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Stevenson Center Compass, Vol. 4, Iss. 1, December 10, 2010, Illinois State University, Stevenson Center For Community And Economic Development

Stevenson Center Compass

Newsletter for the Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development

Moving Ground Target Tracking In Urban Terrain Using Air/Ground Vehicles, Timothy Mclain, Randal W. Beard, Mark Owen, Huili Yu

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we present a framework for tracking a moving target in urban environments using UAVs in cooperation with UGVs. The framework takes into account occlusions between the sensor and the target. The target state is modeled using the dynamic occupancy grid and the target motion model is built using a second-order Markov chain. Based on the target occupancy grid, we design the path planning algorithm to maneuver the UAV and the UGV to configurations where they can detect the target with high probability. Simulation results show the framework is successful in solving the target tracking problem in urban …

Asynchronous Database Drivers, Michael Adam Heath

Theses and Dissertations

Existing database drivers use blocking socket I/O to exchange data with relational database management systems (RDBMS). To concurrently send multiple requests to a RDBMS with blocking database drivers, a separate thread must be used for each request. This approach has been used successfully for many years. However, we propose that using non-blocking socket I/O is faster and scales better under load. In this paper we introduce the Asynchronous Database Connectivity in Java (ADBCJ) framework. ADBCJ provides a common API for asynchronous RDBMS interaction. Various implementations of the ADBCJ API are used to show how utilizing non-blocking socket I/O is faster …

The Impact Of The Accelerated Reader Software On The Reading Achievement Of Third Grade Students In A Rural Southeastern Mississippi School District, Suzanne Mckee Waddell

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine if a significant difference existed based on the reading achievement of 3rd grade students as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test Reading Scaled Score of those students who utilized the Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader Software Management Program and those who did not participate in the program. The impact of gender and ethnicity on reading achievement and the relationship between the STAR Test for Assessment of Reading and the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) as measures of reading achievement were also studied. The findings indicate students who participated in the Accelerated Reading Program achieved significantly higher …

Winter Food And Waterfowl Dynamics In Managed Moist-Soil Wetlands In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Heath Michael Hagy

Theses and Dissertations

Moist-soil wetlands that are seasonally flooded provide important habitats for waterfowl in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV). These wetlands often contain tall and dense vegetation that may constrain waterfowl use before natural openings form. During winters 2006–2009, I estimated abundances of waterbirds, seeds and tubers, and invertebrates in response to autumn, prelooding treatments of light disking, mowing, and no manipulation (control) of vegetation in 26 moist-soil wetlands in the MAV. Seeds and tubers were most abundant in control and mowed plots in late autumn. Decomposition was least and invertebrate abundance was greatest in control plots during winter. Dabbling ducks were …

Distributed State Estimation With Phasor Measurement Units (Pmu) For Power Systems, Qinghua Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Wide-area monitoring for the power system is a key tool for preventing the power system from system wide failure. State Estimation (SE) is an essential and practical monitoring tool that has been widely used to provide estimated values for each quantity within energy management systems (EMS) in the control center. However, monitoring larger power systems coordinated by regional transmission operators has placed an enormous operational burden on current SE techniques. A distributed state estimation (DSE) algorithm with a hierarchical structure designed for the power system industry is much more computationally efficient and robust especially for monitoring a wide-area power system. …

Kindergarten Through Third Grade Reading Tutors In Northeast Mississippi, Angela Williams

Theses and Dissertations

All public schools in the United States have been caught up in educational reform. This has especially been true since the 1980’s. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was a major component in how schools have changed the process of educating students. In response to reform efforts, many schools have relied on their own knowledge to achieve higher test scores. In the last several years, accountability standards have been increasing. Schools are being assessed according to national standards. Because of this, many schools are using different methods of instruction for students at-risk of failing. One method of instruction …

Cultural Predilection On Design In Planning Ecological Sanitation In Northern Uganda, Charles K. Mccall

Theses and Dissertations

Poor sanitation and open defecation is a major concern in many parts of the world. Ecological sanitation is a possible alternative to the global issue by using dry toilet systems that allow for recycling the waste for other uses. The purpose of this thesis is to determine the cultural perception and design implications toward ecological sanitation in developing countries. By surveying the local population in the proposed environments and implementing a corresponding system, the sanitation system has a much higher chance of sustainability and success. In Northern Uganda, the population was surveyed through a questionnaire and a Visual Preference Survey …

Department Of Defense Radiation Hazards Testing Analysis, Jarrod Douglas Fortinberry

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Department of Defense tests its weapons systems to many different real as well as man-made environments prior to deploying the systems to the troops. The intent of testing is to insure the systems function as they are intended without adverse reactions. One of the required tests is a Radiation Hazards test to insure that non-ionizing radio frequency waves generated by transmitters, such as radios and jammers, do not cause harm to personnel, ordnance or fuel. This test is typically performed at a DoD test lab and data taken at the lab is used to determine safe operating …

