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Fuzzy Modeling Of Skin Permeability Coefficients, Angela K. Pannier, Rhonda M. Brand, David D. Jones

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Purpose. The purpose of this work was to determine whether a new modeling methodology using fuzzy logic can predict skin permeability coefficients that are given compound descriptors that have been proven to affect percutaneous penetration.
Methods. Three fuzzy inference models were developed using subtractive clustering to define natural structures within the data and assign subsequent rules. The numeric parameters describing the rules were refined through the use of an Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System implemented in MatLab. Each model was evaluated using the entire data set. Then predicted outputs were compared to the published experimental data.
Results. All databases produced …

Perspectives On Radioactive Waste Disposal: A Consideration Of Economic Efficiency And Intergenerational Equity, Helen R. Neill, Robert H. Neill

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

There are both internal and external pressures on the U.S. Department of Energy to reduce the estimated costs of isolating radioactive waste, $19 billion for transuranic waste at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and $57 billion for high level waste at Yucca Mountain. The question arises whether economic analyses would add to the decision-making process to reduce costs yet maintain the same level of radiological protection. This paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of using cost-benefit analysis (CBA), a tool used to measure economic efficiency as an input for these decisions. Using a comparative research approach, we find that CBA …

Inside Unlv, Gian Galassi, Richard Jensen, Carol C. Harter, Kenneth E. Marks

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Microwave Reflection And Dielectric Properties Of Mortar Subjected To Compression Force And Cyclically Exposed To Water And Sodium Chloride Solution, Shanup Peer, Joseph Toby Case, Eric Gallaher, K. E. Kurtis, R. Zoughi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Corrosion of the reinforcing steel is a major cause of damage and deterioration in reinforced concrete structures such as concrete bridge decks and columns. Chloride intrusion into concrete can lead to depassivation of the steel and initiation of corrosion. Thus, it is very important to be able to nondestructively detect and evaluate the free chloride content in concrete. Near-field microwave nondestructive testing techniques, using open-ended rectangular waveguide probes, have shown great potential for evaluating various properties of concrete, including the successful detection of sodium chloride added to mortar mixing water. In this study, several mortar samples are cyclically soaked in …

The Development Of A Biodegradable Scaffold For A Tissue Engineered Heart Valve, Thomas Adam Alheidt

Theses

In the current state of medical technology, there exists the need for a quality medical device to replace a failing heart valve. Presently, mechanical valves as well as donor tissue valves, either from humans or animals are used to replace failing heart valves. These valves although they can operate in the heart satisfactorily are not equal to the body replacing its own valve. Tissue Engineering in simple terms is the field of helping the body replace its own failing organ. In scientific terms, Tissue Engineering is a relatively young field, a majority of the major advancements have come in the …

Characterization And Corrosion Of Bcc-Tantalum Coating Deposited On Aluminum And Steel Substrate By Dc Magnetron Sputtering, Chirag Joshi

Theses

Tantalum is one of the most versatile highly refractory corrosion-resistant metals. Tantalum coating can be used as an effective corrosion barrier if it is continuous, free from defects and it adheres well to the substrate. A DC magnetron sputtering technique was used to deposit tantalum on aluminum and steel. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the tantalum films produced by sputtering had two crystallographic structures: a body centered cubic α-phase and a metastable tetragonal β-phase. Tough and ductile alpha phase tantalum is preferred over the hard and brittle beta phase tantalum, as a protective coating. Alpha phase coatings were successfully deposited …

Recapturing And Conveying The Excitement Of Engineering Through Practice, Innovation And Integration, Marshall M. Lih

Teaching Entrepreneurship to Engineering Students

No abstract provided.

Entrepreneurial Contexts And Traits Of Entrepreneurs, William R. Pendergast

Teaching Entrepreneurship to Engineering Students

This paper adopts a neo-Darwinian perspective that the entrepreneurial process includes distinctive features that “select” individuals with certain characteristics for participation and success. These individuals are attracted to entrepreneurial situations and their compatible traits enable them to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurial contexts. Furthermore, entrepreneurial environments may reinforce these traits in entrepreneurs, which develop over time in response to the requirements of entrepreneurial activity (Littunen, 2000). The paper begins with a description of early-stage entrepreneurial contexts, considers individual traits that accommodate those contexts, and concludes with a metaphor of entrepreneurs as jazz musicians that captures similarities in context and behavior.

Trends. Thinking On Transportation Security, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This Trends article discusses the necessity of gathering intelligence successfully to combat terrorism as it pertains to commerce.

California Crop And Soil Evapotranspiration, Charles Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The goal of this publication is to provide water users, consultants, water agency personnel, and others throughout California with information that will: (a) help individual water users with irrigation scheduling and system design and (b) help agricultural water agency personnel with water balances and future planning.

