Digital Commons Network^™

How To Effectively Use Strategies Taught In Diversity Training Seminars: A Transformation Of Students And Staff At Sodus Central School District., Christina Costich

Mathematical and Computing Sciences Masters

Census data indicate the United States is one of the most diverse nations in the World, and nowhere is that diversity more evident than in our schools, colleges, and universities (Bedden, Futrell, and Gomez, 2003). African American, Latino, American Indian, and poor children in general continue to achieve below grade level, dropout in much greater numbers, and go to college in much lower proportion than their middle-class and European American peers (Jacobson, 2000). Jacobson also states, "The disproportion between minority and White dropout rates suggests that the educational systems through which these students have passed have failed to address equitably …

Joint Application Of Artificial Neural Networks And Evolutionary Algorithms To Watershed Management, Misgana K. Muleta, John W. Nicklow

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have become common data driven tools for modeling complex, nonlinear problems in science and engineering. Many previous applications have relied on gradient-based search techniques, such as the back propagation (BP) algorithm, for ANN training. Such techniques, however, are highly susceptible to premature convergence to local optima and require a trial-and-error process for effective design of ANN architecture and connection weights. This paper investigates the use of evolutionary programming (EP), a robust search technique, and a hybrid EP–BP training algorithm for improved ANN design. Application results indicate that the EP–BP algorithm may limit the drawbacks of using …

Newton-Raphson Versus Fisher Scoring Algorithms In Calculating Maximum Likelihood Estimates, Andrew Schworer, Peter Hovey

Undergraduate Mathematics Day: Past Content

In this work we explore the difficulties and the means by which maximum likelihood estimates can be calculated iteratively when direct solutions do not exist. The Newton-Raphson algorithm can be used to do these calculations. However, this algorithm has certain limitations that will be discussed. An alternative algorithm, Fisher scoring, which is less dependent on specific data values, is a good replacement. The Fisher scoring method converged for data sets available to the authors, that would not converge when using the Newton-Raphson algorithm. An analysis and discussion of both algorithms will be presented. Their real world application on analysis of …

Pebbling On Directed Graphs, Gayatri Gunda, Aparna Higgins

Undergraduate Mathematics Day: Past Content

Consider a finite connected graph G whose vertices are labeled with non-negative integers representing the number of pebbles on each vertex. A pebbling move on a graph G is defined as the removal of two pebbles from one vertex and the addition of one pebble to an adjacent vertex. The pebbling number f(G) of a connected graph is the least number of pebbles such that any distribution of f(G) pebbles on G allows one pebble to be moved to any specified but arbitrary vertex. We consider pebbling on directed graphs and study what configurations of directed graphs allow for pebbling …

Newton’S Unfinished Business: Uncovering The Hidden Powers Of Eleven In Pascal’S Triangle, Robert Arnold, Tom Attenweiler, Christopher Brockman, Bethany Lesko, Christine Martinek, Colleen Mccormick, Jessica Mcquiston, Jessica Parker, Amy Rohmiller

Undergraduate Mathematics Day: Past Content

Sir Isaac Newton once observed that the first five rows of Pascal’s Triangle, when concatenated, yield the corresponding powers of eleven. He claimed without proof that subsequent rows also generate powers of eleven. Was he correct? While not all rows can simply be concatenated, the powers of eleven can still be easily derived from each. We have uncovered an algorithm the supports Newton’s claim and will prove its validity for all rows of the Triangle.

2004 Vol. 1 Table Of Contents, University Of Dayton. Department Of Mathematics

Undergraduate Mathematics Day: Past Content

No abstract provided.

Some Interesting Multiples Of Nine: Use Your Digits To Get The Digits!, Kevin Hurley

Undergraduate Mathematics Day: Past Content

We have unraveled two neat and powerful algorithms for calculating certain multiples of nine. These discussions might make for an interesting introduction to a number theory course, or a supplemental project in calculus or advanced algebra. The mathematics involved is within a student’s grasp, and the results are quite startling.

