Potential of Water and Salt Yields From Surface Runoff on Public Lands in the Price River Basin

The report examines possible sources of dissolved salts in the Price River basin. Ephemeral and intermittent streams contributed dissolved salts and are the focus of the study. Seven subwatersheds and the Price River at Heiner are investigated to examine the effects of existing watershed characteristics on runoff and dissolved salts production. Alternatley, the report examines the effects of specific land treatments on surface runoff quantity and quality. Various instrumentation techniques are evalauted to help improve future data collected capabilities in intermittent channels. The examination of the data reveals various trends that might be considered for further investigation in subsequent studies

An Energy Accounting Evaluation of Several Alternatives for Hydropower and Geothermal Development

Alternative management strategies for hydropower and geothermal development are myriad. This study does not attempt to evaluate or even summarize the many schemes which are possible. In an era of plentiful natural resources, economic analysis procedures for selecting a particular alternative have been developed which traditionally have tended to optimize on the basis of capital and labor. The approach taken in this study is based on the notion of optimum deployment of finite resources. A legitimate question which this study has attempted to address is: Does the construction of large water management facilities, such as hydropower dams, which involve huge amounts of energy, concrete, and steel, constitute an efficient use of basic resources? An energy accounting analysis technique is proposed, and using this procedure energy resource inputs are examined and compared for specific hydropower dams and geothermal power plants. The technique, though promising, still contains certain problems, and further development is needed in order to establish a consistent and uniform methodology. The energy accounting technique indicates that construction of hydropower facilities is a relatively efficient use of basic energy resources. However, because of large evaporation losses from storage reservoirs, water consumption per unit of power produced tends to be high. An analysis subsequent to the energy accounting approach suggests that combining once-through cooling of thermal power plants with pumped storage hydropower facilities could produce large water savings per unit of generated power. Further study of this configuration is recommended. The energy accounting technique also clearly identifies the high efficiency of geothermal power plants in terms of resource deployment. However, warm water geothermal resources of the type generally available in the intermountain region present formidable problems in utilization. The report proposes a he at exchange r system design which is capable of utilizing warm and highly mineralized waters, and recommends that the design be constructed and tested on a demonstration basis

Accelerating the Production and Application of Evidence for Public Health System Improvement: the Search for New Frontiers

The new journal Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research provides a platform for rapidly and widely communicating emerging findings and lessons learned from studies of public health services and delivery systems

Real Time Mission Planning

The different advantageous embodiments provide a system comprising a number of computers, a graphical user interface, first program code stored on the computer, and second program code stored on the computer. The graphical user interface is executed by a computer in the number of computers. The computer is configured to run the first program code to define a mission using a number of mission elements. The computer is configured to run the second program code to generate instructions for a number of assets to execute the mission and monitor the number of assets during execution of the mission

A Model of Environmental Transport of Heavy Metals Originating From Stack Derived Particulate Emission in Semi-Arid Regions

Executive Summary

Real Time Mission Planning

The different advantageous embodiments provide a system comprising a number of computers, a graphical user interface, first program code stored on the computer, and second program code stored on the computer. The graphical user interface is executed by a computer in the number of computers. The computer is configured to run the first program code to define a mission using a number of mission elements. The computer is configured to run the second program code to generate instructions for a number of assets to execute the mission and monitor the number of assets during execution of the mission

