Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Pto Performance And Nox Emissions With D2, B20, And B100 Fuels In A John Deere 3203 Compact Tractor, Matthew Hardin, Tonya Brown, Melanie Roller, Donald Johnson, George Wardlow

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Tests were conducted in fall 2006 on a John Deere 3203 diesel tractor to determine differences in specific fuel consumption, power take-off (PTO) torque, PTO power, thermal efficiency, and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions between No. 2 diesel (D2), 20% biodiesel (B20), and 100% biodiesel (B100). Four 1-hour tests were conducted on each fuel. The results indicated no statistically significant differences (p≤.05) between D2 or B20 on any variable of interest. However, B100 resulted in significantly (p≤.05) increased, specific fuel consumption and thermal efficiency and decreased PTO torque and PTO power over both D2 and B20. These data suggest that …

The Systemic Nature Of Critical Infrastructure Protection Using A Medium Sized Company As The Case Study, Jeffery Sewell

Theses : Honours

Critical infrastructure can be defined as privately and publicly run organisations such as energy systems, water systems, transportation, telecommunications, emergency services, banking and finance. The critical infrastructure (CI) on which society relies is now dependent on the interconnected communication networks the information age has spawned. With the evolution of the information age, not only has the communications landscape changed dramatically, the security landscape has changed too. With information technology being so ubiquitous, it has created new underlying concerns about the systems now reliant on them. The reliance and complexity of these interconnected systems has increased vulnerabilities confronting critical infrastructure. This …

An Exploration Of Thresholds Of Tolerance For Changes To Sanctuary Zones Among Repeat Tourists: A Case Of Ningaloo Marine Park, Natasha Nicholson

Theses : Honours

As environmental issues become more prevalent in today' s society, natural area managers must find ways to balance the increased popularity of natural areas for recreation with environmental protection and conservational goals. One popular method to achieve this balance is through restrictions. Sanctuary zones are one type of restriction and are generally designated areas that prohibit extractive uses of natural resources, such as fishing. This study qualitatively explores the issues that affect a repeat tourist's tolerance threshold for changes to their recreational activities caused by restrictions within the Ningaloo Marine Park. This study seeks to assist natural area managers to …

Using Machine Learning Techniques To Create Ai Controlled Players For Video Games, Bhuman Soni

Theses : Honours

This study aims to achieve higher replay and entertainment value in a game through human-like AI behaviour in computer controlled characters called bats. In order to achieve that, an artificial intelligence system capable of learning from observation of human player play was developed. The artificial intelligence system makes use of machine learning capabilities to control the state change mechanism of the bot. The implemented system was tested by an audience of gamers and compared against bats controlled by static scripts. The data collected was focused on qualitative aspects of replay and entertainment value of the game and subjected to quantitative …

An Investigation Into The Application Of Data Mining Techniques To Characterize Agricultural Soil Profiles, Rowan J. Maddern

Theses : Honours

The advances in computing and information storage have provided vast amounts of data. The challenge has been to extract knowledge from this raw data; this has led to new methods and techniques such as data mining that can bridge the knowledge gap. The research aims to use these new data mining techniques and apply them to a soil science database to establish if meaningful relationships can be found. A data set extracted from the WA Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFW A) soils database has been used to conduct this research. The database contains measurements of soil profile data from …

Seasonal Variations Of Co2 And 222Rn In A Mediterranean Sinkhole - Spring (Causse D’Aumelas, Se France), Christelle Batiot-Guilhe, Jean-Luc Seidel, Hervé Jourde, Olivier Hébrard, Vincent Bailly-Comte

International Journal of Speleology

Carbon dioxide and ²²²Rn monitoring of the atmosphere of a Mediterranean sink hole - spring (SE France) during two hydrological cycles (from September 2004 to September 2006) showed seasonal variations with very high concentrations during summer (greater than 6% and 20 000 Bq/m³, respectively). Gas dynamics in caves often show seasonal variations. Meteorological parameters (barometric pressure and temperature mainly), cave geometry and fracture networks control exchanges between the cavity and outside atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and ²²²Rn may have different sources (atmosphere, soil, bedrock, deep gas diffusion, in situ oxidation of organic matter and, in some caves, …

The Polygenetic Caves Of Cuatro Ciénegas (Coahuila, Mexico): Morphology And Speleogenesis, Leonardo Piccini, Paolo Forti, Italo Giulivo, Marco Mecchia

International Journal of Speleology

The Cuatro Ciénegas area is renown worldwide for its thermal springs, which feed a unique ecosystem consisting of many pools, lakes and marshes. The pools also represent a very important water resource in a region characterized by scarce rainfalls. Field investigation has emphasized the role of karst in the hydrogeology of the area. Only few and restricted forms of surface karst are represented; caves are mainly relics of old speleogenetic phases of thermal and bathyphreatic water flow.

