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Controller Design For Coordinated Encirclement Of Moving Targets, Puneet Jain Dec 2019

Controller Design For Coordinated Encirclement Of Moving Targets, Puneet Jain

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents controllers that use relative range and bearing measurements to steer unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to circular trajectories around stationary, constantly moving and constantly accelerating targets. The range and bearing to the target, along with their derivaties are estimated. These, along with the estimated local heading of the UAVs, are used in the control law, and to estimate the velocity of the target. In this work, six controllers are presented. The controller for a stationary target is derived using Lyapunov's direct method, and feedback linearization is used for the constant velocity and accelerating targets. A new controller is …

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Teaching K-6 Computer Science: Teacher And Student Attitudes And Self-Efficacy, Stacie Lee Mason Dec 2019

Teaching K-6 Computer Science: Teacher And Student Attitudes And Self-Efficacy, Stacie Lee Mason

Theses and Dissertations

This article-format dissertation addresses elementary student and teacher attitudes and self-efficacy for computer science. The first article (Mason & Rich, in press) describes what the literature says about preservice and inservice training to help K-6 teachers increase knowledge and self-efficacy to teach computer science. The second article (Mason, West, & Leary, under review) describes an effort to provide training for local elementary school teachers to teach computational thinking with robots. The third article (Mason & Rich, under review) describes how we developed and validated an instrument to assess K-8 students' coding attitudes and beliefs, including perceived self-efficacy, interest, utility value, …

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Characterization And Modeling Of The Martensite Transformation In Advanced High-Strength Steels, Stephen Roy Cluff Dec 2019

Characterization And Modeling Of The Martensite Transformation In Advanced High-Strength Steels, Stephen Roy Cluff

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple studies on the microstructures of advanced high-strength steels are presented here that seek to add to the already substantial body of knowledge on martensite in steel. These studies seek to gain additional insight into the role that the martensite transformation has on the observed mechanical properties of modern steels. Crystallographic Reconstruction of Parent Austenite Twin Boundaries in a Lath Martensitic Steel The study of post-transformation microstructures and their properties can be greatly enhanced by studying their dependence on the grain boundary content of parent microstructures. Recent work has extended the crystallographic reconstruction of parent austenite in steels to include …

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Machine Learning On Acoustic Signals Applied To High-Speed Bridge Deck Defect Detection, Yao Chou Dec 2019

Machine Learning On Acoustic Signals Applied To High-Speed Bridge Deck Defect Detection, Yao Chou

Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning techniques are being applied to many data-intensive problems because they can accurately provide classification of complex data using appropriate training. Often, the performance of machine learning can exceed the performance of traditional techniques because machine learning can take advantage of higher dimensionality than traditional algorithms. In this work, acoustic data sets taken using a rapid scanning technique on concrete bridge decks provided an opportunity to both apply machine learning algorithms to improve detection performance and also to investigate the ways that training of neural networks can be aided by data augmentation approaches. Early detection and repair can enhance …

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Inclusion Of Kinetic Proteomics In Multi-Omics Methods To Analyze Calorie Restriction Effects On Aging, Richard Hajime Carson Dec 2019

Inclusion Of Kinetic Proteomics In Multi-Omics Methods To Analyze Calorie Restriction Effects On Aging, Richard Hajime Carson

Theses and Dissertations

One of the greatest risk factors for disease is advanced age. As the human lifespan has increased, so too have the burdens of caring for an increasingly older population suffering from rising rates of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and dementia. The need for improving medical technology and developing new therapies for age-related diseases is manifest. Yet our understanding of the processes of aging and how to attenuate the effects of aging remains incomplete. Various studies have established calorie restriction as a robust method for extending lifespan in laboratory organisms; however the mechanism is a topic of much debate. Advancing …

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Exploring The Relationship Between Vocabulary Scaling And Algorithmic Performance In Text Classification For Large Datasets, Wilson Murray Fearn Dec 2019

Exploring The Relationship Between Vocabulary Scaling And Algorithmic Performance In Text Classification For Large Datasets, Wilson Murray Fearn

Theses and Dissertations

Text analysis is a significant branch of natural language processing, and includes manydifferent sub-fields such as topic modeling, document classification, and sentiment analysis.Unsurprisingly, those who do text analysis are concerned with the runtime of their algorithmsSome of these algorithms have runtimes that depend jointly on the size of the corpus beinganalyzed, as well as the size of that corpus's vocabulary. Trivially, a user may reduce theamount of data they feed into their model to speed it up, but we assume that users will behesitant to do this as more data tends to lead to better model quality. On the other …

