Digital Commons Network^™

Cyber-Security Of Water Distribution Systems: Current Challenges And Future Directions, Riccardo Taormina, Stefano Galelli

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The combination of advanced metering hardware with controllable networked devices provides a unique opportunity to improve the reliability, efficiency, and level of automation of water distribution systems. The flipside of this technological development is their vulnerability to cyber attacks: smart meters, sensors, PLCs, and SCADA represent an ‘attack surface’ that can be exploited by hackers to access private information or even disrupt system operations. What are the most vulnerable components? How do water distribution networks respond to cyber attacks? Is it possible to detect them?

To answer these questions, we first provide an overview of the mathematical modelling approaches available …

Benchmarking Apache Spark Spatial Libraries, Hector Muro Mauri, Rob Knapen, Arend Ligtenberg, Sander Janssen, Ioannis N. Athanasiadis

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Apache Spark is one of the most widely used and fast-evolving cluster-computing frame- works for big data. This research investigates the state of practice in the Apache Spark ecosystem for managing spatial data, with a specific focus on spatial vector data. Apache Spark is a relatively new platform, and the associated libraries for geospatial data extensions are still work-in-progress. In this work, three libraries for managing geospatial information in Apache Spark have been investigated, namely GeoSpark, GeoPySpark, and Magellan. First we designed and performed a suite of functionality tests, to explore how much can be done with. Then, we benchmarked …

Rationalising Systems Analysis For The Evaluation Of Adaptation Strategies In Complex Human-Water Systems, Carlos Dionisio Pérez-Blanco Phd, Arthur Hrast Essenfelder Phd

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Water resources management is a non-trivial process requiring a holistic understanding of the factors driving the dynamics of human-water systems. Policy-induced or autonomous behavioural changes in human systems may affect water and land management, which may affect water systems and feedback to human systems, further impacting on water and land management. Currently, hydro-economic models lack the ability in describing such complex dynamics by either not accounting for the multi-factor/multi-output nature of these systems, and/or not being designed to operate at a river basin scale. This paper presents a methodological framework for the integration of a microeconomic multi-factor/multi-output Positive Multi-Attribute Utility …

An Innovative Approach Based On Recursive Clustering To Design Optimal Districts In Water Distribution Networks, Armando Di Nardo, Michele Di Natale, Carlo Giudicianni, Dino Musmarra, Giovanni Francesco Santonastaso

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Water Network Partitioning (WNP) in District Metered Areas (DMAs) is an effective management strategy for the Water Distribution Networks (WDNs), simplifying pressure control, water loss detection and protection from contamination. Nevertheless, the definition of permanent DMAs constitutes an arduous task, since, the closure of some pipes may worsen significantly the energy and the topological redundancy of the system. In recent years, several optimization procedures, relied on heuristic optimization methods, were focused on the optimal design of DMAs; they generally are based on the simultaneous insertion of gate valves in all boundary pipes defined in the clustering phase. Since these procedures …

Models And Modeling In The Environmental Sciences: Between Epistemology And Practice, Carlo Gualtieri, Dragutin T. Mihailović Prof., Darko Kapor Prof., Siniša Crvenković Prof., Ilija Arsenić Dr.

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Designing the models and their use in computer simulation in the environmental sciences inherently involves many epistemological questions. Although practical considerations often overruled the problems of epistemology sometimes it is necessary to make basic epistemological choices, especially in modeling. In sciences and accordingly in environmental ones for many reasons modelers ignore non-linearity of phenomena and processes. If we decide to linearize “the object of modeling” then we use linear equations where the variables and their derivatives must always appear as a simple first power. The theory for solving linear equations is rather well developed one because linear equations are simple …

Numerical Model Chain Of Radionuclide Transport In “Watershed – River – Reservoir” Systems: Development And Implementation At Chernobyl And Fukushima -Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants, Mark Zheleznyak, Sergii Kivva, Oleksiy Boyko, Yasunori Igarashi, Aleksey Konoplev, Oleksandr Pylypenko, Maksym Sorokin, Yoshifumi Wakiyama

