Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Educational Programmes For Geomatics In Ireland, Frank Prendergast, William Prendergast, Avril Behan, Helen Murray

Conference Papers

The growing spatial information needs of society, the rapid development of new surveying technologies, and the global demand for appropriately qualified surveyors, have triggered a radical re-evaluation of Geomatics education in Europe. Although significant enhancements to DIT’s educational programmes have been made during the last decade, the provision of new opportunities for learners and innovative changes to existing paradigms of training and education are required. This paper addresses some of the issues confronting educators in DIT, and presents some of the strategies for their enhancement and implementation.

Wind Loads For Petrochemical Structures, Samuel Amoroso

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Techniques currently available to practicing engineers for estimating wind loads for petrochemical structures have little theoretical or experimental basis. This dissertation research is an effort to expand the understanding of wind effects on petrochemical and other, similar structures. Petrochemical structures introduce geometric scales into wind tunnel model simulations below what are common for enclosed structures. Wind tunnel experiments were performed to help determine whether this will introduce problems in achieving dynamic similarity between models and prototypes. The experiments did not reveal any clear indication that petrochemical structures cannot be modeled in wind tunnels at scales similar to those used for …

Applications Of Solar Energy To Power Stand-Alone Area And Street Lighting, Joshua David Bollinger

Masters Theses

"A stand-alone solar-powered street or area lighting system is designed and operated completely independent of the power grid. The equipment and maintenance costs associated with a stand-alone solar-powered system are compared with the cost of using electricity to run grid connected street lights. The project focused on the viability of using solar energy to power the lights in the area surrounding St. Louis, Missouri. The results had to be consistent to warrant converting new areas to independent solar powered lighting. A prototype system is constructed from equipment available on the market for the purpose of gathering data on different lighting …

Impact Of Institutional Framework On Wetland Management In Tanzania, Shadrack Mwakalila

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Wetland loss continues today despite fhe existence of institutions With a specific mandate to manage uvtlands in Tanzania. In reviewing this apparent contradiction, this paper Soes in depth to explore the existing sectors associated with the development and management Of wetlands in the Country. Specifically it focuses on institutional framework a: Village level, Ward level, District level and national level. Among the key sectors consulted includes; agriculture and livestock, wildlife, forestry, fisheries, t'üier resources, lands, minerals and energy. The interest While visiting them was aiming at exploring the existing opportunity With regard to the tulues of the wetlands and their …

Shape Matching, Relevance Feedback, And Indexing With Application To Spine X-Ray Image Retrieval, Xiaoqian Xu

Theses and Dissertations

The National Library of Medicine (NLM), an institute in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), maintains a collection of 17,000 digitized spine X-ray images obtained from the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II). Research effort has been devoted to develop a web-accessible retrieval system that allows retrieval of images from the NHANES II database on relevant and frequently found pathologies. A comprehensive and successful image retrieval system requires effective image representation and matching methods, relevance feedback algorithms to incorporate user opinions, and efficient indexing schemes for fast access to image databases. This dissertation studies and develops approaches …

Atmospheric Chemistry Of A 33–34 Hour Old Volcanic Cloud From Hekla Volcano (Iceland): Insights From Direct Sampling And The Application Of Chemical Box Modeling, William I. Rose, Genevieve A. Millard, Tamsin A. Mather, Donald E. Hunton, Bruce Anderson, Clive Oppenheimer, Brett F. Thornton, Terrence M. Gerlach, Albert A. Viggiano, Yutaka Kondo, Thomas M. Miller, John O. Ballenthin

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

On 28 February 2000, a volcanic cloud from Hekla volcano, Iceland, was serendipitously sampled by a DC-8 research aircraft during the SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE I). It was encountered at night at 10.4 km above sea level (in the lower stratosphere) and 33–34 hours after emission. The cloud is readily identified by abundant SO2 (≤1 ppmv), HCl (≤70 ppbv), HF (≤60 ppbv), and particles (which may have included fine silicate ash). We compare observed and modeled cloud compositions to understand its chemical evolution. Abundances of sulfur and halogen species indicate some oxidation of sulfur gases but …

Dynamics And Control Of Tethered Satellite Formations For The Purpose Of Space-Based Remote Sensing, Kurt A. Vogel

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation assesses the utility of tethered satellite formations for the space-based remote sensing mission. Energy dissipation is found to have an adverse effect on foundational rigid body (Likins-Pringle) equilibria. It is shown that a continuously earth-facing equilibrium condition for a fixed-length tethered system does not exist since the spin rate required for the proper precession would not be high enough to maintain tether tension. The range of required spin rates for steady-spin motion is numerically defined here, but none of these conditions can meet the continuously earth-facing criteria. Of particular note is the discovery that applying certain rigid body …

