Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Multiscale Image Registration Using Scale Trace Correlation, Bruce B. Hansen, Bryan S. Morse

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a method for registering images at different magnifications (scales) by treating the problem not only as one of scaling the image coordinates but also as one inherently involving multiresolution information. While some existing methods for multiresolution registration do consider the way the resolution (scale) affects the image, they often consider the image one scale at a time, using geometric properties within that scale. Others use multiscale information, usually to produce more robust results, but only to register same-magnification images (e.g., stereo). A scale trace is the set of values that a single pixel takes on as magnification …

Water Current, Volume 31, No. 3, June 1999

Water Current Newsletter

Summer Water Tour Visits Northeast and North Central Nebraska July 19-21
From the Director: International Center for Ground Water Research and Education Proposed for NU
Northern Wyoming Hosts Four States Summer Tour
SOAR and PROJECT WET Together!
Earth Wellness Festival, Master Navigator Program Win Annual IANR Team Awards
Poll Shows Rural Nebraskans Wary of Large Hog Operations
Tips to Washing Pesticide-Contaminated Clothing
Missouri Named River In Peril for Second Straight Year by American Rivers Group
Water News Brief
Call for Papers - Bison Symposium
Constructed Wetlands Video
Wetlands Tabloids
National Water Quality Database
Planet Protector's Club

Camera Break Detection By Partitioning Of 2d Spatio-Temporal Images In Mpeg Domain, Chong-Wah Ngo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we propose a new approach to detect camera cuts and wipes. The approach projects a video into two images representing the spatio-temporal continuity of a video life. Visually, these images are composed by regions of different patterns, each region represents the temporal location of a shot. The shape of a region boundary inherently classifies cut and wipe, and most importantly, marks the start and end of a wipe sequence. We hence formulate algorithms to locate the color and texture discontinuities occurring at the boundaries of image regions.

Spume Drops Produced By The Wind Tearing Of Wave Crests, Richard P. Barber Jr., Magdalena Anguelova, Jin Wu

Physics

The wind tearing of breaking wave crests produces spume drops. The authors report preliminary laboratory data from direct and unambiguous observation of this process under various wind conditions using a video imaging technique. Results include the size distribution and production rates of these drops. The curves for production rates at different wind speeds merge effectively when normalized by the number of breaking events. This confirms that wave breaking occurrence, not the wind speed, is a dominant factor in spume production.

Complete View Of Stark Wave-Packet Evolution, M. B. Campbell, Thomas J. Bensky, Robert R. Jones

Physics

Picosecond laser pulses have been used to produce Rydberg wave packets in calcium atoms in the presence of a strong static electric field. The dynamics of the Stark wave packets have been observed by measuring the momentum-space probability distribution as a function of time. The full precession of the electronic orbital angular momentum, the appearance of a large-amplitude, linear oscillation of the electronic dipole moment, and a pronounced, periodic up-down asymmetry in the momentum distribution are all observed directly.

Implementation Of A Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Shock Code Based Upon The Weighted Average Flux Method, Mark P. Wittig

Theses and Dissertations

Numerical modeling of shock propagation and reflection is of interest to the Department of Defense (DoD). Propriety state-of-the-art codes based upon E. F. Toro's weighted average flux (WAF) method are being used to investigate complex shock reflection phenomena. Here we develop, test, and validate a one-dimensional hydrodynamic shock code. We apply WAF to Gudonov's first-order upwind method to achieve second-order accuracy. Oscillations, typical of second-order methods, are then removed using adaptive weight limiter functions based upon total variation diminishing (TVD) flux limiters. An adaptive Riemann solver routine is also implemented to improve computational efficiency. This one-dimensional code is then extended …

Methodology For Integrating The Scenario Databases Of Simulation Systems, Emilia M. Colonese

Theses and Dissertations

The use of many different simulation systems by the United States Department of Defense has resulted in many different scenario data representations contained in heterogeneous databases. These heterogeneous databases all represent the same data concept, but have different semantics due to intrinsic variations among the data models. In this research, I describe a unified scenario database to allow interoperability and reuse of the scenario data components while avoiding the problems of data redundancy. Using the object oriented approach, the data and schema of the scenario databases, represented in an object oriented model, are integrated into a global database also represented …

Cobol Reengineering Using The Parameter Based Object Identification (Pboi) Methodology, Sonia De Jesus Rodrigues

