Digital Commons Network^™

Stable Motions Of Vehicle Formations, Anca Williams, Gerardo Lafferriere, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigate stable maneuvers for a group of autonomous vehicles while moving in formation. The allowed decentralized feeback laws are factored through the Laplacian matrix of the communication graph. We show that such laws allow for stable circular or elliptical motions for certain vehicle dynamics. We find necessary and sufficient conditions on the feedback gains and the dynamic parameters for convergence to formation. In particular, we prove that for undirected graphs there exist feedback gains that stabilize rotational (or elliptical) motions of arbitrary radius (or eceentricity). In the directed graph case we provide necessary and sufficient conditions on the curvature …

A Solvable Model For Gravity Driven Granular Dynamics, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We discuss a toy model to study the dynamics of individual particles in avalanches. The model describes a particle launched from an inclined infinite staircase. The particle is not allowed to bounce when it collides with the staircase. During the collision, the particle loses some energy, and after that slides on to the end of the step it landed on. The process then repeats itself. The dynamics of this no-bounce model can essentially be completely understood. Partial versions of some results were stated and argued in previous work. Here we give a full description together with all the proofs. We …

Flocks And Formations, J. J. P. Veerman, Gerardo Lafferriere, John S. Caughman Iv, A. Williams

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Given a large number (the “flock”) of moving physical objects, we investigate physically reasonable mechanisms of influencing their orbits in such a way that they move along a prescribed course and in a prescribed and fixed configuration (or “in formation”). Each agent is programmed to see the position and velocity of a certain number of others. This flow of information from one agent to another defines a fixed directed (loopless) graph in which the agents are represented by the vertices. This graph is called the communication graph. To be able to fly in formation, an agent tries to match the …

Frequency Of Fab Subtypes In Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients At Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Mahadev Sajanmal Harani, Salman Adil, Mohammad Usman Shaikh, G N Kakepoto, Mohammad Khurshid

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease. Therefore, various parameters are needed to classify this disease into subtypes, so that specific treatment approaches can be utilized effectively. The commonly used method for diagnosis and classification is based on FAB criteria using morphology and cytochemical stains. For some of the categories, immunophenotyping is necessary. The aim of present study is to determine the frequency of various sub types in acute myeloid leukemia using FAB criteria in our population. This will aid in the correct diagnosis of acute leukemia and hence proper management of the patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS …

A Quantum Test Algorithm, Marek Perkowski, Jacob Biamonte

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Current processes validation methods rely on diverse input states and exponential applications of state tomography. Through generalization of classical test theory exceptions to this rule are found. Instead of expanding a complete operator basis to validate a process, the objective is to utilize quantum effects making each gate realized in the process act on a complete set of characteristic states and next extract functional information. Random noise, systematic errors, initialization inaccuracies and measurement faults must also be detected. This concept is applied to the switching class comprising the search oracle. In a first approach, the test set cardinality is held …

Realizing Ternary Quantum Switching Networks Without Ancilla Bits, Marek Perkowski, Guowu Yang, Xiaoyu Song, Jinzhao Wu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper investigates the synthesis of quantum networks built to realize ternary switching circuits in the absence of ancilla bits. The results we established are twofold. The first shows that ternary Swap, ternary NOT and ternary Toffoli gates are universal for the realization of arbitrary n × n ternary quantum switching networks without ancilla bits. The second result proves that all n×n quantum ternary networks can be generated by NOT, Controlled-NOT, Multiply-Two and Toffoli gates. Our approach is constructive.

The Interpretive Project And The Problem Of Legitimacy, Barbara K. Bucholtz

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

It is remarkable that the common law remains as vibrant and as vulnerable today as it was in the nineteenth century. Its vibrancy continues to be illuminated by its responsiveness to societal changes; its vulnerability continues to reflect the flip-side of that responsiveness: an inherent indeterminacy. The analysis that follows investigates the feasibility of maintaining the former characteristic while curtailing the latter, and it is limited to the common law in its interpretive capacity. The principal focus of the analysis is, in keeping with the theme of the conference, the common law of contracts. From that perspective, the Article articulates …

Leveling The Field: Using Rubrics To Achieve Greater Equity In Teaching And Grading, Dannelle D. Stevens, Antonia Levi

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rubrics can be used to assure greater consistency in grading and as a teaching tool to promote greater equity, especially with students who are first generation and /or non-native speakers of English.

