Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Map Estimation For Graphical Models By Likelihood Maximization, Akshat Kumar, Shlomo Zilberstein

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Computing a maximum a posteriori (MAP) assignment in graphical models is a crucial inference problem for many practical applications. Several provably convergent approaches have been successfully developed using linear programming (LP) relaxation of the MAP problem. We present an alternative approach, which transforms the MAP problem into that of inference in a finite mixture of simple Bayes nets. We then derive the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm for this mixture that also monotonically increases a lower bound on the MAP assignment until convergence. The update equations for the EM algorithm are remarkably simple, both conceptually and computationally, and can be implemented …

An Investigation Of Process Parameters To Optimize The Fiber Diameter Of Electrospun Vascular Scaffolds Through Experimental Design, Steffi Wong

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Distributed Programming And Applications To Swap Edge Problem, Feven Z. Andemeskel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Link failure is a common reason for disruption in communication networks. If communication between processes of a weighted distributed network is maintained by a spanning tree T, and if one edge e of T fails, communication can be restored by finding a new spanning tree, T’. If the network is 2-edge connected, T’ can always be constructed by replacing e by a single edge, e’, of the network. We refer to e’ as a swap edge of e.

The best swap edge problem is to find the best choice of e’, that is, that e which causes the new spanning …

A Structure First Image Inpainting Approach Based On Self-Organizing Map (Som), Bo Chen, Zhaoxia Wang, Ming Bai, Quan Wang, Zhen Sun

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper presents a structure first image inpainting method based on self-organizing map (SOM). SOM is employed to find the useful structure information of the damaged image. The useful structure information which includes relevant edges of the image is used to simulate the structure information of the lost or damaged area in the image. The structure information is described by distinct or indistinct curves in an image in this paper. The obtained target curves separate the damaged area of the image into several parts. As soon as each part of the damaged image is restored respectively, the damaged image is …

Topical Summarization Of Web Videos By Visual-Text Time-Dependent Alignment, Song Tan, Hung-Khoon Tan, Chong-Wah Ngo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Search engines are used to return a long list of hundreds or even thousands of videos in response to a query topic. Efficient navigation of videos becomes difficult and users often need to painstakingly explore the search list for a gist of the search result. This paper addresses the challenge of topical summarization by providing a timeline-based visualization of videos through matching of heterogeneous sources. To overcome the so called sparse-text problem of web videos, auxiliary information from Google context is exploited. Google Trends is used to predict the milestone events of a topic. Meanwhile, the typical scenes of web …

Self-Stabilizing Leader Election In Dynamic Networks, Hema Piniganti

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The leader election problem is one of the fundamental problems in distributed computing. It has applications in almost every domain. In dynamic networks, topology is expected to change frequently. An algorithm A is self-stabilizing if, starting from a completely arbitrary configuration, the network will eventually reach a legitimate configuration.

Note that any self-stabilizing algorithm for the leader election problem is also an algorithm for the dynamic leader election problem, since when the topology of the network changes, we can consider that the algorithm is starting over again from an arbitrary state. There are a number of such algorithms in the …

Improving Ensemble Streamflow Prediction Using Interdecadal/Interannual Climate Variability, Kenneth W. Lamb

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The National Weather Service’s (NWS) river forecast centers provide long-term water resource forecasts for the main river basins in the U.S. The NWS creates seasonal streamflow forecasts using an ensemble prediction model called the Extended Streamflow Prediction (ESP) software. ESP creates runoff volume forecasts by taking the current observed soil moisture and snowpack conditions in the basin and applying them to historical temperature and precipitation scenarios. The ESP treats every historic input year as a likely scenario of future basin conditions. Therefore improving the knowledge about how long-term climate cycles impact streamflow can extend the forecast lead time and improve …

Self-Stabilizing Group Membership Protocol, Mahesh Subedi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this thesis, we consider the problem of partitioning a network into groups of bounded diameter.

