Digital Commons Network^™

Service Discovery By Automated Structural And Semantic Matching, Alan Walker

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Pervasive computing systems need to locate and use services dynamically. Current models of service location and interaction rely on a fixed contract, or service description, located by name and/or a combination of keywords. This implies a priori agreement on the service description, leading to fragility and the inability for systems to interoperate unless they were built to match an existing standard. This thesis implements a technique for relaxing the fixed contract assumption, so that the nearest match amongst a set of services can be located. The system takes into account structural, data type and naming differences. The naming differences are …

You Said You Were Going To Do What To My Loan? The Inequitable Doctrine Of Recharacterization, Hilary A. Goehausen

DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Optimization Of H.264 High Profile Decoder For Pentium 4 Processor, Tarun Bhatia

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

H.264 is an emerging video coding standard, which aims at compressing high-quality video content at low-bit rates. While the basic idea behind the encoding and decoding process still remains the same as in the previous standards, many new and innovative tools have been added to provide higher compression capabilities with high perceptual quality. These capabilities have also contributed to the increase in complexity of implementation of H.264 significantly compared to the previous generation of video coding standards. In this thesis, the performance analysis of the H.264 decoder for decoding of high profile high definition data is done for the Pentium …

Supramolecular Nanostructures Based On Calixarenes, Heng Xu

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation describes a systematic approach towards the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of calixarene-based supramolecular nanostructures. Chapter 1 briefly overviews the field of supramolecular chemistry and highlights its horizons. Chapter 2 introduces a modular strategy towards synthesis of nanoscale receptor macromolecules--calix-peptide conjugates. This strategy combines the unique host-guest capabilities of calixarene chemistry with synthetically flexible peptide synthesis. A series of calixarene amino acids was prepared and further utilized to synthesize calixarene dipeptides. Through this approach, calixarene amino acids are now available to be incorporated into peptide networks and nanostructured biologically relevant materials. Chapter 3 demonstrates supramolecular applications of calixarene-peptide …

The Incidence And Management Of Footrot In Dairy Cattle In Monteverde, Costa Rica, November 2005, Allison Brown

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

This study investigates the frequency of, and factors leading to or preventing, footrot in diary cattle in the Monteverde area of Costa Rica. Owners of 23 farms were interviewed about their property characteristics, management practices, and incidence of footrot. Then the farms were visually inspected. Ten farms were found to currently have infected cattle and 18 had infected cattle this year. The percent of currently infected cattle had a significant positive correlation with both herd size and hours spent in daily milking rotation. Larger herds showed a greater incidence of infection. The combined presence of rocks and mud in the …

Endosperm Loss, Seed Germination, And Early Seedling Growth In Large-Seeded Tropical Trees, November 2005, Audrey L. Quinn

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Endosperm damage was studied in Monteverde, Costa Rica to determine its frequency, extent, and effect on seed germination and early seedling growth. Endosperm damage was found to occur in 72% of seeds from Chione sylvicola (Rubiaceae) and 94% of seeds from Quercus costaricensis (Fagaceae). The extent of endosperm damage in Q. costaricensis was not related to the root and shoot weight of germinated seeds. Experimental endosperm removal was carried out in Persea americana and Cinnamomum paratriplinerve (both Lauraceae) seeds. The three week time period of the study was inadequate to yield significant C. paratriplinerve germination, but seeds with intact endosperm …

Effects Of Trail Traffic On Egg-Predation By Mammal Populations In The Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, November 2005, Karmen Scott

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

The effects of human traffic within trails on egg predation and predatory mammal compositions between heavily trafficked trails and secluded trails were studied at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. This study was able to find differences in egg-predatory mammal compositions between these two trail types by looking at teeth impressions in eggs made of plasticine. The main predator was found to be Nasura narica (common coati) who was involved in the majority of the egg predation events and the vast majority of the nests preyed upon were on the highly trafficked trail. There were only a few predation events from …

A Lesson Plan On Fungi Diversity For The Centro De Educación Creativa, November 2005, Rachel Deliz

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Fungi are integral components of a forest environment, but they are often overlooked in elementary education, despite their crucial role in nutrient cycles. Concepts pertaining to fungi diversity were researched and compiled to be part of the 5th grade curriculum of Centro de Educación Creativa. The result of this project was three PowerPoint presentations, each coupled with 2-3 visual aids, experiments and/or activities. I expect these presentations to aid in the environmental education curriculum at the C.E.C and to promote an appreciation of the Kingdom Fungi.

