Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Synchronization Of Nonlinear Oscillators: Application To Epileptic Seizures, Daisuke Takeshita

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation focuses on several problems in neuroscience from the perspective of nonlinear dynamics and stochastic processes. The first part concerns a method to visualize the idea of the power spectrum of spike trains, which has an educational value to introductory students in biophysics. The next part consists of experimental and computational work on drug-induced epileptic seizures in the rat neocortex. In the experimental part, spatiotemporal patterns of electrical activities in the rat neocortex are measured using voltage-sensitive dye imaging. Epileptic regions show well-synchronized, in-phase activity during epileptic seizures. In the computational part, a network of a Hodgkin-Huxley type neocortical …

Deadlock Detection And Dihomotopic Reduction Via Progress Shell Decomposition, David Andrew Cape

Doctoral Dissertations

"Deadlock detection for concurrent programs has traditionally been accomplished by symbolic methods or by search of a state transition system. This work examines an approach that uses geometric semantics involving the topological notion of dihomotopy to partition the state space into components, followed by an exhaustive search of the reduced state space. Prior work partitioned the state-space inductively; however, this work shows that a technique motivated by recursion further reduces the size of the state transition system. The reduced state space results in asymptotic improvements in overall runtime for verification. Thus, with efficient partitioning, more efficient deadlock detection and eventually …

Theoretical Study Of Electron Impact-Ionization Of Molecules, Ola Al-Hagan

Doctoral Dissertations

"There has been impressive progress in the area of theoretical treatments of electron impact ionization (e,2e) of atoms and molecules in the last decade. Most recently, low to intermediate incident electron energies have been reported for molecular systems. In this dissertation, different theoretical models will be used to calculate the fully differential cross section (FDCS) for (e,2e) processes for low to intermediate incident electron energies for a variety of final state electron angles and energies for the diatomic molecules H₂ and N₂, the triatomic molecule H₂O, and the biomolecule HCOOH.

In addition, there has been a large amount of interest …

Effect Of Structure And Plasticizer On The Glass Transition Of Adsorbed Polymer, Boonta Hetayothin

Doctoral Dissertations

"The effect of molecular mass on adsorbed poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) on silica was determined using temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). A two-component model, based on loosely-bound polymer (glass transition temperature, T_g, similar to that of bulk) and tightly-bound polymer (T_g higher than that of bulk) was used to interpret the thermograms. Similar amounts of tightly-bound polymer were found for 450 and 85 kDa PMMA (0.78 mg/m²), while the 32 kDa sample had a smaller amount (0.48mg/m²). A comparison of adsorbed PMMA, poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc), and poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) on silica was made using the same technique. The …

Computational Methods For The Discovery And Analysis Of Genes And Other Functional Dna Sequences, Cyriac Kandoth

Doctoral Dissertations

"The need for automating genome analysis is a result of the tremendous amount of genomic data. As of today, a high-throughput DNA sequencing machine can run millions of sequencing reactions in parallel, and it is becoming faster and cheaper to sequence the entire genome of an organism. Public databases containing genomic data are growing exponentially, and hence the rise in demand for intuitive automated methods of DNA analysis and subsequent gene identification. However, the complexity of gene organization makes automation a challenging task, and smart algorithm design and parallelization are necessary to perform accurate analyses in reasonable amounts of time. …

Protein Secondary Structure Prediction Using Blast And Relaxed Threshold Rule Induction From Coverings, Leong Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

"Protein structure prediction has always been an important research area in bioinformatics and biochemistry. Despite the recent breakthrough of combining multiple sequence alignment information and artificial intelligence algorithms to predict protein secondary structure, the Q₃ accuracy of various computational prediction methods rarely has exceeded 75%; this status has changed little since 2003 when Rost stated that "the currently best methods reach a level around 77% three-state per-residue accuracy." The application of artificial neural network methods to this problem is revolutionary in the sense that those techniques employ the homologues of proteins for training and prediction. In this dissertation, a different …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Conducting Polymer Nanostructures And Their Application In Sensors, Zhe-Fei Li

