Digital Commons Network^™

Coverage Path Planning And Control For Autonomous Mobile Robots, Mohanakrishnan Balakrishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coverage control has many applications such as security patrolling, land mine detectors, and automatic vacuum cleaners. This Thesis presents an analytical approach for generation of control inputs for a non-holonomic mobile robot in coverage control. Neural Network approach is used for complete coverage of a given area in the presence of stationary and dynamic obstacles. A complete coverage algorithm is used to determine the sequence of points. Once the sequences of points are determined a smooth trajectory characterized by fifth order polynomial having second order continuity is generated. And the slope of the curve at each point is calculated from …

Assessing Crash Occurrence On Urban Freeways Using Static And Dynamic Factors By Applying A System Of Interrelated Equations, Rajashekar Pemmanaboina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traffic crashes have been identified as one of the main causes of death in the US, making road safety a high priority issue that needs urgent attention. Recognizing the fact that more and effective research has to be done in this area, this thesis aims mainly at developing different statistical models related to the road safety. The thesis includes three main sections: 1) overall crash frequency analysis using negative binomial models, 2) seemingly unrelated negative binomial (SUNB) models for different categories of crashes divided based on type of crash, or condition in which they occur, 3) safety models to determine …

Synthesis Of Alkylthiol-Containing Fluorene Derivatives For Gold Nanoparticle Functionalization, Sriram Mukundarajan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A novel synthetic methodology has been developed for attaching fluorene derivatives, containing different types of electron donating and accepting groups at the 2 and 7 positions, to gold nanoparticles of different sizes by exploiting the affinity of the thiol functional group for gold. The distance between the dye and nanoparticles was varied by introducing two alkyl chains containing different number of carbon atoms at the 9 position on the fluorene ring system. The methodology that was developed gave enough scope for performing Radiative Decay Engineering (RDE) studies, in order to investigate the impact of gold nanoparticles on the singlet oxygen …

Design Of A Dynamic Focusing Microscope Objective For Oct Imaging, Supraja Murali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a novel optical imaging technique that has assumed significant importance in bio-medical imaging in the last two decades because it is non-invasive and provides accurate, high resolution images of three dimensional cross-sections of body tissue, exceeding the capabilities of the current predominant imaging technique –ultrasound. In this thesis, high resolution OCT is investigated for in vivo detection of abnormal skin pathology for the early diagnosis of cancer. The technology presented is based on a dynamic focusing microscopic imaging probe conceived for skin imaging and the detection of abnormalities in the epithelium. A novel method for …

Status And Trends In Water Quality And Living Resources In The Virginia Chesapeake Bay: York River (1985-2003), Daniel M. Dauer

Status and Trends for Virginia Chesapeake Bay

The Virginia Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries continue to show some environmental trends indicating progress toward restoration of a more balanced and healthy ecosystem. However, the Bay system remains degraded and some areas and indicators show continuing degradation. Progress in reducing nutrient inputs has made demonstrable improvements and we expect that continued progress toward nutrient reduction goals, along with appropriate fisheries management and chemical contaminant controls, will result in additional improvements to the Bay. Findings from the last 18 years of the monitoring programs are highlighted below. In 1995, the Virginia DEQ instituted changes to its analytical techniques for …

Technology Education In Virginia's Private School System, Cara Kimball

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the extent that Virginia's private schools have incorporated technology education courses into their curriculum.

Business And Industry Training Employment Opportunities In Chesapeake, Virginia, Jessica E. Ingram

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the number of business and industry training opportunities in Chesapeake, Virginia. To answer this problem, the following questions were established: 1. What are the employment opportunities available in the business and industry training field? 2. What are the job title categories that companies are advertising? 3. In each category of advertised positions, how many people were currently needed at this time and what were the needs projected to 2010? 4. What are the business and industry training employment opportunities for undergraduate degree completers in the Chesapeake, Virginia region?

Tidewater Virginia Technology Education Teacher Professional Development Needs, Richard A. Nash

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following objectives were established to answer this problem: 1. Determine the types of professional development being sought by Tidewater public school technology education teachers; 2. Recommend specific types of professional development that should be made available to Tidewater technology education teachers.

