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Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute Annual Report 2005-2006

UGPTI Biennial Highlights

No abstract provided.

Mountain-Plains Consortium Annual Report 2006

UGPTI Mountain Plains Consortium Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

[Introduction To] The Cauchy Transform, William T. Ross, Joseph A. Cima, Alec L. Matheson

Bookshelf

The Cauchy transform of a measure on the circle is a subject of both classical and current interest with a sizable literature. This book is a thorough, well-documented, and readable survey of this literature and includes full proofs of the main results of the subject. This book also covers more recent perturbation theory as covered by Clark, Poltoratski, and Aleksandrov and contains an in-depth treatment of Clark measures.

Diatom Paleolimnological Record Of Holocene Climatic And Environmental Change In The Altai Mountains, Siberia, Karlyn S. Westover, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Tatyana A. Blyakharchuk, Herbert E. Wright

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The sedimentary diatom records of three shallow lakes in the Altai Mountains, southern Siberia, were examined to assess the nature and timing of Holocene environmental changes. Few paleoenvironmental records, especially reconstructions not based on pollen, have been reported from this region. The lakes differ in elevation, annual precipitation, and catchment vegetation. Diatom assemblages in all lakes were dominated for the entire period of record by small benthic species of Pseudostaurosira Williams & Round, Staurosira Ehrenberg, and Staurosirella Williams & Round. Planktonic taxa only occur in very low abundances (<5%). The most diverse diatom flora was found in Dzhangyskol, which is situated at the lowest elevation within a forested catchment. A lack of detailed information on the ecological preferences of the dominant taxa and the complexity of environmental drivers make direct interpretation of the diatom record difficult. However, other proxies suggest that dramatic shifts in dominance between Staurosira elliptica and Staurosirella pinnata in Grusha Ozero reflect millennial-scale variability …

Completely Explosive Autonomous High-Voltage Pulsed-Power System Based On Shockwave Ferromagnetic Primary Power Source And Spiral Vector Inversion Generator, Sergey I. Shkuratov, Evgueni F. Talantsev, Jason Baird, Millard F. Rose, Zachary Shotts, Z. Roberts, Allen H. Stults, Larry L. Altgilbers

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Novel explosive and conventional pulsed-power technologies were combined, and a series of explosive-driven high-voltage power supplies was designed, built, and tested. The power supply contained an explosive-driven high-voltage primary power source based on the fundamental physical effect of shockwave demagnetization of Nd₂ Fe₁₄B high-energy ferromagnet and a power-conditioning stage. The volume of the energy-carrying ferromagnetic elements in the shockwave ferromagnetic generators (FMGs) was 8.75 cm³. The power-conditioning stage was based on the spiral vector inversion generator (VIG). The combined FMG-VIG system demonstrated successful operation and good performance. The output-voltage pulse amplitude of the combined FMG-VIG …

A Mass-Spring-Damper Model Of A Bouncing Ball, Mark L. Nagurka, Shuguang Huang

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The mechanical properties of a vertically dropped ball, represented by an equivalent mass-spring-damper model, are shown to be related to impact parameters. In particular, the paper develops relationships connecting the mass, stiffness and damping of a linear ball model to the coefficient of restitution and the contact time of the ball with the surface during one bounce. The paper also shows that the ball model parameters are functions of quantities readily determined in an experiment: (i) the height from which the ball is dropped from rest, (ii) the number of bounces, and (iii) the time elapsing between dropping the ball …

Foreign-Born Population In Selected Ohio Cities, 1870 To 2000 A Brief Descriptive Report, Mark Salling, Ellen Cyran

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

A Simplified Introduction To Legal Argument, Lee E. Teitelbaum, Wayne Mccormack

Utah Law Review

Constitutional law, therefore, makes frequent explicit use of techniques that are more often implicit in most areas of law. The basic process of reasoning, however, remains the same. And the debate over positivism, the degree to which judges can and should make new law, is really the same; it just has more vigor in constitutional law because of the visibility of its operation.

