Digital Commons Network^™

Potential For Aquifer Storage And Recovery In Box Elder And Cache Counties, Mariush Kemblowski, Tom Lachmar, Richard Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Groundwater artificial storage and recovery (ASR) has become a favorable means in the arid west to store water produced in excess of need during winter months for use in drier times of the year. ASR may be accomplished by injection of suitable water into the groundwater system via wells to be pumped out later, or by recovery of seepage via wells from surface water impoundments or infiltration networks. This report will present pertinent hydrogeologic information for the location of an artificial groundwater storage and recovery project in Utah's northeastern Box Elder County.

Potential For Aquifer Storage And Recovery In Box Elder And Cache Counties, Richard C. Peralta, Tom Lachmar, Mariush Kemblowski

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Groundwater artificial storage and recovery (ASR) has become a favorable means in the arid west to store water produced in excess of need during winter months for use in drier times of the year. ASR may be accomplished by injection of suitable water into the groundwater system via wells to be pumped out later, or by recovery of seepage via wells from surface water impoundments or infiltration networks. This report will present pertinent hydrogeologic information for the location of an artificial groundwater storage and recovery project in Utah's northeastern Box Elder County.

Constructive Induction Machines For Data Mining, Marek Perkowski, Stanislaw Grygiel, Qihong Chen, Dave Mattson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

"Learning Hardware" approach involves creating a computational network based on feedback from the environment (for instance, positive and negative examples from the trainer), and realizing this network in an array of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Computational networks can be built based on incremental supervised learning (Neural Net training) or global construction (Decision Tree design). Here we advocate the approach to Learning Hardware based on Constructive Induction methods of Machine Learning (ML) using multivalued functions. This is contrasted with the Evolvable Hardware (EHW) approach in which learning/evolution is based on the genetic algorithm only. Various approaches to supervised inductive learning …

Conjunctive Use Of Surface Water And Groundwater For Sustainable Agricultural Production, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This report is a guide to aid conjunctive water use in stream-aquifer systems. Conjunctive use refers to coordinated use of groundwater and surface water resources. This document discusses principles useful for field engineers and agricultural experts. It presents hydrologic and hydraulic principles and quantitative and qualitative parameters relating to sustainable conjunctive use. It provides tools and software.

Setpoint Tracking Predictive Control In Chemical Processes Based On System Identification, Sinchai Chinvorarat

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A Kraft recovery boiler in a pulp-paper mill provides a means for recovery of the heat energy in spent liquor and recovery of inorganic chemicals while controlling emissions. These processes are carried out in a combined chemical recovery unit and steam boiler that is fired with concentrated black liquor and which produces molten smelt. Since the recovery boiler is considered to be an essential part of the pulp-paper mill in terms of energy resources, the performance of the recovery boiler has to be controlled to achieve the highest efficiency under unexpected disturbances.

This dissertation presents a new approach for combining …

Speaker Identification Using A Combination Of Different Parameters As Feature Inputs To An Artificial Neural Network Classifier, Viresh Moonasar, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a technique using artificial neural networks (ANNs) for speaker identification that results in a better success rate compared to other techniques. The technique used in this paper uses both power spectral densities (PSDs) and linear prediction coefficients (LPCs) as feature inputs to a self organizing feature map to achieve a better identification performance. Results for speaker identification with different methods are presented and compared.

Pattern Matching Techniques And Their Applications To Computational Molecular Biology - A Review, Eric C. Rouchka

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Pattern matching techniques have been useful in solving many problems associated with computer science, including data compression (Chrochemore and Lecroq, 1996), data encryption (RSA Laboratories, 1993), and computer vision (Grimson and Huttenlocher, 1990). In recent years, developments in molecular biology have led to large scale sequencing of genomic DNA. Since this data is being produced in such rapid fasion, tools to analyze DNA segments are desired. The goal here is to discuss various techniques and tools for solving various pattern matching questions in computational biology, including optimal sequence alignment, multiple sequence alignment, and buidling models to describe sequence families using …

An Investigation Of The Practical Maritime Training For Marine Engineering Cadets In The Malaysian Met Maritime Education And Training System, Leong Peng Loo

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

23rd Conference On Senior Engineering Design Projects, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

Senior Engineering Design Conference

The 23rd Conference on Senior Engineering Design Projects was held on December 1, 1998 at the College of Engineering and applied Sciences on the Parkview Campus of Western Michigan University. The college sponsors the conference to showcase the work of its graduating seniors, who are required to complete a capstone project that puts into practice what they have learned. Many of the projects are sponsored by business and industry.

