Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Case Tool Supporting The Moses Development Methodology, Florida International University Glupe

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A new breed of CASE tools is taking advantage of object-oriented development. The CASE tool in this thesis will serve as a top-level guidance platform. The user will be able to follow an agenda in which his progress is recorded for each step of the development process. At the same time, the user will still be able to develop documents, diagrams and source code by using provided editors. The specific object-oriented methodology followed in this thesis is MOSES (Methodology for Object-Oriented Software Engineering of Systems). This advocates an iterative approach to development while providing both textual and graphical deliverables to …

Improved Frequency Response Measurements In The Human Visual System, Yuping Chen

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The temporal frequency response characteristics of the human visual system have been investigated by combining the increment threshold and sinusoidal flicker methods. Gain and phase spectra were obtained for two subjects using improved equipment and methodology compared with previous investigations. While the output of the system for sinusoidal input stimuli was generally also sinusoidal, as required for a linear system, other non-linearities emerged. Gain spectra for both subjects indicated a low-pass filtering action. Phase spectra showed a possible low frequency phase lead followed by a high frequency lag. Earlier studies suggested that the system might be a minimum phase system …

Investigation Of The Effect Of Structure On Reactivity In The Titanium Dioxide Mediated Photodecomposition Of Phenols And Haloethers When Irradiated At 350 Nm In An Aqueous Medium, Claudia Cardona

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three studies were performed to obtain fundamental mechanistic information on the TiO₂ catalyzed photooxidations of organic substrates irradiated at 350 nm in dilute aqueous solutions under oxygenated conditions: (a) The photodecomposition of three haloethers, 2-chloroethyl ether, 4-chlorophenyl phenyl ether, and 4-bromophenyl phenyl ether, was investigated in an aqueous media at pH 7.0. (b) A comparative study of structure-reactivity was conducted on para-substituted phenols whose substituents range from electron-withdrawing to electron-donating in an aqueous media at pH 3.0. (c) The initial rates of the TiO₂ catalyzed photodegratation of phenol were studied in an aqueous media at pH 1.0, …

The Effect Of Weathering Processes On The Vertical Turbulent Dispersion Characteristics Of Crude Oil Spilled On The Sea, Donald J. Boyé

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the Exxon Valdez accident in 1987, renewed interest has come forth to better understand and predict the fate and transport of crude oil lost to marine environments. The short-term fate of an Arabian Crude oil was simulated in laboratory experiments using artificial seawater. The time-dependent changes in the rheological and chemical properties of the oil under the influence of natural weathering processes were characterized, including dispersion behavior of the oil under simulated ocean turbulence. Methodology included monitoring the changes in the chemical composition of the oil by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GCMS), toxicity evaluations for the oil dispersions by Microtox …

A New Parallel Technique For The Solution Of Sparse Nonlinear Equations, Maria Cereijo Martinez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Solving nonlinear systems of equations is a central problem in numerical analysis, with enormous significance for science and engineering. A special case, sparse systems of equations, occurs frequently in various applications. Sparsity occurs in the analysis of many types of complex systems because of the local nature of the dependence or connectivity among system components.

One such system which may be modeled by a nonlinear sparse set of equations is the power system load flow analysis. This is a mathematical study performed by electrical utilities to monitor the electrical power system. The data from system components are used to create …

Meson-Meson Scattering In 2+1 Dimensional Lattice Quantum Electrodynamics, Alberto Luis Domínguez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For three-dimensional compact lattice quantum electrodynamics, the meson-meson energy spectrum is obtained from a truncated time-correlation matrix of field operators. The energy levels indicate a slightly attractive residual interaction between the mesons. From the finite-volume spectrum, the scattering phase shifts can be calculated for the various irreducible representations of the lattice symmetry group. The s-wave phase shifts indicate short-range repulsion, while the d-wave data indicate intermediate-range attraction. This work serves as a model for describing the strong nuclear force from basic principles.

Performance Analysis Of Disk Mirroring Techniques, Taysir Abdalla

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unequaled improvements in processor and I/O speeds make many applications such as databases and operating systems to be increasingly I/O bound. Many schemes such as disk caching and disk mirroring have been proposed to address the problem. In this thesis we focus only on disk mirroring. In disk mirroring, a logical disk image is maintained on two physical disks allowing a single disk failure to be transparent to application programs. Although disk mirroring improves data availability and reliability, it has two major drawbacks. First, writes are expensive because both disks must be updated. Second, load balancing during failure mode operation …

Vent Alignments In San Francisco Volcanic Field, Arizona : Statistical Analysis And Assessment Of Structural Controls, Zhuoning Chen

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using cluster analysis, a total of 605 vents in San Francisco Volcanic Field are studied over an area of approximately 5000km². Application of alignment analysis techniques, including the two-point azimuth analysis and Hough transform analysis, demonstrates that cinder cones are aligned along common orientations within larger clusters. These alignments consist of 9-10 cinder cones, are 20-38 km long, and are regional features. The vent alignments indicate the presence of geological features along which magma ascended more readily than elsewhere. The NE-trending Mesa Butte and Oak Creek Canyon-Doney fault systems seem to control the intermediate to silicic centers which …