Engineering Commons^™

Photovoltaic Equipment For Disaster Relief, Florida Solar Energy Center, William Young

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Photovoltaic (solar electricity) has been used to power various equipment used in disasters. Previously, no organized program had used photovoltaic powered equipment in disasters. In response to an energy needs study with disaster relief organizations, Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Department of Energy sponsored the Florida Solar Energy Center to provide PV equipment to selected disaster relief organizations and evaluate its performance and acceptability. The purpose of the report is to describe the six PV-powered systems that were provided.

Multiple Order Dispersive Optics System And Method Of Use, Blaine D. Johs, Ping He, Steven E. Green, Shakil A. Pittal, John A. Woollam

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Disclosed is a dispersive optics system, in the context of ellipsometer or polarimeter and the like systems. which, in use. produces a plurality of "Orders" of essentially single wavelength beams of light from a polychromatic beam of light. In use the availability of more than one "Order" of essentially single wavelength beams of light allows simultaneous measurement of more essentially single wavelength beams of light than would be possible were only one "Order" of essentially single wavelength beams of light present. Filters are present to reduce the effects of stray light on detector elements and to allow separating the wavelengths …

Optically Transparent Composite Material And Process For Preparing Same, D. E. Day, James O. Stoffer, John M. Barr

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Glass ribbon-reinforced transparent polymer composites which provide excellent optical transparency and a low distortion level over a wide temperature range while exhibiting superior mechanical properties as compared to non- reinforced polymer counterparts, and equivalent properties as compared to glass fiber-reinforced counterparts.

Acuta Enews September 1997, Vol. 26, No. 9

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Telecom Goes Marketing

Board Report

President's Message

Marketing Telecom

Thanks to Sprint for Sponsoring Directory

User Groups Meet in Atlanta and Online

Resource Library Update

Last Call for Directory Updates!

On the Move....

Guide to Distance Learning Available

Internet Call Manager

Spotlight

DC at a Glance

Welcome New Members

ACUTA Event Calendar

Identification And Classification Of Inconsistency In Relationship To Software Maintenance, Daniel Cooke, Luqi, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

This paper provides an overview of the relationship between recent work in logic programming and recent developments in software engineering. The relationship to software engineering is more specifically concerned with how formal specifications can be used to explain and represent the basis of software maintenance and evolution. Some of the results reviewed here have appeared in our previous papers. These previous results are summarized, extended, and made more general in this paper.

Wright State University College Of Engineering And Computer Science Bits And Pcs Newsletter, Volume 13, Number 7, September 1997, College Of Engineering And Computer Science, Wright State University

BITs and PCs Newsletter

A ten page newsletter created by the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science that addresses the current affairs of the college.

Time Enough - Consequences Of Human Microchip Implantation, Elaine M. Ramesh

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Ramesh argues that microchip implantation is both possible and, for some purposes, desirable and suggests that now is the time to consider strategies for preventing potentially grievous intrusion into personal privacy.

Strict Achimedean T-Norms And T-Conorms As Universal Approximators, Hung T. Nguyen, Vladik Kreinovich, Piotr Wojciechowski

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In knowledge representation, when we have to use logical connectives, various continuous t-norms and t-conorms are used. In this paper, we show that every continuous t-norm and t-conorm can be approximated, to an arbitrary degree of accuracy, by a strict Archimedean t-norm (t-conorm).

Computational Geometry And Artifical Neural Networks: A Hybrid Approach To Optimal Sensor Placement For Aerospace Nde, Roberto A. Osegueda, Carlos M. Ferregut, Mary J. George, Jose M. Gutierrez, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

The ideal design of an airplane should include built-in sensors that are pre-blended in the perfect aerodynamic shape. Each built-in sensor is expensive to blend in and requires continuous maintenance and data processing, so we would like to use as few sensors as possible. The ideal formulation of the corresponding optimization problem is, e.g., to minimize the average detection error for fault locations. However, there are two obstacles to this ideal formulation:

--First, this ideal formulation requires that we know the probabilities of different fault locations etc., and there are usually not enough statistics to determine these probabilities.

