Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Confidence Measure For Boundary Detection And Object Selection, William A. Barrett, Eric N. Mortensen

Faculty Publications

We introduce a confidence measure that estimates the assurance that a graph arc (or edge) corresponds to an object boundary in an image. A weighted, planar graph is imposed onto the watershed lines of a gradient magnitude image and the confidence measure is a function of the cost of fixed-length paths emanating from and extending to each end of a graph arc. The confidence measure is applied to automate the detection of object boundaries and thereby reduces (often greatly) the time and effort required for object boundary definition within a user-guided image segmentation environment.

Fast Focal Length Solution In Partial Panoramic Image Stitching, William A. Barrett, Kirk L. Duffin

Faculty Publications

Accurate estimation of effective camera focal length is crucial to the success of panoramic image stitching. Fast techniques for estimating the focal length exist, but are dependent upon a close initial approximation or the existence of a full circle panoramic image sequence. Numerical solutions of the focal length demonstrate strong coupling between the focal length and the angles used to position each component image about the common spherical center. This paper demonstrates that parameterizing panoramic image positions using spherical arc length instead of angles effectively decouples the focal length Ji.om the image position. This new parameterization does not require an …

Houghing The Hough: Peak Collection For Detection Of Corners, Junctions And Line Intersections, William A. Barrett, Kevin D. Petersen

Faculty Publications

We exploit the Accumulator Array of the Hough Transform by finding collections of (2 or more) peaks through which a given sinusoid will pass. Such sinusoids identify points in the original image where lines intersect. Peak collection (or line aggregation) is performed by making a second pass through the edge map, but instead of laying points down in the accumulator array (as with the original Hough Transform), we compute the line integral over each sinusoid that corresponds to the current edge point. If a sinusoid passes through greater than or equal to 2 peaks, we deposit that sum/integral into a …

Discrete Singular Convolution For The Prediction Of High Frequency Vibration Of Plates, Yibao Zhao, G. W. Wei, Y. Xiang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Theoretical analysis of high frequency vibrations is indispensable in a variety of engineering designs. Much effort has been made on this subject in the past few decades. However, there is no single technique which can be applied with confidence to various engineering structures for high frequency predictions at present. This paper introduces a novel computational approach, the discrete singular convolution (DSC) algorithm, for high frequency vibration analysis of plate structures. Square plates with six distinct boundary conditions are considered. To validate the proposed method, a completely independent approach, the Levy method, is employed to provide exact solutions for a comparison. …

Solid Waste Management In Oil And Gas Pipelines Application To Asab Field, Abdulqader M Alkamali

Theses

Managing solid waste, and any other wastes in general, is an environmental need, an economical choice and a legal requirement. Preserving the environment while lowering the cost becomes a necessity when liabilities are of concern.

Solid wastes generated from oil and gas industrial activities are very diverse in their characteristics, large in their amounts and many of which are hazardous in nature. Thus, the need to manage these wastes is an obvious mandate. Oil and gas industrial activities include exploration, drilling, production, processing, refining, manufacturing and exporting. Associated with these activities, other supporting services; such as, maintenance, civil, transportation, storage, …

Petrological And Geochemical Analyses And Economic Potential Of Some Milestones And Siliceous Rocks In Northern United Arab Emirates., Mohammed Ahmed A. Ibrahim

Theses

Combined microscopic, heavy mineral, X-ray diffraction and chemical analyses have been carried out on the Jurassic limestone, the upper cretaceous Hawasina cherts and the coastal and inland sand dunes in several localities in the Ras Al Khaimah Emirate. The obtained results revealed that a number of represents cherts subfacies; namely: ferruginous radiolarian ribbon chert, carbonaceous radiolarian ribbon chert, colloform ribbon chert, calcareous chert and siliceous mud stone. These rocks consist of (in order of decreasing abundance): quartz, calcite, dolomite and hematite. The carbonate rocks are made up of lime mudstone, wackestone; pack stone and, rarely, crystalline limestone. Various types of …

Fast Implementation Of Depth Contours Using Topological Sweep, Kim Miller, Suneeta Ramaswami, Peter Rousseeuw, Toni Sellarès, Diane Souvaine, Ileana Streinu, Anja Struyf

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

The concept of location depth was introduced in statistics as a way to extend the univariate notion of ranking to a bivariate configuration of data points. It has been used successfully for robust estimation, hypothesis testing, and graphical display. These reguire the computation of depth regions, which form a collection of nested polygons. The center of the deepest region is called the Tukey median. The only available implemented algorithms for the depth contours and the Tukey median are slow, which limits their usefulness. In this paper we describe an optimal algorithm which computes all depth contours in &Ogr;(n 2) time …

