Digital Commons Network^™

Natural Algorithms In Digital Filter Design, Stephen Penberthy Harris

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Digital filters are an important part of Digital Signal Processing (DSP), which plays vital roles within the modern world, but their design is a complex task requiring a great deal of specialised knowledge. An analysis of this design process is presented, which identifies opportunities for the application of optimisation. The Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Simulated Annealing are problem-independent and increasingly popular optimisation techniques. They do not require detailed prior knowledge of the nature of a problem, and are unaffected by a discontinuous search space, unlike traditional methods such as calculus and hill-climbing. Potential applications of these techniques to the filter …

Review: Good Intentions, Christina Murphy

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

Searching For Robert Moore, Neal Lerner

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

Perspectives On The Directive/Non-Directive Continuum In The Writing Center, Irene Clark

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

The Urban Response To The Rural Land Reform During The Chinese Civil War: 1945-1949, Elizabeth Grad '01

Honors Projects, History

China's internal condition immediately following the end of Japanese occupation was complicated and precarious. The conflicting interests of the Kuomintang and the Communists were pushing the nation into civil war and pressure from the United States only hastened the collapse of an already weak: internal structure. The Japanese occupation of China during the war had significant implications and affected the political fortunes of the Kuomintang and the Communists in diverse ways.

Initially, the War of Resistance against Japan promoted nationalism and Chiang Kai-shek and the Chinese Communists united for the good of the nation. This unity, however, was short lived …

Improving Design And Administration Of Government Support Programmes For Industry, Ronald Crayden Downing

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis describes the research which has been undertaken into a particular area of policy making in the UK, that of the process of designing and implementing programmes aimed at helping industrial firms to become more competitive. Investigations have focused on how the design process is conducted within the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which has lead responsibility for industry in Whitehall. The research had Uvo primary aims. First was to provide a detailed description of the process of designing programmes. Based on the research findings it is proposed that the process comprises the components of'Issue Identification', 'Programme Implementation', …

A Model For Managing Information Flow On The World Wide Web, Michael Paul Evans

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

This thesis considers the nature of information management on the World Wide Web. The web has evolved into a global information system that is completely unregulated, permitting anyone to publish whatever information they wish. However, this information is almost entirely unmanaged, which, together with the enormous number of users who access it, places enormous strain on the web's architecture. This has led to the exposure of inherent flaws, which reduce its effectiveness as an information system. The thesis presents a thorough analysis of the state of this architecture, and identifies three flaws that could render the web unusable: link rot; …

Investigation Into Digital Audio Equaliser Systems And The Effects Of Arithmetic And Transform Errors On Performance, Robin John Clark

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Discrete-time audio equalisers introduce a variety of undesirable artefacts into audio mixing systems, namely, distortions caused by finite wordlength constraints, frequency response distortion due to coefficient calculation and signal disturbances that arise from real-time coefficient update. An understanding of these artefacts is important in the design of computationally affordable, good quality equalisers. A detailed investigation into these artefacts using various forms of arithmetic, filter frequency response, input excitation and sampling frequencies is described in this thesis. Novel coefficient calculation techniques, based on the matched z-transform (MZT) were developed to minimise filter response distortion and computation for on-line implementation. It was …

Controlling The Optical Properties Of A Conjugated Co-Polymer Through Variation Of Backbone Isomerism And The Introduction Of Carbon Nanotubes, A. Dalton, J. Coleman, M. In Het Panhuis, B. Mccarthy, A. Drury, W. Blau, J. Nunzi, Hugh Byrne

Articles

The need to control the formation of weakly emitting species in polymers such as aggregates and excimers, which are normally detrimental to device performance, is illustrated for the example of the polymer poly(m-phenylenevinylene-co-2,5-dioctyloxy-p-phenylenevinylene), using the model compound, 2,5-dioctyloxy-p-distyrylbenzene as a comparison. Two different methods, namely a Homer-Emmons polycondensation in dimethylformamide (DMF) and a Wittig polycondensation in dry toluene, have been used during synthesis resulting in a polymer with a predominantly trans-vinylene backbone and a polymer with a predominantly cis-vinylene backbone, respectively. Photoluminescence and absorption spectroscopy indicate that the polymer forms aggregate species in solution with spectra that are distinctly red-shifted …

A Review Of The Different Methods For Assessing Standing Balance, Jacinta Browne, N. J. O'Hare

Articles

This paper is a review of the balance assessment methods currently used to evaluate standing balance. Most of the presently available instrumentation appears to be more suited to research laboratories than to routine clinical situations. Functional assessments of balance appear to be the quickest test to administer and do not require expensive equipment however only gross changes in balance can be detected making them suitable as a screening tool for identifying subject’s needing more thorough evaluation. Force platforms appear to be most suited balance assessment instrumentation to the clinical situation since it produces a real time display and can detect …

