Digital Commons Network^™

Research On Correlation Effects Between Tianjin Port And Its Inland Ports Based On Modified Gravity Model, Yayun Zhao

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Designing Constructed Wetlands For Water Purification In Tanzania, Danielle Mcneely, Michael Sheehan, John Lumkes

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In Tanzania half of households have unsafe drinking water (Nkonya, 2010) and many diseases arise from poor water quality, including meningitis, hepatitis A and E, and salmonella (Kusiluka et al., 2004). One cost-effective way of cleaning water is by passing it through a wetland. This research is focused on simplifying the process of horizontal subsurface flow wetland construction for the villagers of Endallah. The outcome is an Excel tool that standardizes methodology for building wetlands that can then be applied to Endallah. Rainfall data from the Arusha region of Tanzania was used to make a rainfall estimation grid. From this …

Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Land Cover Change, Sedimentation And Water Quality In The Lake Issaqueena Watershed, South Carolina, Cassie Pilgrim

All Theses

Soil erosion and increased sediment yields within a watershed lead to impaired water quality, decreased availability of wildlife habitat and reduced recreational opportunities. While some sedimentation occurs naturally within a water system, most erosion processes are the result of anthropogenic activities across a landscape, namely changes in land use and land cover (LULC). This study was conducted to determine temporal and spatial sedimentation trends in the Lake Issaquena watershed using sonar logging equipment, geographic information systems (GIS) and limited hydrologic data from the Soil Conservation Service (1941 and 1949). Sediment deposition was analyzed in relation to several key factors that …

Modeling And Design Strategy Of Online Advertising Ecosystem, Qiuchen Wang

All Theses

Internet has undoubtedly become a major and effective medium for advertising, and it will soon replace traditional advertising media. Online advertising ecosystem is consisted of thousands of agents, which can be divided into three types: users, advertisers and publishers. Each type of the agents plays an important role in the ecosystem. However, it is generally very difficult to model such a complex and large-scale system, not to mention the design of suitable strategies for the ecosystem. On the other side, replicator-mutator (RM) dynamics combine tools from evolutionary dynamics of populations, complex networks, and control theory to study evolution of behavior …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 55 Number 4, Summer 2014, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

20 - A DAY WITH THE DALAI LAMA photos by Charles Barry, Noah Berger, and Michael Collopy . Close-ups and long views from the spiritual leader’s Feb. 24 visit.

24 - THE CATHOLIC WRITER TODAY by Dana Gioia. The poet, critic, and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts argues that Catholic writers must renovate and reoccupy their own tradition. At stake: the diversity and vitality of the American arts.

38 - OUR STORIES AND THE THEATRE OF AWE an interview with Marilynne Robinson. The Pulitzer Prize–winning writer speaks with Editor Steven Boyd Saum about grace, discernment, and …

Cypress Construction Inc.: Scheduling And Estimating Quandaries For Small Scale Residential Builds, Thamar Alsayyar

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

This study evaluates the particular scheduling and estimating challenges faced by Cypress Construction Incorporated, a small, privately owned residential construction company based in Baltimore, Maryland. The study, via the usage of primary data collection in the form of personal interviews and site observations, determines the nature of the scheduling and estimating functions conducted by Cypress Construction Inc.’s owner This data is then analyzed to ascertain why the scheduling and estimating functions of Cypress Construction Inc. are unique to the firm and are in need of amelioration. Furthermore, the study includes a literature review to compare the experiences of Cypress Construction …

Development Of A Real Time Bistatic Radar Receiver Using Signals Of Opportunity, Nicholas Rainville

Open Access Theses

Passive bistatic radar remote sensing offers a novel method of monitoring the Earth's surface by observing reflected signals of opportunity. The Global Positioning System (GPS) has been used as a source of signals for these observations and the scattering properties of GPS signals from rough surfaces are well understood. Recent work has extended GPS signal reflection observations and scattering models to include communications signals such as XM radio signals. However the communication signal reflectometry experiments to date have relied on collecting raw, high data-rate signals which are then post-processed after the end of the experiment. This thesis describes the development …

Big Data Analytics With Nyc Taxicab Data, Xinwu Qian

Open Access Theses

In recent years, the fast development of pervasive computing technologies gives us access to a variety of big data sources, such as mobile phone users, bank note movements and twitter posts etc. It provides unprecedented opportunities to conduct urban studies and contributes to the sustainable and efficient development of large cities. While big data is an invaluable treasure, our knowledge is limited due to lack of appropriate tools to analyze the data. Hence, this thesis is mainly focused on demonstrating how taxicab data can be used to study urban travel patterns and explore useful insights.

