Digital Commons Network^™

Using Decision Analytic Modelling To Simulate Pregnancy, Jeffrey Cannon

Theses : Honours

Decision analytic modelling enables decision makers to assess the cost-effectiveness associated with a proposed change in a cunent system without physically implementing the changes. This can be achieved by formulating a mathematical model that represents all the major events occuning in the system through fmmulas and algorithms, and estimating the likely outcomes along with their costs. This type of modelling has been identified by the State Health Research Advisory Council (SHRAC) of the Western Australian Depmiment of Health as an asset for the plmming of health care investments in the future. One such area in which the Western Australian Department …

The Success And Sustainability Of Improvisation In A Live Performance Context, Ashleigh Rose Berry

Theses : Honours

I am interested in investigating the value improvisation holds when placed in a live dance performance context. I am discussing improvisation in terms of it being an individual exploration of one's movement potential to create a personal movement language. Within this, I place focus on the body as a source of knowledge and the embodied movement possibilities that inevitably make up each individual dancer's personal movement language. I am also interested in the audience's perceptions of what defines successful dance and the dancer and audience relationship that forms during the duration of a performance. Can the practice of improvising be …

Modelling Situation Awareness For Context‐Aware Decision Support, Yu-Hong Feng, Teck-Hou Teng, Ah-Hwee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Situation awareness modelling is popularly used in the command and control domain for situation assessment and decision support. However, situation models in real-world applications are typically complex and not easy to use. This paper presents a Context-aware Decision Support (CaDS) system, which consists of a situation model for shared situation awareness modelling and a group of entity agents, one for each individual user, for focused and customized decision support. By incorporating a rule-based inference engine, the entity agents provide functions including event classification, action recommendation, and proactive decision making. The implementation and the performance of the proposed system are demonstrated …

Web Social Mining, Hady W. Lauw, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

No abstract provided.

Computing Medoids In Large Spatial Datasets, Kyriakos Mouratidis, Dimitris Papadias, Spiros Papadimitriou

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this chapter, we consider a class of queries that arise in spatial decision making and resource allocation applications. Assume that a company wants to open a number of warehouses in a city. Let P be the set of residential blocks in the city. P represents customer locations to be potentially served by the company. At the same time, P also comprises the candidate warehouse locations because the warehouses themselves must be opened in some residential blocks.

Control-Theoretic, Mission-Driven, Optimization Techniques For Wireless Sensor Networks, Archan Misra, Sharanya Eswaran, Thomas La Porta

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Network Utility Maximization (NUM) techniques, which cast resource sharing problems as one of distributed utility maximization, have been investigated for a variety of optimization problems in wireless and wired networks. Our recent work has extended the NUM framework to consider the case of resource sharing by multiple competing missions in a military-centric wireless sensor network (WSN) environment. Our enhanced NUM-based protocols provide rapid and dynamic mission-based adaptation of tactical wireless networks to support the transport of sensor data streams with very small control overhead. In particular, we focus specifically on mechanisms that capture the joint nature of mission utilities and …

Localized Monitoring Of Knn Queries In Wireless Sensor Networks, Yuxia Yao, Xueyan Tang, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Wireless sensor networks have been widely used in civilian and military applications. Primarily designed for monitoring purposes, many sensor applications require continuous collection and processing of sensed data. Due to the limited power supply for sensor nodes, energy efficiency is a major performance concern in query processing. In this paper, we focus on continuous kNN query processing in object tracking sensor networks. We propose a localized scheme to monitor nearest neighbors to a query point. The key idea is to establish a monitoring area for each query so that only the updates relevant to the query are collected. The monitoring …

Tuning On-Air Signatures For Balancing Performance And Confidentiality, Baihua Zheng, Wang-Chien Lee, Peng Liu, Dik Lun Lee, Xuhua Ding

