Digital Commons Network^™

Biocaster: Detecting Public Health Rumors With A Web-Based Text Mining System, Nigel Collier, Son Doan, Ai Kawazoe, Reiko Matsuda Goodwin, Mike Conway, Yoshio Tateno, Quoc-Hung Ngo, Dinh Dien, Asanee Kawtrakul, Koichi Takeuchi, Mika Shigematsu, Kiyosu Taniguchi

Publications and Research

Summary: BioCaster is an ontology-based text mining system for detecting and tracking the distribution of infectious disease outbreaks from linguistic signals on the Web. The system continuously analyzes documents reported from over 1700 RSS feeds, classifies them for topical relevance and plots them onto a Google map using geocoded information. The background knowledge for bridging the gap between Layman's terms and formal-coding systems is contained in the freely available BioCaster ontology which includes information in eight languages focused on the epidemiological role of pathogens as well as geographical locations with their latitudes/longitudes. The system consists of four main stages: topic …

Incorporating Recreational And Artisanal Fishing Fleets In Atlantic Billfish Management, Ayeisha A. Brinson

Open Access Dissertations

Atlantic billfish include sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus), blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), white marlin (Kajikia albida, formerly Tetrapturus albidus) and the spearfishes (Tetrapturus); these fishes are found in tropical and subtropical waters. The spearfishes include the longbill spearfish (T. pfluegeri), the Mediterranean spearfish (T. belone) and the roundscale spearfish (T. georgii). The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is the regional fishery management organization that conducts research to determine the condition of tuna and billfish resources and supports international cooperative management. ICCAT has determined that blue marlin and white marlin are overfished; the status of sailfish and spearfish are …

Effects Of Vibration On Spinal Circuitry Related To Spasticity And Walking, Lanitia L. Ness

Open Access Dissertations

In individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) who have disrupted communication between the brain and spinal cord, vibration may mimic functions formerly served by the lost or impaired supraspinal inputs resulting in more normal reflex modulation and improved walking function. Three experiments assessed the effects of vibration on spinal locomotor-generating circuitry, spinal reflex activity, and walking function. In Experiment 1, localized leg vibration was used to elicit air-stepping responses in the lower extremities. We compared responses of individuals with SCI to those of non-disabled (ND) individuals and assessed the influence of severity injury and locomotor training on the air-stepping response …

Deafdigest: Blue Edition, December 14, 2008, Barry Strassler

DeafDigest Blue 2008

No abstract provided.

12/14/2008 Obituary Records, Hawaii Obituaries

Obituaries

List of Obituaries for individuals who passed away on 12/14/2008. Scroll down to see the names and obituary description.

Commencement Convocation Program, Sarasota - Manatee Campus, December 14, 2008, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

Outstanding Professor Award - Michael Sheldon, James Curran, and Thomas Pencek; USF Sarasota-Manatee Distinguished Citizen Award

Commencement Convocation Program, St. Petersburg Campus, December 14, 2008, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg

USF St. Petersburg Graduations and Commencements

King O'Neal Award: Clarisse Barbier, Jennifer Dion Fox; Outstanding Graduate: Jessica Morgan; Regional Chancellor's Award for Civic Leadership: Andrew H. Hines, Jr.

Acting Assistant Secretary Baukol's Speech At The 2009 Globes Israel Business Conference Monday, December 14, 2009, Andrew Baukol

Documents

No abstract provided.

Fall 2008 Commencement - The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin, The University Of Texas Permian Basin

UTPB Commencement Programs

Fall 2008 Commencement - December 13, 2008

Fall Commencement Program, December 13, 2008, Coastal Carolina University

Commencement Programs

Program of Commencement Exercises at Coastal Carolina University.

South Dakota State University Graduation Exercises, December 13, 2008, Brookings, South Dakota, South Dakota State University

Commencement Programs

Please be advised that the names listed in the program do not constitute official confirmation of meeting the graduation requirements. The Graduation Exercises ceremony will commence with introductions by University President David L. Chicoine. Honorary marshals for the event will be Mildred Flynn, Professor of English, and Dick Shane, Professor Emeritus of Economics. Delivering the graduation address titled "Change: It's All the Small Stuff" will be Howard Smith, Interim Dean for the College of Education and Counseling. Dr. Carol J. Peterson, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, will acknowledge faculty and student honors. Recognizing Army and Air Force commissions …

Ua45/6 Commencement Program, Wku Registrar

WKU Administration Documents

Commencement program listing graduates.

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Graduate, December 13, 2008, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

No abstract provided.

