Digital Commons Network^™

Generalized Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman Formulation-Based Neural Network Control Of Affine Nonlinear Discrete-Time Systems, Zheng Chen, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we consider the use of nonlinear networks towards obtaining nearly optimal solutions to the control of nonlinear discrete-time (DT) systems. The method is based on least squares successive approximation solution of the generalized Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (GHJB) equation which appears in optimization problems. Successive approximation using the GHJB has not been applied for nonlinear DT systems. The proposed recursive method solves the GHJB equation in DT on a well-defined region of attraction. The definition of GHJB, pre-Hamiltonian function, HJB equation, and method of updating the control function for the affine nonlinear DT systems under small perturbation assumption are proposed. …

Adhesion Enhancement Of Polymeric Films On Glass Surfaces By A Silane Derivative Of Azobisisobutyronitrile (Aibn)., Sudhir Mulik, Chariklia Sotiriou-Leventis, Nicholas Leventis

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Adhesion of polymeric films on surfaces can be due to a combination of van der Waals, electrostatic or covalent interactions between the two materials. The interfacial adhesion between a polymer film and glass or metal can be improved by using a broad class of silane coupling agents. Typically, silane coupling compounds used for adhesion improvement have structure similar to (R´O)3-Si-R, where R´O- is an alkoxy group and -R is an organofunctional group. Under appropriate reaction conditions alkoxy groups condense with hydroxyl groups available on the surface, resulting in surfaces decorated with organofunctional -R groups, which promote formation of covalent bonding …

Compressive Behavior Of Crosslinked Mesoporous Silica Aerogels At High Strain Rates, Hongbing Lu, H. Luo, Sudhir Mulik, Chariklia Sotiriou-Leventis, Nicholas Leventis

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Aerogels are low-density mesoporous materials with exceptionally low dielectric constants, low thermal conductivities (up to 40 times better thermal insulators than the best fiberglass) and high acoustic impedance. Their practical applications, however, have been slow due to their hydrophilicity and brittleness. The fragility problem was resolved by nanocasting a ~2-4 nm thick polymer layer on the skeletal silica nanoparticles that strengthens the weak inter-nanopartical necks. The thin polymer coats conformally the skeletal framework without clogging the mesopores and reinforces the structure by chemically crosslinking the nanoparticles. With a density increase by only three times, crosslinking aerogels have the flexural strength …

Glass Transition Behavior Of Poly(Methyl Acrylate) End-Grafted By Atrp To Amorphous Silica, Manikantan B. Nair, Frank D. Blum

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ultra-thin polymer films attached to solid substrates (supported films) have attracted significant interest in recent years. Supported films are used in the design of advanced materials like photoresists, lubricants and other electronic devices. Glass transition temperatures (Tgs) of supported polymer films have also been of significant interest. The Tg has been shown to depend on the thickness of the polymer film on the surface and the inherent nature of the surface. The effect of end-grafting of a polymer chain to a surface, on the Tg of the polymer has been studied previously.1 Reports on the study of glass transition behaviors …

Simulation Of The Evolution Of The Nanostructure Of Crosslinked Silica-Aerogels Under Compression, Hongbing Lu, Boshen Fu, Nitin Daphalapurkar, Jay Hanan, Nicholas Leventis, Chariklia Sotiriou-Leventis

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Silica-aerogels are ultra-low-density assemblies of silica nanoparticles, and possess superior acoustic, specific energy absorption and thermal insulation properties. A new class of aerogels encapsulated with polymer is classified as crosslinked silica-aerogels. Manufacturing of such crosslinked silica-aerogel structures, depending on the type and shape of the nanoparticles, the polymer cross-linker and the chemistry in use, yields structures with vastly different morphologies and a wide range of mechanical behavior. With this, it has become necessary to understand the nanostructure / macroscopic properties relationship. Modeling of the aerogel material properties from mesoscale and up approach is needed, which is not considered by the …