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An Exploration Of Neural Networks In Enhanced Resolution Remote Sensing Products, Jordan Paul Brown Dec 2019

An Exploration Of Neural Networks In Enhanced Resolution Remote Sensing Products, Jordan Paul Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Scatterometry and radiometry are used to obtain measurements of Earth properties with extensive spatial coverage at daily or near-daily temporal resolution. Their measurements are used in many climate studies and weather applications, such as iceberg tracking, ocean wind estimation, and volumetric soil moisture measurements. The spatial resolution of these data products ranges from a few kilometers to tens of kilometers. Techniques to enhance the spatial resolution of these products help reveal finer scale features, but come at the cost of increased noise. This thesis explores the application of neural networks as a possible method to handle the noise and uncertainty …

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Proactive Energy Optimization In Residential Buildings With Weather And Market Forecasts, Cody Simmons, Joshua Arment, Kody M. Powell, John Hedengren Dec 2019

Proactive Energy Optimization In Residential Buildings With Weather And Market Forecasts, Cody Simmons, Joshua Arment, Kody M. Powell, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

This work explores the development of a home energy management system (HEMS) that uses weather and market forecasts to optimize the usage of home appliances and to manage battery usage and solar power production. A Moving Horizon Estimation (MHE) application is used to find the unknown home model parameters. These parameters are then updated in a Model Predictive Controller (MPC) which optimizes and balances competing comfort and economic objectives. Combining MHE and MPC applications alleviates model complexity commonly seen in HEMS by using a lumped parameter model that is adapted to fit a high-fidelity model. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning …

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Vertical Electrical Impedance Measurements Of Concrete Bridge Decks, Jared Scott Baxter Dec 2019

Vertical Electrical Impedance Measurements Of Concrete Bridge Decks, Jared Scott Baxter

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on the creation, validation, automation, and deployment of a nondestructive vertical electrical impedance (VEI) bridge deck assessment apparatus. A multichannel impedance analyzer with a moving platform is developed that can assess the deterioration state of a bridge deck without stationary traffic control. The multichannel apparatus is capable of taking over 500 impedance samples a second and can scan a bridge deck over 500 times faster than more traditional techniques. This research also shows VEI measurements are inversely proportional to the diffusivity of ions through concrete and that an impedance measurement frequency of 25 kHz is the most …

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Coordinated Persistent Homology And An Application To Seismology, Nickolas Brenten Callor Dec 2019

Coordinated Persistent Homology And An Application To Seismology, Nickolas Brenten Callor

Theses and Dissertations

The theory of persistent homology (PH), introduced by Edelsbrunner, Letscher, and Zomorodian in [1], provides a framework for extracting topological information from experimental data. This framework was then expanded by Carlsson and Zomorodian in [2] to allow for multiple parameters of analysis with the theory of multidimensional persistent homology (MPH). This particular generalization is considerably more difficult to compute and to apply than its predecessor. We introduce an intermediate theory, coordinated persistent homology (CPH), that allows for multiple parameters while still preserving the clarity and coherence of PH. In addition to introducing the basic theory, we provide a polynomial time …

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Reading Fluency And Gonoodle© Brain Breaks Among Elementary-Aged Children, Hannah Jeanne Wold Dec 2019

Reading Fluency And Gonoodle© Brain Breaks Among Elementary-Aged Children, Hannah Jeanne Wold

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the immediate and chronic effects of physical activity (PA) breaks on reading fluency. While many teachers recognize the value of PA for increasing engagement and focus (getting the wiggles out) in academic endeavors, these results reveal increases in academic achievement in reading fluency are also possible.This study examines 384 second and third grade students with low income backgrounds from the Rocky Mountain region. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the effects of chronic and acute brain breaks via GoNoodle© (McQuigg, 2013) on reading fluency and physical activity (steps). Between group differences were further …

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Splice Performance Of #6 Reinforcing Bars In Masonry With Self-Consolidating Grout, Annie Ruth Nielson Dec 2019

Splice Performance Of #6 Reinforcing Bars In Masonry With Self-Consolidating Grout, Annie Ruth Nielson

Theses and Dissertations

Reinforced masonry grouted using self-consolidating grout (SCG) is a relatively new and economically competitive option for construction, providing advantages such as reduced construction time, decreased noise and vibration, and reliable consolidation. However, SCG has different properties than conventional grout and its performance should be verified using current governing code requirements. The purpose of this research program was to determine the development length of spliced reinforcing bars in masonry grouted with SCG.Twelve masonry panels, four courses high and two and a half blocks wide, were constructed using 8-inch concrete masonry units, each with two pairs of vertically spliced #6 reinforcing bars. …

