Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Tree-D-Seek: A Framework For Retrieving Three-Dimensional Scenes, Saurav Mazumdar

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In this dissertation, a strategy and framework for retrieving 3D scenes is proposed. The strategy is to retrieve 3D scenes based on a unified approach for indexing content from disparate information sources and information levels. The TREE-D-SEEK framework implements the proposed strategy for retrieving 3D scenes and is capable of indexing content from a variety of corpora at distinct information levels. A semantic annotation model for indexing 3D scenes in the TREE-D-SEEK framework is also proposed. The semantic annotation model is based on an ontology for rapid prototyping of 3D virtual worlds.

With ongoing improvements in computer hardware and 3D …

Factors Affecting Adult Foraging And Chick Growth Of Adélie Penguins (Pygoscelis Adeliae) Off The Western Antarctic Peninsula: A Modeling Study, Erik W. Chapman

OES Theses and Dissertations

Coupled individual-based models that simulate Adélie penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae) chick growth and adult foraging behavior during the chick growth period were developed and used to explore factors that influence chick fledging mass and adult foraging energetics off the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). Adélie penguin colonies in this region are undergoing changes in population size that have been correlated with climate-driven alteration of the marine and terrestrial environment. Simulations were selected to highlight possible mechanistic linkages between climate variability and chick growth and adult foraging processes. These processes were the focus of this study because chicks that fledge at …

A Method For Introducing Artificial Perception (Ap) To Improve Human Behavior Representation (Hbr) Using Agents In Synthetic Environments, Randall Bartholomew Garrett

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

While psychology has shown that perception is very important for the human decision process, agent perception has not been covered in sufficient detail within the agent directed simulation field. To contribute to such a solution, an open challenge lies in capturing the knowledge of human sciences, such as psychology, and making this knowledge usable for engineers. This dissertation addresses perception by describing an experimental method where agent perception simulates human perception. In particular, it presents engineering methods based on accepted psychological approaches resulting in a proof of concept. To prove the feasibility, an Artificial Perception (AP) meta-model is presented using …

On The Role Of Assertions For Conceptual Modeling As Enablers Of Composable Simulation Solutions, Robert Dennis King

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research provides a much needed systematic review of the roles that assertions play in model composability and simulation interoperability. In doing so, this research contributes a partial solution to one of the problems of model composability and simulation interoperability—namely, why do simulation systems fail to achieve the maximum level of interoperability possible? It demonstrates the importance of the assertions that are made during model development and simulation implementation, particularly as they reflect the unique viewpoint of each developer or user. It hypothesizes that it is possible to detect composability conflicts by means of a four-step process developed by the …

A Hurricane Evacuation Route System Real-Time Monitoring And Distribution Of Load, Anup Khanal

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Hurricane evacuation is one of the major steps in diminishing the devastating effects of hurricanes on lives and properties. The challenge in evacuating a large number of people in a short time is the severe congestion faced in the transportation network, leading to long delays and shortages. Standard hurricane evacuation plans focus on how to best utilize the main arteries. The research challenge is to not overload the fastest routes and to utilize all the routes efficiently. The evacuation routing system proposed in this thesis focuses on distributing the traffic load throughout the network, utilizing alternative routes not considered in …

A Compact Lidar For Aircraft Ozone Atmospheric Measurements, Joel A. Marcia

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Researchers and the general public have expressed great concern over how human activities exacerbate pollution's deteriorating impact upon the environment. Effects such as global warming, air quality and ozone layer depletion are but a few examples that can have a dramatic effect on the quality of life worldwide.

A compact lidar system for the purpose of aircraft ozone atmospheric measurements was tested and evaluated. This system will eventually be deployed for aircraft-based, and possibly unpiloted atmospheric vehicle (UAV), ozone and aerosol measurements to improve our understanding of ozone production and transport. Each of the major subsystems was characterized and from …

Analysis Of Electroencephalogram Signals For The Identification Of Mental Tasks, My Thy Thi Tran

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals can be used for implicit communication such as to control robots or medical equipment by brain activity or to detect an individual's intentions of committing premeditated crimes. An EEG based brain-computer interface allows paralyzed patients to express their thoughts. However, biological and technical artifacts heavily interfered with EEG signals due to blinking of the eyes, muscle activities and line noise. Sometimes the noise interference due to signal artifacts becomes more prominent than the information content. This thesis investigates novel feature extraction methodologies in EEG signals to represent different thought processes and employs neural network-based pattern classification techniques …

Can't Find Your 404s?, Martin Klein, Frank Mccown, Joan Smith, Michael L. Nelson

Computer Science Presentations

PDF of a powerpoint presentation at the Santa Fe Complex, Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 13, 2009. Also available on Slideshare.