The Role Of Primary Forest On Tropical Avian Communities In A Mixed Agricultural Landscape, November 2005, Matt Warner

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

The conversion of tropical forest to agricultural systems is both widespread and increasing. As a result, much of tropical biodiversity may depend on altered landscapes for their long-term survival. The purpose of this study was to compare the avifauna of dairy cattle pastures and forested coffee plantations to assess their capacity to maintain avian biodiversity in San Luis, Costa Rica. Bird assemblages were examined for three sites of each landscape type along a distance gradient (100m, 250m, and 500m) from primary forest. Bird diversity decreased significantly with distance from forest in both landscapes (between 100m and 250m; pasture: t = …

United States Of America V. Zhou, 428 F. 3d 361 - Court Of Appeals, 2nd Circuit 2005, Roger J. Miner '56

Circuit Court Opinions

Defendants-appellants, Chen Xiang ("Chen") and Lin Xian Wu ("Lin") (collectively, "Appellants"), appeal from judgments of conviction entered in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Casey, J.), following a jury trial, convicting each of the Appellants, under a superseding indictment, of one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951 ("Count One"); one count of extortion, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and 1951 ("Count Two"); three counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951 ("Counts Four, Seven, and Ten"); three counts of …

Re-Mapping Africa, Biko Agozino

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

No abstract provided.

A Perfect Union, Katherine S. Ankerson, Mark Hinchman

Interior Design Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

TYPE: OFFICE.
CLIENT: UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD, OMAHA.
This rail-freight giant consolidated nine locations at a 1.3 million-square-foot headquarters. Images of locomotives and boxcars add a dose of excitement for train buffs.

HARNESSING THE RAW POWER OF THE DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE and translating it into a design concept, the Union Pacific Railroad’s new headquarters in downtown Omaha alludes to the history and present of this freight giant in ways both large and small. Principal Bill Hartman designed the 1.3 million-square-foot building to make architectural reference to rail travel. Note, for instance, how the rows of interior office windows offer glimpses into private …

A Covert Channel In Packet Switching Data Networks, Bo Yuan, Peter Lutz

Presentations and other scholarship

This paper presents a covert communication channel that exists in virtually all forms of packet switching data networks. On the one hand, this covert channel, if used properly, can potentially enhance the overall security of data communications over networks. On the other hand, the covert channel can also potentially become a back door to access a destination computer, and hence becomes a security hazard to the computer. A simple protocol is specified for communications on the covert channel. A modified TFTP application is also presented to demonstrate how to use the covert channel to convey secret messages or to enhance …

On The Salience Of Novel Stimuli: Adaptation And Image Noise, Mark F. Fairchild, Garrett M. Johnson

Presentations and other scholarship

Webster has proposed “that adaptation increases the salience of novel stimuli by partially discounting the ambient background.” This is an excellent, concise, description of the purpose and function of chromatic adaptation in image reproduction applications. However, Webster was not limiting this proposal to just chromatic adaptation, but rather using it as a general description for all forms of perceptual adaptation. Demonstrations of adaption to other properties of image displays such as motion, blur, and spatial frequency led the authors to ponder the question of whether observers might adapt to the noise structure in images to enhance the novel stimuli — …

A Blended Learning Course In Operating Systems For Telecommunications, Anthony P. Trippe

Presentations and other scholarship

Student learning and faculty productivity were both increased during the delivery of a course which integrated working adult students in a distance learning section with traditional students in a blended learning section. Small group assignments combined with graded discussions and traditional testing were used to promote and assess student learning using teaching tools available in the Desire2Learn course management system. The success of the pilot course was demonstrated by high levels of both student and faculty satisfaction.

Exploring The Impact Of Technostress On Productivity, Monideepa Tarafdar, Bhanu S. Ragu-Nathan, T.S. Ragu-Nathan, Qiang Tu

Presentations and other scholarship

Based on empirical survey data. this study uses concepts from socio-technical theory to explore the effects of information and computer technology (ICT) created stress. that is, "technostress" on productivity. The paper first explains the different ways in which ICT can create stress in users, and identifies factors that create technostress. Then, it establishes relationship among technostress creators and individual productivity, Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data and test hypothesis. The results support the hypothesized relationship and have valuable implications for management in dealing with technology related stress issues among employees

An Asymptotic Secrecy Model And Its Applications In Sensor Networks, Bo Yuan

Presentations and other scholarship

This paper proposes a new model for secure communication channels between two parties. The new model assumes that adversaries are storage space bounded, but not computationally bounded. At the initial phase of the secret communication, both parties exchange a large amount of random bits so that adversaries are not able to save them due to the storage space limitation. Each party only saves received data. At the second phase, each party regenerates the random bits, combines them with received data, and generates an encryption key iteratively with a one-way hash function. The key is then used to encrypt the future …

