Digital Commons Network^™

Dealing With Uncertainty And Sensitivity Issues In Process-Based Models Of Carbon And Nitrogen Cycles In Northern Forest Ecosystems, G. R. Larocque, J. S. Bhatti, A. M. Gordon, N. Luckai, Jinxun Liu, Shuguang Liu, P. A. Arp, C. -F Zhang, Alexander Komarov, Pavel Grabarnik, M. Wattenbach, C. Peng, Jianfeng Sun, Thomas White

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Many process-based models on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles have been developed for northern forest ecosystems. These models are widely used to evaluate the long-term decisions in forest management dealing with effects like particulate pollution, productivity and climate change. Regarding climate change, one of the key questions that have sensitive political implications is whether northern forests will sequester atmospheric C or not. Whilst many process-based models have been tested for accuracy by evaluating or validating against observed data, few have dealt with the complexity of the incorporated procedures to estimate uncertainties associated with model predictions or the sensitivity of …

Ranking Regions Using Cluster Analysis, Hasse Diagram Technique And Topology, Guillermo Restrepo, Rainer Brüggemann

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

We developed the theoretical background of the application of Hierarchical Cluster Analysis HCA to the improvement of the understanding of Hasse Diagrams coming from the ranking process developed for the application of the Hasse Diagram Technique HDT. The use of HCA is based on the idea of the reduction of the number of elements considered in a poset (partially ordered set) by the selection of representatives from the original set to rank. We showed that the clusters arisen from HCA can be interpreted as similarity classes where one of its members (the nearest to the centre of the cluster) can …

A Multi-Objective Approach For Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste (Msw) Management, R. Minciardi, Massimo Paolucci, M. Robba, Roberto Sacile

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

A multi-objective approach to sustainable Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management is presented, with the aim of supporting the decisions about the optimal flows of solid waste to be sent to landfill, recycling and to the different treatment plants. To achieve this goal, an approach is proposed in which the decision makers (DMs) are interactively involved in the decision process, following the reference point methodology [Wierzbicki et al, 2002]. The method can be viewed as an integration/modification of techniques already introduced in the literature. The purpose of the DMs is to determine the various flows of the different materials in the …

Spatial Estimations Of Air Pollution In Street Canyons By Lidar Measurements, L. Matejicek, Jana Konradova

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Air pollution of urban areas can be explored by direct monitoring, mathematical modeling and physical simulation in the wind tunnels. Complex analysis requires using of all mentioned approaches together. To integrate the data inputs and outputs, which include spatio-temporal interactions, the Geographic Information System (GIS) is used for database management and spatial analysis. The geodatabase is primarily developed to support spatial interpolations of LIDAR measurements in the street canyons. The LIDAR measurements provide the information about the distribution of pollutants in the points along the beam trajectories. As the examples, the sets of NO2 spatial measurements are performed in the …

Model Averaging, Equifinality And Uncertainty Estimation In The Modelling Of Ungauged Catchments, J. P. C. Reichl, F. H. S. Chiew, A. W. Western

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The problem of estimating runoff in ungauged catchments remains an important but elusive one. Previous studies suggest that there are two important properties common to rainfall-runoff models: over-parameterisation, leading to parameter covariance; and equifinality, the existence of multiple parameter sets which reproduce the streamflow adequately. Both reduce parameter identifiability, impeding identification of relationships between model parameter values and catchment characteristics that would otherwise be useful for regionalisation. This study investigates the use of a model averaging framework to circumvent this problem. Multiple behavioural parameter sets arising from Monte-Carlo simulation are used from each catchment in order to retain information about …

Numerical Simulation Of Flow And Tracer Transport In A Disinfection Contact Tank, C. Gualtieri

