Digital Commons Network^™

Embryonic And Postnatal Development Of The Neural Circuitry Involved In Motor Control, Valerie Cari Ann Siembab

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The development of locomotion is believed to result from the maturation of the spinal circuits controlling motor output, however little is known about its mechanisms. To shed some light into this process we studied the development of the synaptic connectivity of two spinal inhibitory interneurons. Adult motoneurons are controlled by inhibitory networks that include recurrent and reciprocal inhibition (Pierrot-Deseilligny & Burke, 2005). Each is modulated by different ventral horn spinal interneurons that display synaptic connectivity adapted to their function: Renshaw cells (RCs) mediate recurrent inhibition, receive excitatory inputs from motor axons and inhibit homonymous and synergistic motoneurons; while Ia inhibitory …

Integrated Faceted Browser And Direct Search To Enhance Information Retrieval In Text-Based Digital Libraries, Shea-Tinn Yeh

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Browsing and searching are two prominent paradigms in information retrieval. In current digital library implementations, exploratory browsing is sometimes not available as an option. When offered, it is commonly presented as an alphabetical listing of chosen categories depending on the scope of the digital collections. In addition, users have to switch between different information spaces for browsing and searching. This research proposes an information retrieval paradigm of integrated faceted browser and direct search interfaces for text-based digital libraries. Experimental results show that compared to a conventional alphabetical browser, the faceted browser can significantly improve the effectiveness (by 30.8%, p = …

Effects Of Big 5 Personality Traits On Outcomes For Error Encouragement And Error Avoidant Training, Keith Alan Leas

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The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the type of training used (error avoidant or error encouragement) as a moderator of the relationship between personality variables and training outcomes. Specifically, we hypothesized that we would observe stronger effects of personality (i.e., conscientiousness and openness) on performance (Hypothesis 1) and affectivity (Hypothesis 2) for individuals in the error encouragement condition than for individuals in the error avoidant condition. Further, we hypothesized that we would see stronger moderating effects for training type for the above personality variables than for extraversion or agreeableness (Hypothesis 3). We recruited 257 participants …

Effective Simulation And Optimization Of A Laser Peening Process, Gulshan Singh

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Laser peening (LP) is a surface enhancement technique that has been applied to improve fatigue and corrosion properties of metals. The ability to use a high energy laser pulse to generate shock waves, inducing a compressive residual stress field in metallic materials, has applications in multiple fields such as turbomachinery, airframe structures, and medical appliances. In the past, researchers have investigated the effects of LP parameters experimentally and performed a limited number of simulations on simple geometries. However, monitoring the dynamic, intricate relationships of peened materials experimentally is time consuming, expensive, and challenging.

With increasing applications of LP on complex …

Quantum Chemical Investigations Of Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution Reactions And Acid Dissociations Of Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids, David Henry Schory

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Quantum chemical analysis was used to examine nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions of fluorinated benzophenones, diphenyl sulfones, and triphenylphosphine oxides. Some experimental results for these compounds were contrary to conventional wisdom, which holds that calculated atomic charges for the aromatic sites and ¹³C-NMR and ¹⁹F-NMR chemical shifts should allow prediction of the preferred sites for aromatic substitution. Density functional theory (B3LYP/6-31+G*//RM1) and semi-empirical (RM1) quantum chemical calculations were employed to study the intermediates in the reaction pathways in order to identify the preferred paths for aromatic substitution. In most cases studied para substitution pathways had the lower energy intermediates …

Sub-Mm Wave Imaging And Waveguiding Techniques For Non-Destructive Materials Evaluation, Izaak Vincent Kemp

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Sub-mm wave technology (also known as Terahertz/THz) is a rapidly developing field of electro-optics which has great potential in a variety of applications. Generally defined as the band of the electro-magnetic spectrum with frequencies spanning from 300 GHz to 30 THz, sub-mm waves are non-ionizing and are capable of passing through a wide range of dielectric substances making them well suited for imaging purposes such as non-destructive materials evaluation (NDE). Because of their high sensitivity to metals and ability to penetrate surface obscurants such as paint, oil, and epoxy sub-mm waves are capable of imaging corrosion damage on metallic surfaces …

A Study Of Hardware Efficient Recombination Variants In A Mini Population Genetic Algorithm, Shiva Satya Ramesh Varma Bhupathiraju Venkata