Doctoral Dissertations

"A one-step synthesis technique has been used to fabricate sensors by growing polyaniline nanofibers and polyaniline/metal nanocomposites in the active area of an interdigitated electrode array. Polyaniline nanofiber sensors can be fabricated by irradiating an aqueous precursor solution containing aniline, HCl, a metal salt, and ammonium persulfate (APS) with a high pressure Hg lamp. The sensors are ready for operation after polymerization is complete, and no additional processing steps are necessary. These sensors showed faster and more intensity response to various organic vapors than conventional bulk polyaniline sensors due to their larger surface area. A chemisorption model and a diffusion …

Chemical Bath Deposition And Electrodeposition Of Epitaxial Semiconductor Materials For Application In Photovoltaic Devices, Guojun Mu

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation investigates the chemical bath deposition of zinc oxide and electrodeposition of cuprous iodide on polycrystalline and single crystal substrates. Paper I describes the chemical bath deposition and characterization of titled epitaxial zinc oxide nanospears on Si(001) single crystal substrate. In Paper II, the chemical bath deposition of zinc oxide nanospears from highly alkaline solutions is discussed in detail, including a thermodynamic calculation of saturation and speciation of Zn(II) in aqueous solution, and a kinetic study of the deposition process. In this paper the epitaxial zinc oxide is reported grown on Au(100), (110), and (111) single crystals. Paper III …

Sensor Data-Based Decision Making, Ahmet Soylemezoglu

Doctoral Dissertations

"Increasing globalization and growing industrial system complexity has amplified the interest in the use of information provided by sensors as a means of improving overall manufacturing system performance and maintainability. However, utilization of sensors can only be effective if the real-time data can be integrated into the necessary business processes, such as production planning, scheduling and execution systems. This integration requires the development of intelligent decision making models that can effectively process the sensor data into information and suggest appropriate actions. To be able to improve the performance of a system, the health of the system also needs to be …

On The Origin Of Species Through Heteropatric Differentiation: A Review And A Model Of Speciation In Migratory Animals, Kevin Winker

Ornithological Monographs

Differentiation and speciation without extended isolation appear to be common among migratory animals. Historical oversight of this is probably due to temporal distortion in distribution maps and a tendency to consider that lineages had different historical traits, such as being sedentary or much less mobile. Mobility among cyclic migrants makes population isolation difficult, and diminished levels of intraspecific differentiation occur in avian migrants (I term this "Montgomery's rule"). Nevertheless, many lineages have differentiated despite increased mobility and a high propensity for gene flow, conditions that speciation theory has not addressed adequately. Populations of seasonal migrants usually occur in allopatry and …

Analysis Of Nationwide Intercity Travel Demand On The Us Transportation Network, Tao Li

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, three issues about the intercity travel demand on the US transportation network are addressed. The final one is the estimation of the domestic passengers' delay cost. A scheme is designed by assuming that costs incurred by flight delays relative to the original flight schedules are imposed at passengers' final destination airports. It is applied to estimate the total domestic delay cost of year 2007 and reasonable results arc obtained. The second one is the air travel demand estimation. Two route-based optimization models are proposed to estimate the travel demand based on available data. It is shown that …

Finite Element Modeling Of Bird Strikes And Parametric Evaluation Using Design Of Experiments (Doe), Venkata Varaha Raja Naga Prathyush Bheem Reddy

Masters Theses

"One of the major threats to Aviation industry is the in-flight impact of birds. Aircraft windshields are intensively vulnerable to damage and hence need a certification requirement for a proven level of impact resistance. Bird strike experiments are very expensive and henceforth explicit numerical modeling techniques have grown importance. This compilation mainly relies on the theory of hydrodynamic impact and addresses basic shockwave equations. A smooth particle hydrodynamics based approach is chosen and the numerical simulation is carried out using contact-impact coupling algorithm. The simulation is run using the nonlinear explicit finite element code LSDYNA ver.971, developed by Lawrence Livermore …

Gpu Based Processing For Airborne Detection, Dheeraj Singiresu

Masters Theses

"Onboard real-time processing is highly desirable in airborne detection applications. As the data processing involved here is computationally expensive, typically high power multi-rack system is required to achieve real-time detection. Use of such hardware is often not feasible in an airborne application due to space, power and weight constraints. In this thesis, different computing architectures suitable for real-time onboard processing are compared in terms of computation speed, watts/GFLOPS, and weight/GFLOPS. A brief description of the modem GPU architecture and the current GPGPU technology is provided. GPU implementations of some computationally expensive image processing applications such as band-to-band registration for Multi …

