Digital Commons Network^™

Source References, Duncan Murdoch

The R Journal

Since version 2.10.0, R includes expanded support for source references in R code and ‘.Rd’ files. This paper describes the origin and purposes of source references, and current and future support for them.

Mapping And Measuring Country Shapes, Nils B. Weidmann, Kristian Skrede Gleditsch

The R Journal

The article introduces the cshapes R package, which includes our CShapes dataset of contemporary and historical country boundaries, as well as computational tools for computing geographical measures from these maps. We provide an overview of the need for considering spatial dependence in comparative re search, how this requires appropriate historical maps, and detail how the cshapes associated R package cshapes can contribute to these ends. We illustrate the use of the package for drawing maps, computing spatial variables for countries, and generating weights matrices for spatial statistics.

Dclone: Data Cloning In R, Péter Sólymos

The R Journal

The dclone R package contains low level functions for implementing maximum likelihood estimating procedures for complex models using data cloning and Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods with support for JAGS, WinBUGS and OpenBUGS.

Solving Differential Equations In R, Karline Soetaert, Thomas Petzoldt, R. Woodrow Setzer

The R Journal

Although R is still predominantly applied for statistical analysis and graphical representation, it is rapidly becoming more suitable for mathematical computing. One of the fields where considerable progress has been made recently is the solution of differential equations. Here we give a brief overview of differential equations that can now be solved by R.

Spikeslab: Prediction And Variable Selection Using Spike And Slab Regression, Hemant Ishwaran, Udaya B. Kogalur, J. Sunil Rao

The R Journal

Weighted generalized ridge regression offers unique advantages in correlated high dimensional problems. Such estimators can be efficiently computed using Bayesian spike and slab models and are effective for prediction. For sparse variable selection, a generalization of the elastic net can be used in tandem with these Bayesian estimates. In this article, we de scribe the R-software package spikeslab for implementing this new spike and slab prediction and variable selection methodology.

Hglm: A Package For Fitting Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models, Lars Rönnegård, Xia Shen, Moudud Alam

The R Journal

We present the hglm package for fit ting hierarchical generalized linear models. It can be used for linear mixed models and generalized linear mixed models with random effects for a variety of links and a variety of distributions for both the outcomes and the random effects. Fixed effects can also be fitted in the dispersion part of the model.

Bayesian Estimation Of The Garch(1,1) Model With Student-T Innovations, David Ardia, Lennart F. Hoogerheide

The R Journal

This note presents the R package bayesGARCH which provides functions for the Bayesian estimation of the parsimonious and effective GARCH(1,1) model with Student-t innovations. The estimation procedure is fully automatic and thus avoids the tedious task of tuning an MCMC sampling algorithm. The usage of the package is shown in an empirical application to exchange rate log-returns

Online Reproducible Research: An Application To Multivariate Analysis Of Bacterial Dna Fingerprint Data, Jean Thioulouse, Claire Valiente-Moro, Lionel Zenner

The R Journal

This paper presents an example of online reproducible multivariate data analysis. This example is based on a web page providing an online computing facility on a server. HTML forms contain editable R code snippets that can be executed in any web browser thanks to the Rweb software. The example is based on the multivariate analysis of DNA fingerprints of the internal bacterial flora of the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae. Several multivariate data analysis methods from the ade4 package are used to compare the fingerprints of mite pools coming from various poultry farms. All the computations and graphical displays …

Cudabayesreg: Bayesian Computation In Cuda, Adelino Ferreira Da Silva

The R Journal

Graphical processing units are rapidly gaining maturity as powerful general parallel computing devices. The package cudaBayesreg uses GPU–oriented procedures to improve the performance of Bayesian computations. The paper motivates the need for devising high performance computing strategies in the con text of fMRI data analysis. Some features of the package for Bayesian analysis of brain fMRI data are illustrated. Comparative computing performance figures between sequential and parallel implementations are presented as well.

Review Of Grouse Of The Plains And Mountains - The South Dakota Story, By Lester D. Flake, John W. Connelly, Thomas R. Kirschenmann, And Andrew J. Lindbloom., Brent E. Jamison

The Prairie Naturalist

Grouse are a fascinating group of birds that offer elaborate breeding displays for birders in the spring, provide sporting opportunities for hunters in the fall, and serve as indicators of grassland health. Though the authors claim that the book targets those who enjoy the outdoors, bird watching, and upland game bird hunting, there is ample reason for ecologists, ornithologists, and grouse researchers to reference this book as well. The book contains general information of interest to a broad audience, but often moves beyond the introductory information to greater detail. Many details are supported by peer-reviewed literature. This book strikes a …

Sums Of Evenly Spaced Binomial Coefficients, Arthur T. Benjamin, Bob Chen '10, Kimberly Kindred

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

We provide a combinatorial proof of a formula for the sum of evenly spaced binomial coefficients. This identity, along with a generalization, are proved by counting weighted walks on a graph.