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Evolvable Hardware is an emerging sub-field of evolutionary computation in which evolutionary algorithms are employed to create designs for hardware devices. Recent work has combined continuous time recurrent neural networks with the Mini Population (Minipop) Evolutionary Algorithm to create self-configuring device controllers. Standard Minipop eschews recombination operators due to the belief that they increase the size of an algorithm's on chip implementation without adding significant search power for finding neural network controllers. The focus of this thesis is to challenge that thinking by testing a number of hardware efficient recombination operators against two benchmark problems. We consider variants that recombine …

Semantic And Role-Based Access Control For Data Grid Systems, Vineela Muppavarapu

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A Grid is an integration infrastructure for sharing and coordinated use of diverseresources in dynamic, distributed virtual organizations (VOs). A Data Grid is an architecture for the access, exchange, and sharing of data in the Grid environment. Distributed data resources can be diverse in their formats, schema, quality, access mechanisms, ownership, access policies, and capabilities. In recent years, several organizations have started utilizing Grid technologies to deploy data-intensive and/or computation-intensive applications. As more and more organizations are sharing data resources and participating in Data Grids, the complexity and heterogeneity of the systems is increasing constantly, but their management techniques are …

Dynamic Kernel Function For High-Speed Real-Time Fast Fourier Transform Processors, Yu-Heng George Lee

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The fast Fourier transform (FFT) plays a critical role in many modern applications, such as acoustics, optics, telecommunications, wireless sensor networks, location sensing, patient monitoring, speech, signal detection, and image processing. The input dynamic range, data throughput rate, frequency resolution, bandwidth, design flexibility, hardware consumption, and power requirements for the various applications are vastly different, leading to significant research focusing on different aspects of FFT performance improvement.

The proposed dynamic kernel function uses an efficient fixed-point numerical representation of the twiddle factor and replaces the cumbersome multipliers with simple shift-and-add operations to enhance the data throughput rate for high-speed wideband …

Conducting Polymer Matrix Poly(2,2'-Bithiophene) Mercuric Metal Ion Incorporation, Rachel Michele Kingdom

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The synthesis of poly(2,2'bithiophene) was carried out utilizing the Epsilon 2000 cyclic voltammeter. In order to incorporate the mercuric ion into the polymer matrix, the polymer was grown on an Iridium Oxide conductive glass, immersed into a solution of 0.005M HgSO4 for 15 minutes. The mercuric ion became covalently bonded to the sulfur from the polymer. The comparison of the bare platinum electrode in a solution of 0.005M pyrocatechol to the modified poly(2,2'-bithiophene) polymer was ran at a scan rate of 100mVs-1. This gave a direct comparison of oxidation/reduction peak potentials. As seen, the modified poly(2,2'-bithiophene) polymer with the mercuric …

Automated Transforms Of Software Models: A Design Pattern Approach, Brandon Adam Gump

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In the realm of software development, projects are plagued by continuous maintenance at the source code level as well as tedious transformations from formal specifications to source code. Such work consumes a large amount of time only to create complicated, un-intelligible, and un-reusable code that is completely detached from initial design rational. To cope with these problems, The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Wide Spectrum Object Modeling Environment (AWSOME) was designed to generate specifications that can be transformed into abstract designs and finally into source code. The specifications are written in the AFIT Wide-spectrum Language (AWL) and parsed in …

Development And Evaluation Of A Flexible Framework For The Design Of Autonomous Classifier Systems, Priya Ganapathy

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We have established a modular virtual framework to design accurate, robust, efficient and cost-conscious autonomous target/object detection systems. Developed primarily for image-based detection problems, such as automatic target detection or computer-aided diagnosis, our approach is equally suitable for non-image-based pattern recognition problems. The framework features six modules: 1) the detection algorithm module accepts two-dimensional, spatially-coded sensor outputs; 2) the evaluation module uses our receiver operator characteristic (ROC)-like assessment tool to evaluate and fine-tune algorithm outputs; 3) the fusion module compares outputs combined under various fusion schemes; 4) the classifier selection module exploits the double-fault diversity measure (F2 DM) to identify …

Identifying Structurally Significant Items Using Matrix Reanalysis Techniques, Bhushan M. Kable

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Knowledge of critical structural items for an aircraft structural system is crucial for any risk integrated design and maintenance procedure. These critical items are those whose failure can cause catastrophic damage to the entire structure or result in loss of availability. For example, failure of the fuselage longeron of an F-15 aircraft resulted in the separation of the aircraft cockpit from the rest of the structure, resulting in a complete loss of the aircraft. This is clearly a critical structural item that was identified during the design process but did not have appropriate design, manufacturing, or maintenance controls that could …