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we investigate the trade off between performance and confidentiality in signature-based air indexing schemes for wireless data broadcast. Two metrics, namely, false drop probability and false guess probability, are defined to quantify the filtering efficiency and confidentiality loss of a signature scheme. Our analysis reveals that false drop probability and false guess probability share a similar trend as the tuning parameters of a signature scheme change and it is impossible to achieve a low false drop probability and a high false guess probability simultaneously. In order to balance the performance and confidentiality, we perform an analysis to …

Quc-Tree: Integrating Query Context Information For Efficient Music Retrieval, Jialie Shen, Dacheng Tao, Xuelong Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we introduce a novel indexing scheme-query context tree (QUC-tree) to facilitate efficient query sensitive music search under different query contexts. Distinguished from the previous approaches, QUC-tree is a balanced multiway tree structure, where each level represents the data space at different dimensionality. Before the tree structure construction, principle component analysis (PCA) is applied for data analysis and transforming the raw composite features into a new feature space sorted by the importance of acoustic features. The PCA transformed data and reduced dimensions in the upper levels can alleviate suffering from dimensionality curse. To accurately mimic human perception, an …

Dynamic Web Service Selection For Reliable Web Service Composition, San-Yih Hwang, Ee Peng Lim, Chien-Hsiang Lee, Cheng-Hung Chen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper studies the dynamic web service selection problem in a failure-prone environment, which aims to determine a subset of Web services to be invoked at run-time so as to successfully orchestrate a composite web service. We observe that both the composite and constituent web services often constrain the sequences of invoking their operations and therefore propose to use finite state machine to model the permitted invocation sequences of Web service operations. We assign each state of execution an aggregated reliability to measure the probability that the given state will lead to successful execution in the context where each web …

Survivable Mesh-Network Design & Optimization To Support Multiple Qop Service Classes, Hoang N. Nguyen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Every second, vast amounts of data are transferred over communication systems around the world, and as a result, the demands on optical infrastructures are extending beyond the traditional, ring-based architecture. The range of content and services available from the Internet is increasing, and network operations are constantly under pressure to expand their optical networks in order to keep pace with the ever increasing demand for higher speed and more reliable links.

A Model Of Employment Literacy: Young People In Western Australia, Katherine F. Britton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This exploratory study aimed to examine the meanings of employment literacy among young people undertaking vocational education or training (VET), trainers, funding representatives and employers in Western Australia. A further objective was to develop a model of employment literacy that would inform training or educational organisations. Employment literacy incorporates the personal and social dimensions that young disadvantaged people require to secure and maintain employment. It also includes the understandings and capacity to access infonnation from a variety of sources and negotiate with a range of people in employment related settings. In-depth interviewing was the main method used so that different …

Identification And Characterization Of Novel Astroviruses, Stacy Finkbeiner

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Approximately 1.8 million children die from diarrhea annually, and millions more suffer multiple episodes of nonfatal diarrhea. Despite the availability of improved molecular diagnostics to detect the known viral agents, the etiology of a large proportion of diarrheal cases is unknown. In fact, it is estimated that no causative agent can be identified in up to 40% of sporadic cases or in gastroenteritis outbreaks. Detection of novel or unexpected viruses is the first step in identifying agents that could potentially close the diagnostic gap and pave the way for the development of more comprehensive preventative measures and better treatments. This …

Meta-Analysis For Functions Of Heterogeneous Multivariate Effect Sizes, Adam Hafdahl

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

A Framework For Temperature Imaging Using The Change In Backscattered Ultrasonic Signals, Yuzheng Guo

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Hyperthermia is a cancer treatment that elevates tissue temperature to 40 to 43oC. It would benefit from a non-invasive, safe, inexpensive and convenient thermometry to monitor heating patterns. Ultrasound is a modality that meets these requirements. In our initial work, using both prediction and experimental data, we showed that the change in the backscattered energy: CBE) is a potential parameter for TI. CBE, however, was computed in a straightforward yet ad hoc manner. In this work, we developed and exploited a mathematical representation for our approach to TI to optimize temperature accuracy. Non-thermal effects of noise and motion confound the …

