Digital Commons Network^™

B-Nodes: A New Scalable High Level Abstraction Model, Stanislaw P. Maj, Craig William Caulfield

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper proposes a new modeling technique called B-Nodes. B-Nodes represent a new, high-level abstraction that allows technical detail to be controlled using top-down recursive decomposition. This abstraction. is independent of architectural detail and can therefore accommodate rapid changes in technology. The use of recursive decomposition allows B-Nodes to be used not only for entire e-commerce system but also sub-modules within this system. The use of fundamental units allows the performance of heterogeneous technologies to be compared and other units to be derived. Results to date indicate no comparable model exists. Should further work validate this technique the authors recommend …

Developing E-Learning Environments That Support Knowledge Construction In Higher Education, Ron Oliver

Research outputs pre 2011

Much of the conventional development of Web-based learning environments the creation of electronic forms of existing print-based materials. In such instances the Web-based courses have tended to display limited evidence of an underpinning learning design and varying degrees of use of the opportunities and affordances of the new technologies. This paper provides an overview of instructional design principles that can guide the creation of Web-based learning materials that support learner engagement and knowledge construction. The paper describes the attributes of constructivist learning settings and provides some examples of explicit learning designs that can be applied in the design of Web-based …

Educating Professional Software Engineers: Pathways And Progress In The Australian Experience, Rick Duley, David Veal, Stanislaw P. Maj

Research outputs pre 2011

Australia has seized the international initiative in the recognition of software engineers as professionals. Of the 37 universities in Australia offering undergraduate courses in computing, eleven offer courses in software engineering which are accredited by the Institute of Engineers, Australia (IEAust) and which may lead the graduate to membership of the Institute. In this way, the Institute has plausible claim to being the first national professional engineering body in the world to have accredited four-year undergraduate software engineering degrees as professional qualifications. The paper traces the development of the relationship between the Institute of Engineers and the computing industry and …

Inference Of Regular Languages Using Model Simplicity, Philip Hingston

Research outputs pre 2011

We describe an approach that is related to a number of existing algorithms for the inference of a regular language from a set of positive (and optionally also negative) examples. Variations on this approach provide a family of algorithms that attempt to minimise the complexity of a description of the example data in terms of a finite state automaton model. Experiments using a standard set of small problems show that this approach produces satisfactory results when positive examples only are given, and can be helpful when only a limited number of negative examples is available. The results also suggest that …

Learning Objects: Supporting Flexible Delivery Of Flexible Learning, Ron Oliver

Research outputs pre 2011

There are now many educational organizations and institutions that have decided on flexible delivery and online learning as strategies that they are keen to pursue. While many educators value online delivery of programs for the flexibility and opportunities offered, the environment offers far more than these outcomes alone. Online delivery supports and encourages very powerful learning environments and has the prospect to transform education if approached in the correct fashion. Across the world, conventional approaches to the design and development of online learning environments in higher education frequently result in many lost opportunities for both teachers and learners. These losses …

Classification Of Bandlimited Fsk4 And Fsk8 Signals, Visalakshi Ramakonar, Daryoush Habibi, Abdesselam Bouzerdoum

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper compares two types of classifiers applied to bandlimited FSK4 and FSK8 signals. The first classifier employs the decision-theoretic approach and the second classifier is a neural network structure. Key features are extracted using a zero crossing sampler. A novel decision tree is proposed and optimum threshold values are found for the decision theoretic approach. For the neural network, the optimum structure is found to be the smallest structure to give 100% overall success rate. The performance of the both classifiers has been evaluated by simulating bandlimited FSK4 and FSK8 signals corrupted by Gaussian noise. It is shown that …

A Wide Dynamic Range Cmos Imager With Extended Shunting Inhibition Image Processing Capabilities, Farid Boussaid, Amine Bermak, Abdesselam Bouzerdoum

Research outputs pre 2011

A CMOS imager based on a novel mixed-mode VLSI implementation of biologically inspired shunting inhibition vision models is presented. It can achieve a wide range of image processing tasks such as image enhancement or edge detection via a programmable shunting inhibition processor. Its most important feature is a gain control mechanism allowing local and global adaptation to the mean input light intensity. This feature is shown to be very suitable for wide dynamic range imagers