Evaluating Interactions Of Task Relevance And Visual Attention In Driver Multitasking, Teena Marie Garrison

Theses and Dissertations

Use of cellular phones while driving, and safety implications thereof, has captured public and scientific interest. Previous research has shown that driver reactions and attention are impacted by cellular phone use. Generally, previous research studies have not focused on how visual attention and driver performance may interact. Strayer and colleagues found lower recognition for items present in the driving environment when drivers were using a cellular phone than when not using the phone; however, the tested items were not directly relevant to driving. Relevance to driving may have an impact on attention allocation. The current project used a mediumidelity driving …

Alabama Community College Presidents' Perceptions Regarding Distance Education, Janina Lakeshea Nobles

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine Alabama community college presidents’ perceptions regarding distance education. Further, this study was intended to determine the adequacy of the training opportunities and support for faculty that teach distance education courses and what services are available for distance education students. This study was designed to investigate distance education in the Alabama Community College System and to provide information in an effort to create a comprehensive plan to maximize access to online learning for students within the system. A survey was given to a total of 26 Alabama 2-year college presidents (22 comprehensive community …

Understanding Of Digital Copyright Issues Among Business Career And Technical Educators In Mississippi, Jean Alice Walke Mcdavid

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the understanding of digital copyright issues among business career and technical educators in Mississippi. The areas considered were knowledge; perceptions of knowledge; areas of copyright knowledge including computers and software, the Internet, video, and multimedia; and demographics of teaching level, gender, participation in professional development activities, and teaching experience. Participants included 75 Mississippi business career and technical educators at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. The knowledge level of participants was judged to be low; only four participants reached the established competency level of 70%. Their self-rated perception level was higher than their knowledge level, with the …

Utilization Of Extracted Hardwood Flakes For Manufacturing Oriented Strand Lumber, Thomas Eric Mcconnell

Theses and Dissertations

Lignocellulosic ethanol production currently uses expensive and harsh methods to extract wood sugars from small-diameter hardwood trees that otherwise would have little or no marketability. A byproduct that adds no value to the conversion process results, thus alternative methods are needed to make this fuel source cost-effective. This dissertation proposes only partially hydrolyzing southern hardwoods, extracting some polysaccharides for ethanol fermentation while leaving behind a modified wood material which could be used as furnish for manufacturing strand-based wood composites. Three treating solutions, 1% sulfuric acid, water, and 1% sodium hydroxide, along with untreated controls, were utilized in a partial hydrolysis …

Helping Prepare Community College Students To Make The Transition From College To Work, Lagena Arlette Bradley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate students’ perceptions about the need for more student training on making the transition from community college enrollment to employment. The hypothesis was that community college students would perceive that additional career counseling services would help them transition successfully into the world of work. Examination of students’ thoughts about career counseling services assisted in finding factors that facilitate and impede students’ desires for career counseling services including career courses. A researcher-developed pen and paper self-report survey instrument was administered to students enrolled in English courses at Meridian Community College during the 2009 fall …

Impact Of Wind Farms With Energy Storage On Transient Stability, Douglas A. Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

Today’s energy infrastructure will need to rapidly expand in terms of reliability and flexibility due to aging infrastructure, changing energy market conditions, projected load increases, and system reliability requirements. Over the few decades, several states in the U.S. are now requiring an increase in wind penetration. These requirements will have impacts on grid reliability given the inherent intermittency of wind generation and much research has been completed on the impact of wind on grid reliability. Energy storage has been proposed as a tool to provide greater levels of reliability; however, little research has occurred in the area of wind with …

Exploration Of Microbial Deposits Known As Giant Hams From The Lower Permian Laborcita Formation, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, Kevin Martin Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The Lower Permian Laborcita Formation, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico crops out along a narrow, 27 km strip, and is 240 m at its thickest. The objective of this study was to document ham-shaped microbial deposits through petrography and scanning electron microscopy. The study concluded that the hams began as microbial oncoids, and only the third growth zone exhibited in situ growth giving the deposit its shank-like shape. They are believed to have originated as oncoids on the presence of irregular, concentric, biogenic micritic laminae surrounding a nucleus. A microbial origin is based upon the presence of irregular laminations, fenestral fabrics, …

Fiber Loop Ringdown Evanescent Field Sensors, Chamini Saumya Herath

Theses and Dissertations

We combine the evanescent field (EF) sensing mechanism with the fiber loop ringdown (FLRD) sensing scheme to create FLRD-EF sensors. The EF sensor heads are fabricated by etching the cladding of a single-mode fiber (SMF), while monitoring the etching process by the FLRD technique in real-time, on-line with high control precision. The effect of the sensor head dimensions on the sensors' detection sensitivity and response time are investigated. The EF scattering (EFS) sensing mechanism is combined with the FLRD detection scheme to create a new type of fiber optic index sensor. The detection limit for an optical index change is …

