With an ever-growing urban population there is a continued interest in urban agriculture as a viable option to improve access to fresh produce and enhance food security in an increasingly urbanized world. As the primary method of urban agriculture in the United States, community gardens also provide a range of...
The accelerated development in water-energy systems calls for advanced modeling and optimization tools to improve technologies’ performance. Water desalination is a manifestation of water-energy system that is challenged by different operational constraints. The scarcity and uneven distribution of freshwater around the world makes water desalination an indispensable process to address...
The development of a continuous and reliable cooling method for computer chips is an evolving subject requiring continuous research in both computer science and thermal management. Two-color laser induced fluorescence (LIF) provides a non-invasive way to investigate electronics cooling fluid behavior. Dielectric fluids are of particular interest as they allow...
From British Columbia to northern California, coastal giant salamanders (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) are a dominant vertebrate predator in headwater streams. Though widespread, salamander health and abundance levels differ greatly between locations, provoking the question as to what factors may influence this variation and whether habitat features or biotic variables play a...
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Brian Sidlauskas, Committee Member, representing Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and
The application of a flapping foil with prescribed trailing edge motion to energy harvesting in a low reduced frequency (k = fc/U∞) regime was experimentally studied. The effects of the phase and amplitude of the applied trailing edge motion upon time-variant power extraction capability have been measured and are interpreted....
The US industrial sector accounts for about one-third of the nation’s energy consumption and is predicted to grow twice as quickly as other sectors through 2050. International organizations such as the International Energy Agency project energy efficiency improvements will account for over 40% of greenhouse gas emissions reductions through 2040....
Water supplies are diminishing worldwide and by 2025 two thirds of the population could be living in regions of water scarcity (local demand for water is greater than water supply). One method to increase available water sources is to use desalination technologies to separate water from saline solutions. While desalination...
The energy harvesting performance of oscillating airfoils is studied using a discrete vortex model (DVM) with a leading-edge separation criterion. The airfoil undergoes a combined sinusoidal heaving and pitching motion at reduced frequencies of k = 0.06 − 0.16, with heaving amplitude of h0 = 0.5c, and pitching amplitude of...
The continuous improvement of construction operations requires a systematic approach of monitoring and making appropriate control actions. However, the lack of real-time information hinders this workflow and eventually compromises timely and effective decision-making. Project managers spend a great deal of time and effort to solve problems emerging from lack of...
Advanced reactor designs offer many advantages over typical Light Water Reactors (LWRs) including fast neutron capability, passive safety features, and improved performance. While the future for these reactors seems promising, operating and test experience is necessary to further validate such claims. The development of full-scale facilities has proved to be...