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on how to reengineer Cobol legacy systems into object oriented systems using Sward's Parameter Based Object Identification (PBOI) methodology. The method is based on relating categories of imperative subprograms to classes written in object oriented language based on how parameters are handled and shared among them. The input language of PBOI is a canonical form called the generic imperative model (GIM), which is an abstract syntax tree (AST) representation of a simple imperative programming language. The output is another AST, the generic object model (GOM), a generic object oriented language. Conventional languages must be translated into the …

Parallel Digital Signal Processing On A Network Of Personal Computers Case Study: Space-Time Adaptive Processing, Fernando Silva

Theses and Dissertations

Network based parallel computing using personal computers is currently a popular choice for concurrent scientific computing. This work evaluates the capabilities and the performance of the AFIT Bimodal Cluster (ABC); a heterogeneous cluster of PCs connected by switched fast Ethernet and using MPICH 1.1 for interprocess communication for parallel digital signal processing using Space Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) as the case study. The MITRE RT_STAP Benchmark version 1.1 is ported and executed on the ABC, as well as on a cluster of six Sun SPARC workstations connected by a Myrinet network (the AFIT NOW), and on a IBM SP for …

Scan-It: A Computer Vision Model Motivated By Human Physiology And Behavior, John G. Keller

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation details the development of a new computational vision model motivated by physiological and behavioral aspects of the human visual system. Using this model, intensity features within an artificial visual field of view are extracted and transformed into a simulated cortical representation, and a saccadic guidance system scans this field of view over an object within an image to memorize that object. The object representation is thus stored as a sequence of feature matrices describing sub-regions of the object. A new image can then be searched for the object (possibly scaled and rotated), where evidence of its presence is …

Evolving Compact Decision Rule Sets, Robert E. Marmelstein

Theses and Dissertations

While data mining technology holds the promise of automatically extracting useful patterns (such as decision rules) from data, this potential has yet to be realized. One of the major technical impediments is that the current generation of data mining tools produce decision rule sets that are very accurate, but extremely complex and difficult to interpret. As a result, there is a clear need for methods that yield decision rule sets that are both accurate and compact. The development of the Genetic Rule and Classifier Construction Environment (GRaCCE) is proposed as an alternative to existing decision rule induction (DRI) algorithms. GRaCCE …

Estimation And Goodness-Of-Fit In The Case Of Randomly Censored Lifetime Data, David M. Reineke

Theses and Dissertations

A new continuous distribution function estimator for randomly censored data is developed, discussed, and compared to existing estimators. Minimum distance estimation is shown to be effective in estimating Weibull location parameters when random censoring is present. A method of estimating all 3 parameters of the 3-parameter Weibull distribution using a combination of minimum distance and maximum likelihood is also given. Cramer-von Mises and Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit test statistics are modified to measure the discrepancy between the maximum likelihood estimate and the Kaplan-Meier product-limit estimate of the distribution function of the random variable of interest. These modified test statistics are used to …

On The Geometries Of Conic Section Representation Of Noisy Object Boundaries, Qiuming Zhu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper studies some geometrical properties of conic sections and the utilization of these properties for the generation of conic section representations of object boundaries in digital images. Several geometrical features of the conic sections, such as the chord, the characteristic point, the guiding triangles, and their appearances under the tessellation and noise corruption of the digital images are discussed. The study leads to a noniterative algorithm that takes advantage of these features in the process of formulating the conic section parameters and generating the approximations of object boundaries from the given sequences of edge pixels in the images. The …

A Comprehensive Approach For Evaluation Of Groundwater Vulnerability To Contamination, Shafiul H. Chowdhury

Dissertations

Groundwater vulnerability to contamination from surface sources was evaluated for Nottawa Creek Watershed, Calhoun County Michigan using AQUIPRO and DRASTIC vulnerability methods. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to analyze and map the data. Forty groundwater samples were collected following a statistical sampling protocol from private wells. Samples were analyzed for nitrate-N and atrazine. Atrazine was not detected (detection limit 0.1 ppb) in any of the samples. Five samples contained detectable nitrate-N (detection limit 0.05 mg/L). Due to insufficient chemical data, the relative AQUIPRO and DRASTIC vulnerability scores could not be compared with the frequency of occurrences o f …

Controlling Mechanisms That Determine Mercury Sorbent Effectiveness, Stanley J. Miller, Grant E. Dunham, Edwin S. Olson, Thomas D. Brown

EERC Publications, Papers, & Presentations

This paper presents additional data on concentration effects of NO₂ and SO₂ that may help to explain the mechanisms by which these gases affect sorbent performance.

