Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Self-Consistency Algorithms, Thaddeus Tarpey

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

The k-means algorithm and the principal curve algorithm are special cases of a self-consistency algorithm. A general self-consistency algorithm is described and results are provided describing the behavior of the algorithm for theoretical distributions, in particular elliptical distributions. The results are used to contrast the behavior of the algorithms when applied to a theoretical model and when applied to finite datasets from the model. The algorithm is also used to determine principal loops for the bivariate normal distribution.

La Gestion De La Faune Aux Aeroports, Edward C. Cleary , Richard A. Dolbeer

Other Bird Strike and Aviation Materials

L’homme a toujours ete intrigue et inspire par la beaute des oiseaux et leur capacite de voler. Mais si les oiseaux ont colonise le ciel il y a quelque 150 millions d’annees, nous ne partageons leur espace aerien que depuis cent ans. Helas, ce partage forcement simultane est source de collisions. Certes, les oiseaux ne sont pas les seuls problemes des pilotes.

Experiments To Assess The Cost-Benefits Of Test-Suite Reduction, Gregg Rothermel, Mary Jean Harrold, Jeffery Von Ronne, Christie Hang, Jeffery Ostrin

School of Computing: Technical Reports

Test-suite reduction techniques attempt to reduce the cost of saving and reusing test cases during software maintenance by eliminating redundant test cases from test suites. A potential drawback of these techniques is that in reducing a test suite they might reduce the ability of that test suite to reveal faults in the software. Previous studies suggested that test-suite reduction techniques can reduce test suite size without significantly reducing the fault-detection capabilities of test suites. To further investigate this issue we performed experiments in which we examined the costs and benefits of reducing test suites of various sizes for several programs …

Black-Tailed Deer Habitat Changes In A Portion Of The Mount St. Helens Blast Zone, Ronald W. Davis

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized Landsat TM imagery to evaluate black-tailed deer habitat changes in a portion of the Mount Saint Helens blast zone in western Washington. The purpose of this study was to compare the post eruption vegetation changes with population trends for black tailed deer. The 55,000-acre study area comprises a Washington Department of Game Management unit (GMU 524) located to the northnorthwest of Mount St. Helens. Approximately 80% ofthe mostly forested study area was affected by lateral blast from the 1980 eruption. The area is predominantly private land managed for timber production but a small portion falls within the …

Salinity History Of Coastal Marshes Reconstructed From Diatom Remains, Michael L. Parsons, Quay Dortch, R. Eugene Turner, Nancy N. Rabalais

Faculty Publications

Sediment cores were collected from three Louisiana coastal marsh ponds, dated with radioisotopes, and analyzed for diatom remains to determine if long-term salinity changes were evident in the sediment record. A diatom-based salinity index formulated from a statistical comparison of available salinity data and changing diatom assemblages demonstrated that diatom remains appear to preserve salinity signals in coastal brackish and salt marsh environments. The salinity index was applied to sediment cores spanning the late 1600s to the 1990s and provided a more complete record of salinity than field data, which were temporally and spatially incomplete. The salinity reconstructions indicated that …

Microscopic Origins Of Heliclinic Phases In Smectic Liquid Crystals, Jonathan J. Stott, Rolfe G. Petschek

Faculty Scholarship

In a previous article [Phys. Rev. E 60, 1799 (1999)], the authors considered a model Landau free energy that explained the ferriclinic phases of chiral smectic liquid crystals as a series of short period helical modulations. In this paper we begin with a physically more realistic, more microscopic interlayer free energy and show how our previous work can be derived using only simple short-ranged interactions. We then discuss what additional information this provides about the Landau coefficients used previously to construct the phase diagram for the heliclinic phases of chiral smectic liquid crystals. Finally, we investigate a means for explicitly …

Vol. 22 No. 3-4 (1999): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Notes From The Director, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Acknowledgements, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Measurement Of TC Suppression In Tungsten Using Magnetic Impurities, Betty A. Young, T. Saab, Blas Cabrera, J. J. Cross, R. M. Clarke, R. A. Abusaidi

