group setting or compared its usefulness for supporting individual versus group decision making. The results of this research show that ESSs benefit decision making of both individuals and groups and novices are able to gain more from ESSs than experts. The findings also …

Journal Assessment: A Protocol Analysis For Establishing Criteria For Shared Responsibilities For The Japanese Vernacular Journal Collection, Kazuko Sakaguchi

Journal of East Asian Libraries

No abstract provided.

Internal Issues In Private Education, Lourdes Sheehan

Journal of Catholic Education

One of the keynote addresses at the Private Research Conference held at the University of Dayton in November of 1997 focused on “Internal Issues in private Education.” This paper addresses several salient points and then poses research questions related to this topic and to issues which embrace school participants school organizations and management, school climate and culture, and academic programs and support services in private schools.

Does The Water Dragon, Physignathus Lesueurii (Gray 1831), Occur In New Guinea?, Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell, Greg Johnston

Biology Faculty Publications

The Australian water dragon, Physignathus lesueurii (Gray 1831), is a large acrodontan lizard which occurs in eastern Australia and has been reported from western New Guinea (Fig. 1). The species appears to be absent from eastern New Guinea (Allison 1982).

Cross-Linking Of Polystyrene By Friedel–Crafts Chemistry To Improve Thermal Stability, Zhitao Wang, David D. Jiang, Michael A. Mckinney, Charles Wilkie

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Copolymers which contain either alcohol or chloride functionalized polystyrene units have been prepared and they participate in Friedel–Crafts chemistry to give cross-linked polymers by the evolution of either hydrogen chloride or water. Proof of cross-linking comes from the identification of the evolved gas, the insolubility of the product, and the thermal resistance of the newly formed polymer. The onset temperature for the degradation is raised by about 100°C relative to that of polystyrene and the fraction which is not volatile at 800°C ranges from 10% for the alcohol copolymers to 20% for the chloride copolymers.

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Heat Treatment Using Orthotherm On Thermally Activated Archwires, Brent J. Hurst

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of heat treatment on thermally activated nickel titanium archwires, and to determine the differences between wires from individual manufacturers. Thermally activated, nickel titanium wires were obtained from five different manufacturers in the 0.016 x 0.022 format. All wires were measured with a micrometer to determine their exact dimensions. Half of the wires were heat treated with the use of the Orthotherm Bending Art Programmer from Syrinx Medical Technologies (Berlin, Germany) while the other half served as a control. By passing an electrical current through the wires for a predetermined period …