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Hodgkinson, Todd Michael. "Translating sustainability: the design of a secondary charter school." Diss., University of Iowa, 2011. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/2714.
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Although numerous efforts have been made to enact the concept of sustainability in schools around the world, a single, replicable model of sustainability education fails to exist. Without a replicable model to follow or adapt, educators looking to enact the concept of sustainability are left to their own devices for deciding what this orientation towards schooling might look like within the contexts of their communities and with respect tot eh normative agenda of schooling in their country. Such a process is challenging. It calls for--among other things--an examination of the core attitudes, beliefs, skills and behaviors that individuals are expected to possess as members of a sustainable society.
This descriptive case study documents how the founding members of a secondary charter school worked together with students, parents and members of the local and regional community to create a school-wide model of sustainability education. It also documents the complexities involved with enacting sustainability in a charter school setting. Field observations, document analysis and participant interviews were the primary sources of data collected in this ten-month case study. Michael Fullan's (2007) Change Process Model and Elliot Eisner's (1992) conceptualization of schools as dynamic ecologies were used as theoretical frameworks for study design, data collection and analysis. Findings reveal how the founding members of this charter schools took an adaptive-emergent approach to designing sustainability education. Findings also reveal how the opening of this charter schools was met with resistance and how this resistance led the founders to make theoretical and structural compromises.
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Cummins, Rhonda D. "Study to define demographics, economics, and environmental awareness of charter anglers in Galveston, Texas." [College Station, Tex. : Texas A&M University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2783.
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Williams, Steven A. "Trash Talk| Understanding Food Waste at a Charter Elementary School in Florida." Thesis, University of South Florida, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1586126.
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Waste as a topic for anthropological investigation has enjoyed a recent resurgence in interest, mirroring burgeoning discussion among policy-makers and the general public about questions of environmental impacts, economic costs, and social detriments of contemporary waste management paradigms. While waste management in the United States has largely focused on technical and organizational solutions typically considered the domain of environmental planning and engineering (such as source reduction, recycling, and reuse), anthropology and the social sciences have become more prominently involved in efforts to inform policy-makers and researchers about the social and behavioral factors influencing waste norms and habits, particularly in educational institutions and municipal governments.
The central questions to this research were as follows: (1) What are some of the perceptions and practices concerning food waste at an environmental charter elementary school in Florida? (2) What do self-reported data on food waste behaviors suggest about disposal habits and norms? (3) What is the extent to which food is discarded relative to other types of refuse? and (4) From the perspectives of school staff and students, what are some of the factors influencing food waste?
To answer these questions, I employed both "garbological" and ethnographic methods at an environmental charter school, Learning Gate Community School, over a period of nine months, including (1) participant observation, (2) garbological audits of the cafeteria waste stream, (3) key informant interviews with students and staff, and (4) log sheets sent home to a random sample of parents to gauge the fraction of leftovers taken home that are ultimately discarded in order to gain a more holistic understanding of the waste stream of the school cafeteria.
The results of this project support the following conclusions: (1) students at Learning Gate tend to agree that food waste is a detriment, but these concerns are subordinate to factors such as the degree of hunger at lunchtime and the perceived palatability of certain food items and (2) lunch periods are an important block of unstructured time, which Learning Gate students use for a far broader variety of activities than merely nourishment
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Asadi, Mehrnoosh. "Evaluating the Economic Impact of Recreational Charter Fishing in Florida Using Hedonic Price and Economic Impact Analysis." FIU Digital Commons, 2016. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2547.
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Florida is the “Fishing Capital of the World”. With 3.1 million recreational anglers and total recreational fishing-related expenditures of $5 billion in 2011, Florida ranked first in the nation. Given the large benefits of recreational fishing in Florida, assessing the preferences of anglers is critical for sustaining the substantial benefits obtained from recreational fishing in Florida. The objective of this study is to estimate the value of fishing attributes using data on recreational fishing services offered by guides and outfitters. Hedonic price models are applied to estimate the implicit prices of fishing trip attributes and features. The estimated total economic impacts suggest that recreational fishing activities have added $151.19 million value to the economy of Florida and generated $69.73 million in total output. The results can be used by state and national policymakers for future policy design and management of this unique ecosystem service to ensure a sustainable economy.
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Dyaphu, Zamikhaya William. "The role of BEE in transforming the petroleum industry in South Africa : progress made since the signing of the industry charter on empowerment." Thesis, Unisa, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/150.
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Ebobrah, Solomon Tamarabrakemi. "Towards effective realisation of the right to a satisfactory environment in the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights: a case for domestic horizontal application." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/1210.
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"Although the African Commission recognised that non-state actors (in this case the transnational corporations (TNCs)) contributed to the violations that prompted the SERAC communication, it failed to hold the TNCs accountable for the violations. The Commission rather held the state party responsible [for] failing to prevent the violations in its territory. The reason for the failure of the Commission to hold the non-state actor accountable is obvious. As Anderson has noted, 'conventional jurisprudence contends that human rights are enforceable only against the acts of omissions of the state rather than the acts of private entities'. Consequently, especially in international fora, violations by non-state actors have gone largely unaccoutned for. Hence, commentators have argued in favour of seeking an appropriate regime for holding non-state actors accountable for such violations, some arguing for horizontal application at international fora. However, non-state actors lack the status to allow Charter institutions exercise jurisdiction over them. This leaves the option of domestic systems as fora for their accountability. Thus, the emerging principle of horizontal applicability of human rights in domestic jurisdictions and the assumption of independent judiciaries provide the premises for this study. ... Chapter 1 contains a general overview of the study. In Chapter 2, the essay examines the scope and content of the right to a satisfactory environment as contained in the African Charter. Chapter 3 examines the existing framework for the realisation of the right to a satisfactory environment under the African Charter. The SERAC case is considered briefly in this chapter as an example of the difficulty to arrest non-state actor violations in the existing framework. Chapter 4 presents the case for horizontal application of article 24 of the African Charter at the domestic level as a complimentary approach to realisation of the right. The debate on horizontal applicability of human rights is highlighted to show that it is not yet widely accepted but it is presented as a basis for this option. The recent Nigerian case of Gbemre v SPDC is examined as an example of the possibility of horizontal applicaton of the article 24 right in a domestic tribunal. Chapter 5 summarises the conclusions from the study and makes recommendations in support of applying the African Charter based right horizontally in domestic courts." -- Introduction.Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2006.
http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html
Centre for Human Rights
Centre for Human Rights
LLM
LLM
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DIAS, Karla Ferreira. "Abordagem ambiental nos livros didáticos de química aprovados pelo pnlem/2007: princípios da carta de belgrado." Universidade Federal de Goiás, 2012. http://repositorio.bc.ufg.br/tede/handle/tde/562.