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Turbulent two-phase flows drive transport of radionuclides released into the water systems, - rivers, reservoirs, coastal areas. Radiation exposure of the population via aquatic pathways by radiocesium and some other radionuclides should be modeled taking into account the sorption-desorption exchange of these elements between water, suspended and bottom sediments. The chain of Environmental Fluid Mechanics (EFD) models of different scale of the resolution were developed to simulate the radioactive contamination of the water systems at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) after April 1986 accident and the Fukushima- Daiichi NPP (FDNPP) after March 2011 accident. Two models were applied for …

Hybrid Service Simulation Model For Circular Economy Implementation, Edna Guevara-Rivera, Roberto Osorno-Hinojosa, Victor Hugo Zaldívar-Carrillo

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Circular economy (CE) aims to redefine products and services to design waste out by using renewable energy sources. In Europe and the United States, many industries have implemented circular economy in one or more of its product cycles. However, in the literature, there are no reported cases from Mexico. In this article, we review service-dominant (S-D) logic and ecosystem services (ES) to define the value cocreation between the elements in a CE cycle. On the other hand, we propose to model each one of those elements, their interactions and behaviors using Agent-based Modelling (ABM) and System Dynamics (SD) aiming at …

Viability Theory And Agent-Based Modeling: A New, Synergistic Approach To Modeling Environmental Conflict, Todd Bendor, Juergen Scheffran

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In this presentation, we will introduce a conceptual and theoretical framework that unifies several complex systems modeling approaches for the purposes of better understanding, representing, exploring, and resolving environmental conflict. This method, which we call the VIABLE framework (Values and Investments from Agent-Based interaction and Learning in Environmental systems), builds on techniques from agent-based modeling (ABM), evolutionary game theory, system dynamics (SD) modeling, and network analysis. We will introduce viability theory, the mathematical basis of our VIABLE modeling method, as well as approaches to re-conceptualizing conflict states using this theory. We will also discuss the wide range of …

Wemap: A Software Tool For Estimating Water Utility Energy Savings From Water Conservation, Edward S. Spang, Andrew J. Holguin, Frank J. Loge

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The water sector demands significant energy inputs to deliver safe and reliable water to urban communities. It follows that water conservation efforts can lead to measurable upstream reductions in energy use, as well as complementary reductions in operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions. However, the complexity of many urban water infrastructure networks produces a high level of seasonal and spatial variability of the energy embedded in the water delivered across the utility service territory. This variability constrains the ability of water agencies to make defensible estimates of the energy savings that may be achieved from water conservation programs. To address …

Complexity Of Numerical Modeling For Predicting The Mechanisms Of Toxic Algae Bloom In Lake, Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam, Dr. Daisuke Kitazawa

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

A three dimensional hydrodynamic ecosystem coupled model was employed to simulate algae transition and toxin produced ability under the nutrients limited conditions in eutrophic Lake Kasumigaura, Japan. Numerical simulation was carried out for the four years of the period 2005–2009. Algae have shifted seasonally and annually between 2005 and 2009, among three major algal: Microcystis, Planktothrix and Cyclotella. The mathematical model reproduced well the transitions of dominant algae in the four years by calibrating ecological parameters. The biomass of Planktothrix suddenly increased in the summer of 2008, and Planktothrix became the dominant species. Longer periods of stratification, lower …

Developing An Economic Model For The Redevelopment Of A Portfolio Of Brownfields, Joaquin Ameller Pavez

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The redevelopment of brownfields is an issue of increasing concern for urban and water managers. Brownfields, which once supported economic activities, are now abandoned or underutilized sites, frequently becoming a source of nuisance for nearby communities and pollution of water resources. Nonetheless, their redevelopment offers valuable opportunities, especially if multiple or large areas are available. In this paper, we present a preliminary economic model based on mathematical programming, inspired by similar models applied to IWRM. It is designed to maximize the benefits of redeveloping a portfolio of brownfields. This approach incorporates: (1) the benefits of brownfields redevelopment (financial, social and …

Water Level, Temperature, And Water Quality Numerical Predictions Of A 3d Semi-Implicit Scheme For Lakes And Reservoirs: An Analytical And Field Case Study, Hussein A. M. Al-Zubaidi, Scott Wells

