Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Artificially Intelligent Air Combat Simulation Agents, Daniel E. Gisselquist

Theses and Dissertations

The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), in an effort to improve military simulations, has proposed a standard for Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS). This network protocol will allow dissimilar applications to communicate simulation information. In the field of air combat, this will allow pilots in remote simulators to fly in a common simulation. The success of this standard is dependent on applications being able to work within that standard, as well as a large variety of Computer Generated Forces (CGFs) to complement interactive forces. CGFs are needed to help simulate the large combat scenarios that can only occur in wartime. By …

The Photo-Realistic Afit Virtual Cockpit, Milton E. Diaz

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) has pursued research in virtual environments since 1988. This research expands the current capabilities of the AFIT Virtual Cockpit (VC) by increasing the realism of the cockpit environment and improving the pilot's command interface. Realism is improved creating console elements from texture maps and polygonal models; these elements include working dials, switches and circuit breakers. The pilot command interface is improved in part by adapting the AFIT Information Pod using a two-dimensional mouse input to the virtual three-dimensional environment. This immersive virtual environment is also improved by modifications to the Head Mounted Display …

Using Object-Oriented Database Technology To Develop A Multiple Domain Capability For Domain-Oriented Application Composition Systems, Alfred W. Harris Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the design and implementation of a multiple domain capability for a domain-oriented application composition system, named Architect. The research goal was to show how object-oriented database management system (OODBMS) technology can be used to provide simultaneous access to multiple domain-oriented knowledge bases. Since the Architect system was originally designed using the object-oriented paradigm, insertion of OODBMS technology was relatively simple and many of the object-oriented concepts, such as inheritance and aggregation, proved beneficial. Inheritance was used to encapsulate domain knowledge by defining each domain as a subclass of Architect's software architecture. Aggregation was used to allow applications …

Analytic Performance Models For Parallel Discrete Event Battlefield Simulation With Conservative Synchronization, James B. Hiller

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the development and use of analytic models for performance analysis of parallel discrete event battlefield simulation using conservative synchronization. A simulation architecture with layered application, simulation, and host machine services provided the model development basis. Simulation entities were modeled with set-theoretic definitions. Deterministic performance models using these definitions were developed for event prediction, scheduling, and execution in sequential battlefield simulation. The sequential model was expanded to include relative bounds for overhead factors introduced when the simulation is spatially decomposed for a parallel distributed memory machine. Comparison of sequential and parallel models instantiated for a simulation with uniform …

A Numerical Model To Predict The Fate Of Jettisoned Aviation Fuel, Karl D. Pfeiffer

Theses and Dissertations

While airborne, military and civilian aircraft must occasionally jettison unburned aviation fuel into the atmosphere. This research investigates the fate of a jettisoned fuel (e.g. JP-4, JP-8, etc.) from initial release to final ground fall by numerically modeling the physical phenomena governing the fate of this fuel: evaporation, advection, and dispersion. Using previous work in evaporation and free fall of fuel droplets as a foundation, this thesis presents an integrated evaporation advection and dispersion model designed to run under the resources of a typical personal computer. This integrated model is capable of using near real-time meteorological data (i.e. vertical profiles …

The Re-Engineering Of The Air Force Institute Of Technology Student Information System, Douglas J. Wu

Theses and Dissertations

This research describes the design and implementation issues associated with re-engineering the Air Force Institute of Technology Student Information System (AFITSIS). Currently, AFITSIS executes on aging relational database technology and has unfriendly user interface mechanisms. The two research objectives met were to research current AFITSIS requirements, design, and implementation, and use object-oriented methods to design an alternative implementation based on proposed object database management system standards. This research explores how AFITSIS performance and capabilities might be enhanced by taking advantage of new object-oriented software engineering techniques. One of the primary benefits of this research is a detailed object modeling technique …

Seedling Emergence And Growth Of Mangrove Avicennia Marina (Forssk.) Vierh. Under Different Environmental Conditions In The United Arab Emirates, Abdulrazzaq Abdulla Abdulla Anwahi

Theses

Seedling emergence, survival and growth of gray mangrove Avicennia marina (Forssk.) vierh. were studied in relation to different environmental factors through a series of experiments conducted at indoor low temperature, outdoor shaded and field areas at the Marine Resources Research Center, Umm Al Qaiwain. No emergence occurred when seeds were sowed in salinities equal to or higher than 60 ppt. Seedling survival rate decreased with increasing salinity at both indoor and outdoor experimental sites . Faster seedling growth rates were observed under outdoor shaded conditions than under indoor low temperatures. Results of field studies on a sloping beach indicated that …