Given a network of processes X and a constant D, the group partition problem is the problem of finding a D-partition of X, that is, a partition of X into disjoint connected subgraphs, which we call groups, each of diameter no greater than D. The minimal group partition problem is to find a D-partition {G1, ... Gm} of X such that no two groups can be combined; that is, for any Gi and Gj, where i ≠ j, either Gi U Gj is disconnected …

Analytical Computation Of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Modes And N-Width Approximations For The Heat Equation With Boundary Control, Tasha N. Fernandez

Masters Theses

Model reduction is a powerful and ubiquitous tool used to reduce the complexity of a dynamical system while preserving the input-output behavior. It has been applied throughout many different disciplines, including controls, fluid and structural dynamics. Model reduction via proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is utilized for of control of partial differential equations. In this thesis, the analytical expressions of POD modes are derived for the heat equation. The autocorrelation function of the latter is viewed as the kernel of a self adjoint compact operator, and the POD modes and corresponding eigenvalues are computed by solving homogeneous integral equations of the …

Terrain Impacts From Vehicle Operations Across Multiple Passes, James Robert Kane

Masters Theses

This study, conducted on August 12th and 13th, 2008 at Fort Riley, Kansas on a clay loam soil, evaluated the terrain impacts of four commonly used tracked and wheeled military vehicles: the M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, M985 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck, and M113 Armored Personnel Carrier. Disturbed width and impact severity were assessed along 14 spirals subjected to a maximum of eight consecutive passes for a total of 696 impact points. Data indicate that multiple passes produce increased vegetative impacts, with multipass coefficients ranging from 0.98 to 4.44 (compared to the commonly …

Problem Niekontrolowanego Spalania Odpadów I Pozostałości Roślinnych W Obszarze Wiejskim Na Wybranym Przykładzie, Robert Oleniacz, Barbara Bacik

Robert Oleniacz

This paper presents the results of surveys on the problem of uncontrolled burning of waste in domestic stoves and boilers for central heating and open burning of plant residues in rural areas. The questionnaires were conducted among the inhabitants of one of Polish village (Łąkta Dolna), located in the Malopolska province, in the submontane area. The study comprised 80.2% of all households. As is clear from conducted surveys waste were burned in more than 80% of surveyed houses and more than half of respondents admitted to the open burning of plant residues. The percentage of people burning waste and plant …

Wpływ Zakładu Unieszkodliwiania Stałych Odpadów Komunalnych W Warszawie Na Jakość Powietrza, Robert Oleniacz, Jadwiga Antolak

Robert Oleniacz

The paper presents the results of air quality impact assessment carried out for the Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Plant in Warsaw. As part of the plant is working so far the only municipal solid waste incinerator in Poland. Following the evaluation, including data for the year 2008, it was found that it is a minor source of emissions to air and causes a slight air pollution. The highest maximum one-hour and annual average concentrations caused at ground level are many times lower than the respective reference (or permissible) values and background values for analyzed substances in the air. Increasing the …

Effects Of Solvents And Electrolyte Salts On The Electrochemical Reduction Of Oxygen In Non-Aqueous Electrolytes, Yan-Yan Tian, Wei Wu, Jun Gao, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical reduction processes of oxygen in different non-aqueous solvents such as acetonitrile(MeCN),propylene carbonate(PC) and their mixtures were investigated by cyclic voltammetry method.The results indicated a one electron reduction of oxygen to O2-occured in these systems as a first step reduction,no matter whether in tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate(TBAPF6)/MeCN or TBAPF6/PC electrolyte.However,the CV curves in 0.1 mol·L-1 TBAPF6/MeCN showed a couple of reversible redox peaks,indicating that the reduction process of oxygen was irreversible in the 0.1 mol·L-1 TBAPF6/PC electrolyte.In the PC-based electrolyte,the reduction current peak reduced largely and the oxidation peak of O2-almost disappeared as compared to that of the former electrolytes.The possible …

