Digital Commons Network^™

Black Spaghetti: A Numerical Model Of Gravitational Collapse In 4 + 1 Spacetime, Michael P. Christenson

Theses and Dissertations

We investigate spherically-symmetric gravitational collapse in the presence of a single "large" extra dimension through the use of analytical and numerical techniques. This has bearing on higher-dimensional ideas concerning hypothetical objects called "black strings," or black holes extending into an extra circular dimension, which dimension we hereinafter label zeta. These putative objects were first seriously considered as elements of string theory but have relevance in simpler, higher-dimensional generalization of Einstein's general relativity. We assume a universe topologically consisting of a two-dimensional Lorentzian manifold crossed with the sphere, crossed again with the circle. We model the formation of a uniform black …

Search For Anomalous Kinematics In Tt̅ Dilepton Events At Cdf Ii, Darin Acosta, Kenneth A. Bloom, Collider Detector At Fermilab Collaboration

Kenneth Bloom Publications

We report on a search for anomalous kinematics of tt̅ dilepton events in pp̅ collisions at √s =1.96 TeV using 193 pb^-1 of data collected with the CDF II detector. We developed a new a priori technique designed to isolate the subset in a data sample revealing the largest deviation from standard model (SM) expectations and to quantify the significance of this departure. In the four-variable space considered, no particular subset shows a significant discrepancy, and we find that the probability of obtaining a data sample less consistent with the SM than what is observed is 1.0%–4.5%.

Interaction Patterns And Web-Structures Of Resonant Solitons Of The Kadomtsev-Petviashvili Equation, Anupama Tippabhotla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the interaction pattern for a class of soliton solutions of the Kadomtsev- Petviashvili (KP) equation (−4u_t + u_xxx + 6uu_x )_x + 3u_yy = 0 is analyzed. The complete asymptotic properties of the soliton solutions for y → ±∞ are determined. The resonance characteristic of two sub-classes of the soliton solutions, in which N_- incoming line solitons for y → −∞ interact to form N₊ outgoing line solitons for y → ∞, is described. These two specific sub-classes of (N_-,N₊)-soliton solutions are the following:

1) [(2, …

Accelerated Ray Traced Animations Exploiting Temporal Coherence, Darwin Tarry Baines

Theses and Dissertations

Ray tracing is a well-know technique for producing realistic graphics. However, the time necessary to generate images is unacceptably long. When producing the many frames that are necessary for animations, the time is magnified. Many methods have been proposed to reduce the calculations necessary in ray tracing. Much of the effort has attempted to reduce the number of rays cast or to reduce the number of intersection calculations. Both of these techniques exploit spatial coherence. These acceleration techniques are expanded not only to exploit spatial coherence but also to exploit temporal coherence in order to reduce calculations by treating animation …

Scale Construction And Halo Effect In Secondary Student Ratings Of Teacher Performance, Eric Paul Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

The use of rating scales in the evaluation of secondary teacher performance has been called into question and widely criticized. Of particular concern has been the use of student ratings of teacher performance. A review of instruments and practices used in the rating process reveals serious design flaws that account for the criticisms leveled against the use of rating scales. This study sought to address the limitations evident in previous rating efforts by utilizing a combination of design methodologies and measurement models including elements of Classical Test Theory (CTT), factor analysis, and Item Response Theory (IRT). The IRT model employed …

Positive Solutions For The Beam Equation Under Certain Boundary Conditions, Bo Yang

Faculty Articles

We consider a boundary-value problem for the beam equation, in which the boundary conditions mean that the beam is embedded at one end and fastened with a sliding clamp at the other end. Some priori estimates to the positive solutions for the boundary-value problem are obtained. Sufficient conditions for the existence and nonexistence of positive solutions for the boundary-value problem are established

Measurement Of The Cross Section For Prompt Diphoton Production In Pp̅ Collisions At √S =1.96 Tev, Darin Acosta, Kenneth A. Bloom, Collider Detector At Fermilab Collaboration

Kenneth Bloom Publications

We report a measurement of the rate of prompt diphoton production in pp̅ collisions at √s =1.96 TeV using a data sample of 207 pb^-1 collected with the upgraded Collider Detector at Fermilab. The background from nonprompt sources is determined using a statistical method based on differences in the electromagnetic showers. The cross section is measured as a function of the diphoton mass, the transverse momentum of the diphoton system, and the azimuthal angle between the two photons and is found to be consistent with perturbative QCD predictions.

