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2013

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Redirecting Us Diplomacy, James Goodby, Kenneth Weisbode Dec 2013

Redirecting Us Diplomacy, James Goodby, Kenneth Weisbode

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

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On The Biophysics And Kinetics Of Toehold-Mediated Dna Strand Displacement, Bernard Yurke Dec 2013

On The Biophysics And Kinetics Of Toehold-Mediated Dna Strand Displacement, Bernard Yurke

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dynamic DNA nanotechnology often uses toehold-mediated strand displacement for controlling reaction kinetics. Although the dependence of strand displacement kinetics on toehold length has been experimentally characterized and phenomenologically modeled, detailed biophysical understanding has remained elusive. Here, we study strand displacement at multiple levels of detail, using an intuitive model of a random walk on a 1D energy landscape, a secondary structure kinetics model with single base-pair steps and a coarse-grained molecular model that incorporates 3D geometric and steric effects. Further, we experimentally investigate the thermodynamics of three-way branch migration. Two factors explain the dependence of strand displacement kinetics on toehold …

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Astrophobia: A 3d Multiplayer Space Combat Game With Linear Entity Interpolation, Luke Larson Dec 2013

Astrophobia: A 3d Multiplayer Space Combat Game With Linear Entity Interpolation, Luke Larson

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Astrophobia is a Descent-like 3D networked multiplayer space combat game with linear entity interpolation (client-side animation between game-state packets to give the illusion of continuous game updates) similar to entity interpolation implemented in Valve Software’s Source engine. Additionally, Astrophobia procedurally generates unique levels, has zero-gravity physics, ship and projectile wall bouncing, hit detection, OpenGL 3D graphics, Phong lighting, ship model and texture, and a simple HUD that provides visualization of health points, aiming crosshair, and player scoreboard.

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Tascked: The Sanity Promoting Task Manager, Jake Tobin Dec 2013

Tascked: The Sanity Promoting Task Manager, Jake Tobin

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Personal task managers or various forms of to-do lists are abundant in our modern computing age. With the explosion of mobile computing technology, it is easier than ever to take notes digitally and make the data seemingly instantly available anywhere on the Internet. There is a fairly well defined core set of features in personal task managers available for public consumption, but it seems nothing that is publicly available provides feedback to the user or suggestions based on user history. Tascked is a task management solution, which records user history and solicits user feedback on progress. This allows the system …

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Bull In The China Market: The Gap Between Investor Expectations And Auditor Liability For Chinese Financial Statement Frauds, Phillip Barber Dec 2013

Bull In The China Market: The Gap Between Investor Expectations And Auditor Liability For Chinese Financial Statement Frauds, Phillip Barber

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

No abstract provided.

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Short-Term Inflation Forecasting Models For Nigeria, Sani I. Doguwa, Sarah O. Alade Dec 2013

Short-Term Inflation Forecasting Models For Nigeria, Sani I. Doguwa, Sarah O. Alade

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

Short-term inflation forecasting is an essential component of the monetary policy projections at the Central Bank of Nigeria. This paper proposes four short-term headline inflation forecasting models using the SARIMA and SARIMAX processes and compares their performance using the pseudo-out-of-sample forecasting procedure over July 2011 to September 2013. According to the results the best forecasting performance is demonstrated by the model based on the all items CPI estimated using the SARIMAX model. This model is, therefore, recommended for use in short-term forecasting of headline inflation in Nigeria. The forecasting performance up to eight months ahead, of the models based on …

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An Analysis Of Employment Policies And Their Effect On Work-Life Balance For Caregiving Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Sara Panella Dec 2013

An Analysis Of Employment Policies And Their Effect On Work-Life Balance For Caregiving Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Sara Panella

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This capstone addresses the work-­‐life conflict facing employed caregiver parents with special needs children by 1) identifying what employed parents of children with disabilities need from their employer in order to achieve a work-­‐life balance that improves economic security and emotional well-­‐being, and 2) evaluating how well policies address those needs. An investigation of work-­‐family conflict and stress among parents of special needs children is conducted by examining the current literature and conducting interviews with caregivers to explore their work-­‐life balance needs. Policy recommendations are provided, based on an analysis of public and workplace policies currently in use and policy …

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Elements Of Traditional Folk Music And Serialism In The Piano Music Of Cornel Țăranu, Cristina Vlad Dec 2013

Elements Of Traditional Folk Music And Serialism In The Piano Music Of Cornel Țăranu, Cristina Vlad