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In order to develop a three-dimensional version of the two-dimensional longitudinal-vertical hydrodynamic and water quality model CE-QUAL-W2, the hydrodynamic numerical solution scheme was expanded and modified to a unique 3D scheme. The 2D formulation of the CE-QUAL-W2 model is fully implicit and solves for the free surface elevation implicitly from the free surface equation, but the solution of the momentum equations treats the free surface elevation explicitly. In order to make both solutions linked in which the free surface elevation is treated either explicitly or implicitly at the same time step, the degree of implicitness was added to the 3D …

One-Dimensional Turbulence Modeling For Cylindrical And Spherical Flows: Model Formulation And Application, David O. Lignell, Victoria B. Lansinger, Juan Medina, Marten Klein, Alan R. Kerstein, Heiko Schmidt, Marco Fistler, Michael Oevermann

Faculty Publications

The one-dimensional turbulence (ODT) model resolves a full range of time and length scales and is computationally efficient. ODT has been applied to a wide range of complex multi-scale flows, such as turbulent combustion. Previous ODT comparisons to experimental data have focused mainly on planar flows. Applications to cylindrical flows, such as round jets, have been based on rough analogies, e.g., by exploiting the fortuitous consistency of the similarity scalings of temporally developing planar jets and spatially developing round jets. To obtain a more systematic treatment, a new formulation of the ODT model in cylindrical and spherical coordinates is presented …

From Holographic Video Monitors To Optogenetic Probes: How Advancements To Leaky-Mode Modulator Technology Are Saving The World, Stephen Dalton Mclaughlin

Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this dissertation focuses on improvements made to lithium niobate leaky-mode modulators for both holographic video and optogenetic applications. The specific improvements found herein are: (1) characterization of leaky-mode modulators to decrease driver bandwidth to match that of commodity graphics processing units, (2) the implementation of surface relief gratings as input couplers to replace rutile prism coupling, (3) the addition of backside surface relief gratings to create an orthogonal output face for the leaky-mode modulator, and (4) the creation of superimposed surface relief gratings in lithium niobate to enable multiple wavelength coupling at a single input angle. …

Synthesis Of Candidate Natural Killer T Cell Ligands, Teron Haynie, Shenglou Deng, Paul B. Savage

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Natural Killer T (NKT) cells are a subset of T cells that express an invariant T cell receptor (TCR) that recognizes lipid antigens in context of the CD1d molecule. CD1d presents both exogenous and endogenous glycolipids on the surface of antigen presenting cells (APCs). Multiple exogenous lipids capable of NKT cell stimulation have been characterized, but confirmed endogenous ligands are relatively few in number. Recently, a-galactosylceramides were shown to be endogenous NKT cell ligands. We have observed that a-galactosylceramides cyclize in acidic conditions. Since the biosynthetic pathway of lipid presentation via CD1d likely passes through the acidic lysosome, we propose …

Aligning Open Science Textbooks To The Next Generation Science Standards, Spencer B. Perry

Instructional Psychology and Technology Graduate Student Projects

Open educational resources and open textbooks are popular in schools primarily because of their low cost. However, open textbooks may or may not be aligned to the appropriate learning standards. This project develops an alignment evaluation tool and evaluates an open science textbook to determine if it is in alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). It was found that a textbook may not reasonably be expected to achieve all elements of the NGSS but that the open textbook achieved most of the NGSS elements that could be achieved. Challenges encountered during the alignment process are discussed.

Universal Airfoil Parametrization Using B-Splines, Dev Rajnarayan, Andrew Ning, Judd Mehr

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we apply well-known techniques for parametric curves to the definition and deformation of airfoil sections. While it has already been shown that many versions of Kulfan’s Class Shape Transformation (CST) are exactly equivalent to Bézier curves, we show here that all NACA 4-digit thickness distributions and the PARSEC parametrization of Sobiezcky are also higher-order Bézier curves. As with CST, Béziers and B-Splines provide direct control over aerodynamically meaningful features such as nose radius and boat-tail angle, but also provide more a intuitive parametrization of the rest of the airfoil surface. We show the efficacy of B-Spline-based parametrizations …

