Digital Commons Network^™

Metaheuristics And Combinatorial Optimization Problems, Gerald Skidmore

Theses

This thesis will use the traveling salesman problem (TSP) as a tool to help present and investigate several new techniques that improve the overall performance of genetic algorithms (GA). Improvements include a new parent selection algorithm, harem select, that outperforms all other parent selection algorithms tested, some by up to 600%. Other techniques investigated include population seeding, random restart, heuristic crossovers, and hybrid genetic algorithms, all of which posted improvements in the range of 1% up to 1100%. Also studied will be a new algorithm, GRASP, that is just starting to enjoy a lot of interest in the research community …

Extraction And Interaction Analysis Of Foreground Objects In Panning Video, Raja Jain

Theses

In this work, moving foreground objects are extracted from video. The video camera can be either stationary or panning. The motion information extracted from consecutive frames of video is used for object segmentation, and an appearance model of the moving object is created. No assumptions are made concerning the object model, resulting in segmented objects of varying shapes and sizes. Finally, relationships between objects in the image are evaluated toward the goal of higher level understanding of videos.

A Biologically Plausible System For Detecting Saliency In Video, David Burlone

Theses

Neuroscientists and cognitive scientists credit the dorsal and ventral pathways for the capability of detecting both still salient and motion salient objects. In this work, a framework is developed to explore potential models of still and motion saliency and is an extension of the original VENUS system. The early visual pathway is modeled by using Independent Component Analysis to learn a set of Gabor-like receptive fields similar to those found in the mammalian visual pathway. These spatial receptive fields form a set of 2D basis feature matrices, which are used to decompose complex visual stimuli into their spatial components. A …

Application Of Shifted Delta Cepstral Features For Gmm Language Identification, Jonathan Lareau

Theses

Spoken language identifcation (LID) in telephone speech signals is an important and difficult classification task. Language identifcation modules can be used as front end signal routers for multilanguage speech recognition or transcription devices. Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM's) can be utilized to effectively model the distribution of feature vectors present in speech signals for classification. Common feature vectors used for speech processing include Linear Prediction (LP-CC), Mel-Frequency (MF-CC), and Perceptual Linear Prediction derived Cepstral coefficients (PLP-CC). This thesis compares and examines the recently proposed type of feature vector called the Shifted Delta Cepstral (SDC) coefficients. Utilization of the Shifted Delta Cepstral …

The Wto Agreement On Government Procurement And The Uncitral Model Procurement Law: A View From Outside The Region, John Linarelli

Scholarly Works

Two of the most significant efforts to bring municipal procurement institutions up to international standards are the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and the UNCITRAL Model Law on Procurement of Goods, Construction and Services. Though the Model Law has had limited adoptions, it enjoys global influence as a source of norms and practices for good public procurement. The GPA, also reflective of international standards, seems to be on the rise, as more WTO members elect to become GPA contracting parties. This article explores two aspects of these instruments. First, the article explores how the Model Law promotes efficient public …

When We Hold No Truths To Be Self-Evident: Truth, Belief, Trust, And The Decline In Trials, Lisa Blomgren Bingham

Journal of Dispute Resolution

This article will explore the relationship between the "vanishing trial" and the changing ways in which we think about truth. First, it briefly overviews how we think about knowing what is true: epistemology and this history of philosophy. Second, it looks to the philosophy of science and history of social science for new theories and methods about how we ascertain and construct meaning and what we believe to be real and true. Third, it examines our changing relation to information in the face of the "information explosion": information is the evidence upon which we reach a conclusion about what is …

The Bender Ii And Its Relationship With Executive Functioning And Academics, Katharine A. Warsinske

Theses

The Bender-Gestalt Test and tests of executive functioning have been linked to academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the Bender II as compared to Koppitz's Developmental Scoring System (DSS), as well as to determine the relationship between the Bender II and executive functioning. A total of 82 children participated in this study. A significant correlation was found between the DSS and the Bender II, with the Bender II mean approximately 10 standard score points higher than the DSS. The Bender II was also significantly correlated with more scales on the BRIEF than the …

Streak Detection In Mottled And Noisy Images, Hector Santos

Theses

This thesis describes an algorithm for detecting streaks in printed images using adaptive window-based image projections and maximization of mutual information. To this effect, projections are computed across the entire image at different window sizes. The traces collected from the projections are correlated using maximization of mutual information to pinpoint streak locations and widths using a peak detection algorithm. Finally, for a given peak, the window size is changed adaptively to identify and locate the intensity and length of the corresponding streak while maximizing signal to noise ratio. Results on synthetic and real-life images are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness …

The Work Of Fred Troller: An Evaluative Study Of A Graphic Designer, Tara Markert

Theses

This thesis will provide a process to help graphic design scholars and historians conduct an evaluation of a designer whose work has been rarely documented within a specific design style. Through implementation of this model of research and evaluation, graphic design scholars will not only be able to identify that designer's philosophy and personal style, they will also recognize the value of studying within a specific style of graphic design. This evaluation process includes placing the work of the rarely documented designer beside the work of pioneers in this stylistic idiom in order to highlight similarities of thought, process, form …

Optimal Design Of Ink Spectra For Multiple-Ink Color Reproduction, Yongda Chen

Theses

Conventional four-color printing systems are limited by a relative small color gamut, poor color constancy, and a high degree metamerism. In this dissertation, these problems were addressed by increasing the ink number, optimizing the spectral ink curves, and the lookup tables for multiple-ink printing. First, a computer simulation was performed to investigate the optimum combinations of different ink number to maximize the color gamut for halftoning printing. By analyzing the color gamuts achieved by real ink sets and virtual ink sets, the conclusions were drawn that the color gamut can be improved by increasing ink number and optimizing spectral ink …

Photographic Strategies For Graphic Design Problem Solving, Suthida Sakulsurarat

Theses

Graphic design and photography are both forms of visual communication although they are separate disciplines. This thesis will explore the potential benefits of applying useful approaches in photography and demonstrating their potential for solving graphic design problems. ... The main goal of this project is to outline the possibilities of bringing principles of photographic approaches into graphic design. This thesis attempts to help designers understand that two different disciplines can support each other to provide a wider range of opportunities. In addition, the thesis is designed to enlighten, challenge and inspire designers. To accomplish the thesis, the designer will research …

Preparation For Radiological Disasters: A Radiation Effects Epidemiological Database, Martha S. Raj

Theses

Not Included

Plane Elasticity Using Airy Stress Functions, Matthew David Roman

Theses

Given a three dimensional solid element in a state of plane stress or plane strain with conservative body forces, the stress components are equal to the appropriate second order partial derivatives of a bi-harmonic function, ϕ , called an Airy Stress Function. It follows that the stress components automatically satisfy the equilibrium conditions.

The function ϕ depends on both the geometry of the body and the loading, which leaves infinite possible stress functions to be developed. As thesis work, I have researched and collected currently existing Airy Stress Functions, made plots of thier stress fields in order to gain a …

Health Monitoring Of Lav Planet Gear Bushings Using Signature Analysis Techniques, Victoria L. Parnell

Theses

The Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies (CIMS) is studying the improvement of military Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs) for the United States Department of Defense. A focus of this study is the Marine Corps LAVs that are experiencing failures in the planetary assembly which serves as the vehicle's final drive system. The primary failure source is the bushings that provide the interface between the planet gears and their respective pins.

Currently, to detect a bushing failure, vehicle occupants must exit the LAV and place their hand on the wheel hub cover to check for excessive heat. If the hub "feels too …

Development Of A Universal Mosfet Gate Impedance Model, Sripriya Das

Theses

Scaling of CMOS technology to 100 nm & below and the endless pursuit of higher operating frequencies drive the need to accurately model effects that dominate at those feature sizes and frequencies. Current modeling techniques are frequency limited and require different models for different frequency ranges in order to achieve accuracy goals. In the foundry world, high frequency models are typically empirical in nature and significantly lag their low frequency counterparts in terms of availability. This tends to slow the adoption of new foundry technologies for high performance applications such as extremely high data rate serializer/deserializer transceiver cores. However, design …

Dynamics And Control Of Tethered Satellite System, Royce L. Abel

Theses

Tethered Satellite Systems (TSS) has been an ongoing project around the world for many decades. This study examined the dynamics an dcontrols of tethered satellites. The equations of motion were developed and simulated with no control and small eccentric orbits. A control law was derived by associating the Hamiltonian of the system to a Lyapunov Function. This control law was then simulated to demonstrate ability and robustness. The tethered system can be retrieved and deployed in a small number of orbits, and return from a perturbation quickly. Examination of a non thruster controlled system resulted in asymptotic convergence in retrieval …

Implications Of Implementing Hdtv Over Digital Subscriber Line Networks, Thomas J. Lantier

Theses

This thesis addresses the different challenges a telecommunications company would face when trying to implement an HDTV video service over a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection. Each challenge is discussed in detail and a technology, protocol, or method is suggested to overcome that particular challenge.

