Digital Commons Network^™

Knowledge Visualisation Of Wikipedia, Jinhui Wang

Dissertations

Wikipedia is a popular online encyclopaedia, in which articles are created together by anyone who is willing to contribute. There is debate on the quality, reliability and consistency of articles due to its openness. Besides, it is hard to see the growing path of articles because there is no centralised control in Wikipedia. The history of articles is available but in form that is difficult to process to get a picture of article evolution. Knowledge visualisation addresses the problem by providing analysis and comprehension of large amounts of data to gain insights and to facilitate knowledge creation and sharing. However, …

Combining Climate, Crash, And Highway Data For Improved Ranking Of Speed And Winter-Weather Related Crash Locations In Oregon, Christopher M. Monsere, Peter G. Bosa, Robert L. Bertini

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In recent years, the techniques for screening transportation networks to identify high crash locations have become more sophisticated. Many transportation agencies, however, lack sufficient data, either in timeliness, completeness, or accuracy to implement many of the recent advances. This paper presents the results of an empirical analysis of screening and ranking for specific crash type (speed and ice related crashes) on rural 1.6 km (1 mi) highway sections of Oregon highways. The analysis includes data generated with the extensive use of spatial techniques and incorporates climate data to enhance environmental considerations. The paper compares the results of five ranking methods—critical …

Performance Based Contracting And Improving The Current Contracting Process, Troy Berkland

All Theses

The primary objective of the research described in this report was to suggest improvements to the maintenance contracting process currently utilized by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). A secondary research objective was to examine to what extent SCDOT could migrate more toward performance based, as opposed to method based, highway maintenance specifications.
A comprehensive literature review indicated some states had successfully implemented performance based specifications for a wide range of maintenance activities whereas others had not. Some states have adopted performance based specifications as part of a comprehensive asset management program whereby the contractor typically performs all routine …

Using Gis To Optimize The Design And Implementation Of The Rtk Reference Network In Abu Dhabi, Mustafa Abdulla Almusawa

Theses

Several challenging applications and construction works demand real-time measurements for positioning at the centimeter-level accuracy. This positioning accuracy can be obtained by using a Global Positioning System (GPS) roving unit and employing a single reference station (base-station) or through utilizing the service of multiple reference stations forming a Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) Reference Network.

The limitation of the single reference approach is that measurement errors are distance dependent and good accuracy can be only obtained when distances are less than 10 kms. In addition, this method requires a nearby Geodetic Control Point (GCP). Recently, RTK reference networks are widely established in …

Analyzing Construction-Related Market Trends In Apec Countries Using Gis, Low Sui Pheng, Benny Raphael, Faisal Manzoor Arain

Business Review

GIS (Geographical Information System) is a means of representing data in digital form that has been used increasingly in various domains. GIS has the ability to capture,model, manipulate, retrieve, analyze and present geographically referenced data. In managing overseas building projects, research and analysis are especially crucial. It is necessary to collect enough information of the country that is related to the rule of law, government policies, and the performance of individual economic sectors, among other things. Although GIS has been shown to be a useful tool in various types of planning and management, it has not been used so far …

Cooperative Uav Formation Flying With Obstacle/Collision Avoidance, Xiaohua Wang, Vivek Yadav, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Navigation problems of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) flying in a formation in a free and an obstacle-laden environment are investigated in this brief. when static obstacles popup during the flight, the UAVs are required to steer around them and also avoid collisions between each other. In order to achieve these goals, a new dual-mode control strategy is proposed: a “safe mode” is defined as an operation in an obstacle-free environment and a “danger mode” is activated when there is a chance of collision or when there are obstacles in the path. Safe mode achieves global optimization because the dynamics of …

Socio-Economic Impacts Of Water Scarcity In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Shadrack Mwakalila

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Drought and the resulting low water levels in rivers exacerbate water scarcity conditions in Dar es Salaam city. The result is frequent water rationing in areas served with piped water, sometimes for days or weeks, and low water pressure, which leads residents to resort to other less safe and sometimes more expensive water sources. The frequent and current response to the inadequate piped water supply in Dar es Salaam has been the use of groundwater resources. There are both public and private bore-holes and wells drilling companies in Dar es Salaam.. This paper therefore, presents some socio-economic impacts of water …

Assessment Of Multi Media & Web Based Instruction In A Science Technology & Society Course, Patricia Backer