The Mechanisms And Roles Of Feedback Loops For Visual Processing, Jing Shao

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Signal flow in the brain is not unidirectional; feedback represents a key element in neural signal processing. To address the question on how do neural feedback loops work in terms of synapses, microcircuitry, and systems dynamics, we developed a chick midbrain slice preparation to study and characterize one important feedback loop within the avian visual system: isthmotectal feedbackloop. The isthmotectal feedback loop consists of the optic tectum: OT) and three nucleus isthmi: Imc, Ipc and SLu. The tectal layer 10 neurons project to ipsilateral Imc, Ipc and SLu in a topographic way. In turn Ipc and SLu send back topographical: …

Numerical Drag Reduction Studies On Generic Truck, Miles Bellman

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Drag reduction studies on generic truck models using passive shape optimization and active flow control are studied using numerical methods. A genetic algorithm is used to find optimal truck front shapes for reduced drag. The best shape found gives a 3.4% drag reduction. Active flow control is used to reduce drag by using oscillatory synthetic jet actuators on a generic truck body, a D-shaped bluff body, and the Ahmed body. Experimental data is available for these three configurations without and with active flow control. Actuators at the back of the trucks energize separating boundary layers and delay the shedding of …

The Application Of Bok’S Undergraduate Educational Framework In The Analysis And Acquisition Of Core Competencies Among Camp Adventure Youth Services Seasonal Staff, Bin Ruan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate the growth trajectory of college and/or university students in core competencies from entry to exit in the Camp Adventure™ Youth Services (CAYS) experience using the lens offered by Bok's framework. Specifically, students' growth patterns in core competencies were charted at three phases, namely, (1) baseline of their core competencies at entry level; (2) after receiving knowledge and practical training on the theory and implementation of CAYS' course but before its field experience; and (3) immediately after the CAYS' field experience. The core competencies included in the study were, according to Bok's framework, …

A Quest For Meaning In Spontaneous Brain Activity - From Fmri To Electrophysiology To Complexity Science, Biyu He

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The brain is not a silent, complex input/output system waiting to be driven by external stimuli; instead, it is a closed, self-referential system operating on its own with sensory information modulating rather than determining its activity. Ongoing spontaneous brain activity costs the majority of the brain's energy budget, maintains the brain's functional architecture, and makes predictions about the environment and the future. I have completed three separate studies on the functional significance and the organization of spontaneous brain activity. The first study showed that strokes disrupt large-scale network coherence in the spontaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging: fMRI) signals, and that …

Characteristics Of Highly Effective Teachers: A Perspective From Students With Disabilities, David J. Smith

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Teacher quality is a widely discussed topic in education. States, districts, schools, parents, and other stakeholders want to know how to measure, improve, and reward teacher quality. A major factor in the rise in interest about teacher quality is clear evidence that individual teachers are able to positively affect student achievement, specifically in relationship to students' standardized test scores (No Child Left Behind Legislation). Even a cursory look at statewide student achievement data reveals that students with disabilities are achieving at lower levels in comparison to their peers without disabilities.

While several researchers have asked students to identify characteristics of …

An Assessment Of Faculty Usage Of Youtube As A Teaching Resource, Sloane C. Burke, Shonna Snyder, Robin C. Rager

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Creative classroom techniques incorporating technology promote a more productive and enriched learning environment. Preparing future health educators in today’s technology-driven society requires faculty to adopt new teaching strategies which motivate and engage the new tech-savvy Web 2.0 generation. YouTube® is a popular online video-sharing web site for both scholarly and non-scholarly communication. Currently, there are no published studies on the quantitative assessment of faculty utilization of YouTube in the health education classroom. The purpose of this pilot study was to 1) determine faculty’s current and potential utilization of YouTube in their classes; 2) identify faculty perceptions of the benefits of …

Affirmative Action Plan 2009, Illinois State University

Affirmative Action Plans

Illinois State University Affirmative Action Plan

Nature And Environment In Nineteenth-Century Austrian Literature, Bartell Berg

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This dissertation illuminates the void of what Christopher Manes refers to in "Nature and Silence" as the "realm of silences, a world of "not saids" called nature, obscured in global claims of eternal truths about human difference, rationality, and transcendence." With the help of ecocriticism, my research explores the development of ecological themes in the writings of four nineteenth-century Austrians from deforestation to industrialization to the growth of gardening culture. In addition, I investigate the nexus between the philosophical and scientific origins of ecology as a discipline and its representation in Austrian literature.