Examining Multimorbidities Using Association Rule Learning, Kaylee Dudley

Undergraduate Honors Theses

All insurance companies, regardless of the kind of insurance they offer, do their best to predict the future by comparing current to historical information. Any statistically significant correlation, regardless of expectations and hidden factors, can help to actuarially model future behavior. Using deidentified data from over 6 million health insurance policies over one year, we looked for any significant groupings of medical issues. The medical issues are defined based on the commercial “Episode Treatment Groups” (ETGs) classification, and our claims contain 347 different ETGs. We performed different kinds of analysis, including Bayesian posterior cluster analysis, k-means cluster analysis, and association …

Esl Students' Reading Behaviors On Multiple-Choice Items At Differing Proficiency Levels: An Eye-Tracking Study, Juan M. Escalante Talavera

Theses and Dissertations

Theorists have been concerned with the overlap of reading and problem solving for at least a century (Thorndike 1917, 1973-1974; Sternberg & Frensch, 2014). Various reading models have been proposed including bottom-up and top-down reading processing (Goodman, 1972; Gough, 1972). In second language literature, theorists have further noted that reading consists of strategic, purposeful, and interactive processes (Grabe, 2009). In test taking situations, problem solving is important because it can compensate for students' language proficiencies. In spite of research showing the use of problem solving in reading, less is known about how learners actually read and problem solve in test-taking …

Differences In Gesticulation: A Mixed-Methods Approach To Gesture Differences Between First- And Second-Language Speech Output Among Advanced-Level Spanish/English Bilinguals, Dustin J. Hemsath

Theses and Dissertations

Hand gestures during speech lighten the speaker's cognitive load, provide lexical access, augment the precision of memory, and identify when a speaker is ready to learn a new skill (Abner, Cooperrider, Goldin-Meadow, 2015). Much of the research that has discovered these purposes of gesture have focused on gestures produced during speech in the speaker's first language. Many researchers use these findings to argue for the same cognitive benefits of gesture in the second language, though only little research of gesture and second language speech has been done. The present study sought to fill the gap between first and second language …

Hardware And Software Improvements To A Low-Cost Holographic Video Monitor, Andrew August Henrie

Theses and Dissertations

The "Mark V" Holographic Video Monitor ("HoloMonitor") is a continuation of effort and accomplishments to produce a low-cost device capable of reproducing true full-color horizontal-parallax-only computer-generated holograms at typical video frame-rates. While other devices around the world may have greater capabilities, these devices are currently confined to laboratory settings due to their sheer complexity and expense. The aim of this project is to provide researchers and "tinkerers" with a device capable of recreating holographic effects in full color, respectable resolution, in real time, and at a comparatively low cost. The "Mark V" HoloMonitor is a closer representation of a consumer …

Addressing Pre-Service Teachers' Misconceptions About Confidence Intervals, Kiya Lynn Eliason

Theses and Dissertations

Increased attention to statistical concepts has been a prevalent trend in revised mathematics curricula across grade levels. However, the preparation of secondary school mathematics educators has not received similar attention, and learning opportunities provided to these educators is oftentimes insufficient for teaching statistics well. The purpose of this study is to analyze pre-service teachers' conceptions about confidence intervals. This research inquired about statistical reasoning from the perspective of students majoring in mathematics education enrolled in an undergraduate statistics education course who have previously completed an introductory course in statistics. We found common misconceptions among pre-service teachers participating in this study. …

The Moral Realism Of Student Question-Asking In Classroom Practice, Susan Peterson Gong

Theses and Dissertations

Question-asking has long been an integral part of human learning. In scholarly investigations over the past several decades, questions have been studied in terms of the answers they generate, their grammatical structure, their cognitive functions, their logical content, and their social dynamics. Studies of student classroom questioning have focused on science education and reading instruction particularly; they detail the reasons why students don't ask questions and explore a plethora of recommendations about teaching students how to question. This qualitative study addressed question-asking from a hermeneutic moral realist perspective, studying question-asking as it unfolded in the everyday practice of learning in …