Photoelectrochemical Properties Of N,S,And Cl Modified Nano Tio_2 Thin Films, Hong Yun, Chang-Jian Lin, Jing Li, Rong-Gui Du

Journal of Electrochemistry

The nitrogen(N),sulfur(S) and chlorine(Cl) modified nano TiO2 thin films were prepared by adding Ti(O-n-Bu)4 as the precursor into concentrated HNO3,H2SO4 and HCl Solutions,respectively,on different substrates in a sol-gel process.The photoelectrochemical performances of N,S and Cl modified nano TiO2 thin films have been studied by UV-vis(DRS),photocurrent curves,EIS and OCP-time curves.N-modified TiO2 nano films show better surface structure,which helps to improve the quantum efficiency of nano TiO2 thin films.

Hydrothermal Reduction Synthesis Of Lifepo_4 And Its Electrochemical Performance, Hong-Li Zou, Guang-Hui Zhang, Pei-Kang Shen

Journal of Electrochemistry

The cathode materials of LiFePO4 were prepared via a hydrothermal reduction method using FeCl3 as Fe source and iron as a reducing agent.The results showed that ferric salt could be reduced to ferrous salt completely under the hydrothermal condition and pure-phase LiFePO4 was obtained based on the test results of XRD and FTIR.Carbon-coated LiFePO4 was synthesized by pyrolysisng glucose at high temperature.The morphologies of pure LiFePO4 displayed cluster-like while the LiFePO4/C displayed sphere-like particles.The electrochemical test showed that the LiFePO4/C had good rate performance,while LiFePO4 delivered much lower discharge capacity.

Study Of The 11-Ferrocenylalkanethiol Redox-Induced Structure Changes By Flow-Injection Electrochemical Surface Plasmon Resonance, Xiu-Juan Xiao, Yong-Hui He, Juan Xiang, Bin Ren

Journal of Electrochemistry

Redox-induced orientation changes of self-assembled monolayers(SAMs) of 11-ferrocenylundecanethiol(FcC11SH) were studied by the flow-injection electrochemical surface plasmon resonance(FI-EC-SPR).Results indicated that there existed two mechanisms concerning the redox-induced structure change of the self-assembled monolayer of ferrocenylalkanethiols:the electrostatic repulsion between the positively charged surface and the ferricenium cation and that among the cations led to a decrease in the tilt angle of the alkanethiol chain;upon Fc oxidation,the Fc group rotated from a tilted conformation to a position where the cyclpentyldiene plane became perpendicular to the electrode.

Electrodeposition Of Lead Dioxide From Dluoroborate Solutions, Chun-Mei Kong, Yong-Ming Tang, Wen-Zhong Yang, Xiao-Yuan Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The PbO2 anodes were prepared on platinum from fluoroborate media and its doped solutions by electrodeposition technique.Elecchemical and pysicochemical properties of these PbO2 films were studied by cyclic voltammetry methods,XRD and SEM.The results showed that the presence of BF4-increased PbO2 electrodeposition rate;the prepared lead dioxide consisted of β-PbO2;the preferential orientation of crystals and surface morphology were affected a lot by doping F-and Fe3+.The FB/F-Fe-PbO2 electrode exhibited regular-shaped layers with compact morphology.Furthermore,increasing current density also change the preferential orientation of PbO2 crystals.

The Sol-Gel Synthesis And Electrochemical Performance Of Li_3v_2(Po_4)_3/C Cathode Material For Lithium Ion Battery, Li-Ying Liu, Lian Chen, Hai-Yan Zhang, Yu-Chun Zhai

Journal of Electrochemistry

Li3V2(PO4)3/C was synthesized by sol-gel method with citric acid as chelate and C sources.Physical and electrochemical performances of as-prepared materials were characterized through XRD,SEM and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests,etc.The results showed that products produced by calcining at 800 ℃ for 12 h had a single phase crystal structure and relatively small particle sizes with uniform distribution.At 0.1 C,0.5 C and 1 C,the initial specific discharge capacities were 153.0,143.1 and 130.6 mAh·g-1,respectively,and capacity efficiencies were 93.1%,85.4% and 77.3% after 50 cycles,respectively.Charge efficiencies were all above 80% and discharge voltages were higher.