Assemblies Of Nanoparticles As 3d Scaffolds For New Materials Design: From Polymer Crosslinked Aerogels To Polymer Matrix Composites, Nicholas Leventis, Chariklia Sotiriou-Leventis, Sudhir Mulik, Vishal U. Patil, Dhairyashil Mohite, Yanli Zhang, Hongbing Lu

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

From a materials perspective, nanotechnology furnishes materials with useful macroscopic properties by manipulating matter in the 1-100 nm size regime. Improvements in performance in terms of strength, modulus and wetability are accomplished by, for example, introducing nanoparticles as fillers in plastics . Two issues that usually interfere with optimal materials performance are agglomeration of the nanoparticles and materials compatibility. Agglomeration cancels the advantage of using nanoparticulate matter as dopant, while lack of materials compatibility introduces a discontinuity at the polymer/dopant interface from where failure may begin. Agglomeration is encountered with surfactants that keep nanoparticles dispersed, while materials compatibility is improved …

Dynamics Of Adsorbed Pma-D₃ - Effect Of Substrate, Frank D. Blum, Burak Metin, Macduff O. Okuom

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the last few years, our group has focused much of our attention on studying the dynamics of polymers adsorbed at interfaces. Much of our work, to date has been on labeled poly(vinyl acetate)-d3 (PVAc-d3)1 and poly(methyl acrylate)-d3 (PMA-d3)2 on silica. We have been able to probe the effects of adsorbed amount,3 molecular mass,4,5 and the effect of overlayer.6 These studies have provided a view of the adsorbed polymer consistent with a motional gradient in the layer with the more mobile segments being those at the air-polymer interface and the less-mobile segments at the substratepolymer interface. However, we have not …

Dynamics Of Pipa-D₇ On Silica Surface, Piyawan Krisanangkura, Frank D. Blum

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Molecular motion of polymer chains is an important determinant in understanding the physical properties of polymeric materials. Glass transition temperature (Tg) is a physical property of polymers, which is of primary interest. The study of the dynamics of polymer segments assists in understanding the dependence of Tg on polymer structure.1 For decades, studies have addressed the molecular motion in various polymers. Some of them have probed the dynamics of polymer backbones.2,3 the properties of a polymer at an interface may change because of the type of polymer, the substrate, or other variables. The side chain of a polymer can also …

Design Stability For Concept Selection, Vivek K. Jikar, Kenneth M. Ragsdell

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper re-visits the concept of Design Stability proposed earlier. It further develops a new metric called the Design Stability Coefficient for use in the concept selection stage during early phases of new product development. Design Stability Coefficient is analyzed qualitatively as well as quantitatively and developed as an objective criterion for selecting the best alternative for realizing high value for the end-user of a product. a Wheatstone Bridge is used as an example to indicate a procedure for computing the Design Stability Coefficient. Calculated values are compared with the Nominal the Best signal to noise ratio. Copyright © 2008 …

Extension Of The Poiseuille Formula For Shear-Thickening Materials And Application To Self-Compacting Concrete, Dimitri Feys, Ronny Verhoeven, Geert De Schutter

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In Practice, While Placing Concrete in a Formwork by Pumping, the Pressure Generated by the Pump is Not Controlled. in Order to Enhance the Safety on the Worksite, and in View of the Current Economic and Ecologic Arguments, It Would Be Useful to Dispose of an Equation Able to Predict Pressure Losses based on the Rheological Properties of the Concrete and the Pipe Configuration. This Paper Describes the Derivation of an Extended Version of the Poiseuille Formula, for Shear-Thickening Materials with a Yields Stress, Described by the Modified Bingham Equation. This Formula is Applied to Flow-Tests with Self-Compacting Concrete. the …

Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Rayleigh Flat Fading Outage Capacity Using Channel Estimation, Chris G. Potter, Kurt Louis Kosbar, Adam Panagos

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Upper and lower bounds on the outage capacity for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Rayleigh flat fading wireless baseband communication environment are derived for the case when the channel is completely unknown at the transmitter and the receiver has access to channel state information (CSI) via pilot estimation. The bounds show that the channel estimation error significantly impacts the outage capacity. A change in the outage probability is also shown to have a larger impact on the outage capacity when the channel estimation error is small. To get an idea of how these bounds are affected by a temporally correlated channel, …