A Taxonomic Survey Of Lamp Flora (Algae And Cyanobacteria) In Electrically Lit Passages Within Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Thomas Smith, Rick Olson

International Journal of Speleology

A taxonomic survey of the lamp flora from electrically lit passages in Mammoth Cave, Mammoth Cave National Park, identified 28 species. Overall, cyanobacteria were dominant represented by 14 species (50% of the total), green algae had eight species (29%), and six diatoms species (21%) were present. There was not a correlation between species diversity and temperature, but there is a general trend of increasing diversity with warmer temperatures. There were two algal or cyanobacterial species identified in this study that overlapped with previous studies. There is a lack of continuity between previous studies only having one species identified in more …

Climatic Differences And Similarities Between Indian And East Asian Monsoon Regions Of China Over The Last Millennium: A Perspective Based Mainly On Stalagmite Records, Ming Tan

International Journal of Speleology

Cave sediments, especially stalagmites, have been providing absolute dated climate records that can extend from the present to over 500,000 years ago. Based on the reconstructed temperature time series, a comprehensive overview of the climatic differences and similarities between the Indian and the East Asian Monsoon regions of China over the last millennium is presented. Evidence from accurately dated and high-resolution records including stalagmites, ice cores and tree rings show that there was a “Medieval Warm Period” (around 1000 to 1400 AD) in north and east China where climate is dominated by the East Asian monsoon; whilst no such interval …

Eogenetic Karst, Glacioeustatic Cave Pools And Anchialine Environments On Mallorca Island: A Discussion Of Coastal Speleogenesis, Angel Ginés, Joaquín Ginés

International Journal of Speleology

Coastal karst is characterized by special geomorphologic and hydrodynamic conditions as well as by peculiar sedimentary, geochemical, and biospeleological environments. Generally, the more distinctive karstic features produced near the coastline are strongly influenced by sea-level changes, which generate a broad set of interactions between littoral processes and karst development. The glacioeustatic rises and falls of sea level affected the littoral karst in different ways, namely: vertical and horizontal shifts in the shoreline position, changes in elevation of the local water table, and vertical displacements of the halocline. Most eogenetic karsts have been subjected over long time spans to repeated changes …

The Impact Of Host Rock Geochemistry On Bacterial Community Structure In Oligotrophic Cave Environments, Hazel A. Barton, Nicholas M. Taylor, Michael P. Kreate, Austin C. Springer, Stuart A. Oehrle, Janet L. Bertog

International Journal of Speleology

Despite extremely starved conditions, caves contain surprisingly diverse microbial communities. Our research is geared toward understanding what ecosystems drivers are responsible for this high diversity. To asses the effect of rock fabric and mineralogy, we carried out a comparative geomicrobiology study within Carlsbad Cavern, New Mexico, USA. Samples were collected from two different geologic locations within the cave: WF1 in the Massive Member of the Capitan Formation and sF88 in the calcareous siltstones of the Yates Formation. We examined the organic content at each location using liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy and analyzed microbial community structure using molecular phylogenetic analyses. In …

Bomb-Spike Dating Of A Mummified Baboon In Ludwig Cave, Namibia, Greg Hodgins, George A. Brook, Eugene Marais

International Journal of Speleology

In 1982 a mummified adult female baboon was discovered on a ledge in Ludwig Cave in Namibia. A toe bone was removed for dating in July 1995. AMS radiocarbon dating of bone collagen, tendon, and skin indicates a post-modern age. Application of the atomic bomb-spike calibration curve suggests death in late 1977 and an age at death of around 19 years. Baboons roost in the cave and the mummified female, along with a mummified juvenile male discovered in 2002 and three rotting corpses discovered in 1995, were probably chased by other baboons or by leopards down a ca. 6 m …

Sails: A New Gypsum Speleothem From Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico, Tullio Bernabei, Paolo Forti, Roberto Villasuso

International Journal of Speleology

The caves of Naica (Chihuahua, Mexico) are perhaps the most famous mine caves of the world due to the presence of gigantic gypsum crystals. Nevertheless, very little research has been carried out on this karst area until now. A multidisciplinary investigation started in 2006 with the aim not only to define the genesis and the age of the Naica gypsum crystals, but also on other scientific aspects of these caves. This paper describes a completely new type of gypsum speleothem: the “sails”, observed only inside the Cueva de las Velas, one of the caves of the Naica system. This speleothem …

Acadian Biospeleology: Composition And Ecology Of Cave Fauna Of Nova Scotia And Southern New Brunswick, Canada, Max Moseley