E-Spatial Technology For Spatial Analysis And Decision Making In Web-Based Land Information Management Systems, James Carswell

Articles

In this paper we describe e-SpatialTM technology, comprising an innovative software solution for deploying integrated web-based spatial applications within Oracle 9i Database environments. The two main components of the solution are the iSMARTTM database development technology and the i-SpatialTM Information Server (iSIS). This technology allows Oracle users to build and deploy both spatially enabled and standard Internet applications without requiring any application-specific GIS source code. It can be deployed on any Oracle supported hardware platform and on any device running a Java Virtual Machine, thus providing full support for wireless, PDAs and other mobile devices. In particular, we describe a …

Varieties Of Religion-Family Linkages, John R. Snarey, David C. Dollahite

Faculty Publications

The 4 articles in this special issue make important contributions to both family and religious studies as well as to their interface. This commentary begins by considering 4 unifying themes present across all of the articles, including meaningful religion-family linkages, the importance of gender differences in the faith-family interface, the significance of intergenerational relationships, and the need for better theory. The authors then discuss the unique major strength and secondary limitations of each study. Finally, the commentary focuses on two challenges inhibiting the contemporary study of religion and the family–a relative lack of racial and religious diversity in samples and …

Listening For A Change: The Courts And Oral Tradition, John Borrows

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

Aboriginal oral history is a valuable source of information about a people's past. It can constitute important evidence as proof of prior events, and/or it can shed light on meanings groups give to their past. Despite its value, however, oral tradition presents particular challenges of admissibility and interpretation because of its unique source and transmission. This article outlines and discuses these challenges and suggests various approaches to better understand the insights contained within aboriginal history.

Securing Accountability Through Commissions Of Inquiry: A Role For The Law Commission Of Canada, Robert Centa, Patrick Macklem

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

Focusing on the Government of Ontario's unwillingness to call a public inquiry into the death of Dudley George, an Aboriginal protester, and the Government of Canada's willingness to interfere with an inquiry into the deployment of Canadian forces to Somalia, this article argues that governments appear increasingly reluctant to support a commission of inquiry into a public crisis even where it can serve as a catalyst for addressing larger and more pressing concerns of institutional and policy reform. It first addresses "start-up problems" associated with the fact that the decision to appoint a commission of inquiry lies within the sole …

The Prime Minister's Police?: Commissioner Hughes' Apec Report, W. Wesley Pue

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Little Sisters Case, Administrative Censorship, And Obscenity Law, Bruce Ryder

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Workers' Compensation: Foundations For Reform, By Morley Gunderson And Douglas Hyatt (Eds), Terence G. Ison

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

No abstract provided.

2001 : Faculty Of Tourism And Food , Full - Time Courses, Dublin Institute Of Technology

DIT Publications

Book of full - time courses in the faculty of tourism and food.

Information includes information on eligibility and selection, list of full - time courses, course summary information, student life at DIT etc.

2001 : Part - Time Courses, Dublin Institute Of Technology

DIT Publications

Book consisting of student information on DIT life and details of part - time courses offered in each faculty.

Punishing The Causer As The Principal: Mens Rea And The Interstate Transportation Element Of The National Stolen Property Act

San Diego Law Review

Transporting goods worth over five thousand dollars, which are known to be stolen, in interstate commerce is a violation of the Federal National Stolen Property Act (NSPA).' The congressional intent behind the NSPA is to aid the states in punishing those who commit theft, fraud, or counterfeiting in violation of state law, but elude punishment by utilizing the channels of interstate commerce.2 Congress included an interstate transportation element in this statute, which is otherwise parallel to a typical state stolen property statute, merely to supply a constitutional basis for the exertion of federal power.' Thus, Congress enacted the NSPA as …

New Modes Of Assessment, Greg Sergienko

San Diego Law Review

are extremely burdensome to grade. The purpose of this Article is to call attention to a variety of alternatives to this traditional format that are more accurate and less burdensome than traditional essay exams.2 Increasing accuracy makes it

possible to determine whether the instruction has been effective, allowing the instructor to address areas of weakness before the course ends and to improve future classes. Decreasing the burden of assessment of student learning allows for faster feedback, which is more effective.' Faster assessment also makes possible frequent assessment, and frequent assessment provides students with the information they need to improve, promoting …

The Wrong Line Between Freedom And Restraint: The Unreality, Obscurity, And Hcivility Of The Fourth Amendment Consensual Encounter Doctrine, Daniel J. Steinbock

San Diego Law Review

restraint is clearly one of the most important, and one the law should be most anxious to get right. On the one side lies freedom to move around physically-the essence of what most people mean by "liberty." While not explicitly defined in the Constitution, this liberty is protected by several of its provisions: the due process clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments,' the right to habeas corpus, the Thirteenth Amendment's ban on slavery, and the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable seizures. Together they ensure against interference with personal freedom of movement in the form of bondage, incarceration, civil confinement, …