Ramanujan Graphs In The Construction Of Ldpc Codes, Walter H. Chen

Undergraduate Mathematics Day: Past Content

Low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes have recently become a popular interdisciplinary area of research. Widely unknown after their invention by Gallager in 1965, the existence of efficient encoding and decoding algorithms coupled with performance that operates near theoretical limits has led to the rediscovery of LDPC codes. This paper will address the reasoning and construction of LDPC codes with Ramanujan graphs.

How Not To Get Lost While On A Random Walk, Robert Lewand

Undergraduate Mathematics Day: Past Content

What happens if you go on a random walk? Will you ever return home? Well, sometimes yes (probably) and sometimes no (probably). During this talk we will derive some elementary identities in favor you're not getting lost while on a random walk.

2004 Alumni Presenters, University Of Dayton. Department Of Mathematics

Biennial Alumni Seminar

No abstract provided.

2004 (Winter), University Of Dayton. Department Of Mathematics

Colloquia

Abstracts of the talks given at the 2004 Winter Colloquium

Conversations Among Women In Mathematics (Program), University Of Dayton. Department Of Mathematics

Biennial Alumni Seminar

No abstract provided.

Kant And The Logic Of Aristotle, Kurt Mosser

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In the Preface to the second edition of the Critique of Pure Reason, Kant offers his best-known—indeed, notorious—remark about Aristotle's logic:

• Since Aristotle . . . logic has not been able to advance a single step, and is thus to all appearance a closed and completed doctrine (Bviii).1

I wish to explore here the following question: is Kant in fact saying that since Aristotle, there need be no more concern about logic as a discipline or a field of study, that Aristotle (with some minor embellishments, in terms of presentation) is the last word in logic? Certainly that is how …

The Welsh Language: Cultural Preservation Or A Losing Battle?, Kim Mercer

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Wales, the tiny country that along with Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England makes up the United Kingdom, has always been a land of great contrasts and conflicts. From the rocky northern crags of Snowdonia to the sunny (for Britain) beaches of South Wales, the land itself seems to foster divisions, cultural and political as well as physical. The Welsh are likewise a mixed population, containing major populations of English immigrants and other "foreigners" drawn to the country for job opportunities, political refuge, as well as retirees enthralled with the landscape and change of pace from the rapid urbanization of much …

Investigation Of Nascar Restrictor Plate Manifold Insert Using Wave Engine Simulation And Response Surface Methodology, John Mason Gross Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing growth in computer processing power, computer based computational fluid dynamics simulations are finding increasing acceptance and use in the field of internal combustion engine development. Once fully developed, such simulations provide detailed and expedient tools for testing existing theories, as well as new ideas. While numerous studies on wave propagation and fluid flow in intakes manifolds exist, most restrict the analysis to a single intake runner and port, examining only the dynamics from the runner-to-plenum junction downstream to the valve. While such analyses provide comprehensive models for wave propagation dynamics in the runner, little is published on …

Slurry Chemistry Effects On Copper Chemical Mechanical Planarization, Ying Luo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chemical-mechanical Planarization (CMP) has emerged as one of the fastest-growing processes in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, and it is expected to show equally explosive growth in the future (Braun, 2001). The development of CMP has been fueled by the introduction of copper interconnects in microelectronic devices. Other novel applications of CMP include the fabrications of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), advanced displays, three dimensional systems, and so on (Evans, 2002). CMP is expected to play a key role in the next-generation micro- and nanofabrication technologies (Singh, et al., 2002). Despite the rapid increase in CMP applications, the fundamental understanding of the CMP …

Ocr: A Statistical Model Of Multi-Engine Ocr Systems, Mercedes Terre Mcdonald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a benchmark performed on three commercial Optical Character Recognition (OCR) engines. The purpose of this benchmark is to characterize the performance of the OCR engines with emphasis on the correlation of errors between each engine. The benchmarks are performed for the evaluation of the effect of a multi-OCR system employing a voting scheme to increase overall recognition accuracy. This is desirable since currently OCR systems are still unable to recognize characters with 100% accuracy. The existing error rates of OCR engines pose a major problem for applications where a single error can possibly effect significant outcomes, such …