Effect Of Cldh On Rebar Corrosion Behavior In Chloride Contaminated Neutral Pore Solutions, Yu-Ming Tang, Le Niu, Yu Zuo

Journal of Electrochemistry

The effect of calcined LDH-MgAl-CO3 on rebar corrosion behavior in chloride ion contaminated neutral concrete pore solutions was investigated in this paper.Corrosion potentials of rebars in pore solutions after treatment with CLDH were higher than before treatment.According to polarization tests,passivated region of rebars in pore solutions after treatment with CLDH was found apparently instead of activation.EIS tests showed that CLDH made the impedance of specimens increase.The measurements of pH and chloride ion concentration after treatment indicated that / of pore solutions decreased by 4～5 magnitude orders.

Electrochemical Detection For The Corrosion Of Reinforcing Steel In Concrete During Immersion And Drying Cycles, Bing-Li Jia, Fa-He Cao, An-Na Chen, Jian-Qing Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The corrosion behavior of reinforcing steel in concrete under dry-wet cycle condition has been studied by electrochemical noise(EN) compared with the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),SEM micrographs and EDS.The statistical method has been employed to analyze the EN data of reinforcing steel in concrete,which revealed three different corrosion stages of reinforcing steel in concrete,including the dissolution of the passive film,the active corrosion and the cumulation of corrosion product.The wavelet transform has also been employed,which indicated that steel in concrete with pH 1 is associated with uniform corrosion,while steel in concrete with pH 3 and pH 7 are associated with localized corrosion,such as …

Study On Preparing Technology And Corrosion Resistance Of Ti/Zr Based Chromium-Free Chemical Conversion Coating On Zinc Electroplating Layer, Yong Guan, Jian-Guo Liu, Chuan-Wei Yan

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper,we obtained environmental-friendly chromium-free chemical conversion coating on the non-cyanide alkaline zinc electroplating layer by employing the optimized Ti/Zr based conversion technique.At the same time,the performances of the Ti/Zr based conversion coating were compared with chromate colour passivation coating.The corrosion resistances of the conversion coatings were investigated by using neutral salt spray(NSS) test,potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).The results showed that the white rust appeared after 96 hours when the NSS test was performed on the Ti/Zr based conversion coating,which was close to the corrosion resistance rating of chromate colour passivation coating.Compared with the chromate passivation coating,the Ti/Zr …

Preparation And Characterization Of The Silane-Phosphonic Acid Composite Passivation Coating For Electrogalvanized Steel, Yong Guan, Jian-Guo Liu, Chuan-Wei Yan

Journal of Electrochemistry

A new silane-phosphonic acid composite passivation coating process has been developed for the protection of electrogalvanized steel based on N-(β-aminoethyl)-γ-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane(AAPTMS),γ-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)propyltrimethoxy-silane(GPTMS) and 1-hydroxy ethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid(HEDP).The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),potentiodynamic polarization scan,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) and neutral salt spray(NSS) tests indicated that the major structure of the prepared silane-phosphonic acid composite passivation coating consisted mainly of Si—O—Si and Si—O—P bonds.The area of white rust was not more than 5% of the total panal after 120 h NSS test,which could be compared favourably with the chromate colour passivation coating.However,the corrosion reaction on the anode of the silane-phosphonic acid composite passivation …

The Roles Of The Width Of Gas/Liquid/Solid Three-Phase Boundary Zone Of Dispersion Water Films In Atmospheric Corrosion Of Metals, Wang Jia, Jing Jiang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The roles of TPB(Three-Phase Boundary) width in the corrosion processes of metals under dispersed water films were investigated by electrochemical techniques combined with contact angle measurement.It is found that both cathodic limiting current density and corrosion current density linearly increases with increasing the TPB width,confirming the important role of TPB width in gas/liquid/solid multiphase corrosion systems.Based on above results,the effect of water film thickness on atmospheric corrosion rate was quantitatively evaluated by the TPB width.