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Chlorine is extensively used to disinfect drinking water supply. However, the design of chlorine contact tank is usually based on the volume displacement criterion, paying attention that detention time would be at least of half an hour. This criterion relies upon the assumption that plug-flow conditions hold along the tank. However, the existence and arrangement of baffles in the tank, and the tank inlet and outlet configurations can result in a much more complex flow pattern, where turbulent mixing, dead-zones and short-circuiting exist. This situation could result in an inefficient use of chlorine due to the formation of potentially carcinogenic …

E2sp. The Business Case Of An Environmental Information System In Asp Mode., M. Cislaghi, G. Corbetta, R. Mazzilli, F. Scanzani, M. Caselli, L. Trizio, C. Derognat, R. Dunal, K. Klejnowski, A. Bucko-Serafin

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

According to PSR (OECD) and DPSIR (EEA) models, environmental agencies are in charge of measuring the State and Pressure and evaluate the Impact in order to define the most suitable Responses; this implies data analysis and reporting activities, as one of their core responsibilities. Environmental Information Systems support these activities by combining the advantages of first-rate consolidated technology (such as Business Intelligence and Data Warehouses) to specific technical architectures tailored to environmental management tasks. E2SP (Environmental Enterprise Service Provider) is a online reporting and forecasting platform, providing a cost effective, Internet based Environmental Information System and Decision Support System in …

Tornado: A Versatile And Efficient Modelling And Virtual Experimentation Kernel For Water Quality Systems, Filip Claeys, Dirk J. W. De Pauw, Lorenzo Benedetti, Ingmar Nopens, Peter A. Vanrolleghem

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Recently, a new kernel for modelling and virtual experimentation (i.e. any evaluation of a model) in the domain of water quality management was developed. This kernel was named “Tornado” and will be included in the new generation of the WEST product family, as well as in several other products (e.g. DHI’s MOUSE-TRAP) and projects. Most important issues during development were versatility and efficiency. This paper focuses mainly on the rationale for the new development, and the major features of the resulting kernel. It is argued that classical approaches (such as the adoption of MATLAB/SIMULINK, custom FORTRAN codes and/or domain-specific simulators) …

The Place Of Art In K-12 Education, Emily A. Bumguardner-Myers

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Despite the fact that it is the law to include art in education, the arts are often inadequately funded, and/or given minimal attention in U.S. public education. This research project discusses the history of education, provides a review of literature on the benefits of art education, looks at the impact of Gardner's (1993/1983) theory of Multiple Intelligences, and the work of Gardner and his colleagues on the arts, thinking, and creativity. Collectively, all of this information was then formed into a guide called, Have You Had Your Art Today? (Why you should build your school's art programs). This guide's intended …

Character Education Instruction Integrated Through Literature In Elementary Classrooms, Jamie Marshall

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This country is suffering from a values vacuum, clearly evidenced by the increase in youth violence, as revealed in this researcher's review of literature in Chapter 2. The purpose of this project was to facilitate elementary school educators in their critical need for the implementation of character education in their classrooms. To address the need for positive character education and development, this researcher developed a 6 week literature based curricular unit. The project was designed to provide Grades 1-3 educators with six introductory lessons and strategies for the integration of each of six core character traits throughout core curriculum. Further, …

Who Chooses, Who Uses? Initial Evidence From The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, Patrick J. Wolf, Nada Eissa, Babette Gutmann

School Choice Demonstration Project

The federal government recently enacted its first school voucher program as a pilot project in the District of Columbia. To be eligible, students need to be entering grades K-12 and have a family income at or below 185 percent of the poverty level. Although a rigorous analysis of the Opportunity Scholarship Program’s impact on student achievement and other outcomes remains a prospect for the future, at this early point initial data exists regarding the families that are applying for the program and the students that are using and not using the voucher when offered. Here we present a preliminary analysis …

Macalester Today Summer 2006, Macalester College

Macalester Today

No abstract provided.

Acer Enews 07 July 2006, Acer

ACER eNews Archive 2001-2013

No abstract provided.