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Previous issue date: 2012-03-05This research had as objectives to describe and analyze the environmental approach in chemistry textbooks approved by the National Program of Textbook for high school (PNLEM/2007). This investigation is about a content analysis performed with the aid of three categories created based on the fundamental principles of environmental education as expressed in the Belgrade Charter (1977). Before the proposed by the reference document, the research sought to identify some elements related to environmental education, such as: treatment of social, political, economic, cultural and scientific environmental issues. The results showed that all books reviewed presented the environmental theme through different approaches. The readings, together with data organization, have enabled the creation of a thematic map and a descriptive framework that listed the themes found in each Textbook, as well as its distribution in different chemical content. The analysis identified some aspects, constructed with elements of the Charter Belgrade, within the categories scientific knowledge, knowledge/awareness and participation. In the first category were identified and analyzed aspects concerning the relationship of the content with the environment, the limitation of science face to the environmental challenges, the importance given by Textbook to the scientific knowledge for environmental understanding, the importance of knowledge and technology in the service of human needs. In the second one, knowledge/awareness, the analysis identified social, behavioral, economic and political aspects of the environmental issues. In the Participation category, aspects about the development of sense of responsibility and evaluation capacity were identified, in addition to raising awareness. The survey concluded that some environmental issues are treated in a decontextualized way by shredding the dimension of environmental problems which can reduce the complexity of the relationships between humanity and nature. Although not all books embrace all the principles of Belgrade Charter and even though there is an overestimation of the value of scientific knowledge to the detriment of other determinants for current ecological condition, it is concluded in this survey that the chemistry textbooks can contribute to achieve environmental education in Brazilian schools emphasizing the need for studies about the relationship between the triad components "scientific contents, teacher training and textbook" as one of the relevant aspects to effective consolidation of environmental education in the formal education.
Esta pesquisa teve como objetivos descrever e analisar a abordagem ambiental nos livros didáticos de Química aprovados pelo Programa Nacional do Livro Didático para o Ensino Médio (PNLEM/2007). Trata-se de uma análise de conteúdo realizada com o auxílio de três categorias criadas com base nos princípios fundamentadores da Educação Ambiental expressos na Carta de Belgrado (1977). Diante do proposto pelo documento de referência, a investigação buscou identificar alguns elementos inerentes à Educação Ambiental, tais como: tratamento dos aspectos sociais, políticos, econômicos, culturais e científicos das questões ambientais. Os resultados mostraram que todos os livros analisados apresentam a temática ambiental por meio de diferentes abordagens. As leituras e releituras, juntamente com a organização dos dados, possibilitaram a criação de um mapa temático e um quadro descritivo que elencaram os temas encontrados em cada LD, bem como sua distribuição nos diferentes conteúdos químicos. A análise identificou alguns aspectos, construídos por elementos da Carta de Belgrado, que percorreram as categorias Conhecimento Científico, Conhecimento/Conscientização e Participação. Na primeira categoria foram identificados e analisados aspectos referentes à relação do conteúdo químico com o ambiente, à limitação da Ciência frentes aos desafios ambientais, à importância dada pelos LD ao conhecimento científico para a compreensão ambiental, à importância do conhecimento e da técnica no atendimento das necessidades humanas. Na segunda categoria, Conhecimento/conscientização, a análise identificou aspectos sociais, comportamentais, econômicos e políticos da problemática ambiental. Na categoria Participação, identificaram-se aspectos sobre o desenvolvimento do senso de responsabilidade e da capacidade de avaliação, além da sensibilização. A pesquisa concluiu que alguns temas ambientais são tratados de forma descontextualizada fragmentando a dimensão dos problemas ambientais que podem reduzir a complexidade das relações entre a humanidade e a natureza. Apesar de nem todos os livros contemplarem todos os princípios da Carta de Belgrado e da supervalorização do Conhecimento científico em detrimento de outros determinantes para a condição ecológica atual, conclui-se nessa pesquisa que os livros didáticos de Química podem contribuir para a realização da Educação Ambiental nas escolas brasileiras ressaltando a necessidade de estudos sobre a relação entre os componentes da tríade conteúdos científicos, formação de professores e livro didático como um dos aspectos relevantes para uma efetiva consolidação da Educação Ambiental no ensino formal
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Cowell, J. R. "Character recognition in unconstrained environments." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 1990. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.277696.
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Rydberg, Tobias. "Smart and flexible capacitor charger for warm environments." Thesis, KTH, Maskinkonstruktion (Inst.), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-187675.
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A studio camera flash system being developed by Eascal AB needs a capacitor charging power supply (CCPS) that can work in a hot environment without problems and also not emit too much heat itself. The CCPS needs to be able to operate from battery power as well as net power, so called off-line, and to charge a capacitor to between 0-400 V. Most power supplies do not act upon a rise in temperature until it overheats and shuts down or goes into fail-safe mode where they stop delivering power. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how a smart power supply which features a micro-controller can change the behaviour of the unit or the user so that heat emission is reduced if needed in order to avoid overheating. The unit will be allowed to deliver less power in this mode. Starting the project was the information gathering phase where a lot of different kinds of power supply topologies were investigated and evaluated to find the most suitable. A flyback converter was chosen for the battery driven charger and a non-inverting buck-boost converter was chosen for off-line supply. Following the final choice of topology, simulations were made to ensure that the power supply of choice would live up to the expectations and to specify the ingoing components. After the simulations were to satisfaction the prototypes were built to verify the simulations, for testing and evaluating proposed techniques for regulating the heat emission of the unit. The sought after performance of the prototypes was never reached due to lack of time and a need for better components that was not available. However the simulations showed that the wanted performance was within reach and this was verified by the worse performing prototypes living up to their simulated counterparts. No actual physical work was done with the heat control, this was conducted by theoretical reasoning and calculations. Results showed that with a micro-controller the suggested chargers would be able to regulate their heat emission by making changes to the charging profile or increase dead-time between charge cycles.En kamerablixt för studiobruk är under utveckling av Eascal AB och behöver en kondensator-laddare som kan jobba i varma miljöer utan att överhettas eller att själv avge för mycket värme. Laddaren måste kunna drivas från nätspänning såväl som från ett batteri med en spänning som specificeras under projektet och måste kunna ladda en kondensator till mellan 0 och 400V. De flesta laddare som finns idag agerar inte på en ökning av temperaturen innan enheten överhettas och stänger ner sig eller hamnar i ett felsäkert läge där den slutar leverera ström. Målet med detta projekt är att undersöka hur man med hjälp av en mikro-kontroller kan undvika detta läge genom att förändra sitt eller användarens beteende för att minska värmeutvecklingen. Enheten tillåts leverera mindre effekt i detta tillstånd. Projektet startades med att söka information om vilka olika typer av laddare som finns och på vilket sätt de används. En flyback-converter valdes för att ladda från batteri och en icke-inverterande buck-boost converter valdes för laddning från elnätet. Efter det slutgiltiga valet av topologi gjordes simuleringar för att säkerställa att den valda topologin kunde uppfylla kraven som ställdes på den eftersökta laddaren. När simuleringarna visat på ett acceptabelt resultat byggdes prototyper för att verifiera simuleringarna och att göra tester på för att kunna utvärdera strategier för värmereglering. Prototyper levde aldrig upp till kraven som hade ställts på dem på grund av tidsbrist och ett behov för bättre komponenter än som fanns tillgängliga. Däremot så visade simuleringarna på att det eftersökte resultatet är inom räckhåll med de föreslagna topologierna med rätt komponenter. Detta visades genom att prototyperna presterade jämförelsebart med simuleringar efter deras förmågor. Ingen fysiskt arbete gjordes med temperaturkontrollering men mätningar och formler visar på att med hjälp av mikro-kontroller kan de föreslagna laddarna reglera sin värmeutveckling genom att ändra på laddningsprofilen. Detta blir på bekostnad av laddningstiden eller hur ofta laddningscyklerna kan repeteras.