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Variance Reduction In Wind Farm Layout Optimization, Bertelsen Gagakuma Dec 2019

Variance Reduction In Wind Farm Layout Optimization, Bertelsen Gagakuma

Theses and Dissertations

As demand for wind power continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly important to minimize the risk, characterized by the variance, that is associated with long-term power forecasts. This thesis investigated variance reduction in power forecasts from wind farm layout optimization.The problem was formulated as a multi-objective optimization one of maximizing mean-plant-power and minimizing variance. The ε−constraint method was used to solve the bi-objectiveproblem in a two-step optimization framework where two sequential optimizations are performed. The first is maximizing mean wind farm power alone and the second, minimizing variance with a constraint on the mean power which is the value …

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Enabling Compact Devices Through Origami And Developable Mechanisms, Jacob Ryan Greenwood Dec 2019

Enabling Compact Devices Through Origami And Developable Mechanisms, Jacob Ryan Greenwood

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides resources that enable the design of novel and compact mechanical devices by providing terminology, engineering models, and design methods in the fields of developable mechanisms and origami-based engineering.The first part of this work presents engineering models to aid in the design of cylindrical developable mechanisms. These models take into account the added spatial restrictions imposed by the developable surface. Equations are provided for the kinematic analysis of cylindrical developable mechanisms. A new classification for developable mechanisms is also presented (intramobile, extramobile, and transmobile) and two graphical methods are provided for determining this classification for single-DOF planar cylindrical …

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A Validity Study Of The Cognitively Guided Instruction Teacher Knowledge Assessment, Debra Smith Fuentes Dec 2019

A Validity Study Of The Cognitively Guided Instruction Teacher Knowledge Assessment, Debra Smith Fuentes

Theses and Dissertations

This study reports the development of an instrument intended to measure mathematics teachers' knowledge of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI). CGI is a mathematics professional development framework based on how students think about and solve problems and how that knowledge guides instruction for developing mathematical understanding. The purpose of this study was to (a) analyze and revise the original CGI Teacher Knowledge Assessment (CGI TKA), (b) administer the revised CGI TKA, and (c) analyze the results from the revised CGI TKA. As part of the revision of the original CGI TKA, distractor analysis identified distractors that could be improved. Experts in …

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An Equivalence Of Shape And Deck Groups; Further Classification Of Sharkovskii Groups, Tyler Willes Hills Dec 2019

An Equivalence Of Shape And Deck Groups; Further Classification Of Sharkovskii Groups, Tyler Willes Hills

Theses and Dissertations

In part one we show that for a compact, metric, locally path-connected topological space X, the shape group of X - as defined in Foundations of Shape Theory by Mardesic and Segal - is isomorphic to the inverse limit of discrete homotopy groups introduced by Conrad Plaut and Valera Berestovskii. We begin by providing the reader preliminary definitions of the fundamental group of a topological space, inverse systems and inverse limits, the Shape Category, discrete homotopy groups, and culminate by providing an isomorphism of the shape and deck groups for peano continua. In part two we develop work and provide …

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Depositional Analysis Of A Holocene Carbonate Strand Plain Using High Resolution Gpr, Sediment Analysis, And C-14 Dating, Kaleb Robert Markert Dec 2019

Depositional Analysis Of A Holocene Carbonate Strand Plain Using High Resolution Gpr, Sediment Analysis, And C-14 Dating, Kaleb Robert Markert

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding modern carbonate depositional systems gives valuable insights into the interpretation of ancient carbonate systems. Ancient carbonate strand plains have the potential to act as productive hydrocarbon reservoirs because of their relatively high porosity. Unfortunately, they are difficult to identify in the rock record because of the lack of work done on modern analogues. San Salvador Island in the Bahamas hosts a well-exposed and easily accessible Holocene strand plain, ideal as a modern analogue. Sandy Hook, located on the southeast part of the island, consists of approximately 35 ridge-swale features that show signs of four distinct zones of deposition. In …

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Electrical Conductivity Of The Aluminum Oxide Diffusion Barrier Following Catalytic Carbon Nanotube Growth, Berg Daniel Dodson Dec 2019

Electrical Conductivity Of The Aluminum Oxide Diffusion Barrier Following Catalytic Carbon Nanotube Growth, Berg Daniel Dodson

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon nanotube templated microfabrication (CNT-M) is a method that allows high-aspect ratio structures to be made for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices. One concern when making monolithic electrical devices using CNT-M is that the aluminum oxide diffusion barrier will create too large of a resistance in the device. However, in developing CNT based MEMS devices, it has been observed that an electrical DC current is capable of transport from a conductive substrate, across the aluminum oxide, and through to the CNT structure grown on top of it. This thesis attempts to determine the mechanisms responsible for current being able to cross …