The tables in this publication represent the consolidation of results from thousands of annual ET simulations that accounted for crop, rainfall (wet, dry, or “typical”), soil, and irrigation method in each of 13 major ETo zones in California. The annual simulations used daily water balances at the soil surface, crop canopy, and soil root …

Sizes And Shapes Of 10-Ma Distal Fall Pyroclasts In The Ogallala Ggroup, Nebraska, William I. Rose, C. M. Riley, S. Dartevelle

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Size distributions of distal ashfall particles from correlated 10-Ma layers in Nebraska, measured using laser diffraction methods, are lognormal with mode diameters of ∼90 mm. This ashfall is ∼100% bubble-wall shards of rhyolite glass and apparently represents a distal ashfall from an eruption 1400 km away. Measured terminal velocities of these ash particles are 0.2–18 cm/s, consistent with Stokes Law settling of spherical particles with diameters of 9–50 mm. Surface area of the ash particles, measured with gas adsorption, is 20–30 times the surface area of equivalent Stokes spheres. These results highlight the effects of shape and atmospheric drag in …

Quantitative Shape Measurements Of Distal Volcanic Ash, William I. Rose, Colleen M. Riley, Gregg J. Bluth

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Large-scale volcanic eruptions produce fine ash (< 200 μm) which has a long atmospheric residence time (1 hour or more) and can be transported great distances from the volcanic source, thus, becoming a hazard to aircraft and public health. Ash particles have irregular shapes, so data on particle shape, size, and terminal velocities are needed to understand how the irregular-shaped particles affect transport processes and radiative transfer measurements. In this study, a methodology was developed to characterize particle shapes, sizes , and terminal velocities for three ash samples of different compositions. The shape and size of 2,500 particles from 1) distal fallout (~100 km) of the October 14, 1974 Fuego eruption (basaltic), 2) the secondary maxima (~250 km) of the August 18, 1992 Spurr eruption (andesitic), and 3) the Miocene Ash Hollow member, Nebraska (rhyolitic) were measured using image analysis techniques. Samples were sorted into 10 to 19 terminal velocity groups (0.6-59.0 cm/s) using an air elutriation device. Grain size distributions for the samples were measured using laser diffraction. Aspect ratio, feret diameter, and perimeter measurements were found to be the most useful descriptors of how particle shape affects terminal velocity. These measurement values show particle shape differs greatly from a sphere (commonly used in models and algorithms). The diameters of ash particles were 10-120% larger than ideal spheres at the same terminal velocity, indicating that irregular particle shape greatly increases drag. Gas-adsorption derived surface areas are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than calculated surface areas based on measured dimensions and simple geometry, indicating that particle shapes are highly irregular. Correction factors for surface area were derived from the ash sample measurements so that surface areas calculated by assuming spherical particle shapes can be corrected to reflect more realistic values.

Retrieval Of Mass And Sizes Of Particles In Sandstorms Using Two Modis Ir Bands: A Case Study Of April 7 2001 Sandstorm In China, Yingxin Gu, William I. Rose, Gregg J. Bluth

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

A thermal infrared remote sensing retrieval method developed by Wen and Rose [1994], which retrieves particle sizes, optical depth, and total masses of silicate particles in the volcanic cloud, was applied to an April 07, 2001 sandstorm over northern China, using MODIS. Results indicate that the area of the dust cloud observed was 1.34 million km2, the mean particle radius of the dust was 1.44 μm, and the mean optical depth at 11 μm was 0.79. The mean burden of dust was approximately 4.8 tons/km2 and the main portion of the dust storm on April 07, 2001 contained 6.5 million …

Flight Physician - January, 2003, Civil Aviation Medical Association

Browse all Civil Aviation Medical Association Newsletters

A twenty page newsletter of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. The newsletter provided news about civil aviation medicine and information related to the organization.

Guiding Growth: A Survey Of Tax Incentives, New England Environmental Finance Center, Muskie School Of Public Service

Legislation

Current development patterns and increased tax pressures in local municipalities combine to harm both Maine’s natural resources and its quality of life. Previous initiatives such as the implementation of zoning laws did not fully result in the desired outcomes. Zoning laws were often too flexible and often did not resist market and political pressures to change zoning regulations to allow development with possible economic growth. A sound taxation system or fee structure may be the solution to slow down development in natural areas and direct it towards areas appropriate for growth.

To protect Maine’s natural resources more successfully from future …

Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute Annual Technical Report Fy 2002, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

KWRRI Annual Technical Reports (USGS’s 104b Grant Program)

The FY 2002 Annual Technical Report for Kentucky consolidates reporting requirements of the Section 104(b) base grant award in a single technical report that includes: 1) a synopsis of each research project supported during the period, 2) a list of related reports, 3) a description of information transfer activities, 4) a summary of student support during the reporting period, and 5) notable achievements and awards during the year.