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Ward, Stephen. "The politics of environmental agendas : the case of UK local authorities." Thesis, University of the West of England, Bristol, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.261618.
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Lu, Cherie Hsiao-Ying. "Social welfare impacts of environmental charges on commercial flights." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.341016.
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Fok, Wai-tung Wilton. "Tax reform for a better environment in Hong Kong /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1999. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B21301852.
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Healey, A., and Rebekah J. Byrd. "The Environmental Character Inventory: Assessment of Workplace Behaviors and Burnout." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2012. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/916.
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Löfgren, Åsa. "Environmental taxation : empirical and theoretical applications /." Göteborg : Dept. of Economics, School of Economics and Commercial Law [Nationalekonomiska institutionen, Handelshögsk.], 2003. http://www.handels.gu.se/epc/archive/00002522/01/Lofgren_thesis.pdf.
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Yuen, Wai-ip. "Polluter pays principle laws in Hong Kong /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1996. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B17457166.
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Trembly, Adria D. "Motivational techniques for at risk students in an online secondary environment." [Denver, Colo.] : Regis University, 2006. http://165.236.235.140/lib/ATrembly2006.pdf.
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Cao, Jing. "Essays on environmental tax policy analysis dynamic computable general equilibrium approaches applied to China /." online access from Digital Dissertation Consortium, 2007. http://libweb.cityu.edu.hk/cgi-bin/er/db/ddcdiss.pl?3264920.
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Lindemann, Monica A. "The Character of Environmental Citizenship: Virtue Education for Raising Morally Responsible Individuals." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2013. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc271857/.
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Surely, moral education is not merely intended to result in theoretical knowledge, but instead attempts to change people's behavior. However, when examining and evaluating current trends in moral education, it appears that hitherto moral education has fallen short of its goal to make people better. In this paper, I try to determine what has caused this perceived failure of moral education and conclude that approaches that focus on teaching moral reasoning skills rather than on teaching actual moral content, i.e., values and virtues, are generally ineffective for moral improvement. However, a more traditional form of moral education, namely character education, appears to be a viable alternative to the moral reasoning methods. Since character education can be regarded as the practical application of virtue ethics, I first describe and evaluate virtue ethics and defend it against potential criticisms. I then examine what methods are effective for teaching virtues, and how such methods can potentially be incorporated into the curriculum. Since virtues cannot be taught through theoretical instruction, the acquisition of good habits constitutes the necessary foundation for the establishment of good moral character. Some methods that have been suggested for laying the foundation for virtue are the use of stories, role play, as well as the inclusion of physical and outdoor activities, etc. Furthermore, habituation constitutes the basis for the acquisition of good habits, and as such it requires the application of rewards and punishment by a caring tutor, who at the same time can serve as a role model for virtuous behavior. Finally, I extrapolate if and how character education can be employed to make people more environmentally conscious citizens. I conclude that environmental virtue or character education is the most effective method of environmental education, since it affects how an individual understands, views, and subsequently interacts with the natural environment.
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Ayuso, Agnes. "Analysis of bacterial contamination in the Charles River Basin." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/36613.
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Quanrud, David Matson. "Constructed wetlands and soil-aquifer treatment systems: Effects on the character of effluent organic matter." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/284227.
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Within the context of potable reuse, there is a need for a more comprehensive examination of the quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in treated wastewater and the efficacy of different treatment schemes in removing or transforming DOM. In particular, there are significant information gaps regarding the character, fate, and health risks associated with effluent organic matter (EfOM). Two research goals guided this research. The first goal was to evaluate the efficacy of constructed wetlands for wastewater polishing in a hot, arid environment, from the perspective of season-dependent effects on DOM. To this end, behavior of organics was evaluated over a 22-month period during treatment in a local constructed wetlands facility. The second goal was to examine changes in character of EfOM that accompany passage through natural treatment systems (either constructed wetlands or soil aquifer treatment, SAT). This was accomplished via isolation and characterization of organics collected along flowpaths of these treatment systems. Wetland effluent concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nonbiodegradable DOC were positively correlated with temperature. That is, the highest concentrations occurred in summer and were attributed to the combined effects of evapotranspiration (ET) by wetland vegetation along with production of wetland-derived natural organic matter (NOM). There was little if any change in the hydrophobic-hydrophilic character of DOM attending wetland treatment. Biodegradation of labile EfOM combined with contribution of wetland-derived NOM resulted in modest (at best) changes in distribution of carbon moieties in hydrophobic (HPO) and hydrophilic (HPI) acid isolates. Aliphatic carbon decreased during wetland treatment. Elemental analysis suggested that microbial activity is the dominant process controlling the character of wetland-derived NOM. Reactivity of isolates in forming trihalomethanes (THMs) during chlorination increased as consequence of wetland treatment. Wetland-derived NOM was more reactive than EfOM in forming THMs. Uniform trends occurred among isolates of EfOM and wetland-derived NOM between biodegradability and THM production upon chlorination. Ultrahydrophilic EfOM was preferentially removed during vadose zone percolation of secondary effluent. The chemical character of EfOM (HPO- and HPI-acids) became more similar to NOM as a consequence of SAT. Genotoxicity of HPO-acids, on a per mass basis, increased after SAT.
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Mayya, Seba. "Environmental archaeology from a Roman Villa at Spoletino (Viterbo, Italy)." Master's thesis, Universidade de Évora, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10174/27750.