Grounding Nike: Exposing Nike's Quest For A Constitutional Right To Lie, Tamara Piety

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Can The Sauvegarde Reform Save French Bankruptcy Law?: A Comparative Look At Chapter 11 And French Bankruptcy Law From An Agency Cost Perspective, Robert Weber

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Time And Punishment, Russell Christopher

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Rules, Principles, Or Just Words? The Interpretive Project And The Problem Of Legitimacy, Barbara Bucholtz

Articles, Chapters in Books and Other Contributions to Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Temporal Variation In Nutrient Uptake Capacity By Intact Roots Of Mature Loblolly Pine, Melissa S. Lucash, J. Devereux Joslin, Ruth D. Yanai

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nutrient uptake is generally thought to exhibit a simple seasonal pattern, but few studies have measured temporal variation of nutrient uptake capacity in mature trees. We measured net uptake capacity of K, NH+ 4, NO 3 −, Mg and Ca across a range of solution concentrations by roots of mature loblolly pine at Calhoun Experimental Forest in October 2001, July 2001, and April 2002. Uptake capacity was generally lowest in July; rates in October were similar to those in April. Across a range of concentrations, antecedent nutrient solution concentrations affected the temporal patterns in uptake in July but not in …

Mobile Elements And Primate Genomic Variation, Jinchuan Xing

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Mobile elements comprise approximately 50% of the human genome and have significant influence on human genomic architecture and stability. SINEs (Short INterspersed Elements) are a class of non-autonomous mobile elements that are usually <500 bp in length and have no open reading frames. As the most successful SINEs in primate, Alu elements have expanded to more than one million copies in the human genome. To understand the biology of Alu family of mobile elements, we first analyzed the AluYd lineage in the human genome. Computational analysis of the AluYd lineage from the human genome draft sequence resulted in the identification of two new AluYd subfamilies, Yd3 and Yd6. Two hundred AluYd3 and Yd6 loci were screened to determine their phylogenetic origin and associated levels of human genomic diversity. Second, we examined the mutation spectra of Alu elements in the human genome. We analyzed the mutation patterns for 5296 Alu elements comprising 20 subfamilies. Our results indicate a relatively constant CpG versus non-CpG substitution ratio of ~6 for the young (AluY) and intermediate (AluS) Alu subfamilies and a more complex non-linear relationship when older (AluJ) subfamilies were included in the analysis. This study provides an updated, more accurate estimate of the disparity in the rate of mutation within Alu elements and provides a better understanding of the CpG decay process during primate evolution. Third, we analyzed the evolutionary history of AluYb lineage. We show that the major AluYb lineage expansion is human specific while the lineage originated in early hominoid evolution. We suggest that the evolutionary success of the Alu family may be driven at least in part by “stealth driver” elements that maintain low retrotranspositional activity over extended periods of time and occasionally produce short-lived hyperactive copies responsible for the formation and remarkable expansion of Alu elements within the genome. Finally, we identified 285 Alu insertion loci that have Alu elements integrated in sixteen different Old World monkey genomes at various time and utilized these elements to construct a phylogenetic tree of Old World monkeys. Our study represents one of the most robust Cercopithecid molecular phylogenies reported to date.

Energy Aware Topology Control Protocols For Wireless Sensor Networks, Shilpa Dhar

LSU Master's Theses

Wireless Sensor Network has emerged as an important technology of the future due to its potential for application across a wide array of domains. The collaborative power of numerous autonomousremote sensing nodes self configured into a multi hop network permits in-depth accurate observation of any physical phenomenon. A stringent set of computational and resource constraints make the design and implementation of sensor networks an arduous task. The issue of optimizing the limited and often non-renewable energy of sensor nodes due to its direct impact on network lifetime dominates every aspect of wireless sensor networks. Existing techniques for optimizing energy consumption …