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

The socio-political environment in the aftermath of World War II has greatly influenced Romanian music. During the Communist era, the government imposed regulations on musical composition dictating that music should be accessible to all members of society. Composers were therefore barred from writing works that were considered too complex or avant-garde for the standards of the nation. Many composers struggled with this official ideology because they wished to follow their own natural styles and desired to synchronize with Western compositional trends of the time, including aleatoric and twelve-tone serial music. Even before the government relaxed the restrictions on composition at …

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Speleo Spiel, No. 399, November-December 2013, Matt Cracknell Dec 2013

Speleo Spiel, No. 399, November-December 2013, Matt Cracknell

Speleo Spiel

Contents: Regular Bits -- Trip Reports -- Other Exciting Stuff

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Comparisons Of Intermediate Oxidation State Sulfur Compounds In The Episodically, Lan Thi Tong Dec 2013

Comparisons Of Intermediate Oxidation State Sulfur Compounds In The Episodically, Lan Thi Tong

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

The anoxic Cariaco Basin located on the Venezuela continental shelf and the seasonally anoxic Forge River located on the south shore of Long Island are two quite different aquatic systems. However, they are both characterized by the pulsed intrusion of oxygen into sulfidic waters, where sulfur intermediates including sulfite (SO32-), thiosulfate (S2O32-), and zero-valent sulfur (So) are usually found. In this study, I investigated the distribution of sulfur intermediates and the relative importance of chemical and biological hydrogen sulfide oxidation to the sulfur intermediates distribution in these two systems. The sulfide oxidation rate, determined using Forge River water with an …

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The Chinese Equity Risk Factor Model Based On Heavy Tailed Distributions, And Its Application In Risk Management And Portfolio Optimization, Tianyu Lu Dec 2013

The Chinese Equity Risk Factor Model Based On Heavy Tailed Distributions, And Its Application In Risk Management And Portfolio Optimization, Tianyu Lu

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

In financial risk and portfolio management, the heavy tailed distributions of one-dimensional asset returns and complex dependence structure among multi-dimensional asset returns are two widely discussed problems. Various distributions, which share the desired properties, such as heavy tails, skewness and kurtosis, have been introduced and applied into practice. On the other hand, factor modeling as a technique of dimension reduction, has been used in multivariate statistical analysis and econometric model building, especially in high-dimensional world of financial risk management In this dissertation, we study these two popular problems in risk and portfolio management. The findings are empirically examined through their …

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Prey Plasticity Responses To A Native And Nonnative Predator, Alexandra Hooks Dec 2013

Prey Plasticity Responses To A Native And Nonnative Predator, Alexandra Hooks

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

Phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental stimuli is exceedingly common across systems and taxa. For instance, predation risk in many gastropods can induce a variety of defenses including growing thicker shells, growing shells of different shapes, and developing apertural teeth. However, the role of coevolution between species that produce these defense responses and their consumers is not well known. This thesis examines the responses of an ovoviviparous gastropod (Littorina saxatilis) with low dispersal from three different habitats (marsh habitat, rocky habitat, and cobble stone habitat) to the presence of chemical cues from a native (Dyspanopeus sayi) and nonnative (Hemigrapsus sanguineus) …

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The Genetic Diversity Of Endangered Fishes In The Northwest Atlantic, Shannon Joy O'Leary Dec 2013

The Genetic Diversity Of Endangered Fishes In The Northwest Atlantic, Shannon Joy O'Leary

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

Genetic diversity is the fundamental building block of biodiversity, harboring the adaptive potential of populations. The magnitude of the two main factors eroding genetic diversity, inbreeding and genetic drift, increases as the effective population size (Ne) decreases. Ne describes the number of reproductively mature adults effectively contributing to the next generation. In populations with overlapping generations, the effective number of breeders (Nb). Loss of genetic diversity has long been a concern for terrestrial and freshwater organisms, but traditionally less so for fisheries management due to the paradigm that marine fish populations are large, panmictic and thus resistant to the erosion …

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An Automated, Track-Based Climatology Of Rossby Wave Packets, Matthew Souders Dec 2013

