Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating Uranium Depth Versus Socio-Economic Statistics For Residential Radon Vulnerability In Warren County, Kentucky, Anthony Iovanna

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Residences in Warren County, Kentucky, are characterized by high levels of residential radon, which is one of the radioactive daughter products of uranium. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), radon exposure causes approximately 22,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States per year. The City of Bowling Green, in Warren County, is underlain by karst, an easily soluble limestone subsurface, which allows radon gas to travel easily through cracks and fissures. Carbonate rocks under Bowling Green are underlain by the Devonian Chattanooga Shale, a low-grade uranium ore and a potential source of radon gas. A digital …

Geogram 2004, David J. Keeling Editor, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Tme Volume 1, Number 2

The Mathematics Enthusiast

No abstract provided.

Sense -Based Text Classification By Semantic Hierarchy Representation, Xiaogang Peng

Doctoral Dissertations

Automatic classification of web pages is an effective way to facilitate the process of retrieving information from the Internet. Currently, two major classification methods are used in this area: keyword-based classification and sense-based classification. For keyword-based classification, keywords often have different semantic meanings, and the correct keyword matching is largely based on using exactly the same keywords. Thus, the classification results of keyword-based classification are not always satisfying. Many sense-based classification algorithms and systems have been presented, but they pay little attention to the relationship between senses. In this dissertation, we present a method to automatically classify documents based on …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Carol C. Harter, Cate Weeks, Cayrn Key

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Voronoi Diagrams, Michael Mumm

The Mathematics Enthusiast

Suppose we have a finite number of distinct points in the plane. We refer to these points as sites. We wish to partition the plane into disjoint regions called cells, each of which contains exactly one site, so that all other points within a cell are closer to that cell's site than to any other site.

Cooperative Conservation - Interagency Volunteer Program Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending September 30, 2004, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

Collaboration with Interagency Team

Although the task agreement formally commenced June 30, 2004, the agreement was not fully executed by both parties until July 29, 2004. In the first three months of this agreement, UNLV representatives have met with or communicated via email with the Interagency Volunteer Team on numerous occasions. At the first meeting on July 13, 2004, Government Technical Representative Bobbie Antonich and UNLV Public Lands Initiative Director Nancy Flagg met with the interagency team to discuss the overall goals for the Interagency Volunteer Program (IVP). The team was brought up-to-date on the status of the task agreement, …

Methodology Comparison For Canopy Structure Parameters Extraction From Digital Hemispherical Photography In Boreal Forests, Sylvain G. Leblanc, Jing M. Chen, Richard Fernandes, Donald W. Deering, Alexis Conley

United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Publications

The retrieval of canopy architectural parameters using off-the-shelf digital cameras with fish-eye lens is investigated. The technique used takes advantage of the sensor’s linear response to light of these cameras to improve the estimation of gap fraction using:

(1) the digital numbers of mixed sky-canopy pixels to estimate the within-pixel gap fraction; and (2) this process is done considering the variation in view zenith angle to take into account the sky radiance distribution and the canopy multiple scattering effects.

The foliage element clumping index is retrieved over a wide range of view zenith angles using:

(1) the accumulated gap size …

Gaining Ground Information Database, John R. Nolon, Jessica A. Bacher, Susan Moritz

Yale School of the Environment Publications Series

A Report on a New Internet Research Library of Innovative Land Use Laws, Regulations, and Practices

Evaluating Spatial Variability Of Precipitation In Kentucky With Exploratory Data Analysis, Daniel Taylor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Spatial variability of precipitation is examined over the state of Kentucky and surrounding areas. The study focuses on the analysis of monthly precipitation totals from the period of 1961-2000. The purpose of the study is to develop a set of indices to represent the spatial variability of the study area for a given month. Various exploratory data analysis methods such as variography, kriging, and cluster analysis were used. The study attempts to quantify the second order (local) effects of the spatial variation of precipitation as a means to provide insight into the prediction of precipitation randomness. This task can be …

Technical Assessment Of Natural Resource Management Threats And Options In The Northern Agricultural Region Of Western Australia, Lorinda Hunt, G Patterson, Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (Wa)

Resource management technical reports

Analysis of the risk of soil, land and water degradation within the Northern Agricultural Region of Western Australia. Natural resource issues discussed include: acid groundwater, acid sulfate soils, climate change, dryland salinity, flooding, herbicide resistance, non-wetting (water repellence), nutrient loss and eutrophication, remnant vegetation decline, soil acidity, soil fertility decline, soil structure decline, subsurface compaction, waterlogging, wind erosion and soil contamination.