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Testing A Scale Of Teacher Beliefs About Universal Curriculum Integration In The 21st Century (Uci21-T), Nicole E. Anderson Dec 2019

Testing A Scale Of Teacher Beliefs About Universal Curriculum Integration In The 21st Century (Uci21-T), Nicole E. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Curriculum integration is a unique approach to teaching. Twenty-first century skill approaches to curriculum integration train teachers in the process of curriculum integration, such that they are able to integrate various subject combinations in their teaching that produce new skills and dispositions in their students. Yet no scale to measure teachers' beliefs about the value of and efficacy beliefs towards implementing curriculum integration exists that is universal in the sense that it can be used any time any subject combination is integrated. Using a sample of 196 teachers at a professional development meeting in a mid-sized suburban school district in …

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Materials Prediction Using High-Throughput And Machine Learning Techniques, Chandramouli Nyshadham Dec 2019

Materials Prediction Using High-Throughput And Machine Learning Techniques, Chandramouli Nyshadham

Theses and Dissertations

Predicting new materials through virtually screening a large number of hypothetical materials using supercomputers has enabled materials discovery at an accelerated pace. However, the innumerable number of possible hypothetical materials necessitates the development of faster computational methods for speedier screening of materials reducing the time of discovery. In this thesis, I aim to understand and apply two computational methods for materials prediction. The first method deals with a computational high-throughput study of superalloys. Superalloys are materials which exhibit high-temperature strength. A combinatorial high-throughput search across 2224 ternary alloy systems revealed 102 potential superalloys of which 37 are brand new, all …

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Development Of A Gpu-Based Real-Time Interference Mitigating Beamformer For Radio Astronomy, Jeffrey M. Nybo Dec 2019

Development Of A Gpu-Based Real-Time Interference Mitigating Beamformer For Radio Astronomy, Jeffrey M. Nybo

Theses and Dissertations

Radio frequency interference (RFI) mitigation enables radio astronomical observation in frequency bands that are shared with many modern satellite and ground based devices by filtering out the interference in corrupted bands. The present work documents the development of a beamformer (spatial filter) equipped with RFI mitigation capabilities. The beamformer is intended for systems with antenna arrays designed for large bandwidths. Because array data post processing on large bandwidths would require massive memory space beyond feasible limits, there is a need for a RFI mitigation system capable of doing processing on the data as it arrives in real-time; storing only a …

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Almost Homeomorphisms And Inscrutability, Michael Steven Andersen Dec 2019

Almost Homeomorphisms And Inscrutability, Michael Steven Andersen

Theses and Dissertations

“Homeomorphic'' is the standard equivalence relation in topology. To a topologist, spaces which are homeomorphic to each other aren't merely similar to each other, they are the same space. We study a class of functions which are homeomorphic at “most'' of the points of their domains and codomains, but which may fail to satisfy some of the properties required to be a homeomorphism at a “small'' portion of the points of these spaces. Such functions we call “almost homeomorphisms.'' One of the nice properties of almost homeomorphisms is the preservation of almost open sets, i.e. sets which are “close'' to …

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Exploring The Efficiency Of Software-Defined Radios In 3d Heat Mapping, Andrew Scott Thomas Dec 2019

Exploring The Efficiency Of Software-Defined Radios In 3d Heat Mapping, Andrew Scott Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

A common method of connecting to the internet is a wireless network. These networks can be monitored to discover the area of their coverage, but commercial receivers don't always provide the most accurate results. A software-defined radio was programmed to sniff wireless signals and tested against a commercial receiver and the results were compared. The results suggest that the software-defined radio performs at least as well as the commercial receiver in distance measurements and significantly better in samples taken per minute. It was determined that the software-defined radio is a viable replacement for a commercial receiver in 3D heat mapping.

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Aspects Of Engaging Problem Contexts From Students' Perspectives, Tamara Kay Stark Dec 2019

Aspects Of Engaging Problem Contexts From Students' Perspectives, Tamara Kay Stark

Theses and Dissertations

Aspects of Engaging Problem Contexts From Students' PerspectivesTamara Kay Gandolph StarkDepartment of Mathematics Education, BYUMaster of ArtsToo many students have negative feelings towards mathematics which is causing them to disengage in their classrooms. This has led to student under-achievement. This study attempts to better understand how teachers can help students to reengage with mathematics by using more engaging contexts to develop mathematical content. The study began with the characteristics realistic, worthwhile, enjoyable or motivating as a framework for posing engaging problem contexts, which were synthesized from the current research literature. As students discussed what made contexts engaging, my understanding of …