Physics

We have measured the effects of dilute magnetic-atom doping on the superconducting transition temperature of tungsten thin films. Our “T_c tuning” technique is accurate, precise, and simple. Experiments were performed using dc-magnetron-sputtered tungsten films with undoped values of T_c in the range of 70–150 mK. The magnetic-atom doping was achieved using ion implantation. Specific T_c suppressions of between 5% and 65% were targeted and observed in this study. The transition width of each undoped sample was ≈1 mK and the transition widths remained sharp after implantation with ⁵⁶Fe⁺ ions. Our data are in good agreement …

Intelligent Visualization And Automated Processing For Large Scale Geographic Information Systems, Yu Jiang

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on developing a new output system that compacts maps in multiple projections into a single Geographic Information System (GIS) without visual errors, through constructing a discrete GIS database that is managed by a Relational Data Base Management System (RDBMS). Unlike in a traditional large GIS database, the data are "physically discrete but logically continuous." In a new discrete GIS database, every map keeps its individuality without a relationship to any other map, and the relationships among the maps are centrally managed by a RDBMS. A study site was chosen at the boundary of the state of Indiana …

The Probe, Issue 207 – December 1999

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

NADCA: A Proud History, A New Future -- Robert H. Schmidt, President, NADCA
Position Announcement: WILDLIFE ECOLOGIST - Urban Wildlife & Urban-Human Conflict Management Illinois Natural History Survey, Urbana-Champaign, IL
In Memoriam: Guy R. Hodge
Personnel Changes in USDA Wildlife Services: Two new State Directors
Book review: "Wildlife of the New Millennium: A Field Guide" by Buck Peterson. Published by Longstreet Press, Marietta, Georgia 1999. (152 pages, illustrated. $11.95) ISBN 1-56352-546-1
Euthanasia Chamber Available from Pioneer Wildlife Control of Westwood, MA

Abstracts from the 6th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society - September 1999, Austin, TX
Public health significance of …

Characterizations Of Classes Of Programs By Three-Valued Operators, Anthony K. Seda, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Several important classes of normal logic programs, including the classes of acyclic, acceptable, and locally hierarchical programs, have the property that every program in the class has a unique two-valued supported model. In this paper, we call such classes unique supported model classes. We analyse and characterize these classes by means of operators on three-valued logics. Our studies will motivate the definition of a larger unique supported model class which we call the class of Phi-accessible programs. Finally, we show that the class of Phi -accessible programs is computationally adequate in that every partial recursive function can be implemented by …

Oxygen Pressure-Tuned Epitaxy And Optoelectronic Properties Of Laser-Deposited Zno Films On Sapphire, S. Choopun, R. D. Vispute, W. Noch, A. Balsamo, R. P. Sharma, T. Venkatesan, A. Iliadis, David C. Look

Physics Faculty Publications

Influence of oxygen pressure on the epitaxy, surface morphology, and optoelectronic properties has been studied in the case of ZnO thin films grown on sapphire ~0001! by pulsed-laser deposition. Results of Rutherford backscattering and ion channeling in conjunction with atomic force microscopy clearly indicate that the growth mode, degree of epitaxy, and the defect density strongly depend on the oxygen background pressure during growth. It is also found that the growth mode and the defects strongly influence the electron mobility, free-electron concentration, and the luminescence properties of the ZnO films. By tuning the oxygen pressure during the initial and the …

Comparison Of One-Dimensional And Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Modeling Approaches For Red River Basin, Sajjad Ahmad, Slobodan P. Simonovic

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A devastating flood in Red River valley in 1997 emphasized the need to study the flood control measures in the Red River basin using state of the art modeling tools. The Red River and its floodplains can be modeled using one-dimensional, quasi two-dimensional or fully two-dimensional hydrodynamic models. Each modeling approach has its own advantages and limitations. The main purpose of this report is a comparison between one-dimensional (or quasi two dimensional) and fully two-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling approaches for modeling floods in the Red River basin.