Basic Science And Risk Communication: A Dialogue-Based Study, Char J. Word, Anna K. Harding, Gordon R. Bilyard, James R. Weber

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors use ethnographic analysis of a focus group discussion between scientists and laypersons to study information exchange in risk communication.

Media Coverage Of Epa's Draft Dioxin Reassessment Report, Sharon M. Friedman, Megan A. Fitzpatrick, Brenda P. Egolf

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Using content analysis, the authors examine the utility of news media in democratic decision making.

(Almost) Optimal Parallel Block Access For Range Queries, Mikhail J. Atallah, Sunil Prabhakar

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Expert Support Technology For Decision Making: Individuals Versus Small Groups, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, Jiye Mao, Izak Benbasat

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Expert support systems (ESSs) are increasingly used in organizations to support individuals and groups in decision making. Although ESSs have been shown to enhance the decision-making capabilities of individuals, their benefits in supporting group decision making are less clear. To the best of our knowledge, no empirical research has evaluated the effectiveness of the technology in the group setting or compared its usefulness for supporting individual versus group decision making. The results of this research show that ESSs benefit decision making of both individuals and groups and novices are able to gain more from ESSs than experts. The findings also …

4-Methoxybenzaldehyde Pentafluorophenyl-Methylidenehydrazone, Michael A. Lewis, Charles Leslie Barnes, Bruce A. Hathaway, Rainer Glaser

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The crystal structure of the mixed azine C₁₅H₉F₅N₂O is described. The molecule has a high degree of planarity. The two phenyl rings deviate from perfect planarity by less than 2° and the dihedral angles between the ipso-C atoms and the azine bridge also show a minute deviation from planarity of less than 2°. The only dihedral angle that indicates any significant twisting is the dihedral angle about the azine bridge [C1-N1-N2-C8 174.8 (6)°], and even this one is relatively small. Face-to-face arene-arene contacts are the dominant intermolecular interactions. There are double …

Dynamics Of Formation Of Soliton Conductivity In A 2 D-Array Of Linear Chains Containing Commensurate Charge Density Waves Near The Contact With A Normal Metal, Yuriy V. Pershin Dr, Alexander S. Rozhavsky

Faculty Publications

We make a numerical study of the conversion of conduction electrons into charge density wave (CDW) topological solitons at the interface between a normal metal and a 2D-array of the CDW-carrying linear chains. The interplay of commensurability potential, interchain interaction, and electric field on the dynamics of soliton formation is studied. When the interchain interaction exceeds the commensurability energy, the dynamic mechanism of creation of fractionally charged solitons near the contact is suppressed and specific contact nonlinearity in transport current is not observed.

Spectroscopic And Kinetic Investigation Of Carbocation Reactivity In Supercritical Carbon Dioxide, Hongshu Jin

Masters Theses

Recent interest in the use of supercritical CO₂ as an environmentally benign reaction medium has included the development of solvent systems that may support polar and ionic chemistry. Carbocations are key intermediate in a variety of synthetically important reactions and characterization of their reactivity is the focus of this work. UV-visible absorption, and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to identify and monitor the reaction kinetics of 9- phenylxanthenium carbocation. The arylcarbocation is conveniently generated from 9- phenylxanthen-9-ol in supercritical CO₂ under mildly acidic conditions. Under these conditions 9-phenylxanthenium ion is extremely stable and persists for …

Hydrothermal Sediments Associated With A Relict Back-Arc Spreading Center In The Shikoku Basin, Recovered From The Nankai Accretionary Prism, Japan, Jane L. Alexander, Kevin T. Pickering, Elizabeth H. Bailey

Publications and Research

The hemipelagic mudrocks of the Nankai accretionary prism, Japan, contain hydrothermal deposits associated with a relict spreading center in the Shikoku Basin. Initial work on core samples from Ocean Drilling Program Site 808 found several samples with elevated concentrations of calcium, magnesium, iron and manganese, at depths of between 1060 and 1111 m below sea floor. However, the origin of these sediments was uncertain, due to a lack of data. There was no recorded evidence of whether these elevated concentrations were present throughout this interval of core, or if they were present as discrete layers with the background hemipelagic mudrocks …