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Abstract:
My thesis focuses on the reconstruction of environmental conditions and land use in the Tiber
Valley during the 1st century AD, as highlighted by a combination of archaeological and
archaeobotanical studies. The study site is a cistern connected with a Roman Villa at Spoletino,
in the province of Viterbo, which was a very important rural site of central Italy during the Roman
Imperial Age. The importance of the site lays in the exceptional richness of different kinds of
materials, especially in a high quantity of pottery pertaining to various typologies (from domestic
to storage use), recovered from a large cistern and studied within a collaboration between
Sapienza Università di Roma (Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale and Dipartimento di Scienze
dell’Antichità) and the Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici of Università di Roma Tre. The
discovery of the cistern, with its important artifacts, dates back to 2014 and the excavation works
continued until 2018: the site retains a special attention as the region’s organization in the Roman
period is quite unknown, whereas it was of fundamental significance for its advantageous
position within the Tiber valley granting a direct connection to Rome itself. Multiple
methodological approaches were used to study plant micro- and macroremains, including pollen,
diatoms, and charcoal, identified through light and stereomicroscope, as well as through
Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM). The results shed light on the natural
conditions of the area surrounding the Roman Villa during the early Roman Imperial Age as
indicated by pollen analysis, on the aquatic environment of the cistern reconstructed through
diatoms, and on the human activity towards exploitation of the natural resources and cultivation
of fruit trees, as provided by charcoal analysis, complemented by pollen data. The main floristic
elements of the surrounding woodlands were deciduous and evergreen oaks, accompanied by
other tree taxa, such as elms. My data suggest intentional plantation and management of Olea,
Juglans and possibly Prunus, while herbaceous taxa indicate agropastoral activities in the
Spoletino area. The variety and complementarity of plant remains provide new insights into the
relation between man and landscape in the Roman times, in this strategic area in the Tiber Valley
that was until now uninvestigated from both the archaeological and archaeobotanical points of
view
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Reid, Donald, and n/a. "Cultural citizenship and the TVNZ charter : the possibility for multicultural representation in the commercial television environment." University of Otago. Department of Communication Studies, 2006. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20070627.112747.
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Summary: Implemented in 2003, the TVNZ Charter is a one-page document that outlines the broadcaster�s objectives to deliver programming that represents New Zealand�s ethnically and socially diverse population. This thesis will examine issues surrounding the representation of diversity especially in the context of the state-commercial television network. Using the notion of �cultural citizenship�, or the demand from minority groups within a society to be represented and included in the institutions of the state, I will examine how TVNZ is attempting to meaningfully represent New Zealand as a bicultural society and a multicultural society, while remaining commercially focused. This thesis argues that institutions of the state, of which the media is the most visible and, possibly, the most pervasive, always function as a tool of society�s dominant culture, therefore any bicultural or multicultural inclusion represented on TVNZ will always be controlled, and be at the discretion, of that singular dominant cultural force.
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Fleischer, Candace C. "A molecular snapshot of charged nanoparticles in the cellular environment." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/53632.
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Nanoparticles are promising platforms for biomedical applications ranging from diagnostic tools to therapeutic delivery agents. During the course of these applications, nanoparticles are exposed to a complex mixture of extracellular serum proteins that nonspecifically adsorb onto the surface. The resulting protein layer, or protein "corona," creates an interface between nanoparticles and the biological environment. Protecting the nanoparticle surface can reduce protein adsorption, but complete inhibition remains a challenge. As a result, the corona, rather than the nanoparticle itself, mediates the cellular response to the nanoparticle. The following dissertation describes the fundamental characterization of the cellular binding of charged nanoparticles, interactions of protein-nanoparticle complexes with cellular receptors, and the structural and thermodynamic properties of adsorbed corona proteins.
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Munson, Amy D. 1971. "HSPF modeling of the Charles River Watershed." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/9603.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Technology and Policy Program, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (p. 410-414).
This thesis develops a hydrological and water quality model of the Charles River Watershed in eastern Massachusetts. The model used for this project is HSPF, an EPA-sponsored continuous simulation model. Based on land use information from MassGIS, six land use types-open space/agriculture, wetland/riparian, forest, highdensity residential, low-density residential, and impervious land-were defined. The watershed was discretized into 160 reaches and subwatersheds based on physical structures and transport constraints. Stage-discharge relationships in each river reach, required by HSPF, were computed using backwater curves. Discharges of three wastewater treatment plants were added as point sources to the river. To compensate for this input of water, the groundwater pumping contributing to each treatment plant was withdrawn from the appropriate reaches. The hydrologic model in HSPF was calibrated against four streamflow gages at Milford, Dover, Wellesley, and Waltham until the highest r-squared values, lowest root mean square errors, and a reasonable surface runoff to interflow ratio were obtained. Once the hydrology was calibrated, fecal coliform was simulated in the river. Coliform sources in both wet and dry weather were identified. Postulated dry weather sources include illegal sewer connections and wastewater treatment plant discharge. Additional sources occurring during wet weather include washoff of animal feces from the watershed, combined sewer overflow discharge, increased contributions from illegal connections, and bed resuspension of coliform organisms. An inverse model was applied to measured coliform concentrations to determine coliform loads for each reach during dry weather. HSPF's build-up and washoff equations were used to calibrate the wet weather sources to the existing coliform data set. An attempt to simulate water quality-including nutrients, phytoplankton, and dissolved oxygen-was made. Because most water quality processes are temperature dependent, water temperature was first calibrated. Abundant data was available from continuous recording gages and point measurements collected by watershed volunteers. However, not enough data was available to calibrate a complete dissolved oxygen model. Parameters for instream water quality processes were adapted from a previous study done in the Charles River with QUAL2E, a steady-state model which shares many of the same water quality processes with HSPF. Nutrients were input to the river using constant concentrations based on EPA's NURP study and measurements taken in tributaries. Simulations of the available calibration data indicate that concentrations of nitrate, phosphate, and chlorophyll A in the river are reasonably simulated, but BOD concentrations are severely underestimated. Simulated dissolved oxygen agrees with point measurements quite well, although the simulated diurnal cycle has a smaller amplitude than measured and also does not capture complexity observed in the data. Further data must be collected and additional calibration performed before the water quality model can be applied to watershed management scenarios. The calibrated hydrologic model was used to test scenarios of future development in the town of Franklin. The HSPF model helped quantify reductions of streamflow that may occur if municipal pumping is increased in the upper watershed. It also helped predict changes in runoff and streamflow as forested land is converted to residential land. These brief applications indicate that this HSPF model should be a good tool for helping direct and evaluate future watershed policy.
by Amy D. Munson.
S.M.
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Yuen, Wai-ip Edmond. "A study of polluter pays principle policy in Hong Kong /." View the Table of Contents & Abstract, 2005. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B31365097.
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Kraus, Christiane. "Import tariffs as environmental policy instruments /." Dordrecht [u.a.] : Kluwer Acad. Publ, 2000. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0821/00039111-d.html.
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Church, Jeffrey H. (Jeffrey Harrison). "The use of turbulent jets to destratify the Charles River Basin." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/73794.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2012.Page 74 blank. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 72-73).