On Reduction Of Risks In Uxo And Mine Detection Using Remote Sensing Systems And Related Synthetic Image Simulation, Charles R. Bostater

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

It is important to understand remote sensing systems and associated platforms in the context of autonomous or semi-autonomous designs for (robotic & mechatronics) that may be affect the motion control or stabilization aspects of the imagery, scan lines or fixed points scanned. This need can be most easily conceived as being related to the reduction of risks associated with false detection as well as the risks associated with hardware and software failure and risks associated with the actual operation of sensor and platform in dangerous environments. Thus safety is ultimately our concern when it comes to risk assessment. This paper …

Development Of A Web Based Inventory Management System For A Small Retail Business, Chiranjib Sanyal

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This project proposes a technical solution that will improve the inventory management for a small business company. The project envisions a situation where a company currently uses a client server based inventory management system in each store. The current system depends upon the store managers for inventory control functions like purchase order creation and inventory usage recording. Currently, each store sends the inventory consumption and ordering information to the corporate office on a weekly basis. As a result, the corporate office doesn't get up-to-date information on inventory level in the stores on a daily basis. Also, there is no established …

Task Localization, Similarity, And Transfer; Towards A Reinforcement Learning Task Library System, James Lamond Carroll

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops methods of task localization, task similarity discovery, and task transfer for eventual use in a reinforcement learning task library system, which can effectively “learn to learn,” improving its performance as it encounters various tasks over the lifetime of the learning system.

Suitability Of The Nist Shop Data Model As A Neutral File Format For Simulation, Gregory Brent Harward

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the successful application in internet related fields, Extensible Markup Language (XML) and its related technologies are being explored as a revolutionary software file format technology used to provide increased interoperability in the discrete-event simulation (DES) arena. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed an XML-based information model (XSD) called the Shop Data Model (SDM), which is used to describe the contents of a neutral file format (NFF) that is being promoted as a means to make manufacturing simulation technology more accessible to a larger group of potential customers. Using a two step process, this thesis …

Novel Neutron Detector For N-N Scattering Length Measurement, Eva Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

The neutron-neutron (n-n) scattering length is a fundamental parameter in nuclear physics; however, measurements are plagued with large uncertainties caused by neutron detector cross talk. Many experimentalists also rely upon computer code to calibrate their neutron detectors. Experiments give one of two different numbers but there is still no adequate explanation for this discrepancy. We have developed a new neutron detector expressly for the purpose of improving the n-n scattering length measurement. It offers two important advantages: 1) minimal cross talk and 2) high counting efficiency. We calibrated the detector from 1 MeV to 6 MeV at 1 MeV increments. …

The Weekly Challenger, July 7, 2005, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The July 7, 2005, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Use Of Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy For Stress-Strain Measurements: Quarterly Progress Report (March – May 2005), Ajit K. Roy

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

Accomplishments:

● Analyses of defects (dislocations) in martensitic Alloy EP-823, cold-reduced to different levels, have been performed by using transmission electron microscopy. The dislocation density has been related to the degree of cold-reduction and residual stress in terms of a line-shape parameter determined by the positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS).

● Additional PAS measurements are ongoing on tensile, welded and cold-worked specimens of Alloys EP-823 and HT-9 at the Idaho Accelerator Center of ISU. Both Subhra and Silpa are involved in these measurements.

● Silpa is performing neutron diffraction (ND) measurements at the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), Chalk River …

Ortho-Planar Mechanisms For Microelectromechanical Systems, Craig P. Lusk

Theses and Dissertations

A method for representing the design space of ortho-planar mechanisms has been developed. The method is based on the Theorem of Equality of Orientation Set Measures (TEOSM) which allows mechanisms to be represented by points in an abstract space. The method is first developed for single loop planar folded mechanisms with revolute joints, and later extended to mechanisms with prismatic joints and to spherical folded mechanisms. Functions which assign a value to each point in design space can be used to describe classes of mechanisms and evaluate their utility for MEMS design. Additionally, this work introduces the use of spherical …

Cal Poly Appoints Timothy Kearns As New Cio, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Gps Velocity Field In The Transition From Subduction To Collision Of The Eastern Sunda And Banda Arcs, Indonesia, Hendro Nugroho