--Second, even …

The Challenge Of Hyper-Spectral Satellite Imaging And Integer-Valued Fuzzy Sets, Maria Beltran, Vladik Kreinovich, Scott A. Starks

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Satellite images already produce huge amounts of data, which makes their processing a serious computational challenge. This problem will become even more complicated with the launch of multi-spectral Earth-imaging satellites that will increase the amount of information by at least two orders of magnitude. With such a huge amount of information, it is necessary to come up with data processing methods that are as fast as possible. In particular, we show that for fuzzy processing techniques, this leads to the necessity to use integer-valued fuzzy sets.

Sensor Placement For Aerospace Non-Destructive Evaluation (Nde): Optimization Under Fuzzy Uncertainty, Roberto A. Osegueda, Carlos M. Ferregut, Mary J. George, Jose M. Gutierrez, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

No abstract provided.

Which Algorithms Are Feasible? Maxent Approach, Daniel E. Cooke, Vladik Kreinovich, Luc Longpre

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

It is well known that not all algorithms are feasible; whether an algorithm is feasible or not depends on how many computational steps this algorithm requires. The problem with the existing definitions of feasibility is that they are rather ad hoc. Our goal is to use the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) approach and get more motivated definitions.

If an algorithm is feasible, then, intuitively, we would expect the following to be true:

If we have a flow of problems with finite average length L, then we expect the average time T to be finite as well.

Thus, we can say …

We Must Choose The Simplest Physical Theory: Levin-Li-Vitanyi Theorem And Its Potential Physical Applications, Dirk Fox, Martin Schmidt, Misha Kosheleva, Vladik Kreinovich, Luc Longpre, Jeff Kuhn

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

If several physical theories are consistent with the same experimental data, which theory should we choose? Physicists often choose the simplest theory; this principle (explicitly formulated by Occam) is one of the basic principles of physical reasoning. However, until recently, this principle was mainly a heuristic because it uses the informal notion of simplicity.

With the explicit notion of simplicity coming from the Algorithmic Information theory, it is possible not only to formalize this principle in a way that is consistent with its traditional usage in physics, but also to prove this principle, or, to be more precise, deduce it …

Environmentally-Oriented Processing Of Multi-Spectral Satellite Images: New Challenges For Bayesian Methods, Scott A. Starks, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Remotely sensed images from new generation satellites present an opportunity for scientists to investigate problems in environmental and earth science which have been previously intractable. The magnitude of data that will arise from these hyperspectral instruments create the need for innovative techniques to accomplish data reduction. This paper presents an algorithm which shows promise as a tool for reducing the dimensionality of data resulting from remote sensing. The optimality criteria for the algorithm is the Bayes Risk in the reduced dimension space.

The Conference Proceedings Of The 1997 Air Transport Research Group (Atrg) Of The Wctr Society, Vol. 1, No. 1, Tae Hoon Oum, Brent Bowen, Uno Aviation Institute

Faculty Books and Monographs

UNOAI Report 97-2

Optimization Of Microstructure Development During Hot Working Using Control Theory, James C. Malas Iii, W. Garth Frazier, S. Venugopal, Enrique A. Medina, Steven Madeiros, Raghavan Srinivasan, R. Dennis Irwin, W. M. Mullins, Anil Chaudhary

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

A new approach for controlling microstructure development during hot working processes is proposed. This approach is based on optimal control theory and involves state-space type models for describing the material behavior and the mechanics of the process. The effect of process control parameters such as strain, strain rate, and temperature on important microstructural features can be systematically formulated and then solved as an optimal control problem. This method has been applied to the optimization of grain size and process parameters such as die geometry and ram velocity during the extrusion of plain carbon steel. Experimental results of this investigation show …

Maximum Entropy Approach To Optimal Sensor Placement For Aerospace Non-Destructive Testing, Roberto A. Osegueda, Carlos M. Ferregut, Mary J. George, Jose M. Gutierrez, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