An Environment For The Facilitation Of Robotic Programming, Artem Lifschitz

Computer Science Technical Reports

I have developed, tested, and evaluated a robot programming environment organized as a library of flexible data structures to facilitate the creation of robotics programs. Abstractions are the basis of all of the achievements of Computer Science, and if it were possible to create a truly flexible, generic abstraction for the programming of robots -- the science of robotics could advance at a faster pace. For this reason, I have attempted to implement the abstraction of low-level commands, and the assembling of them into hierarchies of higher-level actions. My libraries provide mechanisms for the manipulation and queuing of actions, as …

Comment On "Relativistic Correction Of The Generalized Oscillator Strength Sum Rules", P.T. Leung, Scott M. Cohen

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Romero and Aucar [Phys. Rev. A 57, 2212 (1998)] have found a vanishing result for the relativistic correction to the dipole sum rule ∆S1 for a one-electron system. They have given a result for the dipole sum rule ∆S2 as well. We argue that these results are both incorrect and show explicitly that their approach yields a nonvanishing result for ∆S1. The corrected result is in agreement with that which we have obtained in a recent paper, in which we present explicit expressions for ∆S1, ∆S2, and several other more general sum rules.

Cross-Linking Of Polystyrene By Friedel–Crafts Chemistry To Improve Thermal Stability, Zhitao Wang, David D. Jiang, Michael A. Mckinney, Charles Wilkie

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Copolymers which contain either alcohol or chloride functionalized polystyrene units have been prepared and they participate in Friedel–Crafts chemistry to give cross-linked polymers by the evolution of either hydrogen chloride or water. Proof of cross-linking comes from the identification of the evolved gas, the insolubility of the product, and the thermal resistance of the newly formed polymer. The onset temperature for the degradation is raised by about 100°C relative to that of polystyrene and the fraction which is not volatile at 800°C ranges from 10% for the alcohol copolymers to 20% for the chloride copolymers.

The Arab Republic Of Egypt: Initial National Communication On Climate Change, Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency

Egypt & Libya

Although Egypt’s contribution to Green House Gases is relatively minimal, yet given Egypt’s growing population, its limited fertile land, and its large area of desert, and the concentration of its economic activities in the coastal zones, the potential social and economic impact of climate change could be devastating for the country’s future.

Model Predictive Satisficing Fuzzy Logic Control, Richard L. Frost, Michael A. Goodrich, Wynn C. Stirling

Faculty Publications

Model-predictive control, which is an alternative to conventional optimal control, provides controller solutions to many constrained and nonlinear control problems. However, even when a good model is available, it may be necessary for an expert to specify the relationship between local model predictions and global system performance. We present a satisficing fuzzy logic controller that is based on a receding control horizon, but which employs a fuzzy description of system consequences via model predictions. This controller considers the gains and losses associated with each control action, is compatible with robust design objectives, and permits flexible defuzzifier design. We demonstrate the …

Toboggan-Based Intelligent Scissors With A Four-Parameter Edge Model, William A. Barrett, Eric N. Mortensen

Faculty Publications

Intelligent Scissors is an interactive image segmentation tool that allows a user to select piece-wise globally optimal contour segments that correspond to a desired object boundary. We present a new and faster method of computing the optimal path by over-segmenting the image using tobogganing and then imposing a weighted planar graph on top of the resulting region boundaries. The resulting region-based graph is many times smaller than the previous pixel-based graph, thus providing faster graph searches and immediate user interaction. Further, tobogganing provides an new systematic and predictable framework for computing edge model parameters, allowing subpixel localization as well as …

Removal Of Trace Contaminants From Wastewater Effluents Using Local Adsorbents, Kasim Ghulam Haider Ghulam

Theses

Wastewater reclamation must ensure removal of residual pollutants to a high degree so as to make the water acceptable for the designated reuse. There has been a growing interest worldwide to employ cost-effective treatment methods for polishing secondary treatment wastewater effluents. Carbon adsorption has proved to be an effective method for effluent polishing but treatment costs are relatively high.

AI-Ain wastewater treatment plant at Zakher has a design capacity of 54,000 m³/day and incorporates preliminary treatment, followed by extended aeration and dual-media filtration for effluent polishing before water reuse in irrigation. The chemical quality of the treated effluent …