Modeling and classifying variable width riparian zones utilizing digital elevation models, flood height data, digital soil data and national wetlands inventory : a new approach for riparian zone delineation

Riparian zones are dynamic, transitional ecosystems between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems with well defined vegetation and soil characteristics. Development of an all-encompassing definition for riparian ecotones, because of their high variability, is challenging. However, there are two primary factors that all riparian ecotones are dependent on: the watercourse and its associated floodplain. Previous approaches to riparian boundary delineation have utilized fixed width buffers, but this methodology has proven to be inadequate as it only takes the watercourse into consideration and ignores critical geomorphology, associated vegetation and soil characteristics. Our approach offers advantages over other previously used methods by utilizing: the geospatial modeling capabilities of ArcMap GIS; a better sampling technique along the water course that can distinguish the 50-year flood plain, which is the optimal hydrologic descriptor of riparian ecotones; the Soil Survey Database (SSURGO) and National Wetland Inventory (NWI) databases to distinguish contiguous areas beyond the 50-year plain; and land use/cover characteristics associated with the delineated riparian zones. The model utilizes spatial data readily available from Federal and State agencies and geospatial clearinghouses. An accuracy assessment was performed to assess the impact of varying the 50-year flood height, changing the DEM spatial resolution (1, 3, 5 and 10m), and positional inaccuracies with the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) streams layer on the boundary placement of the delineated variable width riparian ecotones area. The result of this study is a robust and automated GIS based model attached to ESRI ArcMap software to delineate and classify variable-width riparian ecotones

On Weighted Composition Operators on Hardy Space H2

In this paper we study some properties of weighted composition. In addition that we discuss the finite rank weighted composition on Hardy space H2 and discuss the eigenvalue equation for weighted composition operator inducing by Koenig's maps on Hardy space H2

On Invertible Weighted Composition Operator on Hardy Space H^2

In this paper we study the product of a weighted composition operator , with the adjoint of a weighted composition operator , ∗ on the Hardy space ℍ2 . The order of the product give rise to different cases . We will try to completely describe when the operator ,, ∗ is invertible, isometric and unitary and when the operator , ∗ , is isometric and unitary

Adhesion and bonding charecteristic of preservatives treated bamboo (gigantochloa scortechinii) laminates

This study were investigate the adhesion and bonding characteristics of bamboo (Gigantochloa scortechinii) strips and laminates treated with permethrin-based preservative (Light Organic Solvent-Based (LOSP) and Water-Based (WBP)) formulations, Tributyl Tin Oxide (TBTO) and borax. The bomboo culm were cut into strips and treated with those selected chemicals. The bamboo strips were then glued edge to edge to form a bamboo veneers before fabrication of the three ply perpendicular bamboo laminates. In this research the properties studied include wettability, buffering capacity, shear strength and wood failure. Untreated strips and bamboo strips which were boiled in water (100°C) were also tested for comparison purposes. Those strips treated with LOSP had higher contact angle (3°-9°) which reflects that the surface of the treated strips is less readily wetted. Whereas, borax-treated strips had the highest wetting rate where the value is 1°. In buffering capacity study shows that treated bamboo was more stable towards alkali. This is suggested that a buffering agent (Calcium carbonate) is required in the adhesive formulation to ensure sufficient curing of the resin. Preservative treatments on bamboo strips significantly affect shear strength and wood failure of the laminates. Shear and wood failure of the laminated bamboo were significantly reduced especially in the wet condition where, the range is 0 N mm-2 (WBP treated) to 0.65 N mm-2 (boiled-treated) when compared to untreated bamboo laminates (0.79 N mm-2). While, in dry condition test, the glue bond strength of were range from 0.64 N mm-2 (WBP-treated) to 2.04 N mm-2 (borax-treated). All chemicals and non-chemical treatment generally affects the glue strength of the bamboo laminates especially in wet condition test. In dry condition test there are slightly reductions in glue bond strength but the quality still meets the requirement in the British Standard Part 8: Specification for Bond Performance of Veneer Plywood

HUNTING PHENOMENON STUDY OF RAILWAY CONVENTIONAL TRUCK ON TANGENT TRACKS DUE TO CHANGE IN RAIL WHEEL GEOMETRY

A mathematical dynamic model of railway conventional truck is presented with 12 degrees of freedom equations of motion. The presented dynamic system consists of conventional truck attached with two single wheelsets in which equipped with lateral, longitudinal and vertical linear stiffness and damping primary and secondary suspensions. This investigated model governs lateral displacement, vertical displacement, roll yaw angles of each of wheelset and the lateral displacement, vertical displacement, roll and yaw angle of conventional truck. Kalker's linear theory has been adopted to evaluate the creep forces which are introduced on rail wheels due to rail wheel contact. The railway truck mathematical equations of motion are solved using fourth order Rung-Kutta method which requires that differential equations to be transformed into a set of first order differential equations. The transformed state space equations are simulated with computer aided simulation to represent the dynamic behavior and time solution of dynamics of conventional truck moving on tangent tracks. Influences of the geometric parameters of the rail wheel such as wheel conicity and nominal rolling radius on the dynamic stability of the system are investigated. It is concluded that the geometric parameters of the rail wheel have different effects on the hunting instability and on the change of the critical hunting velocity of the system. In addition critical hunting velocity of rail trucks is proportional inversely with the square roots of wheel conicity but high critical hunting velocity obtained by increasing the nominal rolling radius of the rail wheel

Epidemiology of Different Types of Cancers Reported in Basra, Iraq

Objectives: This study aimed to report the incidence and pattern of various types of cancers and their distribution across various demographic groups in Basra, Iraq. Methods: Cancer cases recorded during 2017 at the Basra Cancer Control Centre, the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, the Basra Oncology and Hematology Centre, the Basra Children’s Hospital and at private laboratories were included in the study. Patients’ records were analysed for information related to age, gender, residence and type of cancer. Incidences for different geographical regions and distribution of incidences across age groups were recorded as percentages. The mean age was recorded for patients of different genders and age groups. Incidence rates per 100,000 were calculated for different types of cancer. Results: A total of 2,163 cancer cases were identified of which 2,020 were in adults (93.4%) and 143 were in children (6.6%). Among adults, most cancers were found in females (59%). Patients’ mean age at diagnosis was 51.4 ± 19.6 years for adults and 6.4 ± 4.23 years for children. Cancer incidence rates per 100,000 people increased with age. Breast cancer was the most frequent cancer type found in adult females, with an incidence rate of 60.64 per 100,000 people. The most common types of cancer found in adult males were urinary bladder and lung and bronchus cancers; leukaemia was the most common cancer in children. Conclusion: The findings from this study can be used for predicting cancer epidemiology in Basra, Iraq, and to identify subsets of the population at high risk of cancer incidence. This information will help healthcare providers to adequately respond to the demands of diagnosis, treatment and palliative care for such patients.Keywords: Neoplasms; Incidence; Epidemiology; Demography; Iraq

On some generalizations of (n,m)- normal powers operators on Hilbert space

Recall that an operator ∈ () is called (, ) -normal powers operator if and only if  ( )∗ = ( )∗ for some nonnegative integers and m. Throughout this paper, we introduce some types of generalizations of (, ) -normal powers operators and study some of them properties