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Slides: The Costs And Benefits Of Best Management Practices: Insights From The Marcellus Shale, Timothy J. Considine

Best Management Practices (BMPs): What? How? And Why? (May 26)

Presenter: Timothy J. Considine, School of Energy Resources, Department of Economics and Finance, University of Wyoming

15 slides

Slides: Collaborative Planning And Lessons Learned, Matt Sura

Best Management Practices (BMPs): What? How? And Why? (May 26)

Presenter: Matt Sura, University of Colorado Law School

48 slides

Mac Os X Forensics: Password Discovery, David Primeaux, Robert Dahlberg, Kamnab Keo, Stephen Larson, B. Pennell, K. Sherman

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

OS X provides a password-rich environment in which passwords protect OS X resources and perhaps many other resources accessed through OS X. Every password an investigator discovers in an OS X environment has the potential for use in discovering other such passwords, and any discovered passwords may also be useful in other aspects of an investigation, not directly related to the OS X environment. This research advises the use of multiple attack vectors in approaching the password problem in an OS X system, including the more generally applicable non-OS X-specific techniques such as social engineering or well-known password cracking techniques …

A Practitioners Guide To The Forensic Investigation Of Xbox 360 Gaming Consoles, Ashley L. Podhradsky, Rob D’Ovidio, Cindy Casey

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Given the ubiquitous nature of computing, individuals now have nearly 24-7 access to the internet. People are not just going online through traditional means with a PC anymore, they are now frequently using nontraditional devices such as cell phones, smart phones, and gaming consoles. Given the increased use of gaming consoles for online access, there is also an increased use of gaming consoles to commit criminal activity. The digital forensic community has been tasked with creating new approaches for forensically analyzing gaming consoles. In this research paper the authors demonstrate different tools, both commercial and open source, available to forensically …

The Influence Of Various Variables On In Situ Transesterification Of J. Curcas, Farizul Kasim, Adama Harvey

Bioenergy III: Present and New Perspectives on Biorefineries

No abstract provided.

Antioxidant Activity Of Pyrolysis Oil Fractions From Different Biomass Feedstocks, Javeed Mohammad, Cedric Briens, Franco Berruti, Lorenzo Ferrante

Bioenergy III: Present and New Perspectives on Biorefineries

No abstract provided.

Optimizing High Volume Traffic Surges Using Discrete Event Simulation, Claire L. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this applied research study is to determine the fidelity of a discrete event simulation tool called the Evacuation Simulation Prediction Tool (ESP) in predicting transit times during a high volume surge in traffic flow. The ESP tool was developed for the purpose of predicting and optimizing large-scale evacuations of counties or regions as an aide in emergency and disaster preparedness planning. The goal of the ESP model is to ascertain the balance of traffic flow capacity by managing the human factor events that impinge upon orderly highway travel without immobilizing the travel route. The objective of this …

Modeling Erosion And Sedimentation Processes In The Chorro Creek Subwatershed To Evaluate And Develop Effective Watershed Management Approaches, Michael Randall, Misgana K. Muleta

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Morro Bay Watershed, located in San Luis Obispo County, California, covers more than 48,000 acres of land and discharges into Morro Bay through the Morro Bay National Estuary (MBNE). The Chorro Creek Subwatershed consists of approximately 30,000 acres of the overall watershed. The MBNE provides an ecosystem that supports a variety of wildlife, from the common sea gull to the endangered sea otter. The estuary is also home to over 200 species of birds. The operational waterfront of the Morro Bay Harbor was and continues to be a strong supporter to the local economy of the City of Morro …

A Review Focused On The Psychological Effectiveness Of Tai Chi On Different Populations, Long Zhang, Thomas Lowder, Jian Liu

Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering Faculty Research

As a popular exercise form, Tai Chi (TC) has been investigated to determine its contributions to an active and healthy lifestyle. There are an increasing number of researchers who focus on exploring the potential physiological and psychological benefits of TC but only a few systematic reviews of these benefits to a variety of populations. The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively evaluate the reported psychological benefits associated with practicing TC. Although many investigators have reported possible psychological benefits of TC for children, young adults, older healthy adults, and for a variety of patient populations, many of the reports suffer …

Development Of A Phase Separation Model For A Biodiesel Reactor, Lu Han

Honors Scholar Theses

The goal of this work is to establish a phase separation model for a biodiesel system, for the purpose of modeling a continuous flow multiphase biodiesel reactor. The Cahn-Hilliard theory is applied for a ternary system of two immiscible components and a third partially miscible component. The results of this work shows that phase field theory can be applied in phase modeling of a biodiesel system, and further investigations are required to develop a comprehensive biodiesel reactor model.

