On the Existence and Design of the Best Stack Filter Based Associative Memory

The associative memory of a stack filter is defined to be the set of root signals of that filter. If the root sets of two stack filters both contain a desired set of patterns, but one filter’s root set is smaller than the other, then the filter with the smaller root set is said to be better for that set of patterns. Any filter which has the smallest number of roots containing the specified set of patterns is said to be a best filter. The configuration of the family of best filters is described via a graphical approach which specifies an upper and lower bound for the subset of possible best filters which are furthest from the sets of type-1 and type-2 stack filters. Knowledge of this configuration leads to an algorithm which can produce a near-best filter. This new method of constructing associative memories does not require the desired set of patterns to be independent and it can construct a much better filter than the methods in [I]

EPICS: Service Learning by Design, Engineering Projects in Community Service

Engineering Projects in Community Service - EPICS - is a service learning program that was initiated at Purdue University in the Fall of 1995. Under this program, undergraduate students in engineering earn academic credit for long-term team projects that solve technology based problems for local community service organizations. The service goals of the EPICS Program include: developing and delivering systems which address the organizations\u27 current technical problems; working closely with the organizations to determine how to best utilize technology to improve their services or enable new services; and providing reliable, long­ term technical assistance for community service organizations. The educational goals of the EPICS Program include: providing students with multi-year, team-based project experience; teaching students, by direct experience, how to interact with each other and with customers to specify, design, develop and deploy systems that solve real problems; and showing engineering students how their expertise can directly benefit even the most disadvantaged members of their community

Finite Memory Recursive Solutions in Stochastic Models: Equilibrium and Transient Analysis

G/M/1 and M/G/1-type Markov processes provide natural models for widely differing stochastic phenomena. Efficient recursive solutions for the equilibrium and transient analysis of these processes are therefore of considerable interest. In this direction, a new class of recursive solutions are proposed for the analysis of M/G/l and G/M/l type processes. In this report, the notion of when a process is LEDI-complete, which means it has complete Level Entrance Direction Information, is introduced for G/M/1-type Markov processes. This notion leads to a new class of recursive solutions, called finite-memory recursive solutions, for the equilibrium probabilities of a class of G/M/ 1-type Markov processes. A finite-memory recursive solution of order k has the form πn+k = π W1 +π n+1W2 + ••• +πn+k-1 Wk7 where πn is the vector of limiting probabilities of the states on level n of the process and Wi, 1 \u3c i \u3c k, are square matrices. It is also shown that the concept of LEDI- completeness leads to a finite- memory recursive solution for the transient behavior of this class of G/M/-1- type processes. Such a recursive solution has the form πn+k(s) = ^n(s)W1(s) +π n+i(s)W2(s) + • • • + πn+k-i(s)Wk(s). where π(s) is the Laplace transform of πn(t), the vector of state occupancy probabilities at time t for the states on level n of the process. The relationship between these finite-memory recursive solutions and matrix geometric solutions is also explored. The results are extended to the case where the transition rates are level dependent. It is also briefly explained how a finite memory recursion for the equilibrium and transient probabilities of M/G/l type Markov processes can be obtained

Long-Term Community Service Projects in the Purdue Engineering Curriculum

Purdue University\u27s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering has initiated a new program called EPlCS:Engineering Projects in Community Service 2. Under the EPICS program, students earn academic credit for long-term, team projects that solve technology-based problems for local community service agencies. Each EPICS project team consists of seven to ten engineering students. The teams are vertically integrated - each is a mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors - and a student can participate in a project for up to three years. The continuity provided by this structure allows projects to last for many years. Projects of significant size and impact are thus possible. The goals of the EPICS program include: providing students with multi-year, team-based, design and development experience; teaching students, by direct experience, how to interact with each other and with customers to specify, design, develop and deploy systems that solve real problems; and showing engineering students how their expertise can benefit even the most disadvantaged members of their community

Video and image systems engineering education for the 21st century

Includes bibliographical references.We are developing a new graduate program at Purdue in Video and Image Systems Engineering (VISE). The project is comprised of three parts: a new curriculum centered around a degree option in VISE to be earned as part of the Masters or Ph.D. degrees; a state-of-the-art lecture/laboratory facility for instruction, laboratory experiments, and project and homework activities in VISE courses; and enhancement of existing courses and development of new courses in the VISE area.Supported by an Image Systems Engineering Grant from Hewlett-Packard Company

Linking research, education, and professional skills : vertically integrated projects at 4 institutions