Experimental Energy Performance Of Open Cooling Towers Used Under Low And Variable Approach Conditions For Indirect Evaporative Cooling Of Buildings, Ben Costelloe, Donal Finn

Articles

The success of chilled ceilings and displacement ventilation systems as a means of sensible cooling in buildings has prompted a review of evaporative cooling technology as an effective means of generating the required cooling water. When such cooling water is generated at low approach conditions (2–5 K), at the higher temperatures required in these systems (14–18°C), very high levels of availability result. In many north western European locations the levels of availability are such that the prospect of supplanting rather than simply supplementing the refrigeration system, for sensible cooling purposes, arises. The viability of the technique, however, largely depends on …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 45 Number 3, Winter 2003, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

10 - ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AT SCU By Paul Locatelli, S.J. ln an adaptation of his convocation address, SCU 's president describes the University's goal to educate "the whole person."

12 - 'BECKHAM' BOOSTS SCU SOCCER By Victoria Hendel De La O. References to SCU in the hit movie have brought international attention to the women's soccer program.

14 - SEEKING SOLUTIONS Experts vi sit campus to discuss the issue of clergy abuse and work on a book about the topic.

18 - UNEARTHING THE PAST By Connie Skipitares. SCU archaeologists, anthropologists, and students probe a site near campus to learn …

Evaluation Of Intra-And Inter-Fraction Motion In Breast Radiotherapy Using Electronic Portal Imaging Cine Loops, Chrison Lee, Edward Yu, Tomas Kron

Oncology Presentations

Parallel tangent breast irradiation is commonly used postbreast conservation surgery for early breast cancer patient without lymph node involvement to improve local disease control. Intra-fractional and inter-fractional variabilities are often presented in daily treatment setup. The present pilot study used Electronic Portal Imaging (EPI) to evaluate intra-and inter-fraction motion in patients undergoing simple breast tangent radiotherapy.

The Prevalence And Severity Of Coronary Artery Calcification On Coronary Artery Computed Tomography In Black And White Subjects, Timothy C. Lee, Patrick G. O’Malley, Irwin Feuerstein, Allen J. Taylor

United States Army: Publications

OBJECTIVES We studied the relationship between coronary artery calcium (CAC) and race in asymptomatic, active-duty personnel in the Prospective Army Coronary Calcium (PACC) project.
BACKGROUND Valid cardiovascular risk assessments in black Americans using coronary artery computed tomography (coronary CT) require the generalizability of population-based CAC score distributions derived from primarily white patient populations.
METHODS Among 1,000 consecutive participants (mean age, 42 ± 2 years; range, 40 to 45 years), 999 participants underwent coronary CT and indicated a specific racial affiliation. This included white, non-Hispanic in 699 (69.9%) participants and black, non-Hispanic in 194 (19.4%) participants. Univariate associations between race and …

History Of Food Acceptance Research In The Us Army, Herbert L. Meiselman, Howard G. Schutz

United States Army: Publications

The history of food acceptance research by the US Army in Chicago and Natick is reviewed. The review covers the staff of the two research centers, the research programs, and the significant accomplishments of the Army laboratories from the 1940s to the present. Accomplishments begin with the development of the nine-point hedonic scale, and the development of the first Food Acceptance Laboratory. Further accomplishments include studies of sensory psychophysics, food preferences, food choice and food intake. The laboratories designed methods and conducted research on the role of consumer variables in the acceptance of food products and food service systems. Recent …

Rodent Sperm Analysis In Field-Based Ecological Risk Assessment: Pilot Study At Ravenna Army Ammunition Plant, Ravenna, Ohio, Lawrence V. Tannenbaum, Matthew Bazar, Melanie S. Hawkins, Barney W. Cornaby, Elizabeth A. Ferguson, L. Chantelle Carroll, Patrick F. Ryan

United States Army: Publications

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) guidance recommends that field-truthing efforts proceed when modeled hazard quotients (HQs) suggest that toxicological effects are occurring to site receptors. To date, no field methods have been proposed by the regulatory community that can lead to definitive determinations of acceptable or unacceptable risk for birds and mammals, the two terrestrial classes of receptors that are commonly assessed using the HQ method. This paper describes rodent sperm analysis (RSA) as a viable method to be applied in the field at sites with historical contamination. RSA is capable of detecting biological differences that bear on reproduction, a highly …

Global Optical Lightning Flash Rates Determined With The Forte Satellite, Tracy E. Light, Sean M. Davis, William Boeck, Abram Jacobson, David Suszcynsky

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Using FORTE photodiode detector (PDD) observations of lightning, we have determined the geographic distribution of nighttime flash rate density. We estimate the PDD flash detection efficiency to be 62% for total lightning through comparison to lightning observations by the TRMM satellite's Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS), using cases in which FORTE and TRMM viewed the same storm. We present here both seasonal and total flash rate maps. We examine some characteristics of the optical emissions of lightning in both high and low flash rate environments, and find that while lightning occurs less frequently over ocean, oceanic lightning flashes are somewhat more …