One of the biggest challenges is creating a network architecture that can provide enough bandwidth to support video over a network that was originally designed for voice traffic. The majority of the network connections to a customer premises in a telephony network consists of a copper pair. This type of connection is not optimal for …

Advanced Thermodynamic Analyses Of Energy Intensive Building Mechanical Systems, Erin N. George

Theses

A review of past research reveals that while exergetic analysis has been performed on various building mechanical systems, there has not been extensive efforts in the areas of air distribution systems or cooling plants. Motivations for this new work include demonstrating the merits of exergetic analysis in association with retrocommissioning (RCX) an existing building air handling unit (AHU), as well as conducting an advanced analysis on an existing chiller. The following research demonstrates the benefits of including a second law analysis in order to improve equipment operation based on lowered energy consumption and improved operation, and as a means for …

Tilling The Cram Down Landscape: Using Securitization Data To Expose The Fundamental Fallacies Of "Till", Matthew H. O'Brien

Vanderbilt Law Review

It is almost universally recognized that the Bankruptcy Code's protection for consumers is justifiable under the theory that an ''entrepreneurial economy prospers when honest but unfortunate debtors are given a fresh opportunity to swim back into the productive mainstream rather than being forced down to drown." The amount of protection the Bankruptcy Code (hereinafter, the "Code") should afford consumers, on the other hand, is a source of much disagreement. Long-standing debate over this issue was, in fact, the basis for the controversy surrounding the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act ("the Act") that the President signed into law in …

Modeling Off-The-Shelf Pan/Tilt Cameras For Active Vision Systems, Yuriy Luzanov

Theses

There are many existing multicamera systems that perform object identification and track ing. Some applications include but are not limited to security surveillance and smart rooms. Yet there is still much work to be done in improving such systems to achieve a high level of automation while obtaining reasonable performance. Thus far design and implementation of these systems has been done using heuristic methods, primarily due to the complexity of the problem. Most importantiy, the performance of these systems is assessed by evaluating subjective quantities. The goal of this work is to take the first step in structured analysis and …

The Aeolian Flux Of Calcium, Chloride And Nitrate To The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys Landscape: Evidence From Snow Pit Analysis, Rebecca A. Witherow, W. Berry Lyons, Nancy A. Bertler, Kathleen A. Welch, Paul A. Mayewski, Sharon B. Sneed, Thomas H. Nylen, Michael J. Handley, Andrew G. Fountain

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

We have determined the flux of calcium, chloride and nitrate to the McMurdo Dry Valleys region by analysing snow pits for their chemical composition and their snow accumulation using multiple records spanning up to 48 years. The fluxes demonstrate patterns related to elevation and proximity to the ocean. In general, there is a strong relationship between the nitrate flux and snow accumulation, indicating that precipitation rates may have a great influence over the nitrogen concentrations in the soils of the valleys. Aeolian dust transport plays an important role in the deposition of some elements (e.g. Caý?) into the McMurdo Dry …

Effects Of An External Field And Dissipation On Decoherence, Jian Zuo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Decoherence is the suppression of the interference of quantum states. It plays important roles in the study of the quantum-classical transition. It is also the major obstacle in the implementation of various schemes of quantum computers. Decoherence can be affected by many factors. The interactions between quantum systems of interest and dissipative environments cause the extensively studied environment-induced-decoherence. Decoherence can also occur as the result of a temperature effect. A recent experiment investigated the engineering of decoherence, which involves applying an external field to the quantum system. In this thesis, we study the effect of an external field on decoherence …

Factors That Influence Traditional-Age, High-Achieving Students To Enroll At A Research-Extensive University In The Southern Region Of The United States, Roy Cleveland Brooks, Jr.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if a model existed that significantly increased the researcher's ability to accurately explain the enrollment status of high-achieving freshmen based on the influence of selected demographic and academic characteristics. Since World War II, the need for students to obtain an outstanding postsecondary education in order to compete for the best positions in today's job market has become increasingly important. Thus, the need exists for higher education institutions to offer competitive academic programs that will attract top students and faculty. Since the number of graduating high school students is predicted to decline …

