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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Towards Machine Learning-Based Control Of Autonomous Vehicles In Solar Panel Cleaning Systems, Farima Hajiahmadi
Towards Machine Learning-Based Control Of Autonomous Vehicles In Solar Panel Cleaning Systems, Farima Hajiahmadi
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis presents a machine learning (ML)-based approach for the intelligent control of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) utilized in solar panel cleaning systems, aiming to mitigate challenges arising from uncertainties, disturbances, and dynamic environments. Solar panels, predominantly situated in dedicated lands for solar energy production (e.g., agricultural solar farms), are susceptible to dust and debris accumulation, leading to diminished energy absorption. Instead of labor-intensive manual cleaning, robotic cleaners offer a viable solution. AVs equipped to transport and precisely position these cleaning robots are indispensable for efficient navigation among solar panel arrays. However, environmental obstacles (e.g., rough terrain), variations in solar panel …
Strain Analysis Across The Margins Of The Elkahatchee And Coley Creek Plutons, Alabama Eastern Blue Ridge: Implications For The Alexander City Fault, Kenneth Joel Roop-Eckart
Strain Analysis Across The Margins Of The Elkahatchee And Coley Creek Plutons, Alabama Eastern Blue Ridge: Implications For The Alexander City Fault, Kenneth Joel Roop-Eckart
Theses and Dissertations
The Ashland-Wedowee-Emuckfaw belt of the eastern Blue Ridge of Alabama and Georgia consists of metamorphosed Neoproterozoic-Ordovician continental margin and Ordovician back-arc sedimentary/volcanic sequences intruded by Ordovician-Mississippian granitic plutons. Two of these plutons, the Elkahatchee Quartz Diorite and Coley Creek orthogneiss exhibit zones of high strain, evidenced by mylonitic fabrics, ductile deformation of feldspar grains, grain size reduction, and changes in mica content at their margins. Geologic mapping in the vicinity of the Coley Creek pluton shows no evidence for a ductile shear zone beyond its margins and thus, is unlikely to be associated with a major fault. More likely, this …
Hydrological Drought Analysis For Seven North Georgia Watersheds (1970-2000), Jessica L. Taylor
Hydrological Drought Analysis For Seven North Georgia Watersheds (1970-2000), Jessica L. Taylor
Theses and Dissertations
Drought is a prolonged reduction in precipitation which may result in significant effects on local ecosystems, watersheds, and water sources, with the potential to have negative impacts on human populations. Normalized indexes can be used to characterize drought magnitudes and frequencies using historical data records on temperature, rainfall, snowpack, soil moisture, streamflow, and/or other water supply indicators. This study examined the applicability of two drought indices: Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Streamflow Drought Index (SDI). The SPI and SDI estimate the magnitude of observed rainfall (SPI) and discharge (SDI) deviations from the longterm average. In this study, SPI and SDI …
A Laurentian Margin Back-Arc: The Ordovician Wedowee-Emuckfaw-Dahlonega Basin, Clinton Barineau
A Laurentian Margin Back-Arc: The Ordovician Wedowee-Emuckfaw-Dahlonega Basin, Clinton Barineau
Faculty Bibliography
Independent researchers working in the Talladega belt, Ashland-WedoweeEmuckfaw belt, and Opelika Complex of Alabama, as well as the Dahlonega gold belt and western Inner Piedmont of Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas, have mapped stratigraphic sequences unique to each region. Although historically considered distinct terranes of disparate origin, a synthesis of data suggests that each includes lithologic units that formed in an Ordovician back-arc basin (Wedowee-EmuckfawDahlonega basin—WEDB). Rocks in these terranes include varying proportions of metamorphosed mafi c and bimodal volcanic rock suites interlayered with deep-water metasedimentary rock sequences. Metavolcanic rocks yield ages that are Early– Middle Ordovician (480–460 Ma) and …
Demographic And Genetic Consequences Of Small Population Size In Remnant Populations Of Arabis Georgiana Harper (Georgia Rockcress), Alicia M. Garcia
Demographic And Genetic Consequences Of Small Population Size In Remnant Populations Of Arabis Georgiana Harper (Georgia Rockcress), Alicia M. Garcia
Theses and Dissertations
The goal of this thesis is to provide a greater scientific understanding of the demographic and genetic consequences of small population size in remnant populations of Arabis georgiana Harper (Georgia Rockcress). Specifically, 1 ) traits associated with phenological progression, fitness and reproductive success were compared between naturally occurring "native" plants and plants grown ex situ and subsequently restored to one of the largest remaining populations of A. georgiana, and 2) a preliminary analysis of population genetic structure in remnant populations across the species' range was performed. In addition to updating census information on remnant populations of A. georgiana, chapter one …