Quantitation Of Aberrant Interlocus T-Cell Receptor Rearrangements In Mouse Thymocytes And The Effect Of The Herbicide 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid, Geremy Knapp, R. Woodrow Setzer, James Fuscoe

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Small studies in human populations have suggested a correlation between the frequency of errors in antigen receptor gene assembly and lymphoid malignancy risk. In particular, agricultural workers exposed to pesticides have both an increased risk for lymphoma and an increased frequency of errors in antigen receptor gene assembly. In order to further investigate the potential of such errors to serve as a mechanistically based biomarker of lymphoid cancer risk, we have developed a sensitive PCR assay for quantifying errors of V(D)J recombination in the thymocytes of mice. This assay measures interlocus rearrangements between two T-cell receptor loci, V-gamma and Jbeta, …

Quantitative Soil Descriptions For Ecoregions Of The United States, Mostafa A. Shirazi, Colleen Burch Johnson, James M. Omernik, Denis White, Patricia K. Haggerty, Glenn E. Griffith

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Researchers have defined and mapped ecological regions of the United States based on similar patterns of ecosystems such as deserts, forests, and croplands. These studies are useful in regional research, monitoring, and environmental management because data can be more readily extrapolated within the same ecoregion and to regions with similar characteristics. The description of ecoregions is largely holistic and qualitative. Conversely, quantitative information for soil are abundant and soil is an important ecosystem component related to many ecoregion properties. We used the nationwide State Soil Geographic database(STATSGO) to describe the soils of 84 Level III ecoregions in the United States. …

Diet And Physical Performance, Scott J. Montain, Andrew J. Young

United States Army: Publications

This paper provides a historical summary of military nutrition research into the role of diet for sustaining soldier physical performance. Studies of underfeeding document that physical performance is preserved during several days of underfeeding provided sufficient carbohydrate and minerals are consumed to minimize the diuresis associated with semi-starvation diets and serial intake of carbohydrate is available to support metabolism during prolonged work. The Military Recommended Dietary Allowances, AR 40-25, currently recommends that when restricted rations are required, that the ration contain at least 1100–1500 kcal, 50–70 g of protein, and a minimum of 100 g of carbohydrate on a daily …

Hands-Free Documentation, Karen Ward, David G. Novick

Departmental Papers (CS)

In this paper, we introduce an analysis of the requirements and design choices for hands-free documentation. Hands-busy tasks such as cooking or car repair may require substantial interruption of the task: moving the pan off the burner and wiping hands, or crawling out from underneath the car. We review the need for hands-free documentation and explore the role of task in the use of documentation. Our central analysis examines the roles and characteristics of input and output modalities of hands-free documentation. In particular, we review the use of speech as an input modality, and then visual means and speech as …

U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service 2003 Amendment To The 2000 Biological Opinion On The Operation Of The Missouri River Main Stem Reservior System, Operation And Maintenance Of The Missouri River Bank Stabilization And Navigation Project, And Operation Of The Kansas River Reservior System

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

In 1989, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) initiated consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) regarding operation of the Missouri River Main Stem Reservoir System (See Figure 1). This consultation was conducted under the provisions of section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which requires Federal agencies to consult with the Service when the agency’s proposed actions may affect the status of species listed as endangered or threatened. For the Missouri River operations by the Corps, the species covered in the 1989 consultation were the endangered Interior least tern (Sterna antillarum), threatened Northern …

Effects Of Age-Related Gait Changes On The Biomechanics Of Slips And Falls, Thurman E. Lockheart, Jeffrey C. Woldstad, James L. Smith

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A laboratory study was conducted to examine gait changes associated with aging and the effect of these changes on initiation of slips and frequency of falls utilizing newly defined biomechanical parameters of slips and falls. Twenty-eight participants from two age groups (young and old) walked around a circular track at a comfortable pace wearing a safety harness. A slippery floor surface was placed on the walking track over the force plate at random time intervals without the participants’ awareness. Synchronized kinetic and kinematic measurements were obtained on both slippery and non-slippery walking surfaces. The results indicated that older participants’ horizontal …

Multiple Damage Detection In Structures Using A Coupled Modal Analysis And Wavelet Transform Technique, Nasser S. Bajabaa

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

A new technique that couples modal analysis and wavelet transforms for detection of multiple damage in structures is introduced. Structural damage may cause local changes in one or more of the following parameters; stiffness, mass and damping that affect the dynamic behavior of the structure. For example, a crack reduces the stiffness of the structure in a localized sense, and thus reducing its natural frequency, and causes changes in both modal damping and mode shapes. In this research, two different structures have been analyzed: beams and plates. First, uniform beams with a single damage (notch) of different sizes at different …