Inquiry, Summer 2006, Office Of Vice President For Research

Research and Discovery News

• NSF grand for a promising career
• Technology commercialization
• Research development award recipients 2006
• Answering the call
• Grant awards

Uni Schedule Of Classes, Summer 2006, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Schedule of Classes

A listing and schedule of the courses being taught as well as policies and procedures concerning attending classes at the University of Northern Iowa.

Optimal Adaptation Of Web Processes With Inter-Service Dependencies, Kunal Verma, Prashant Doshi, Karthik Gomadam, John A. Miller, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

We present methods for optimally adapting Web processes to exogenous events while preserving inter-service dependencies. For example, in a supply chain process, orders placed by the manufacturer may get delayed in arriving. In response to this event, the manufacturer has the choice of either waiting out the delay or changing the supplier. Additionally, there may be compatibility constraints between the different orders, thereby introducing the problem of coordination between them if the manufacturer chooses to change the suppliers. We present our methods within the framework of autonomic Web processes. This framework seeks to add properties of self-configuration, adaptation, and self-optimization …

The Value Of New Jersey's Ecosystem Services And Natural Capital, Robert Costanza, Matthew A. Wilson, Austin Troy, Alexey Voinov, Shang Liu, John D'Agostino

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

This report summarizes the results of a two-year study of the economic value of New Jersey's natural capital. Natural capital consists of those components of the natural environment that provide a long-term stream of benefits to individual people and to society as a whole; the value of natural capital is defined in this report as the present value of that benefit stream. Many of the benefits provided by natural capital come from ecological systems ('ecosystems'); an ecosystem is a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism communities and their nonliving environment, all interacting as a functional unit. The benefits provided …

Previsions Of A Mandarin Mode, James Capozzi

Harpur Palate: a Literary Journal

page 150

Reverse Engineering Of Computer Programs Under The Dmca: Recognizing A "Fair Access" Defense, Donna L. Lee

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

Courts have consistently held that reverse engineering constitutes fair use under the Copyright Act. When Congress enacted the DMCA, it intended to codify the settled law. Nonetheless, the exemption Congress carved out for reverse engineering in the DMCA is too narrowly crafted to accommodate the many different purposes of reverse engineering. This Comment suggests that courts should develop a fair access defense for reverse engineering undertaken for purposes that do not satisfy the requirements of the DMCA exemption but do enable other, fair use-defensible uses of computer programs. The Comment outlines three factors to consider in applying a fair access …

Ua35/8 The Topper, Wku Veterans Upward Bound

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter published by WKU Veterans Upward Bound contains articles and calender of events.

Dust Stratification In Young Circumstellar Disks, Terrence Rettig, Sean D. Brittain, Theodore Simon, Erika Gibb, Dinshaw S. Balsara, David A. Tilley, Craig Kulesa

Publications

We present high-resolution infrared spectra of four YSOs (T Tau N, T Tau S, RNO 91, and HL Tau). The spectra exhibit narrow absorption lines of 12CO, 13CO, and C18O, as well as broad emission lines of gas-phase 12CO. The narrow absorption lines of CO are shown to originate from the colder circumstellar gas. We find that the line-of-sight gas column densities resulting from the CO absorption lines are much higher than expected for the measured extinction for each source and suggest the gas/dust ratio is measuring the dust settling and/or grain coagulation in these extended disks. We provide a …

When Domains Require Modeling Adaptations, Krol Kevin Mathias, Cynthia Isenhour, Alex Dekhtyar, Judy Goldsmtih, Beth Goldstein

Computer Science and Software Engineering

The project described in this paper originated with an observation by the AI group at the University of Kentucky, that, individually, stochastic planning and constraint satisfaction are well-studied topics that resulted in efficient software, but stochastic planning in the presence of constraints on the domains and actions is an open area of investigation.