Distribution Pattern Variability Of Granular Vrt Applicators, John P. Fulton, Scott A. Shearer, Stephen F. Higgins, Dennis Wayne Hancock, Timothy S. Stombaugh

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Granular applicators equipped with variable-rate technology (VRT) have gained popularity in recent years as a result of increased interest in variable-rate application. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize distribution patterns at varying rates for different granular applicators. Uniform-rate (UR) tests were conducted to assess the accuracy of variable-rate application from four granular applicators: two spinner-disc spreaders (A and B), and two pneumatic applicators (C and D). Pattern results indicated a consistent triangular pattern for spinner spreader B and consistent patterns for the pneumatic applicators (C and D). However, applicator D produced pattern variations at the center and right …

Truncated Profile Hidden Markov Models, Jennifer A. Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The profile hidden Markov model (HMM) is a powerful method for remote homolog database search. However, evaluating the score of each database sequence against a profile HMM is computationally demanding. The computation time required for score evaluation is proportional to the number of states in the profile HMM. This paper examines whether the number of states can be truncated without reducing the ability of the HMM to find proteins containing members of a protein domain family. A genetic algorithm (GA) is presented which finds a good truncation of the HMM states. The results of using truncation on searches of the …

Legal Education In Malaysia: Some Reflections, L.T. Khaw

Research Publications (2000 to 2005)

No abstract provided.

Production Techniques For Crimson Seedless Table Grapes In Western Australia, Ian Cameron

Viticulture published reports

Crimson Seedless is a late season, red seedless table grape developed by D. Ramming and R. Tarailo in Fresno California for the United States Department of Agriculture. It was bred in 1979 when a white, late ripening seedless hybrid variety was crossed with Red Emperor (see Figure 1). The seedling, which became Crimson Seedless, was selected in 1983 but not released to industry in California until 1989.

Production techniques for Crimson Seedless were largely unknown when the variety was released to industry in Western Australia in 1996. Specific management techniques suitable for Californian conditions had been described by various authors. …

Cave Research Foundation Newsletter, Volume 33, No. 4, November 2005, William Payne

Cave Research Foundation Newsletter

Contents: Notes from the Content Editor -- Annual CRF Meeting, November 10-13 in Cape Girardeau -- Structural Geology Research, July 20th through 27th, 2005 -- Regional Expedition Reports -- Book Review -- 2005 Expedition Calendar -- Cave Books

Evidence For Native-Defect Donors In N-Type Zno, David C. Look, Gary C. Farlow, Pakpoom Reunchan, Sukit Limpijumnong, S. B. Zhang, K. Nordlund

Physics Faculty Publications

Recent theory has found that native defects such as the O vacancy V_O and Zn interstitial Zn_I have high formation energies in n-type ZnO and, thus, are not important donors, especially in comparison to impurities such as H. In contrast, we use both theory and experiment to show that, under N ambient, the complex Zn_I-N_O is a stronger candidate than H or any other known impurity for a 30 meV donor commonly found in bulk ZnO grown from the vapor phase. Since the Zn vacancy is also the dominant acceptor in such material, we must …

Proportionality As A Principle Of Limited Government, Alice Ristroph

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Northern Goshawk Monitoring And Inventory Results From 2002-2005 In The Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, Hawks Aloft, Inc.

Single Species Reports (Hawks Aloft)

No abstract provided.

"A Few Good Men ... ?"- Partners In Women's Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights: Findings From A Multiethnic Qualitative Study In Malaysia, Y. L. Wong, S. N. Zulkifli

Research Publications (2000 to 2005)

No abstract provided.

Gender Competencies & Medical Curricula Change-Towards A New Genre Of Gender Sensitive Doctors, Y. L. Wong

Research Publications (2000 to 2005)

No abstract provided.

Impact Study On The E-Rham For Youth Project: Providing Srh Knowledge And Responsible Living Skills To Adolescents, Ramasami Alagrisamy, E. S. Ang, W. Y. Low, P. Kaur, W. L. Foong, Sharifah Malihah S.M.

Research Publications (2000 to 2005)

No abstract provided.

Improving The Quality Of Sexual And Reproductive Health (Srh) Services For Young People Through Operations Research, E. S. Ang, W. Y. Low, Piaro Kaur, A. T. Tan, H. M. Tan

Research Publications (2000 to 2005)

No abstract provided.

Sexual Issues: Let's Hear It From The Boys, W. Y. Low, C. J. Ng, S. F. Komal, E. S. Ang

Research Publications (2000 to 2005)

No abstract provided.