Digital Commons Network^™

Distributed Predictive Health Monitoring, Jorge David Herrera Gonzalez

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

According to the National Center for Health Statistics the major causes of death in the US are (per year) heart diseases with 654 thousand cases, followed by cancer with 550 thousand cases and stroke with 150 thousand cases. In this project we propose, design, implement and test a prototype of a system that promises to improve the level of detection and prediction of several diseases and improves the quality of life of patients by utilizing non-invasive wireless medical sensors. This system is composed of a set of wireless medical sensors, a nearby (close-proximity) PDA (personal digital accessory) or cell phone …

Cxlengine - A Comprehensive Xml Loosely Structured Search Engine, Indhu Krishna Sivaramakrishnan

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

XML keyword search has been a widely researched area. [15] has proposed an XML semantic search engine called OOXSearch, which answers loosely structured queries. The framework of OOXSearch takes into account the semantic relationship between nodes based on their contexts. The context of a node is determined by its parent node. The label "name", for example, could mean the name of a book and could also mean the name of the book's author. If we try to consider the relationship between these two nodes without considering their parent nodes, we would be drawing the incorrect conclusion that these two nodes …

Limitations Of Ieee 802.15.4 Based Wireless Mesh Networks For Wireless Localization, William Anthony Wallace

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

It is highly desirable to create rapidly and inexpensively deployable mesh networks in certain scenarios. Consider the case of a large storage warehouse; workers are constantly moving in the area and not only do they need to send data periodically but their location needs to be tracked as well. Setting up such network can be accomplished with the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, but a mesh network must be created. There would need to be stationary 802.15.4 nodes that join together to form a backbone infrastructure. This backbone infrastructure (mesh network) would allow the workers, using mobile 802.15.4 nodes, to transmit their …

Integrated Mems Microsensors, Murali M. Chitteboyina

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Many Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) products have been commercialized at a fraction of the cost and size of conventional devices. Low cost, small sizes and multi-function are the ultimate objectives of commodity MEMS devices. An intelligent micro-system requires that the processing circuitry, sensors, and actuators be integrated on the same chip. Integrated MEMS can improve performance of the overall product in several applications. In this work integrated MEMS devices are investigated through semiconducting Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBaCuO) microbolometer arrays on complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) substrates, a novel tunable infrared microspectrometer, and a novel device-level packaging technique for MEMS resonators. …

Design And Functionality Analysis Of Operational Amplifiers With Rail-To-Rail Input And Output Capability, Mingsheng Peng

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The operational amplifier (op amp) is a fundamental building block in analog integrated circuit design. For low power-supply voltages, the common-mode input voltage and the output voltage of op amps are always required to be able to swing from the negative power-supply rail to the positive power-supply rail, i.e., rail-to-rail. In this dissertation, op amps with rail-to-rail input and output capability are investigated. This dissertation mainly focuses on the rail-to-rail input stage design. Two different rail-to-rail input stages with a single differential pair and a common-mode adapter are presented. The common-mode adapter is used to shift the common-mode input voltage. …

Subrosa: An Experimental Platform For Studying Timing Analysis Of Real Time Anonymity Systems, Hatim Asger Daginawala

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Timing analysis poses a significant challenge for the mix based anonymous systems that wish to support low-latency applications like web browsing, instant messaging and Voice over IP (VOIP). Research in this area so far has been done through simulations on ad hoc simulators or non practical local area networks. We developed SubRosa, an experimental platform for studying timing analysis of real time anonymity systems to facilitate the study of Tor like low-latency anonymous systems. We present results of experiments on a real distributed network test bed PlanetLab, where we studied timing analysis attacks and some of the defenses to protect …

A Potential Field Approach For Distributed Control Of Discrete Actuator And Sensor Arrays, Pritpal S. Dang