An Automated, Track-Based Climatology Of Rossby Wave Packets, Matthew Souders

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

This research produces an objective, track-based climatology of Rossby wave packets (RWPs) and tests the sensitivity of the results to changes in the methods used in filtering the raw data and in tracking. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis wind and geopotential height data at 300 hPa every 6 hours were spectrally filtered using a Hilbert transform technique under the assumption that RWPs propagate along a waveguide defined by the 14-day running average of the 300 hPa wind. After some spatial smoothing, the local maxima in RWP envelope amplitude (WPA) were tracked using two objective techniques: a point-based cost optimization routine and a hybrid …

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Physical And Chemical Modifications Of Surface Properties Lead To Alterations In Osteoblast Behavior, Kathryn Elizabeth Dorst Dec 2013

Physical And Chemical Modifications Of Surface Properties Lead To Alterations In Osteoblast Behavior, Kathryn Elizabeth Dorst

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

Proper formation of the bone extracellular matrix (ECM), or osteoid, depends on the surface properties of pre-existing tissue and the aqueous chemical environment. Both of these factors greatly influence osteoblast migration, cytoskeletal organization, and calcium nodule production, important aspects when considering the biocompatibility of bone implants. By perturbing the physical and/or chemical micro-environment, it may be possible to elucidate effects on cellular function. To examine these factors, murine pre-osteoblasts (MC3T3-E1 subclones 4 and 24) were seeded on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates containing " wide" micro-patterned ridges (20 μ m width, 30 μ m pitch, & 2 μ m height), " narrow" …

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Development Of New Generation Of Perovskite Based Noble Metal/Semiconductor Photocatalysts For Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Production, Peichuan Shen Dec 2013

Development Of New Generation Of Perovskite Based Noble Metal/Semiconductor Photocatalysts For Visible-Light-Driven Hydrogen Production, Peichuan Shen

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

In recent decades, semiconductor photocatalysis has attracted a growing attention as a possible alternative to existing methods of hydrogen production, hydrocarbon conversion and organic compound oxidation. Many types of photocatalysts have been developed and tested for photocatalytic applications. However, most of them do not have notable activity in visible light region, which limits their practical applications. Development of photocatalysts, which can be activated by visible light provides a promising way forward to utilize both UV and visible portions of solar spectrum. In this thesis, two main methods to advance visible light driven photocatalysis, such as bandgap modification through doping and …

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High Performance Two-Phase Thermosyphon For Energy-Efficient Refrigeration Applications: Modeling And Experiments, Chunlei Mei Dec 2013

High Performance Two-Phase Thermosyphon For Energy-Efficient Refrigeration Applications: Modeling And Experiments, Chunlei Mei

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

The Two-Phase Closed Thermosyphon (TPCT) is a device that transfers heat from its bottom to top and because phase change phenomenon happens both in its bottom and top, its performance is ten times better than pure metal. It has three heat transfer regimes, condenser, adiabatic section and evaporator. The mechanism of thermosyphon is the phase change cycle: liquid absorbs heat in evaporator and then vaporizes into vapor; finally the vapor condenses along the condenser wall and flow back to evaporator liquid pool. Firstly, detailed heat transfer mechanism will be discussed. Many empirical equations will be reviewed. Geometrically, TPCT contains three …

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Thermal Homeostasis In Buildings (Thib): Radiant Conditioning Of Hydronically Activated Buildings With Large Fenestration And Adequate Thermal Mass Using Natural Energy For Thermal Comfort, Peizheng Ma Dec 2013

Thermal Homeostasis In Buildings (Thib): Radiant Conditioning Of Hydronically Activated Buildings With Large Fenestration And Adequate Thermal Mass Using Natural Energy For Thermal Comfort, Peizheng Ma

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

" Living" buildings, like living bodies, seek to maintain stable internal environments while the external surroundings keep on changing. In biology, the " stable internal environment" is called homeostasis. This dissertation focuses on thermal homeostasis in buildings. In a homeostatic building, adequate thermal mass is applied to keep indoor temperature varying within a small range; natural energy is harnessed to maintain indoor temperature at a comfortable level using lower-power equipment (lowPE); hydronic radiant conditioning system is employed to distribute heat or coolness effectively to avoid over-heating or over-cooling; and large fenestration is designed for aesthetics, natural lighting and solar gain. …

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Structural And Biochemical Analysis Of The Hnrnpab Tandem Rrm Rna Binding Domain, Daniel Catt Dec 2013

Structural And Biochemical Analysis Of The Hnrnpab Tandem Rrm Rna Binding Domain, Daniel Catt