Optics And Remote Sensing Of Bahamian Carbonate Sediment Whitings And Potential Relationship To Wind-Driven Langmuir Circulation, H. M. Dierssen, Richard C. Zimmerman, David J. Burdige

OES Faculty Publications

Regions of milky white seas or "whitings" periodically occur to the west of Andros Island along the Great Bahama Bank where the bottom sediment consists of fine-grained aragonite mud. We present measurements of inherent optical properties within a sediment whiting patch and discuss the potential for monitoring the frequency, extent, and quantity of suspended matter from ocean colour satellite imagery. Sea spectral reflectance measured in situ and remotely from space revealed highly reflective waters elevated across the visible spectrum (i.e., "whitened") with a peak at 490 nm. Particulate backscattering was an order of magnitude higher than that measured at other …

Multiple Stable Reference Points In Oyster Populations: Biological Relationships For The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) In Delaware Bay, Eric N. Powell, John M. Klinck, Kathryn A. Ashton-Alcox, John N. Kraeuter

CCPO Publications

In the first of two companion papers, a 54-yr time series for the oyster population in the New Jersey waters of Delaware Bay was analyzed to develop biological relationships necessary to evaluate maximum sustainable yield (MSY) reference points and to consider how multiple stable points affect reference point-based management. The time series encompassed two regime shifts, one circa 1970 that ushered in a 15-yr period of high abundance, and a second in 1985 that ushered in a 20-yr period of low abundance. The intervening and succeeding periods have the attributes of alternate stable states. The biological relationships between abundance, recruitment, …

Variations In Sea Surface Roughness Induced By The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Tsunami, O. A. Godin, V. G. Irisov, R. R. Leben, B. D. Hamlington, G. A. Wick

CCPO Publications

Observations of tsunamis away from shore are critically important for improving early warning systems and understanding of tsunami generation and propagation. Tsunamis are difficult to detect and measure in the open ocean because the wave amplitude there is much smaller than it is close to shore. Currently, tsunami observations in deep water rely on measurements of variations in the sea surface height or bottom pressure. Here we demonstrate that there exists a different observable, specifically, ocean surface roughness, which can be used to reveal tsunamis away from shore. The first detailed measurements of the tsunami effect on sea surface height …

Management And Social Indicators Of Soil Carbon Storage In A Residential Ecosystem, Midlothian, Va, Christopher M. Gough, Eliza A. Fritz

Virginia Journal of Science

Soil carbon storage- defined here as carbon mass per unit ground area- is an important ecosystem service, sequestering carbon that might otherwise exist in atmospheric CO₂ . Significant attention has focused on the effects that humans have on carbon cycling, but little is known about how human behaviors and attitudes relate to lawn carbon storage. The objectives of this study were to conduct household surveys in concert with soil carbon sampling in a 10-year-old exurban neighborhood near Richmond, Virginia to quantify differences in soil carbon storage between residential lawns and mixed pine-hardwood forest fragments, and to determine how lawn …

Beam-Energy And System-Size Dependence Of Dynamical Net Charge Fluctuations, B. I. Abelev, M. M. Aggarwal, Z. Ahammed, B. D. Anderson, D. Arkhipkin, G. S. Averichev, Y. Bai, J. Balewski, S. Bueltmann, Star Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

We present measurements of net charge fluctuations in Au+Au collisions at √sNN=19.6, 62.4, 130, and 200 GeV, Cu+Cu collisions at √sNN=62.4 and 200 GeV, and p+p collisions at √s=200GeV using the dynamical net charge fluctuations measure ν_+−,dyn. We observe that the dynamical fluctuations are nonzero at all energies and exhibit a modest dependence on beam energy. A weak system size dependence is also observed. We examine the collision centrality dependence of the net charge fluctuations and find that dynamical net charge fluctuations violate 1/N_ch scaling but display approximate 1/N_part scaling. We also study the azimuthal and …