Effects Of Single-Sex Classrooms Versus Coeducational Classrooms On Math And Literacy Achievement, Constance Matchell

College of Education Dissertations

This research project was designed to add to the limited available research concerning the effectiveness of single-sex education within a public elementary school setting. Following the first year of implementation of a single-sex classroom pilot program, the effects by gender of classroom grouping (single-sex education versus coeducation) on reading and math achievement were investigated for three consecutive grade levels from second grade through fourth grade.

This research project was designed to add to the limited available research concerning the effectiveness of single-sex education within a public elementary school setting. Following the first year of implementation of a single-sex classroom pilot …

An Algebraic Representation Of The Task Mapping For Parallel Computing, Yuxiang Gao

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Task mapping has been explored intensively by computer and computational scientists for the purposes of maximizing utilization of computing resources by reducing communication and load imbalance. Task mapping is known to be NP-complete as a combinatorial optimization problem and, thus, many efforts intending to search for optimal solutions are not succeeding. All proposed mapping models to date represent parallel computers and applications as graphs with the networking capability abstracted as a supply matrix whose entries represent the inter-node communication costs and the communication requirements of the sub-tasks abstracted as a demand matrix whose entries represent the inter-subtask communication loads. The …

Design And Optimization On Mobile Data Gathering In Wireless Sensor Networks, Miao Zhao

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have emerged as a new information-gathering paradigm for taking spatial and temporal measurements of a given set of real-word parameters. In these applications, sensors monitor the environment and route their sensing data back to a static data sink. As the routing task depends purely on sensors themselves, the sensors near the sink need to relay much more packets than the sensors far away from the sink. As the result, it would incur substantial and non-uniform energy consumption among sensors. Therefore, how to efficiently aggregate the information from scattered sensors, generally referred to as data gathering, is …

Statistical Modeling For Multiplex Rnai Screen Data Analysis, Jianping Zhang

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Multiplex RNAi screen is an emerging tool for functional genomics. Most analysis methods presently available for Multiplex RNAi screen are based on single hairpin data. These approaches have serious limitations. They do not account for the redundancies in genome-scale libraries. Thus it is difficult to detect genes with modest but consistent effect. In addition, contradictory conclusions might be reached based on enriched and depleted hairpins for the same gene. Therefore, we propose the RNAi Set Enrichment Analysis (RSEA) framework based on the gene set enrichment analysis framework that will take multiple hairpins into consideration in accessing the gene effect on …

Classification Problems For Mdps And Optimal Customer Admission To M/M/K/N Queues, Fenghsu Yang

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

My dissertation addresses the unichain classification problem for any finite Markov decision process (MDP) with a recurrent or stopping state and the optimal admission problem for an M/M/k/N controlled queue with holding costs. In the first chapter, we study the unichain classification problem for MDPs. The unichain classification problem is to detect whether an MDP with finite states and actions is unichain or not. This problem has been proven to be NP-hard. We study this problem while an MDP contains a state which is either recurrent under all deterministic policies or absorbing under some action. We introduce the definitions of …

Visual Game Tuning: Integrating Interactive Visualizations Into Game Development, Markus Elliot Lacay

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Game development is a rapidly evolving area of study that blends together a broad spectrum of technical and creative influences. Through their systematic use of rules, mechanics and multimedia assets, games can be thought of as an increasingly complex set of multivariate state data. Often, the interactions between these variable sets and their affect on game behavior are not readily apparent to the system architects at the time of development. These details can easily be overlooked until much later in the development cycle, when the refactoring of their implementations can result in significant overhead. To combat this problem project managers …

Exploring Fertility Expectations, Miranda Annette Moore

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The past few decades have seen an incredible increase in the use of panel data to answer micro level questions in a variety of settings. This new longitudinal data has allowed economists to empirically explore many theoretical economic models. One area that has not been as extensively explored is the economics of fertility expectations. This paper uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) to explore the fertility expectations of a cohort of women who were 14 to 21 years old in 1979.We begin by investigating the impact of changes in the woman's socioeconomic status on the …

Daily Eastern News: December 01, 2010, Eastern Illinois University

December

No abstract provided.

