Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Water Current, Volume 39, No. 2. Spring 2007

Water Current Newsletter

Contents

• Annual Tour Ready to Explore New Mexico’s Lower Pecos River by Steve Ress

• Sandhills Dunes May Be More Stable Than Was Thought By Brent Atema

• From the Director by Kyle D. Hoagland

• Meet the Faculty

• From Kitchen to Countries: A Profile of the Groundwater Foundation By Susan S. Seacrest

• NIWR Members Gather for Annual Washington D.C. Conference by Lorrie Benson

• Is Water Property? By Sandra B. Zellmer and Jessica Harder

• Fourth Annual UNL Water Law, Policy and Science Conference Embassy Suites, Hotel, Lincoln “The Future of Water Use in Agriculture”

• …

Population Assessment Of Western Gray Whales In 2007, Justin G. Cooke, David W. Weller, Amanda L. Bradford, Alexander M. Burdin, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

A population assessment of the western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) was conducted using photo-identification data collected off Sakhalin Island under the joint Russia-U.S. program from 1994 to 2006. This is an update of the assessments by Reeves et al (2005) and Cooke et al. (2006) which used data up to 2003 and 2005 respectively, fitted to the same, individually-based population model. New median estimates of key population parameters (with 90% Bayesian confidence intervals) are 0.982 (0.972 - 0.991) for the noncalf annual survival rate; 0.76 (0.66 - 0.85) for the survival rate from calf to yearling; 2.9% per …

Status Of Blue Whales Off Isla De Chiloe, Chile, During 2007 Field Season, Bárbara Galletti Vernazzani, Carole A. Carlson, Elsa Cabrera, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Since 2004, a collaborative research program of the Alfaguara Project on blue whales off Isla de Chiloe, Chile, has produce important new information on present day conservation status of this population. This paper presents preliminary findings from 2007 and compares such data with that reported in previous years. Land-based monitoring in 2007 resulted in 36 days of observations with 262.85 h of land-based effort. The maximum number of individuals sighted from land ranged from 2 to 44, with an average of 18.14 individuals per day (SD=12.00 ; CI95% =14.08 - 22.20). Preliminary results on fifteen of seventeen photo-identification surveys conducted …

Proposed Updates To The List Of Recognised Species Of Cetaceans, W. F. Perrin, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Addition of three species to the list is recommended based on recent literature. (Orcaella brevirostris) has been split into the Irrawaddy dolphin (O. brevirostris) and the Australian snubfin dolphin (O. heinsohni). Sotalia fluviatilis has been split into the riverine tucuxi (S. fluviatilis) and the marine "costero" (S. guianensis). Evidence to support both of these splits is convincing, and we recommend that they be recognized in the list. The existence of the Bryde's-whale-like species described in 2003 as Balaenoptera omurai has been confirmed with additional genetic (nuclear) data. While the species …

Inside Front & Back Covers: Changes And Variability Of Urban Sprawl - Implications For Local Climate Change, Robert Hellström

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

An S-Hamiltonian Line Graph Problem, Zhi-Hong Chen, Hong-Jian Lai, Wai-Chee Shiu, Deying Li

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

For an integer k > 0, a graph G is k-triangular if every edge of G lies in at least k distinct 3-cycles of G. In (J Graph Theory 11:399–407 (1987)), Broersma and Veldman proposed an open problem: for a given positive integer k, determine the value s for which the statement “Let G be a k-triangular graph. Then L(G), the line graph of G, is s-hamiltonian if and only L(G) is (s + 2)-connected” is valid. Broersma and Veldman proved in 1987 that the statement above holds for 0 ≤ s ≤ k and asked, specifically, if the statement holds …

Agent Design Of Smart License Management System Using Gaia Methodology, Qian Zhao, Yu Zhou, Mark Perry

Computer Science Publications

Modern software services and data centers require a license management system to regulate the agreements that have been reached between subscriber and provider. License management helps to track usage and protect service from abuse. License agreements provide the basis for enforcement and regulation. The automation of license agreements is desired by providers and subscribers to improve transaction efficiency, give flexibility, and minimize unwanted cost.