Wave Forces On Bridges, Mary-Margaret Dickey

Theses and Dissertations

From this review, a FORTRAN code was developed that generates time and position dependent distributed loads based on linear wave theory for shallow water conditions. The routine was integrated into to the Abaqus finite element analysis framework, and used to evaluate the structural response of a representative bridge section impacted by tidal surge.

The Historiography Of The Allied Bombing Campaign Of Germany., Ryan Patrick Hopkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a historiographical study concerning the strategic bombing campaign of Germany during World War II. The study questions how effective the campaign was in comparing the prewar theories to wartime practices. Secondly, it questions the morality of the bombings and how and why bombing techniques changed throughout the course of the war. Lastly, the study looks at a recent topic in the historic community, which is the question of remembrance and Germans as victims of the war.

This study concludes that the strategic bombing campaign of Germany was a success but not in the sense that prewar planners …

Iso 9000 Certification: Some Lessons From A Large Firm In Tanzania, Charity N. Mwakio, Elinami Minja

Business Management Review

We present some findings on the implementations and achievements of ISO 9000 standard certification at the Tanzania Cigarette Company (TCC). Among other things we examine the motivation behind adoption of the standard and attempt to measure the implemented changes in terms of quality management. Though positive social impact, improved business results and increased customer satisfaction were recorded in the period following ISO 9000 implementation, these results were not viewed as resulting from ISO 9000 quality standard but rather from privatisation and what transpired during the process of seeking ISO 9000 certification. The findings suggest that ISO 9000 certification does not …

Uncertainty Analysis Of Net Heat Release Rate Predictions In A Single Cylinder Pilot Compression Ignited Natural Gas Engine, Brandon T. Marvel

Theses and Dissertations

A zero dimensional single zone model was developed to determine the crank resoled heat release rate at various injection timings (15°-60° BTDC) and the associated uncertainties from a pilot ignited natural gas engine. The uncertainty analysis examines the percentage contribution from various sources of error, including cylinder pressure measurements, intake manifold pressure measurements, and the impact of assumptions such as constant versus temperature dependent specific heat ratios. In particular, uncertainty percentage contributions and uncertainty magnification factors were used to quantify and compare the uncertainties in heat release rates using temperature dependent specific heat ratio correlations to constant specific heat ratio …

Model-Based Design Of A Protection Scheme For Shipboard Power Systems, Yujie Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

A shipboard power system (SPS) should be stable and reliable in order to ensure that the ship has better fight-through capability and increased fault invulnerability. The protection system is designed to minimize the effects of faults in the SPS, which presents challenges, such as increased fault vulnerability and lack of an electrical ground in the system. If protection devices are not updated after power system reconfiguration, they may not protect the power system appropriately. Therefore the development of elaborate digital protection devices for the SPS is required. This thesis focuses on the model-based methodology for designing a protection scheme for …

A Comparison Of Repeated Uniaxial Tension And Compression On Bone-Like Cells Over Fourteen Days, Nathaniel David Schultz

Theses and Dissertations

Litter is a possible source of Campylobacter colonization for broilers as well as contamination of crops when used as fertilizer. A survey of Arkansas broiler litter indicated that Campylobacter recovery rates were higher in pine shavings and rice hulls than sand. Two experiments utilized three types of litter, which were artificially contaminated with Campylobacter. After 24 hours no Campylobacter could be recovered from any sample. Campylobacter growth was also examined for used pine shaving litter in varying conditions: aerobic atmosphere, micro aerobic atmosphere (6% O2), and moisture content. Campylobacter was recovered for all treatments at the initial sampling, and by …

Commencement Convocation Exercises - December 2008, Prairie View A&M University

Commencement and Convocation Exercises

No abstract provided.

Semantic Construction With Provenance For Model Configurations In Scientific Workflows, Amritanshu Thakur

Theses and Dissertations

In the computationally intensive and diverse scientific environment of geosciences, substantial volumes of data are generated by specialized complex processing systems called ‘models’. These datasets contain little knowledge of their processing. Therefore a high degree of domain expertise is required to interpret, regenerate and tweak their production. Provenance is described as a general ability to record and evolve information related to the creation of data. We extend this idea further by proposing a mechanism by which a model’s setup and its domain semantics are integrated with the data it produces. This creates a scope for controlling model executions using their …

Developing Screening Tools For Abiotic Stresses Using Cowpea [Vigna Unguiculata (L.) Walp.] As A Model Crop, Shardendu Kumar Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Abiotic stresses cause extensive loss to agriculture production worldwide. Cowpea is an important legume crop grown widely in tropical and subtropical regions where high temperature, ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation and drought are the common stress factors limiting production. Various vegetative, physiological, biochemical and reproductive plant attributes were assessed under a range of UVB radiation levels in Experiment I and in a combination with two doses of each carbon dioxide concentration [CO2], temperature, and UVB radiation and their interactions in Experiment II by using six cowpea genotypes and sunlit plant growth chambers. The dynamics of photosynthesis and fluorescence processes were assessed in …