Skin Color Detection For Face Localization In Human-Machine Communications, Douglas Chai, Son Lam Phung, Abdesselam Bouzerdoum

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper presents the proposed user interface design for computers whereby users can navigate in a 3D graphics scene and change camera viewpoint via head movement. This human-machine communication relies very much on the performance of its face localization module, which must determine head pose and track head movement. We have employed the skin color detection approach to face localization. The approach is studied and presented. The experimental results show that our chosen methodology is very effective. Furthermore, we demonstrate that skin color detection approach can cope with the variations of skin color and lighting conditions

Application Of Shunting Inhibitory Artificial Neural Networks To Medical Diagnosis, Ganesh Arulampalam, Abdesselam Bouzerdoum

Research outputs pre 2011

Shunting inhibitory artificial neural networks (SIANNs) are biologically inspired networks in which the neurons interact among each other via a nonlinear mechanism called shunting inhibition. Since they are high-order networks, SIANNs are capable of producing complex, nonlinear decision boundaries. In this article, feedforward SIANNs are applied to several medical diagnosis problems and the results are compared with those obtained using multilayer perceptrons (MLPs). First, the structure of feedforward SIANNs is presented. Then, these networks are applied to some standard medical classification problems, namely the Pima Indians diabetes and Wisconsin breast cancer classification problems. The SIANN performance compares favourably with that …

Quality In Online Delivery: What Does It Mean For Assessment In E-Learning Environments?, Catherine E Mcloughlin, Joseph Luca

Research outputs pre 2011

While a great deal has been written on the advantages and benefits of online teaching, and research continues to proliferate, many practitioners are seeking guidelines that can be applied to the design of assessment in online environments. The last decade has seen the convergence of traditional distance education with on-campus modes of delivery and work-based training signalling new models of flexible delivery. In addition, demand driven education accentuates the learner’s role and needs while the teacher has become a manager, mediator and motivator of student learning. Issues raised by national and international bodies and quality assurance agencies now seem to …

An E-Learning Solution To Creating Work-Related Skills And Competencies For The Knowledge-Based Economy, Catherine Mcloughlin, Joseph Luca

Research outputs pre 2011

This case study presents a description of Web-based tertiary unit of study developed in collaboration with employer, industry and university stakeholders with a view to fostering skills in interactive multimedia and project management. The course utilised a range of learning approaches, including peer teaching and integrated assessment in which participants provided feedback to colleagues. The paper also discusses how electronic communications and Apple-based technologies can be used effectively to create environments for professional learning. The intention is to describe the design of the learning environment, the curriculum approach adopted, the types of learning activities and assessment tasks that were designed …

Investigating Processes Of Social Knowledge Construction In Online Environments, Catherine Mcloughlin, Joseph Luca

Research outputs pre 2011

On-line forums provide opportunity and potential for collaborative work, dialogue and study that can increase the flexibility of learning while motivating participants. By enabling teacher-learner and learner-learner interaction online systems can support the essential elements of a learning conversation by providing scope for discussion, dialogue and interaction. It is argued that this medium presents a socio-cognitive educational domain, unique in its potential for dialogue, participation and collaboration and a departure from face-to-face didactic paradigms of learning. Often, the types of verbal interactions and the means by which new knowledge is created on-line are not well understood. The paper provides frameworks …

Learning With Cyberfriends: The Development Of Professional Reflection-On-Action Skills Through Online Partnerships, Catherine Mcloughlin, Joseph Luca

Research outputs pre 2011

One the crises facing the professions is the scepticism surrounding the nature of professional knowledge and whether individuals can cope with the increased complexity of society and the changing demands of the workplace. Tertiary institutions have now strengthened their links with industry and have produced lists of attributes and communication skills they aim to cultivate in graduates. In order to develop these skills students need to be able to reflect on their learning experiences, integrate them with prior knowledge, self-evaluate and develop their own decision-making and planning processes. Online technologies can be used to support the process skills underpinning reflection-onaction …

Improving Assessment: Rubrics In A Tertiary Multimedia Course, Barnard Clarkson, Joseph Luca

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper explains how alternative assessment methods were implemented in a first-year tertiary course on web design. The aim was to make assessment clearer for the students to understand, and more focussed, using a rubric—a detailed, criterion-referenced marking guide. The results of a post-course evaluation of this action research showed that students strongly appreciated the use of this type of assessment. Our conclusion is that the rubric approach improves student satisfaction and can save lecturers time when marking.