A Method To Define Requirements For System Of Systems, Randy Gene Walker

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop and apply a systems-based method for defining System of Systems (SoS) requirements using an inductive research design. Just as traditional Systems Engineering (TSE) includes a requirements definition phase, so too does System of Systems Engineering (SoSE); only with a wider, more over- arching, systemic perspective. TSE addresses the design and development of a single system with generally a very specific functional purpose enabled by any number of subcomponents. SoSE however, addresses the design and development of a large, complex system to meet a wide range of functional purposes enabled by any number …

Ceas E-News 06.20.2014, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences News

• Transportation Research Center receives second $1.4 million installment of funding for research
• Civil and construction engineering students investigate sensing technologies
• Geomatics summer course offers fundamentals in surveying and advanced technologies
• Summer commencement
• ·

An Application Of Geographical And Statistical Linked Data To Ecology: The Brazilian Cerrado Ontology Network And Qualitative Reasoning Models, Adriano Souza, Oscar Corcho, Paulo Salles, Luis Vilches-Blázquez

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This work aims to link data about wood plant communities obtained from scientific studies about the Brazilian Cerrado biome, meteorological and environmental data, geographical information (maps) and Qualitative Reasoning (QR) conceptual models. An ontology network was developed in order to integrate data from different sources. Data Cube, AEMET, GeoSPARQL, and Time ontologies and QR formalism were used as general ontologies. In addition, two domain ontologies--Cerrado Concepts and Wood Plant Dynamics Ontology (Ccon) and Fire Ontology (Fire)--were developed to represent scientific knowledge about vegetation ecology focused on vegetation dynamics under different burning regimens. Datasets provided by Brazilian geovernment agencies and those …

Empirical Agent-Based Modelling Of Everyday Pro­Environmental Behaviours At Work, Gary Polhill, Tony Craig, Amparo Alonso-Betanzos, Noelia Sanchez-Maroño, Óscar Fontenla-Romero, Adina Dumitru, Mirilia Bonnes, Marini Bonaiuto, Giuseppe Carrus, Ferdinando Fornara, Fridanna Maricchiolo, Linda Steg, Angela Ruepert, Kees Kaizer, Ricardo García-Mira

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

We report on agent-based modelling work in the LOCAW project (Low Carbon at Work: Modelling Agents and Organisations to Achieve Transition to a Low Carbon Europe). The project explored the effectiveness of various backcasting scenarios conducted with case study organisations in bringing about pro-environmental change in the workforce in the domains of transport, energy use and waste. The model used qualitative representations of workspaces in formalising each scenario, and decision trees learned from questionnaire responses to represent decision-making. We describe the process by which the decision trees were constructed, noting that the use of decision trees in agent-based models requires …

Diffuse Nutrient Pollution From Residential Catchments, Melissa Rachelle Butcher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nonpoint source nutrient pollution is diffuse pollution lacking discrete origin and conveyance. This thesis synthesizes and critically reviews research on residential nitrogen and phosphorus loss to stormwater runoff and leaching. The evaluation pulls from research covering influential socio-demographic indicators, such as use of lawn maintenance services and homeowner fertilizer practices. The extent to which such social and economic factors may influence the prevalence and fate of diffuse nutrients in stormwater runoff from residential areas has not been adequately established. Understanding the source and influencing factors of diffuse nutrient pollution is important in order to effectively protect surface and groundwater resources. …

The Application Of Boundary Layer Climatology And Urban Wind Power Potential In Smarter Electricity Networks, Keith Sunderland, Gerald Mills

Other resources

Smart electricity networks that address energy demand, efficiency and sustainability concerns are predicated on the ability to capture renewable energy in a controllable manner. Such networks will have a particular role in cities, where increasing demand is inevitable but this requires that primary (renewable) energy resources, including that of wind, is better understood. In this paper, the role of wind energy systems, as integral components of a smarter urban electricity network, is considered using a model of the urban wind resourcein Dublin, Ireland that is based on boundary layer theory and meteorological observations. This model is used in conjunction with …