Near Infrared Imaging System, Barbara Adu-Baffour

Honors Scholar Theses

This senior project is to design and fabricate a near infrared imaging system using laser diodes for imaging biological tissues. The device will have three major sections comprising the signal source, detection and data analysis sections.

In the source signal section, a circuit would be designed and built which will contain two laser diodes with different wavelengths (780nm and 830nm). Each of the two laser diodes will modulated at different frequencies to enable a spatial coding system. The detection section of the device will have an optical detector channel which will be designed to detect signals from all the laser …

Ecosystem Management Of The Missouri River From Gavins Point Dam To Ponca State Park, Nebraska, Robert S. Nebel

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

•Authorized by a 1978 amendment to the National Parks and Recreation Act (PL 95- 625) which amended the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (PL 90-542)

• Corps is authorized to construct recreational development, bank stabilization, and other recreational river features as necessary to support the values for which the river was designated

• Life-of-project funding ceiling of $21 million; approximately $3.2 million spent to date

• The Corps and National Park Service signed a 1980 Cooperative Agreement outlining each agency's responsibilities

• The General Management Plan has recently been updated (1999) with an environmental emphasis

Bio-Gasoline From Jatropha Oil: New Applications For The Fcc- Process, Alexander Weinert, Alexander Reichhold, Peter Bielansky, Christoph Schönberger, Bettina Schumi

10th International Conference on Circulating Fluidized Beds and Fluidization Technology - CFB-10

Jatropha curcas L. is a very drought-resistant plant, and jatropha oil can be ex-tracted from its seeds. Whilst not suitable for human consumption, we found that it is a promising feedstock for producing (bio)-gasoline. The oil was cracked in an inter-nally circulating FCC-reactor using a Grace Davison Ultima® catalyst. The total con-version was around 65%, with ca. 40% gasoline and ca. 25% crack gas (exact num-bers varied with reactor temperature). The gasoline has a RON > 95 and oxy-gen < 0.3% m. The crack-gas consisted of ca. 35% propylene, ca. 13% 1-butene and ca. 6% ethylene.

National Water Footprint Accounts: The Green, Blue And Grey Water Footprint Of Production And Consumption. Volume 1: Main Report, Mesfin Mekonnen, Arjen Y. Hoekstra

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

This study quantifies and maps the water footprints of nations from both a production and consumption perspective and estimates international virtual water flows and national and global water savings as a result of trade. The entire estimate includes a breakdown of water footprints, virtual water flows and water savings into their green, blue and grey components. The main finding of the study can be summarized as:

The global water footprint in the period 1996-2005 was 9087 Gm3/yr (74% green, 11% blue, 15% grey). Agricultural production contributes 92% to this total footprint.

About one fifth of the global water footprint relates …

National Water Footprint Accounts: The Green, Blue And Grey Water Footprint Of Production And Consumption, Volume 2: Appendices, Mesfin Mekonnen, Arjen Y. Hoekstra

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Contents

Appendix I. The water footprint of national production (Mm³/yr)

Appendix II. Virtual-water flows related to trade in crop, animal and industrial products, per country (Mm³/yr)

Appendix III. International virtual-water flows per product category (Mm³/yr)

Appendix IV. National water saving related to trade in agricultural and industrial products per country (Mm³/yr)

Appendix V. Global water saving related to trade in agricultural and industrial products, per product (Mm³/yr)

Appendix VI. The average water footprint per ton of commodity per country, weighted based on origin (WF* in m³/ton)

Appendix VII. …

Fate And Transport Of Escherichia Coli Within Sediment Basins On Active Construction Sites, Elizabeth Tempel

All Theses

The conventional method of controlling sediment-laden runoff on construction sites is the use of sediment basins. These basins slow the velocity of runoff and allow the particles to settle from the water column before discharge to surface waters offsite. This best management practice, however, may create a reservoir for pathogenic bacteria. Sediment is known to provide protection for bacteria; therefore, while these basins decrease sediment loadings to water bodies downstream, they may introduce harmful levels of pathogenic bacteria into these surface waters. In addition to causing human health risks, these high bacteria levels alter natural biological makeup of downstream ecosystems. …

Application Of Existing Appropriate Technology To Small Communities In Honduras's Opalaca Mountains, Adrian Beirise

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In a 2009 trip to the Opalaca Mountain region of Honduras, a need was identified for appropriate technology solutions to three key issues: housing improvements related to Chaga's Disease, indoor smoke reduction, and pure water. Through research regarding the problems, the local area, and candidate solutions, a set of three solutions was found. This includes corrugated steel roofing, vented or simple adobe rocket stoves, and solar disinfection.

Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells In Response To Gold Nanoparticles, William Mcallister

All Theses

In this master's thesis we look at elucidating the interactions between nanoparticles and cells. Specifically, we looked at how the cell mechanics are affected, cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles, and shifts in cell phenotypes. There has been much research looking into whether nanoparticles are cytotoxic, but limited amounts looking at their effect on mechanics especially with vascular smooth muscle cells. This cell type has two distinct phenotypes of synthetic and contractile that each serve different purposes physiologically.
The first experiments we did were cytotoxicity assays to see if the cells could survive the treatment with nanoparticles. If the cells died within …

Migration Models - Comparison Of Pvc, Pet And Pla Diffusivity, Combined With A Production Cost Model For Westridge Laboratories, Shelley Cooke, Sarina Surrette

Materials Engineering

This project has two parts: [1] a migration and diffusivity model for candidate plastics used in containers, and [2] a product cost model for Westridge Laboratories (Santa Ana, CA).

Diffusion modeling is a useful tool to predict migration of polymer constituents into exposed liquids.  Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polylactic acid (PLA) were studied to estimate production costs, and component migration into water-based liquids from plastic containers.  Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), antimony trioxide, and stannous octoate, are components of concern in the three candidate polymers, respectively.  Normal detection limits for these constituents are about 1 - 10 ppb, …

Investigation Of The Use Of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Tools For Management Of An Urbanizing Watershed, Reed C. Colton

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The regulation of non-point pollution sources (e.g. agricultural runoff and stormwater discharges) as mandated by the 1972 Clean Water Act, forced a fundamental paradigm shift from “end of the pipe” pollution control to a watershed management approach. Multiple jurisdictions and often conflicting objectives make it difficult to reach stakeholder consensus and execute watershed management decisions. To facilitate decision making when multiple and/or conflicting objectives exist, Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) tools were developed for diverse applications, and potentially could be used to facilitate watershed management.

The overall objective of this thesis was to evaluate MCDM tool use to facilitate community-based management of …

Protein Structure-Based Method For Identification Of Horizontal Gene Transfer In Bacteria, Swetha Billa

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Horizontal Gene Transfer is defined as the movement of genetic material from one strain of species to another. Bacteria, being an asexual organism were always believed to transfer genes vertically. But recent studies provide evidence that shows bacteria can also transfer genes horizontally.

HGT plays a major role in evolution and medicine. It is the major contributor in bacterial evolution, enabling species to acquire genes to adapt to the new environments. Bacteria are also believed to develop drug resistance to antibiotics through the phenomenon of HGT. Therefore further study of HGT and its implications is necessary to understand the effects …

Effects Of Microenvironment On Growth And Differentiation Of Human Dental Pulp Cells, Laura Datko

All Theses

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) have recently been described as a potential stem cell source for various regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications. They appear to be multipotent, however more characterization is necessary to determine the true potential of these cells. An important aspect of using DPSCs, or any stem cell type, tissue engineering application is the microenvironment within the construct. The microenvironment could include construct mechanical properties, construct composition, and 3D dynamic conditions in vivo. This work aims to study those specific microenvironment effects on DPSCs. To determine the effects of mechanical properties of the substrate on DPSCs, they …

Remote Control And Automation Of The Crockett Canal Head Gates, Tyler Dean Richards

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In order to improve the control of the Crockett canal an automated control system for the head gates was proposed and an analysis of design alternatives was conducted. Design alternatives were analyzed based on the criteria of reliability, operational improvement, cost and safety. After the analysis was completed recommendations as to which type of automation system to install were made. A comprehensive design of the recommended design is included. The automation of the head gates has been separated into two phases. Items to be included in phase one are: retrofit each of the existing head gates with a multi-turn gate …