Directions Of Dissertation Research At Universities Preparing Future Technology Education Teacher Educators, David A. Sontos

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following goals were established to explore the dissertation directions and maintain focus on the problem: 1) determine if university faculties had focused research agendas in technology education teacher preparation for doctoral studies and what they were; 2) determine if university programs in technology education teacher preparation allowed students to determine their individual research dissertations and what they were.

Correlation Between Sol Scores And Personal Computer Ownership With Internet Access, Christy Yaple

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This study was used to gain information about the success of underrepresented high school students with regard to SOL scores and having a personal computer with internet access. The following hypothesis was developed to guide this study: Magna Vista High School Educational Talent Search students having a personal computer with internet access will have a higher pass rate on Virginia Standards of Learning mathematics tests.

Middle School Equipment Needs To Teach The Standards For Technology Literacy, Thomas G. Warner

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following goals were evaluated to produce a master equipment list for CATTS to recommend for implementation of technology education at the middle school level: 1. Validate the master equipment list developed by Duffey for middle school technology education; 2. Make changes to the middle school master equipment list based on feedback from Center to Advance the Teaching of Technology and Science consortium state representatives; 3. Recommend a master equipment list for middle school technology education.

Effect Of Humic Substance Photodegradation On Bacterial Growth And Respiration In Lake Water, Alexandre M. Anesio, William Granéli, George R. Aiken, David J. Kieber, Kenneth Mopper

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

This study addresses how humic substance (HS) chemical composition and photoreactivity affect bacterial growth, respiration, and growth efficiency (BGE) in lake water. Aqueous solutions of HSs from diverse aquatic environments representing different dissolved organic matter sources (autochthonous and allochthonous) were exposed to artificial solar UV radiation. These solutions were added to lake water passed through a 0.7-μm pore-size filter (containing grazer-free lake bacteria) followed by dark incubation for 5, 43, and 65 h. For the 5-h incubation, several irradiated HSs inhibited bacterial carbon production (BCP) and this inhibition was highly correlated with H₂O₂ photoproduction. The H_{2 …}

Kathryn Collard, Trustee Of The Leroy Collard Trust V. Nagle Construction, Inc., A Utah Corporation; Gary M. Nagle, An Individual And Marilyn F. Nagle, An Individual : Brief Of Appellant, Utah Supreme Court

Utah Supreme Court Briefs (2000–2020)

APPELLANTS' BRIEF

Against Sustainable Development Grand Theory: A Plea For Pragmatism In Resolving Disputes Involving International Trade And The Environment, Robert F. Blomquist

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Today's Take On Einstein’S Relativity: Proceedings Of The Conference Of 18 Feb 2005, Florentin Smarandache, Homer B. Tilton

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Non Sequiturs in Relativity Four in number at this point Dr. Smith of "Lost in Space" had a knack of easing out of binds that he'd gotten himself into. Dr. Einstein was a little like that. Einstein originally declared that the distortions of special relativity reflect real changes to the objects being remotely observed, then reconsidered. The first non sequitur is quoted here from Sachs:[1] In a lecture that Einstein gave to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in 1921, he said the following: "Geometry predicates nothing about relations of real things, but only geometry together with the purport of physical …

Complex System Transformation: A System Of Systems Engineering (Sose) Perspective, Charles B. Keating, Andres Sousa-Poza, Samuel Kovacic

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to develop a perspective for complex system transformation from a System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) viewpoint. This is a first attempt to make explicit a SoSE viewpoint on complex system transformation. As such, the formulation is intended to escalate the dialog and integrate the current state of understanding with respect to the nature, utility, and implications of complex system transformation in SoSE terms. To achieve our purpose we will: (1) present a short introduction that provides an essential background for SoSE, (2) provide five fundamental systems concepts that underlie a SoSE perspective of complex …

A Comparison Of Esomeprazole And Lansoprazole For Control Of Intragastric Ph In Patients With Symptoms Of Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease, D. A. Johnson, T. Stacy, M. Ryan, T. Wootton, J. Willia, K. Hornbuckle, W. Brooks, M. Doviak

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Background: Intragastric acid suppression is the most direct measure of the pharmacodynamic efficacy of proton pump inhibitors, which are the most effective drugs for acid-related diseases.

