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Online Knowledge Communities, also known as online forum, are popular web-based tools that allow members to seek and share knowledge. Documents to answer varieties of questions are associated with the process of knowledge exchange. The social network of members in an Online Knowledge Community is an important factor to improve search precision. However, prior ranking functions donât handle this kind of document with using this information. In this study, we try to resolve the problem of finding authoritative documents for a user query within an Online Knowledge Community. Unlike prior ranking functions which consider either content based feature, hyperlink based feature, or document structure based feature, we explored the Online Knowledge Community social network structure and members social interaction activities to design features t...
Light is the most sacred phenomenon and the presence of it in a place of worship is the greatest manifestation of God himself. Man can manufacture all the building materials needed to errect the greatest of structures, but only God can fill it with the light of the sun and make the materials come alive. Through the interplay of light and structure the building can seem to be alive. Through the proper execution of structure and material the building can sculpt light and define the time of day and season of year. This then became the genesis of the project; to sculpt light through natural materials and structure in order to bring glory to the creator and provide a sacred retreat for the weary, a rich interplay of light and material coming together to create a worshipful experience.
The conventional way of using a nonlinear Fabry-Perot cavity as an optical memory requires a negative pulse input to reset the state of the cavity. The possibility of using positive pulses to turn a system of nonlinear Fabry-Perot cavities on and off is studied and it was found that positive pulse switching is possible in a system of two coupled nonlinear cavities.

First, Korpel and Lohmann's proposal of using polarization switching in a single nonlinear birefringent cavity was studied. After a detailed investigation of their proposal it was found that positive pulse switching in a single nonlinear Fabry-Perot cavity is not possible. One of the reasons is that the eigen-polarization states of the output of a nonlinear Fabry-Perot cavity cannot be switched independently. Although it is not possible to switch a single nonlinear Fabry-...

This research focuses on developing a set of secure communication network testbeds and using them to measure the overhead of IP Security (IPSec) for email and web applications. The network testbeds are implemented using both wireline and wireless technologies. The testing involves a combination of authentication algorithms such as Hashed Message Authentication Code-Message Digest 5 (HMAC-MD5) and Hashed Message Authentication Code-Secure Hash Algorithm 1 (HMAC-SHA1), implemented through different authentication protocols such as ESP and AH, and used in conjunction with the Triple Digital Encryption Standard (3DES). The research examines the overhead using no encryption and no authentication, authentication and no encryption, and authentication and encryption. A variety of different sizes of compressed and uncompressed files, are consid...
Phase segregated states in a simple three-state stochastic lattice gas are investigated. A two dimensional finite lattice with periodic boundary conditions is filled with one hole and two oppositely "charged" species of particles, subject to an excluded volume constraint. Starting from a completely disordered initial configuration, a sufficiently large external "electric" field E induces the phase segregation, by separating the charges into two strips and "trapping" the hole at an interface between them. Focusing on the steady state, the scaling properties of an appropriate order parameter, depending on drive and system size, are investigated by mean-field theory and Monte Carlo methods. Density profiles of the two interfaces in the ordered system are studied with the help of Monte Carlo simulations and are found to scale in the...

A Test Planning System for Functional Validation of VHDL DSP Models

by

Morris Mengwei Lin

Dr. James R. Armstrong, Chairman

Electrical Engineering

(ABSTRACT)

Validating DSP circuits modeled in VHDL involves generating test data, creating VHDL test benches, and simulating the test benches including models under test (MUTs). This is a laborious and time-consuming process. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a high level approach to automating and planning these tasks.

This dissertation presents a high level test planning system for functional validation of VHDL DSP models. The system requirements parameterized from the specifications constitute the input space and serve as generics of test benches. Library-based test benches are developed using high level design tools. A test pl...

The molecular biology of desiccation tolerance was investigated in the cyanobacteria with emphasis on Nostoc commune. Analysis of DNA from 41 samples of desiccated Nostoc spp. of varied age and global distribution led to the amplification of 43 independent tRNALEU(UAA) group 1 intron sequences. Phylogenetic analysis of the entire data set made it possible to define the form species Nostoc commune. The synthase (spsA) and phosphatase (sppA) genes required for the synthesis of sucrose were isolated from cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 and overexpressed in E. coli in two different vector constructions. Transformants had a marked increased capacity for desiccation tolerance. Sucrose synthesis was confirmed through thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis of cell extracts from transformants. Long-term stability of DNA in de...
Insect Odorant-Binding Proteins (OBPs) are small, water-soluble molecules that solubilize hydrophobic odorant molecules in the sensillum lymph and transport them to their cognate receptors in the olfactory receptor neurons. With the availability of the genome sequence of the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, there has been a profound interest in the characterization and functional analyses of Obp genes in order to understand the molecular basis of mosquito host-seeking behavior. However, no direct evidence has been found for specific functions of any mosquito OBPs. In this study, I describe the comparative genomics and expression analyses on two mosquito Obp genes (Obp1 and Obp7) as well as efforts to determine their functions. Both of these Obp genes were identified in Anopheles stephensi and only Obp7 gene was identified i...

The discovery of neutrino mixing provides the possibility of a non vanishing CP violating phase in the neutrino mixing matrix. CP violation in the leptonic sector can be large enough to explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe. An indirect probe of CP violation is the experimental measurement of Electric Dipole Moment (EDM). CP violation has been discovered in the quark sector,but it contributes to lepton EDM at the 3-loop level.

Neutrino masses can be generated in the standard model via the see-saw mechanism where heavy right-handed neutrinos mix with the weak-basis states. The Majorana nature of the seesaw type neutrinos generates new 2-loop diagrams that lead to a non-vanishing lepton EDM. Only estimates of the resulting EDM have been done in the literature. A full calculation of the 2-loop diagrams and t...

This study builds on the National Capital Planning Commissionâs (NCPC) 50 year Master Plan for Washington D.C. It focuses on several of the NCPCâs five key goals; to build on the legacy of the historic LâEnfant and McMillan plans, unify the city, with the Capitol as its center, use new buildings to stimulate economic development, and integrate the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers to the cityâs public life. This site and project has a historical tradition. A pedestrian bridge was proposed to connect SouthWest D.C. to Haines Point with a new aquarium, which was eventually located in Baltimore, anchoring the Haines Point side. This proposal was never realized. Integral to this project is the development of the masterplan for SouthWest D.C. It proposes reinforcing the existing city grid, while developing small plazas along the waterâs edge. A ...