The ideal design of an airplane should include built-in sensors that are pre-blended in the perfect aerodynamic shape. Each built-in sensor is expensive to blend in and requires continuous maintenance and data processing, so we would like to use as few sensors as possible. The ideal formulation of the corresponding optimization problem is, e.g., to minimize the average detection error for fault locations. However, there are two obstacles to this ideal formulation:

--First, this ideal formulation requires that we know the probabilities of different fault locations and the probabilities of different aircraft exploitation regimes. In reality, especially for a …

Runoff, Erosion, And Soil Quality Characteristics Of A Former Conservation Reserve Program Site In Southwestern Oklahoma, John E. Gilley, John W. Doran, Thanh H. Dao

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

This study was conducted to measure runoff, erosion, and soil quality characteristics of a site in southwestern Oklahoma the first year following conversion from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Treatments included undisturbed CRP, Old World bluestem (Bothriochlora ischaemum L.), no-till wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and conservation-till wheat. Significant differences in surface cover were found between each of the experimental treatments, with values ranging from 100% on the undisturbed CRP site to 42% for the conservation-till treatment. No significant difference in runoff was found among the various experimental treatments. The Old World bluestem and winter wheat treatments had only …

Color Image Filters: The Vector Directional Approach, Konstantinos N. Kostas Plataniotis, Dimitrios Androutsos

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Processing of color image data using directional information has received increased attention lately due to the introduction of the vector directional filters. These rank-ordered type filters utilize the direction of color vectors to enhance, restore and segment color images. First, the different vector directional filters already in use are presented, focusing on their similarities and differences and, second, new adaptive vector directional filters are introduced. Fuzzy as well as nearest neighbor structures are utilized to determine the weights in the proposed adaptive filters. Simulation studies involving color images are used to assess the performance of the different vector directional filters …

1997 Safety Belt Usage Survey And Evaluation Of Effectiveness In Kentucky, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to establish 1997 safety belt and child safety seat usage rates in Kentucky. The 1997 survey documents the continuing results from enacting a statewide mandatory safety belt law in 1994. Data were collected at 100 sites and combined based on vehicle miles traveled for a given type of highway, rural or urban location, and county population category. Also included in the report is an analysis of accident records evaluating the effectiveness of safety belts.

The data show that the usage rate has stabilized at a level slightly below the high value which occurred in …

Effect Of Bmp Implementation On Storm Flow Quality Of Two Northwestern Arkansas Streams, Dwayne R. Edwards, Tommy C. Daniel, H. Don Scott, Phillip A. Moore Jr., John F. Murdoch, Paul F. Vendrell

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The effectiveness of management practices in improving quality of runoff from agricultural land areas has been reported based primarily on results from plot- and field-scale studies. There is limited information available on watershed scales, particularly when the dominant agricultural land use is pasture. The objective of this study was to determine whether a program of Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation in the Lincoln Lake watershed of northwestern Arkansas was effective in reducing storm stream flow concentrations and mass transport of nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N), ammonia nitrogen (NH₃-N), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ortho-phosphorus (PO₄-P), total phosphorus …

Controlling Ventilation And Space Depressurization In Restaurants In Hot And Humid Climates, Florida Solar Energy Center, Charles Withers, Jr.

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Testing was performed in 9 restaurants to identify uncontrolled air flows and pressure imbalances, building and duct system airtightness, building air barrier location, pressure differentials, building air flow balance, and ventilation rates. All restaurants are depressurized under normal operating conditions, ranging from -1.0 to -43 pascals. Space depressurization is a function of exhaust fan flow rates, missing or undersized make-up air, intermittent outdoor air caused by the cycling of air handlers, dirty outdoor air and make-up air filters, and building airtightness. Ventilation rates were found to be high, generally exceeding ASHRAE 62-1989 minimum recommended levels. Pressure imbalances and excessive ventilation …

Azimuthal Modulation Of C-Band Scatterometer Over Southern Ocean Sea Ice, David G. Long, David S. Early