An Analysis Of Bayesian Networks As Classifiers, Gregory C. Ahlquist

Theses and Dissertations

An analysis of Bayesian networks as classifiers is presented. This analysis results in an algorithm and several tools related to Bayesian network classifiers. The tools calculate and display the decision regions for two level Bayesian network classifiers. They collectively provide an approach to analyze the effects of changing network parameters on the network's decision regions. The algorithm defines a Bayesian network classifier to solve traditional classification problems. The algorithm is data driven, meaning that the resulting Bayesian network classifier is uniquely tuned to the classification problem at hand. Also, the algorithm contains procedures for defining the topology of a Bayesian …

Parallelization Of The 2d Roe Scheme On The Intel Paragon, John R. Graham Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This study presented a methodology for determining the general performance characteristics of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) algorithm on the Intel Paragon. By performing a rigorous time complexity analysis of a parallel CFD algorithm, the general performance could be characterized before the code was actually parallelized. This was shown by implementing a serial version of the 2-D Roe Scheme on the Paragon. This explicit code was parallelized by the addition of generic yet efficient routines that decomposed the domain, automatically adjusted partition indices, and performed 2-D and 3-D buffer exchanges. Additionally, efficient global routines available for the Paragon were used …

Enhanced Visual User Interface Support For Domain-Oriented Application Composition Systems, Richard A. Guinto

Theses and Dissertations

This research refined the functionality and usability of a previously developed visual interface for a domain-oriented application composition system. The refinements incorporated more sophisticated user interface design concepts1 to reduce user workload. User workload was reduced through window reordering, menu redesign, and Human Computer Interaction techniques such as; combining repetitive procedures into single commands, reusing composition information whenever possible and deriving new information from existing information. The Software Refinery environment, including its visual interface tool INTERVISTA, was used to develop techniques for visualizing and manipulating objects contained in a formal knowledge base of objects. The interface was formally validated with …

Modeiing Operational Task Assignment In Air Force Wing Command And Control, Robert J. Hunt

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the feasibility of applying software engineering technology to the Air Force wing command and control (C2) domain. As part of this research, domain analysis and object-oriented techniques were investigated and a specific approach was chosen to analyze the domain. Analysis of the domain resulted in an object-oriented domain model that captured the key objects, operations, and associations, and behavior of wing C2. The domain model was used to design and implement a prototype software tool that enables wing decision makers to assign resources to mission tasks and to make assessments about automation's impact on wing C2 operations.

Development Of A Mammographic Image Processing Environment Using Matlab, John L. Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is a disease that accounts for a disturbingly large number of deaths in females each year. Its prevalence is a topic of concern to all of us since it can affect our families, friends, and coworkers. Although mammographic screening is the most effective method currently available for the early detection of breast cancer, it is far from being an infallible procedure. Mammographic reading is error prone, partly because of the complexity of the task and partly because of the variability in human performance. Computers offer high reproducibility, and when used as an adjunct by the radiologist, may improve …

Space Modeler: An Expanded, Distributed, Virtual Environment For Space Visualization, John C. Vanderburgh

Theses and Dissertations

The Space Modeler is the first truly immersive virtual environment that models the solar system, models satellites in near-Earth orbit, and can operate in a Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) environment. It increases the capabilities of the 1993 Satellite Modeler by expanding the physical limits of the environment and by implementing a new three-dimensional user interface. Satellite orbits are modeled using NASA two line element sets. The positions of the Sun, Moon and planets are computed using an algorithm based on planetary orbital element sets using a linear polynomial fit. For higher precision, the planetary orbits can be computed using an …

Minimizing The Impact Of Synchronization Overhead In Parallel Discrete Event Simulations, Andrew C. Walton

Theses and Dissertations

A Parallel Discrete Event Simulation Coprocessor was designed for conservative synchronization protocols and was implemented in software using some of a parallel computer's nodes to act as coprocessors. The coprocessor was designed to offload synchronization overhead and next event queue management from the nodes running the simulation. The coprocessor was designed to accelerate simulations based on the Simulation Protocol Evaluation on a Concurrent Testbed with ReUsable Modules (SPECTRUM) environment. The research was conducted in three steps: the SPECTRUM environment was ported from an Intel iPSC-2 to an Intel Paragon XP-S, the coprocessor was designed and the simulations were timed, with …

Laser Beam Propagation In Non-Kolmogorov Atmospheric Turbulence, Bruce E. Stribling

Theses and Dissertations

Several observations of atmospheric turbulence statistics have been reported which do not obey Kolmogorov's power spectral density model. These observations have prompted the study of optical propagation through turbulence described by non-classical power spectra. This thesis presents an analysis of optical propagation through turbulence which causes index of refraction fluctuations to have spatial power spectra that obey arbitrary power laws. The spherical and plane wave structure functions are derived using Mellin transform techniques and are applied to the field mutual coherence function (MCF) using the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle. The MCF is used to compute the Strehl ratio of a focused, …