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Social-Emotional Learning In Middle School: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation Of The Strong Kids Program, Erin Larsen Neth Nov 2019

Social-Emotional Learning In Middle School: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation Of The Strong Kids Program, Erin Larsen Neth

Theses and Dissertations

Strong Kids is a social-emotional curriculum designed to reduce students' externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Strong Kids has shown promise in elementary school, but this was the first study to evaluate the newly updated version of the intervention in a middle school setting. The curriculum was implemented by two general education teachers with students at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. A mixed method design was used to evaluate outcomes with eight middle school students. Overall findings suggest that Strong Kids was effective at improving students' social emotional knowledge and internalizing symptoms; however, there were no significant changes in students' externalizing symptoms. …

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Light-Field Style Transfer, David Marvin Hart Nov 2019

Light-Field Style Transfer, David Marvin Hart

Theses and Dissertations

For many years, light fields have been a unique way of capturing a scene. By using a particular set of optics, a light field camera is able to, in a single moment, take images of the same scene from multiple perspectives. These perspectives can be used to calculate the scene geometry and allow for effects not possible with standard photographs, such as refocus and the creation of novel views.Neural style transfer is the process of training a neural network to render photographs in the style of a particular painting or piece of art. This is a simple process for a …

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Average Speech Directivity, Samuel D. Bellows, Claire M. Pincock, Jennifer K. Whiting, Timothy W. Leishman Nov 2019

Average Speech Directivity, Samuel D. Bellows, Claire M. Pincock, Jennifer K. Whiting, Timothy W. Leishman

Directivity

Speech directivity describes the angular dependence of acoustic radiation from a talker’s mouth and nostrils and diffraction about his or her body and chair (if seated). It is an essential physical aspect of communication affecting sounds and signals in acoustical environments, audio, and telecommunication systems. Because high-resolution, spherically comprehensive measurements of live, phonetically balanced speech have been unavailable in the past, the authors have undertaken research to produce and share such data for simulations of acoustical environments, optimizations of microphone placements, speech studies, and other applications. The measurements included three male and three female talkers who repeated phonetically balanced passages …

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Recommending Games To Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder(Asd) For Skill Enhancement Using Minecraft, Alisha Banskota Nov 2019

Recommending Games To Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder(Asd) For Skill Enhancement Using Minecraft, Alisha Banskota

Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a long-standing mental condition characterized by hindered mental growth and development. In 2018, 168 out of 10,000 children are said to be affected with Autism in the USA. As these children move to adulthood, they have difficulty in communicating with others, expressing themselves, maintaining eye contact, developing a well-functioning motor skill or sensory sensitivity, and paying attention for longer period. Some of these abnormalities, however, can be gradually improved if they are treated appropriately during their adulthood. Studies have shown that people with ASD can enhance their social-interactive skills by playing video games. During the …

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An Experimental And Theoretical Investigation Of Internal Wave Kinetic Energy Density In Variable Stratifications, Allison Marie Lee Nov 2019

An Experimental And Theoretical Investigation Of Internal Wave Kinetic Energy Density In Variable Stratifications, Allison Marie Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Internal waves are generated in a fluid if the density increases continuously with depth. The variation in density with depth, or stratification, defines the natural frequency of the fluid N. Two common examples of stratified fluids are the ocean and atmosphere; internal waves are generated continuously in both mediums. Although there are many internal wave generation mechanisms, one common and frequently studied method is tidal flow over oceanic bathymetry. If the local natural frequency of the water near the topography is greater than the tidal frequencyω, internal waves will be generated by the tidal flow over the topography. If N=ω, …

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Hydrological And Paleoclimate Analysis Of A Pinyon-Juniper And Fen-Dominated Watershed On The Windy Ridge Mega-Landslide, Joel Frederick Barker Nov 2019

Hydrological And Paleoclimate Analysis Of A Pinyon-Juniper And Fen-Dominated Watershed On The Windy Ridge Mega-Landslide, Joel Frederick Barker

Theses and Dissertations

Water BudgetThis chapter documents the hydrologic analysis of a watershed within the Windy Ridge mega-landslide of Central Utah to (1) create a water budget and (2) place a quantitative limit on the magnitude of climatic changes documented by Shurtliff et al. (2017) and Hudson et al. (2019). (1) A water budget was calculated over the last four years using instrumentation and weather stations both within and surrounding the watershed, In terms of precipitation input, 85% is released by the evapotranspiration of the Pinyon-Juniper forest, 4% discharges as surface water from the base of the watershed, and 11 % infiltrates the …

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