Faculty Publications

In a continuing evaluation of the ERS-1 C-band scatterometer as a tool for studying polar sea ice, the authors evaluate the azimuthal modulation characteristics of Antarctic sea ice. ERS-1 AMI scatterometer mode data sets from several study regions dispersed in the Antarctic seasonal sea ice pack are evaluated for azimuthal modulation. When appropriate, the incidence angle dependence is estimated and removed in a study region before determining whether azimuthal modulation is present in the data. Other comparisons are made using the fore and aft beam measurement difference. The results show that over the ice pack, azimuthal modulation is less than …

The Conference Proceedings Of The 1997 Air Transport Research Group (Atrg) Of The Wctr Society Vol. 3, No. 1, Tae Hoon Oum, Brent D. Bowen, Uno Aviation Institute

Faculty Books and Monographs

UNOAI Report 97-7

The Conference Proceedings Of The 1997 Air Transport Research Group (Atrg) Of The Wctr Society Vol. 1, No. 3, Tae Hoon Oum, Brent D. Bowen, Uno Aviation Institute

Faculty Books and Monographs

UNOAI Report 97-4

The Conference Proceedings Of The 1997 Air Transport Research Group (Atrg) Of The Wctr Society Vol. 2, No. 2, Tae Hoon Oum, Brent D. Bowen, Uno Aviation Institute

Faculty Books and Monographs

UNOAI Report 97-6

Adaptive Critic Designs, Danil V. Prokhorov, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We discuss a variety of adaptive critic designs (ACDs) for neurocontrol. These are suitable for learning in noisy, nonlinear, and nonstationary environments. They have common roots as generalizations of dynamic programming for neural reinforcement learning approaches. Our discussion of these origins leads to an explanation of three design families: heuristic dynamic programming, dual heuristic programming, and globalized dual heuristic programming (GDHP). The main emphasis is on DHP and GDHP as advanced ACDs. We suggest two new modifications of the original GDHP design that are currently the only working implementations of GDHP. They promise to be useful for many engineering applications …

Testing Of A Water Loss Distribution Model For Moving Sprinkler Systems, Allen L. Thompson, Derrel L. Martin, John M. Norman, Judy A. Tolk, James R. Gilley, Arlan D. Schneider

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Field water balance measurements using monolithic lysimeters were used in validating the Cupid-DPE model for predicting water loss partitioning during sprinkler irrigation from a moving lateral system fitted with impact sprinklers and spray nozzles. The model combines equations governing water droplet evaporation and droplet ballistics with a comprehensive plant-environment energy balance model. Comparisons indicate good agreement between measured and modeled transpiration, and the measured and modeled soil evaporation during the day of irrigation. Total predicted evapotranspiration during the day of irrigation was greater than measured totals using the monolithic lysimeters. However, part of this difference was because the lysimeters could …

Luke Afb Water Rights Ramifications Of The Survey Report For The Gila River Indian Reservation, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The subject Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) report is a thorough preliminary effort at determining how much water is needed to irrigate all practicably irrigable acreages (PIA) on the Gila River Indian Reservation (GRIR). ADWR identified 178,880 acres suitable for irrigation. An existing Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) Master Plan previously identified 146,330 acres suitable for irrigation (requiring 771 ,600 acre-feet of water per year). ADWR compared the two sets of acreages, and identified 129,030 acres common to both.

Local Refinement Of Three-Dimensional Finite Element Meshes, M. L. Staten, Norman L. Jones

Faculty Publications

Mesh refinement is an important tool for editing finite element meshes in order to increase the accuracy of the solution. Refinement is performed in an iterative procedure in which a solution is found, error estimates are calculated, and elements in regions of high error are refined. This process is repeated until the desired accuracy is obtained.

Much research has been done on mesh refinement. Research has been focused on two-dimensional meshes and three-dimensional tetrahedral meshes ([1] Ning et al. (1993) Finite Elements in Analysis and Design, 13, 299–318; [2] Rivara, M. (1991) …