A two-dimensional hydrodynamic model, MIKE 21, coupled with Geographic Information System (GIS) …

A Hierarchy Of Maps Between Compacta, Paul Bankston

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

Let CH be the class of compacta (i.e., compact Hausdorff spaces), with BS the subclass of Boolean spaces. For each ordinal α and pair $\langle K,L\rangle$ of subclasses of CH, we define Lev_≥α K,L), the class of maps of level at least α from spaces in K to spaces in L, in such a way that, for finite α, Lev_≥α (BS,BS) consists of the Stone duals of Boolean lattice embeddings that preserve all prenex first-order formulas of quantifier rank α. Maps of level ≥ 0 are just the continuous surjections, and the maps of level ≥ 1 are …

Applications And Algorithms For Least Trimmed Sum Of Absolute Deviations Regression, Douglas M. Hawkins, David Olive

Articles and Preprints

High breakdown estimation (HBE) addresses the problem of getting reliable parameter estimates in the face of outliers that may be numerous and badly placed. In multiple regression, the standard HBE's have been those defined by the least median of squares (LMS) and the least trimmed squares (LTS) criteria. Both criteria lead to a partitioning of the data set's n cases into two “halves” – the covered “half” of cases are accommodated by the fit, while the uncovered “half”, which is intended to include any outliers, are ignored. In LMS, the criterion is the Chebyshev norm of the residuals of the …

Estimating The Probability Of Severe Convective Storms: A Local Perspective For The Central And Northern Plains, Preston W. Leftwich Jr.

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: Technical Reports and Related Materials

Summary and Conclusions

A procedure to estimate probabilities of the occurrence of severe convective storms within local areas has been described. Probabilities were based on a simulated climatology and the relative frequency of severe convective events when a selected site was contained within an operational Outlook or Watch. Combined data from five local areas were used to develop a general model for local probabilities within the central and northern Plains region. Attachment of probabilities to specific products placed values within a framework familiar to both forecasters and "end-users." Application of results in an operational scenario demonstrated representative local probabilities and …

Water Current, Volume 31, No. 6, December 1999

Water Current Newsletter

Conference to Develop a Management Agenda for Nebraska's Water Future
From the Director: We Have a Long Way, But We Need to Go Further; Water Center Recognized as "Groundwater Guardian" Partner
NU Research Faculty Voice Desires for Strong Water Center Leadership
Citizen Stewards of the Pines and Plains
Fourth Water Tabloid Now Available from NU
Water News Briefs
Sixth Annual Undergrad Research Conference
Publications
National Geographic Society Awarding Science Grants
Call for Papers: Spatial Symposium in Reno, Nevada
Call for Papers: 11th Platte River Basin Symposium
Cooperation and Tension: The History, Reality and Future of Nebraska's Interstate Agreements

Introduction: Defining And Understanding Sustainability In Small Island States, Charles J. Stevens

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

The Sustainable, The Expendable, And The Obsolete, Michael D. Lieber

Pacific Studies

This is a preliminary exploration of the concept of sustainability and its potential usefulness to anthropologists. “Sustainable” is distinguished from “stable” and “viable” in terms of its implications of directionality of time, pointing both backward and forward. Given the time implications, the contexts of “sustainable Xs” (technology, activity, development, etc.) are crucial to explaining what happened to X in the past and prognosticating its future. The argument is illustrated by analyzing data on obsolete fishing practices on Kapingamarangi Atoll (Federated States of Micronesia), focusing on the contexts of change in political /religious organization in the twentieth century. Changing access to …

Development, Sustainability, And The Deforestation Of Samoa, Paul Shankman

Pacific Studies

The forests of Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) are rapidly disappearing. This article reviews the history of Samoan deforestation, particularly during the last four decades, in the context of ideas about development and sustainability. It also examines the role of village agriculturalists in the process of deforestation. Recent economic, technological, and organizational changes have increased village agricultural expansion and, consequently, deforestation.