Classification Of In-Flight Fatigue Cracks In Aircraft Structures Using Acoustic Emission And Neural Networks, Christopher Lee Rovik

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The research encompassed within this paper deals with the analysis and classification of fatigue cracks in aircraft structures. The particular structure that was examined was the vertical tail section of a Cessna T-303 Crusader aircraft. The analysis was performed using the nondestructive evaluation technique known as acoustic emission (AE), as well as the artificial intelligence of neural networks. Data were taken in a controlled laboratory environment as well as in a flying testbed aboard the aircraft.

The first part of the research involved the analysis of a typical aircraft structure in a controlled laboratory environment. This support structure was fabricated …

Feature Saliency In Artificial Neural Networks With Application To Modeling Workload, Kelly A. Greene

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research extends the current knowledge of feature saliency in artificial neural networks (ANN). Feature saliency measures allow for the user to rank order the features based upon the saliency, or relative importance, of the features. Selecting a parsimonious set of salient input features is crucial to the success of any ANN model. In this research, several methodologies were developed using the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) Feature Screening Method and its associated SNR Saliency Measure for selecting a parsimonious set of salient features to classify pilot workload in addition to air traffic controller workload. Candidate features were derived …

Fitness Landscape Analysis Of Discrete Constrained Optimization Problems, Sai Prasanna Ravichandran

Masters Theses

The exponentially large size of the solution space of typical optimization problems precludes the use of any deterministic approach to search for an optimal solution. A more efficient and efficacious approach is to use heuristic algorithms based on rules of thumb to guide the search process in the solution space. Associated with every solution in the space is a real number called fitness that signifies the quality of a solution. This space and the fitness values together form the fitness landscapes. Knowledge about the topology of these fitness landscapes is vital for any heuristic search operator to expedite the search …

A Recursive Green's Function Method For Boundary Integral Analysis Of Inhomogeneous Domains, Jim D. Freeze, Michael A. Jensen

Faculty Publications

The recursive Green's function method (RGFM) for computation of fields scattered by two-dimensional (2-D) inhomogeneous dielectric bodies is presented. The algorithm efficiently constructs the Green's function for the inhomogeneous region by recursively combining known Green's functions from smaller subdomains. The fields on the scatterer surface are then computed using a boundary integral formulation. Proper implementation of the RGFM results in computational and storage complexities which scale as N1.5 and N, respectively, where N is the total number of discrete cells in a domain. Comparisons of results obtained using the RGFM with those computed from moment method and exact solutions show …

Model For Trace Metal Exposure In Filter-Feeding Flamingos At Alkaline Rift Valley Lake, Kenya, Yarrow M. Nelson, Ramesh J. Thampy, Gideon K. Motelin, Jackson A. Raini, Cynthia J. Disante, Leonard W. Lion

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Abstract—Toxic trace metals have been implicated as a potential cause of recent flamingo kills at Lake Nakuru, Kenya. Chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) have accumulated in the lake sediments as a result of unregulated discharges and because this alkaline lake has no natural outlet. Lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor) at Lake Nakuru feed predominantly on the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis, and because of their filter-feeding mechanism, they are susceptible to exposure to particle-bound metals. Trace metal adsorption isotherms to lake sediments and S. platensis were obtained under simulated lake conditions, and a mathematical model was …

Predictive Relationships For Uptake Of Organic Contaminants By Hybrid Poplar Trees, Joel Gerard Burken, Jerald L. Schnoor

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Twelve Organic Compounds Commonly Found at Hazardous Waste Sites Were Studied for Uptake by Hybrid Poplar Trees. the Vegetative Uptake of Many of These Compounds Has Not Previously Been Demonstrated for Plant Species Being Utilized for Phytoremediation, Such as Hybrid Poplar Trees. Experiments Were Conducted Hydroponically Utilizing 14C-Labeled Compounds to Ascertain Translocation and Fate. Predictive Relationships for the Translocation and Partitioning to Plant Tissues Were Developed from the Experimental Data. Translocation and Partitioning Relationships based on Compounds' Octanol- Water Partitioning Coefficients (100 K(Ow)) Produced the Best Results, But the Relationships Did Not Allow for Fully Accurate Prediction of Each Contaminant's …

Enzymatic Glycerolysis Of Soybean Oil , Hossein Noureddini, S E. Harmeier

Papers in Biomaterials

Enzymatic glycerolysis of soybean oil was studied. Of the nine lipases that were tested in the initial screening, Pseudomonas sp. resulted in the highest yield of monoglycerides. Lipase from Pseudomonas sp. was further studied for the influence of temperature, thermal stability, enzyme/oil ratio, and glycerol/oil ratio. A full factorial optimization approach was performed. The following conditions were tested over the specified ranges: temperature (30?70°C), thermal stability (30?70°C), enzyme/oil ratio (0.05?0.2 g enzyme/10 g oil), glycerol/oil ratio (1:1?3:1 glycerol/oil molar ratio) and 1 h reaction time. The stability of the enzyme at the reaction temperature was also incorporated as a separate …