Dark Production: A Significant Source Of Oceanic Cos, M. Von Hobe, Gregory A. Cutter, A. J. Kettle, M. O. Andreae

OES Faculty Publications

Carbonyl sulfide (COS) in air and dissolved in seawater was determined during a cruise in August 1999 in the Sargasso Sea in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Dissolved concentrations at the sea surface displayed only a weak diel cycle with a mean of 8.6 ± 2.8 pmol dm⁻³ owing to low abundance of photochemical precursors and high temperatures causing rapid hydrolysis. Depth profiles measured over the oceanic mixed layer revealed significant vertical gradients of COS concentration with higher values at the surface, suggesting that the rate of photochemical production at the surface exceeds the rate of vertical mixing. The mean …

The Effects Of Temperature On The Survival, Growth And Development Of Larvae Of Two Blue Mussel Species (Mytilus Edulis And Mytilus Trossulus), Susan Hayhurst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Factors affecting the distribution of Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus in the Gulf of Maine are of great interest because of the blue mussel's economic and ecological importance. Genetic surveys of blue mussel populations indicate that eastern Maine represents the southern distributional limit for M. trossulus but that M. edulis is common throughout the Gulf of Maine. Because hydrographic features in the Gulf of Maine confound temperature variation and larval dispersal patterns, the relative importance of these potential range-limiting mechanisms cannot be ascertained from the distribution of adult mussels. Given that larvae are more vulnerable than adults to temperature extremes, …

Relationships Between Oceanographic Satellite Data And Alexandrium Distributions In The Gulf Of Maine, Remy Martin Luerssen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An examination is made of the qualitative and quantitative relationships between satellite derived sea-surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll patterns and the distribution of Alexandrium, the toxic dinoflagellate species responsible for HABs in the GOM. Daily images coincident with five ECOHAB survey cruises in 1998 and 2000 are composited over each cruise period to create mean patterns for each sample period. Contours of surface Alexandrium cell concentrations are superimposed on the images as well as images showing the strength and location of SST frontal zones to examine qualitative relationships. Results indicate that high concentrations of Alexandrium are located primarily in the …

The John Muir Newsletter, Winter 2001/2002, The John Muir Center

Muir Center Newsletters (1981-2015)

Volume 12, Number 1 NEWSLETTER John Muir's Travels to South America and Africa by Michael P. Branch, University of Nevada, Reno (Continued from the Summer/Fall issue. Excerpted from Michael Branch's new book, John Muir's Last Journey: South to the Amazon and East to Africa; Unpublished Journal and Selected Correspondence. Copyright © 2001 by Island Press. Published by Island Press/Shearwater Books, Washington, D.C, and Covelo, California. All rights reserved. Hardcover $27.50. ISBN 1-55963-640-8. To order John Muir's Last Journey, please call Island Press at (800) 828-1302, or place your order at the Island Press website, www.islandpress.org ve had a most glorious …

Influence Of Early Lithification On Late Diagenesis Of Microbialities: Insights From Δ 18O Composition Of Upper Cambrian Carbonate Deposits From The Southern Appalachians, B. Glumac

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

This paper documents a difference in isotopic compositions between Upper Cambrian microbial and non-microbial micritic deposits and proposes implications for diagenesis of calcimicrobial deposits. The δ 18O values (-10.98 to -8.71; average -9.88‰ VPDB) of calcimicrite comprising shallow subtidal microbialites from the southern Appalachians are more negative than: (1) the calcimicrite from associated subtidal non-microbial deposits (-8.98 to -7.16; average -7.82), suggesting a different diagenetic history; and (2) estimates of Late Cambrian marine calcite values (-5 to -3 ‰), indicating postdepositional modifications. Early diagenetic calcification of microbial deposits promoted the formation of growth cavities and borings rimmed with marine fibrous …

Existence Of Solutions Of The Classical Yang-Baxter Equation For A Real Lie Algebra, Jorg Feldvoss

University Faculty and Staff Publications

We characterize finite-dimensional Lie algebras over the real numbers for which the classical Yang-Baxter equation has a non-trivial skew-symmetric solution (resp. a non-trivial solution with invariant symmetric part). Equivalently, we obtain a characterization of those finite-dimensional real Lie algebras which admit a non-trivial (quasi-) triangular Lie bialgebra structure.