A Compact Multi-Chip-Module Implementation Of A Multi-Precision Neural Network Classifier, Amine Bermak, Dominique Martinez

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper describes a novel MCM digital implementation of a reconfigurable multi-precision neural network classifier. The design is based on a scalable systolic architecture with a user defined topology and arithmetic precision of the neural network. Indeed, the MCM integrates 64/32/16 neurons with a corresponding accuracy of 4/8/16-bits. A prototype has been designed and successfully tested in CMOS 0.7 μm technology

Novel Image Enhancement Technique Using Shunting Inhibitory Cellular Neural Networks, Tarik Hammadou, Abdesselam Bouzerdoum

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper describes a method for improving image quality in a color CMOS image sensor. The technique simultaneously acts to compress the dynamic range, reorganize the signal to improve visibility, suppress noise, identify local features, achieve color constancy, and lightness rendition. An efficient hardware architecture and a rigorous analysis of the different modules are presented to achieve high quality CMOS digital cameras

A Virtual Organisation Model For E-Government, Greg Robins, Janice Burn

Research outputs pre 2011

This paper looks at the implementation of a new customer value alliance model in e-govemment. Firstly we review the issues of e-govemment and the drive towards customer centric organisations in the context of multiple government agencies. A model of e-Government is introduced and examined within the context of a virtual organisation model which can be applied along the customer value chain across multiple service agencies. A case study is used to demonstrate how this concept of a virtual organisation as a customer value-alliance model can effect a successful transition to e-Govemment from a traditional Government model. Finally, we examine how …

Annual Report 2000, Deposit Insurance Corporation Of Japan

Documents

No abstract provided.

The Present Status Of Geography Education In Boys' Intermediate Schools Of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Abdulrahman Mohammed Al-Gahtany

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to describe the present status of geography education in boys' intermediate schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as perceived by geography teachers and supervisors; that is, to investigate the objectives, content, methods of teaching, tools and resources that are available and used in classrooms, evaluation techniques, and problems encountered in the teaching of geography. To collect data from this representative sample population, a questionnaire was developed by the researcher specifically for this study. Questionnaire data was collected from 19 social studies supervisors and 213 geography teachers. Percentages, frequencies, means, and standard deviations were computed for …

Defining Environmental Theology: Content Analysis Of Associated Literature., Robert J. Jacobus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Environmental theology is a term used often by religious communities describing theological doctrines concerning the relationship of deity and ethical conduct to the environment. After an extensive literature search, an operational or declarative definition for environmental theology was not discovered. The objectives of this study were to establish an explicit and scholarly definition of environmental theology and introduce deoview as a descriptor associated with the term. People have and will continue to act according to their belief systems: this paper has value in understanding beliefs, ethics, and behavior of people and people groups.

A Comparison Of The Instructional Effectiveness Of Intensive And Semester-Length Courses., Marc C. Seamon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A broad research literature base on the instructional effectiveness of intensive-format courses often finds the intensive courses equal or superior to semester-length versions, but many of the studies from which those conclusions are drawn were theoretically or methodologically flawed. This examination of student characteristics and instructional effectiveness in one matched pair of educational psychology classes found that students in the intensive version of the course performed significantly better than students in the semester-length course on posttests of content and questions tapping higher-order learning. Despite indications of better learning in the intensive-course group, the two groups of students did not differ …

Object-Oriented Expert System Design: Texpert., Maryam Farmani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Object-Orientation is a powerful approach to managing complexity, which has received widespread attention in the past few years. Object-Oriented Design is based on a small number of basic concepts: object, classes, operations and relationships. Some important relationships are inheritance, message passing, and encapsulation. Different methods and notations have been proposed within this paradigm, and a Unified Modeling Language has been developed based on several of these methods. Most rule-based expert systems are not flexible enough to handle problems that mix logical deductions, rule-based inferences, and procedure execution, but mixed problems are common in modern society. Management decisions, for example, are …

