Central Florida Future, Vol. 35 No. 71, July 9, 2003

Pumped up performance: Grade inflation could be the culprit fir rising GPAs; New provost Hickey sweats comfortably through his first week; Bush gets an \u27F\u27 grade on environmental report card.https://stars.library.ucf.edu/centralfloridafuture/2689/thumbnail.jp

Interaction between two marine risers

This thesis takes top tensioned vertical riser interaction as its main study object. It has its focus on the understanding of the mechanism about potential instability of the risers caused by the interaction and the prediction of potential collision. Started from two-dimensional cylinder interaction cases, and later extended into the three-dimensional riser scenarios, the problem is investigated comprehensively. The study covers fluid force prediction, stability analysis, continuation investigation and dynamics simulation. The study disclosed the mechanism of the potential collision when the flow velocity reaches a certain critical value, and provides a robust tool to predict the threshold for the riser collision. Additionally, the investigation shows the difference between marine riser interaction and the similar interaction occurs in other engineering disciplines, such as power transmission lines, heat exchangers etc. Also provided in this thesis are valuable information regarding the riser dynamics should collision occur. The research will be beneficial to the marine riser designers and operators

Numerical simulation of a mesoscale convective system over the east coast of South Africa

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 189-200).Weather stations across the northern KwaZulu-Natal coastline recorded over 100 mm of rainfall over the 11112 February 2005, with Cape St. Lucia and Richards Bay measuring 111 mm and 96.8 mm, respectively. This heavy rainfall was associated with a mesoscale convective system (MCS) that initiated through small convective storms beginning early in the afternoon on 11 February 2005 and eventually decayed in the early morning hours on the 12th. The high-lying topography of the eastern escarpment and high diurnal surface heating possibly provided the trigger for the event. It was also identified that a combination of synoptic features in and around South Africa contributed to the evolution of the system. This particular MCS is investigated with a non-hydrostatic numerical model (MM5) to help determine which processes were important in its initiation and development, as well as what factors contributed to the associated heavy rainfall. The model is also used to conduct sensitivity tests to determine the role that local features, such as the regional topography and sea surface temperature, played in the evolution of the system. Through the various MM5 simulations, it was evident that the eastern escarpment played a key role in triggering the convective event, while it also had an influence on the low level winds that advected moisture into the region. A sea surface temperature sensitivity simulation highlighted the important role that the Agulhas Current plays in supplying moisture to fuel extreme precipitation events in South Africa. The significance of resolving large-scale features in the mid-latitudes in numerical simulations of weather events in South Africa was identified when excluding these features from the simulation. Through these simulations it was identified that the development of the MCS and the heavy nocturnal precipitation was due to a combination of the continuous moisture supply into the region, a conditionally unstable atmosphere, and uplift due to low level convergence and the local topography

Proceedings of the NASA Conference on Space Telerobotics, volume 5

Papers presented at the NASA Conference on Space Telerobotics are compiled. The theme of the conference was man-machine collaboration in space. The conference provided a forum for researchers and engineers to exchange ideas on the research and development required for the application of telerobotics technology to the space systems planned for the 1990's and beyond. Volume 5 contains papers related to the following subject areas: robot arm modeling and control, special topics in telerobotics, telerobotic space operations, manipulator control, flight experiment concepts, manipulator coordination, issues in artificial intelligence systems, and research activities at the Johnson Space Center

System modelling and control

Not Availabl

Modelling onchocerciasis transmission and control

In 1990 the World Health Organization (WHO) coordinated Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa (OCP) used this slogan for evaluating fifteen years of control of the parasitic disease onchocerciasis and for expressing its optimism about the future. Based on the obvious success of OCP and on the availability of a safe and effective drug (ivermectin), the UNDP/World BanklWHO Special Programme for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) has announced onchocerciasis to be one of the tropical diseases with good prospects for worldwide elimination, at least as a public health problem (the others being Chagas disease, Lymphatic filariasis, and Leprosy!). To judge slogans and statements like these, and in particular to determine under which circumstances and with what strategies they could become a realistic perspective, one should perform an integrated and detailed study of the dynamics of the disease and the impact of control. Such a study should preferably be embedded in a comprehensive quantitative approach. In the light of this, the objectives of the work reported in this thesis were (1) to develop, quantify, and validate a model for the transmission and control of onchocerciasis in West African savanna and (2) to use this model for aiding decision making in the OCP. Through achieving these objectives we have tried to contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of the parasite that causes the illness and the impact of intervention measures, and to the as yet successful combat against the disease. In the general introduction an outline will be given of the epidemiology and control of onchocerciasis. Secondly, an overview of the achievements of the OCP in controlling the disease in West Africa will be provided. Finally, a short history will be presented of the role of quantitative modelling within OCP prior to the work reported in this thesis

Input-Output Modeling: Proceedings of the Third IIASA Task Force Meeting

The papers in this volume fall into two groups: the first deals with the linkage of input-output models and describes several models that are now ready to be linked, while the second concentrates on the analysis of structural change as well as reporting recent developments in the INFORUM group of models. Some of the papers in the first group examine the linkage of seven national models using the INFORUM international trade model, the development of a linked system for modeling the small open economies of the Nordic countries, and the definition of an appropriate international scenario for a single national model. Others discuss problems of disaggregation, the relationship between regional and national models, and the role of input-output models as policy-making tools. The section closes with papers on national models for Poland and Finland and a report describing the price-income block of the advanced US INFORUM model. The second group opens with analyses of factor inputs and of energy-economy interactions. It continues with suggestions on how to develop consistent dynamic input-output models using poor data bases and describes how an input-output model can be used to derive aggregate characteristics of probable future structural change. Further papers are devoted to changes in technical coefficients, the development of effective national models using limited or inconsistent data bases, and estimation techniques. The volume closes with a "system for systems design" for use in input-output related work