We have proposed a framework, called SmArt (Semantic Agreement) system, that enables agreement automation in the autonomic computing context using ontology and agent technologies. This paper applies the SmArt system to the domain of license management …

Automatic Composition Of Semantic Web Services Using Process Mediation, Zixin Wu, Karthik Gomadam, Ajith Harshana Ranabahu, Amit P. Sheth, John A. Miller

Kno.e.sis Publications

Web service composition has quickly become a key area of research in the services oriented architecture community. One of the challenges in composition is the existence of heterogeneities across independently created and autonomously managed Web service requesters and Web service providers. Previous work in this area either involved significant human effort or in cases of the efforts seeking to provide largely automated approaches, overlooked the problem of data heterogeneities, resulting in partial solutions that would not support executable workflow for real-world problems. In this paper, we present a planning-based approach to solve both the process heterogeneity and data heterogeneity problems. …

Global Stability Results Of An Sis Age-Structured Epidemic Model With Vertical Transmission, M. El-Doma

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

An SIS age-structured epidemic model for a vertically as well as horizontally transmitted disease is investigated when the fertility, mortality and cure rates depend on age and the force of infection of proportionate mixing assumption type. We determine the steady states and prove the global stability for the endemic equilibriums.

Rapid Response And Restoration For Coral Reef Injuries In Southeast Florida: Guidelines And Recommendations, Chantal Collier, Richard E. Dodge, David S. Gilliam, Kelly Gracie, Lisa Gregg, Walter Jaap, Mike Mastry, Nikki Poulos

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

From the time an injury to coral reef resources is reported, a well-coordinated and implemented plan is critical to the success of response and restoration efforts. There are three major plan components, each of which is equally important: (1) the Initial Response period immediately following notification of the incident; (2) the Response period, during which the Responsible Party (RP) is identified, the Trustees and RP carry out their respective responsibilities, a Primary Restoration plan is developed, authorizations and contractors to conduct restoration activities are sought and obtained, and primary restoration activities are conducted; and (3) the Post-Response period, which is …

Evaluation Of Methods To Enhance Reef Restoration, David S. Gilliam, Alison L. Moulding, Vladimir N. Kosmynin, Vanessa I. P. Brinkhuis, Richard E. Dodge

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

The coral reefs of southeast Florida are offshore a highly urbanized area with a population exceeding 5 million people and three major shipping ports with over 6000 ships calling on an annual basis. Reef injury events are common and have been caused by ship groundings and marine construction activities such as channel dredging and cable placement. Restoration activities generally only include the reattachment of dislodged stony corals, removal of rubble, and boulder stabilization. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has recognized these limited activities and is collaborating with Nova Southeastern University’s Oceanographic Center to study ways to accelerate coral reef …

Ngc 5548 In A Low-Luminosity State: Implications For The Broad-Line Region, Misty C. Bentz, Kelly D. Denney, Edward M. Cackett, Matthias Dietrich, Jeffery K. J. Fogel, Himel Ghosh, Keith Horne, Charles Kuehn, Takeo Minezaki, Christopher A. Onken, Bradley M. Peterson, Richard W. Pogge, Vladimir I. Pronik, Douglas O. Richstone, Sergey G. Sergeev, Marianne Vestergaard, Matthew G. Walker, Yuzuru Yoshii

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

We describe results from a new ground-based monitoring campaign on NGC 5548, the best-studied reverberation-mapped AGN. We find that it was in the lowest luminosity state yet recorded during a monitoring program, namely L₅₁₀₀=4.7×10⁴² ergs s^-1. We determine a rest-frame time lag between flux variations in the continuum and the Hβ line of 6.3^+2.6_-2.3 days. Combining our measurements with those of previous campaigns, we determine a weighted black hole mass of M_BH=6.54^+0.26_-0.25×10⁷ M_solar based on all broad emission lines with suitable variability data. We confirm the …

The 9-Day Multiplier And Cumulative Effects, David Randall Jenkins

David Randall Jenkins

The Star of David's nine levels is implicated by the 9-Day Multiplier and Cumulative Effects quantitative analysis.

Algorithms For Converting Water Into Wine -- The Gospel Of John, Chapter Two, David Randall Jenkins

David Randall Jenkins

Learn why scripture uses the number 37 as a numerical reference for water, the number 515 as a numerical reference for wine and the procedure for converting water into wine.