This study examines the feasibility of using turbulent jets to destratify the Lower Charles River Basin between the Longfellow and Craigie Bridges between Boston and Cambridge. The basin is currently filled with salt water that intrudes from the downstream dam and the resulting vertical density gradients inhibit mixing, leading to low levels of dissolved oxygen at depth. A physical model was scaled to a portion of this basin and salt water was used to create initial density profiles. Turbulent jets were introduced near the bottom at varying flow rates, discharge angles, and nozzle diameters, and a conductivity probe was used to document changes in salinity versus elevation and time. The effectiveness of the turbulent mixing was determined by comparing the change in water column potential energy over time, while efficiency was determined by comparing the change in potential energy versus the cumulative input of kinetic energy. The most effective arrangement provided a scaled mixing time of about a week to mix the basin. Since this is significantly shorter than the (annual) period over which stratification takes place, it is concluded that the turbulent jets would be an effective method to destratify the basin.
by Jeffrey H. Church.
S.M.
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Churchwright, Kelly K. "Policy Autopsy: A Failure of Regulatory Oversight to Ensure Least Restrictive Environment in Ohio’s Electronic Charter Schools." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1542989313356733.
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Kiss, Szilárd. "3D character centred online editing modalities for VRML-based virtual environments." Enschede : University of Twente [Host], 2003. http://doc.utwente.nl/57873.
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Ownby, David R. "Predicting metal interactions with a novel quantitative ion character -activity relationship (QICAR) approach." W&M ScholarWorks, 2002. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539616800.
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Environmental toxicologists adopted QSARs from pharmacology fairly early on to predict organic contaminant toxicity. In contrast, models relating metal ion characteristics to their bioactivity remain poorly explored and underutillized. Quantitative Ion Character-Activity Relationships (QICARs) have recently been developed to predict metal toxicity. The QICAR approach based on metal-ligand binding tendencies has been applied to a wide range of effects, species, and media on a single metal basis. In previous single metal studies, a softness parameter and the ; log of KOH ; were the ion qualities with the highest predictive value for toxicity. Here, QICAR modeling was brought a step further to predict toxicity of binary metal mixtures. Using the MicrotoxRTM bioassay, the interaction of binary mixtures of metals (Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn) is quantified using a linear model with an interaction term. A predictive relationship for metal interaction between pairs of metals and the difference in the softness parameter was developed. The interaction of binary mixtures of Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn was quantified using a linear model for nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) exposures. Contrasting with earlier studies, the difference in polarizing power (Z2/r) between metal ions was the best ion characteristic for predicting interaction coefficients. Current risk assessment methods sum toxic units, assuming that all mixtures act in an additive fashion. General problems with this method are demonstrated utilizing data from the MicrotoxRTM metal mixture tests. An alternative, more accurate, method for summing toxicities with proportions instead of toxic units is illustrated. This study supports the hypothesis that general prediction of metal interactions from ion characteristics is possible. It is important to realize that even with the preliminary success of these models that additional work with metals of different valences and sizes might affect the accuracy of metal interaction predictions. Careful thought and examination of known modes of single metal toxicity should be considered when developing future quantitative metal interaction models.
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Taylor, Amy. "Ecological tax reform : estimated environmental and employment effects in British Columbia /." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape8/PQDD_0022/MQ51485.pdf.
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Socolofsky, Scott A. (Scott Alan). "Hydrologic and bacteria modeling of the upper Charles River watershed using HSPF." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/10394.
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Tan, Jie. "Locomotion synthesis in complex physically simulated environments." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/54238.
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Understanding and synthesizing locomotion of humans and animals will have far-reaching impacts in computer animation, robotic and biomechanics. However, due to the complexity of the neuromuscular control and physical interactions with the environment, computationally modeling these seemingly effortless locomotion imposes a grand challenge for scientists, engineers and artists. The focus of this thesis is to present a set of computational tools, which can simulate the physical environment and optimize the control strategy, to automatically synthesize locomotion for humans and animals.
We first present computational tools to study swimming motions for a wide variety of aquatic animals. This method first builds a simulation of two-way interaction between fluid and an articulated rigid body system. It then searches for the most energy efficient way to swim for a given body shape in the simulated hydrodynamic environment.
Next, we present an algorithm that can synthesize locomotion of soft body animals that do not have skeleton support. We combine a finite element simulation with a muscle model that is inspired by muscular hydrostat in nature. We then formulate a quadratic program with complementarity condition (QPCC) to optimize the muscle contraction and contact forces that can lead to meaningful locomotion. We develop an efficient QPCC solver that solves a challenging optimization problem at the presence of discontinuous contact events.
We also present algorithms to model human locomotion with a passive mechanical device: riding a bicycle in this case. We apply a powerful reinforcement learning algorithm, which can search for both the parametrization and the parameters of a control policy, to enable a virtual human character to perform bicycle stunts in a physically simulated environment.
Finally, we explore the possibility to use the computational tools that are developed for computer animation to control a real robot. We develop a simulation calibration technique which reduces the discrepancy between the simulated results and the performance of the robot in the real environments. For certain motion planning tasks, this method can transfer the controllers optimized for a virtual character in a simulation to a robot that operates in a real environment.
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Wang, Joseph Jiong. "Electrodynamic interactions between charged space systems and the ionospheric plasma environment." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/13895.
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Martins, Ana Rita Batista. "Capital charges of a line of business in Solvency II environment." Master's thesis, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/13107.
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Mestrado em Ciências ActuariaisO regime Solvência II entrou em vigor a 1 de janeiro de 2016. Várias regras estão a ser implementadas no sector dos seguros, com o intuito de alcançar a harmonização dos procedimentos e técnicas utilizadas pelas empresas, desenvolvendo ao mesmo tempo uma cultura baseada no risco. Todas as empresas devem calcular requisitos de capital correspondente aos riscos a que estão expostas através da utilização da fórmula padrão que, como o nome sugere, é comum a todas as companhias de seguros no mercado. No entanto, esta fórmula nem sempre reflete o real perfil de risco das empresas. Uma empresa pode provar que a fórmula padrão não reflete adequadamente a sua exposição ao risco e, portanto, pode calcular os seus próprios parâmetros específicos, sujeitos a aprovação da entidade de supervisão. Durante a primeira fase de implementação, a principal preocupação das seguradoras é satisfazer os requisitos regulamentares, mas numa fase mais avançada, as empresas irão concentrar-se na otimização da metodologia de cálculo de risco, monitorização e análise da sua exposição ao mesmo, de forma a tomar as melhores decisões de gestão de risco. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é calcular os parâmetros de volatilidade específicos da empresa e estudar os impactos da sua utilização nas cargas de capital. Para o efeito, foi aplicado o modelo da Variância Quadrática ao sub-módulo de risco de prémios e de provisões de acidentes e doença não-semelhantes a técnicas de vida.
