Digital Commons Network^™

On The Stability Of Region Count In The Parameter Space Of Image Analysis Methods, Li Yu

All Dissertations

In this dissertation a novel bottom-up computer vision approach is proposed. This approach is based upon quantifying the stability of the number of regions or count in a multi-dimensional parameter scale-space. The stability analysis comes from the properties of flat areas in the region count space generated through bottom-up algorithms of thresholding and region growing, hysteresis thresholding, variance-based region growing. The parameters used can be threshold, region growth, intensity statistics and other low-level parameters. The advantages and disadvantages of top-down, bottom-up and hybrid computational models are discussed. The approaches of scale-space, perceptual organization and clustering methods in computer vision are …

Modeling Third Party Effects Of Water Rights Transfers In A Hypothetical Middle Rio Grande Irrigation Community, Cody Wiley

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Water is a vital resource that is under pressure from increasing demands. The pressures are further aggravated by the potential of decreases or changes in supplies, which may result from climate change. The pressures are especially acute in dry climates such as New Mexico. Leases and markets are means of efficiently reallocating this resource. However, these transfers do not function well under uncertainty. Yet the current NM water rights system, based on the prior appropriations doctrine, has a high degree of uncertainty due to the interlocking spatiotemporal nature of water rights and the possibilities of third party effects occurring subsequent …

A Case Study Investigating Rule Based Design In An Industrial Setting, Siva Chavali

All Theses

This thesis presents a case study on the implementation of a rule based design (RBD) process for an engineer-to-order (ETO) company. The time taken for programming and challenges associated with this process are documented in order to understand the benefits and limitations of RBD. These times are obtained while developing RBD programs for grid assemblies of bottle packaging machines that are designed and manufactured by Hartness International (HI). In this project, commercially available computer-aided design (CAD) and RBD software are integrated to capture the design and manufacturing knowledge used to automate the grid design process of HI. The stages involved …

An Investigation Of Cavity Pressure As A Process And Quality Indicator In The Micro-Injection Molding Process, Soon-Chun Kuek

All Theses

Increased demand for micro-scale parts and devices is being met in many cases by micro-injection molding of polymer parts. However, part inspection is difficult due to the micro-scale dimension in the micro-injection molding process. In addition, process control also becomes challenging since the process is susceptible to slight changes in process parameters such as mold temperature, injection velocity, and packing pressure. To address these issues, a suitable process monitoring method such as cavity pressure monitoring can be employed to detect any process deviation that may cause defects in part quality. Cavity pressure has been found to be a reliable process …

Least Squares Fitting Of Analytic Primitives On A Gpu, Meghashyam Panyam Mohan Ram

All Theses

Metrology systems take coordinate information directly from the surface of a manufactured part and generate millions of (X, Y, Z) data points. The inspection process often involves fitting analytic primitives such as sphere, cone, torus, cylinder and plane to these points which represent an object with the corresponding shape. Typically, a least squares fit of the parameters of the shape to the point set is performed. The least squares fit attempts to minimize the sum of the squares of the distances between the points and the primitive. The objective function however, cannot be solved in the closed form and numerical …

Effect Of Nitrogen Filling On Tire Rolling Resistance And Vehicle Fuel Economy, Prakash Venkataraman

All Theses

There are various losses associated with passenger vehicle that affect its fuel economy as it is being operated. These losses include engine, driveline, aerodynamic and rolling losses. While engine, driveline and aerodynamic losses are inherent with the vehicle due to large number of parts that go into assembling, rolling loss is associated with the vehicle tires and it is the only part of the vehicle that comes in contact with the road. The rolling resistance of inflated tires is an important component of resistance to vehicle motion and contributes to vehicle fuel consumption. Many research works have been focused on …

Assessing Asr Potential Of Hardened Concrete And The Use Of Rice Husk Ash To Mitigate Asr, David Wingard

All Theses

This two part research study was created to first develop a new process using existing test methods to determine the Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) potential of hardened concrete that is exposed to external alkalis and secondly to determine the ASR mitigation potential of using rice husk ash (RHA) as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). The first part of the research study was completed by using a new aggregate extraction procedure that uses a combination of hydrochloric acid treatments and abrasion to remove the cement paste from the aggregate. This extracted aggregate was then crushed down to the specified sizes and used …

Cal Poly Has 675 New Alumni Thanks To December Graduation Ceremonies, Public Affairs Office

Press Releases

No abstract provided.

The Ticker, December 10, 2007

The Ticker

The Ticker is the student newspaper of Baruch College. It has been published continuously since 1932, when the Baruch College campus was the School of Business and Civic Administration of the City College of New York.