Theses and Dissertations

Campaign GPS measurements during 2001-2003 in the transition between subduction and collision of the Banda arc reveal how strain is partitioned away from the trench and distributed to other parts of the arc-trench system. Genrich, et. al. (1996) conducted a GPS campaign (1992-1994) throughout the Eastern Sunda and Banda arcs that demonstrated partial accretion of the arc to the Australian plate. We reoccupied many of the sites from this earlier study and 7 additional stations, 3 of which are new benchmarks. Our study shortened many baselines and extended the observation epoch to ten years for many key stations. The resulting …

Real-Time Power Aware Routing In Wireless Sensor Networks, Octav Chipara, Zhimin He, Guoliang Xing, Qin Chen, Xiaorui Wang, Chenyang Lu, John Stankovic, Tarek Abdelzaher

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Many mission-critical wireless sensor network applications must resolve the inherent conflict between the tight resource constraints on each sensor node, particularly in terms of energy, with the need to achieve desired quality of service such as end-to-end real-time performance. To address this challenge we propose the Real-time Power-Aware Routing (RPAR) protocol. RPAR achieves required communication delays at minimum energy cost by dynamically adapting the transmission power and routing decisions based on packet deadlines. RPAR integrates a geographic forwarding policy cognizant of deadlines, power, and link quality with new algorithms for on-demand power adaptation and efficient neighborhood discovery. Simulations based on …

Long-Term Surface Uplift History Of The Active Banda Arc-Continent Collision: Depth And Age Analysis Of Foraminifera From Rote And Savu Islands, Indonesia, Nova Roosmawati

Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of foraminifera for synorogenic pelagic units of Rote and Savu Islands, Indonesia, reveals high rates of surface uplift in the past 1.5 Ma of the incipient Banda arc-continent collision. Paleodepth estimates are derived from benthonic forams and ages from planktonic forams. But estimates are complicated, however, by abundant reworking; yet several distinctive species have been found. Synorogenic deposits in western Rote yield forams of biozone Neogene (N) 18 and depths from 5000-5700 meters at the base of the section, and 3600 meters at the top of the section. Eastern Rote yields forams of N 19/20 - N 22 and …

Effect Of Silicon Content On The Corrosion Resistance And Radiation-Induced Embrittlement Of Materials For Advanced Heavy Liquid Metal Nuclear Systems: Quarterly Progress Report (February – April 2005), Ajit K. Roy

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

This proposal is intended to study the effect of Si content not only on the corrosion resistance but also on the radiation-induced embrittlement of martensitic stainless steels. The susceptibility of these alloys with different Si content to stress corrosion cracking, general corrosion and localized corrosion will be evaluated in the molten LBE and aqueous environments of different pH values using state-of-the-art testing techniques. Testing in the aqueous media is intended to develop baseline data for comparison purpose. Radiation-induced embrittlement of these alloys will initially be studied by irradiating the test specimens with bremmstrahlung gamma radiation from 20-40 MeV electron beams …

Modeling And Scale-Up Of Mixing- And Temperature-Sensitive Chemical Reactions, Gary Patterson

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A review of published measurements of yield for complex chemical reactions in mixed reactors of various types and methods of modeling and simulating such reactions for the purpose of reactor scale-up shows the extent of progress that has been made. Reaction kinetics for very fast competitive reactions are usually difficult and expensive to determine. Many reaction processes must be scaled up from bench- and/or pilot-scale experiments that produce yield data under various mixing conditions. the variables that strongly affect the yield results are the reaction types and their rates, feed point in the reactor, feed injection velocity and scale, mixing …

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 030, Number 01, July 5, 2005, Grand Valley State University

2005-2006, Volume 30

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.

Evaluation Of Accuracy And Efficiency Of Some Simulation And Sampling Methods In Structural Reliability Analysis, Christopher D. Eamon, Michel D. Thompson, Zhenyu Liu

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

Numerous simulation and sampling methods can be used to estimate reliability index or failure probability. Some point sampling methods require only a fraction of the computational effort of direct simulation methods. For many of these methods, however, it is not clear what trade-offs in terms of accuracy, precision, and computational effort can be expected, nor for which types of functions they are most suited. This study uses nine procedures to estimate failure probability and reliability index of approximately 200 limit state functions with characteristics common in structural reliability problems. The effects of function linearity, type of random variable distribution, variance, …

G-Computation Estimation Of Nonparametric Causal Effects On Time-Dependent Mean Outcomes In Longitudinal Studies, Romain Neugebauer, Mark J. Van Der Laan

