http://dspace.mit.edu:80 The DSpace@MIT digital repository system captures, stores, indexes, preserves, and distributes digital research material. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/49855 Measurement of Atmospheric Neutrinos at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Formaggio, Joseph A. The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory consists of a 1 kiloton heavy water Cherenkov detector able to detect and reconstruct high-energy muons created from cosmic ray showers and atmospheric neutrino interactions. By measuring the flux of through-going muons as a function of zenith angle, the SNO experiment can distinguish between the oscillated and un-oscillated portion of the neutrino flux. This report describes SNO's measurements of the flux of cosmic ray muons and neutrino-induced muon flux at a depth of 5890 meters water equivalent. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/49854 Three-Dimensional Object Registration Using Wavelet Features Chalfant, Julie Patrikalakis, Nicholas M. Recent developments in shape-based modeling and data acquisition have brought three-dimensional models to the forefront of computer graphics and visualization research. New data acquisition methods are producing large numbers of models in a variety of fields. Three-dimensional registration (alignment) is key to the useful application of such models in areas from automated surface inspection to cancer detection and surgery. The algorithms developed in this research accomplish automatic registration of three-dimensional voxelized models. We employ features in a wavelet transform domain to accomplish registration. The features are extracted in a multi-resolutional format, thus delineating features at various scales for robust and rapid matching. Registration is achieved by using a voting scheme to select peaks in sets of rotation quaternions, then separately identifying translation. The method is robust to occlusion, clutter, and noise. The efficacy of the algorithm is demonstrated through examples from solid modeling and medical imaging applications. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/49853 Iterated Belief Revision Stalnaker, Robert This is a discussion of the problem of extending the basic AGM belief revision theory to iterated belief revision: the problem of formulating rules, not only for revising a basic belief state in response to potential new information, but also for revising one’s revision rules in response to potential new information. The emphasis in the paper is on foundational questions about the nature of and motivation for various constraints, and about the methodology of the evaluation of putative counterexamples to proposed constraints. Some specific constraints that have been proposed are criticized. The paper emphasizes the importance of meta-information—information about one’s sources of information—and argues that little of substance can be said about constraints on iterated belief revision at a level of abstraction that lacks the resources for explicit representation of meta-information. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/49852 Potential Climatic Impacts and Reliability of Very Large-Scale Wind Farms Prinn, Ronald G. Wang, Chien Meeting future world energy needs while addressing climate change requires large-scale deployment of low or zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission technologies such as wind energy. The widespread availability of wind power has fueled legitimate interest in this renewable energy source as one of the needed technologies. For very large-scale utilization of this resource, there are however potential environmental impacts, and also problems arising from its inherent intermittency, in addition to the present need to lower unit costs. To explore some of these issues, we use a threedimensional climate model to simulate the potential climate effects associated with installation of wind-powered generators over vast areas of land or coastal ocean. Using windmills to meet 10% or more of global energy demand in 2100, could cause surface warming exceeding 1oC over land installations. In contrast, surface cooling exceeding 1oC is computed over ocean installations, but the validity of simulating the impacts of windmills by simply increasing the ocean surface drag needs further study. Significant warming or cooling remote from both the land and ocean installations, and alterations of the global distributions of rainfall and clouds also occur. These results are influenced by the competing effects of increases in roughness and decreases in wind speed on near-surface turbulent heat fluxes, the differing nature of land and ocean surface friction, and the dimensions of the installations parallel and perpendicular to the prevailing winds. These results are also dependent on the accuracy of the model used, and the realism of the methods applied to simulate windmills. Additional theory and new field observations will be required for their ultimate validation. Intermittency of wind power on daily, monthly and longer time scales as computed in these simulations and inferred from meteorological observations, poses a demand for one or more options to ensure reliability, including backup generation capacity, very long distance power transmission lines, and onsite energy storage, each with specific economic and/or technological challenges. Abstract and PDF report are also available on the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change website (http://globalchange.mit.edu/).