Modeling Heterogeneity And Dependence For Analysis Of Neuronal Data, Xiao-Feng Wang, Jiayang Sun, Kenneth J. Gustafson, Guang H. Yue

Xiaofeng Wang

In this paper, we describe two types of neuroscience problems which challenge the typical statistical models assumed for analyzing neuronal data. This offers an opportunity for new modeling and statistical inference. In the first problem, the data are spatial neural counts which are often over-dispersed and spatially correlated so that a standard Poisson regression model is inadequate. In the second problem, the data are averaged electroencephalograph signals recorded during muscle fatigue, where a time series AR(1) regression model cannot fully capture all the variation and correlation structure in the data. It is shown that an additional parameter has to be …

Numerical Simulation Of The Filling And Curing Stages In Reaction Injection Moulding, Using Ansys Cfx, Rui Igreja

Rui Igreja

Commonly used methods for injection moulding simulation involve a considerable number of simplifications, leading to a significant reduction of the computational effort but, in some cases also to limitations. In this work, Reaction Injection Moulding (RIM) simulations are performed with a minimum of simplifications, by using the general purpose CFD software package Ansys CFX, designed for numerical simulation of fluid flow and heat and mass transfer. The Ansys CFX’s homogeneous multiphase flow model, which is generally considered to be the appropriate choice for modelling free surface flows where the phases are completely stratified and the interface is well defined, is …

Data-Adaptive Estimation Of The Treatment-Specific Mean, Yue Wang, Oliver Bembom, Mark Van Der Laan

Oliver Bembom

An important problem in epidemiology and medical research is the estimation of the causal effect of a treatment action at a single point in time on the mean of an outcome, possibly within strata of the target population defined by a subset of the baseline covariates. Current approaches to this problem are based on marginal structural models, i.e. parametric models for the marginal distribution of counterfactual outcomes as a function of treatment and effect modifiers. The various estimators developed in this context furthermore each depend on a high-dimensional nuisance parameter whose estimation currently also relies on parametric models. Since misspecification …

Implications Of D0- ¯D0 Mixing For New Physics, Eugene Golowich, Joanne Hewett, Sandip Pakvasa, Alexey A. Petrov

Eugene Golowich

We provide a comprehensive, up-to-date analysis of possible New Physics contributions to the mass difference ∆M_D in D^0- D ̅^0 mixing. We consider the most general low energy effective Hamiltonian and include leading order QCD running of effective operators. We then explore an extensive list of possible New Physics models that can generate these operators, which we organize as including Extra Fermions, Extra Gauge Bosons, Extra Scalars, Extra Space Dimensions and Extra Symmetries. For each model we place restrictions on the allowed parameter space using the recent evidence for observation of D meson mixing. In many scenarios, we find strong …

A Role For Huntingtin In Dynein/Dynactin-Mediated Vesicle Trafficking, Jennifer Ross, Juliane P. Caviston, Sheila M. Antony, Mariko Tokito, Erika L.F Holzbaur

Jennifer Ross

Cytoplasmic dynein is a multisubunit microtubule motor complex that, together with its activator, dynactin, drives vesicular cargo toward the minus ends of microtubules. Huntingtin (Htt) is a vesicle-associated protein found in both neuronal and nonneuronal cells that is thought to be involved in vesicular transport. In this study, we demonstrate through yeast two-hybrid and affinity chromatography assays that Htt and dynein intermediate chain interact directly; endogenous Htt and dynein coimmunoprecipitate from mouse brain cytosol. Htt RNAi in HeLa cells results in Golgi disruption, similar to the effects of compromising dynein/dynactin function. In vitro studies reveal that Htt and dynein are …

Quantifying Total And Sustainable Agricultural Biomass Resources In South Dakota, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Russell Persyn, Dennis Todey

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Conversion of biomass is considered the next major advance in biorenewable fuels, energy, and products. Wholesale conversion to biomass utilization could result in removal of current crop residues from agricultural fields or even implementation of different crops and cropping strategies (i.e., switchgrass). To date, the driver for biomass processing has been economics and limitations on the conversion of the lignocellulose. Over the last forty years significant investments and resultant changes in management practices in the agricultural sector have focused on soil and water conservation. One of the major efforts has focused on conservation-till or no-till, with the goal of retaining …

Influence Of Lithophysal Geometry On The Uniaxial Compression Of Tuff-Like Rock, Douglas B. Rigby, Moses Karakouzian, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

The purpose of this report is to summarize the work and present conclusions of Project Activity Task ORD-FY04-013 conducted under Cooperative Agreement No. DEFC28- 04RW12232 between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). This document describes results of laboratory testing on analog lithophysal tuff (Hydro-StoneTB®) conducted in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) from 2004 to 2006.