Effects Of Photon Noise On Unconstrained Minimization Techniques For Iterative Blind Deconvolution, Derek K. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, imaging through atmospheric turbulence has interested military scientists seeking to improve optical surveillance of satellites. Adaptive optics was a step toward achieving diffraction-limited resolution from ground-based telescopes. Unfortunately, adaptive optics only partially compensate for atmospheric blurring, therefore post processing of images is required. Processing methods in use today require knowledge of the impulse response of the optical system to reconstruct imagery, but this information is seldom known. This thesis looks at a new metal of processing compensated imagery, called blind deconvolution, which assumes very little or no a priori information about the impulse response. In particular, this …

Knowledge-Based Safety Training System (Kbsts): A Prototype Implementation, Venky Shankararaman, B. S. Lee

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A computer-based safety training system for process operators must be able to make effective presentation of textual material, test the trainee's understanding through quizzes and facilitate plant simulation. The general framework of such a system is presented in an earlier paper (Computers in Industry, Vol. 17, 1991, pp. 349–358). In this paper, we discuss the development and implementation of a prototype Knowledge-Based Safety Training System based on the framework. The design philosophy, system architecture and the plant modelling methodology are described.

Structural Analysis Of The Hurricane Fault In The Transition Zone Between The Basin And Range Province And The Colorado Plateau, Washington County, Utah, Meg E. Schramm

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study defines fault segments and segment boundaries along the Hurricane fault in southwestern Utah and determines the geometric and kinematic relationship to other regional structures. Fault segment identification is critical for understanding fault processes and seismic risk; segment length is the maximum earthquake rupture length along a fault. Segment boundaries may act as barriers to earthquake propagation.

Normal fault segmentation only recently has received attention and has never been studied along the Hurricane fault. The fault changes strike along its length, and is thus a segmented fault. This study documents one nonconservative segment boundary and two fault segments, the …

Measurement Of N2+ Mobility In He Via Fourier Transform Emission Spectroscopy, Patrick D. Kee

Theses and Dissertations

Recently, Hong and Miller used Fourier Transform Emission (FTE) spectroscopy to determine the N₂⁺ mobility in helium by relating the observed Doppler shift of the N₂⁺ (B-X) transition to the measured electric field in the discharge as determined by probes. In order to establish the technique in-house, this effort duplicated that experiment and investigated the sensitivity and utility of the method. Doppler shift measurements in this experiment disagreed significantly with those reported by Hong and Miller. Attempts to reduce the data (and thus determine the mobility) using a model developed by Hong and Miller were unsuccessful. …

Analysis Of Instability Growth And Collisionless Relaxation In Thermionic Converters Using 1-D Pic Simulations, Bret B. Kreh

Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates the role that the beam-plasma instability may play in a thermionic converter. The traditional assumption of collisionally dominated relaxation is questioned, and the beam-plasma instability is proposed as a possible dominant relaxation mechanism. Theory is developed to describe the beam-plasma instability in the cold-plasma approximation, and the theory is tested with two common Particle-in- Cell (PIC) simulation codes. The theory is first confirmed using an unbounded plasma PIC simulation employing periodic boundary conditions, ES1. The theoretically predicted growth rates are on the order of the plasma frequencies, and ESl simulations verity these predictions within the order of …

Unification Of Larch And Z-Based Object Models To Support Algebraically-Based Design Refinement: The Larch Perspective, Catherine J. Lin

Theses and Dissertations

This research describes the feasibility of developing object-oriented LARCH specifications, part of a dual approach for formally extending object-oriented analysis models using LARCH and Z. The first phase consisted of two steps establishing a set of transformation heuristics for algebraically representing object models and implementing a robust LARCH parser. The LARCH parser produced abstract syntax trees ASTs of objects forming the basis for analyzing the similarities and differences between Z-based and LARCH-based object representations. The second phase used the analysis of LARCH and Z to identify fundamental core constructs in the languages and abstract syntax trees. These core constructs consisted …

Easy-Sim: A Visual Simulation System Software Architecture With An Ada 9x Application Framework, Jordan R. Kayloe

Theses and Dissertations

Software architectures increase productivity when used as the basis for developing applications in a problem domain. This thesis describes the creation of Easy-Sim, an object-oriented software architecture for visual simulation systems, and its corresponding implementation as an application framework in Ada 9X. The research built upon ObjectSim, an existing object-oriented simulation architecture implemented as a application framework. Both ObjectSim and Easy-Sim operate on Silicon Graphics platforms and use the IRIS Performer graphics programming library. Easy-Sim is implemented using version 1.83 of the GNAT compiler. The investigation for this thesis involved honing ObjectSim's design, implementing the improved result in both C++ …