Using Quantitative Mri To Measure Cartilage Health, Laurel Jane Hales

Theses and Dissertations

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the leading causes of disability world-wide. It affects 12% of all Americans ages 25-74 [1]. One of the challenges with OA, is that there are currently no clinically viable methods to measure the health of the cartilage before cartilage loss. There are no ways to replace or heal the cartilage after it has been lost. It is known that the early stages of OA involve a decrease in the amount of glycosaminoglycans (GAG), one of the main molecules in cartilage. This decrease in GAG leads to a change in the fixed charge density of the …

An Introductory Study Of Solid Materials For Capture And Catalysis Of Waste Stream Chemicals, Steven Kyle Butler

Theses and Dissertations

Heterogeneous catalysts are key materials in research and industry. Herein we study two materials in different stages of development toward being applied as heterogeneous catalysts. First, MoO3SnO2 was synthesized and studied as a catalytic system similar to Sn-beta zeolites. While the Mo-based catalyst did not show similar activity to Sn-beta, it did show interesting reactivity in activating carbonyls and oxidizing organic substrates. Second, a method was developed for grafting amines onto carboxylic acid functionalized carbon nanotubes for CO2 capture. The method was successful for grafting monomer ethylamine groups onto CNT and can be further developed to allow for polymeric amine …

Augmented Design Capabilities For Origami Tessellations, Janette Darlene Herron

Theses and Dissertations

Applying engineering principles to tessellation origami-based designs enables the control of certain design properties, such as flexibility, bending stiffness, mechanical advantage, shape conformance, and deployment motion. The ability to control these and other properties will enable augmented design capabilities in environments which currently limit the design to specific materials, including space, medicine, harsh environments, and scaled environments (such as MEMS applications). Other applications will be able to achieve more complex motions or better satisfy design and performance requirements.This research demonstrates augmented design capabilities of origami tessellations in engineering design in rigid-foldable and non-rigid-foldable applications. First, a method to determine Poisson's …

Evaluating The Usability Of Two-Factor Authentication, Kendall Ray Reese

Theses and Dissertations

Passwords are the dominant form of authentication on the web today. However,many users choose weak passwords and reuse the same password on multiple sites, thus increasing their vulnerability to having their credentials leaked or stolen. Two-factor authentication strengthens existing password authentication schemes against impersonation attacks and makes it more difficult for attackers to reuse stolen credentials on other websites. Despite the added security benefits of two-factor authentication, there are still many open questions about its usability. Many two-factor authentication systems in widespread usage today have not yet been subjected to adequate usability testing. Previous comparative studies have demonstrated significant differences …

Suitability Of The Kalina Cycle For Power Conversion From Pressurized Water Reactors, Jack Ryan Webster

Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this work is to determine the Kalina cycle's suitability for thermal power conversion from a pressurized water reactor. Several previous papers have examined this application, but these either lack proof of concept or make unfeasible assumptions. This work expands current knowledge by simulating the Kalina cycle and comparing it to current pressurized water reactor Rankine cycles in order to identify which is more efficient. Prerequisite to the modeling is a simulation tool capable of modeling the thermodynamics of ammonia/water mixtures. Instead of using an existing program, a new one called Clearwater is used. This tool is …

Parent Reciprocal Teaching: Comparing Parent And Peer Reciprocal Teaching In High School Physics Instruction, Jonathan Jacob Welling

Theses and Dissertations

Effective strategies are needed to help parents become more involved in the education of their teenage children. Parent Reciprocal Teaching (PRT) is proposed as an effective strategy to increase parent involvement and help students increase academic performance. 120 students in a 10th-grade high school physics course participated in either the PRT homework assignments or traditional reciprocal teaching (TRT) assignments. The PRT homework assignments required students to teach their parents/guardians at home, while the TRT assignments required students to teach a peer during class time. Data was collected though test scores and surveys sent home to parents and students. Findings indicate …

Network Specializations, Symmetries, And Spectral Properties, Dallas C. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we introduce three techniques for network sciences. The first of these techniques is a series of new models for describing network growth. These models, called network specialization models, are built with the idea that networks grow by specializing the function of subnetworks. Using these models we create theoretical networks which exhibit well-known properties of real networks. We also demonstrate how the spectral properties are preserved as the models grow. The second technique we describe is a method for decomposing networks that contain automorphisms in a way that preserves the spectrum of the original graph. This method …