Reconnaissance Survey Of Lewis And Clark On The Missouri National Recreational River, Nebraska And South Dakota, Anne P. Diffendal, Gary E. Moulton, Michael Shambaugh-Miller, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Part I
Lewis and Clark on the Middle Missouri by Gary E. Moulton
Appendix: Principal Sites and Events
Select Bibliography

Part II
Locating Lewis and Clark Sites
Site #1 Floyd's Bluff
Site #2 Gass's Election
Site #3 Ionia Volcano
Site #4 1804 Mouth of the Vermillion River
Site #5 Spirit Mound
Site #6 Shannon's Absence
Site #7 Calumet Bluff
Site #8 "Ancient Fortifications"
Site #9 Mouth of the Niobrara River
Site # 10 Old Baldy

The Effect Of Divalent Cations On The Prophenoloxidase Enzyme Cascade Activity In The Freshwater Crayfish Cambarus Latimanus, Hans Skailand Eikaas

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of divalent cations such as cadmium, calcium, copper, lead and magnesium upon the prophenoloxidase system (proPO) was studied in hemocytes of the crayfish Cambarus latimanus. It was demonstrated that cadmium, calcium, copper and lead increased proPO activity significantly, whereas magnesium had no statistically significant effect on the system. Also, the molecular weight of the proPO enzyme was estimated using SDS-PAGE and found to be approximately 76 kDa.

Further Studies On Fire Retardant Polystyrene By Friedel–Crafts Chemistry, Zhitao Wang, David D. Jiang, Charles Wilkie, Jeffery W. Gilman

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

The combination of a copolymer of 4-vinylbenzyl alcohol and styrene with 2-ethylhexyldiphenylphosphate (DPP) and with metal chlorides has been studied by TGA, radiative gasification, Cone Calorimetry, and oxygen index measurements. Evidence is presented in support of a cross-linking reaction with the additives and the copolymer, which proceeds through a Friedel–Crafts mechanism. This approach reduces the peak heat release rate (HRR) by 60% as measured in the Cone Calorimeter. There is a significant reduction in the mass loss rate during the thermal degradation, and evidence of char formation is observed in the radiative gasification experiments.

On-Line Bayesian Tree-Structured Transformation Of Hidden Markov Models For Speaker Adaptation, Shaojun Wang, Yunxin Zhao

Kno.e.sis Publications

This paper presents a new recursive Bayesian learning approach for transformation parameter estimation in speaker adaptation. Our goal is to incrementally transform (or adapt) the entire set of HMM parameters for a new speaker or new acoustic enviroment from a small amount of adaptation data. By establishing a clustering tree of HMM Gaussian mixture components, the finest affine transformation parameters for individual HMM Gaussian mixture components can be dynamically searched. The on-line Bayesian learning technique proposed in our recent work is used for recursive maximum a posteriori estimation of affine transformation parameters. Speaker adaptation experiments using a 26-letter English alphabet …

A Simplified Model Of Wound Healing - Ii: The Critical Size Defect In Two Dimensions, J. S. Arnold, John A. Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Recently, a one-dimensional model was developed which gives a reasonable explanation for the existence of a Critical Size Defect (CSD) in certain animals [1]. In this paper, we examine the more realistic two-dimensional model of a circular wound of uniform depth to see what modifications are to be found, as compared with the one-dimensional model, in studying the CSD phenomenon. It transpires that the range of CSD sizes for a reasonable estimate of parameter values is 1 mm-1 cm. More realistic estimates await the appropriate experimental data.

Local And Landscape Factors Affecting Nest Site Selection And Nest Success Of Burrowing Owls In Western Nebraska, Rebecca T. Ekstein

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Stellar Angular Diameters Of Late-Type Giants And Supergiants Measured With The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer, Tyler E. Nordgren, M. E. Germain, J. A. Benson, D. Mozurkewich, Jeffrey J. Sudol, N. M. Elias Ii, Arsen R. Hajian, N. M. White, D. J. Hutter, K. J. Johnston, F. S. Gauss, J. T. Armstrong, T. A. Pauls, L. J. Rickard

Physics & Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.