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Events for January 13, 2009
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Exposure Assessment and Source Apportionment of Size Fractions of Airborne Particulate Matter
Tue, Jan 13, 2009 @ 10:30 AM - 01:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Oral Defense by:Mohammad ArhamiSonny AstaniDepartment of Civil and Environmental EngineeringAdvisor: Prof. Constantinos SioutasAbstract
The aim of this thesis is to enhance the knowledge on exposure to size fractions of airborne particulate matter and their components and to find more intensive information on sources of indoor and outdoor size fractionated particles. In the first part of the study, the physical and chemical characteristics of indoor, outdoor, and personal quasi-ultrafine (In the following, we characterized the physicochemical properties and sources of size fractionated PM and their spatial and seasonal variability at the Los Angeles-Long Beach harbor community, which is the busiest harbor in the US and the fifth in the world. The major mass contributions in the quasi-UF fraction were particulate organic matter, non-sea salt sulfate and elemental carbon; in the accumulation mode fraction were non-sea salt sulfate, sea salt, particulate organic matter and nitrate; and in the coarse fraction were sea salt and insoluble soil. In general, PM and its components in accumulation mode showed relatively lower spatial variability compare to the quasi-UF and the coarse modes. The vehicular sources accounted for almost all of quasi-ultrafine PM and more than 50% fine PM, whereas ship contribution was lower than 5% of total PM mass. Our results clearly indicate that, although ship emissions can be significant, PM emissions in the area of the largest US harbor are dominated by vehicular sources. The results obtained in this study have been/will be used to examine the relationships between outdoor (or ambient), indoor and personal measurements of atmospheric particulate air pollution and health outcomes and to link health effects to certain sources of particulate matter. Such information would be highly valuable for targeting control strategies that protect human health and life.
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
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A Comprehensive Approach to Macroprogramming
Tue, Jan 13, 2009 @ 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Thomas Lord Department of Computer Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Prof. Kamin Whitehouse, University of Virginia
Host: Prof. Ramesh GovindanAbstract:
Networks of wireless, embedded devices are increasingly useful for interfacing with the physical world, and promise to revolutionize many areas of science and engineering. However, these systems are very complex and difficult to manage; building even a simple application entails several interacting tasks like distributed programming, resource management, and wireless networking. We are simplifying this process with a system called MacroLab that provides a Matlab-like interface that is natural for both sensing and control. With MacroLab, the developer writes a single, sequential program and the compiler automatically breaks it into smaller parts and distributes it throughout the network. MacroLab programs execute efficiently and are easy for most scientists and engineers to write. The key to MacroLab is the ability to perform whole-system optimization based on the program, the network topology, and resource availability. In current work, we are taking this approach to the next level by exploiting the holistic view offered by MacroLab to support macro-level testing, debugging, and analysis.Biography:
Prof. Whitehouse is an assistant professor at the University of Virginia whose research focuses on new technologies that bridge the gap between the virtual and physical worlds. Whitehouse received his MS and PhD in Computer Science from UC Berkeley. He received his BS in Electrical Engineering and his BA in Philosophy and Cognitive Science from Rutgers University.Location: Henry Salvatori Computer Science Center (SAL) - 222
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: CS Colloquia