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Two approaches to Causal Inference based on Marginal Structural Models (MSM) have been proposed. They provide different representations of causal effects with distinct causal parameters. Initially, a parametric MSM approach to Causal Inference was developed: it relies on correct specification of a parametric MSM. Recently, a new approach based on nonparametric MSM was introduced. This later approach does not require the assumption of a correctly specified MSM and thus is more realistic if one believes that correct specification of a parametric MSM is unlikely in practice. However, this approach was described only for investigating causal effects on mean outcomes collected …

An Investigation Of The Relationships Between Learning Styles, Individual Characteristics, And Mathematical Strand Weaknesses., Lorin Buzay

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study focuses on 1 12 mid-western middle school sixth grade students who exhibit one or more of the following strands: mathematical reasoning, number sense; estimation and computation; patterns, functions, and algebra; data analysis statistics; geometry and spacial sense; or measurement. A series of 2,025 correlations were conducted between: The Measures of Academic Achievement Test (produced by Northwest Evaluation Association), The Dunn, Dunn, and price Learning Style Inventory, and a sixteen point classroom student characteristics survey. This yielded a total of 144 significant values, 10-15 within each weakness strand, indicating possible relationships between test scores and student preferences. Data analysis …

Some Analogs Of Zariski's Theorem On Nodal Line Arrangements, A.D. Raza Choudary, Alexandru Dimca, Ştefan Papadima

Mathematics Faculty Scholarship

For line arrangements in P² with nice combinatorics (in particular, for those which are nodal away the line at infinity), we prove that the combinatorics contains the same information as the fundamental group together with the meridianal basis of the abelianization. We consider higher dimensional analogs of the above situation. For these analogs, we give purely combinatorial complete descriptions of the following topological invariants (over an arbitrary field): the twisted homology of the complement, with arbitrary rank one coefficients; the homology of the associated Milnor fiber and Alexander cover, including monodromy actions; the coinvariants of the first higher non-trivial …

Differentials In The Homological Homotopy Fixed Point Spectral Sequence, Robert R. Bruner, John Rognes

Mathematics Faculty Research Publications

We analyze in homological terms the homotopy fixed point spectrum of a T–equivariant commutative S–algebra R. There is a homological homotopy fixed point spectral sequence with E^2_(s,t) = H^(−s)_(gp) (��;H_t(R;��_p)), converging conditionally to the continuous homology H^c_(s+t)(R^(h��);��_p) of the homotopy fixed point spectrum. We show that there are Dyer–Lashof operations β^ϵQ^i acting on this algebra spectral sequence, and that its differentials are completely determined by those originating on the vertical axis. More surprisingly, we show that for each class x in the E^(2r)–term of the spectral sequence there are 2r other classes in the E^(2r)–term (obtained mostly by Dyer–Lashof operations …

Phase-Matching Optimization Of Laser High-Order Harmonics Generated In A Gas Cell, Julia Robin Miller Sutherland

Theses and Dissertations

Ten-millijoule, thirty-five femtosecond, 800 nm (~40 nm bandwidth) laser pulses are used to study high-order harmonic generation in helium- and neon-filled gas cells of various lengths. Harmonic orders in the range of 50 to 100 are investigated. A semi-infinite cell geometry produces brighter harmonics than cells of sub-centimeter length. In the semi-infinite geometry, the gas occupies the region from the focusing lens to a thin exit foil near the laser focus. Counter-propagating light is used to directly probe where the high harmonics are generated within the laser focus and to investigate phase matching. The phase matching under optimized harmonic generation …

Honors Students Buy Goats, Send Children To School, Learn Value Of Dollar, Jennifer Southall

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. - To help students in the University of Mississippi's Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College more deeply explore the primary issues of the Freshman Seminar course - the nature of the self as it relates to society and to the cosmos - Tristan Denley has been showing them just how much good $100 can do in other parts of the world.

Proving Secure Properties Of Cryptographic Protocols With Knowledge Based Approach, Xiaochun Cheng, Xiaoqi Ma, Maggie Xiaoyan Cheng, Scott C.-H. Huang

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cryptographic protocols have been widely used to protect communications over insecure network environments. Existing cryptographic protocols usually contain flaws. To analyze these protocols and find potential flaws in them, the secure properties of them need be studied in depth. This paper attempts to provide a new framework to analyze and prove the secure properties in these protocols. A number of predicates and action functions are used to model the network communication environment. Domain rules are given to describe the transitions of principals' knowledge and belief states. An example of public key authentication protocols has been studied and analysed.