The Solvency II regime came into force on 1 January 2016. Several rules are being implemented in the insurance sector to achieve the harmonization of procedures and techniques among undertakings, while developing a risk-based culture into insurance business activities and strategic decisions. All undertakings must calculate the capital requirements according to the risks that they are exposed through the use of a standard formula that, as the name suggests, is the same to every insurance company in the market. However, this formula does not always reflect the true risk profile of insurance companies. An undertaking can prove that the standard formula is not adequately reflecting their risk exposure and therefore, calculate their own undertaking specific parameters, subject to supervisory approval. During the first phase of implementation, insurer's main concern is to satisfy the regulatory requirements, but in a further phase, companies will focus in the optimization of their risk calculation, monitoring and analysis of their risk exposure to take the best management decisions. The main goal of this work is to calculate the company specific volatility parameters and to study the impacts of their use in the required capital charges. To do so, it was applied the Quadratic Variance Model to Non Similar to Life Techniques Health premium and reserve risk of a health line of business.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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Taboada-Serrano, Patricia Larisse. "Colloidal Interactions in Aquatic Environments: Effect of Charge Heterogeneity and Charge Asymmetry." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/7521.
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The classical theory of colloids and surface science has universally been applied in modeling and calculations involving solid-liquid interfaces encountered in natural and engineered environments. However, several discrepancies between the observed behavior of charged solid-liquid interfaces and predictions by classical theory have been reported in the past decades. The hypothesis that the mean-field, pseudo-one-component approximation adopted within the framework of the classical theory is responsible for the differences observed is tested in this work via the application of modeling and experimental techniques at a molecular level. Silica and silicon nitride are selected as model charged solid surfaces, and mixtures of symmetric and asymmetric indifferent and non-indifferent electrolytes are used as liquid phases.
Canonical Monte Carlo simulations (CMC) of the electrical double layer (EDL) structure of a discretely charged planar silica surface, embedded in solutions of indifferent electrolytes, reveal the presence of a size exclusion effect that is enhanced at larger values of surface charge densities. That effect translates into an unexpected behavior of the interaction forces between a charged planar surface and a spherical particle. CMC simulations of the electrostatic interactions and calculations of the EDL force between a spherical particle and a planar surface, similarly charged, reveal the presence of two attractive force components: a depletion effect almost at contact and a long-range attractive force of electrostatic origin due to ion-ion correlation effects. Those two-force components result from the consideration of discreteness of charge in the interaction of solid-liquid interfaces, and they contradict the classical theory predictions of electrostatic repulsive interaction between similarly charged surfaces. Direct interaction force measurements between a charged planar surface and a colloidal particle, performed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), reveal that, when indifferent and non-indifferent electrolytes are present in solution, surface charge modification occurs in addition to the effects on the EDL behavior reported for indifferent electrolytes. Non-uniformity and even heterogeneity of surface charge are detected due to the action of non-indifferent, asymmetric electrolytes.
The phenomena observed explain the differences between the classical theory predictions and the experimental observations reported in the open literature, validating the hypothesis of this work.
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Jaisimha, M. Y. "Compound document retrieval in noisy environments /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/6007.
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Nesterova, Mariia. "Reliability of structures exposed to traffic and environmental loads." Thesis, Paris Est, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019PESC2056.
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Cette thèse est consacrée à l’analyse de la fiabilité du tablier du viaduc de Millau, un pont à haubans situé dans le sud de la France. Le but principal est d’extrapoler dans le temps les charges et les effets de charges sur le pont afin d’observer la fiabilité de différentes parties de la structure pendant sa durée de vie. Le viaduc de Millau est une infrastructure routière française, complexe et unique, qui est en début de vie. Il est important de pouvoir prévoir les charges extrêmes possibles sur le tablier du pont en raison de l’augmentation du volume ou du poids des véhicules. De telles prévisions nécessitent des données mesurées sur l’ouvrage, soit les charges ou actions, soit les effets de celles-ci. Les structures à grande échelle ont besoin d’une grande quantité de données, qu’il est difficile d’obtenir, de stocker et d’analyser. Cela pose un autre défi : les prévisions basées sur un temps limité et des données de surveillance accessibles. Les prévisions de charges de trafic dans ce travail sont effectuées à l’aide des données fournies par la surveillance du trafic du système BWIM pour le cas d’état limite ultime. Pour l’extrapolation de charge dans le temps, plusieurs méthodes de la théorie des valeurs extrêmes (EVT) sont comparées, une attention particulière étant accordée à l’approche POT. De plus, une contribution aux méthodes existantes pour le choix du seuil, en tant que principal défi de l’approche de POT, est apportée. Dans les grands ponts à haubans, le trafic n’est pas nécessairement l’action principale, mais les charges climatiques peuvent avoir un effet similaire ou supérieur. Le centre de ce travail est le tablier du viaduc de Millau. Par conséquent, la charge de vent statique obtenue à partir du système de surveillance de la santé structurelle du viaduc est considérée en combinaison avec les files de camions de circulation. Un modèle probabiliste est créé pour observer les probabilités de cas extrêmes pour les actions et leur combinaison. De même, l’influence de la durée de surveillance sur les intervalles de confiance pour les niveaux de retour de charges est étudiée. Dans le détail du tablier orthotrope en acier, les effets locaux causés par le passage de véhicules et les effets globaux contribuent à la valeur des contraintes. Les effets globaux proviennent des files des véhicules sur les deux voies de tablier et du vent statique dans une direction perpendiculaire. Dans cette thèse, un modèle d’éléments finis du pont est créé afin d’évaluer les contraintes dans le pont. Cela offre également la possibilité de prévoir l’état limite de fatigue. Habituellement, les dommages de fatigue accumulées dans un détail pendant la période de surveillance sont extrapolées linéairement. Le travail actuel propose une méthodologie pour extrapoler le nombre de cycles de fatigue dans le temps avec l’approche POT, qui prend en compte une variation du trafic en volume et en poids avec le temps. Une comparaison de l’approche proposée avec la méthode classique est effectuée et utilisée dans l’analyse de fiabilité en raison de fatigue. Une analyse de fiabilité est également effectuée pour l’état limite ultime afin de comparer les résultats obtenus avec plusieurs approches de EVT, d’observer l’importance des actions du vent sur la fiabilité du tablier et de comparer les prévisions basées sur EVT avec les modèles de charge de calcul des normes Européennes pour le trafic et le ventThe Thesis is dedicated to reliability analysis of the deck of Millau viaduct, a cable-stayed bridge located in Southern France. The main interest is the extrapolation in time of loads and load effects affecting the bridge in order to observe the reliability of chosen elements during the operational life of the structure. Millau viaduct is a complex unique bridge of French road infrastructure in the early stage of its life. It is important to be able to predict possible extreme loads on the deck of the bridge due to traffic growing in volume or weight. Such predictions require data from monitored actions or load effects in elements of the bridge. Large-scale structures need an enormous