Ao2p: Ad-Hoc On-Demand Position-Based Private Routing Protocol, Xiaoxin Wu, Bharat Bhargava

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Classifying Mollisol Soils Using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Data, Adil M. Wadia

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil classification is a complex task that involves several factors. Soil classifications that have been published usually need to be updated as soil series definitions and boundaries change over time. Most existing soil classification surveys in the United States, although often very good, lack the required accuracy for selected applications such as precision agriculture. 111 Hyperspectral remote sensing data, with its 100+ bands and very high spectral resolution can help facilitate soil classification detail not achieved through traditional remote sensing methods. The study area selected for research was Wolf Field, near Homer, Champaign County, Illinois, which is a very agriculturally …

Accuracy Of Neural Network Classifiers In Humid Tropical Areas, Genong Yu

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research develops a better understanding of the use of neural networks in the context of tropical land cover characterization using multiple scale remotely sensed data. Results of the research contributed to developing a robust neural network classifier suitable to use for humid tropical land cover classification in areas such as Altamira, Brazil. Research was focused upon the following: (1) performance ofneural networks with different ancillary data- such as DEM (digital elevation model) and its derivatives; (2) effect of spatial scale on neural network classifiers using remote sensing data from IKONOS, Landsat TM, ASTER, and MODIS; (3) accuracy of neural …

Western Gray Whales Off Sakhalin Island, Russia: A Joint Russia-U.S. Scientific Investigation July-September 2003, David W. Weller, Alexander M. Burdin, Amanda L. Bradford, Yulia V. Ivashchenko, Grigory A. Tsidulko, Aimée R. Lang, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Research on the western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) population summering off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, has been ongoing since 1995. This collaborative Russia-U.S. research program has produced important new information on the present day conservation status of this critically endangered population. This report reviews recent findings from 2003 research activities and combines such with data from previous years, in some cases ranging back to 1994. Photo-identification research conducted off Sakhalin Island in 2003 resulted in the identification of 75 whales, including 11 calves and two previously unidentified non-calves. When combined with data from 1994-2002, a catalog of 131 …

A Cost Effective Approach To Taxonomic Resolution For Bioassessment And Monitoring Programs In The State Of Georgia, Jodi Alene Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The Georgia Ecoregions Reference Sites Project has developed biological criteria for streams in Georgia according to the Rapid Bioassessment Protocols For Wadeable Streams and Rivers. Streams will ultimately be classified into categories of impairment so that management decisions can be made in accordance with the Clean Water Act. A cost-effective approach to accomplish mandates set forth by the Clean Water Act must be employed, as state budgets are limited. One means of examining costs is to assess taxonomic resolution. Taxonomic resolution not only assesses the sensitivity of biocriteria, it also allows one to make recommendations to state agencies regarding the …

An Evening To Remember, Desmond H. Murray

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Interactive Learning Environment For A Dynamic Educational Digital Library, Ee Peng Lim, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Yin-Leng Theng, Eng-Kai Suen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

GeogDL is a digital library of geography examination resources designed to assist students in preparing for a national geography examination in Singapore. We describe an interactive learning environment built into GeogDL that consists of four major components. The practice and review module allows students to attempt individual examination questions, the mock exam provides a simulation of the actual geography examination, the trends analysis tool provides an overview of the types of questions asked in previous examinations, while the contributions module allows students and teachers to create and share knowledge within the digital library.

On The Effects Of Device Mobility Upon Resource-Sharing In A Simulated Wireless Grid Network, Arris Ray

Theses and Dissertations

The primary aim of modern computer networks is to permit simplified sharing of resources (e.g., files and data) or to provide access to remote resources (e.g., printers or remote file-systems). Grid networks aim to provide a more sophisticated framework for securely sharing, selecting and/or aggregating a wide-variety of remote resources, whether logical (e.g., files and data) or physical (e.g., remote sensors, processing power or disk storage space). Provided that circuit design continues to improve at the relatively steady pace that it has for the past decade, in addition to standard desktop systems, miniature and mobile devices will soon become substantially …

What's Shakin': Earthquake Research At Bridgewater, Robert C. Cicerone

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

The Rise And Fall Of Open Market Emissions Trading In New Jersey, Devin Peter Demarco

Theses

On August 2, 1996, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) promulgated rules governing its Open Market Emissions Trading (OMET) program. With a goal to provide industry with a greater degree of flexibility in meeting federal air compliance directives and simultaneously move the state towards the attainment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), this program is now slated for termination following scrutiny from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), environmental groups and a new NJDEP administration.

This thesis discusses the basis for this scrutiny and other program flaws discovered through interviews with, and public comments from, NJDEP and …

Potential Of Modis Ocean Bands For Estimating Co2 Flux From Terrestrial Vegetation: A Novel Approach, Abdullah Rahman, Vicente D. Cordova, John A. Gamon, Hans Peter Schmid, Daniel A. Sims

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

A physiologically-driven spectral index using two ocean-color bands of MODIS satellite sensor showed great potential to track seasonally changing photosynthetic light use efficiency (LUE) and stress-induced reduction in net primary productivity (NPP) of terrestrial vegetation. Based on these findings, we developed a simple ‘‘continuous field’’ model solely based on remotely sensed spectral data that could explain 88% of variability in flux-tower based daily NPP. For the first time, such a procedure is successfully tested at landscape level using satellite imagery. These findings highlight the unexplored potential of narrow-band satellite sensors to improve estimates of spatial and temporal distribution in terrestrial …