Determination Of Toxic Heavy Metals In Wet Deposition And Ambient Air In Columbus, Ga, Melissa K.M. Nestor
Determination Of Toxic Heavy Metals In Wet Deposition And Ambient Air In Columbus, Ga, Melissa K.M. Nestor
Theses and Dissertations
Atmospheric pollution is one of the most significant and potentially catastrophic environmental issues threatening the United States and the world today. One such source of this pollution is heavy metals. The impact of heavy metal pollution on living organisms can be disastrous, having the potential to cause the deterioration of ecosystems and posing danger to the health and survival of the human race. Chronic and acute human exposure to this type of pollution can damage the proper functioning of vital body organs by inhibiting important neurological pathways. In plants, it essentially acts as a counter-agent to proper growth. In areas …
Host Fish Assessment And Gravidity For The Mussel Elliptoideus Sloatianus, Andrew Hartzog
Host Fish Assessment And Gravidity For The Mussel Elliptoideus Sloatianus, Andrew Hartzog
Theses and Dissertations
Elliptoideus sloatianus (purple bankclimber) is a freshwater mussel that m endemic to the Apalachicola River Basin, which includes the Chattahoochee, Flint, Chipola, and Apalachicola Rivers. Populations of E. sloatianus also exist in the Ochlockonee River, which discharges independently from the ACF basin into the Gulf of Mexico. In 1998, E. sloatianus was listed as federally threatened due to the loss of suitable habitat and the potential blockage of host fish passage into areas where the mussel lives. For this study, we located three populations of £. sloatianus in the Flint River in southwest Georgia. Gravid mussels were collected in late …
Interspecific Hybridization Among Black Basses (Micropterus Spp.) In The Chattahoochee River, Columbus Georgia, Kimberly S. Holley
Interspecific Hybridization Among Black Basses (Micropterus Spp.) In The Chattahoochee River, Columbus Georgia, Kimberly S. Holley
Theses and Dissertations
Interspecific hybridization can lead to the evolution of a new hybrid species or extinction of parental species due to competition or excessive backcrossing, When parental populations differ in abundance, hybrids tend to backcross more frequently with the more abundant parent, resulting in asymmetrical introgression. The objective of this study was to determine the extent and apparent direction of hybridization between shoal bass {Micropterus cataractae), a rare endemic species to the Apalachicola drainage, and spotted bass (M. punctulatus), an introduced and more abundant species. Pelvic fin tissue (N = 130) was taken from bass species in the Chattahoochee River between Columbus, …
The Giant Cretaceous Coelacanth (Actinistia, Sarcopterygii) Megalocoelacanthus Dobiei Schwimmer, Stewart & Williams, 1994, And Its Bearing On Latimerioidei Interrelationships, David R. Schwimmer
The Giant Cretaceous Coelacanth (Actinistia, Sarcopterygii) Megalocoelacanthus Dobiei Schwimmer, Stewart & Williams, 1994, And Its Bearing On Latimerioidei Interrelationships, David R. Schwimmer
Faculty Bibliography
We present a redescription of Megalocoelacanthus dobiei, a giant fossil coelacanth from Upper Cretaceous strata of North America. Megalocoelacanthus has been previously described on the basis of composite material that consisted of isolated elements. Consequently, many aspects of its anatomy have remained unknown as well as its phylogenetic relationships with other coelacanths. Previous studies have suggested that Megalocoelacanthus is closer to Latimeria and Macropoma than to Mawsonia. However, this assumption was based only on the overall similarity of few anatomical features, rather than on a phylogenetic character analysis. A new, and outstandingly preserved specimen from the Niobrara Formation in Kansas …
Overview Of The Strategic And Structural Evolution Of The Talladega Slate Belt, Alabama Appalachians, Clinton Barineau
Overview Of The Strategic And Structural Evolution Of The Talladega Slate Belt, Alabama Appalachians, Clinton Barineau
Faculty Bibliography
The allochthonous Talladega belt of eastern-northeastern Alabama and northwestern Georgia is a northeast striking, fault bounded block of lower greenschist facies metasedimentary and metaigneous rocks that formed along the margin of Laurentia at or outboard of the seaward edge of the Alabama promontory. Bounded by metamorphic rocks of the higher grade Neoproterozoic(?) to Carboniferous eastern Blue Ridge on the southeast and unmetamorphosed to anchimetamorphic Paleozoic rocks of the Appalachian foreland on the northwest, the Talladega belt includes shelf facies rocks of the latest Neoproterozoic/earliest Cambrian Kahatchee Mountain Group, Cambrian-Ordovician Sylacauga Marble Group, and the latest Silurian(?) to uppermost Devonian/earliest Mississippian …
Paleobiology And Geochemistry Of Siliceous Concretions With Trilobites And Brooksella, David R. Schwimmer
Paleobiology And Geochemistry Of Siliceous Concretions With Trilobites And Brooksella, David R. Schwimmer
Faculty Bibliography
No abstract provided.
