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Wandering Wheels Newsletter, December 2001, Wandering Wheels

Wandering Wheels Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Meeting Medical Terminology Needs: The Ontology-Enhanced Medical Concept Mapper, Gondy Leroy, Hsinchun Chen

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This paper describes the development and testing of the Medical Concept Mapper, a tool designed to facilitate access to online medical information sources by providing users with appropriate medical search terms for their personal queries. Our system is valuable for patients whose knowledge of medical vocabularies is inadequate to find the desired information, and for medical experts who search for information outside their field of expertise. The Medical Concept Mapper maps synonyms and semantically related concepts to a user's query. The system is unique because it integrates our natural language processing tool, i.e., the Arizona (AZ) Noun Phraser, with human-created …

From Planning To Searching For The Shortest Plan: An Optimal Transition, Raul A. Trejo, Joel Galloway, Charanjiv Sachar, Vladik Kreinovich, Chitta Baral, Le Chi Tuan

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Since Kautz and Selman's 1992 ECAI paper on satisfiability based planning, there has been several work on planning through finding models of a logical theory. Most of these works focus on finding a plan of a given length. If we want to find the shortest plan, then usually, we try plans of length 1, 2, ..., until we find the first length for which such a plan exists. When the planning problem is difficult and the shortest plan is of a reasonable length, this linear search can take a long time; to speed up the process, it has been proposed …

The Jordanian Humanitarian Demining Program: A Model Of Optimism And Persistence, Jose Saucedo

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Detecting and removing over 300,000 estimated mines in Jordan’s 509 mine fields is a huge but not insurmountable problem. The deliberate clearing process requires courageous patience, a demonstrated quality of Jordan’s highly qualified engineer officers and soldiers. Trained and experienced deminers, outfitted with state-of-the-art protective equipment and using internationally recognized demining techniques and methodologies, form the base of the Royal Corps of Engineers Humanitarian Demining (HD) attack plan. Though many mines are unaccounted for due to erosion, flooding, and accidental detonation, Royal Corps of Engineer HD soldiers have an established perseverance that will prevail.

Comments On The "Detonation" Approach, Robert Keeley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Daniel Wolf and Steven Barmazel discussed the Public Health approach to demining in an article entitled "The Necessity of Implementing a Public-Health Approach to Humanitarian Demining," making some very valid points. However, Robert Keeley points out some problems with this approach that he feels need to be addressed before this method can be successful.

U.S. Humanitarian Demining In The Middle East, Stacy L. Smith

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The United States seeks to relieve human suffering caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) while promoting U.S. foreign policy interests. U.S. objectives are to reduce civilian casualties, create conditions for the safe return of refugees and displaced persons to their homes and reinforce an affected country’s stability. The U.S. seeks to accomplish these objectives by helping to establish and support sustainable indigenous mine action capabilities in mine-affected nations where appropriate. Since fiscal year 1993, the United States has committed almost $500 million (U.S.) to global mine action initiatives, including research and development and survivor assistance. Nearly $90 million (U.S.) …

Humanitarian Demining In The Sultanate Of Oman, Steve Soucek, Darrell Strother

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Oman has a low to moderate landmine/unexploded ordnance (UXO) problem. Anti-tank (AT) and anti-personnel (AP) landmines were laid in the Dhofar region between 1964 and 1975 during an internal struggle with the People’s Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Arabian Gulf (PFLOG, later shortened to PFLO, a communist separatist group). Both the Royal Army of Oman (RAO)—with its allies Jordan, Iran and the United Kingdom—and the PFLO used landmines during the conflict; the RAO to support defensive positions or to interdict the separatists’ movements, and the separatists to ambush the RAO and allied units.

Cost Effectiveness Of The Ethiopian And Eritrean Demining Programs, Michael Litzelman, Wayne Perry

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Long after anti-personnel landmines (AP) were planted to gain military advantage in battle, they continue to destroy lives by killing and maiming civilians and livestock, inhibiting productivity and preventing economies from developing in poor, third world countries. Landmines contribute to political instability in regions vital to the United States. The U. S. Department of State claims that there are approximately 85 to 200 million mines in 63 countries, producing approximately 15,000 casualties per year, an average of 70 people per day, or 500 people every week, most of them innocent civilians (DOS 1994). Of these, an estimated 9,500 people are …

A Soldier’S Diary Of Desert Storm, Darin Buse

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

To say the mood was celebratory would be an understatement. As the last few thin-skinned vehicles crossed back through the burm that only days earlier had been breached, a shower of tracer fire and flares pierced the evening sky. The once neat file of Bradley fighting vehicles, 113 track vehicles, M1 Abrams tanks, trucks and hummvees now mobbed together in the desert just inside the border of Saudi Arabia. As a Psychological Operations Team Sergeant, I had never before been in such company as the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment. I was not prepared to witness the efficiency and overwhelming power …

Statistics Of Sdf-System Estimate Of Roof Displacement For Pushover Analysis Of Buildings, Anil K. Chopra, Rakesh K. Goel, Chatpan Chintanapakdee

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Investigated in this report is the basic premise that the roof displacement of a multistory building can be determined from the deformation of an SDF system. For this purpose, the response of both systems is determined rigorously by nonlinear response history analysis, without introducing any of the approximations underlying the simplified methods for estimating the deformation of an SDF system (see, e.g., FEMA-273 or ATC-40 guidelines). The statistics of the SDF-system estimate of roof displacement are presented for a variety of building frames and six SAC buildings subjected to ground motion ensembles.