The Role Of Rules In Antitrust Analysis, John J. Flynn

Utah Law Review

The analysis of antitrust issues is captured from time to time by rigid rules comprised of fixed concepts that are deductively applied to pre-ordained facts in disputes deemed subject to the antitrust laws. The rules are characterized by narrow assumptions of what will be permitted to be facts, by concepts that are fixed in concrete by rigid definitions, and by unstated normative assumptions underlying the rules and concepts. Calcification of concepts sets in and mumpsimus becomes the distinguishing characteristic of defenders of the periodic status quo generated by the antitrust less fashionable at one time or another. The mechanical jurisprudence …

Articulating Trade-Offs: The Political Economy Of State Action Immunity, Hillary Greene

Utah Law Review

Antitrust uses economic analysis to assess various trade-offs involving efficiency. Even assuming that a competition matter implicates purely economic matters it can be exceedingly difficult to determine and measure all the relevant factors, assign them proper weights, decide on the appropriate time frames, assess the pertinent interactions, and conduct the trade-off calculations. Not surprisingly, different members of the antitrust community often take vastly differing positions regarding the economic consequences of a particular antitrust doctrine as well as the significance of those consequences. When potentially anticompetitive conduct occurs in the context of state regulation, the challenge to achieving a sensible accommodation …

Classical And Quantum Algorithms For Finding Cycles, Jill Cirasella

Publications and Research

Quantum computing—so weird, so wonderful—inspires much speculation about the line between the possible and the impossible. (Of course, there is still unclarity about how “impossible” intractable problems are and about how “possible” quantum computers are.) This thesis takes a slightly different tack: instead of focusing on how to make the impossible possible, it focuses on how to make the possible easier.

More specifically, this paper discusses quantum algorithms for finding cycles in graphs, a problem for which polynomial-time classical algorithms already exist. It explains and compares the classical and quantum algorithms, and it introduces a few new algorithms and observations. …

The History Of Computer Games, Jill Cirasella, Danny Kopec

Publications and Research

This handout presents milestones in the history of computer backgammon, computer bridge, computer checkers, computer chess, computer Go, computer Othello, and computer poker.

Countable Short Recursively Saturated Models Of Arithmetic, Erez Shochat

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Short recursively saturated models of arithmetic are exactly the elementary initial segments of recursively saturated models of arithmetic. Since any countable recursively saturated model of arithmetic has continuum many elementary initial segments which are already recursively saturated, we turn our attention to the (countably many) initial segments which are not recursively saturated. We first look at properties of countable short recursively saturated models of arithmetic and show that although these models cannot be cofinally resplendent (an expandability property slightly weaker than resplendency), these models have non-definable expansions which are still short recursively saturated.

Kernels Of Directed Graph Laplacians, John S. Caughman Iv, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Let G denote a directed graph with adjacency matrix Q and in- degree matrix D. We consider the Kirchhoff matrix L = D − Q, sometimes referred to as the directed Laplacian. A classical result of Kirchhoff asserts that when G is undirected, the multiplicity of the eigenvalue 0 equals the number of connected components of G. This fact has a meaningful generalization to directed graphs, as was observed by Chebotarev and Agaev in 2005. Since this result has many important applications in the sciences, we offer an independent and self-contained proof of their theorem, showing in this paper …

The Convergence Of V-Cycle Multigrid Algorithms For Axisymmetric Laplace And Maxwell Equations, Jay Gopalakrishnan, Joseph E. Pasciak

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigate some simple finite element discretizations for the axisymmetric Laplace equation and the azimuthal component of the axisymmetric Maxwell equations as well as multigrid algorithms for these discretizations. Our analysis is targeted at simple model problems and our main result is that the standard V-cycle with point smoothing converges at a rate independent of the number of unknowns. This is contrary to suggestions in the existing literature that line relaxations and semicoarsening are needed in multigrid algorithms to overcome difficulties caused by the singularities in the axisymmetric Maxwell problems. Our multigrid analysis proceeds by applying the well known regularity …

Adaptive Finite Element Methods For Elliptic Pdes Based On Conforming Centroidal Voronoi-Delaunay Triangulations, Lili Ju, Max Gunzburger, Weidong Zhao