Slides: Produced Water – Beneficial Reuse, Cabell Hodge

Water and Air Quality Issues in Oil and Gas Development: The Evolving Framework of Regulation and Management (Martz Summer Conference, June 5-6)

Presenter: Cabell Hodge, Policy, Regulation, and Emerging Markets Manager, Colorado Energy Office

12 slides

2014 Martz Summer Conference Poster Session, University Of Colorado Boulder. Getches-Wilkinson Center For Natural Resources, Energy, And The Environment, University Of Colorado Boulder. Airwatergas Sustainability Research Network

Water and Air Quality Issues in Oil and Gas Development: The Evolving Framework of Regulation and Management (Martz Summer Conference, June 5-6)

1 page.

This Conference is presented by the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment, in conjunction with the Air-Water-Gas Sustainability Research Network. Technological advances for extracting oil and gas from shale deposits have ushered in a new era of energy development in key resource-rich pockets throughout the US. In this event, we review the ongoing efforts of governments and industry to develop the regulatory and management practices necessary to protect water and air resources, drawing on the latest scientific research to tackle areas of uncertainty and to inform future action.

Design And Implementation Of Pedestrian And Bicycle-Specific Data Collection Methods In Oregon, Miguel Figliozzi, Christopher Monsere, Krista Nordback, Pamela Johnson, Bryan Philip Blanc

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although there is a growing need to access accurate and reliable pedestrian and bicycle data, there is no statewide system to collect data or plan future data collection efforts in the state of Oregon. To address these issues this research conducted a comprehensive review of pedestrian and bicycle data collection methods and counting technologies. Oregon data sources were also compiled and AADT estimation techniques were reviewed and applied to Oregon data. A pilot study was conducted to test bicycle and pedestrian counting methods at signalized intersections with 2070 controllers. The report also provides a summary of recommendations regarding factoring methods …

Investigative Techniques Of N-Way Vendor Agreement And Network Analysis Demonstrated With Fake Antivirus, Gary Warner, Mike Nagy, Kyle Jones, Kevin Mitchem

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Fake AntiVirus (FakeAV) malware experienced a resurgence in the fall of 2013 after falling out of favor after several high profile arrests. FakeAV presents two unique challenges to investigators. First, because each criminal organization running a FakeAV affiliate system regularly alters the appearance of their system, it is sometimes difficult to know whether an incoming criminal complaint or malware sample is related to one ring or the other. Secondly, because FakeAV is delivered in a “Pay Per Install” affiliate model, in addition to the ring-leaders of each major ring, there are many high-volume malware infection rings who are all using …

Volunteered Geographical Information: An Alternative Solution For Overcoming The Chasm Between Stormwater Management And Community Participation, Yanfu Zhou

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

It is a dramatic challenge to promote public engagement in stormwater management and green infrastructure initiatives. When traditional outreach approaches made important influence on public engagement, their limitations are also obvious. With the development of Web 2.0 technology, Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) has been emerging as one of the most important user-generated geographic contents. The crowdsourcing data that generated by volunteers through geo-web, smartphones, and other geo-devices provides invaluable mass data for decision-making. VGI can provide a better understanding of planning issues and other challenges. The research aims to develop a mobile information platform to allow citizens to report the …

Decaf: A New Event Detection Logic For The Purpose Of Fusing Delineated-Continuous Spatial Information, Kerry Q. Hart

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Geospatial information fusion is the process of synthesizing information from complementary data sources located at different points in space and time. Spatial phenomena are often measured at discrete locations by sensor networks, technicians, and volunteers; yet decisions often require information about locations where direct measurements do not exist. Traditional methods assume the spatial phenomena to be either discrete or continuous, an assumption that underlies and informs all subsequent analysis. Yet certain phenomena defy this dichotomy, alternating as they move across spatial and temporal scales. Precipitation, for example, appears continuous at large scales, but it can be temporally decomposed into discrete …

Ua66 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Newsletter, Cheryl Stevens, Dean