Embedology And Neural Estimation For Time Series Prediction, Robert E. Garza

Theses and Dissertations

Time series prediction has widespread application, ranging from predicting the stock market to trying to predict future locations of scud missiles. Recent work by Sauer and Casdagli has developed into the embedology theorem, which sets forth the procedures for state space manipulation and reconstruction for time series prediction. This includes embedding the time series into a higher dimensional space in order to form an attractor, a structure defined by the embedded vectors. Embedology is combined with neural technologies in an effort to create a more accurate prediction algorithm. These algorithms consist of embedology, neural networks, Euclidean space nearest neighbors, and …

A Survey Of Source And Finished Water Supplies For Giardia Cysts And Cryptosporidium Oocysts, Lisa Martin Sexton

KWRRI Research Reports

The occurrence of Giardia lamblia cysts and Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts was determined from source and treated drinking water supplies at selected water treatment facilities in Eastern Kentucky. Giardia and Cryptosporidium are two human protozoan parasites often found in water supplies due to fecal contamination. Characteristic cysts and oocysts were identified from large volume water samples, typically 100 gallons for raw samples and 1,000 gallons for finished water, using an indirect fluorescent antibody specific for Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Source water from four different water treatment facilities utilizing a reservoir, river, and two creeks were assayed. All sites exhibited Giardia lamblia …

Sorption Of Chlorinated Organic Compounds By Sedimentary Rocks, Paul M. Mcginley, S. Kesaraju, Ronald D. Gruzesky

KWRRI Research Reports

The sorption of dichlorobenzene and trichlorobenzene on carbonate and shale rocks collected in Kentucky demonstrate that rock organic matter content is a good indicator of sorptive reactivity in rock systems. Although this is similar to soil systems, significant differences between sorption in rock and soil systems exist. Sorption isotherms on these rocks are nonlinear and sorption can be an order of magnitude higher than predicted using correlations from soils and their organic matter content. This sorption reaction could lead to significant concentration tailing during contaminant cleanup. Experimental elution of trichloroethylene from rock filled columns verified that cleanup times might be …

The Fat-Pyramid And Universal Parallel Computation Independent Of Wire Delay, Ronald I. Greenberg

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper shows that a fat-pyramid of area Θ(A) requires only O(log A) slowdown to simulate any competing network of area A under very general conditions. The result holds regardless of the processor size (amount of attached memory) and number of processors in the competing networks as long as the limitation on total area is met. Furthermore, the result is valid regardless of the relationship between wire length and wire delay. We especially focus on elimination of the common simplifying assumption that unit time suffices to traverse a wire regardless of its length, since the assumption becomes more and more …

Toward Scalable Parallel Software: An Active Object Model And Library To Support Von Neumann Languages, George K. Thiruvathukal

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Scalable parallel processing has been proposed as the technology scientists and engineers can use today to solve the problems of tomorrow. Many computational Grand Challenge problems require between two and three orders of magnitude than can be provided with the scalable parallel hardware of the early nineteen-nineties. While hardware continues to become more scalable and cheaper, software is not advancing at the same pace and remains a very expensive part of systems development.

A great deal of emphasis on software technology to support scalable parallel processing is placed on von Neumann languages. One of two approaches is common: (a) augment …

Aids Epidemiology: A Quantitative Approach, Ron Brookmeyer, Mitchell Gail

Ron Brookmeyer

This comprehensive work confronts the problems that are unique to AIDS research and unites them under a single conceptual framework. It focuses on methods for the design and analysis of epidemiologic studies, the natural history of AIDS and the transmission of HIV, methods for tracking and projecting the course of the epidemic, and statistical issues in therapeutic trials. The various methods of monitoring and forecasting this disease receive comprehensive treatment. These methods include back-calculation, which the authors developed; interpretation of survey data on HIV prevalence; mathematical models for HIV transmission; and approaches that combine different types of epidemiological data. Much …

1994 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti

Semantics Vs. Syntax Vs. Computations Machine Models For Type-2 Polynomial-Time Bounded Functionals (Preliminary Draft), James S. Royer

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - Technical Reports

This paper investigates analogs of the Kreisel-Lacombe-Shoenfield Theorem in the context of the type-2 basic feasible functionals, a.k.a. the Mehlhorn-Cook class of type-2 polynomial-time functionals. We develop a direct, polynomial-time analog of effective operation, where the time bound on computations is modeled after Kapron and Cook's scheme for their basic polynomial-time functionals. We show that (i) if P = NP, these polynomial-time effective operations are strictly more powerful on R (the class of recursive functions) than the basic feasible functions, and (ii) there is an oracle relative to which these polynomial-time effective operations and the basic feasible functionals have the …