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

Post-transcriptional trafficking of mRNA within the cell provides for spatial regulation of protein expression. Cis-acting localization elements known as zip codes located often in 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of mRNA transcripts play a strong role in directing distribution within the cell through recognition by RNA-binding proteins. Hnrnpab is a protein with putative roles in this process with RNA-binding properties likely directed through tandem RNA Recognition Motifs (RRMs) that form a cooperative RNA Binding Domain (RBD). We purified this Hnrnpab RBD and carried out electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) using the zip code region from the ActB gene to demonstrate high …

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Identification Of Specific Residues Necessary For The Eviction Of H2a.Z-Containing Nucleosomes, Karole Nicole D'Orazio Dec 2013

Identification Of Specific Residues Necessary For The Eviction Of H2a.Z-Containing Nucleosomes, Karole Nicole D'Orazio

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

In this study, I investigated how the well-conserved histone variant H2A.Z is removed from promoters to prepare genes for transcription. H2A.Z is found at the majority of nucleosomes near promoters in place of the canonical histone H2A. Why H2A.Z is localized to gene promoters in all eukaryotes is unclear. One hypothesis is that H2A.Z marks nucleosomes for disassembly, thereby opening up promoters to give room for the transcription machinery to assemble. How H2A.Z-containing nucleosomes are removed from promoter sites is also unknown, but the Luk laboratory has recently found that ATP is necessary for this process. We propose that there …

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Structural Characterization Of Individual Domains Of An Energy Dependent Mitochondrial Protease, Faiza Sheikh Dec 2013

Structural Characterization Of Individual Domains Of An Energy Dependent Mitochondrial Protease, Faiza Sheikh

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

The ATP- dependent i-AAA protease pulls in and unwinds improperly folded and short-lived membrane proteins in order to maintain the integrity of the mitochondrial inner membrane. The i-AAA protease consists of an N-terminal domain, a single trans-membrane domain, a AAA ATPase domain and a metalloprotease domain. The role of the AAA domain is to unfold and translocate targeted proteins to protease domain where they are degraded. To further our understanding of the mechanism of this important enzyme, I sought to isolate and gain structural information on the individual domains of the i-AAA protease from the thermophilic eukaryote Myceliophthoya thermophile. I …

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Influence Of Membrane Heterogeneity On G-Protein Coupled Receptor Signaling, Rhodora Cristina Segui Calizo Dec 2013

Influence Of Membrane Heterogeneity On G-Protein Coupled Receptor Signaling, Rhodora Cristina Segui Calizo

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

A highly crowded and heterogenous environment is the emerging picture of the plasma membrane that would explain the efficiency and fidelity of many signal transduction processes. We determined the effect of plasma membrane heterogeneity on the function and diffusion of components from two class A G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) pathways, the bradykinin type 2 (B2R)/Gα q and the mu-opioid receptor (µOR)/Gα i pathways, as well as the epidermal growth factor receptor. In the first part of this dissertation, we describe the effect of nanoscale plasma membrane heterogeneity, as exemplified by caveolae domains, on the B2R and µOR pathways. We …

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Development Of Iodinated Graphene Nanoplatelets Through Redox Reaction For Their Use As Ct Contrast Agents, Aditi Parag Gadgil Dec 2013

Development Of Iodinated Graphene Nanoplatelets Through Redox Reaction For Their Use As Ct Contrast Agents, Aditi Parag Gadgil

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

Iodinated organic compounds currently dominate the market of contrast media for CAT imaging. When these compounds have to be used in large quantities for multiple CAT scans, it can result in adverse effects ranging from mild to severe. Secondly, iodine being the only element which gives the essential optical properties to the agent, large quantity of iodine is needed in preparing these compounds. Recently, graphene-based compounds are being researched for their exceptional optical properties, and their compatibility with the body tissues. If combined with iodine, they are believed to give a significant contrast with a less dose of the agent. …

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An Exploration Of Alkyne-Alkyne Cross-Coupling Reactions And Attempts Towards Controlled Polymerization Of Diiodooctatetrayne, Allison Black Dec 2013

An Exploration Of Alkyne-Alkyne Cross-Coupling Reactions And Attempts Towards Controlled Polymerization Of Diiodooctatetrayne, Allison Black