Navigation Using Signals Of Opportunity In The Am Transmission Band, Jonathan A. Mcellroy

Theses and Dissertations

Maintaining a precision navigation solution both in a GPS hostile jamming environment and also in a GPS non-compatible terrain area is of great importance. To that end, this thesis evaluates the ability to navigate using signals from the AM band of the electromagnetic spectrum (520 to 1710 kHz). Navigation position estimates are done using multi-lateration techniques similar to GPS. However, pseudoranges are created using Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) distances between a reference receiver and a mobile receiver, allowing the mobile receiver to obtain absolute position estimates over time. Four methods were developed for estimating the cross-correlation peak within a …

Environmental Impact Of Wetland Resources Utilization In Simuyu Basin, Tanzania, Shadrack Mwakalila

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

There is a growing appreciation of the natural functions of wetlands, and the values and different forms of uses that humans attach to them. Wise use and special conservation strategies are therefore needed in order to sustain their productivity. Wetlands are one of the most fruitful areas of archaeological research, and they are the ideal setting in which to study the interactions between physical processes and human actions that encapsulate and exemplify many of the themes of man's impact on his environment. But all these beneficial functions of wetlands seem to be in danger of being lost to draining and …

Disasters And Decision Processes, Carsten Felgentreff

Geohazards

One of the most important topics in hazard and disaster related research is the effective reduction of vulnerability. Despite the fact that our knowledge about several physical and human dimensions of disasters has grown rapidly in recent decades, there is ample evidence that casualties and damages due to natural disasters have grown even faster. Apparently, there is no such formula like ‘more data = better knowledge = less casualties and damages’.

Purpose of this paper is the identification of some potential reasons for this obvious dilemma. After briefly addressing selected social science concepts of hazards, disasters, and risks, it is …

Remote Sensing Technologies For Monitoring Climate Change Impacts On Glacier- And Permafrost-Related Hazards, Andreas Kääb, C. Huggel, L. Fischer

Geohazards

Glacier- and permafrost-related hazards represent a continuous threat to human lives and infrastructure in high mountain regions. Because the surface and subsurface ice involved is generally close to melting conditions, glacier and permafrost hazards are particularly sensitive to climate changes. The present shift of cryospheric hazard zones due to atmospheric warming, process interactions and chain reactions, and the potential far reach of glacier disasters make it necessary to apply modern remote sensing techniques for the assessment of glacier and permafrost hazards in high mountains. In this contribution we provide an overview of different hazard types and how air- and space-borne …

On Tsunami Risk Assessment For The West Coast Of Thailand, Farrokh Nadim, Thomas Glade

Geohazards

The catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004 raised a number of questions for scientists and politicians on how to deal with the tsunami risk in coastal regions. This paper discusses the challenges in tsunami risk evaluation and presents the results of a tsunami risk mitigation study for the west coast of Thailand. It is argued that a scenario-based approach is particularly well suited for evaluation of the risk posed by tsunamis. The approach consists of considering scenarios of plausible extreme, tsunami-generating events, computing the tsunami inundation levels caused by these events, estimating the possible range of casualties for …

Plotting A Bright Future For Manufacturing Education: Results Of A Brainstorming Session, Daniel Waldorf, Sema E. Alptekin, Robert Bjurman

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Manufacturing industries worldwide have undergone dramatic changes in recent years and now demand more from graduating manufacturing engineers. The effects of globalization have forever changed the parameters for success in manufacturing. Our educational institutions must respond to these changes with innovation. That agenda formed the basis for a special SME/CIRP international conference on manufacturing engineering education called “Looking Forward: Innovations in Manufacturing Engineering Education,” held in San Luis Obispo, California, June 22-25, 2005. At the meeting, manufacturing education professionals from around the world came together to share their own innovative ideas and to brainstorm ways to shape the future of …

Comparing Computer Aided Drafting Curriculum Of Maquoketa Community School District In Relation To Twenty Other Schools' Computer Aided Drafting Programs In The State Of Iowa, Rhonda S. Welford

Graduate Research Papers

This study was to compare the Industrial Technology course offerings of computer aided drafting (CAD) courses at Maquoketa Community School District (MCSD) to the CAD courses offered at other high schools in the state of Iowa. The twenty school districts in Iowa which served as the basis for the study, are common in size and demographical area.