An Economic Model For Bioprospecting Contracts, Helen Ding, Paulo Nunes, Laura Onofri

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

This paper explores the use of a micro-economic model to analyse the provisions and parties of bioprospecting contracts. It focuses on the pharmaceutical industry as the representative biodiversity buyer, presenting an original theoretical framework that explains the main contract characteristics or stylised facts. Against this background, it considers the main contractors involved in these private contracts, i.e. biodiversity sellers and biodiversity buyers, analysing both the magnitude and distribution of the respective payoffs. Particular attention is devoted to the different, mixed impacts of bioprospecting contracts and patenting on social welfare. The positive welfare impacts delivered by bioprospecting contracts are associated with …

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 032, Number 20, December 10, 2007, Grand Valley State University

2007-2008, Volume 32

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

Sandspur, Vol 114, No 11, December 10, 2007, Rollins College

The Rollins Sandspur

Rollins College student newspaper, written by the students and published at Rollins College. The Sandspur started as a literary journal.

Ua35/11 Arête December 2007, Honors College

Arête: Honors College at WKU Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Constructed Wetlands For The Landscape Nursery Industry: Nutrient Assimilation And Removal, Sarah White

All Dissertations

Runoff from nursery operations is considered a potential non-point source contamination. Water quality and quantity are quickly becoming important factors that drive management practices at these facilities. Constructed wetland systems (CWS) are a management tool that can be used by nursery operations to improve water quality both for recycling within nursery production areas and for eventual release from nursery production areas into surrounding surface waters. The overall goal of this research was to optimize nutrient removal efficiencies in CWS. To accomplish this goal, I characterized the following: (1) the P sorption and desorption capacity of several substrates; (2) the effect …

Lanthorn, Vol. 42, No. 31, December 10, 2007, Grand Valley State University

Volume 42, July 12, 2007 - June 12, 2008

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Figuring The Digital, Molly Morin

All Theses

This body of work is a way of understanding, reflecting on, and contributing to a contemporary dialogue about the impact of digital technology and the Internet on society by looking at the organization of information that lies behind the computer screen, and creating work that is sourced directly from the Internet but becomes a tangible object in the physical world. I use methods of mass production and marketing to create artwork that values individuality over homogenization and complexity over efficiency, co-opting practical digital technology for the purposes of physical beauty. The work should inspire a sense of wonder through its …

Morphological Charts: A Systematic Exploration Of Qualitative Design Space, Gregory Smith

All Theses

A morphological chart is a tool that represents a large qualitative design space. These charts list the functions identified for the design problem, and the means (solutions) that can perform each function. Combining one means for each function will produce a potential integrated conceptual design solution. Repeating this process with every possible combination contained in the morphological chart will generate a long list of conceptual design solutions. Not all of these solutions will be practical, or even physically possible.
As it is difficult to analyze a long list of design solutions and as at present, there are no systematic design …

Mixed Convective Heat Transfer And Evaporation At The Air-Water Interface, Prasad Gokhale

All Theses

Functional forms for mixed convective heat transfer and evaporation from an air-water interface were obtained. To obtain these functions, heat transfer and evaporation rates from the air-water interface of an evaporating body of water were quantified in a wind/water tunnel in the presence of an oleyl alcohol monolayer on the water surface. The Nusselt (Nu) and Sherwood (Sh) numbers, parameterizing the dimensionless heat and mass transfer respectively, for transport from the water bulk to air were expressed as functions of the air side Rayleigh (Ra) and Reynolds (Re) numbers. The Nu and Sh were calculated for a range of Ra …

A Breakdown In Boundaries: As Explored Through Abjection And The Language Of Abstract Art, Mary Hanley

All Theses

ABSTRACT
My work places emphasis on the anxiety and allure felt at the possibility of ingesting an object belonging to or displaced from the body through the language of abstract art. It links the fears and fascinations felt in situations of perceived abnormality and bodily aggression, to the objectification, or conversely abjection, of objects through images. I investigate a collapse in division between what the perceived identity of a thing or person is, and what it is not.
Each painting rejects an ideal of beauty as portrayed through stability, clarity, and compartmentalization, and embraces beauty as the interconnectedness of opposing …

Spitzer Irs Observations Of Seyfert 1.8 And 1.9 Galaxies: A Comparison With Seyfert 1 And Seyfert 2, R. P. Deo, D. M. Crenshaw, S. B. Kraemer, M. Dietrich, Moshe Elitzur, H. Teplitz, T. J. Turner

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present Spitzer mid-infrared spectra of 12 Seyfert 1.8 and 1.9 galaxies over the 5-38 μm region. We compare the spectral characteristics of this sample to those of 58 Seyfert 1 and 2 galaxies from the Spitzer archives. An analysis of the spectral shapes, the silicate 10 μm feature and the emission-line fluxes have enabled us to characterize the mid-IR properties of Seyfert 1.8/1.9s. We find that the EWs of the 10 μm silicate feature are generally weak in all Seyfert galaxies, as previously reported by several studies. The few Seyfert galaxies in this sample that show …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, December 10, 2007, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Council on Teacher Education Report
• Retention and FYE Report
• Scholarship Advisory Board Report
• BFW Items
• Conflict of Interest Recommendations
• LEEDS Certification
• Course Evaluation Form
• Faculty Forum Attendance
• Salary Compression