Strain Analysis On The Sub-Lay Dam Unconformity Near Jumbo, Alabama, Clinton Barineau
Strain Analysis On The Sub-Lay Dam Unconformity Near Jumbo, Alabama, Clinton Barineau
Faculty Bibliography
No abstract provided.
The Talladega And Ashland-Wedowee-Emuckfaw Belts Of Alabama: Geological Overview, Clinton Barineau
The Talladega And Ashland-Wedowee-Emuckfaw Belts Of Alabama: Geological Overview, Clinton Barineau
Faculty Bibliography
No abstract provided.
An Aphelaspis Zone (Upper Cambrian, Paibian) Trilobite Faunule In The Central Conasauga River Valley, North Georgia, Usa, David R. Schwimmer
An Aphelaspis Zone (Upper Cambrian, Paibian) Trilobite Faunule In The Central Conasauga River Valley, North Georgia, Usa, David R. Schwimmer
Faculty Bibliography
Middle and Upper Cambrian strata (Cambrian Series 3 and Furongian) in the southernmost Appalachians (Tennessee to Alabama) comprise the Conasauga Formation or Group. Heretofore, the youngest reported Conasauga beds in the Valley and Ridge Province of Georgia were of the late Middle Cambrian (Series 3: Drumian) Bolaspidella Zone, located on the western state boundary in the valley of the Coosa River. Two new localities sited eastward in the Conasauga River Valley, yield a diagnostic suite of trilobites from the Upper Cambrian Aphelaspis Zone. Very abundant, polymeroid trilobites at the primary locality are referable to Aphelaspis brachyphasis, which is a species …
Characteristics, Extent, And Tectonic Significance Of A Middle Ordovician Back-Arc Basin In The Southern Appalachian Blue Ridge, Clinton Barineau
Characteristics, Extent, And Tectonic Significance Of A Middle Ordovician Back-Arc Basin In The Southern Appalachian Blue Ridge, Clinton Barineau
Faculty Bibliography
A growing body of evidence suggests that a number of Ordovician-aged stratigraphic units in separate lithotectonic belts of the southern Appalachian orogen are genetically related, having formed in a back-arc setting on the Laurentian plate. Research on the Hillabee Greenstone in the Talladega belt and Pumpkinvinve Creek Formation and related bimodal metavolcanic rocks in the Dahlonega Gold belt suggest a similar temporal, spatial, and tectonic origin. Additionally, recent Ordovician isotopic ages for detrital zircons from the Wedowee and Emuckfaw Groups in the Ashland-WedoweeEmuckfaw belt of Alabama (eastern Blue Ridge), as well as stratigraphic correlations of these units with metasedimentary and …
Xmm-Newton Survey Of The Brightest Supernova Remnants In The Large Magellanic Cloud, Zachary I. Edwards
Xmm-Newton Survey Of The Brightest Supernova Remnants In The Large Magellanic Cloud, Zachary I. Edwards
Theses and Dissertations
Therefore, a realistic understanding of SN contribution from SNRs populations is needed to model the evolution of a galaxy.
Ecology And Biogeography Of The Piedmont Blue Burrower (Cambarus [Depressicambarus] Harti), Troy Keller
Ecology And Biogeography Of The Piedmont Blue Burrower (Cambarus [Depressicambarus] Harti), Troy Keller
Faculty Bibliography
No abstract provided.