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation presents new methods of distributed sensing, classification and actuation using potential field and neural network approaches. Human look-a-like robot serves as an excellent tool to implement the strategies developed for sensing, classification and actuation. Achieving dexterity in human-machine interaction or human look-a-like robot helps in better understanding of dynamic and complex environment. This work deals with the issues related to gain autonomy and adaptability through distributed sensing, classification and actuation capabilities. The work presented here starts by mentioning novel strategies employed for morphing a flexible structure to achieve the desired expressions on the artificial skin and then moves …

Panda Monitoring - A System To Monitor High Performance Computing For The Atlas Experiment-Design, Development,Implementation And Deployment, Prem A. Thilagar

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Grid resources are gaining wide importance in the wake of experiments such as ATLAS aiding in a bigger goal to understand the complexities of nature. The need for a good monitoring system is realized as grid resources are being implemented widely. This work is an analysis of the existing monitoring system of the Panda which is a grid middleware for the ATLAS experiment running in CERN. The thesis aims at identifying the key bottlenecks of the current monitor and speaks about the implementation of a new monitor for the same .The new monitor which is being designed with scalability and …

Sequences Of Bayes Gaussian Classifier, Jimy Shah

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

A new method for designing sequences of Bayes Gaussian Classifiers is presented in this thesis. First, a basic Bayes Gaussian Classifier is designed with an assumption of data being Gaussian. Then, we have used the Output Weight Optimization-Back Propagation (OWO-BP) technique to iteratively modify the coefficients of the classifier, resulting in less classification error. Through use of an iterative Gram-Schmidt procedure, to train linear functional link nets, input features are ordered from most useful to least useful. Another important development in this thesis is the generation of nested feature subsets. This ensures that the curve for error percentage versus the …

Embedded System For Monitoring Human Activities Using 3-Axis Accelerometer, Himabindu Yamana

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

The last decade has witnessed a surge of interest in new sensing and monitoring devices for health care. In several medical and non-medical applications it is necessary to measure the human activities. Detection and monitoring of human activities requires the use of external sensors around the body. The reported design provides a systematic approach for characterization of states. The design employs a 3-axis accelerometer, a microcontroller and RS232 based communication protocol for sensing the activities of a person and the output will be seen on a PC with a graphical user interface. Experiments were conducted on human test subjects and …

Business Outlook, Vol. 23 No. 4, December 2007

Business Outlook for West Michigan

No abstract provided.

Construction Law, Dana R. Grantham, David L. Hobson, David J. Mura Jr.

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys construction law decisions handed down by Georgia courts and construction-related legislation enacted by the Georgia General Assembly between June 1, 2006 and May 31, 2007. The cases this year are divided into four general categories: (1) contracts, (2) torts, (3) liens and bonds, and (4) arbitration. Recent legislation is summarized in Section V of this Article.

Local Government Law, R. Perry Sentell

Mercer Law Review

This particular [City Commission] meeting had drawn on for quite some time, until it was getting fairly late. We heard someone knocking very rapidly on the plate glass window. As I turned around, I observed an elderly woman, the wife of the Mayor. The Mayor appeared to ignore his wife and continued to conduct the meeting. Not getting any response from her knocking, the wife then walked into the building, grabbed the Mayor by the arm, and scolded him that it was ridiculous that the City Commission was meeting so late at night. "You," she informed the Mayor, "are going …

Workers' Compensation, H. Michael Bagley, Daniel C. Kniffen, Katherine D. Dixon

Mercer Law Review

The year 2007 was relatively quiet for workers' compensation legislation in the Georgia General Assembly. However, there were several statutory modifications of note.

The Georgia Workers' Compensation Act has long excluded "farm laborers" from its coverage. The scope of that exclusion was clarified by including within the term farm laborer "any person employed by an employer in connection with the raising and feeding of and caring for wildlife, as such term is defined in paragraph (77) of [Official Code of Georgia Annotated ("O.C.G.A.")] Section 27-1-2." The Code section referenced defines wildlife as "any vertebrate or invertebrate animal life indigenous to …

Zoning And Land Use Law, Dennis J. Webb Jr., Marcia Mccrory Ernst, Joseph L. Cooley, John Chadwick Torri, Victor A. Ellis

Mercer Law Review

This Article provides a succinct and practical analysis of the significant judicial decisions in the area of zoning and land use law that were handed down by Georgia appellate courts between June 1, 2006 and May 31, 2007. The cases surveyed fall primarily within five categories: (1) condemnation, (2) nuisance and trespass, (3) easements and restrictive covenants, (4) zoning, and (5) miscellaneous.