Introduction To Developmental Robotics, Lisa Meeden, Doug Blank

Computer Science Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Paraconsistent Resolution For Four-Valued Description Logics, Yue Ma, Pascal Hitzler, Zuoquan Li

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, we propose an approach to translating any ALC ontology (possible inconsistent) into a logically consistent set of disjunctive datalog rules. We achieve this in two steps: First we give a simple way to make any ALC based ontology 4-valued satisfiable, and then we study a sound and complete paraconsistent ordered-resolution decision procedure for our 4-valued ALC. Our approach can be viewed as a paraconsistent version of KAON2 algorithm.

Foundations Of Refinement Operators For Description Logics, Jens Lehmann, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

In order to leverage techniques from Inductive Logic Programming for the learning in description logics (DLs), which are the foundation of ontology languages in the Semantic Web, it is important to acquire a thorough understanding of the theoretical potential and limitations of using refinement operators within the description logic paradigm. In this paper, we present a comprehensive study which analyses desirable properties such operators should have. In particular, we show that ideal refinement operators in general do not exist, which is indicative of the hardness inherent in learning in DLs. We also show which combinations of desirable properties are theoretically …

A Combined Routing Method For Wireless Ad Hoc Networks, Soumendra Nanda, Zhenhui Jiang, David Kotz

Computer Science Technical Reports

To make ad hoc wireless networks adaptive to different mobility and traffic patterns, this paper proposes an approach to swap from one protocol to another protocol dynamically, while routing continues. By the insertion of a thin new layer, we were able to make each node in the ad hoc wireless network notify each other about the protocol swap. To ensure that routing works efficiently after the protocol swap, we initialized the destination routing protocol's data structures and reused the previous routing information to build the new routing table. We also tested our approach under different network topologies and traffic patterns …

When One Pipeline Is Not Enough, Thomas H. Cormen, Priya Natarajan, Elena Riccio Davidson

Computer Science Technical Reports

Pipelines that operate on buffers often work well to mitigate the high latency inherent in interprocessor communication and in accessing data on disk. Running a single pipeline on each node works well when each pipeline stage consumes and produces data at the same rate. If a stage might consume data faster or slower than it produces data, a single pipeline becomes unwieldy. We describe how we have extended the FG programming environment to support multiple pipelines in two forms. When a node might send and receive data at different rates during interprocessor communication, we use disjoint pipelines that send and …

Responses To Weight Loss Treatment Among Obese Individuals With And Without Bed: A Matched-Study Meta-Analysis, Bruce E. Blaine, J. Rodman

Statistics Faculty/Staff Publications

The moderating influence of binge eating status on obese individuals’ responses to weight loss treatment was evaluated with a meta-analysis of 36 tests of weight loss treatment (n=792) that were matched to control key background variables. After controlling for pre-treatment weight, treatment produced more weight loss in samples of obese non- BED compared with obese BED participants. Weight loss treatment produced large posttreatment reductions in depression in both obese BED and non-BED samples. The results indicate that BED status moderated post-treatment weight loss among people in weight treatment programs. Obese BED (average weight loss= 1.3 kg) samples lost negligible weight …

Taunton River Watershed Study Newsletter (June 13, 2007 Public Meeting)

Public Meetings

No abstract provided.

Algorithms For Paraconsistent Reasoning With Owl, Yue Ma, Pascal Hitzler, Zuoquan Lin

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

In an open, constantly changing and collaborative environment like the forthcoming Semantic Web, it is reasonable to expect that knowledge sources will contain noise and inaccuracies. Practical reasoning techniques for ontologies therefore will have to be tolerant to this kind of data, including the ability to handle inconsistencies in a meaningful way. For this purpose, we employ paraconsistent reasoning based on four-valued logic, which is a classical method for dealing with inconsistencies in knowledge bases. Its transfer to OWL DL, however, necessitates the making of fundamental design choices in dealing with class inclusion, which has resulted in differing proposals for …

A Refinement Operator Based Learning Algorithm For The Alc Description Logic, Jens Lehmann, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

With the advent of the Semantic Web, description logics have become one of the most prominent paradigms for knowledge representation and reasoning. Progress in research and applications, however, faces a bottleneck due to the lack of available knowledge bases, and it is paramount that suitable automated methods for their acquisition will be developed. In this paper, we provide the first learning algorithm based on refinement operators for the most fundamental description logic ALC. We develop the algorithm from thorough theoretical foundations and report on a prototype implementation.