Utilizing Neural Networks To Proactively Monitor Energy Usage In City Of Rochester Buildings, Brian J. Gillis

Theses

Energy usage within buildings in the United States is a very important topic because of the current price of natural gas, steam, and electricity and the ever-increasing depletion of fossil fuels. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully analyze building energy consumption. Currently, there are several methods used for analyzing a solitary building's energy usage. One method involves the use of a neural network (NN) model. The current use of NN for building energy prediction typically requires the collection of hourly energy usage data from a single building using data loggers during several different seasons and occupancy levels in order to …

Application Of Phenology To Assist In Hyperspectral Species Classification Of A Northern Hardwood Forest, Gretchen Sprehe

Theses

Tree species have unique spectral reflectance patterns that allows them to be both compared to other objects and to other types of trees. Increasing the spectral separation of such images may assist with surveying and forestry inventories. In past studies, most classifications were done with summer leaves, which darken and become very similar shades of green. This study utilized the phenology of trees to investigate how the changing colors of young or senescing leaves may assist in species classification based on aerial images. Images were taken of the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, which is mainly dominated by sugar maple (Acer …

Al2o3 Hosted Attenuated Phase Shift Mask Materials For 157 Nm, Yang Liu

Theses

The Semiconductor Industry Association Roadmap 2003 has put 157 nm optical lithography as the next generation lithography wavelength for the node of 70 nm integrated circuits and below. The small departure from 193 nm puts more challenge on imaging tools and processes. One of the crucial areas is the exploration of thin film optical materials for mask coatings at vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) wavelength. Attenuated Phase Shift Mask (APSM) is one of the optical enhancement technologies pushing critical dimension of lithography to diffraction limits. As no existing single material satisfies those demanding requirements of APSM, non-stoichiometric composite materials will be explored …

Evaluation Of Sales, Vidyanidhi D. Rege

Theses

Not Included

Making Sustainable And Environmental Improvements Through Focused Factories, Kyle Hurst

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the relationship between environmental strategy, business strategy, and manufacturing strategy. Specifically, this paper evaluates the potential link between a manufacturing strategy known as focused manufacturing (focused factories) and improved environmental performance. The thesis explores the current literature on focused factories and various environmental tools and strategies. Barriers to sustainable and environmental improvements are discussed, as well as the integration of environmental strategy into the overall business strategy of a company. To examine the relationship between focused factories and environmental improvement, statistical analysis is performed on data generated from a web-based survey sent …

Operating, Testing And Evaluating Hybridized Silicon P-I-N Arrays, Andrew C. Moore

Theses

Use of CCD detector arrays as visible imagers in space telescopes has been problematic. Charge-coupled devices rapidly deteriorate due to damage from the high radiation environment of space. CMOS-based imagers, which do not transfer charge, offer an alternative technology that is more tolerant of a high-radiation environment.

This dissertation evaluates the performance of four "pathfinder" 1K by 1K hybridized silicon P-I-N detector arrays made by Raytheon under subcontract to RIT as candidates for use in a space telescope application. Silicon P-I-N arrays have photon capture properties similar to back-thinned CCD's and should be far more robust than CCD's in the …

Free Vibration Of Sandwich Plates With Viscoelastic Cores, Devlin Hayduke

Theses

The analysis of the free vibration of rectangular sandwich plates with viscoelastic cores is purposed. The analysis focuses on evaluating two displacement theories of sandwich plates for various geometric and material properties and boundary conditions. The first theory was developed for the vibratory bending of unsymmetrical sandwich plates by Rao and Nakra1. The theory is a layerwise theory that models the displacement of the face layers with classic plate theory (i.e. normals to the midplane remain normal to the midplane and undeformed after deformation of the plate) and the continuity of the displacements at the interfaces between the face layers …

Feasability Of Printing Rfid Antennas On Corrugated Paperboard, Juthamart Sayampol

Theses

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a trace-and-track technology using RF signals for communication. RFID system was expected to replace barcodes and magnetic stripes because of its extra benefits for the supply chain: multiple items tracking and operation without line-of-sight. A major limitation of RFID technology was the cost of implementation. Since the existing method for RFID applications - "Slap and Ship" - was costly and time-and-labor consuming, this study was aimed to investigate whether the new method - printed-RFID-antenna - could be used in corrugated packaging industry for cost reduction purpose, and also whether those printed antennas could function under …