Beam Spin Asymmetries In Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (Dvcs) With Clas At 4.8 Gev, G. Gavalian, M. J. Amaryan, H. Bagdasaryan, M. Bektasoglu, S. Bültmann, S. L. Careccia, K. V. Dharmawardane, G. E. Dodge, N. Guler, C. E. Hyde, H. G. Juengst, N. Kalantarians, A. Klein, S. E. Kuhn, J. Lachniet, M. R. Niroula, R. A. Niyazov, L. M. Qin, F. Sabatié, S. Tkachenko, L. B. Weinstein, J. Yun, J. Zhang, Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

We report measurements of the beam spin asymmetry in deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) at an electron beam energy of 4.8 GeV using the CLAS detector at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The DVCS beam spin asymmetry has been measured in a wide range of kinematics, 1.02<2.8 (GeV/c)², 0.12<_xB<0.48, and 0.1<−t<0.8 (GeV/c)², using the reaction →ep→e′pX. The number of H(e,e′γp) and H(e,e′π⁰p) events are separated in each (Q²,_xB,t) bin by a fit to the line shape of the H(e,e′p)X M²_x distribution. The validity of the method was studied in detail …

Search For The Photoexcitation Of Exotic Mesons In The Π+Π+Π- System, Clas Collaboration, M. J. Amaryan, H. Bagdasaryan, S. Bektasoglu, S. Bültmann, G. E. Dodge, G. Gavalian, N. Guler, C. E. Hyde-Wright, N. Kalantarians, A. Klein, S. E. Kuhn, J. Lachniet, M. R. Niroula, L. M. Qin, S. Tkachenko, L. B. Weinstein, J. Zhang

Physics Faculty Publications

A search for exotic mesons in the π⁺π⁺π⁻ system photoproduced by the charge exchange reaction γp→π⁺π⁺π⁻(n) was carried out by the CLAS Collaboration at Jefferson Lab. A tagged-photon beam with energies in the 4.8 to 5.4 GeV range, produced through bremsstrahlung from a 5.744 GeV electron beam, was incident on a liquid-hydrogen target. A partial wave analysis was performed on a sample of 83 000 events, the highest such statistics to date in this reaction at these energies. The main objective of this study was to look for the …

Measurement Of The Differential Cross Section For The Reaction Γn →Π⁻P From Deuterium, M. J. Amaryan, H. Badasaryan, S. L. Careccia, G. E. Dodge, C. E. Hyde, S. E. Kuhn, F. Sabatié, S. Tkachenko, L. B. Weinstein, J. Zhang, Et Al., The Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

We report a measurement of the differential cross section for the γn →π⁻p process from the CLAS detector at Jefferson Laboratory in Hall B for photon energies between 1.0 and 3.5 GeV and pion center-of-mass (c.m.) angles (𝜃 _c.m.) between 50° and 115°. We confirm a previous indication of a broad enhancement around a c.m. energy (√ s) of 2.1 GeV at 𝜃_c.m. = 90° in the scaled differential cross section s^{7 dσ}_dt and a rapid falloff in a center-of-mass energy region of about 400 MeV following the enhancement. Our data show an angular dependence of …

Conformal Kernel For The Next-To-Leading-Order Bfkl Equation In 𝒩 = 4 Super Yang-Mills Theory, Ian Balitsky, Giovanni A. Chirilli

Physics Faculty Publications

Using the requirement of Möbius invariance of 𝒩 = 4 super Yang-Mills amplitudes in the Regge limit, we restore the explicit form of the conformal next-to-leading-order Balitsky-Fadin-Kuraev-Lipatov (BFKL) kernel out of the eigenvalues known from the forward next-to-leading-order BFKL result.

Contribution Of A Portable Air Plasma Torch To Rapid Blood Coagulation As A Method Of Preventing Bleeding, S. P. Kuo, O. Tarasenko, J. Chang, S. Popovic, C. Y. Chen, H. W. Fan, A. Scott, M. Lahiani, P. Alusta, J. D. Drake, M. Nikolic

Physics Faculty Publications

The effectiveness and mechanism of a low temperature air plasma torch in clotting blood are explored. Both blood droplets and smeared blood samples were used in the tests. The treated droplet samples reveal how blood clotting depends on the distance at which the torch operated, and for how long the droplets have been exposed to the torch. Microscopy and cell count of smeared blood samples shed light on dependencies of erythrocyte and platelet counts on torch distance and exposure time. With an increase of torch distance, the platelet count of treated blood samples increases but is less than that of …