Biodiesel Production From Waste Algae Through Supercritical Methanol And Solid Catalysts, Alexander Lopez

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The need for alternate fuels continues to rise as fossil fuel reserves decline, and the effects of harmful fuel emissions on the environment begin to take its toll. One alternate fuel that has great potential is biodiesel. Biodiesel is a non-petroleum based fuel composed of alkyl esters from feedstocks. Using biodiesel as an alternate fuel source has a variety of advantages over traditional petroleum diesel, including producing no SOx emissions and low COx emissions. Another important advantage of biodiesel is that it can be produced from a wide variety of feedstocks. Biodiesel processes using waste cooking oil, animal fats, and …

Nutrient Runoff Following Manure Application, Chance Thayer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A field study was completed to measure the effects of varying flow rate on nutrient transport following the application of varying amounts of beef cattle manure to plots containing either no-residue or a wheat residue cover.  Beef cattle manure was applied and incorporated into the soil in May 2010 to meet zero, one, two, four or eight year corn phosphorus requirements. Simulated rainfall events were applied in June and July 2010. The presence of a crop residue cover significantly increased the transport of dissolved phosphorus, total phosphorus, NO₃-N, NH₄-N, and total nitrogen in runoff but decreased …

Evaluation Of Delivery Conditions For Cutaneous Plasmid Electrotransfer Using A Multielectrode Array, Bernadette Ferraro, Loree C. Heller, Yolmari L. Cruz, Siqi Guo, Amy Donate, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Electroporation (EP) is a simple in vivo method to deliver normally impermeable molecules, such as plasmid DNA, to a variety of tissues. Delivery of plasmid DNA by EP to a large surface area is not practical because the distance between the electrode pairs, and therefore the applied voltage, must be increased to effectively permeabilize the cell membrane. The design of the multielectrode array (MEA) incorporates multiple electrode pairs at a fixed distance to allow for delivery of plasmid DNA to the skin, potentially reducing the sensation associated with in vivo EP. In this report, we evaluate the effects of field …

Peripheral Soldering Of Flip Chip Joints On Passive Rfid Tags, Md Syful Islam

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Flip chip is the main component of a RFID tag. It is used in billions each year in electronic packaging industries because of its small size, high performance and reliability as well as low cost. They are used in microprocessors, cell phones, watches and automobiles. RFID tags are applied to or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away or even beyond the line of sight of the reader. Passive RFID tags are the most common type in use that employ external power source to …

Interactive Opengl Animation, Lusha Zhang

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This is an interactive animation created using C language, with support from the OpenGL, GLUT and the SDL frameworks. The concept behind this animation is to utilize the functions provided by OpenGL to achieve visual effects involving lighting, texture, motion, modeling and interaction.

Based on experiment and research on various libraries, the Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) framework was chosen to implement an audio frame buffer to play background music. The animation involved significant mathematical calculation in terms of motion and modeling. The animation is an underwater scene that contains randomly generated bubbles, a dolphin and a whale. Textures were applied …

Cfd Modeling Of Entrance And Exit Geometries Of A Wind Speed Accelerator., David Russ

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current wind power technology is not economically feasible throughout most of the United States due to low average wind speeds. A design for a small-scale wind concentrator device suitable for use in areas of low wind velocity was tested using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Using a novel approach, the device seeks to accelerate incoming air above minimum velocities required for economical power generation. The novel approach employs a funnel shaped inlet with relief vents along the circumference, so as to alleviate backpressure. Both inlet and outlet sections utilize funnel shapes with both parabolic and hyperbolic regions. All geometry and mesh …

Narrow Grass Hedge Control Of Nutrient Loads Following Variable Manure Applications, John E. Gilley, Lisa M. Durso, Roger Eigenberg, David B. Marx, Brian L. Woodbury

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The effectiveness of a narrow grass hedge in reducing runoff nutrient loads following manure application was examined in this study. Beef cattle manure was applied to 0.75 m wide by 4.0 m long plots established on an Aksarben silty clay loam located in southeast Nebraska. Manure was added at rates required to meet none or the 1, 2, or 4 year nitrogen requirements for corn. Runoff water quality was measured during three 30 min simulated rainfall events. Manure application rate significantly affected dissolved phosphorus (DP) and total phosphorus (TP) loads in runoff on the plots without a grass hedge. However, …