Tracking Floral Visitation Using Dna Barcodes, Ivan Ray Shoemaker
Tracking Floral Visitation Using Dna Barcodes, Ivan Ray Shoemaker
Theses and Dissertations
Floral visitation resulting in interspecific pollen transfer (IPT) from non-native or invasive plant species can affect the reproductive fitness of native plant species through pollen allelopathy, stigma clogging, stylar clogging, and ovule (seed) discounting. The prevalence of IPT and the importance of pollinators in mediating its impacts, however, remain poorly understood. Although most traditional methods for examining visitor movement are insufficient for determining rates of potential IPT, one promising alternative is the use of DNA barcoding. Because floral visitors eat, collect or unknowingly obtain pollen, nectar and other floral tissues, plant DNA should be recoverable from their bodies, permitting molecular …
Characterization Of Watersheds On Fort Benning Military Reservation: Comparison Of Field Data To Watershed Parameters, Melinda Rosetta Stahl
Characterization Of Watersheds On Fort Benning Military Reservation: Comparison Of Field Data To Watershed Parameters, Melinda Rosetta Stahl
Theses and Dissertations
Sixteen watersheds located on Fort Benning Military Installation in Georgia were analyzed using both physically collected data and computer modeling data. Physical data collected included total suspended solids (TSS) and grain size analysis using the Wolman Pebble Count method. Computer modeling analyzed the watersheds using ArcGIS 9.3 for comparison to physical data. Land use, slope, and soil data were used in a modified revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) to create a soil erodibility index map. Wolman Pebble Count data showed that in half of the watersheds, 84% of the sampled grains were less than half a millimeter in size. …
Bite Marks Of The Giant Crocodylian Deinosuchus On Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Bones, David R. Schwimmer
Bite Marks Of The Giant Crocodylian Deinosuchus On Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Bones, David R. Schwimmer
Faculty Bibliography
The giant (~10 m) Late Cretaceous eusuchian crocodylians of the genus Deinosuchus are shown to have left large, blunt, sometimes penetrating bite marks on a significant number of sea turtle shells, and on several dinosaur specimens. The morphology of crocodylian bite marks is generally well documented, and the identification of bite traces specifically attributable to Deinosuchus may be made by reference to their size, age, habitat and prey selection. Deinosuchus species, and bite traces referable to the genus, are present on both sides of the Late Cretaceous Interior Seaway, and known only from Campanian deposits in the USA and northern …
Coprolites Of Deinosuchus And Other Crocodylians From The Upper Cretaceous Of Western Georgia, Usa, Samantha D. Harrell, David R. Schwimmer
Coprolites Of Deinosuchus And Other Crocodylians From The Upper Cretaceous Of Western Georgia, Usa, Samantha D. Harrell, David R. Schwimmer
Faculty Bibliography
Associated with abundant bones, teeth and osteoderms of the giant eusuchian Deinosuchus rugosus are larger concretionary masses of consistent form and composition. It is proposed that these are crocodylian coprolites, and further, based on their size and abundance, that these are coprolites of Deinosuchus. The associated coprolite assemblage also contains additional types that may come from smaller crocodylians, most likely species of the riverine/estuarine genus Borealosuchus, which is represented by bones, osteoderms and teeth in fossil collections from the same site.
One Or Two Species Of The Giant Crocodylian Deinosuchus?, David R. Schwimmer
One Or Two Species Of The Giant Crocodylian Deinosuchus?, David R. Schwimmer
Faculty Bibliography
No abstract provided.