Sinbad Automation Of Scientific Process: From Hidden Factor Analysis To Theory Synthesis, Olcay Kursun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modern science is turning to progressively more complex and data-rich subjects, which challenges the existing methods of data analysis and interpretation. Consequently, there is a pressing need for development of ever more powerful methods of extracting order from complex data and for automation of all steps of the scientific process. Virtual Scientist is a set of computational procedures that automate the method of inductive inference to derive a theory from observational data dominated by nonlinear regularities. The procedures utilize SINBAD – a novel computational method of nonlinear factor analysis that is based on the principle of maximization of mutual information …

Conformal Tracking For Virtual Environments, Larry Dennis Davis Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A virtual environment is a set of surroundings that appears to exist to a user through sensory stimuli provided by a computer. By virtual environment, we mean to include environments supporting the full range from VR to pure reality. A necessity for virtual environments is knowledge of the location of objects in the environment. This is referred to as the tracking problem, which points to the need for accurate and precise tracking in virtual environments. Marker-based tracking is a technique which employs fiduciary marks to determine the pose of a tracked object. A collection of markers arranged in a rigid …

Design And Hardware Implementation Of A Novel Scrambling Security Algorithm For Robust Wireless Local Area Networks, Mohit Jagetia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The IEEE802.11 standard for wireless networks includes a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol, which is a popular wireless secure communication stream cipher protocol approach to network security used to protect link-layer communications from eavesdropping and other attacks. It allows user to communicate with the user; sharing the public key over a network. It provides authentication and encrypted communications over unsecured channels. However, WEP protocol has an inherent security flaw. It is vulnerable to the various attacks, various experiments has proved that WEP fails to achieve its security goals. This thesis entails designing, evaluating and prototyping a wireless security infrastructure that …

Non-Destructive Microstructural Evaluation Of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia, Nickel Aluminides And Thermal Barrier Coatings Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Srinivas Vishweswaraiah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been an urge for increasing the efficiency in advanced gas turbine engines. To fulfill these needs the inlet gas temperatures should be increased in the gas turbine engines, thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have gained significant applications in increasing the gas inlet temperatures. Insulating characteristics of ceramic TBCs allow the operation at up to 150~250 ˚C higher gas temperatures. Because of the severe turbine engine operating conditions that include high temperature, steep temperature gradient, thermal cycling, oxidation and hot-corrosion, TBCs can fail by spallation at the interface between the metal and ceramic. The lack of understanding in failure mechanisms …

Modifications To The Fuzzy-Artmap Algorithm For Distributed Learning In Large Data Sets, Jose R. Castro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Fuzzy–ARTMAP (FAM) algorithm has been proven to be one of the premier neural network architectures for classification problems. FAM can learn on line and is usually faster than other neural network approaches. Nevertheless the learning time of FAM can slow down considerably when the size of the training set increases into the hundreds of thousands. In this dissertation we apply data partitioning and network partitioning to the FAM algorithm in a sequential and parallel setting to achieve better convergence time and to efficiently train with large databases (hundreds of thousands of patterns). We implement our parallelization on a Beowulf …

The Proteomics Approach To Evolutionary Computation: An Analysis Of Pr, Ivan Garibay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the complexity of our society and computational resources increases, so does the complexity of the problems that we approach using evolutionary search techniques. There are recent approaches to deal with the problem of scaling evolutionary methods to cope with highly complex difficult problems. Many of these approaches are biologically inspired and share an underlying principle: a problem representation based on basic representational building blocks that interact and self-organize into complex functions or designs. The observation from the central dogma of molecular biology that proteins are the basic building blocks of life and the recent advances in proteomics on analysis …

High Performance Data Mining Techniques For Intrusion Detection, Muazzam Ahmed Siddiqui

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rapid growth of computers transformed the way in which information and data was stored. With this new paradigm of data access, comes the threat of this information being exposed to unauthorized and unintended users. Many systems have been developed which scrutinize the data for a deviation from the normal behavior of a user or system, or search for a known signature within the data. These systems are termed as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). These systems employ different techniques varying from statistical methods to machine learning algorithms. Intrusion detection systems use audit data generated by operating systems, application softwares or …