Aim: To compare the effectiveness of once and twice daily dosing of lansoprazole and esomeprazole in controlling intragastric acidity ( target gastric pH > 4.0) over a 24-hour period.

Methods: In an open-label, two-way crossover study, 45 Helicobacter pylori-negative patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease were randomized to receive one of two regimens: 30 mg lansoprazole or esomeprazole 40 mg once daily. Intragastric pH was assessed by 24-hour pH monitoring on day 5 of each regimen. …

Kinetic Structure Simulations Of Nematic Polymers In Plane Couette Cells. Ii: In-Plane Structure Transitions, M. Gregory Forest, Ruhai Zhou, Qi Wang

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Nematic, or liquid crystalline, polymer (LCP) composites are composed of large aspect ratio rod-like or platelet macromolecules. This class of nanocomposites exhibits tremendous potential for high performance material applications, ranging across mechanical, electrical, piezoelectric, thermal, and barrier properties. Fibers made from nematic polymers have set synthetic materials performance standards for decades. The current target is to engineer multifunctional films and molded parts, for which processing flows are shear-dominated. Nematic polymer films inherit anisotropy from collective orientational distributions of the molecular constituents and develop heterogeneity on length scales that are, as yet, not well understood and thereby uncontrollable. Rigid LCPs in …

Flowers Of Ice- Beauty, Symmetry, And Complexity: A Review Of The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty, John A. Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) Growing up as a child in southern England, my early memories of snow include trudging home from school with my father, gazing at the seemingly enormous snowdrifts that smoothed the hedgerows, fields and bushes, while listening to the soft “scrunch” of the snow under my Wellington boots. In the country, snow stretching as far as I could see was not a particularly uncommon sight. The quietness of the land under a foot of snow seemed eerie. I cannot remember the first time I looked at snowflakes per se; my interests as a small child were primarily in their …

A Review Of Phytoplankton Composition Within Chesapeake Bay And Its Tidal Estuaries, Harold G. Marshall, Lubomira Burchardt, Richard Lacouture

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Based on a continuous 20-year data base ofmonthly sampling in Chesapeake Bay and tidal regions of its major tributaries, 1454 phytoplankton taxa have been identified in these waters. They represent a diverse assemblage of species with a dominant diatom flora throughout the year, in addition to large seasonal representation by chlorophytes, cyanobacteria, cryptophytes and dinoflagellates. Included among this flora were 34 potential harmful or toxin producing species. The phytoplankton compositions associated with the seasonal successional patterns are discussed, in addition to characterizing the dominant floral relationships, with comparison to early composition records within the Bay. Several of the present day …

Fraction Models That Promote Understanding For Elementary Students, Lynette Hull

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the use of the set, area, and linear models of fraction representation to enhance elementary students' conceptual understanding of fractions. Students' preferences regarding the set, area, and linear models of fractions during independent work was also investigated. This study took place in a 5th grade class consisting of 21 students in a suburban public elementary school. Students participated in classroom activities which required them to use manipulatives to represent fractions using the set, area, and linear models. Students also had experiences using the models to investigate equivalent fractions, compare fractions, and perform operations. Students maintained journals throughout …

Security Governance: Its Impact On Security Culture, K. Koh, A. B. Ruighaver, S. B. Maynard, A. Ahmad

Research outputs pre 2011

While there is an overwhelming amount of literature that recognises the need for organisations to create a security culture in order to effectively manage security, little is known about how to create a good security culture or even what constitutes a good security culture. In this paper, we report on one of two case studies performed to examine how security governance influences security culture and in particular, the sense of responsibility and ownership of security. The results indicate that although the structural and functional mechanisms in security governance are influencing factors, it is the extent of social participation that may …

Risk Management In Crm Security Management, Mahdi Seify

Research outputs pre 2011

In an increasing competitive world, marketing survival can be depended simply on timely new information on customers and market trend. One of the most important strategies in CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is to capture enough information from customers and using this information carefully [Ryals , Tinsley]. Of course security of this information is very important in CRM data management [Bryan]. Data management is a method for scheduling and controlling data saving, recovering and processing. This activity has been done continually or periodically[Bryan]. Security level of this information depends on the security policy of the organization. CRM security policy is the …