Risk And Recovery, John Austin, Chris Decker, Tom Doering, Ernie Gross, Bruce Johnson, Lisa Johnson, Ken Lemke, Franz Schwarz, Scott Strain, Eric Thompson, Keith Turner

Business in Nebraska

The crisis in the housing and financial sectors has led to a dramatic slowdown in U.S. economic growth. Fourth quarter GDP growth and job growth are expected to be anemic and the economy may fall into recession in 2008. Indeed, several of the dozen members of the Nebraska Business Forecast Council do believe that the U.S. economy will likely slip into recession during 2008. However, the overall consensus of the Council is that the U.S. economy will avoid a recession. Economic growth will be slow in the first three quarters of 2008 before recovering in late 2008 and 2009.

The …

Extended Visions, November/December 2007

Extended Visions Newsletter (ARDC)

Contents:
ARDC Director's Comments
ARDC FEATURE UNIT - Foundation Seed Division
About the People
About the Research
Introducing Husker Genetics
How a University of Nebraska HUSKER GENETICS Foundation Seed Variety Goes from the Lab to the Farmer
Annual Festival Teaches Youth About Ag
Bergman Recognized at Retirement Reception
Dec. 6 Workshop to Focus on Alternative Energy for Home, Farm, and Acreages
December Programs... Ethanol By-Product Use for Cow/Calf Producers and Farmer Feeders
How the Field Days Stack Up
MEAD MAGNET Update - Mead High School Agriculture Student Works at the Swine Unit
Nebraska Soybean Day and Machinery Expo

Endangered Species Bulletin: 2007 Highlights

Endangered Species Bulletin

In this issue:
4 Measuring Recovery Success
6 Partnerships Can Conserve Species and a Way of Life
8 Rare Bird Nests Are Cause for Celebration
10 Jump Starting a Rabbit’s Recovery
11 Conserving a Natural Utah Treasure
12 New Hope for the Leon Springs Pupfish
14 Sometimes It’s the Little Things That Matter
16 Cooperative Conservation for the Page Springsnail
18 A Rare Plant Returns to San Francisco Bay
20 Fisheries and Habitat Conservation
22 Species Recovery Through Habitat and Resource Conservation
24 Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance
26 Partnerships for Shared Stewardship
28 The Environmental Contaminants Program
30 The …

A Discrete Event Based Stochastic Simulation Approach For Studying The Dynamics Of Biological Networks, Samik Ghosh

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

With increasing availability of data resources on the molecular parts of a living cell, biologists are focusing on holistic understanding of cellular mechanisms and the emergent dynamics arising out of their complex interactions. Comprehending the fine-grained signal specificity, gene regulation and feedback mechanisms of molecular interactions at a network level forms a central theme of systems biology. With the speed and sophistication of computational methods, in silico modeling and simulation techniques have become a powerful tool for biologists challenged with understanding the system complexity of biological networks. Numerical simulation of classical chemical kinetics (CCK), agent-based simulations of biological processes, and …

From Their Words: An Analysis Of Crs 615 Papers To Find Common Philosphy, Beliefs, And Values., Karen Loffler

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project used qualitative techniques to find common philosophies, values and beliefs among the graduate students of the Masters of Science degree in Creative Studies at Buffalo State College. The project examined twenty exit papers from the CRS 615 course from the early 1970‟s to 1999. The purpose of this project was to develop a baseline of philosophy, value and belief of the graduate students so others could have a foundation from which to build. Common themes from the Master‟s students‟ papers and definitions of philosophy, value, and belief were applied to the content of the papers. The results identified …

Exploration Of The Cps (Plain Language) And Thinking Skills Models And Creating Two Visuals, Aryna Ryan

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

In this project I explored the connections between the CPS (plain language) and Thinking Skills models through literature. I also created two visuals, which were wall hangings made of fabric and accoutrements. These hangings were my interpretations of these two models and were evaluated for teaching Creative Problem Solving and facilitating CPS sessions.