Two-Phase Partitioning System Using Elvax 40w Polymer For The Biodegradation Of Aqueous Phenols, Amit Suresh Ghode

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A solid-liquid two phase partitioning system (TPPS) is a new technology platform for destroying toxic organic compounds. TPPS have traditionally been operated by using an immiscible organic phase which partitions organic compounds into the aqueous phase. TPPS using an immiscible organic phase suffers from several limitations such as the organic phase could be biodegradable and hence only certain compatible microbial strains could be used. This therefore, eliminates the desired use of mixed microbial populations for efficient degradation. A solid-liquid two phase partitioning system, in which solid polymeric beads replace liquid organic phase, appears to have benefits over the traditional liquid-liquid …

Modern Public Library Building, Rineta Jashari

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

How Are The Torres Strait Islander's Traditional Hunting Practices Affected By The Current Rate Of Decline In Dugong And Sea Turtle Populations And The Australian Government's Co-Management Policies On Marine Preservation?, Katilyn Price

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This paper will attempt to identify the extent to which the Torres Strait Islanders traditional hunting practices have been disrupted by the overall decline in dugong and sea turtle populations, which has directly correlated to an increase in hunting restrictions put in place by the Australian Government. The traditional hunting of dugongs and sea turtles provides not only a food source, but brings prestige to the men who catch them and serves as an educational platform to teach the younger generations about their culture. There are many environmental threats that impact the populations of sea turtles and dugongs though the …

Is Orthoptera Abundance And Distribution Across A Small Grassland Area Affected By Plant Biomass, Plant Species Richness, And Plant Quality?, Caitlin Falcone

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The choice of a specific microhabitat represents a compromise among a number of different factors organisms use to monitor habitat suitability. Grassland vegetation structure can vary widely along environmental gradients over a relatively small area. This vegetation structure can have a large influence on habitat selection by grasshoppers (Orthoptera). However, it is not clear which vegetation characteristics are most important in determining grasshopper abundance. We found that plant biomass, plant species richness, and plant quality all have an effect on grasshopper abundance and distribution. We observe that these affects vary both within and among the two years of data collection. …

The Influence Of Sediment Bays On Reducing Incoming Sediment In Holmes Lake, Lincoln, Nebraska, Alex Fischer

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Lakes in the urban environment are often challenged with issues of water quality. Holmes Lake, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, has experienced such problems. In an effort to improve water quality in Holmes Lake, the city installed several control devices. One of the devices installed were sediment bays. This study evaluated the effectiveness of those sediment bays by measuring turbidity and suspended sediment after rain events at different locations in and out of the bays. The study found that the bays helped to reduce sediment in some cases, but in other cases no reduction was shown.

The Effect Of Enso On Nebraska Winter Snowfall, Jonathan Burnham

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

No abstract provided.

Educators' Attitudes Toward Outdoor Classrooms And The Cognitive Benefits In Children, Carlie Speedlin

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A case study was organized at a K-5 elementary school in Lincoln, Nebraksa. This school is Saratoga Elementary School and is a United States Title I Distinguished School1 under No Child Left Behind. It has a population of 266 students, with 47% being minority, 1% gifted, and 28% special education (LPS School Profile Brochure). 80% of the student population is eligible for free/reduced meals, implying that it’s a school with a lower socioeconomic status. At this school a garden space was constructed and an after school garden club was implemented for this case study. The club had been running since …

Communication For Mate Selection In Anurans: Dominant Frequency Versus Snout-Vent-Length, Shari Jean Kunert

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

No abstract provided.

Recent Legislation To Promote Wind Energy In Nebraska, Ryan Lemke

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Nebraska is currently ranked 4th in the nation for wind energy potential, but ranks low in actual wind power production. The lack of wind energy production could be the result of Nebraska’s unique public power districts that have eminent domain of distribution and retail sales of electricity in the State. Public Power districts are prohibited from receiving benefits of state and federal tax incentives for the development of wind farms, however some Nebraska power districts still pursue wind energy as a renewable source of energy.

Recent legislation changes, including the passing of laws LB629 and LB1048, have provided the State …

Structural And Stratigraphic Age Constraints Of The Inskip Formation, East Range, Nevada: Implications For Mesozoic Tectonics Of Western North America, Joshua David Wilkins

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Structural, stratigraphic, and U-Pb geochronologic studies of the Inskip Formation of the north-central East Range place new constraints on the depositional age of the Inskip Formation and the timing of contractional deformation in the East Range, including Golconda thrusting. The Inskip Formation was initially considered Permian in age and to rest unconformably on the Valmy (or Leach) Formation (Ferguson et al., 1951). Later mapping by Whitbread (1978, 1994) divided the formation into the Upper and Lower Inskip Formation, both of which were inferred to be Mississippian in age. Laterreinterpretation of Whitebread’s (1994) work and new paleontological data revised the age …

Assigning Value To Intuitive Dimensions In Creativity, Susan Coburn

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Assigning Value to Intuitive Dimensions in Creativity

The abilities described by people as intuitive processes include anything from having an unexplained feeling surrounding an event, or having met with a psychic experience, the latter occurring mostly without a catalyst or deliberate engagement. This paper briefly explores the use of these intuitive qualities within the subject of creativity, a thinking skill enhanced by using all available resources. A brief questionnaire was administered to fifteen colleagues regarding information or feelings gained from intuition, dreams, unexplained voice contact or sensations, visual events, and other self-described developments that could be classified as intuitive phenomena. …