Faculty Publications

Multimedia can be a powerful tool in exploring the nature of the world around us, including its technological systems. This paper describes the assessment of self-paced multimedia and web- based modules that are used in an advanced General Education (GE) course in the College of Engineering at San José State University. The development of these modules began in 1994 and has undergone many revisions. Currently, four of the seven units in this class are taught using either multimedia CDs or web-based material.The General Education course, Technology and Civilization (TECH 198), is designed to introduce students to the realm of history …

2007 - The Twelfth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Twelfth Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 23, 2007. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Ua66 2007 Student Awards Ceremony, Wku Ogden College Of Science & Engineering

WKU Administration Documents

Program recognizing Ogden College students with brief list of activities for each student.

2007 Survey Of Summer Sessions Students At The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Paul Savory

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

During Summer 2007, UNL Summer Sessions (FlexEd) surveyed summer students to learn about their experience in taking a summer course(s). The survey results will offer confirmation of what we are doing well and will provide guidance on areas of improvement and better strategies for marketing UNL summer opportunities. A total of 227 students completed the survey. Fifteen summer classes were selected to complete a paper-based or electronic version of the survey. The classes were from three different summer sessions and used different delivery mechanisms (on-campus, studio, distance education).

Poster Session, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Identification of potential bacterial sources and levels, Red Duck Creek, Mayfield, Kentucky, Brooke Vorbeck, Travis Martin, and Mike Kemp, Dept of Industrial and Engineering Technology, Murray State University
• Water-quality trend analysis for streams in Kentucky, A.S. Crain and G.R. Martin, USGS, Louisville
• Preliminary Results of a Fecal Microbe Survey in a Eutrophic Lake, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, W.S. Borowski and M.S. Albright, Depts of Earth Sciences and Geography, EKU
• Preliminary Physical and Chemical Characteristics of an Eutrophic Lake, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, E.C. Jolly and W.S. Borowski, Dept of Earth Sciences, EKU
• Lethal and …

Session 2a: Surface Water, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Development and Application of a New Sediment Fingerprinting Methodology for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Charles Davis and Jimmy Fox, Dept of Civil Engineering, UK
• Accounting for Construction Stormwater in TMDL Development for Sediment Impaired Streams in Rapidly Growing Residential Areas, Jon Ludwig and John Bekman, Tetra Tech, and David Montali, WVDEP
• Responses of Riparian Plant Diversity to Gradients in Flood Frequency and Severity, Patrick Lawless and Jimmy Fox, Depts of Geography and Civil Engineering, UK

Internet Protocol Geolocation: Development Of A Delay-Based Hybrid Methodology For Locating The Geographic Location Of A Network Node, John M. Roehl

Theses and Dissertations

Internet Protocol Geolocation (IP Geolocation), the process of determining the approximate geographic location of an IP addressable node, has proven useful in a wide variety of commercial applications. Commercial applications of IP Geolocation include market research, redirection for performance enhancement, restricting content, and combating fraud. The potential for military applications include securing remote access via geographic authentication, intelligence collection, and cyber attack attribution. IP Geolocation methods can be divided into three basic categories based upon what information is used to determine the geographic location of the given IP address: 1) Information contained in databases, 2) information that is leaked during …

A High-Resolution Microscopic Electrical Impedance Imaging Modality: Scanning Impedance Imaging, Hongze Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Electrical impedance imaging is an imaging technique which has the capability of revealing the spatial distribution of the electrical impedance inside biological tissues. Classical electrical impedance imaging including Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) typically has low resolution. Advances in electrical impedance imaging typically involve methods that either increase image resolution or image contrast. This study investigates the possibility of the resolution improvement for electrical impedance imaging using motion, and presents a novel high-resolution and calibrated impedance imaging method called Scanning electrical Impedance Imaging (SII). SII uses an electrical probe held at a known voltage and scanned over a thin sample immersed …

A Future-Based Risk Assessment For The Survivability Of Long Range Strike Systems, William D. Heuck Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force today faces the challenge of allocating development resources to prepare for future force projection requirements. In particular, the Air Force's core competency of Global Attack implies a future capability that can quickly and successfully deliver combat effects anywhere in the world with impunity. Understanding that the future threat environment is dynamic and that continued advancements by adversaries will likely degrade the technical superiority of today's weapon systems, the need arises for a planning model to direct development funding to areas with the greatest probability of successfully defending the strike vehicle of 2035. Examining this problem …