Ogden College of Science & Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Early Detection And Control Of Potential Pandemics., Shengpeng Jin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the centuries, human beings have been inflicted with a variety of contagious diseases, resulting in tens of millions of respiratory illnesses and deaths worldwide. Early detection of disease spread facilitates timely responses that can greatly reduce its impact on a population. Therefore, this early information is a major public health objective and is crucial for policy makers and public health officials responsible for protecting the public from the spread of contagious diseases. Current indicators of the spread of contagious outbreaks lag behind its actual spread, leaving no time for a planned response. The studies of Christakis et al. in …

Simulation Model For Optimization Of A Landside Harbor Logistic Chain Of Container Terminals., Klaus Striegel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The world wide transportation of all kind of goods with containers is a fast growing business. The challenge is to transport in the shortest time to the lowest cost. The vessels therefore become bigger and bigger. The biggest vessel with 16000 TEU is since December 2012 in service. But the next generation with 18000-22000 TEU is already being built. This raises questions in acceleration of loading and unloading process, the handling in the yards of the harbors and the transportation of the containers to Hinterland. The most common way is still to transport the container from the yard by truck, …

Coal Fires: An Environmental Disaster, Edward K. Jenner

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Coal Fires are an environmental disaster.

Coal Fires: An Environmental Disaster, Carolyn Schardt

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Coal Fires are part of an environmental disaster.

Time Correlated Measurements Using Plastic Scintillators With Neutron-Photon Pulse Shape Discrimination, Norman Edison Richardson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the beginning of the nuclear age, there has been a strong demand for the development of efficient technologies for the detection of ionizing radiation. According to the United States' Department of Energy, the accurate assessment of fissile materials is essential in achieving the nonproliferation goals of enhancing safety and security of nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear energy facilities [1]. Nuclear materials can be characterized by the measurement of prompt and delayed neutrons and gamma rays emitted in spontaneous or induced fission reactions [2] and neutrons emitted in fission reactions are the distinctive signatures of nuclear materials. Today, the most …

Dynamic Rating Of Transmission Lines For Improved Wind Energy Integration In Complex Terrain, Tyler Bennett Phillips

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Transmission congestion is a growing concern that could limit integration on new renewable energy projects to the electricity grid. Because construction of new transmission lines is a long and expensive process, transmission service providers are investigating dynamic line rating (DLR) mehtods that could potentially increase capacity of existing transmission lines. DLR is a smart-grid technology that enables rating of power lines based on real-time conductor temperature that is dependent on local weather conditions. whereas conventional practice relies on a static rating, which is based on conservative local weather assumptions to limit transmission line sag.

With todays improved wind and weather …

Coal Fires: An Environmental Disaster, Lidsay Hoggatt

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The mission of the Coal Fire Gang (CFG) is to spread awareness about the global issue of uncontrolled coal fires, and to highlight them as a low-hanging fruit of immediate emissions reduction. This report summarizes CFG’s research for the WERC competition, for which this topic was chosen as an open task. Beyond raising awareness, CFG modeled, developed and built an experimentation apparatus meant to prove the validity of a relatively cheap extinguishing method which was also novel to the regions in which it could be employed. The apparatus, which simulated an underground coal fire, was used to test a sand …

Coal Fires: An Environmental Disaster, Daniel Robert Miskin

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The mission of the Coal Fire Gang (CFG) is to spread awareness about the global issue of uncontrolled coal fires, and to highlight them as a low-hanging fruit of immediate emissions reduction. This report summarizes CFG’s research for the WERC competition, for which this topic was chosen as an open task. Beyond raising awareness, CFG modeled, developed and built an experimentation apparatus meant to prove the validity of a relatively cheap extinguishing method which was also novel to the regions in which it could be employed. The apparatus, which simulated an underground coal fire, was used to test a sand …

Coal Fires - An Environmental Disaster, Nicholas Kordsmeier

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The mission of the Coal Fire Gang (CFG) is to spread awareness about the global issue of uncontrolled coal fires, and to highlight them as a low-hanging fruit of immediate emissions reduction. This report summarizes CFG’s research for the WERC competition, for which this topic was chosen as an open task. Beyond raising awareness, CFG modeled, developed and built an experimentation apparatus meant to prove the validity of a relatively cheap extinguishing method which was also novel to the regions in which it could be employed. The apparatus, which simulated an underground coal fire, was used to test a sand …