No description available.

No description available.

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No description available.

This study seeks to design algorithms that may be used to determine if a given lattice is a good approximation to a given rigid protein structure. Ideal lattice models discovered using our techniques may then be used in algorithms for protein folding and inverse protein folding. In this study we develop methods based on dynamic programming and branch and bound in an effort to identify “ideal” lattice models. To further our understanding of the concepts behind the methods we have utilized a simple cubic lattice for our analysis. The algorithms may be adapted to work on any lattice. We describe two algorithms. One for aligning the protein backbone to the lattice as a walk. This algorithm runs in polynomial time. The second algorithm for aligning a protein backbone as a path to the lattice. Both the algorithms seek to minimize the CRMS deviation of the alignment. The second problem was recently shown to be NP-Complete, hence it is highly unlikely that an efficient algorithm exists. The first algorithm gives a lower bound on the optimal solution to the second problem, and can be used in a branch and bound procedure. Further, we perform an empirical evaluation of our algorithm on proteins from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). / ix, 47 leaves ; 29 cm.

Much research has proven that computer controlled vegetable storage can achieve better storage conditions than traditional control systems. During the last 10 years, the use of microcomputer-based environmental control systems has become commonplace. However, to take full advantage of this computerization of the control process, it is not enough only to program the control functions that are performed by normal analog equipment. New and better control strategies must be developed. Recent advances in computer technology have made possible the development of expert systems; a branch of artificial intelligence. One of the advantages of developing such a system is that it provides a reasoning tool which approaches the level of proficiency human experts exhibit in that field. The application of new control methods using expert systems has been extensively demonstrated for greenhouse environments. However, the application of expert systems for the control of vegetable storage is still to be investigated. In the first phase of this project, the development and implementation of a sophisticated control software, using a conventional algorithm-based programming language, were achieved. Throughout the three years of experimentation in an industrial potato storage, the software proved to be appropriate for the control of storage environmental parameters (temperature and relative humidity). During the second phase, the application of an expert system for the on-line control of potato storage was explored. The development of a rule-based expert system, that could replace the conventional algorithm-based control routines was achieved. The integration of the expert system into the control software will result in a highly efficient control software, which can easily be maintained and improved as new knowledge emerges. The use of an expert system will also render possible the representation of heuristic knowledge in the form of rules, which was not possible with the use of conven

As a teacher of mathematics, I always taught the topic functions (graphs such as linear, quadratic, hyperbola, exponential, trigonometric functions) in the same way all of my twenty-three years in the profession. I often assumed that the learner understood a concept that had been presented only to find, in subsequent lessons, that the learner could not recall it or talk about it. I referred to the constant value c in the function f (x) = ax² + c or f (x) = ax² + bx + c as the y-intercept informing my learners that it is a point on the y-axis of the Cartesian plane. I also taught transformation of functions as the vertical and horizontal shift without much visual demonstration beyond pen and paper. Whilst using dynamic mathematics geometry software, last year namely, Geogebra, I realized that this section could be taught more effectively through interaction with this software. Geogebra, is a freely available interactive dynamic software for the teaching and learning of mathematics that combines geometry and algebra into a single user-friendly package. Within this research I set out to explore firstly, the function of Geogebra, as a pedagogical tool and mediating artifact in the teaching and learning of transformation of functions in secondary school mathematics; and secondly whether interaction with these virtual manipulatives enhance the understanding of mathematics concepts. The study is rooted in a social constructivist view of learning and mediated learning and the approach used is a case study. The research was carried out in an independent school that involved 8 learners. My data consisted of feedback from two sets of student worksheets, the first being from prior to using the Geogebra applets and the other from post engagement with the applets, classroom observations during the practical use of Geogebra and finally with learner interviews. On analysis of the data it seems that the introduction of Geogebra did indeed influence the educational practice in three dimensions, namely: the development of mathematical ideas and concepts through computer-based teaching and the role Geogebra plays in the understanding of and visualization of certain mathematical concepts in high school algebra topics. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

This thesis describes a new line segmentation method that is optimized for medieval manuscripts. Using a thinned version of the binarized document image, the segmentation algorithm extracts two types of salient features from the handwritten patterns: nodes, whose distribution allows for the detection of line axes; segments, which are labeled according to the nodes they connect. This method obtains very good results on manuscripts that are usually considered hard to segment because of the numerous overlapping and touching lines. By contrast with many existing segmentation algorithms, this method does not rely on user-entered parameters and is not overly sensitive to the quality of the preprocessing treatments. Although more work is required to make it resistant to fluctuating lines, this line separation technique can already handle a large set of medieval documents and provides a useful input to a character segmentation program. / Line segmentation techniques in off-line handwriting recognition -- Line segmentation with the profile method -- Feature-based line segmentation -- Tests and conclusions. / Department of Computer Science

X windows is a graphic display management system. It is designed to work on a variety of machines and display adapters, however it is not designed for terminals with local graphics capabilities. X windows can be made to work on this type of terminal, although in a slower and restricted form. The problem with designing a variation of X for these terminals is the translation from X requests to native graphics commands, and the mapping of terminal input into X events. These implementation issues are discussed and example code is provided. / Department of Computer Science

There is no abstract available for this thesis. / Department of Computer Science