We were interested in an advising scenario, and chose the US social welfare system, a.k.a. “Welfare to Work” as our test domain. This required computer scientists to learn more than expected about social science as well as the local welfare system. This paper discusses the discipline specific …

Ricci Curvature Rigidity For Weakly Asymptotically Hyperbolic Manifolds, Vincent Bonini, Pengzi Miao, Jie Qing

Mathematics

A rigidity result for weakly asymptotically hyperbolic manifolds with lower bounds on Ricci curvature is proved without assuming that the manifolds are spin. The argument makes use of a quasilocal mass characterization of Euclidean balls from [9] [14] and eigenfunction compactification ideas from [12].

On Ideology, Casual Inference And The Reification Of Statistical Methods: Reflections On "Examining Instruction, Achievement And Equity With Naep Mathematics Data", Harold Wenglinsky

Education Policy Analysis Archives (EPAA)

The purpose of this article is to comment on the prior article entitled “Examining Instruction, Achievement and Equity with NAEP mathematics data,” by Sarah Theule Lubienski. That article claims that a prior article by the author suffered from three weaknesses: (1) An attempt to justify No Child Left Behind (NCLB); (2) drawing causal inferences from cross-sectional data; (3) and various statistical quibbles. The author responds to the first claim, by indicating that any mention of NCLB was intended purely to make the article relevant to a policy journal; to the second claim, by noting his own reservations about using cross-sectional …

Implementation Of Microsoft's Virtual Pc In Networking Curriculum, Jim Yulga

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Using Microsoft's Virtual PC software product as a virtual technology in the implementation of Network Specialist curriculum allows increased versatility and considerable hardware cost savings. Rather than purchasing individual computers or removable hard drives, using boot manager programs, or simulation software (including Computer Based Training programs), for student use in learning the administration of an operating system, one computer with hard drive, sufficient processor power, and RAM can be used to implement the effective hands-on learning approach of plan, implement and test, and then review. In addition, this software allows a non-dedicated (production) computer lab to be used. This is …

Lawrence Today, Volume 86, Number 4, Summer 2006, Lawrence University

Alumni Magazines

No abstract provided.

Ua64 Newsletter For The College Of Education And Behavioral Sciences, Wku College Of Education & Behavioral Sciences

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Improving Science Learning, John Ainley

Research Developments

Science education experts have called for an urgent re-thinking of the way science is taught in Australia arguing that a greater focus on enquiry and reasoning is needed to boost students’ waning interest in science as John Ainley explains. The recent ACER conference Boosting science learning: what will it take? concluded with a session led by a panel of experts developing a three-point proposal for science education.

Conditioning Functionality: Untangling The Divergent Strands Of Argument Evidenced By Recent Case Law And Commentary , Justin Pats

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

The protection of trade dress has become increasingly clouded in recent years. A forcethe functionality doctrinehas been implemented to police this intersection between patent and trademark law. Unfortunately, courts have struggled to arrive at a common definition of functionality. This comment examines the functionality doctrine and proposes a four-factor decay test as a uniform approach to functionality. The test asks the following questions regarding a product feature: (1) Is it essential to the use or purpose of the article?; (2) Does it have any current market effect on the cost or quality of the article?; (3) Is there a significant …

Bathypelagic Fish Association With The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Tracey Sutton, F. Uiblein, I. Byrkjedal, A. Dolgov, M. Heino, J. Horne, N. King, Tone Falkenhaug, O. R. Godo, Odd Aksel Bergstad

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Proceedings, Presentations, Speeches, Lectures

The bathypelagic zone, Earth’s largest living space, is essentially boundless in three dimensions for most of its extent, structured only by fluid features (e.g., salinity, temperature) of the seawater itself. However, near certain topographic features this zone intersects the seafloor. The mid-ocean ridge system is by far the largest of these features. Unlike the ecosystems of the continental margins, the mid-ocean ridge systems do not receive terrigenous nutrient inputs. Thus, the deep-water fauna associated with mid-ocean ridges ultimately depend on the generally limited local surface production. Despite this limited surface production, there is evidence that near-ridge demersal fish biomass is …