A Comparison Of Alternating Minimization And Expectation Maximization Algorithms For Single Source Gamma Ray Tomography, R. Varma, S. Bhusarapu, J. A. O'Sullivan, M. (Muthanna) H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Lange and Carson (1984 J. Comput. Assist. Tomogr. 8 306-16) Defined Image Reconstruction for Transmission Tomography as a Maximum Likelihood Estimation Problem and Derived an Expectation Maximization (EM) Algorithm to Obtain the Maximum Likelihood Image Estimate. However, in the Maximization Step or M-Step of the EM Algorithm, an Approximation is Made in the Solution Which Can Affect the Image Quality, particularly in the Case of Domains with High Attenuating Material. O'Sullivan and Benac (2007 IEEE Trans. Med. Imaging 26 283-97) Reformulated the Maximum Likelihood Problem as a Double Minimization of an I-Divergence to Obtain a Family of Image Reconstruction Algorithms, …

X-Ray Lithography Of Metal And Semiconductor Nanoparticles, Nicholas Leventis, Suchi Guha, Massimo F. Bertino, Raghuveer Reddy Gadipalli, Brian R. Heckman, John Katsoudas, Ralu Divan, Lane A. Martin, Derrick C. Mancini

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the last few years, a considerable amount of research has focused on the three-dimensional fabrication of contacts and electronic devices. Most techniques, however, are essentially based on photoreduction, and are limited to noble- and semi-noble metals. We present here a general method that allows patterning of porous matrices in 3D with metal, but also with semiconductor nanoparticles which is of potential relevance for microfabrication applications. In our method, the pore-filling solvent of a sol-gel material is exchanged with a solution of precursors. The precursors are photodissociated and nanoparticles are formed when the monoliths are irradiated. In a series of …

Efroimson, Vladimir Pavlovich, Yvonne Howell

Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Faculty Publications

EFROIMSON, VLADIMIR PAVLOVICH ( 1908-1989). Geneticist, seminal figure in the development of population and medical genetics, author of works on sociobiology and the genetics of human ethical and aesthetic behavior.

Surface Temperature Mapping Of The University Of Northern Iowa Campus Using High Resolution Thermal Infrared Aerial Imagery, Alexander Savelyev

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The goal of this study was to produce and analyze a heat loss map of the University of the Northern Iowa campus using thermal infrared remote sensing data. Aerial data with the spatial resolution of 0.29m and radiometric resolution of 14 bit was collected. A model for the pixel to radiance and temperature conversion was developed with its parameters estimated with an R² of 0.78. Temperature imagery was shown to be consistent over the time of the survey and accurate to within 12°C. The temperature map then was used to assess the conditions of the rooftops and steam pipelines …

Reframed Teacher Leadership: A Narrative Inquiry, Cynthia L. Kenyon

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Teacher leadership has been in schools from the time teachers rang the school bells. Three waves of teacher leadership have been examined. The first wave focused on formal managerial positions such as department chairs, the second wave focused on curriculum and staff development, and the third wave focused on daily acts of collaboration to solve problems and provide professional development activities for staffs. This study explored the third wave practice of teacher leaders in a qualitative study focusing on the narratives of 11 teacher leaders.

A narrative of lives format was used to study leadership experiences. A pilot study was …

Does Content Knowledge Matter In Scoring Teacher Work Samples?: A Study Of Rater Differences, Yana A. Cornish

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The study examines the role of rater characteristics in the assessment of teacher practice as presented in Renaissance Teacher Work Samples (RTWS). The study analyzed ratings of 10 teacher work samples submitted by teacher candidates at the University of Northern Iowa between Fall 2000 and Spring 2004. These teacher work samples, created in the area of Spanish language learning at 7-11 grade levels, were analyzed to determine the impact of content expertise, amount of teaching experience, and previous RTWS rating experience on reviewer's ratings. Three study questions form the foundation for the investigation:

(1) Is there a significant difference between …

Overview Of Biocreative Ii Gene Mention Recognition, Larry Smith, Lorraine K. Tanabe, Rie Johnson Nee Ando, Cheng-Ju Kuo, I-Fang Chung, Chun-Nan Hsu, Yu-Shi Lin, Roman Klinger, Christoph M. Friedrich, Kuzman Ganchev, Manabu Torii, Hongfang Liu, Barry Haddow, Craig A. Struble, Richard J. Povinelli, Andreas Vlachos, William A. Baumgartner, Lawrence Hunter, Bob Carpenter, Richard Tzong-Han Tsai, Hong-Jie Dai, Feng Liu, Yifei Chen, Chengjie Sun, Sophia Katrenko, Pieter Adriaans, Christian Blaschke, Rafael Torres, Mariana Neves, Preslav Nakov, Anna Divoli, Manuel Maña-López, Jacinto Mata, W John Wilbur

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Nineteen teams presented results for the Gene Mention Task at the BioCreative II Workshop. In this task participants designed systems to identify substrings in sentences corresponding to gene name mentions. A variety of different methods were used and the results varied with a highest achieved F₁ score of 0.8721. Here we present brief descriptions of all the methods used and a statistical analysis of the results. We also demonstrate that, by combining the results from all submissions, an F score of 0.9066 is feasible, and furthermore that the best result makes use of the lowest scoring submissions.

Laboratory Schools Annual Report, 2007-2008, Laboratory Schools, Illinois State University

Annual Reports – Laboratory Schools

Illinois State University Laboratory Schools annual report

Case Analysis Of Information Security Risk Perceptions, Alexis Guillot

Theses : Honours

The scientific rationality used by experts towards risk evaluation is expressed as the product of its likelihood of occurrence with its consequences or impacts (ENISA, 2006a). This directly opposes the subjective nature of risk perception, often appearing as inconsistent if not completely irrational (Byrne, 2003). Risk perception theories are a pathway to explain the subjective nature of risk and a deeper insight into the human's cognitive system. Those theories may help to explain why people see, act and plan for risks in the way that they do, the weaknesses that exist in the human decision mechanisms and their impact on …

The Lawful Acquisition And Exercise Of Monopoly Power And Its Implications For The Objectives Of Antitrust, David S. Evans, Keith N. Hylton

Faculty Scholarship

The antitrust laws of the United States have, from their inception, allowed firms to acquire significant market power, to charge prices that reflect that market power, and to enjoy supra-competitive returns. This article shows that this policy, which was established by the U.S. Congress and affirmed repeatedly by the U.S. courts, reflects a tradeoff between the dynamic benefits that society realizes from allowing firms to secure significant rewards, including monopoly profits, from making risky investments and engaging in innovation; and the static costs that society incurs when firms with significant market power raise price and curtail output. That tradeoff results …

Clinical Usefulness Of The Oppositional Defiant Disorder Rating Scale, Jessica L. Hackenberg

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the reliability, validity, and clinical utility of the Oppositional Defiant Disorder Rating Scale (ODDRS) in a clinic-referred population. In addition, the diagnostic benefit of using a rating scale specific to Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), in addition to a broad range behavior scale, was investigated. Parents and teachers of 121 clinic-referred children provided ratings on the ODDRS. Modest agreement was found between parent and teacher ratings on some items. However, the average correlation between parent and teacher ratings was minimal ( r = .16). Children diagnosed with ODD through structured parent interviews were found to have elevated …

Collaborative Teaching Strategies And Methods Used Between Specialeducation And Generaleducation Teachers In Collaborative Classrooms, Alexandra M. Kanellis

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the implementation of No Child Left Behind (2004) and the requirements set by Article 7 and IDEIA (2004), collaborative teaching has become a requirement for most specialEducation and generalEducation teachers. GeneralEducation and specialEducation teachers are asked to cooperate to successfully meet the needs of all students in their classroom and to ensure the execution of differentiated instruction in the inclusive classroom. This qualitative research involves the observation and interview of veteran generalEducation and specialEducation teachers. Specifically, the study was designed to verify these teachers' perceptions of collaboration and how collaboration between generalEducation and specialEducation teachers is applied into the …