amount of data, that is not easy to obtain, to store and to analyze. It leads to another challenge - predictions based on limited time and accessible monitoring data.In the current work, predictions for traffic loads are done using provided data from bridge Weigh-in-Motion (BWIM) traffic monitoring for the case of the the ultimate limit state (ULS). For load extrapolation in time, several methods of Extreme Value Theory (EVT) are compared, with the most attention to the Peaks Over Threshold (POT) approach. Moreover, a contribution to existing methods for threshold choice, as the main challenge of POT approach, is made.In large cable-stayed bridges, not necessarily traffic is the leading action, but environment loads can have similar or superior effect. The focus of this work is on the deck of Millau viaduct, therefore, static wind loads obtained from structural health monitoring (SHM) of the viaduct are considered in combination with queues of traffic lorries. A probabilistic model is made to observe probabilities of extreme cases for both actions and their combination. As well, the influence of monitoring duration on confidence intervals for return levels of loads is studied.For the steel orthotropic deck of the bridge, both, local effects caused by passing vehicles and global effects, contribute to values of stresses. Global effects are coming from traffic queues on both lanes and static wind in a perpendicular direction. In this Thesis, finite element model (FEM) of the deck is performed in order to assess stresses in the deck. That brings a possibility to make predictions for the fatigue limit state too. Usually, fatigue damage accumulated in a chosen part of the deck during a monitoring period is extrapolated in time linearly. The current work proposes a methodology to extrapolate numbers of fatigue cycles in time with the POT approach, which accounts for a change in traffic in volume and weight with time. Comparison of the proposed approach with the classical method is made and used in the fatigue reliability analysis. Reliability analysis is made as well for the ULS in order to compare the results obtained from several EVT approaches, to observe the importance of wind actions on the reliability of the deck, and to compare EVT-based predictions with design load models of European Norms (EN) for traffic and wind
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Gaudet, Megan Brett. "Harmonization of aviation user charges in the North Atlantic airspace." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/44326.
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Thesis (S.M. in Transportation)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Operations Research Center, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-93).
The purpose of this thesis is to explore various harmonization scenarios for North Atlantic en route user charges. The current charging system involves eight countries, each with their own method for computing user charges. The scope of the research is limited to revenue neutral approaches for service providers, meaning each air navigation service provider (ANSP) receives constant total charges in 2006. Therefore, the viability of different scenarios is compared in terms of its impact on airspace users. Two different interpretation of a "harmonized" system are considered. The first explores the harmonization of only the charging methodology, allowing service providers to set and collect their own charges. The second harmonization alternative fully harmonizes the North Atlantic user charges resulting in a single charge per flight. Within each of these alternatives four different charge scenarios were modeled using 2006 data. The four alternatives are a flat charge, distance-based rate, a combination weight and distance charge, and a fixed-plus-variable charge. Utilizing 47,516 North Atlantic flights drawn from a systematic random sampling of days in 2006, the average North Atlantic user charge was determined to be $393 and ranged from less than $1 to $3,868. The magnitude of the average North Atlantic user charge is small relative to the total flight costs airlines incur, thus all harmonization approaches will have only second order effects on the airlines' bottomline. Thus, the harmonization of the regions' user charges allows for the unique opportunity to develop a more rational system of charges without large disruptions to the majority of users. The thesis explores the impact of the various charge scenarios on user stakeholder groups in terms of aircraft size, North Atlantic distance, and origin-destination regions.
(cont.) The results show a distance-based rate imposed at the ANSP-level would result in the smallest disruption to users' charges compared to the baseline system. However, any semi-independent harmonization approach sacrifices the efficiencies which could be realized under a fully harmonized system. Of the fully harmonized methods, the Eurocontrol formula with a service unit rate of $7.28 is the least disruptive to the baseline user charges.
by Megan Brett Gaudet.
S.M.
S.M.in Transportation
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Asapu, Sunitha. "An Investigation of Low Biofouling Copper-charged Membranes." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1399633649.
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LU, Yuzhu. "Enhancing green tax measures in Hong Kong : a means of addressing the city's environmental problems." Digital Commons @ Lingnan University, 2010. https://commons.ln.edu.hk/acct_etd/4.
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Nowadays, pressures on the environment are increasing around the world. In particular, Hong Kong, a compact city with a population of nearly seven million, one which has undergone remarkable economic growth over the past few decades, has developed severe environmental problems. It also has deficiencies in its taxation system: a small tax base, for example. In today’s world, “green” taxes have been accepted and applied by more and more countries, especially those in the OECD. However, Hong Kong still has not adequately used the tax tool as an integral part of the government’s anti-pollution strategy. Accordingly, the major objective of this study is to make proposals for improving the use of green tax measures in Hong Kong. The study first systematically introduces background theories of green tax and discusses its advantages and disadvantages. Then, it elaborates on the primary environmental problems in Hong Kong, followed by describing the green tax measures currently existing in the city. The thesis then summarizes and analyzes green tax measures in selected countries which are at the cutting edge of utilizing the tax tool as an integral part in their environmental policy, especially the Scandinavian nations. The study also conducts interviews with Government officials, green groups and those potentially in opposition to green tax. Finally, by drawing on the experiences of green tax measures in selected countries, proposals are made on improving existing green tax measures, introducing new environmental taxes, using the revenue from these taxes and dealing with implementation issues. The research findings of this project will help modernize as well as to green Hong Kong’s taxation system and thus eventually to improve the environment of Hong Kong.
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Ngo, David, and Frida Shamoun. "Environmental cost of different unit rates." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Kommunikations- och transportsystem, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-129580.
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Flight planning is a large part of the air traffic operations that are presently being conducted. Airlines strive to achieve the cheapest and most cost effective routes for their flights, resulting in aircraft sometimes flying longer routes in order to avoid expensive airspaces with high unit rates. This issue has been an ongoing obstacle for the Swedish air navigation provider, LFV, as some airlines tend to fly over the Baltic Sea, through the Baltic countries, instead of the shorter route through Swedish airspace. These protracted routes result in extra kilometers being flown yearly,consuming extra fuel, as well as imply a revenue loss to LFV and Sweden. The conclusions of this study is that the airspace dodging behavior generate a revenue loss to LFV, totaling approximately 5 032 354 million per year. Should these flights fly the shortest route between their origin and destination, the before mentioned sum would mean an increase in LFVs reported revenue from air traffic control services by 2%. Airspace dodging also results in roughly 380 408 superfluous kilometers being flown and 1 874 486 liters of additional fuel being consumed every year.