A Spatiotemporal Query Service For Mobile Users In Sensor Networks, Chenyang Lu, Guoliang Xing, Octav Chipara, Chien-Liang Fok, Sangeeta Bhattacharya

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

This paper presents MobiQuery, a spatiotemporal query service that allows mobile users to periodically gather information from their surrounding areas through a wireless sensor network. A key advantage of MobiQuery lies in its capability to meet stringent spatiotemporal performance constraints crucial to many applications. These constraints include query latency, data freshness and fidelity, and changing query areas due to user mobility. A novel just-in-time prefetching algorithm enables MobiQuery to main-tain robust spatiotemporal guarantees even when nodes op-erate under extremely low duty cycles. Furthermore, it sig-nificantly reduces the storage cost and network contention caused by continuous queries from mobile users. We …

Assonet River: Foaming At The Mouth

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Assonet River has a stream order of three, with tributaries including Cedar Swamp and Holloway Brook. The sub-basin area of the river is around 29.8 square miles and is part of the Taunton River Watershed. The land use of the surrounding area is largely domestic, ranging from low density to high density housing. The Assonet River is used for canoeing, fishing, swimming, boating and other forms of aquatic recreation. The river runs closely along the main transportation routes 140 and 79. The river has four dams, which alter the turbidity and flow. Historically, these dams were used to power mills. …

Geomorphic Analysis Of Tidal Creek Networks, Karyn Inez Novakowski, Raymond Torres, L Robert Gardner, George Voulgaris

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to determine if concepts in terrestrial channel network analysis provide insight on intertidal creek network development and to present new metrics for their analysis. We delineated creek network geometry using high-resolution digital images of intertidal marsh near Georgetown, South Carolina. Analyses reveal that intertidal creek networks may be topologically random. Length-area relationships suggest that salt marsh and terrestrial networks have similar scaling properties, although the marsh networks are more elongate than terrestrial networks. To account for recurrent water exchange between creek basins at high tide, we propose that the landscape unit of geomorphic analyses …

An Invasive Species Assessment Protocol: Evaluating Non-Native Plants For Their Impact On Biodiversity, Version 1, Larry E. Morse, John M. Randall, Nancy Benton, Ron Hiebert, Stephanie Lu, Natureserve

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

NatureServe, in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. National Park Service, developed this Invasive Species Assessment Protocol as a tool for assessing, categorizing, and listing non-native invasive vascular plants according to their impact on native species and natural biodiversity in a large geographical area such as a nation, state, province, or ecological region. This protocol is designed to make the process of assessing and listing invasive plants objective and systematic, and to incorporate scientific documentation of the information used to determine each species’ rank. NatureServe’s methodology has previously included assessments of the conservation significance of native species; this …

Atrazine Contamination In A Rural Source-Water Supply: Spa Lake, Lewisburg, Kentucky, Kathryn Seadler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In 1998, Western Kentucky University (WKU) worked in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Drinking Water Protection Division, to investigate methods to improve source-water quality for rural-water supply systems (RWSS). Through partial funding from the EPA, WKU developed a Technical Assistance Center for Water Quality (TACWQ), which focused resources and expertise toward assisting RWSS in achieving and maintaining capacity development goals and protecting public health. The TACWQ established the Source Water Protection Initiative (SWPI) to assist RWSS in acquiring and monitoring the technical, financial and managerial capacity needed to provide safe drinking water and achieve the public health protection …

Defining Archaeological Stratigraphy: Evaluating Microartifact Sampling, David N. Holycross

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A variety of subsurface methods have been used to discover and evaluate buried archaeological occupations. Researchers such as Stafford (1993,1995) have proposed that micro artifacts are an effective means of defining the archaeological stratigraphy of deposits, but only limited evaluation of this approach has been undertaken. This study tested the utility of microartifacts within a range of sample size and site density characteristics at three Ohio Valley archaeological sites buried within early and late Holocene age landforms. Occupations were typically detected in unit-to-core comparisons, within acceptable margins of error, and microartifacts often revealed a more complex stratigraphy than reflected by …

A Study Of Invasive Species Cover Near Roads In A Red Rock Canyon Blackbrush Community, Christopher Keough

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The monitoring of Mojave Desert plant communities during and following disturbance is an important process that could provide invaluable information about disturbance/recovery regimes in similar arid environments across the globe. Blackbrush communities are of particular interest because of their low replacement rate, which makes them highly susceptible to disturbance. Roads in the Mojave Desert have been associated with soil compaction resulting in a lack of vegetation as well as an increase in invasive species cover in the immediate proximity. To investigate these statements, eight fifty-foot line transects were established in each of three plot types (perpendicular to dirt roads, perpendicular …

Sulfide Sulfur Concentration And Sulfur Isotopic Composition Of Methane Seep Sediments, V. Lynn Means, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.