Bacterial Stress Responses To 1-Megahertz Pulsed Ultrasound In The Presence Of Microbubbles, Amy Cheng Vollmer, Sylvia D. Sakyiama Kwakye , '98, Matthew Evan Halpern , '98, E. Carr Everbach

Engineering Faculty Works

Members of a panel of stress-responsive biosensors have been used to study the effect of megahertz frequency ultrasound onEscherichia coli. Insonification causes acoustic cavitation, the collapse of oscillating microbubbles in solution, which can damage bacterial cells. A focused 1-MHz ultrasound transducer, capable of generating a spatial peak pulse average intensity of 500 W/cm2, was used to treat liquid bacterial cultures. Stress-responsive promoters fused to luxCDABE allowed the continuous measurement of light produced as a result of protein damage, DNA damage, oxidative stress, and membrane perturbation. A promoter responsive to ammonia limitation was not transcriptionally activated under test conditions. In contrast …

Sprinkler Irrigation As A Voc Separation And Disposal Method: Innovative Technology Evaluation Report, Teri Richardson, Paul Depercin, Douglas Grosse, Rena Howard, Ann Kern, Endalkachew Sahle-Demissie, Johnny Springer Jr., Richard Schlenker, Roy F. Spalding

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

This report summarizes the findings of an evaluation of sprinkler irrigation as a volatile organic compound (VOC) separation and disposal method.

Background A need for lower cost, effective treatment alternatives for the disposal of treated contaminated groundwater provided the impetus to conduct a SITE demonstration of sprinkler irrigation since it provides both separation and disposal options. Since the application of irrigation is fairly widespread throughout the United States, there may be an opportunity to employ this as a dual purpose technology; concurrent irrigation and disposal of treated groundwater. In order to determine whether this option is viable, it is necessary …

Response Of Runoff Diazinon Concentration To Formulation And Post-Application Irrigation, Joshua R. Evans, Dwayne R. Edwards, Stephen R. Workman, R. Michael Williams

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Pesticides used in urban environments can be transported in runoff to downstream waters and cause adverse environmental consequences. This experiment assessed the effects of post-application irrigation depth (0, 6.4, and 12.7 mm) and formulation (liquid and granular) on concentration and transport of diazinon (a pesticide commonly used for lawn insect control) in runoff from “tall” fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plots. The post-application irrigation was applied using rainfall simulators immediately following diazinon application. The rainfall simulators were again used approximately 2 h after diazinon application to apply the equivalent of a heavy rainfall (64 mm/h for approximately 1.5 h) to generate …

Automatic Analysis Of Electronic Drawings Using Neural Network, Yi Shi

Dissertations

Neural network technique has been found to be a powerful tool in pattern recognition. It captures associations or discovers regularities with a set of patterns, where the types, number of variables or diversity of the data are very great, the relationships between variables are vaguely understood, or the relationships are difficult to describe adequately with conventional approaches.

In this dissertation, which is related to the research and the system design aiming at recognizing the digital gate symbols and characters in electronic drawings, we have proposed: (1) A modified Kohonen neural network with a shift-invariant capability in pattern recognition; (2) An …

Reuse Of Cold Top Ex-Situ Vitrified Chromium Contaminated Soils In Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete, Gerald Charleston

Theses

This research investigated the pilot scale feasibility of the remediation of chromium contaminated soil through cold top ex-situ vitrification and the reuse of the vitrified products as highway construction aggregates. There are more than two million tons of chromite ore residues from the chromate extraction manufacturing leftover in Hudson County, New Jersey. They contained both un-leached hexavalent and unoxidized trivalent chromium. Hexavalent chromium is well known as a group A human carcinogen. It is also considered an environmental and health hazard. Of the many ex- situ and in-situ physical, chemical, and biological treatment technologies for chromate production waste, the ability …

The Determination Of 2-Methylisoborneol And Geosmin In Water Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Ramesh Chandra Sharma

Theses

Geosmin and 2-Methylisoborneol are responsible for imparting earthy, musty taste and odor qualities to water. The human threshold odor concentrations (TOCs) for 2-MIB and Geosmin vary over a wide range. TOCs of 10ng/1 for Geosmin and 30ng/1 for 2-MIB have been reported.

Currently available methods are time consuming and require use of sophisticated technique and expensive equipment.