Extension Of Shor's Period-Finding Algorithm To Infinite Dimensional Hilbert Spaces, Jeremy James Becnel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the last decade quantum computing has become a very popular field in various disciplines, such as physics, engineering, and mathematics. Most of the attraction stemmed from the famous Shor period--finding algorithm, which leads to an efficient algorithm for factoring positive integers. Many adaptations and generalizations of this algorithm have been developed through the years, some of which have not been ripened with full mathematical rigor. In this dissertation we use concepts from white noise analysis to rigorously develop a Shor algorithm adapted to find a hidden subspace of a function with domain a real Hilbert space. After reviewing the …

Study Of Reliable Data Communication In Wireless Sensor Networks, Ravilochan Shamanna

LSU Master's Theses

A distributed wireless sensor network consists of numerous tiny autonomous sensing nodes deployed across a wide geographical area. These sensor nodes self organize and establish radio communication links with the neighboring nodes to form multi-hop routing paths to the central base station. The dynamic and lossy nature of wireless communication poses several challenges in reliable transfer of data from the sensor nodes to the sink. There are several applications of sensor networks wherein the data collected by the sensors in the network are critical and hence have to be reliably transported to the sink. An example of such an application …

Spatial Diversification, Dividend Policy, And Credit Scoring In Real Estate, Darren Keith Hayunga

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Built on the foundation of economic principles, real estate offers many pursuits of academic discovery within the realm of finance. This dissertation examines three areas of real estate finance. In the first chapter, I use the unique real estate characteristics of heterogeneity, immobility, and localized markets to examine the spatial aspects of large-scale commercial real estate portfolios. The results demonstrate a clear need for portfolio managers to diversify properties based upon distances between properties. The second chapter examines another large-scale real estate portfolio, the real estate investment trust, which is held by investors seeking dividend income. Despite the importance of …

Integration Of Conceptual Mathematical Relationships Into Constant Time Delay Instruction, Bethany Ann Porter

LSU Master's Theses

There is constant debate over mathematics education in the United States. One central controversy is whether or not the current methods used to teach students mathematics are effective. Some scholars believe that students are not getting enough practice and that they are not getting a good conceptual understanding of mathematics. It has been shown that mathematics equations are rich in patterns and inter-relationships and when children understand these relationships they have higher mathematic skill levels than their peers who do not. This study examined the effectiveness of using an empirically supported, fast paced mastery oriented teaching procedure that promotes automaticity …

Reliability Of Determining Adults From Juvenile Ducks By Presence Or Absence Of Notched Tail Feathers In Various Species Of North American Ducks, Thomas Michael Siwarski

LSU Master's Theses

I estimated when juvenile tail molt occurs for several commonly harvested duck species, mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), northern pintails (A. acuta) (hereafter referred to as pintails), gadwalls (A. strepera), lesser scaup (Aythya affinis), and redheads (A. americana). Tests showed that aging mallards by notched tail feathers became unreliable the earliest (early September), followed closely by pintails (mid-late September), with gadwalls being the latest of the dabbling ducks to lose reliability in aging by notched tail feathers (late November). Lesser scaup and redheads retained their notched tail feathers throughout January and the completion of hunting season. Based on initial banding and band …

Distribution Dynamics Of Complex Systems, Young-Pyo Jeon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A complex system is defined as a system with many interdependent parts having emergent self-organization; analyzing and designing such complex systems is a new challenge. A common observable structure of many complex systems is the network, which is connections among nodes, and thus inherently difficult to describe. The goal of this research is to introduce an effective methodology to describe complex systems, and thus we will construct a population balance (distribution kinetics) model based on the association-dissociation process to describe the evolution of complex systems. Networks are commonly observed structures in complex systems with interdependent parts that self-organize. How networks …

Using Life-History, Surplus Production, And Individual-Based Population Models For Stock Assessment Of Data-Poor Stocks: An Application To Small Pelagic Fisheries Of The Lingayen Gulf, Philippines, Ronald B. Lachica

LSU Master's Theses

Stock assessment methods that quantify the status of fishery resources are critical to effective fisheries management. There is a need for stock assessment methods applicable for management of tropical species based on limited, un-aged catch data. I applied four stock assessment approaches to situation with limited life-history information and with short-term, un-aged catch data. The four approaches are: life-history invariants, length-based catch analysis, individual-based modeling, and surplus production modeling. All four approaches were applied to catch data from Lingayen Gulf, Philippines. The life-history invariant, length-based catch analysis, and individual-based modeling were applied to monthly length-frequency data of commercial catch for …