Estimation Theory Applied to River Water Quality Modeling

The extended Kalman filter (EKF) is used to represent BOD, DO, and nitrogen cycling in a 36.4 miles (58.6 km) stretch in the Jordan River, Utah, under the assumption of steady-state conditions. Approximate minimum variance estimates of the water quality parameters are provided by the EKF filter. These estimates are obtained through a combination of two independent estimates of the state of the river water quality system: (1) predictions of the system state from a phenomenologically meaningful process model of the biochemical and stream transport processes; and (2) measurements of the water quality parameters. These two estimates are combined by a weighting procedure based on the uncertainties associated with the process mdoel predictions and the measurements. The EKF also yields an estimation error covariance matrix from which confidence limits for the accuracy of the parameter estimates are obtained. A sequential arrangement of extened Kalman filters is utilized. Each EKF in the sequence represents a river research for which hydraulic and water quality characteristics are fairly uniform. Initial conditions for each EKF are based on the final conditions of the previous EKF adjusted to represent the effect of the point loads or tributaries discharging into the main river between the two reaches. A trial-and-error calibration procedure is used to obtain values for the model coefficients in the process model operated as a deterministic model independent of the filter. Determinatino of values for the Q matrix by a trail-and-error procedure is described. The approach is based on the requirement that the mean square error of the differences between the filter estimates and the measurements be not less that the measurement noise variance. A property of the EKF is that information contained in the measurement is used only in subsequent estimates of the system state. Therefore, information in the measurements is used only downstream of the sampling point at which the measurement was taken. The make use of the measurement in both the up- and downstream directions. Sequential linearized Kalman filters are used for the pass in the upstream, or backward direction. Unlike the forward and backward estimates of the estimations error (P), the smoothed values are not characterized by discrete jumps at sampling points. Instead, the estimation error rises to a peak approximately midway between sampling points. Instead, the estimation error rises to a peak approximately midway between sampling locations. This characteristic indicates taht when inforamtion from all the measurements is used confidence in the estimates decreases with distance from the adjacent sampling points. Smoothed values of P are less than the values obtained from applying the forward EKF along; thus indicating that the estimates obtained from the FIS are better, in a minimum variance sense, than the estimates obtained from the forward EKF. To assist in gaining familiarity with the filtering technique, several sensitivity studies are perfomred. The sensitivity of filter estimates to changes in the following statistics were investigated: the process model noise variance, the measurement noise variance, the initial estimation error variance, and the point load estimatino error variance. A large value for the process model noise variance has the effect of: (1) increasing the rate of growth of the estimation error, and (2) placing additional weighing on the measurements because the larger estimation error implies less confidence in the process model predicitions. At sampling points the measurement update procedure always results in an estimation error less than the measurement noise regardless of the values used for the process model noise variances. Changing the values of the measurement noise affects (1) the level of the estimatino error after measurement updates, and (2) the weighting given to measurement. A larger initial estimation error variance gives relatively more weighting to the measurements but this effect decreases with distance from the upstream boundary. The sensitivity study on the point load estimation error variances indicates a snall, but noticeable, effect on the estimation errors, and therefore, a slight effect on the state estimates via the weighting procedure. The capability of estimating model coefficients and lateral inflow concentraions simultaneously with the water quality prameters is demonstrated. In one run five coefficients in the equations descriving nitrogen cycling are estimated. This run also provides an example of filter divergence

Development of a Water Quality Simulation Model Applicable to Great Salt Lake, Utah

The development of a model capable of predicting the long term (seasonal) . distribution of water quality constituents within Great Salt Lake was undertaken as a portion of the ongoing Great Salt Lake project at Utah State University. The overall goal of the project is the development of a modeling framework to assist relevant decision making bodies in the comprehensive management of the Great Salt Lake system. Phase I of the project provided the overall structural framework for management of the Great Salt Lake system, identified data needs, and established priorities for the development of submodels for incorporation into the overall framework. Phase II of the project involves the process of developing submodels, and Phase III will be concerned with application of the framework of models to specific management problems. This study provides, as part of the second phase of the Great Salt Lake project, a model capable of predicting the long term distribution of quality constituents within the lake. This capability is a necessary component of the modeling framework since it will allow the investigation of the effects which alternative water quality management plans will have on the distribution of water quality constituents within the lake. The water quality model of the lake is based on the application of the advection-diffusion equation to the three-dimensional transport of a quality constituent. The modeling technique is formulated by discretizing the system as a network of nodes interconnected by channels in both thf! horizontal and vertical directions. This representation of the system allowed the horizontal transport to be treated mathematically as one-dimensional. The resulting modeling technique is applicable to any lake, estuary, or bay in which the concentration gradients must be described in all three coordinate directions. In applying the model to Great Salt Lake a two-layered vertical network was employed due to the physical characteristics of the system. The model was further simplified by describing vertical transport by diffusion alone. Using observed total dissolved solids concentrations, a method was developed during the study for establishing the vertical diffusion coefficient as a function of depth

Discovery of super soft-drug modulators of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1

The oral S1PR1 agonist ponesimod demonstrated substantial efficacy in a phase II clinical trial of psoriasis. Unfortunately, systemic side effects were observed, which included lymphopenia and transient bradycardia. We sought to develop a topical soft-drug S1PR1 agonist with an improved therapeutic index. By modifying ponesimod, we discovered an ester series of S1PR agonists. To increase metabolic instability in plasma we synthesised esters described as specific substrates for paraoxonase and butyrylcholinesterases, esterases present in human plasma