Fluorescence spectroscopy has been successfully used in the identification of many organic compounds. Geosmin and 2-MIB have organic origin. This research explores the possibility of using the technique of fluorescence spectroscopy in the determination of Geosmin and 2-MIB. The excitation and emission wavelengths …

Measurement Of The Baroreceptor Sensitivity Index (Brsi) In The Frequency Domains, Tanvir Raquib

Theses

Time domain analysis for calculating the Baroreceptor Sensitivity Index (BRSI) did not always provide an accurate result. It also had another limitation in that it could not show the influence of the autonomic nervous system for different subjects. The correlation coefficient is a mechanism that was used to either accept or reject the BRSI values in the time domain but the correlation coefficient values changed drastically depending on how many sample points were selected for the calculation.

On the other hand, frequency domain analysis for the BRSI calculation was relatively easier and provided more accurate information compared to the time …

Urban And Environmental Planning In Nepal, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

This collection of essays deals with issues related to housing, and urban and environmental planning in Nepal. Specific focus is on the planning and environmental problems related to the towns of the Kathmandu Valley.

Nepal is facing several challenges in the areas of urban and environmental management and planning . Rapidly increasing population is exerting pressure in all aspects of urban infrastructure, services and housing. Traditional community support and planning systems are breaking apart due to several factors, such as changing societal values, urban consumption patterns and commercialization of traditionally household activities. On the other hand, Nepali society is not …

40th Rocky Mountain Conference On Analytical Chemistry

Rocky Mountain Conference on Magnetic Resonance

Final program, abstracts, and information about the 40th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference on Analytical Chemistry, co-sponsored by the Colorado Section of the American Chemical Society and the Rocky Mountain Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. Held in Denver, Colorado, July 25 - August 1, 1998.

Fatigue: Investigation Of A Human Factor For Regional Airline Pilots, Doug Mikkelsen

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study analyzed the causes of regional airline pilot fatigue and the impact on pilot performance. An instrument was developed and refined through a field study validation by a panel of experts. The final instrument was distributed to three groups of regional airline pilots. The data supported the literature review, which revealed many causes of pilot fatigue, including flight crew schedules that are not compatible with human limitations; Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) that have not evolved with the advancement of aircraft performance and the public demand for 24 hour availability of flights; and poor personal habits. An analysis of the …

Comparison Of Observed And Simulated Grow-Finish Swine Performance Under Summer Conditions, Larry W. Turner, Thomas C. Bridges, Richard D. Coffey, Richard S. Gates, Gary R. Parker, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Douglas G. Overhults

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

As a part of a National Pork Producers Council educational program, our research and extension team at the University of Kentucky was linked with an independent commercial swine producer to test the NCPIG model against observed commercial on-farm data. This experience provided improved information for model development as well as increased producer insight into the data input needs and potential benefits of modeling. Detailed production information comparisons between the NCPIG model and producer data are presented for summer time conditions to assess the validity of the NCPIG model for simulation of grow-finish swine performance. Results demonstrated that the NCPIG model …

Runoff And Erosion Following Field Application Of Beef Cattle Manure And Compost, John E. Gilley, Bahman Eghball

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Manure or compost from beef cattle feedlots can be excellent sources of nutrients and organic matter when added to soils. This study was conducted to determine the effect of a single application of manure and compost on runoff and erosion under no-till and tillage conditions. Tillage consisted of a single disking operation up and down the slope on a Sharpsburg soil which was cropped to grain sorghum or wheat the previous season. Manure and compost were applied at rates required to meet corn fertility requirements. Additional experimental treatments included the application of inorganic fertilizer and an untreated check. The addition …

Effect Of Pulsed Electric Fields On Aquatic Nuisance Species, Amr Abou-Ghazala

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Clinical and theoretical evidence indicate that electric fields have biological effects ranging from recoverable disturbance to mortality induction depending on the field parameters and time of exposure. In this thesis, the effect of electrical field in pulsed form on aquatic nuisance species is investigated. Pulse parameters in terms of amplitude, width, shape, and repetition rate that stimulate the species to desirable levels are to be defined. Applying the electrical pulses with appropriate parameters to stun aquatic nuisance species entering marine cooling systems will prevent it from attaching to pipe walls. The use of electrical fields to seek efficient, environmentally friendly, …

An Injection Modelocked Titanium-Sapphire Laser, James C. Hovater

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

I have investigated the possibility of using an injection modelocked Ti-sapphire laser as a illumination source for GaAs photocathodes. A commercial Ti-sapphire laser was modified to accept a seed pulse from a gain-switched diode laser. Modelocked operation was obtained through gain modulation within the Ti-sapphire crystal as a result of injection seeding with a modelocked pulse train from a gain-switched diode laser. The Ti-sapphire laser essentially becomes a pulse amplifier for the diode laser. Unlike conventional modelocked lasers, the pulse repetition rate of this laser can be discretely varied by setting the seed laser repetition rate equal to multiples of …