Revitalization And Initial Testing Of A Blowdown Supersonic Wind Tunnel, West Cardman Ratliff

Theses and Dissertations

The Supersonic tunnel located in Patterson Labs at Mississippi State University has been thoroughly documented for future reference purposes. Data acquisition, physical components, shutdown devices, a control program, and the hydraulic system are all discussed in detail. Analysis is performed showing that the flow within the Mach 2 nozzle only reaches Mach 1.8 for a portion of the flow, but that this portion of the flow is relatively stable for a wide range of settling chamber pressures. It is concluded that the tunnel with the nozzle blocks used functions correctly.

December Graduation Ceremony

Law School Commencement / Hooding Programs, 1942-present

No abstract provided.

Multi-Agent Systems For Reconfiguration Of Shipboard Integrated Power System Including Ac-Dc Zonal Distribution System, Qiuli Yu

Theses and Dissertations

Future all-electric warships with an integrated power system (IPS) are capable of unlocking large amounts of power dedicated to propulsion and redirecting this power for service loads, weapon loads, and other loads. The IPS for all-electric ships combines the power generation system, electric propulsion system, power distribution system, and power control and management system all together. The move to IPS design will significantly improve efficiency, effectiveness, and survivability. To meet the needs of the US Navy, enhancing survivability by reducing susceptibility to damage, a IPS prefers decentralized reconfiguration system is preferred for IPS instead of traditional reconfiguration techniques used for …

Multi-Classifiers And Decision Fusion For Robust Statistical Pattern Recognition With Applications To Hyperspectral Classification, Saurabh Prasad

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, a multi-classifier, decision fusion framework is proposed for robust classification of high dimensional data in small-sample-size conditions. Such datasets present two key challenges. (1) The high dimensional feature spaces compromise the classifiers’ generalization ability in that the classifier tends to overit decision boundaries to the training data. This phenomenon is commonly known as the Hughes phenomenon in the pattern classification community. (2) The small-sample-size of the training data results in ill-conditioned estimates of its statistics. Most classifiers rely on accurate estimation of these statistics for modeling training data and labeling test data, and hence ill-conditioned statistical estimates …

Optimizing The Size And Location Of Distributed Generators To Maximize The Grid Stability, Abhilash Reddy Masanna Gari

Theses and Dissertations

Distributed Generators (DGs) are being increasingly utilized in power system distribution networks to provide electric power at or near load centers. These are generally based on technologies like solar, wind and biomass and range from 10 kW to 50 MW. Research work carried out in this thesis relates to the optimal siting and sizing of DGs in order to maximize the system voltage stability and improve voltage profile. This has been formulated as an optimization problem and solved using LINGO software. Power flow equations have been embedded in the LINGO formulation, along with other operating constraints. The solution provides optimal …

Intelligent Alternator Control Strategy Development For Hybrid Automotive Applications, Stephen Gordon Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

Stringent government mandates for the fuel economy and emissions of light-duty consumer vehicles have forced manufacturers to focus on improvements in these areas. Increased consumer pressure has also shifted the automobile market towards higher efficiency vehicles. This study investigates the use of intelligent engine peripheral control to improve fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle emissions. The conventional automotive alternator control strategy contributes to higher overall vehicle losses and increased fuel consumption through indiscriminate loading of the engine. The improved method focuses on the selective reduction of engine loading and the recapture of vehicle energy during braking using intelligent control of the …

Sedimentation Solutions For The Port Of Pascagoula, Hunter Neal Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work, which is designed for the Port of Pascagoula, is to locate sedimentation problems, identify sediment characteristics, and devise a method to decrease the port’s dredging costs. In order to understand what sediment problems are typical of the Port of Pascagoula the characteristics that are associated with sediment transportation in the port’s harbors are examined. This examination consists of a field investigation followed by an extensive evaluation of the data. Once the characteristics that are unique to the harbors are identified, potential solutions are examined. These potential solutions are evaluated until a feasible and efficient plan …

Technical And Economic Impacts Of Distributed Generators And Energy Storage Devices On The Electric Grid, Aarthi Asok Kumar

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, Distributed Generators (DGs) and energy storage devices have gained more popularity due to growing energy and environmental concerns. Interconnection of DGs and storage devices in an electricity grid impacts its performance under steady state and transient conditions. This research aims at analyzing the impacts of distributed generators and energy storage devices on the transient stability of the grid. Battery and ultra-capacitor technologies have been taken as the two types of storage devices and their electrical characteristics have been modeled using Simulink. Impact of these devices has been analyzed by connecting them to the system by means of …