Initial Stage Of Atmospheric Corrosion Of Ndfeb(M35) In A Simulated Marine Atmosphere, Chun-Ling Li, Yuan-Tai Ma, Ying Li, Fu-Hui Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

This study detailed the atmospheric corrosion behaviour of sintered NdFeB(M35) in a simulated marine atmosphere with 80% relative humidity(RH).The dissolution and subsequent reaction of NaCl particles cause the attack of NdFeB.The corrosion presented three representative types:if the electrolyte covered magnetic phase and Nd-rich phase,the Nd-rich phase was corroded firstly due to galvanic effect;if the electrolyte covered magnetic phase,magnetic phase was corroded along the grain boundary;if the electrolyte located near the position of defects,corrosion progressed along with the defect because of low concentration of oxygen inside the defect.With corrosion progressing,local corrosion areas were mutually connected,with Nd-rich phase and grain boundary being …

Corrosion Electrochemical Behavior Of Am60 Magnesium Alloys In Automobile Engine Coolants, Ling-Jie Li, Sha Wang, Yin Xiao, Jun Lan, Jing-Lei Lei, Sheng-Tao Zhang, Fu-Sheng Pan

Journal of Electrochemistry

The polarization measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) were used to study the corrosion electrochemical behavior of AM60 magnesium alloys in three kinds of commercial coolants for automobile engine.Results show that the tested commercial coolants are slightly corrosive to AM60 magnesium alloys and their corrosivity varies from coolant to coolant.The coolant C is the least corrosive among the studied commercial coolants and the coolant A is more corrosive than the coolant B and C.The coolant C appears to be the most promising coolant for automobile engine made by magnesium alloys.The coolant resistivity plays an important role in the corrosion of AM60 …

Research On Nafion/Sio_2 Composite Membrane In All Vanadium Redox Flow Battery, Dong-Dong Liu, Mao-Cai Lin, Tao Guan, Qing-Chun Yu

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Nafion117/SiO2 composite membrane was prepared by sol-gel method.The results showed that,during composite membrane preparation process,the ratio of MeOH and TEOS did not affect the penetration rate of VO2+ basically,however,the lowest permeability of 427×10-9cm2/s in the membrane was achieved while hydrolysis time was 10 min and natural drying for 24 h after hydrolysis,which reduced by 52 times than that in Nafion117 membrane.The SEM tests proved that SiO2 grains grew bigger in the composite membrane during the natural drying,and most of the holes in Nafion117 were filled.Single cell test showed the battery power efficiency was improved by 2.7 %.

Slides: Development Of Shale: Water Resource Concerns And Policy Considerations, Katy Dunlap

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: Katy Dunlap, Eastern Water Project Director, Trout Unlimited, Inc., Burdett, NY

24 slides

Slides: Water And Development Of Unconventional Oil And Gas Resources, Judy Jordan

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: Judy Jordan, Oil & Gas Liaison, Garfield County, Rifle, CO

21 slides

Slides: Shale Drilling And Completions, William Fleckenstein

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: William Fleckenstein, BP Adjunct Professor in the Petroleum Department and Director of PERFORM Research, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, and Managing Partner of Fleckenstein, Eustes & Associates

20 slides

Slides: U.S. Shale Gas: Resources, Reserves And $$$, John B. Curtis

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: John B. Curtis, Professor of Geology and Geological Engineering and Director of the Potential Gas Agency, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO

17 slides