Investigating The Use Of Intelligent Transportation System Applications To Mitigate The Effects Of Terrorism In Marine Transportation, Kenneth Brown

Theses (Pre-2016)

Contrary to popular belief marine transportation is probably the most vulnerable and the most critical sector of transportation. The Marine Transportation System (MTS) is comprised of ships, tugs, barges, ports, rail and trucking all operating in a highly integrated system. The vulnerability of the MTS to the effects of possible terrorist attacks would not only pose a great threat to the safety of the local community but also our U.S. economy. In other modes of transportation such as surface, air, and mass transit, security and safety issues have been addressed through Technological improvements. Many of these Technological improvements fall under …

2006 - The Eleventh Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Eleventh Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 7, 2006. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Impulse, Dave Graves, Kyle Johnson, Andrea Kieckhefer, Miranda Reiman, Cindy Rickeman, Denise Watt

Impulse (Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering Publication)

Features:
[Page] 2 New scoreboards put Jacks, alums on high-tech display: Daktronics installs its most unique system yet
[Page] 4 Lighting the way: New electrical engineering doctorate to focus on photovoltaics
[Page] 6 Minor approved in biomedical engineering: Students can now earn a minor degree in this hot field
[Page] 8 Construction Management program gets 'big gold star': The first and only CM program in the state is now accredited
[Page] 10 JEC brings Gibson, Boisjoly to campus: Former astronaut, aerospace engineer deliver their message
Students:
[Page] 11 Haskins + 3 = 4 Geotek interns: Gaining real-world experience
[Page] 12 …

The Art And Science Of Discontinuous Innovation: A Case Study In Product Reinvention, Daniel C. Smoot

Theses and Dissertations

Divergence of new and old technologies is a source of tremendous innovation potential. As the dizzying pace of technological innovation accelerates indefinitely into tomorrow, not only do new paths diverge exponentially; doors already opened are increasingly abandoned for the allure of things undiscovered. Mature, late-stage life-cycle products left behind in today's fast-paced world open the floodgates to reinvention. This paper tests the hypothesis that innovativeness can be encouraged through the learning and application of universal innovation principles and processes. The implications of this research area are far-reaching. If innovation can be encouraged, then it can likely be taught. If it …

Terrain And Spatial Effects On Hazard Prediction And Assessment Capability (Hpac) Software Dose-Rate Contour Plot Predictions As Compared To A Sample Of Local Fallout Data From Test Detonations In The Continental United States, 1945-1962, Kevin D. Pace

Theses and Dissertations

Hazard Prediction and Capability (HPAC) Software is validated by comparing modeled predictions to historical test data. Reanalysis weather data is acquired and reformatted for use in HPAC. Simulations are made using various amounts of weather data by use of a spatial domain. Simulations are also varied by levels of terrain resolution. The predicted output of the software is numerically compared to historical test data. The result of this research culminated in the knowledge that HPAC prediction accuracy is improved by using terrain resolutions beyond the flat earth assumption. Furthermore, this research establishes that domain size variation produces no significant advantage …

Medium Access Control And Networking Protocols For The Intra-Body Network, Eric Thomas Stucki

Theses and Dissertations

Biomedical applications offer an exciting growth opportunity for wireless sensor networks. However, radio frequency communication is problematic in hospital environments that are susceptible to interference in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands. Also, RF is inherently insecure as eavesdroppers can easily pick up signals. The Intra-Body Network (IBNet) proposes a novel communication model for biomedical sensor networks. It seeks the convenience of wireless communication while avoiding interference and privacy concerns associated with RF. IBNet's solution is to utilize a subject's own body tissue as a transmission medium. Assuming that transmissions are contained within the body, IBNet solves otherwise complex …

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

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Limestone-Based Material for Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water, Chelsea Campbell and others, Dept of Chemistry, WKU
• Opportunistic Water Education, Amanda Abnee Gumbert, Extension Associate for Environmental and Natural Resources Issues, UK
• Ten-Year Solute Concentration Patterns in Two Streams of Contrasting Land-Use in Western Kentucky and Tennessee, Susan P. Hendricks, Hancock Biological Station, Murray State University
• Pathogen TMDL Development using Load Duration Curves for Two Stream Segments in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, Joseph M. Ferguson, Kentucky DOW
• Beargrass Creek Water Quality Tool and TMDLs, Ward Wilson and others, Tetra Tech
• Pathogen and Sediment Transport in Muddy Creek …

Session 2b: Sediments, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• The New Contractor EPSC Certification Program Developed by the City of Bowling Green Kentucky: Educating and Involving Contractors in NPDES Phase II Compliance, Jeff Lashlee, City of Bowling Green, Beth Chesson, CEC, Inc., and April Barker, AMEC Earth and Environmental, Nashville, TN
• Kentucky Best Management Practices for Controlling Erosion, Sediment, and Pollutant Runoff from Construction Sites: Planning and Technical Specifications Manual, Richard Walker and Barry Tonning, Tetra Tech, Lexington
• Sediment Monitoring Efforts in the Upper Green River Basin in Support of the Kentucky Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, S.T. Kenworthy, Dept of Geography and Geology, WKU
• Land-Use Fingerprinting …