International Journal of Speleology

The vertebrate and invertebrate fauna, environment and habitats of caves and disused mines in Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick are provisionally catalogued and described, based on field collections made over many years. The area was glaciated and the subterranean fauna consists of non-troglobites all of which have arrived and colonised the caves during or following final recession of the Pleistocene glaciers. The statistical composition of the fauna at the higher taxonomic level is similar to that in Ontario, but is less species rich and there are some notable ecological and other differences. Porcupine dung accumulations are an important habitat …

Freelib: A Self-Sustainable Peer-To-Peer Digital Library Framework For Evolving Communities, Ashraf A. Amrou

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

The need for efficient solutions to the problem of disseminating and sharing of data is growing. Digital libraries provide an efficient solution for disseminating and sharing large volumes of data to diverse sets of users. They enable the use of structured and well defined metadata to provide quality search services. Most of the digital libraries built so far follow a centralized model. The centralized model is an efficient model; however, it has some inherent problems. It is not suitable when content contribution is highly distributed over a very large number of participants. It also requires an organizational support to provide …

Speleothems As Indicators Of Wet And Dry Periods, Ian John Fairchild, Emily Anne Mcmillan

International Journal of Speleology

Calcareous speleothems provide a record of dripwater composition which in turn is a function of climatic conditions. The historical focus of speleothem palaeoclimate studies has been on the derivation of palaeotemperatures through oxygen isotope studies. However, it is now realized that water availability is a more generally important control on their characteristics. Growth rate and growth morphology in principle should give rise to recognizable changes at low flow. However, accidental plumbing effects during aquifer evolution, can also lead to variations in water supply and it is not easy to distinguish these effects. In areas where there is a strong amount …

Using Principles Of Momentum Conservation To Develop A Coastal Storm Impulse Scale (Cosi), Chris Adam Klentzman

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Coastal engineers have long recognized the need for a storm classification system that combines wave conditions, storm surge, and the length of time for the storm event. A new classification system has been developed that is based on the conservation of total horizontal momentum. This research concentrated on developing the theory and then applying that theory for a 10-year period of data from the Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility (FRF) in Duck, North Carolina. When fully developed, the Coastal Storm Impulse scale (COSI) may be applied to all previous Hurricane and Northeaster storm events along a coast and …

Investigation Of A Possible Lead-Lag Relationship Between The Innuitian And Laurentide Ice Sheets, Arctic Canada, Paula Zimmerman

OES Theses and Dissertations

Peaks of iron-rich grains in Arctic Ocean sediment cores matched to the Laurentide and Innuitian Ice Sheets appear to show a lead-lag relationship during the Late Pleistocene when grain abundances are plotted against time and depth below sea floor. Cores from across the Arctic have been analyzed to determine if this is the case. Of the six IRD events identified, the Innuitian leads 68% of the time with 26% of events in all cores occurring simultaneously. The Innuitian seems to lead 33.3% of the time when peaks from the Innuitian and Laurentide occur within close proximity (less than 1 cm), …

Plant Assemblage Structure On Barrier Island ‘Pimple’ Dunes At The Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research Site, Brett A. Mcmillan

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The habitats at the VCR LTER that were the focus of the current study are the Hog Island and Parramore Island 'pimples', small, rounded dunes forming along main dune ridges of the barrier islands. There are distinct plant assemblage zones found on pimples, although most of these dunes are 10–20 m in diameter. Hypotheses of the study were that fresh water availability was a main determinant of differences between assemblages and that pimple size and location would influence diversity and assemblage structure. Research goals were (1) to describe the plant assemblages on pimples, (2) to relate edaphic and geomorphological factors …

Neighborhood Defined Feature Selection Strategy For Improved Face Recognition In Different Sensor Modalitie, Satyanadh Gundimada

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A novel feature selection strategy for improved face recognition in images with variations due to illumination conditions, facial expressions, and partial occlusions is presented in this dissertation. A hybrid face recognition system that uses feature maps of phase congruency and modular kernel spaces is developed. Phase congruency provides a measure that is independent of the overall magnitude of a signal, making it invariant to variations in image illumination and contrast. A novel modular kernel spaces approach is developed and implemented on the phase congruency feature maps. Smaller sub-regions from a predefined neighborhood within the phase congruency images of the training …

Thermal Properties Of Cubic Kta 1 X Nb X O 3 Crystals, X. P. Wang, J. Y. Wang, H. J. Zhang, Y. G. Yu, J. Wu, W. L. Gao, Robert I. Boughton

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Cubic potassium tantalite niobate KTa1−xNbxO3 KTN crystals of large size, good quality, and varying Nb concentration have been grown by the Czochralski method and their thermal properties have been systematically studied. The melting point, molar enthalpy of fusion, and molar entropy of fusion of the crystals were determined to be: 1536.9 K, 12 068.521 J mol−1, and 7.85 J K−1 mol−1 for KTa0.67Nb0.33O3; and 1520.61 K, 15 352.511 J mol−1, and 10.098 J K−1 mol−1 for KTa0.67Nb0.33O3, respectively. Based on the data, the Jackson factor was calculated to be 0.994f and 1.214f for KTa0.67Nb0.33O3 and KTa0.63Nb0.37O3, respectively. The thermal expansion …