Discounting Of Delayed And Probabilistic Rewards By Women With And Without Binge Eating Disorder, Jamie Manwaring

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Obese individuals with binge eating disorder: BED) exhibit more general and eating-disordered psychopathology than obese individuals without BED. Binge eating also impedes weight-loss efforts, already difficult in an obese population. A better basic understanding of binge eating and obesity is needed to refine treatments for both conditions. Discounting, an experimental paradigm that examines changes in the value of delayed or uncertain outcomes, may provide an objective assessment of impulsive behavior. Impulsivity may perpetuate binge eating, but discounting tasks have never been evaluated with eating disordered individuals. A discounting procedure could help differentiate individuals with eating/weight problems from controls in terms …

The Spinster (2009), Hollins University

The Spinster

Yearbook of Hollins University (previously College)

Modeling And Identification Of Differentially Regulated Genes Using Transcriptomics And Proteomics Data, Thanura Elvitigala

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Photosynthetic organisms are complex dynamical systems, showing a remarkable ability to adapt to different environmental conditions for their survival. Mechanisms underlying the coordination between different cellular processes in these organisms are still poorly understood. In this dissertation we utilize various computational and modeling techniques to analyze transcriptomics and proteomics data sets from several photosynthetic organisms. We try to use changes in expression levels of genes to study responses of these organisms to various environmental conditions such as availability of nutrients, concentrations of chemicals in growth media, and temperature. Three specific problems studied here are transcriptomics modifications in photosynthetic organisms under …

Discovery Of Inactive E* Conformations In Thrombin And Other Vitamin K- Dependent Clotting Proteases, Alaji Bah

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Serine proteases of the chymotrypsin family play important roles in the regulation and function of numerous biological processes including digestion, blood coagulation, fibrinolysis, development, fertilization, apoptosis and immunity. For many of these proteases, activity unfolds when a zymogen is activated by limited proteolysis and the associated conformational changes result in the formation of a proper active site and oxyanion hole, both of which are required for efficient hydrolysis of peptide bonds. The transition from zymogen to active enzyme, E, thus provides critical temporal and spatial regulatory mechanism of protease function. Catalytic activity of serine proteases belonging to Vitamin K-dependent clotting …

Backscatter And Attenuation Characterization Of Ventricular Myocardium, Allyson Gibson

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

This Dissertation presents quantitative ultrasonic measurements of the myocardium in fetal hearts and adult human hearts with the goal of studying the physics of sound waves incident upon anisotropic and inhomogeneous materials. Ultrasound has been used as a clinical tool to assess heart structure and function for several decades. The clinical usefulness of this noninvasive approach has grown with our understanding of the physical mechanisms underlying the interaction of ultrasonic waves with the myocardium. In this Dissertation, integrated backscatter and attenuation analyses were performed on midgestational fetal hearts to assess potential differences in the left and right ventricular myocardium. The …

Electrocardiographic Consequences Of Electrical And Anatomical Remodeling In Diabetic And Obese Humans, Shuli Wang

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Background. Diabetes and obesity are two major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Both can cause changes due to cardiac sources in body-surface potentials: BSPs), that is, in electrocardiograms: ECGs). By identifying the major effects of diabetes and obesity on BSPs, we hope to reveal the electrical phenotype of diabetes in body-surface ECGs in the presence of obesity. Methods. A Bidomain Platform was constructed to link heart-surface transmembrane potentials: TMPs) and BSPs. The Forward-Problem Module of the platform calculates BSPs from a bidomain-model of myocyte TMPs and torso anatomy. The platform also contains a Cardio-myocyte TMP Estimation Module in which an …

An Energy Economic Model For Electricity Generation In The United States, Lee Chusak

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.