Dynamic Shared State Maintenance In Distributed Virtual Environments, Felix George Hamza-Lup

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advances in computer networks and rendering systems facilitate the creation of distributed collaborative environments in which the distribution of information at remote locations allows efficient communication. Particularly challenging are distributed interactive Virtual Environments (VE) that allow knowledge sharing through 3D information. In a distributed interactive VE the dynamic shared state represents the changing information that multiple machines must maintain about the shared virtual components. One of the challenges in such environments is maintaining a consistent view of the dynamic shared state in the presence of inevitable network latency and jitter. A consistent view of the shared scene will significantly increase …

Design And Implementation Of A Digital Controller With Dsp For Half-Br, Yangyang Wen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

DC-DC power converters play an important role in powering telecom and computing systems. With the speed improvement and cost reduction of digital control, digital controller is becoming a trend for DC-DC converters in addition to existed digital monitoring and management technology. In this thesis, digital control is investigated for DC-DC converters applications. To deeply understand the whole control systems, DC-DC converter models are investigated based on averaged state-space modeling. Considering half-bridge isolated DC-DC converter with a current doublers rectifier has advantages over other topologies especially in the application of low-voltage and high-current DC-DC converters, the thesis take it as an …

Depth From Defocused Motion, Zarina Myles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Motion in depth and/or zooming causes defocus blur. This work presents a solution to the problem of using defocus blur and optical flow information to compute depth at points that defocus when they move. We first formulate a novel algorithm which recovers defocus blur and affine parameters simultaneously. Next we formulate a novel relationship (the blur-depth relationship) between defocus blur, relative object depth and three parameters based on camera motion and intrinsic camera parameters. We can handle the situation where a single image has points which have defocused, got sharper or are focally unperturbed. Moreover, our formulation is valid regardless …

Synthesis And Polymerization Of Bifunctional Five-Membered Cyclic Dithiocarbonates And Their Use As Stabilizers For Magnetic Nan, Mohammed Daoudi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Novel bifunctional five-membered cyclic dithiocarbonates (1,3-oxathiolane-2-thione)s were synthesized by the reactions of the corresponding bifunctional oxiranes (epoxides) with carbon disulfide at room temperature with lithium bromide as catalyst. Full characterization of these monomers was performed including elemental analysis, proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, and Fourier transmission infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The polyaddition polymerization of 1,3-oxathiolane-2-thione with 1,4-diaminobutane at room temperature resulted in a poly(thiourethane) material. The latter undergoes crosslinking due probably to the autooxidation of the product and formation of disulfide linkages. The five-membered cyclic dithiocarbonate, 5-decyl-1,3-oxathiolane-2-thione, was used a model to demonstrate the usefulness …

Circuit Design And Reliability Of A Cmos Receiver, Hong Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores CMOS RF design and reliability for portable wireless receivers. The objective behind this research is to achieve an increase in integration level, and gain more understanding for RF reliability. The fields covered include device, circuit and system. What is under investigation is a multi-band multi-mode receiver with GSM, DCS-1800 and CDMA compatibility. To my understanding, GSM and CDMA dual-mode mobile phones are progressively investigated in industries, and few commercial products are available. The receiver adopts direct conversion architecture. Some improved circuit design methods are proposed, for example, for low noise amplifier (LNA). Except for band filters, local …

Phenomenology And Experimental Observations In High Temperature Ternary Interdiffusion, Abby Lee Elliott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A new method to extract composition dependent ternary interdiffusion coefficients from a single diffusion couple experiment is presented. The calculations involve direct determination of interdiffusion fluxes from experimental concentration profiles and local integration and differentiation of Onsager's formalism. This new technique was applied to concentration profiles obtained from selected semi-infinite, single-phase diffusion couple experiments in the Cu-Ni-Zn, Fe-Ni-Al, and Ni-Cr-Al systems. These couples exhibit features such as uphill diffusion and zero flux planes. The interdiffusion coefficients from the new technique along with coefficients reported from other methods are graphed as functions of composition. The coefficients calculated from the new technique …