Faculty Publications

A new triangular mesh adaptivity algorithm for elliptic PDEs that combines a posteriori error estimation with centroidal Voronoi–Delaunay tessellations of domains in two dimensions is proposed and tested. The ability of the first ingredient to detect local regions of large error and the ability of the second ingredient to generate superior unstructured grids result in a mesh adaptivity algorithm that has several very desirable features, including the following. Errors are very well equidistributed over the triangles; at all levels of refinement, the triangles remain very well shaped, even if the grid size at any particular refinement level, when viewed globally, …

Putting Humpty Dumpty Back Together: Experimental Evidence Of Anticommons Tragedies, Ben Depoorter, Sven Vanneste

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Infinitely Often Dense Bases And Geometric Structure Of Sumsets, Jaewoo Lee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

We'll discuss two problems related to sumsets.

Nathanson constructed bases of integers with prescribed representation functions, then asked how dense bases for integers can be in such cases. Let A(-x, x) be the number of elements of A whose absolute value is less than or equal to x, then it's easy to see that A(-x, x) << x1/2 if its representation function is bounded, giving us a general upper bound. Chen constructed unique representation bases for integers with A(-x, x) ≥ x1/2-epsilon infinitely often. In the first chapter, we'll construct bases for integers with a prescribed representation function with A(-x, x) > x1/2/&phis;(x) infinitely often where &phis;(x) is any nonnegative real-valued function which tends to infinity.

In the second chapter, we'll see how sumsets appear geometrically. Assume A is a finite set of lattice points and h*D=h˙x:x∈conv A is a full dimensional polytope. Then we'll see …

Linking Interventions To Functional Behavior Assessment Results, Andrea Jo Duncan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

A comprehensive review of the instructional, social, and physical dimensions and consequences of behavior that complete functional behavior assessments. Substantial explanation of each is accompanied with examples of research based interventions linking to each dimension. A new model of functional behavior assessment is described and piloted in a single subject case study design. Also included are the results of the case study.

No Child Left Behind (2001) And High Stakes Tests : How They Affect Teachers' Experiences In The Classroom, Emily N. Olson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether No Child Left Behind (2001) and high-stakes tests affect teachers' experiences in the classroom, in areas such as instruction, attitude/anxiety, and job satisfaction. This study also investigates whether teachers in schools labeled "in need of improvement" are affected differently than teachers in schools that are not labeled. Thirty-eight teachers in four urban elementary schools in Iowa who work with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students responded to a 30-question survey that used a 5-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as ANOVA to investigate a possible difference …

The Influence Of Significant Others On High School Students’ Expectancies, Task Value, And Motivation In Physical Education, Skip M. Williams

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In physical education, students perform physical activities among their peers and teachers. Some students are highly skilled, while others are developing their skill, and some just do not participate at all. It has been questioned why one child would approach a new opportunity with excitement and enthusiasm and another child (with the same opportunity) would have anxiety and self-doubt. The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of significant others on high school students' expectancies for success, task value, and motivation in physical education class. Specifically, this study examined perceived influence of significant others' beliefs on students': expectancies …

Effects Of External Rewards On Elementary Students’ Motivation To Read Independently, Benjamin David Olsen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In an age of increased accountability, even down to how well, and how much, students read independently, teachers are looking for ways to motivate students to read. One popular way schools and teachers have looked to increase motivation is with reading incentive programs. Despite this widespread enthusiasm for such programs there has not been solid, replicable research that has supported the continued use of incentive programs to increase students' future motivation to read. This study examined how a reading incentive program affected students' motivation and attitudes toward reading and the time they spent reading. Research was guided by the following …

An Exploration In Exhibit Design, Maria A. Buteler Tillard

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

It was the process of becoming aware of the importance of graphic design as an essential tool for communicating ideas that led to my decision to continue my education in the field of graphic design. My prior degree in architecture also influenced my 1 graduate work since it has provided me with an understanding of the effective use of two and three-dimensional space. In general, it was the opportunity to make connections between architecture and graphic design that prompted me to study at the University of Northern Iowa. Architecture and graphic design, while very different, share certain basic concepts that …

Loss Of Nutrients From Croplands As A Result Of Soil Erosion, Munns Creek Watershed, Grundy County, Iowa, Jihyo Chong