Hierarchical Linear Modeling In Organizational Research: Longitudinal Data Outside The Context Of Growth Modeling, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, David Rindskopf

Publications and Research

Organizational researchers, including those carrying out occupational stress research, often conduct longitudinal studies. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM; also known as multilevel modeling and random regression) can efficiently organize analyses of longitudinal data by including within- and between-person levels of analysis. A great deal of longitudinal research has been conducted in the context of growth studies in which change in the dependent variable is examined in relation to the passage of time. HLM can treat longitudinal data, including data outside the context of the growth study, as nested data, reducing the problem of censoring. Within-person equation coefficients can represent the impact …

Exploring The Mechanism Of Flexible Biomolecular Recognition With Single Molecule Dynamics, H. Peter Lu, Qiang Lu, Jin Wang

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Combining a single-molecule study of protein binding with a coarse grained molecular dynamics model including solvent (water molecules) effects, we find that biomolecular recognition is determined by flexibilities in addition to structures. Our single-molecule study shows that binding of CBD (a fragment of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein) to Cdc42 involves bound and loosely bound states, which can be quantitatively explained in our model as a result of binding with large conformational changes. Our model identified certain key residues for binding consistent with mutational experiments. Our study reveals the role of flexibility and a new scenario of dimeric binding between the monomers: …

Unified Analysis Of Finite Volume Methods For Second Order Elliptic Problems, So-Hsiang Chou, Xiu Ye

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

We establish a general framework for analyzing the class of finite volume methods which employ continuous or totally discontinuous trial functions and piecewise constant test functions. Under the framework, optimal order convergence in the H1 and L2 norms can be obtained in a natural and systematic way for classical finite volume methods and new finite volume methods such as discontinuous finite volume methods applied to second order elliptic problem

Vortices And Chaos In The Quantum Fluid, D. A. Wisniacki, E. R. Pujals, F. Borondo

Publications and Research

The motion of a single vortex originates chaos in the quantum fluid defined in Bohm's interpretation of quantum mechanics. Here we analize this situation in a very simple case: one single vortex in a rectangular billiard.

Sinkhole Distribution Based On Pre-Development Mapping In Urbanized Pinellas County, Florida, Usa, Robert Brinkmann, Kelly Wilson, Nichole Elko, Larry D. Seale, Lee J. Florea, H L. Vacher

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

Locating sinkholes in Pinellas County, Florida, is confounded by the presence of a cover of Quaternary sediments that mute the surface appearance of these sinkholes. As a first step in addressing the sinkhole hazard in the county, we analysed aerial photographs from 1926 and 1995 that covered the entire county. We digitized all identifiable sinkholes in each set of photographs in a GIS (Geographical Information System) using a set of criteria established to differentiate between karst depressions and depressions resulting from other geological processes. The 1926 photographs, although of low quality, helped to establish a baseline prior to urbanization. The …

A "Sound" Approach To Fourier Transforms: Using Music To Teach Trigonometry, Bruce Kessler

Mathematics Faculty Publications

If a large number of educated people were asked, ``What was your most exciting class?'', odds are that very few of them would answer ``Trigonometry.'' The subject is generally presented in a less-than-exciting fashion, with the repeated caveat that ``you'll need this when you take calculus,'' or ``this has lots of applications'' without ever really seeing many of them. This manuscript addresses how the author is trying to change this tradition by exposing casual students from kindergarten to college to Joseph Fourier's secret, that nearly any function can be built out of sine and cosine curves. And music serves as …

Center For Coastal Resources Management Annual Report 2006, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Reports

No abstract provided.

Westmoreland County, Virginia Shoreline Situation Report, Marcia Berman, Harry Berquist, Carl Hershner, Sharon Killeen, Karinna Nunez, Tamia Rudnicky, Daniel E. Schatt, David Weiss

Reports

No abstract provided.

International, Cooperative Research In The Apuseni Mountains Of Western Romania, Lee J. Florea, Bogdan P. Onac

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

In May of 2006, nine American scientists and cavers from the Karst Research Group at the University of South Florida traveled to western Romania to attend and present at an international conference on records of climate change in caves in the historic Roman town of Baile Hurculane. The conference, co-sponsored by the “Emil Racoviţă” Speleological Institute of Romania and the Karst Waters Institute, drew more than 100 experts in the field of climate change and karst, and was a wonderful time spent alongside the thermal springs and Austro-Hungarian bathhouses nestled within the massive limestone canyon of the Cerna River.

Following …