Reaction Time Performance Among Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And Reading Disorder, Nathan M. Gay

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study compared reaction time performance on a reading task for children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a Reading Disability (RD), and children without a diagnosis of ADHD or RD. It was hypothesized that children in the ADHD and RD groups would respond with different patterns of reaction time, providing information that may assist in differentiating between these two diagnostic groups. Participants included 70 children: 31 diagnosed with ADHD, 12 that met criteria for RD, and 27 children in a comparison group. Children with RD were expected to respond slower than children in the ADHD and comparison groups on …

Hardware Implementation Of Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Scheme In Gf(P), Zerene Sangma

Theses

With the advent of technology there are many applications that require secure communication. Elliptic Curve Public-key Cryptosystems are increasingly becoming popular due to their small key size and efficient algorithm. Elliptic curves are widely used in various key exchange techniques including Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement scheme. Modular multiplication and modular division are one of the basic operations in elliptic curve cryptography. Much effort has been made in developing efficient modular multiplication designs, however few works has been proposed for the modular division. Nevertheless, these operations are needed in various cryptographic systems. This thesis examines various scalable implementations of elliptic curve scalar …

A Computational Investigation Of Graph Reconstruction, David Rivshin

Theses

First proposed in 1941 by Kelly and Ulam, the Graph Reconstruction Conjecture has been called the major open problem in the field of Graph Theory. While the Graph Reconstruction Conjecture is still unproven it has spawned a number of related questions. In the classical vertex graph reconstruction number problem a vertex is deleted in every possible way from a graph G, and then it can be asked how many (both minimum and maximum values) of these subgraphs are required to uniquely reconstruct G (up to isomorphism). This problem can then be extended to k-vertex deletion (for 1 ≤ k ≤ …

Cognitive Dimensions Usability Assessment Of Textual And Visual Vhdl Environments, George Kontos

Theses

Visual programming languages promise to make programming easier with simpler graphical methods, broadening access to computing by lessening the need for would-be users to become proficient with textual programming languages, with their somewhat arcane grammars and methods removed from the problem space of the user. However, after more than forty years of research in the field, visual methods remain in the margins of use and programming remains the bailiwick of people devoted to the endeavor. VPL designers need to understand the mechanisms of usability that pertain to complex systems like programming language environments. Effective research tools for studying usability, and …

Sculptural Jewelry In Line Composition, Jaesun Won

Theses

As a contemporary female Asian artist I want to create sculptural jewelry to be a bridge between western and eastern culture. The most concern for my thesis is developing line work which is one of the most interesting works to me. I created contemporary sculptural jewelry by engaging with the body line compositions. My intention to create jewelry that can be associated with both the body and also stand on its own as a sculptural form. Movement, pattern, rhythm, intersection, space, boundaries, scale, symmetry and asymmetry engage the body within the line compositions revealed in my works.

Towards Inclusive Standards, Michelle Pearce

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The context of this study is the inclusion of students with dillabilities in secondary schools. The introduction of legislation in the United States and Australia has resulted in large numbers of students with disabilities being included in regular classes by subject teachers. Inclusion in secondary schools has proved especially challenging to teachers. Reviews and research highlight the need for teacher training. but do not specify the knowledge and skills that teachers need to become inclusive. It has been proposed that professional teaching standards have the potential to guide preservice and inservice training. Before standards could be assessed for their inclusivity, …

The Effect Of A Reflex Replication Program On Retained Primary Reflexes, Motor Coordination, Vocabulary, Visual Motor Ability And Rapid Naming In Preprimary Aged Children, Deborah Callcott

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The link between movement and cognition is not new, but remains steeped in controversy in the educational community. One of the reasons for this controversy has been the lack of substantial research that supports the link between movement programs and observable academic benefits. The results of recent research have indicated that the retention of primary reflexes, particularly the tonic neck reflexes in young children, can result in difficulties that affect the overall functioning of the child. The retainment of reflexes may lead to clumsiness, poor eye hand coordination, poor manipulative skills and consequently academic achievement may be compromised in some …