Craftsmanship And The Postmodern, Robert S. Oliver

Theses

Not Included

Characteristics Of Reduced Fat Milks As Influenced By The Incorporation Of Folic Acid, Kamalesh Achanta

LSU Master's Theses

Folic acid plays an important role in the prevention of neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly, heart defects, facial clefts, urinary abnormalities and limb deficiencies. Milk and milk products serve as a potential source for folic acid fortification due to the presence of folate binding proteins which seem to be involved in the folate bioavailability. Though milk is a not a good source of folic acid, fortification could help in the prevention of the above mentioned defects. The objective of this study was to examine the physico-chemical characteristics of reduced fat milks fortified with folic acid. Reduced …

Risk Reporting And Source Credibility: Trying To Make The Readers Interested, Raluca Cozma

LSU Master's Theses

An experiment with 98 participants was conducted to explore the effects of government versus multiple sources on perceived credibility and interest when applied to the same risk stories. It also analyzed the effects of source treatment on participants' assessment of government credibility and source reasonableness. The study investigated the effects of demographic characteristics of participants (age, gender, media use) on the same variables, and tried to determine if there was any statistical correlation between the two dependent variables of credibility and interest. It also analyzed the effects of human-interest reports on credibility and interest. Overall, the study found that participants …

Yellow Fever In The Felicianas: The Epidemic Of 1878 And Its Effects Upon The Residents Of These Rural Parishes, Mary Jane Duke Russell

LSU Master's Theses

This research documents the spread of yellow fever across the rural Louisiana parishes of East Feliciana and West Feliciana in 1878 and examines the reactions and responses of the residents to medical, social and economic stresses produced by that epidemic. Descriptive details highlight the variability of individual ideas and mindsets at play against the backdrop of accepted paradigms, belief systems and current technology. In 1878 the Aëdes aegypti mosquito had not yet been identified as the vector of the arbovirus (arthropod borne virus) that causes yellow fever. A short history of yellow fever in the United States and a discussion …

Development Of Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Containing Soy Protein And Coconut Milk, Luciana Soler

LSU Master's Theses

As consumers have pursued healthier lifestyles in recent years, consumption of soy foods has risen steadily, encouraged by scientific studies showing health benefits from these products. There is a large market for ice cream in the United States. However, since ice cream contains dairy ingredients, a number of Americans are not able to consume it because of dietary habits due to religious beliefs, lactose intolerance, vegetarianism or other related ideologies. For years, these groups of consumers have been able to substitute ice cream with frozen desserts containing soy protein as a substitute for milk protein, but never in the United …

Learning Discrete Hidden Markov Models From State Distribution Vectors, Luis G. Moscovich

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) are probabilistic models that have been widely applied to a number of fields since their inception in the late 1960’s. Computational Biology, Image Processing, and Signal Processing, are but a few of the application areas of HMMs. In this dissertation, we develop several new efficient learning algorithms for learning HMM parameters. First, we propose a new polynomial-time algorithm for supervised learning of the parameters of a first order HMM from a state probability distribution (SD) oracle. The SD oracle provides the learner with the state distribution vector corresponding to a query string. We prove the correctness …

Comorbid Childhood Sexual Abuse And Substance Abuse Among Women: Knowledge, Training, And Preparedness Of Graduate Counselor Education And Social Work Students, Laurie Elizabeth Pennington

LSU Master's Theses

This descriptive-correlational study examined the knowledge, training and perceived preparedness of graduate social work and counselor education students in the area of comorbid childhood sexual abuse and substance abuse among women. Participants were 71 graduate social work and approximately 12 counselor education students scheduled to graduate in the spring semester of 2005. The study was analyzed using univariate and bivariate statistics. No significant differences emerged between graduate counselor education and social work students using independent-samples t-tests and a Fisher’s exact test on the measure of knowledge and training. Using a Mann Whitney U test, significant differences emerged between counselor education …