A Hybrid Problem-Based And Just-In-Time Inductive Teaching Method For Failure Analysis Instruction, Ryan Michael Arlitt

Masters Theses

"When engineers retire, they take their expert knowledge with them. Preservation of this expert knowledge in a usable form is beneficial for the advancement of any engineering field. Risk in Early Design (RED) is one method for preserving expert risk analysis knowledge. The first purpose of this paper is to examine the usability of RED when incorporated with a hybrid problem-based and just-in-time inductive teaching method for failure analysis instruction. The second purpose of this paper is to propose and perform steps toward verification and validation of the RED methodology and implementation. Evaluation metrics were developed, and several of these …

Planned Construction As A Leading Indicator Of Commercial Real Estate Price Appreciation, Scott Frayn

Honors Capstones

I analyze the viability of planned construction as a leading indicator to commercial price appreciation through application of fundamental economic principles, and linear regression. My experience as a commercial real estate appraiser has brought me to suspect that the commercial real estate market is a thinly traded market where information asymmetries are common, and exploitation opportunities may exist. The potential leading indicators that I analyze are the Architectural Billing Index (ABI), building permits, housing starts, and the combination of all three. The regression analysis results in strong correlations between each leading indicator and commercial appreciation. The strong correlations lead me …

The Presidential Range: Its Geologic And Tectonic History, J. Dykstra Eusden

Faculty Books

The complete hiker’s guide and map to the bedrock geology of the Presidential Range, New Hampshire —

This guide and its accompanying geologic map describe the bedrock geology and plate tectonic history of the Presidential Range, the highest peaks in the northeastern United States. The color illustrations and writing style make this accessible to all enthusiasts of the mountains. The map (21.5 x 28) shows the bedrock geology and highlights locations where hikers may view key exposures of bedrock in the field.

Mathematical Reasoning In Service Courses: Why Students Need Mathematical Modeling Problems, Kris H. Green, Allen Emerson

The Mathematics Enthusiast

In this paper we argue that conventional mathematics word problems are not aligned with the typical learning goals and expectations partner disciplines, especially business, have in requiring that their students take mathematics courses. Using the taxonomy of educational objectives presented by Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) we show how mathematical modeling problems can be used to promote the needed alignment and contrast two examples to illustrate the differences. We then demonstrate how the more conventional word problem can be rewritten as a modeling problem. Sample assessment materials and instructional activities are included to support teachers in making the transition to the …

Annual Report Of The Registrar 2009/2010, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Contents:

--- Definitions
--- Annual Report Data
--- Summary of Attendance
--- Attendance by Session
--- Full-time Equivalency Enrollment
--- Degrees Granted
--- Degree Summary
--- Program Certificates
--- Pupils in Price Laboratory School
--- Miscellaneous Enrollment Information
--- Degrees Granted by College, Degree Objective, and Racial/Ethnic Classification

Direct Voting By Property Owners, Thomas W. Merrill

University of Chicago Law Review

Direct voting by property owners is a widespread but controversial tool for resolving disputes over local collective goods. Direct voting has powerful advantages, in that it can harness the superior knowledge of many local minds, resolve controversies in a way that is perceived to be legitimate, and eliminate corrupt dealmaking. But it also has serious pitfalls, if local voters are poorly informed, or if they ignore external effects on other communities, or if the process is distorted by majoritarian or minoritarian bias. To capitalize on the advantages of local voting, and minimize the risks, this Article proposes that direct voting …

Climate Cyclicity And The Economic Vitality Of The Northern Great Plains, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Northern Great Plains Water Consortium fact sheet on climate fluctuations and economic vitality within the northern Great Plains, including discussions on floods and the Waffle flood mitigation concept. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Graduate And Undergraduate Catalog, 2010-2011, Eastern Washington University, Washington State Library. Electronic State Publications

Course Catalogs

Eastern Washington University's course catalog for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Eastern, Winter 2010, Eastern Washington University. Division Of University Relations.