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

Polyynes are one-dimensional rigid carbon rods composed of alternating triple and single bonds. They have attracted much interest due to their electronic, optical, and physical properties. These carbon oligomers can serve as possible precursors to polydiacetylenes or graphitic ribbons, as subjecting ordered aggregates to heat and/ or irradiation can lead to topochemical polymerization. Furthermore, polyynes can act as models for understanding conjugation, and may be used to predict the properties of carbyne, the linear allotrope of carbon. In this work, model Stille and Cadiot-Chodkiewicz coupling reactions using iodoalkyne substrates were thoroughly investigated. Once optimal conditions were determined for each system, …

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Synchrotron X-Ray Scattering Characterization Of Soft Materials: Rubber And Plastics, Justin Che Dec 2013

Synchrotron X-Ray Scattering Characterization Of Soft Materials: Rubber And Plastics, Justin Che

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

Synchrotron X-ray scattering and diffraction techniques have been widely used to study the structure and property relationships of materials. It is important to first identify the driving physics and basic understanding of the structure change during mechanical usage before leading to material design for potential applications. In this thesis, the combined wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques have been used to analyze in-situ structure formation over a large range of length scale from 1 nm to 100 nm during mechanical deformation. In specific, the in-situ structural development and morphological changes in polymer plastics and rubber during …

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Macrocyclic Host-Guest Framework For Polymerization Of Diiodobutadiyne, Xianzhi Liu Dec 2013

Macrocyclic Host-Guest Framework For Polymerization Of Diiodobutadiyne, Xianzhi Liu

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

Conjugated organic polymers have optical and electronic properties that make them candidates for applications in organic field effect transistors (OFETs) and light emitting materials. Polydiacetylenes (PDAs) are an important branch of conjugated polymers with alternating poly(ene-yne) structure. The all-carbon polymer without any side groups is carbyne, which has only alternating single and triple carbon-carbon bonds. Carbyne provides a good opportunity to investigate the inherent properties of conjugated polymers. Polydiiododiacetylene (PIDA), a simple PDA with only iodine atom substituents, can be successfully obtained by the topochemical polymerization of the monomer diiodobutadiyne. This polymerization is achieved through the use of bis(nitrile) or …

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The Structural And Relative Stability Of Temperament In Young Children Based On A Laboratory-Observational Measure, Margaret Wegner Dyson Dec 2013

The Structural And Relative Stability Of Temperament In Young Children Based On A Laboratory-Observational Measure, Margaret Wegner Dyson

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

Despite the continued debate regarding the structure of temperament in young children, it is often assumed that temperament traits demonstrate temporal stability over time. This research has relied predominately on parent-report measures. The present study used an alternative approach, a laboratory-observational measure (Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery [Lab-TAB]), to examine the structural and relative stability of temperament traits in a community sample of young children (N = 440). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we derived a similar five-factor structure consisting of the dimensions of Positive Affect/Interest, Sociability, Dysphoria, Fear/Inhibition, and Impulsivity vs. Constraint at both age 3 and 6 years, suggesting …

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Auditory Classification Of Vehicles For Scene Understanding, Scott Bejan Kaghaz-Garan Dec 2013

Auditory Classification Of Vehicles For Scene Understanding, Scott Bejan Kaghaz-Garan

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

There have been numerous studies on the classification of auditory signals. In contrast,there have been very few studies in the implementation and classification of vehicles using purely auditory signals. This thesis presents an implementation of auditory vehicle identification using support vector machines. It explores how granular classification can be, from what type of vehicle to what action the vehicle is preforming. The granularity of the classification will greatly aid in auditory scene understanding. The classifications are done with computational complexity in mind, so embedded systems can utilize the findings. A simple averaging algorithm will also be explored that aids in …

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How To Draft Trusts To Own Retirement Benefits, Keith A. Herman Dec 2013

How To Draft Trusts To Own Retirement Benefits, Keith A. Herman

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

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Systematic Modeling And Characterization Of Analog Circuits Using Symbolic And Data Mining Techniques, Cristian Ferent Dec 2013

Systematic Modeling And Characterization Of Analog Circuits Using Symbolic And Data Mining Techniques, Cristian Ferent

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

Analog circuit design activities mainly depend on designers' expertise and their ability to produce new designs by combining basic devices, sub-circuits, and ideas from similar solutions as the source for innovation. There are very few systematic methods that can characterize similarities and differences between analog circuits while maintaining the correlation between design variables, performance, and trade-offs. Moreover, many computer-aided design tools are focused only on routine tasks, like transistor sizing and layout design. This dissertation presents novel techniques to automatically characterize the analog design space based on feature uniqueness and variety and to perform systematic circuit comparisons using symbolic models. …

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