Vegetation Health Analysis (Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment) : An Impact Study On The Use Of Alkaloam (Bauxite Residue) As A Soil Amendment On Agricultural Land, Garry Heady, Chris Ferreira

All other publications

In 1997, a program was established to monitor the long term, (a minimum of 10 years), impacts on remnant native vegetation, of Alkaloam bauxite residue used as a soil amendment on adjacent agricultural land Data collection is to be repeated on an annual basis for the duration of the program. This report presents pre-treatment site and vegetation data for 2001, the fourth year of sampling in the program. Overall results are compared with those from 1997, 1998 and 2000. Descriptions of monitoring sites and an outline of project design and methodology are provided so the report can be read independently …

Improvement To The International Bathymetric Chart Of The Arctic Ocean (Ibcao): Updating The Data Base And The Grid Model, Martin Jakobsson, Norman Cherkis

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The project to develop the IBCAO grid model was initiated in 1997 with the objective of providing to the Arctic research community an improved portrayal of the seabed north of 64-deg N, in a form suitable for digital manipulation and visualization. The model was constructed from a compilation of all single-beam and multibeam echo soundings that were available for the polar region, complemented where appropriate by newly released contour information. The grid features a cell size of 2.5 x 2.5 km on a polar stereographic projection; it is constructed on the WGS 84 datum, with true scale at 75-deg N. …

Seafloor Characterization From Spatial Variation Of Multibeam Backscatter Vs. Grazing Angle, Tianhang Hou, Lloyd C. Huff, Yuri Rzhanov, Larry A. Mayer

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Backscatter vs. grazing angle, which can be extracted from multibeam backscatter data, depend on characteristics of the multibeam system and the angular responses of backscatter that are characteristic of different seafloor properties, such as sediment hardness and roughness. Changes in backscatter vs. grazing angle that are contributed by the multibeam system normally remain fixed over both space and time. Therefore, they can readily be determined and removed from backscatter data. The variation of backscatter vs. grazing angle due to the properties of sediments will vary from location to location, as sediment type changes. The sediment component of variability can be …

Volumes And Areas Of Early Weichselian Ice Dammed Lakes In Northern Russia, Martin Jakobsson, Jan Mangerud, Valery Astakov, John Inge Svendsen

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

Computer Sound Card Assisted Measurements Of The Acoustic Doppler Effect For Accelerated And Unaccelerated Sound Sources, Thomas J. Bensky, S. E. Frey

Physics

An approach to experimentally measuring the speed of a moving object by direct application of the Doppler effect for sound is discussed. The method presented here uses a Windows computer and sound card to record Doppler shifted sound from a moving source. This sound card approach allows for direct acquisition of Doppler shifted sound intensity as a function of time, affording much analytical and pedagogical freedom in undergraduate lab instruction. In addition, the acquisition of such data allows for the experimental study of not only constant velocity sound sources, but of accelerated sound sources as well.

Hazardous Materials Transportation Flow Survey: An Evaluation Of Hazardous Materials Transported In Washington County., Daniel John O'Brien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the transportation of hazardous materials through Washington County, Tennessee. This study incorporates federal, state, and local data in assessing current transportation trends. Data gathering activities included local chemical inventories, hazardous materials transportation flow surveys, hazardous materials rail transportation trends, and hazardous materials incident data.

All data were compiled and then analyzed to identify hazardous materials transportation trends in Washington County, Tennessee. This information is pertinent to emergency planners for the preparation of hazardous materials transportation incidents. The data gathered further revealed the need for this type of study to identify changing trends in the transportation of hazardous …

Effects Of Land Use On Biotic Integrity In Ridge And Valley Streams In The Chattanooga Metropolitan Area, Tennessee-Georgia, Jeannie Long

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Twenty-one sites across seven streams in the Chattanooga metropolitan area, Tennessee-Georgia, were studied from April-August, 1999, as part of the Urban Streams Project. All sites are in the Ridge and Valley ecoregion and are part of the Nickajack Reservoir watershed in the Tennessee River system. Study sites were characterized in terms of water quality, habitat, and fish assemblages. Relationships among these features and land use, at both the riparian and watershed scales, were examined. A total of 40 species representing nine families of fishes were collected by electrofishing. Biotic integrity at all sites was degraded to some extent, with 16 …

Slowstart Congestion Control For Fine-Grained Layered Multicast, Khalid Shaheen

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Suitability Of Reclaimed Agricultural Lands Along The Lower Colorado River For Native Riparian Habitat Restoration, Patti Aaron

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to determine the suitability of agricultural lands for use in native riparian restoration efforts under development for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program. Assuming these fields are productive for crops, would they be productive for cottonwood-willow restoration? There are two aspects to consider: (1) the edaphic conditions required for three major LCR agricultural crops; alfalfa, cotton, and wheat, and (2) whether those conditions are consistent with the conditions required for the restoration of native LCR riparian habitat, primarily Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) and Goodding willow (Salix gooddingii). Using the case study research approach …

Space-Group Revision For 4-Formylphenylboronic Acid, Frank R. Fronczek, Nadia N. St Luce, Robert M. Strongin

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The space group of the title compound, C₇H₇BO₃, previously reported to be P, is properly Cc. There is no disorder of the formyl group or in the H atoms of the B(OH)₂ group. Molecules lie on approximate twofold axes and are related by approximate centers, which relate all but the formyl O atom and boronic acid H atoms. The B-O distances are 1.363 (2) and 1.370 (2) Å.