A Descriptive Review Of The Development And Implementation Of A Funding Model For The Kentucky Community And Technical College System: The First 10 Years, 1998-2008, Timothy F. Zimmerman

Theses and Dissertations

Prior to the passage of the 1997 Kentucky Postsecondary Education Reform Act, postsecondary education in Kentucky was governed by the Council on Higher Education. The council was responsible for overseeing the educational activities of the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, Morehead State University, Northern Kentucky University, Eastern Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, Murray State University, and Kentucky State University. At that time, 2-year postsecondary education was segmented among 14 public community colleges under the control of the University of Kentucky’s Community College System and 15 state vocational–technical schools known as Kentucky Tech, under the administration of the Workforce …

Chimes: December 10, 2010, Calvin College

Chimes

'Wednesday' hits stage by Jasmine Wilson

Calvin gets new land for Christmas by Amanda Elliott

Foreign students face mistreatment by Rachel Hekman

Humans are a species unlike any other on the planet by Matthew Koh

Make, bake, share Christmas chear by Kendra Haan

Hope slashed and iced in Knight victory by Tim Clover

Swim and dive teams host annual Calvin Winter Invitational by Luke Leisman

Performance Characterization Of A Three-Axis Hall Effect Thruster, Spencer E. Temkin

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Network Security Toolkit Including Heuristic Solutions For Trust System Placement And Network Obfuscation, Gabriel H. Greve

Theses and Dissertations

For Part I, a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) network consists of a group stations and substations in a portion of the power grid. The use of Internet technology in SCADA communications as well as other factors has caused vulnerabilities. One idea to help mitigate this risk is to strategically place trust nodes to compartmentalize and secure the SCADA systems without disturbing its finely honed processes. The trust nodes combine firewall and intrusion detection technology to provide more secure communication. An optimal solution to this problem has already been developed using a mixed-integer linear programming model. Because the problem …

A Linear Combination Of Heuristics Approach To Spatial Sampling Hyperspectral Data For Target Tracking, Barry R. Secrest

Theses and Dissertations

Persistent surveillance of the battlespace results in better battlespace awareness which aids in obtaining air superiority, winning battles, and saving friendly lives. Although hyperspectral imagery (HSI) data has proven useful for discriminating targets, it presents many challenges as a useful tool in persistent surveillance. A new sensor under development has the potential of overcoming these challenges and transforming our persistent surveillance capability by providing HSI data for a limited number of pixels and grayscale video for the remainder. The challenge of exploiting this new sensor is determining where the HSI data in the sensor's field of view will be the …

Tunable Optical Delay In Doppler-Broadened Cesium Vapor, Monte D. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Variable-delay tunable optical delay line or optical buffers are critical for the development of all-optical networks components as well as interferometry and analytic instruments. Recent research on slow light may hold the key for the development of the first practical tunable optical delay device. In this research the linear dispersion delay effects in an alkali vapor. The hyperfine relaxation observations present insight into the complex bleach wave dynamics during a high-intensity pulsed pump in DPAL systems.

A Space Acquisition Leading Indicator Based On System Interoperation Maturity, Jason T. Shibata

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense‘s space acquisition enterprise has experienced numerous challenges since the advent of space power. Space borne capabilities are needed more than ever, but space acquisition frequently fails to meet its goals. The decades of space acquisition experience form a rich history that can be used to build a leading indicator of success to enable effective program execution. First, the space acquisition areas of greatest concern were determined to be cost, schedule and requirements. These areas are considered as systems composed of the people, processes and products that execute the program. Second, the vital interoperation characteristics, or attributes …

Conceptual Design And Analysis Of Service Oriented Architecture (Soa) For Command And Control Of Space Assets, Eric B. Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

The mission-unique model that has dominated the DoD satellite Command and Control community is costly and inefficient. It requires repeatedly “reinventing” established common C2 components for each program, unnecessarily inflating budgets and delivery schedules. The effective utilization of standards is scarce, and proprietary, non-open solutions are commonplace. IT professionals have trumpeted Service Oriented Architectures (SOAs) as the solution to large enterprise situations where multiple, functionally redundant but non-compatible information systems create large recurring development, test, maintenance, and tech refresh costs. This thesis describes the current state of Service Oriented Architectures as related to satellite operations and presents a functional analysis …

The Immorality Of The Soul. A Reply To Mr. Thaddeus B. Wakeman., Paul Carus

The Open Court

No abstract provided.

The Widow's Mite. Dr. L.K. Funk's Practical Joke., Thaddeus B. Wakeman

The Open Court

No abstract provided.

Staff Council Communications Committee Meeting, 12/9/2010, Unm Staff Council

UNM Staff Council

No abstract provided.

The Advocate, December 9, 2010, Minnesota State University Moorhead

The Advocate

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2010-12-09

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.