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The temporal distribution of chloride, nitrate, and sulfate in the hydrologic environment were studied in Grundy County, Iowa from June to September 2004. The goal of the project was to investigate the rate of soil erosion and the subsequent loss of nutrients from the agricultural fields of the study area. Water samples were collected weekly from 6 different sites along Munns Creek in the study area near Grundy Center, Iowa. Each sample was analyzed for chloride, nitrate, and sulfate by ion chromatography. Soil core samples were collected from 22 locations in the surrounding agricultural fields. At each location, soil was …

The Ground Axiom, Jonas Reitz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Relationship Of Undergraduate Cognitive Development And Academic Advising Preference At Two Small, Private, Liberal Arts Colleges, Vicki Van Vark Edelnant

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Though developmental advising has been widely accepted for some time, some recent studies have questioned whether this approach to advising is universally appropriate. The primary purposes of this study were to determine what, if any, relationship exists between students' preference for academic advising approach and either their level of cognitive development or their gender.

One hundred seventy-three students at two small, private, liberal arts colleges completed the Academic Advising Inventory (AAI) to assess their advising preferences and the Measure of Epistemological Reflection (MER) to measure cognitive development levels. A correlation coefficient of scores on the AAI and the MER indicated …

Exploring The Relationship Between Mathematics Content Knowledge And Pedagogical Content Knowledge Among Pre-Service Teachers, Hsueh-I Martin Lo

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study replicates and extends a previous study (Nathan & Petrosino, 2003) that explored the relationship between the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of pre-service mathematics teachers.

In that study, Nathan and Petrosino (2003) examined and reported evidence supporting the counterintuitive hypothesis that, in some situations, having a high degree of content knowledge may be associated with the "expert blind spot" (symbol-precedence) in pedagogical content knowledge. Pre-service teachers with various levels of expertise in mathematics subject matter were given a series of mathematics problems and asked to rank order their difficulty. Nathan and Petrosino (2003) reported that, on the …

Effect Of A Biomes Genetics Unit On Student Achievement In High School Biology, Melissa C. James

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Research has found the learning cycle to be an effective science instructional tool for implementing hands-on activities and leading interactive discussion. In 2000 a curriculum entitled Biology Instructional Opportunities for Motivating Every Student (BIOMES), was written by teachers from Iowa and Wisconsin and edited by Dr. Jody Stone and Dr. Lyn Countryman of the University of Northern Iowa. BIO MES was designed using a three stage learning cycle format to allow students to be true science investigators and create a more student-centered environment to stimulate the development of reasoning skills. The purpose of this study was to test the BIO …

Parallelization Of Multicategory Support Vector Machines (Pmc- Svm) For Classifying Microarray Data, Chaoyang Zhang, Peng Li, Arun Rajendran, Youping Deng, Dequan Chen

Faculty Publications

Background: Multicategory Support Vector Machines (MC-SVM) are powerful classification systems with excellent performance in a variety of data classification problems. Since the process of generating models in traditional multicategory support vector machines for large datasets is very computationally intensive, there is a need to improve the performance using high performance computing techniques.

Results: In this paper, Parallel Multicategory Support Vector Machines (PMC-SVM) have been developed based on the sequential minimum optimization-type decomposition method for support vector machines (SMO-SVM). It was implemented in parallel using MPI and C++ libraries and executed on both shared memory supercomputer and Linux cluster …

Maldi-Tof Baseline Drift Removal Using Stochastic Bernstein Approximation, Joseph Kolibal, Daniel Howard

Faculty Publications

Stochastic Bernstein (SB) approximation can tackle the problem of baseline drift correction of instrumentation data. This is demonstrated for spectral data: matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) data. Two SB schemes for removing the baseline drift are presented: iterative and direct. Following an explanation of the origin of the MALDI-TOF baseline drift that sheds light on the inherent difficulty of its removal by chemical means, SB baseline drift removal is illustrated for both proteomics and genomics MALDI-TOF data sets. SB is an elegant signal processing method to obtain a numerically straightforward baseline shift removal method as it includes a …