Automated Online News Classification With Personalization, Chee-Hong Chan, Aixin Sun, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Classification of online news, in the past, has often been done manually. In our proposed Categorizor system, we have experimented an automated approach to classify online news using the Support Vector Machine (SVM). SVM has been shown to deliver good classification results when ample training documents are given. In our research, we have applied SVM to personalized classification of online news.

1998 Debris Flows Near The Yakima River, Kittitas County, Washington—Some Geomorphic Implications, Martin R. Kaatz

Geography Faculty Scholarship

The geomorphic consequences of debris flows and their asso- ciated storms have been documented in many parts of the United States. Few, if any, have been studied and documented in central Washington. The importance of recurrent debris flows in sculpting Washington landscapes has not been generally recognized compared to other processes. Arid and semi-arid regions are particularly vulnerable to debris flows triggered by sudden intense thunderstorms. Most such areas are sparsely populated and eyewitnesses are uncommon. By contrast, semi-arid central Washington is relatively well popu- lated, and there are likely to be people who have observed the storms. Such witnesses …

Image Magnification Using Level-Set Reconstruction, Bryan S. Morse, Duane Schwartzwald

Faculty Publications

Image magnification is a common problem in imaging applications, requiring interpolation to “read between the pixels”. Although many magnification/interpolation algorithms have been proposed in the literature, all methods must suffer to some degree the effects of impefect reconstruction―false high-frequency content introduced by the underlying original sampling. Most often, these effects manifest themselves as jagged contours in the image. This paper presents a method for constrained smoothing of such artifacts that attempts to produce smooth reconstructions of the image’s level curves while still maintaining image fidelity. This is similar to other iterative reconstruction algorithms and to Bayesian restoration techniques, but instead …

Characterization Of Organo-Tin And Organo-Mercury Compounds With Electrospray Mass Spectrometry, Kan Zhu

Masters Theses

Metal-containing compounds are often found as pollutants in the environment. Obtaining speciation information about these compounds is important to understanding toxieity and bioaccumulation. Electrospray Mass Spectrometry (ESMS) is a technique that has the potential to provide rapid and direct speciation information of solution phase metal compounds. The ionization behavior of chemical species is related to their electron affinities. The higher the electron affinity, the easier it will be reduced during the ionization process. Additionally, solvent with different polarity and surface tension will also affect the ionization and reduction products. Organo-tin compounds with more alkyl groups will be ionized more efficiently, …

Wetland Mitigation Banking In Tennessee: An Assessment Of Three Banks Performance, Matthew David Skilling

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Each year, the nation as a whole loses nearly 58,000 acres of wetlands. The national goal of both the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers is to achieve no net loss of wetlands. Wetlands law allows for mitigation of wetland impacts with the implied assumption that the mitigation will adequately compensate for the wetland loss. Mitigation banks are becoming a popular mitigation option. Mitigation banks, due to their large size and ample mitigation ratios, make a significant contribution to the national goal of no net loss. This study evaluates three mitigation banks currently operating in Tennessee. The evaluation is …

Evolution Of Sprague Neck Bar, Machias Bay, Maine, Rebecca A. Nestor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sprague Neck Bar is a recurved barrier spit located in Machias Bay, Maine. Principle geomorphic features associated with Sprague Neck Bar include bedrock, coastal bluffs, till in grounding line (the Pond Ridge Moraine) and washboard moraines, mudflats, sand and gravel beaches, and a salt marsh. Sprague Neck Bar is attached to the western end of the Pond Ridge Moraine (Sprague Neck) and extends northward toward the head of Machias Bay for 845 meters before the system recurves to the southeast for 232 meters. The recurve system forms a broad tidal flat with evidence for northward and eastward migration of the …

Anthropogenic Influences And Meteorological Effects: How They Are Changing The Sand Beaches In Southern Maine, Heather W. Heinze

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although sand beaches in southern Maine comprise only a small segment of the coastline, they are economically important to the state. From September 1999-March 2001, volunteers made monthly topographic profiles along nine beaches in southern Maine to monitor changes. The volunteers used the Emery Method of beach profiling to take simultaneous measurements at spring low tide. The beaches are significantly different with respect to physiography, incident wave energy and direction, available sediment supply and extent of development. An average of the profiles for each category demonstrates that the undeveloped beaches experienced regular seasonal fluctuations and a consistent berm elevation from …