Construction Site Sedimentary Pollution In A Watershed, Imo Okwu
Construction Site Sedimentary Pollution In A Watershed, Imo Okwu
Theses and Dissertations
In the study of sediment pollution on and near a construction site, it is necessary to remember that sediment movement and deposition are part of the natural environment before the intervention of construction. As with many hydrologic problems, most sedimentation problems have visual impacts for relatively short periods, because they are rainstorm-related. Perhaps the most serious sedimentation problem is general deterioration of the total environment, a condition usually not recognized by the public. This research presents an analytical evaluation of five construction sites. The analytical framework categorized the life cycle of construction sites into three stages in order to facilitate …
Comparative Ecology And Conservation Status Of Procambarus (Pennides) Gibbus And Procambarus (Pennides) Versutus In Marion County, Georgia, Joann Chadwick
Comparative Ecology And Conservation Status Of Procambarus (Pennides) Gibbus And Procambarus (Pennides) Versutus In Marion County, Georgia, Joann Chadwick
Theses and Dissertations
Two crayfish species, whose conservation status was of concern, Procambarus (Pennides) gibbus Hobbs and Procambarus (Pennides) versutus Hagen, and one relatively common crayfish, Procambarus (Pennides) spiculifer LeConte were studied at nine creek sites in Marion County, Georgia. Major objectives of the yearlong study were to 1) compare the habitats of these species, looking for environmental differences that might account for their isolated distributions within the county and 2) assess the current conservation status of P. gibbus and P. versutus. Each study site was characterized by a one-time assessment of floodplain width, stream width, water velocity, stream depth and assessment of …
Lophorhothon., David R. Schwimmer
Artifact Preservation, Thomas Dolan
Life History Observations And Determination Of Potential Host Fish Species For Chipola Slabshell, Elliptio Chipolaensis, Lisa Preister
Life History Observations And Determination Of Potential Host Fish Species For Chipola Slabshell, Elliptio Chipolaensis, Lisa Preister
Theses and Dissertations
North America is home to nearly 300 species of freshwater mussels with approximately 80% being found in the southeastern United States. The Federally threatened species, Elliptio chipolaensis (Chipola slabshell), is considered an endemic species to the Chipola River Basin in the Florida panhandle. E. chipolaensis glochidia are released from the female in conglutinates The potential fish host species for Elliptio chipolaensis are the bluegill and redbreast sunfish. Sixty percent of the bluegill successfully transformed E. chipolaensis glochidia into juvenile mussels while 80% of the redbreast sunfish were successful.
Tolerance And Accumulation Of Copper, Lead And Zinc By Ceratopteris Richardii, Dorothy Jelagat Cheruiyot
Tolerance And Accumulation Of Copper, Lead And Zinc By Ceratopteris Richardii, Dorothy Jelagat Cheruiyot
Theses and Dissertations
Environmental contamination has increased rapidly in recent years. There is a need to develop cheap and environmentally friendly remediation methods. Numerous studies have evaluated the ability plants to remove contaminants from the environment. The present study evaluated the ability of Ceratopteris richardii gametophytes and sporophytes to tolerate copper, lead and zinc and for the sporophytes to accumulate the three metals in their shoots. Spores were sown in plant medium treated with varying concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn. Fifteen-day- old sporophytes were transferred into medium mixed with varying concentrations of the three metals. Ceratopteris richardii tolerated and accumulated each of …
Effect Of A Water Treatment Bmp On Nutrient Spiraling And Leaf Litter Breakdown In An Urban Stream, Megan Leclair Wheeler
Effect Of A Water Treatment Bmp On Nutrient Spiraling And Leaf Litter Breakdown In An Urban Stream, Megan Leclair Wheeler
Theses and Dissertations
Alterations to stream conditions caused by urbanization can compromise valuable ecosystem services, such as nutrient attenuation and carbon processing. A best management practice (BMP) water facility was installed to restore an impaired urban stream in Columbus, GA. This study was conducted to determine the effect of this BMP on nutrient spiraling and leaf litter decomposition in a 2 km stretch of Weracoba Creek. I hypothesized the BMP would (1) reduce leaf mass loss over time and (2) interfere with nutrient concentrations and uptake lengths. I characterized leaf litter decomposition using tulip tree leaves {Liriodendron tulipifera) in 1mm mesh bags deployed …
A Stratigraphic And Depositional Interpretation Of A Sand Quarry In Middle Georgia, Jessica Taylor
A Stratigraphic And Depositional Interpretation Of A Sand Quarry In Middle Georgia, Jessica Taylor
Theses and Dissertations
Analysis of sediments from two sand quarries in Mauk, Georgia indicate braided stream environment. Sediment samples of both Pleistocene and Cretaceous age were collected, sedimentary features such as trough cross-bedding along with laminar bedding were recorded, and photos were taken to document the scale and stratigraphic sequences of the sediments. Petrified wood was collected throughout the two sand quarries indicating a terrestrial origin. Post-depositional modifications seen at some of sites include load and flame structures. Sediment samples were examined for grain-size distributions and other sediment textures.