Understanding Transition Towards Information Security Culture Change, Leanne Ngo, Wanlei Zhou, Matthew Warren

Research outputs pre 2011

Transitioning towards an information security culture for organisations has not been adequately explored in the current security and management literature. Many authors have proposed how information security culture can be created, fostered and managed within organisations, but have failed to adequately address the transition process towards information security culture change, particularly for small medium enterprises (SMEs). This paper aims to (1) recapitulate key developments and trends within information security culture literature; (2) explore in detail the transition process towards organisational change; (3) adapt the transition process with respects to the key players involved in transition and propose a transition model …

Smart Card Authentication For Mobile Devices, Wayne Jansen, Serban Gavrila, Clément Séveillac

Research outputs pre 2011

While mobile handheld devices provide productivity benefits, they also pose new risks. User authentication is the best safeguard against the risk of unauthorized use and access to a device’s contents. This paper describes two novel types of smart card with unconventional form factors, designed to take advantage of common interfaces built into many current handheld devices.

Non-Repudiation In Pure Mobile Ad Hoc Network, Yi-Chi Lin, Jill Slay

Research outputs pre 2011

Within the last decade, the use of wireless technologies has become more prevalent. Wireless networks have flexible architectures with data transferred via radio waves and can be divided into two categories; infrastructure-based wireless networks and mobile ad hoc network.

The mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is an autonomous system which can be dynamically built without pre-existing infrastructure or a trusted third party (TTP). Due to these infrastructure-less and self-organized characteristics, MANET encounters different problems from infrastructure-based wired network, such as key management, power shortage, and security issues. This paper will further divide MANETs into pure ad hoc networks which do …

Benchmarking E-Business Security: A Model And Framework, Graeme Pye, Matthew J. Warren

Research outputs pre 2011

The dynamic nature of threats and vulnerabilities within the E-business environment can impede online functionality, compromise organisational or customer information, contravene security implementations and thereby undermine online customer confidence. To negate these problems, E-business security has to become proactive, by reviewing and continuously improving security to strengthen E-business security measures and policies. This can be achieved through benchmarking the security measures and policies utilised within the E-business, against recognised information technology (IT) and information security (IS) security standards.

An Investigation Into The Paradox Of Organisational Flexibility Versus Security: A Research Project, Rosanna Fanciulli

Research outputs pre 2011

The trend towards utilising geographically and temporally dispersed personnel has grown quickly over the past decade; enabled by swift advances in computing, telecommunications, and networking technologies. The impact of these developments on corporate strategies and forms has manifested itself in a move to de-legitimise the rigid structure of a traditional bureaucracy and move towards one that is more flexible. These new technologies and organisational structures, however, also bring with them Information Security threats and risks. It is critical that managers become informed and equipped to deal with these issues. This paper presents an ongoing study designed to determine the major …

Architecture For Self-Estimation Of Security Level In Ad Hoc Network Nodes, Reijo Savola

Research outputs pre 2011

Inherent freedom due to a lack of central authority of self-organised mobile ad hoc networks introduces challenges to security and trust management. In these kinds of scenarios, the nodes themselves are naturally responsible for their own security – or they could trust certain known nodes, called “micro-operators”. We propose an architecture for security management in self-organising mobile ad hoc networks that is based on the nodes’ own responsibility and node-level security monitoring. The aim is to predict, as well as to monitor the security level concentrating on the principal effects contributing to it.

My Problem Or Our Problem? Exploring The Use Of Information Sharing As A Component Of A Holistic Approach To E-Security In Response To The Growth Of ‘Malicious Targeted Attacks’, Aaron Olding, Paul Turner

Research outputs pre 2011

There is now a growing recognition amongst e-security specialists that the e-security environment faced by organisations is changing rapidly. This environment now sees a situation where maliciously targeted attacks are conducted by ‘guns for hire’ (hackers) and/or criminal organisations (Illett 2005; Keiser 2005). As a consequence, conventional organisational approaches to e-security are becoming increasingly problematic and inadequate. There is a need to raise awareness of these issues amongst organisations and to contribute to the generation of effective integrated solutions that address this emerging e-security environment without sacrificing user privacy and/or breaching user trust. This paper considers the potential role of …