Improved Hyperspectral Image Testing Using Synthetic Imagery And Factorial Designed Experiments, Joseph P. Bellucci

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of any remote sensing system is to gather data about the geography it is imaging. In order to gain knowledge of the earth's landscape, post-processing algorithms are developed to extract information from the collected data. The algorithms can be intended to classify the various ground covers in a scene, identify specific targets of interest, or detect anomalies in an image. After the design of an algorithm comes the difficult task of testing and evaluating its performance. Traditionally, algorithms are tested using sets of extensively ground truthed test images. However, the lack of well characterized test data sets and …

Soldier/Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulation-Based Combat Vehicle Duty Cycle Measurement: Duty Cycle Experiment 2, Mark Brudnak, Mike Pozolo, Victor Paul, Syed Mohammad, Marc Compere, Et Al.

Publications

This paper describes a human-in-the-loop motion-based simulator interfaced to hybrid-electric power system hardware both of which were used to measure the duty cycle of a combat vehicle in a virtual simulation environment. The project discussed is a greatly expanded follow-on to the experiment published in [1]. This paper is written in the context of [1] and therefore highlights the enhancements. The most prominent of these enhancements is the integration (in real-time) of the Power & Electric System Integration Lab (P&E SIL) with a motion base simulator by means of a “long haul” connection over the Internet (a geographical distance of …

Effects Of Subsurface Drainage On Pavement Performance, James Crovetti, Kathleen T. Hall

Transportation Reports with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation

This report evaluates the effects of subsurface drainage features on pavement performance through a program of inspection and testing of the subsurface drainage features present in the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) SPS-1 and SPS-2 field sections. The report will be of particular interest to engineers in the public and private sectors with responsibility for the design, construction, and rehabilitation of highway pavements.

Intellectual Property Management In Health And Agricultural Innovation: A Handbook Of Best Practices, Vol. 1, Anatole Krattiger, Richard T. Mahoney, Lita Nelsen, Jennifer A. Thomson, Alan B. Bennett, Kanikaram Satyanarayana, Gregory D. Graff, Carlos Fernandez, Stanley Kowalski

Law Faculty Scholarship

Prepared by and for policy-makers, leaders of public sector research establishments, technology transfer professionals, licensing executives, and scientists, this online resource offers up-to-date information and strategies for utilizing the power of both intellectual property and the public domain. Emphasis is placed on advancing innovation in health and agriculture, though many of the principles outlined here are broadly applicable across technology fields. Eschewing ideological debates and general proclamations, the authors always keep their eye on the practical side of IP management. The site is based on a comprehensive Handbook and Executive Guide that provide substantive discussions and analysis of the opportunities …

A Framework For The Introduction Of Organisational Learning Using Web 2.0 Applications, Joseph M. Reynolds

Dissertations

We are now becoming more and more dependent on web technologies in our personal lives for our communication, information and entertainment needs. But what about using these skills and technologies for our business lives, could they transform the business world in the same way they have transformed our personal world? The purpose of this research was to investigate whether the latest web applications could be successfully implemented into an organisation who wished to transform itself into a modern and flexible organisation. This research was primarily focused on introducing organisational learning into the business through the use of new technology and …

A Dendroclimatic Record Of Paleoclimate Of The Last 10,000 Years, Glacier Bay National Park And Preserve: Progress Understanding Climate Change In Southeast Alaska, Daniel Lawson, Greg Wiles, David Finnegan

United States Army: Publications

Our investigations in 2007 focused on continuing collection and analyses of tree rings from living trees and building a long ring-width series from interstadial wood. These interstadial forests were extensive and their preservation, although discontinuous and fragmented, is remarkable. In situ stumps, still rooted in growth position, and logs held within sediments remain from forests that existed at various times between glaciations over approximately the last 10,000 years.
We have analyzed previous and new collections of ring-width tree-ring series, including a multiple species collection from near Excursion Ridge in the southeast portion of the Park. These tree-ring series have a …

Shock-Tube Investigation Of Ignition Delay Times Of Blends Of Methane And Ethane With Oxygen, Brian Christopher Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The combustion behavior of methane and ethane is important to the study of natural gas and other alternative fuels that are comprised primarily of these two basic hydrocarbons. Understanding the transition from methane-dominated ignition kinetics to ethane-dominated kinetics for increasing levels of ethane is also of fundamental interest toward the understanding of hydrocarbon chemical kinetics. Much research has been conducted on the two fuels individually, but experimental data of the combustion of blends of methane and ethane is limited to ratios that recreate typical natural gas compositions (up to ~20% ethane molar concentration). The goal of this study was to …