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

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Little River Watershed Delineation and “Misbehaved” Karst Drainage, J.A. Ray and R.J. Blair, Kentucky Division of Water
• Comprehensive Commonwealth Water Education Project, David Howarth, Keith Mountain, and Kristen Dunaway, Dept of Geography and Geosciences, U of L
• Assessment of Water Quality Trends in the Upper Cumberland River Basin: Focus on Pathogen Impairment, Lindell Ormsbee and Ramesh Teegavarapu, KWRRI, UK
• Watershed & Land Use Planning: A BMP Technology Transfer Project (A Case Study of the Dry Run Watershed Basin), Rachel Phillips, Brad Frazier, and Sandy Camargo, Georgetown/Scott County Planning Commission

Proceedings Of 2006 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

This symposium was funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with Clean Water Act, Section 319(h) grant money through the Kentucky Division of Water and the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, #C9994861-00.

Planning for this conference was conducted as part of the state water resources research annual program with the support and collaboration of the Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Kentucky Research Foundation, under Grant Agreement No. 01HQGR0133.

The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the abstract authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed …

Towards Secure Cyberinfrastructure For Sharing Border Information, Ann Q. Gates, Vladik Kreinovich, Luc Longpre, Paulo Pinheiro Da Silva, Randy G. Keller

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many border-related issues ranging from economic collaboration to border security, it is extremely important that bordering countries share information. One reason why such sharing is difficult is that different countries use different information formats and data structures. It is therefore desirable to design infrastructure to facilitate this information sharing.

UTEP is a lead institution in a similar NSF-sponsored multi-million geoinformatics project, whose goal is to combine diverse and complex geophysical and geographical data stored in different formats and data structures. We describe our experience in using and developing related web service techniques, and we explain how this experience can …

Evaluation And Analysis Of Node Localization Power Cost In Ad-Hoc Wireless Sensor Networks With Mobility, Brian A. Sessler

Theses and Dissertations

One of the key concerns with location-aware Ad-hoc Wireless Sensor Networks (AWSNs) is how sensor nodes determine their position. The inherent power limitations of an AWSN along with the requirement for long network lifetimes makes achieving fast and power-efficient localization vital. This research examines the cost (in terms of power) of network irregularities on communications and localization in an AWSN. The number of data bits transmitted and received are significantly affected by varying levels of mobility, node degree, and network shape. The concurrent localization approach, used by the APS-Euclidean algorithm, has significantly more accurate position estimates with a higher percentage …

A Comparative Usability And End-User Satisfaction Analysis Of Two Geographic Information System (Gis) Applications, Mark E. Barner

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force has recognized that organizations across Air Force installations often require geospatial information resources or maps to accomplish mission essential tasks. To provide an AF-wide approach to addressing this need, in 2001, the Headquarters Air Force Geo Integration Office formed the USAF GeoBase program. GeoBase is the name given to the Air Force's GIS program. As GeoBase has been implemented across the Air Force, there have been no mandated product standards for GIS applications. This thesis focuses on two different GIS applications being used across the CE community for the management of airfield obstructions. These two applications are …

Strategic Airlift En Route Analysis To Support The Global War On Terrorism Using A Value Focused Thinking Approach, Marykathryn W. Tharaldson

Theses and Dissertations

The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) has yielded new challenges to the United States' strategic airlift infrastructure. The network of en-route airfields that serve as refueling and maintenance stops were designed primarily to service relatively static Cold War requirements. However, the GWOT has resulted in the need for an infrastructure that is responsive to a highly dynamic environment. This research uses a "value focused" methodology to identify en-route airfield locations that simultaneously maximize cargo throughput capability while possessing a high degree of adaptability to volatile cargo delivery requirements.

Value Of Research From 2000-2005: The Kentucky Spr Program For Highway Research, Donald L. Hartman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The abstracts of the 79 SPR reports completed by KTC researches for 2000-2005 were compiled. Seven projects were selected for value review to demonstrate the various types of benefits that accrue from SPR project research. This review compared objectives with results and described the nature of the benefits (some quantifiable). All of the projects were analyzed to determine: 1) the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (and FHWA) goals supported and 2) the types of benefits that would reasonably be expected to accrue from implemented results of the research. Most of the 79 projects; results address both improving the performance of the Cabinet …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 48 Number 3, Winter 2006, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

8 - WELCOME HOME, STEVE By Steven Boyd Saum. Basketball superstar Steve Nash '96 comes home to Santa Clara for a unique honor: a ceremony retiring his Bronco jersey. In a convocation address, he tells how Santa Clara changed his life. Now he wants the University to take its mission global.

12 - THE SCHOOL OF HOPE By Martha Ellen Stortz. Scholar and teacher Bill Spohn earned deep affection and the respect of the Santa Clara community in his years directing the Bannan Center for Jesuit Education. When he was stricken with cancer, he and his wife, Marty Stortz, looked …