Two sets of structural systems and ground motions …

Determination Of Thickness Of Smooth Geomembranes, Nazli Yesiller, Arif Cekic

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Tests were conducted to determine thickness of smooth, nonreinforced geomembranes using three methods: mechanical (according to ASTM and European standards), ultrasonic, and magnetic methods. The mechanical method is the standard procedure used for determining thickness of geomembranes. The ultrasonic and magnetic methods are not commonly used for geomembranes; however, they are used for testing other materials such as metals. Tests were conducted on 15 geomembranes representing five types of polymers (HDPE, LLDPE, PVC, PP, and EPDM). The results of the testing program indicated that the level of pressures applied affected the thickness measurements in mechanical tests. While the low pressures …

Absorption Of Microwaves In La1Àxsrxmno3 Manganese Powders Over A Wide Bandwidth, G. Li, G. G. Hu, H. D. Zhou, Xiaojuan Fan, X. G. Li

Physics Faculty Research

We present the frequency dependence of microwave-absorbing properties of La_1-xSr_xMnO₃ (x=0.4, 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7) powders at room temperature. The absorbing properties change gradually with x in the frequency range of 8–12 GHz. The optimal absorption can be achieved for a x=0.4 sample and its microwave loss peak value is about 25 dB. Further experimental results show that the absorption can be attributed to magnetic and dielectric losses and the microwave loss peak corresponds to the maximum dielectric loss tangent tan δ_e near 10.5 GHz. Furthermore, the absorbing properties of the oxides mixed with …

Technology Needs: Mine Clearance In Egypt And Jordan, James Trevelyan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

I visited Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon in September and October 1999 to learn about mine clearance techniques being used in the Middle East (Trevelyan 2000). This paper summarizes some of my observations and suggestions for further developments.

Landmine Survivor’S Network Provides Victim Assistance In Jordan, Kathleen Powers

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

According to military figures, most mine incidents occurred during the latter part of the 1960s and early 1970s, when the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict spilled into Jordan. Incidents rose again during the early part of the 1990s due to heavy rains and floods that shifted landmines from their originally marked and mapped fields into unrecorded areas.

Ephatha, Winter 2001-2002

Ephatha

A newsletter published for Deaf Catholics in Newark, NJ

Ephatha Finding Aid

December 1, 2001 (Pages 6523-6646), Pennsylvania Legislative Reference Bureau

Volume 31 (2001)

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Soybean Herbicides On Annual Morninglory, Dawn Oveson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Field experiments were established in 2000 and 2001 at the Agricultural Research and Education Complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky to evaluate herbicide efficacy on annual morningglory (Ipomoea spp.) species and other weeds. A randomized complete block design was utilized in each study with each treatment being replicated three times. Plots consisted of four 76 cm rows, 9.1 m in length. The two center rows of each plot were treated, with the outside rows of each plot serving as a weedy check. Crop response, weed control, and grain yield data were collected. Four different experiments were conducted. Two experiments utilized treatments …

Background On The Mine/Uxo Problem, Mohamed Ahmen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Twenty-two years of conflict have left a significant number of unfenced and unmarked mine fields in southern Lebanon, requiring strong coordination between various organizations in order to meet emergency demands.

Mine Field Breaching In Desert Storm, Thomas Houlahan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

During the Gulf War, Iraqi troops laid over seven million mines throughout Kuwait, which resulted in a need for advanced techniques allowing American troops to quickly breach landmine-afflicted areas.

The Classic, Winter 2001 - 2002, Public Relations

The Classic, 2000-2009

President's Report: Gathering on the Green; Northwestern initiates new actuarial science major; Student called to active duty; Largest gift in NWC history funds scholarships; $5 million raised for theatre; Faculty/staff news; New home for international programs and foreign language department; Fall Sports; De Boer receives Barnabas Award; Rooted in Service; A Far Out Educator; A Helping Hand; Alum dies in tragedy; Rising to the Challenge; Great is Thy Faithfulness; Luncheon celebrates God's provision; A ringing endorsement; Education for Wisdom; Hung with care; A New Stage: Homecoming 2001; Giving Back to the Land; A Gift Named John; The Story of Isaac; …

Evaluation Of A Threshold-Based Model Of The Elevated-Temperature Fatique Of Impact-Damaged Γ-Tial, Trevor S. Harding, J. Wayne Jones

Materials Engineering

Step-loading fatigue tests have been conducted on two γ-TiAl alloys with differing microstructures following quasi-static indentations intended to simulate assembly-related impact damage to low-pressure turbine blades. Fatigue tests were conducted at 600 °C using computer-controlled servohydraulic loading at a frequency of 20 Hz. Reasonably good agreement was achieved between the fatigue data and calculated fatigue strength based on the fatigue threshold and measured impact severity. In certain cases, the fatigue threshold model fails to completely describe the data. These discrepancies may be related to residual stresses, variations in crack-shape morphology, and small-crack effects. Residual stresses could not be directly measured, …