Characterization Of Excitatory Amino Acid Neurotransmitters At Motoneuron Synapses Contacting Renshaw Cells, Dannette Shanon Richards

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Motoneurons are among the best studied neurons in the central nervous system. The motoneuron synapses have been well characterized in the periphery where they release acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction. However excitatory amino acids also seem to be released from motoneuron terminals in the periphery, and centrally at their synapses contacting Renshaw cells. Although excitatory amino acids are suggested to be released from motoneuron synapses it is not known which excitatory amino acids (either aspartate or glutamate) are released, nor is the mechanism for their release known. To examine the presence and mechanism of release for aspartate and glutamate at …

High-Order Well-Balanced Schemes And Applications To Non-Equilibrium Flow, Wei Wang, Chi-Wang Shu, Helen C. Yee, Bjorn Sjögreen

United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Publications

The appearance of the source terms in modeling non-equilibrium flow problems containing finite-rate chemistry or combustion poses additional numerical difficulties beyond that for solving non-reacting flows. A well-balanced scheme, which can preserve certain non-trivial steady state solutions exactly, may help minimize some of these difficulties. In this paper, a simple one-dimensional non-equilibrium model with one temperature is considered. We first describe a general strategy to design high-order well-balanced finite-difference schemes and then study the well-balanced properties of the high-order finite-difference weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme, modified balanced WENO schemes and various total variation diminishing (TVD) schemes. The advantages of using …

Performing Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagements That Address The Completeness, Accuracy, Or Consistency Of Xbrl-Tagged Data; Statement Of Position 09-1, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Xbrl Assurance Task Force

Exposure Drafts, Comment Letters, and Statements of Position

No abstract provided.

Proposed Statement On Auditing Standards: Consideration Of Laws And Regulations In An Audit Of Financial Statements; Exposure Draft (American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants) 2009, January 30, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Auditing Standards Board

Exposure Drafts, Comment Letters, and Statements of Position

No abstract provided.

White Paper: Navigating Through The Revised Aicpa Standards For Performing And Reporting On Peer Reviews And Related Interpretations, Effective For Peer Reivew Commencing On Or After January 1, 2009, June 16, 2008, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

AICPA Professional Standards

No abstract provided.

Performing Discretion Or Performing Discrimination: Race, Ritual, And Peremptory Challenges In Capital Jury Selection, Melynda J. Price

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

Research shows the mere presence of Blacks on capital juries-- on the rare occasions they are seated--can mean the difference between life and death. Peremptory challenges are the primary method to remove these pivotal participants. Batson v. Kentucky developed hearings as an immediate remedy for the unconstitutional removal of jurors through racially motivated peremptory challenges. These proceedings have become rituals that sanction continued bias in the jury selection process and ultimately affect the outcome of capital trials. This Article deconstructs the role of the Batson ritual in legitimating the removal of African American jurors. These perfunctory hearings fail to meaningfully …

Auditing Derivative Instruments, Hedging Activities, And Investments In Securities, With Conforming Changes As Of August 1, 2009; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Financial Instruments Task Force

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Auditing Revenue In Certain Industries, With Conforming Changes As Of April 1, 2009; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Auditing Revenue Steering Task Force

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Brokers And Dealers In Securities With Conforming Changes As Of August 1, 2009; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Stockbrokerage And Investment Banking Committee

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Depository And Lending Institutions: Banks And Savings Institutions, Credit Unions, Finance Companies And Mortgage Companies, With Conforming Changes As Of June 1, 2009; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Guides Combination Task Force

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Health Care Entities With Conforming Changes As Of May 1, 2009; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Health Care Committee

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Life And Health Insurance Entities, With Conforming Changes As Of May 1, 2009; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Life Insurance Audit Guide Task Force

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Property And Liability Insurance Entities With Conforming Changes As Of June 1, 2009; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Property And Liability Insurance Companies Task Force

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Prospective Financial Information With Conforming Changes As Of March 1, 2009; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Financial Forecasts And Projections Task Force

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Service Organizations, Applying Sas No. 70, As Amended With Conforming Changes As Of May 1, 2009; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Sas No. 70 Task Force

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Communicating Internal Control Related Matters In An Audit - Understanding Sas No. 115 - 2008; Audit Risk Alerts, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.

Employee Benefit Plans Industry Developments - 2009; Audit Risk Alerts, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants

Industry Guides (AAGs), Risk Alerts, and Checklists

No abstract provided.