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Carlson, Douglas. "Out-of-Character : Current and Potential Use of 'Character' in the Development of Swedish Urban Areas." Thesis, KTH, Urbana och regionala studier, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-256031.
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Character is a term used in urban development and research to describe aspects of the built environment ranging from aesthetics and design to place identity and sense of place. This wide range of interpretations has led to a vague understanding that differs depending on the perception of users and actors in urban development. In the face of increasing housing demands and incentives to expand, Swedish urban environment has begun expansion that mirrors that of the Million Programme. To avoid a detached environment, character is investigated and proposed to be used as a tool for municipalities in the development. The focus is on answering what ‘character’ is perceived as by municipal officials involved in the urban development process, how character should be used and lastly how character should be approached when developing existing areas. Based on interviews for a practical understanding, literature for a theoretical understanding and contemporary studies for a contextual understanding, character is found to be perceived as the connection between not only existing buildings but also new ones as well as the users themselves. With emphasis on cohesion, originality, traditionality, diversity among other attributes, the character of an area should act as a binding agent for urban development moving forward. Finally, the approach to character is recommended to be cautious based on its vague nature but be treated as exploratory where a base set of two foundational attributes are to invite discussion to bridge the perceptions between actors.
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Westgate, Amy. "Evaluation of novel polyethersulfone membranes incorporating charged surface modifying macromolecules for the removal of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds from drinking water." Thesis, University of Ottawa (Canada), 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/27743.
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Recently, there has been an increased concern of the potential effects of pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in drinking water. Their presence in surface waters has resulted in the skewing of sex ratios in aquatic biota and the effect on humans, as yet, remains unknown. Investigation into the effective removal of these compounds by water treatment plants (WTPs) has shown that conventional treatment processes are not very effective in removing these trace compounds. Studies have shown PPCPs and EDCs have been successfully removed by commercial nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, but have low flux and high cost. North American WTPs, using membrane separation processes, are typically equipped with microfiltration (MF) or loose ultrafiltration (UF) membranes which, thus far, have proven ineffective for the removal of these target compounds.
This thesis focuses on the development of a tight charged UF membrane that effectively removes PPCPs and EDCs from drinking water while still maintaining a high flux and is cost effective. Novel membranes were developed by incorporating charged surface modifying macromolecules (CSMMs) in the manufacturing of polyether sulfone (PES) based membranes. The charged additives were expected to enhance the removal of PPCPs and EDCs by charge repulsion. Controls and three different CSMM (DEG-HBS, DEG-HBC and PPG-HBC) blended membranes were prepared at three different casting conditions and subsequently evaluated for various properties: flux, molecular weight cut-off (MWCO), porosity, charge and contact angle. Experimental membranes were further evaluated for the removal of four representative target compounds, sulfamethazine (SMZ), carbamazepine (Carb), bisphenol A (BPA) and ibuprofen (IB). Removal by a commercial nanofiltration membrane, NF270 (DOW/FilmTec) was compared to the experimental membranes.
Removal results from the experimental membranes indicate membranes were unable to sustain effective removal of the target compounds. Typically, removal was initially high but decreased over the run. Membrane characteristics showed membranes had significantly larger pores than the target compounds indicating size exclusion was not the removal mechanism. Charge results indicated CSMM blended membranes were generally unchanged from the control membrane indicating, in addition to the unsustained removal, that charge repulsion was not the removal mechanism. From the shape of the removal curves, it is assumed the removal mechanism is the result of membrane adsorption.
The CSMMs were found to have modified the membranes, though not sufficiently, to be considered significantly different than the controls in many respects. Membrane characteristics varied as a result of each CSMM incorporated and depending on each casting condition. Contact angle results for both PES-DEG-HBS and PES-PPG-HBC membranes at all three casting conditions increased in comparison to the controls, presumably because of changes in surface roughness. PES-DEG-HBC, on the other hand, decreased in contact angle at 18%, and increased in contact angle at 20% in comparison to the respective controls. Incorporation of migration time, particularly in the case of DEG-HBC, increased membrane flux without affecting MWCO. Increased PES concentration (from 18 to 20%) saw an increased target compound removal. With the success of the DEG-HBC CSMM, incorporation of migration time at higher PES concentrations appears promising for achieving the desired characteristics. It is recommended that further optimization using CSMM DEG-HBC at increased PES concentrations with migration time be investigated for this application.
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Böckem, Alexandra. "Ökologische Steuersysteme aus der Sicht der neuen politischen Ökonomie /." Baden-Baden : Nomos, 2001. http://bvbr.bib-bvb.de:8991/F?func=service&doc_library=BVB01&doc_number=015306304&line_number=0001&func_code=DB_RECORDS&service_type=MEDIA.
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Fok, Wai-tung Wilton, and 霍偉棟. "Tax reform for a better environment in Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1999. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31254184.
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Anderson, Eike F. "On the definition of non-player character behaviour for real-time simulated virtual environments." Thesis, Bournemouth University, 2008. http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/11991/.
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Computer games with complex virtual worlds, which are populated by artificial characters and creatures, are the most visible application of artificial intelligence techniques. In recent years game development has been fuelled by dramatic advances in computer graphics hardware which have led to a rise in the quality of real-time computer graphics and increased realism in computer games. As a result of these developments video games are gaining acceptance and cultural significance as a form of art and popular culture. An important factor for the attainment of realism in games is the artificially intelligent behaviour displayed by the virtual entities that populate the games' virtual worlds. It is our firm belief that to further improve the behaviour of virtual entities, game AI development will have to mirror the advances achieved in game graphics. A major contributing factor for these advancements has been the advent of programmable shaders for real-time graphics, which in turn has been significantly simplified by the introduction of higher level programming languages for the creation of shaders. This has demonstrated that a good system can be vastly improved by the addition of a programming language. This thesis presents a similar (syntactic) approach to the definition of the behaviour of virtual entities in computer games. We introduce the term behaviour definition language (BDL), describing a programming language for the definition of game entity behaviour. We specify the requirements for this type of programming language, which are applied to the development and implementation of several behaviour definition languages, culminating in the design of a new game-genre independent behaviour definition (scripting) language. This extension programming language includes several game AI techniques within a single unified system, allowing the use of different methods of behaviour definition. A subset of the language (itself a BDL) was implemented as a proof of concept of this design, providing a framework for the syntactic definition of the behaviour of virtual entities in computer games.
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Wass, Peter James. "The charged particle space environment as a noise source for LISA and LISA pathfinder." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.439783.
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Kronenberg, Tobias. "Reconciling environmental conservation with economic prosperity : the feasibility of double dividends in the short and long run /." Jülich : Forschungszentrum, Zentralbibliothek, 2007. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/fy1001/2008384309.html.
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Dissertation--Maastricht, University, 2007.At head of title: Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institut für Energieforschung (IEF), Systemforschung und Technologische Entwicklung (IEF-STE). Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-267).
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