Price Laboratory School University Of Northern Iowa Online Newsletter, V12n4, December 2001-January 2002, University Of Northern Iowa. Malcolm Price Laboratory School

Malcolm Price Laboratory School Newsletter

Inside this Issue:
-- Thank You AFPLS and PTP!
-- From the Director: Our Accomplishments this Fall
-- Announcements from the Principal
-- Upcoming Music Events
-- Medications
-- NU Yearbook Order
-- P.E. Students Perform at Simpson
-- Kudos: Lori Smith, Craig Pitcher, Ben Myers, Jerry Backstrom, Ashley Atherton and the Cheerleaders
-- Honor Your Child This Holiday
-- PTP News
-- PTP Minutes
-- Support Services
-- Kudos: Sally Ludwig
-- The PLS Science Department
-- Faculty Receive National Board Certification

The Development Of A Computer Program To Co-Ordinate Early Design Stage Information, Bernard Denver

Masters

local and global environment is becoming increasingly important. Several methods and procedures have been adopted to encourage designers and engineers to become more environmentally friendly and energy conscious. The advance of computer simulation and modelling of buildings has been successful in addressing potential problems in the design process while providing additional information otherwise not available to the design team. However, it is the purpose of this thesis to use this information and benefits of simulation and modelling at an earlier stage in the design. This thesis endeavours to investigate the requirements and benefits and integrated Early Design Stage program would …

From Sand To Sandstone: Documenting The Total Change During Diagenesis, Wilfrido Solano-Acosta

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to provide a more comprehensive picture of sandstone diagenesis from a different perspective; starting from an analog sand serving as a precursor of a lithified sandstone.

Regulation Of Type-Ii Collagen Gene Expression During Human Chondrocyte De-Differentiation And Recovery Of Chondrocyte-Specific Phenotype In Culture Involves Sry-Type High-Mobility-Group Box (Sox) Transcription Factors, David G. Stokes, Gang Liu, Rita Dharmavaram, David Hawkins, Sonsoles Piera-Velazquez, Sergio A. Jimenez

Selected Works of Sergio Jiménez, MD, MACR

During ex vivo growth as monolayer cultures, chondrocytes proliferate and undergo a process of de-differentiation. This process involves a change in morphology and a change from expression of chondrocyte-specific genes to that of genes that are normally expressed in fibroblasts. Transfer of the monolayer chondrocyte culture to three-dimensional culture systems induces the cells to re-acquire a chondrocyte-specific phenotype and produce a cartilaginous-like tissue in vitro. We investigated mechanisms involved in the control of the de-differentiation and re-differentiation process in vitro. De-differentiated chondrocytes re-acquired their chondrocyte-specific phenotype when cultured on poly-(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (polyHEMA) as assayed by morphology, reverse transcriptase PCR of …

Meeting Medical Terminology Needs: The Ontology-Enhanced Medical Concept Mapper, Gondy Leroy, Hsinchun Chen

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This paper describes the development and testing of the Medical Concept Mapper, a tool designed to facilitate access to online medical information sources by providing users with appropriate medical search terms for their personal queries. Our system is valuable for patients whose knowledge of medical vocabularies is inadequate to find the desired information, and for medical experts who search for information outside their field of expertise. The Medical Concept Mapper maps synonyms and semantically related concepts to a user's query. The system is unique because it integrates our natural language processing tool, i.e., the Arizona (AZ) Noun Phraser, with human-created …

Implementing Multimodal Transportation Districts: Connectivity, Access Management And The Fihs, Kristine M. Williams

Transportation Planning, Policy, and Processes (TP3) Final Reports

No abstract provided.

Yemen Humanitarian Demining Program, Jack Holly

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Republic of Yemen is the southern-most nation on the Arabian Peninsula and has unique geographic features for this region. Like most Middle East countries, it contains desert land, rich oil reserves, and major ports for shipping. Unlike its neighbors, Yemen’s landscape rises quickly from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden into mountain ranges well over 2,000 meters above sea level. Much of this landscape is fertile farmland on which the Yemeni people grow their food and raise livestock.

Potential Runoff Accumulation In Wheatbelt Towns Of Western Australia, Mahtab Ali, Travis Cattlin, Neil Coles, Sharam Sharafi

Resource management technical reports

Describes an analysis of flood runoff volumes from 16 small, gauged catchments in the agricultural areas of south western Australia. It also describes methods for estimating flood runoff volumes from ungauged catchments. The independent variables found to be statistically significant in explaining the variability in flood runoff volumes from the gauged catchments were catchment area, mean annual rainfall and the percentage of the catchment that was cleared. No soil factor was found to be significant.

Landmines In Lebanon: An Historic Overview And The Current Situation, Harald Wie

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

It is estimated that 150,000 landmines of all categories are currently in Lebanon. The exact location of most of these weapons remains unknown. In addition, a large number of UXO continues to pose a serious threat to local populations, particularly in the south.