Grounding Justice In Public Meeting Practice, Ted H. Grossardt, Keiron Bailey

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

John Rawl’s A Theory of Justice, and Justice as Fairness were originally intended to promote a political structure of liberal democracy. Taken together with Habermas’ idea of ’discourse ethics’, this work has constituted a fundamental aspect of the communicative approach in the planning discipline over the past 20 years. While their work is quite theoretical, it need not be detached from the reality of day- to-day practice. We agree with O’Neill that the work toward greater justice and fairness is eminently practical, and so should derive from their work. In particular, we are interested in advancing justice/fairness in the arena …

Culture, Justice And The Arnstein Gap: The Impact Of Structured Public Involvement On U.S. Transportation Infrastructure Planning And Design, Keiron Bailey, Ted H. Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

Enormous quantities of public money are spent on transportation infrastructure (TI). According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics this infrastructure spend in the U.S. amounted to almost $90 billion in 2001. In most political spheres, when public money is spent, the public demands a measure of accountability. The dimensions of this accountability depend on the character of the political system that funds TI. In most participatory democracies, ultimate accountability is exercised through a balloting system that ensures elected officials represent, to some degree, stakeholder views and preferences. However, despite enormous expenditure of public monies on TI, this type of accountability …

Justice And The Public's Involvement In Infrastructure Planning: An Analysis And Proposal, Ted H. Grossardt, Keiron Bailey

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

The authors find that there is a gap between expectations and actual results in terms of public involvement processes. They suggest more structured public involvement techniques. A case study of documenting citizen's aesthetic preferences illustrates their suggestions.

Ultrascreen - Sight And Sound Barrier Partition Walls, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Panels have been widely used for many years to act as sight and sound barriers in most of the highways and in residential areas where visual privacy is needed. The United States Gypsum Company, early in the 1980's started developing technologies to improve and reduced costs using lightweight cement panels. Recently, USG along with AFM Corporation introduced ULTRASCREEN: Sight and Sound Barrier. This lightweight panels require no special equipment for installation, maintenance, or replacement making them beneficial. This latest development also creates a system with good acoustical performance and excellent strength to weight ratio.

Gis-Based Integration Of Swat And Remm For Estimating Water Quality Benefits Of Riparian Buffers In Agricultural Watersheds, Y. Liu, Wanhong Yang, Xixi Wang

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a process-based, watershed-scale model with a hydrologic response unit (HRU) as the basic computation element, which makes it difficult to accurately represent riparian buffers using their physical parameters (e.g., vegetation structure). On the other hand, the field-scale Riparian Ecosystem Management Model (REMM) provides the opportunity to consider details of hydrologic processes within a riparian buffer zone. However, the runoff and its associated constituents from the upland area that is hydraulically connected to the riparian buffer zone must be provided as inputs into REMM. The rationale proposed here is that the integration of …

Detection Algorithms For Spatial Data, Spandan Tiwari

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation addresses the problem of anomaly detection in spatial data. The problem of landmine detection in airborne spatial data is chosen as the specific detection scenario. The first part of the dissertation deals with the development of a fast algorithm for kernel-based non-linear anomaly detection in the airborne spatial data. The original Kernel RX algorithm, proposed by Kwon et al. [2005a], suffers from the problem of high computational complexity, and has seen limited application. With the aim to reduce the computational complexity, a reformulated version of the Kernel RX, termed the Spatially Weighted Kernel RX (SW-KRX), is presented. It …

Vapor Phase Uptake Of Volatile Organic Contaminants By Hybrid Poplar Trees, Sally Rebecca Breite

Masters Theses

"Phytoremediation, the use of plants to immobilize, degrade or remove contaminants from the environment, shows great promise as a remediation technique for many contaminated sites. Phytovolatilization in particular is of great interest for sites contaminated with chlorinated solvents and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), many of which are recalcitrant to biodegradation. Hybrid poplar trees have been shown to uptake, translocate and volatilize numerous aqueous-phase VOCs, however vapor phase uptake of such compounds has only recently been observed and for only one contaminant, tetrachloroethylene (PCE). One semi-volatile and five volatile compounds were dosed to poplar trees in aqueous and vapor phase …