The Relationship Of Mental Skills To Performance On A Tennis Accuracy Task Under Fatigued And Non-Fatigued Conditions., Mark Christopher Booras

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether athletes with higher mental skills perform tennis accuracy skills better than athletes with lower mental skills under two conditions. Division 1 tennis players (N = 11 men, N = 10 women) were divided into high and low mental skills groups by a median split on the ACSI-28. They were taken through two exercise conditions, fresh and fatigue, on two separate days and given a tennis accuracy task at the end of each condition. A repeated measure ANOVA determined there was no significant interaction between mental skill level and task condition scores. …

Undergraduate And Graduate Catalog [2000-2001], Georgia Southern University

Undergraduate & Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Financial Organization And Operations Of The Imf, International Monetary Fund (Imf)

Documents

No abstract provided.

Qualitative Research Interviews: Identifying Problems In Technique, Gary Partington

Research outputs pre 2011

Interviews that are conducted for qualitative research rely for their quality on the nature of the interactions with the interviewees. In this article, some of the factors that contribute to quality interactions are discussed in relation to a research project based on interviews conducted by a team of researchers. Issues covered include the importance of empathy and rapport, listening and questioning, restatement, clarification and persistence. Researchers should be aware of the powerful influence of these factors on the responses of interviewees. They should take steps to ensure quality data is obtained by using appropriate interview techniques and suitable interviewers.

Gulfstream Aerospace Aircraft Static Position Utility, Mark Eugene Ray

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

My research project implements a Java based utility developed for commercial application by Gulfstream Aerospace employees and customers to determine static position data of Gulfstream aircraft. The static position data includes aircraft attitude, nose and main landing gear loads and aircraft ground clearance data.

The previous methods used to obtain this data were a family of spreadsheets. The spreadsheet solution has proven to be awkward and inaccessible for providing the required data. Therefore, Gulfstream Aerospace Management approved the design and implementation of a new aircraft static position utility.

The new utility is identified as the Gulfstream Aircraft Static Position (GASP) …

Regularity And Symmetry As A Base For Efficient Realization Of Reversible Logic Circuits, Marek Perkowski, Pawel Kerntopf, Andrzej Buller, Malgorzata Chrzanowska-Jeske, Alan Mishchenko, Xiaoyu Song, Anas Al-Rabadi, Lech Jozwiak, Alan Coppola

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We introduce a Reversible Programmable Gate Array (RPGA) based on regular structure to realize binary functions in reversible logic. This structure, called a 2 * 2 Net Structure, allows for more efficient realization of symmetric functions than the methods shown by previous authors. In addition, it realizes many non-symmetric functions even without variable repetition. Our synthesis method to RPGAs allows to realize arbitrary symmetric function in a completely regular structure of reversible gates with smaller “garbage” than the previously presented papers. Because every Boolean function is symmetrizable by repeating input variables, our method is applicable to arbitrary multi-input, multi-output Boolean …

Investigation Of Chemometrics Methods For Characterising Drift Phenomena In Ick-Aes, Ana Maria Marcos-Dominguez

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The objective of this study was to fully characterise drift phenomena in inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) in order to develop novel correction procedures to aid routine analysis. Long-term drift of the analytical signal continues to be a potential disadvantage when using ICP-AES and often necessitates regular recalibration. The long-term stability of three commercially available Instruments was studied using In each case a range of analyte and intrinsic plasma emission lines. Long-term fluctuations were observed which generated drift bias of up to 20% on the initial values. The drift pafterns were characterised and found to be qualitatively reproducible. …

Multivariate Calibration For Icp-Aes, Michael Lee Griffiths

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The analysis of metals is now a major application area for ICP-AES, however, the technique suffers from both spectral and non-spectral interferences. This thesis details the application of univariate and multivariate calibration methods for the prediction of Pt, Pd, and Rh in acid-digested and of Au, Ag and Pd in fusion-digested autocatalyst samples. Of all the univariate calibration methods investigated matrix matching proved the most accurate method with relative root mean square errors (RRMSEs) for Pt, Pd and Rh of 2.4, 3.7, and 2.4 % for a series of synihelic lest solutions, and 12.0, 2.4, and 8.0 % for autocatalyst …