Teaching Effectiveness In An Introductory High School Honors Physics Course As Measured By The Force Concept Inventory, April Crawford Moore

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Of importance to many teachers is that students emerge from a course of study with an acceptable level of comprehension of the subject matter presented and that students' course grades reflect that understanding. The primary question of this research was, "How effective in promoting comprehension of Newtonian concepts is this teacher's use of selected interactive strategies?" Secondary questions were: 1. What modifications to instruction, if any, have to be made for implementation of interactive-engagement strategies? 2. Following instruction in mechanics, which misconceptions probed by the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) are retained by students, and which misconceptions are corrected? 3. How …

School Playground Supervision Practices In The State Of Iowa, Heather Marie Bauer

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate what types of playground supervision practices were being performed in Iowa public elementary schools. More specifically this study included the following research questions:

1. What is the typical public elementary school in Iowa? 2. Do schools in Iowa have playground supervision plans?
3. Who supervises the children?
4. Do schools require the supervisors to have playground safety training?
5. Do schools perform a regular maintenance check on their playground?

A questionnaire was designed to answer the research questions posed in this study. The questionnaire was reviewed by a panel of experts for …

Leisure Participation And Life Satisfaction Among Middle-Aged And Elderly Urban Chinese People, Jin Ye

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Society has entered a new millennium where quality of life is receiving more attention than ever before. In China, with the rapidly developing economy, the need for improving the quality of life has also increased. Research has shown that leisure can contribute to quality of life issues. It is very important to understand the characteristics of leisure participation and life satisfaction among middle-aged and elderly Chinese people. This can help leisure professionals to develop suitable leisure programs and improve the life satisfaction of Chinese.

One hundred fifty subjects (69 males and 81 females) living in China participated in this study. …

Demographics, Treatment Approaches, Experience And Knowledge Of The Certified Substance Abuse Counselors In Iowa, Michelle R. Vogt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was designed to describe selected characteristics of certified substance abuse counselors in the state of lowa. Specifically, the following characteristics were considered: education, age, gender, length of time in profession, salary range, and if the counselor considers himself/herself recovering or not. Also, substance abuse treatment approaches, knowledge, and experiences of the substance abuse counselors were compiled. A questionnaire was designed and sent to 224 substance abuse counselors in Iowa. Sixty useable questionnaires were returned yielding a 26. 78% return rate. The results of this study indicated a majority (95.0%) of the respondents were over the age of 30 …

A Political Geography Of Chinese And Other State Claims To Territorial Sovereignty Of The Spratly Islands, William Jeffery Brown

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Since 1970, the claims in the South China Sea have become a matter of considerable political attention, both regionally and internationally. This increased attention has came about largely because of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea and the fact that China has started pressing for what it calls its historical claims. The PRC and the ROC, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines have claims to islands and waters in the SCS. The claims are promoted today because of the major oil potential of the Sea. The UN CLOS allows control of resources by the State that …

The Role Of Goal And Identity In A Youth Development Framework, Megan L. Coleman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the early 1990's there were over 17,000 youth development programs in the United States (Quinn, 1999). The overwhelming number of these organizations causes problems in defining, describing, and interpreting these types of organizations. The current definition describes these programs as opportunities and support to help youth gain the competencies and knowledge they need to meet the increasing challenges they will face as they mature. This definition is accurate, however, it does not fully describe how youth learn and grow nor does it describe how youth can gain this competency and knowledge. The limitations of Kohlberg and Mayer (1972) and …

Formative Assessment In University Of Northern Iowa Specialized Writing Center Outreach: Articulating Practices And Speaking A Common Language, Caran Amber Crawford

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

College writing centers are individualized places, which often causes miscommunication of the ideas and purposes centers uphold. However, if centers articulate the use of formative assessment strategies in tutoring writing, they would help alleviate miscommunications and strengthen the way writing centers explain their work in literature and practice; centers can also use formative assessment tools to evaluate their practices. This study identifies formative assessment strategies by means of observing writer/tutor roles, interactions, and outcomes in University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Writing Center practices in one-on-one tutorials for Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) writers and in the Spring 2000 PPST Workshop. The …

Design And Implementation Of A Biologically Realistic Olfactory Cortex In Analog Vlsi, Jose C. Principe, Vitor G. Tavares, John G. Harris, Walter J. Freeman

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper reviews the problem of translating signals into symbols preserving maximally the information contained in the signal time structure. In this context, we motivate the use of nonconvergent dynamics for the signal to symbol translator. We then describe a biologically realistic model of the olfactory system proposed by Walter Freeman that has locally stable dynamics but is globally chaotic. We show how we can discretize Freemans model using digital signal processing techniques, providing an alternative to the more conventional Runge-Kutta integration. This analysis leads to a direct mixed signal {analog amplitude/discrete time) implementation of the dynamical building block that …