Using Creativity Tools To Improve The Product Development Process, Rachel Wiatrowski

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Throughout the product development process, problems arise that challenge the success and inventiveness of a product. Creativity tools and techniques enable the multi-disciplinary teams that develop these products to react to problems and thereby, develop superior products. However, when each member of a product development team does not have the same foundation of creativity training, it can be difficult to use these tools effectively. The purpose of this project is to assist product development in using creativity tools and techniques both in and outside of creative problem solving group sessions, and to improve the quality and originality of products overall. …

In Vitro Study Of Human Amniotic Membrane As A Chondrocyte Carrier, L. Boo, L.T. Sik, P.C. Pan, S. Sofiah, L. Selvaratnam, C.T. Cheh, T. Sara, Tunku Kamarul

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

No abstract provided.

Iso Implementation Effectiveness: Suppliers Prospective, Abdul Aziz Abdul Raman, E.C. Abdullah

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

It has been five years since UM implemented ISO Quality Management System for all its process. However to date no systematic evaluation is done to quantify the effectiveness of the implementation for many processes. Purchasing supplies are one of the point emphasized in ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System and it is covered under clause 7.4. In this paper the authors evaluate the effectiveness of implementing ISO clauses for purchasing equipments, chemicals, consumables and services. For this purpose eleven willing suppliers in Chemical Engineering Department was selected and given various questions with the intention of evaluating the effectiveness. Criteria such as …

Tgf-B3 And Bfgfinduction Of In Vitro Chondrogenesis In Human Bone Marrow And Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells, P.P. Chong, L. Selvaratnam, V.S. Nadarajah, T. Sara, M. Azura, C.C. Tai, A.A. Abbas, Tunku Kamarul

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

No abstract provided.

Using The Lever Of Technology To Improve The Quality Of Education Through Cooperation, David Brown

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

A radical change in the organisation and administration of factual education is suggested.The change is a shift from the localisation of resources and content to a widespread cooperative organisation supporting the assimilation of cooperatively-produced technology-delivered materials of a common international syllabus through local tutors.

Hudson-Delaware, Robert O. Paxton, Richard R. Veit

North American Birds

No abstract provided.

Wsu Research News, Winter 2007, Office Of Research And Sponsored Programs, Wright State University

WSU Research News

A sixteen page newsletter of the WSU Research News. The WSU Research News was published monthly beginning in June of 1968 and issued by the Office of Research Development. This newsletter was created to provide information to the WSU faculty about the availability of outside funds for research and educational programs, new developments that may affect availability of funds, and general information on research and educational activities at Wright State University.

Effects Of Transportation Regulation On The Transborder Metropolitan Areas Of The U.S.-Mexico Border Region: Nafta And The Mexican Truck Plan - Where Do We Go From Here, Brent E. Butzin

Transportation Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Environmental Effects Of Conversion Of Petroleum Fuel-Based Motor Cars To Natural Gas Vehicles (Ngvs), M.I. Jahirul, Rahman Saidur, Haji Hassan Masjuki, S. Ahmed, M.A. Kalam

Research Publications (2006 to 2010)

In order for saving constrained resources and preservation of environment, natural gas has been found as a proven low cost and low emission alternative fuel to petroleum fuels for all types of motor vehicles. It is being widely used throughout the globe. In Malaysia, still millions of vehicles are plying on use of petroleum fuels. These fuels release huge anti-body and anti-environment gases to the environment. Definitely, this adversely affects the natural ecosystem. In this backdrop, a study is felt important to predict the trend of emissions of these gases released by cars in Malaysia for use of liquid fuels …