Options For An 11 Gev Rf Beam Separator For The Jefferson Lab Cebaf Upgrade, Jean R. Delayen, M. Spata, H. Wang

Physics Faculty Publications

The CEBAF accelerator at Jefferson Lab has had, since first demonstration in 1996, the ability to deliver a 5-pass electron beam to experimental halls (A, B, and C) simultaneously. This capability is provided by a set of three, room temperature 499 MHz rf separators in the 5th pass beamline. The separator cavity is a two-rod, two-cell TEM mode type resonator, which has high shunt impedance. The 12 GeV baseline design does not preserve the capability of separating the 5th pass, 11 GeV beam for the 3 existing halls. Several options for restoring this capability, including extension of the present room …

Enso And Variability Of The Antarctic Peninsula Pelagic Marine Ecosystem, Valerie J. Loeb, Eileen E. Hofmann, John M. Klinck, Osmund Holm-Hansen, Warren B. White

CCPO Publications

The West Antarctic Peninsula region is an important source of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the Southern Ocean. From 1980-2004 abundance and concentration of phytoplankton and zooplankton, krill reproductive and recruitment success and seasonal sea ice extent here were significantly correlated with the atmospheric Southern Oscillation Index and exhibited three- to five-year frequencies characteristic of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability. This linkage was associated with movements of the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front and Boundary, a changing influence of Antarctic Circumpolar Current and Weddell Sea waters, and eastward versus westward flow and mixing processes that are consistent with forcing by …

Patterns Of Larval Atlantic Croaker Ingress Into Chesapeake Bay, Usa, Jason J. Schaffler, Christian S. Reiss, Cynthia M. Jones

OES Faculty Publications

We compared ingress patterns of Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus larvae into Chesapeake Bay, USA, with published ingress patterns through barrier island inlets, the accepted model for larval fish ingress. This model asserts that larvae ingress on night flood tides at the flooddominated side of the inlet and at all depths. At the Chesapeake Bay mouth and in the adjacent coastal waters, we compared the distribution of abundance, size, age, and growth rates of croaker prior to ingress, In contrast to the barrier island inlet model, croaker larvae were more abundant at depth than closer to the surface regardless of location. …

Cross-Basin Comparison Of Phosphorus Stress And Nitrogen Fixation In Trichodesmium, Annette M. Hynes, P. Dreux Chappell, Sonya T. Dyhrman, Scott C. Doney, Eric A. Webb

OES Faculty Publications

We investigated the phosphorus (P) status and N₂ fixation rates of Trichodesmium populations from the North Pacific, western South Pacific, and western North Atlantic. Colonies of Trichodesmium were collected and analyzed for endogenous alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity using enzyme-labeled fluorescence ( ELF) and for nitrogenase activity using acetylene reduction. AP hydrolyzes dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) from dissolved organic phosphorus and is active in Trichodesmium colonies experiencing P stress. Across multiple stations in the subtropical North and South Pacific, there was low to moderate ELF labeling in Trichodesmium, although labeling was present in other taxa. In contrast, Trichodesmium ELF …

Early Neoproterozoic Origin Of The Metazoan Clade Recorded In Carbonate Rock Texture: Reply, Fritz Neuweiler, Elizabeth C. Turner, David J. Burdige

OES Faculty Publications

We (Neuweiler et al., 2009) used scanning electron microscopic, fluorescence spectroscopic, fluorescence microscopic, and thin-section analytical work from modern, Cretaceous, Silurian, and early Neoproterozoic reefal material to make a geological case for an early Neoproterozoic origin of animals. In a modern analogue for ancient petrographic textures, degradative calcification of the extracellular collagenous matrix (ECM) of a modern siliceous sponge can be directly observed (Neuweiler et al., 2007).

Thin Layer Formation During Runaway Stratification In The Tidally Dynamic San Francisco Estuary, Alexander B. Bochdansky, Stephen M. Bollens

OES Faculty Publications

During the course of a year, we repeatedly collected high-resolution vertical fluorometer data timed to coincide with a specific state during the tidal cycle. The time (end of the ebb during neap tide) and the location (a deep channel half-way between the Golden Gate and the point of tidally averaged bottom salinity of 2 psu) were chosen with the goal to observe runaway stratification. We consistently found at least one pronounced chlorophyll peak in the water column; however, the vertical location of these peaks varied within three types including surface, bottom and subsurface maxima. Our results showed that heterogeneity of …