Alumni Publications

This issue contains articles about the HOPE School for the deaf and hard of hearing, Mann Gulch Fire survivor Bob Sallee, the career paths of a handful of EWU graduates, architect Len Zickler.

Discovere, 2010-2011, Vol. 1, No. 1, Eastern Washington University. Academic Affairs

EWU Research Magazines

This issue contains articles on superconducting properties of crystalline compounds, a collaboration between students in computer science and music, New Visualism in math education, global water policy, and the Creative Works Symposium.

The Learning Marketspace, January 2010, Bob Heterick, Carol Twigg

The Learning MarketSpace (4/03 - 4/14)

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Teacher Ideology On Student Performance As Related To Poverty And Ethnicity, Jessica Webb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to explore the impact of teacher ideology on student performance. A definition of teacher ideology was drawn from the pupil control ideology, PCI, created by Willower, Eidell and Hoy (1967). Research concerned with teacher ideology has suggested that there is a definite difference between the custodial ideology and the humanistic ideology (Gaffney, 1997). In particular, the custodial teacher views rules and regulations as a priority, while the humanistic teacher views the student as the priority. Factors which influenced student achievement, such as socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and behavior in relation to how teacher ideology affects student performance …

A Case Study Of The Relationship Between Professional Learning Community Implementation And Adequate Yearly Progress Of Central, Amanda Ellis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to examine the professional learning of school instructional and administrative staff as they focused on the elements of becoming a professional learning community. Existing research examined the components and behaviors collectively or independently. This research describes the relational data between the critical elements of focus, the leader, teams, and individual teacher as related to student achievement. It was determined through the literature review and results of this study that there were constructs of professional learning communities that were related to student achievement. In particular, a statistically significant relationship between proficiency in reading and teacher …

The Implementation Of Interactive Science Notebooks And The Effect It Has On Students Writing, Eva Braxton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not my practice of implementing Interactive Science Notebooks (ISN) impacts 4th grade students writing in science. Through this action research, students' writing was analyzed to determine whether the use of ISN affected students' use of details, support claims and justifications in their written responses. Also through the use of the Interactive Science Notebook, students' use of science vocabulary in their writing was also analyzed. Finally, students' reflective writing practices were examined in order to determine how students understood and explored physical science. A triangulation of data gathered consisted of the …

The Relationship Between The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-Fourth Edition And The Woodcock-Johnson Iii Tests Of Cognitive Abilities In A Clinically Referred Pediatric Population, Lindsay Anne Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

This research involves an investigation of the construct validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-; Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) when compared to the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ III COG) to provide evidence for the utility of using the WISC-IV in assessing cognitive abilities according to the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory. The study was conducted using archival data consisting of 92 children and adolescents between the ages of 6 years and 16 years, 11 months referred for a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation at a university-affiliated assessment center. Data for all participants were collected following administration of a battery of measures …

A Survey Of Transition Strategies To Improve The Performance Of Chord In The Face Of Rapidly Changing Ip Addresses, Timothy Ecklund

Theses

Mobile wi-fi enabled devices are becoming less expensive and more common all the time. The field is ripe for DHTs like Chord. Given the highly scalable nature of DHTs, the ability to efficiently tap the storage resources of so many devices is very attractive. Unfortunately DHTs have been having a difficult time finding a foothold on mobile devices due to poor performance, both in terms of network overhead and lookup failure. Much of the research that has been done attributes this poor performance to the extra hops packets must make due to the mismatch between the physical topology and the …

From Medical Images To Individualized Cardiac Mechanics: A Physiome Approach, Chun Wong

Theses

Cardiac mechanics is a branch of science that deals with forces, kinematics, and material properties of the heart, which is valuable for clinical applications and physiological studies. Although anatomical and biomechanical experiments are necessary to provide the fundamental knowledge of cardiac mechanics, the invasive nature of the procedures limits their further applicability. In consequence, noninvasive alternatives are required, and cardiac images provide an excellent source of subject-specific and in vivo information. Noninvasive and individualized cardiac mechanical studies can be achieved through coupling general physiological models derived from invasive experiments with subject-specific information extracted from medical images. Nevertheless, as data extracted …