In the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program, large multidisciplinary student teams are embedded in the scholarship and exploration activities of academic staff. Vertical integration refers to the inclusion of second, third and fourth-year students, along with graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and academic staff. VIP projects are long-term, spanning many years, and students participate for multiple terms, earning academic credit each term. This allows returning students to become leaders within their teams, enabling long-term disciplinary and professional growth. VIP allows students and academic staff to strive towards a common goal which could be the pursuit of hard technological challenges as well as issues around sustainability, social inclusion and increased equality. It is a way of mobilising the student population whilst providing a first class educational experience. In our presentation we: explain how VIP works; discuss its scalability and sustainability; and describe its implementation by a number EUA member institutions

The Northeast Pacific GLOBEC Program: Coastal Gulf of Alaska

(First Paragraph) The Gulf of Alaska (GOA) continental shelf encompasses approximately 370,000 km2, or about 13% of the U.S. continental shell and supports a rich and diverse marine ecosystem including some of the largest commercial fisheries in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Of particular economic importance is the salmon fishery, which was worth on the order of $170 million (landed value) in 2000 accrued from a catch of over 100 million fish. However, there is considerable variability on both interannual and longer time scales in harvest and recruitment success to this and other GOA fisheries. Of recent interest are compelling indications that abundances of salmon, other fish species, and zooplankton vary on decadal scales in association with North Pacific basin-scale climate changes (Beamish, 1995; Mantua et al., 1997; Roemmich and McGowan, 1995; Brodeur et al., 1996; Francis et al., 1998; Anderson and Piatt, 1999; Hollowed et al., 2001)

Using vertically integrated projects to embed research-based education for sustainable development in undergraduate curricula

Purpose: This paper aims to share the University of Strathclyde’s experience of embedding research-based education for sustainable development (RBESD) within its undergraduate curricula through the use of an innovative pedagogy called Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP), originated at Georgia Institute of Technology. Design/methodology/approach: This paper discusses how aligning VIP with the SDG framework presents a powerful means of combining both research-based education (RBE) and education for sustainable development (ESD), and in effect embedding RBESD in undergraduate curricula. Findings: The paper reports on the University of Strathclyde’s practice and experience of establishing their VIP for Sustainable Development programme and presents a reflective account of the challenges faced in the programme implementation and those envisaged as the programme scales up across a higher education institution (HEI). Research limitations/implications: The paper is a reflective account of the specific challenges encountered at Strathclyde to date after a successful pilot, which was limited in its scale. While it is anticipated these challenges may resonate with other HEIs, there will also be some bespoke challenges that may not be discussed here. Practical implications: This paper offers a practical and scalable method of integrating SDG research and research-based education within undergraduate curricula. Social implications: The paper has the potential to deliver SDG-related impact in target communities by linking research-based teaching and learning with community outreach. Originality/value: The alignment of VIP with the SDG research area is novel, with no other FE institutions currently using this approach to embed SDG research-based teaching within their curricula. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary feature of the VIP programme, which is critical for SDG research, is a Strathclyde enhancement of the original model

Bottom-Up Forcing And The Decline of Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias jubatus) In Alaska: Assessing The Ocean Climate Hypothesis

Declines of Steller sea lion ( Eumetopias jubatus) populations in the Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska could be a consequence of physical oceanographic changes associated with the 1976–77 climate regime shift. Changes in ocean climate are hypothesized to have affected the quantity, quality, and accessibility of prey, which in turn may have affected the rates of birth and death of sea lions. Recent studies of the spatial and temporal variations in the ocean climate system of the North Pacific support this hypothesis. Ocean climate changes appear to have created adaptive opportunities for various species that are preyed upon by Steller sea lions at mid-trophic levels. The east–west asymmetry of the oceanic response to climate forcing after 1976–77 is consistent with both the temporal aspect (populations decreased after the late 1970s) and the spatial aspect of the decline (western, but not eastern, sea lion populations decreased). These broad-scale climate variations appear to be modulated by regionally sensitive biogeographic structures along the Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska, which include a transition point from coastal to open-ocean conditions at Samalga Pass westward along the Aleutian Islands. These transition points delineate distinct clusterings of different combinations of prey species, which are in turn correlated with differential population sizes and trajectories of Steller sea lions. Archaeological records spanning 4000 yr further indicate that sea lion populations have experienced major shifts in abundance in the past. Shifts in ocean climate are the most parsimonious underlying explanation for the broad suite of ecosystem changes that have been observed in the North Pacific Ocean in recent decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Fisheries Oceanography is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder\u27s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.