Profiles Of Ocean Surface Heating (Posh): A New Model Of Upper Ocean Diurnal Warming, Chelle L. Gentemann, Peter J. Minnett, Brian Ward

CCPO Publications

Shipboard radiometric measurements of diurnal warming at the ocean surface and profiles through the diurnal thermocline were utilized to assess the temporal and vertical variability and to develop a new physics-based model of near-surface warming. The measurements and modeled diurnal warming were compared, with the goal of comprehensively evaluating differences between the data and model results. On the basis of these results, the diurnal model was refined while attempting to maintain agreement with the measurements. Simplified bulk models commonly do not provide information on the vertical structure within the warm layer, but this new model predicts the vertical temperature profile …

On The Interpretation Of Caribbean Paleo-Temperature Reconstructions During The Younger Dryas, Xiuquan Wan, Ping Chang, R. Saravanan, Rong Zhang, Matthew W. Schmidt

OES Faculty Publications

A conundrum exists regarding whether the sea-surface temperatures decreased or increased over the southern Caribbean and the western Tropical Atlantic region during the Younger Dryas when the North Atlantic cooled substantially and the Atlantic thermohaline circulation was weakened significantly. Despite the proximity of core locations, some proxy reconstructions record a surface cooling, while others indicate a warming. We suggest that this seemingly paradoxical finding may, at least partially, be attributed to the competing physical processes that result in opposing signs of temperature change in the region in response to weakened North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Our coupled ocean-atmosphere model experiments …

Combining Remote Sensing Data And An Inundation Model To Map Tidal Mudflat Regions And Improve Flood Predictions: A Proof Of Concept Demonstration In Cook Inlet, Alaska, Tal Ezer, Hua Liu

CCPO Publications

Accurate flood predictions require high resolution inundation numerical models and detailed coastal and land topography data. However, such data are not always available. A new method to obtain topographic information of flood zones from remote sensing data is demonstrated here for Cook Inlet, Alaska, where tidal range reaches 8-10 m. The moving shoreline is detected from analysis of water coverage in satellite images taken at different tidal stages, and then the shoreline data from different times are combined with water level data from observations and models to produce new topographic maps of previously unobserved mudflats. The remote sensing-based analysis provides …

Addressing The Principles For School Mathematics: A Case Study Of Elementary Teachers Pedagogy And Practices In An Urban High-Poverty School, Robert Q. Berry, Linda Bol, Sueanne E. Mckinney

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The extent to which four novice teachers assigned to an urban high-poverty school implemented the Principles of School Mathematics during their mathematics instruction program was investigated using a case study design. The research team conducted 36 unannounced observations of the participating teachers and utilized a developed assessment to guide their observations. Results indicated that only one teacher was judged proficient for all the principles. The remaining three teachers fell short in the implementation and direction of the principles. Detailed descriptions of the pedagogical practices of the teachers are provided.

Regional Characterisation Of Hard-Bottom Nursery Habitat For Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) Using Rapid Assessment Techniques, Rodney D. Bertelsen, Mark J. Butler Iv, William F. Herrnkind, John H. Hunt

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Shallow, hard-bottom habitat constitutes approximately 30% of the coastal waters of south Florida, United States, yet it is a chronically understudied feature of the marine seascape in this region. In this study, we characterised the general biogeographic and structural features of shallow benthic hard-bottom communities in the Florida Keys, and related those to the abundance of juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus), the target of one of Florida's most economically valuable fisheries. We used rapid assessment techniques to survey more than 100 hard-bottom sites in the Florida Keys to estimate the percentage bottom coverage of vegetation (seagrass and …

Is Seagrass An Important Nursery Habitat For The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus, In Florida?, Donald C. Behringer, Mark J. Butler Iv, William Herrnkind, John H. Hunt, Charles A. Acosta, William C. Sharp

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) settle preferentially in macroalgal-covered hard-bottom habitat, but seagrass is more prevalent in Florida (United States) and the Caribbean, so even low settlement of lobsters within seagrass could contribute substantially to recruitment if post-settlement survival and growth were high. We tested the role of seagrass and hard-bottom habitats for P. argus recruitment in three ways. We first explored possible density-dependent regulation of early benthic juvenile lobster survival within cages deployed in seagrass and hard-bottom habitats. Second, we compared settlement and survival of P. argus in both habitats, by comparing the recovery of microwire-tagged early …