Monitor Newsletter December 10, 2007, Bowling Green State University

Monitor

Official Publication of Bowling Green State University for Faculty and Staff

When West Meets East: Communicative Language Teaching In China, Rong Li

Theses and Dissertations

With radical social change and educational reform taking place in China since 1976, the English teaching system there has been changing accordingly. The Chinese Traditional Method (CTM) is giving way to the Western Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach. This research is a study of both Chinese and expatriate English teachers who are involved in classrooms and affected by reforms. The goal of this research study is to identify the extent to which Chinese and expatriate English teachers use CLT in China, to discover the possible factors that prevent them from using CLT and to explore an English teaching method that …

Sediment Transport Upstream Of Orifices, David Powell

All Dissertations

Sediment transport upstream of orifices has not been studied outside the realm of the restoration of reservoir storage capacity. This experimental study used a large basin with a circular orifice outlet and a movable sand bed leveled with the invert of the orifice. Three sizes of non-cohesive, uniform sand were used with d₅₀ values of 0.29mm, 0.72mm, and 0.89mm. Bed profiles at equilibrium scour conditions were measured for three different head levels for each sediment size. The maximum scour depth, length, and scour width were related to the particle size and the available head. The longitudinal and lateral extents …

Hybrid Image/Model Based Gaze-Contingent Rendering, Hunter Murphy

All Dissertations

A non-isotropic hybrid image/model based gaze-contingent rendering technique utilizing ray casting on a GPU is discussed. Empirical evidence derived from human subject experiments indicates an inverse relationship between a peripherally degraded scene's high-resolution inset size and mean search time, a trend consistent with existing image-based and model-based techniques. In addition, the data suggest that maintaining a target's silhouette edges decreases search times when compared to targets with degraded edges. Benefits of the hybrid technique include simplicity of design and parallelizability, both conducive to GPU implementation.

Bjc Today

BJC Today

No abstract provided.

A Context Aware Content Based Federated Access Control System For Healthcare Domain, Haseeb Amjad

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Masters Theses

Legislation to create electronic healthcare records and provide electronic healthcare services requires the same level of privacy and disclosure regulations as are applicable to the current practices for paper based patient health records. Most of work in this area has been organization-oriented that deals with exchange of information among healthcare organizations (such as referrals). However, the requirements for ensuring security and privacy of information for online access and sharing of health records in a federated healthcare environment have not been adequately addressed. To address this problem, we have developed a context-aware content-based access control policy specification framework, known as Generalized …

Multi-Objective Generation Scheduling With Hybrid Energy Resources, Manas Trivedi

All Dissertations

In economic dispatch (ED) of electric power generation, the committed generating units are scheduled to meet the load demand at minimum operating cost with satisfying all unit and system equality and inequality constraints. Generation of electricity from the fossil fuel releases several contaminants into the atmosphere. So the economic dispatch objective can no longer be considered alone due to the environmental concerns that arise from the emissions produced by fossil fueled electric power plants. This research is proposing the concept of environmental/economic generation scheduling with traditional and renewable energy sources. Environmental/economic dispatch (EED) is a multi-objective problem with conflicting objectives …

Fungal Conversion And Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Processing For Value-Added Canola Oil, Meidui Dong

All Dissertations

There is a growing awareness of health benefits of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) e.g. arachidonic acid (ARA, C20:4n6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n3). In general, plant seed oil and animal fat do not contains long-chain PUFAs with more than eighteen carbons. This study investigated the feasibility for addition of ARA and EPA to canola oil through the fermentation of fungi, Mortierella alpina, using canola flake, cake or meal as substrates. Supercritical CO2 extraction was also investigated for lipid extraction. In addition, a supercritical CO2 explosion process was characterized and applied to enhance oil extraction using supercritical CO2 and to potentially …

Investigation Of Structure And Properties Of Novel Multi-Layer Clay Nanocomposite Films Produced Controllably By Continuous Chaotic Advection Blending, Chaitra Mahesha

All Dissertations

Polymer nanoclay composites have been studied extensively in the past decade due to the excellent combination of properties they can offer at low loadings of clay. Despite robust research, the potential enhancements that nanoclays are theoretically predicted to offer have not been achieved. Such potential improvements in mechanical and gas barrier properties are realized only when the internal structure of the nanocomposite is optimized in terms of arrangement and orientation of nanoclay within the matrix. The mixing-based approach and the accompanying complex flow fields of conventional processing techniques widely used to produce nanoclay composites are unable to control the internal …