Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Environmental quantification'
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Garraghan, Peter Michael. "Holistic cloud computing environmental quantification and behavioural analysis." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2014. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/7192/.
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Cloud computing has been characterized to be large-scale multi-tenant systems that are able to dynamically scale-up and scale-down computational resources to consumers with diverse Quality-of-Service requirements. In recent years, a number of dependability and resource management approaches have been proposed for Cloud computing datacenters. However, there is still a lack of real-world Cloud datasets that analyse and extensively model Cloud computing characteristics and quantify their effect on system dimensions such as resource utilization, user behavioural patterns and failure characteristics. This results in two research problems: First, without the holistic analysis of real-world systems Cloud characteristics, their dimensions cannot be quantified resulting in inaccurate research assumptions of Cloud system behaviour. Second, simulated parameters used in state-of-the-art Cloud mechanisms currently rely on theoretical values which do not accurately represent real Cloud systems, as important parameters such as failure times and energy-waste have not been quantified using empirical data. This presents a large gap in terms of practicality and effectiveness between developing and evaluating mechanisms within simulated and real Cloud systems. This thesis presents a comprehensive method and empirical analysis of large-scale production Cloud computing environments in order to quantify system characteristics in terms of consumer submission and resource request patterns, workload behaviour, server utilization and failures. Furthermore, this work identifies areas of operational inefficiency within the system, as well as quantifies the amount of energy waste created due to failures. We discover that 4-10% of all server computation is wasted due to Termination Events, and that failures contribute to approximately 11% of the total datacenter energy waste. These analyses of empirical data enables researchers and Cloud providers an enhanced understanding of real Cloud behaviour and supports system assumptions and provides parameters that can be used to develop and validate the effectiveness of future energy-efficient and dependability mechanisms.
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Mondaca, Fernandez Iram. "Spectroscopy Techniques for quantification of Microorganisms in Environmental Samples." Tucson, Arizona : University of Arizona, 2006. http://etd.library.arizona.edu/etd/GetFileServlet?file=file:///data1/pdf/etd/azu%5Fetd%5F1416%5F1%5Fm.pdf&type=application/pdf.
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Speak, Andrew Francis. "Quantification of the environmental impacts of urban green roofs." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2013. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/quantification-of-the-environmental-impacts-of-urban-green-roofs(6dc863d5-53bd-462b-b37f-37faa9ae3db0).html.
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Urban populations worldwide are expanding rapidly and consequently a large number of people are becoming exposed to hazards inherent in cites. Phenomena such as the urban heat island can exacerbate the effects of heatwaves, and land surface sealing can lead to flash flooding. Cities are also the sites of enhanced air and water pollution from non-point sources such as concentrated motor vehicle use. Climate change predictions for the UK include increased winter precipitation and an increase in frequency of summer heatwaves. This will put further pressure on urban residents and infrastructure. Roof greening can be used within climate change adaptation schemes because green roofs have a range of environmental benefits which can help urban infrastructure become more sustainable. This thesis empirically quantifies several of these benefits, and the processes influencing them, by monitoring real green roofs in Manchester. A number of novel discoveries were made. Green roofs act as passive filters of airborne particulate matter. 0.21 tonnes of PM10 (2.3% of the inputs) could be removed from Manchester city centre in a maximum extensive green roof scenario. Species and site differences in particle capture were exhibited and related to morphology and proximity to sources respectively. An intensive green roof was able to lower the monthly median overlying air temperature at 300 mm by up to 1.06 oC. A combination of drought and mismanagement caused damage to the vegetation on one of the green roofs, with a subsequent reduction in the cooling effect. Daytime air temperatures were higher than over an adjacent bare roof for a larger proportion of the day than over the undamaged roof, and lower cooling was observed at night. A site-specific methodology was devised to monitor the rainwater runoff from an intensive green roof and an adjacent bare roof. Average runoff retention of 65.7% was observed on the green roof, compared to 33.6% on the bare roof. Season and rainfall amount had significant impacts on retention, however, many other explanatory variables such as Antecedent Dry Weather Period (ADWP) and peak rainfall intensity had no demonstrable, significant impact. Intensive roof construction on 10% of the rooftops in Manchester city centre would increase annual rainfall retention by 2.3%. The runoff was characterised with regards to heavy metals and nutrients. Nutrient levels were found to be not a significant problem for water quality, however, Environmental Quality Standards (EQS) values for protection of freshwater were exceeded for concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn. High metal concentrations within the sediments may be acting as sources of pollution, particularly in the case of Pb. The age of the green roof means that past atmospheric deposition of Pb could be contributing to the runoff quality. The multi-benefit aspect of green roofs is discussed in the light of the results of this thesis and recommendations made for policy makers and the green roof construction industry.
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Mondaca, Fernandez Iram. "Spectroscopy Techniques for quantification of Microorganisms in Environmental Samples." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/194103.
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Microbiological monitoring of water is of primary importance for preservation of human health, particularly in an arid zone like the U.S. southwest. In this work, infrared spectroscopic methods were developed to identify and quantify microorganisms present in water and water-related environmental samples. Focus of the work was primarily on evaluating the impact of various sterilization methods on microorganism physiology as gauged by the non-invasive approach of infrared spectroscopy. This work demonstrates that FTIR techniques can be used to identify changes in the physiology of microorganisms and that for heat treatment, a correlation between spectral changes and the viability of microorganisms can be made.
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Mohammadi, Ghazi Reza. "Inference and uncertainty quantification for unsupervised structural monitoring problems." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115791.
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Thesis: Ph. D. in Structures and Materials, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2018.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-272).
Health monitoring is an essential functionality for smart and sustainable infrastructures that helps improving their safety and life span. A major element of such functionality is statistical inference and decision making which aims to process the dynamic response of structures in order to localize the defects in those systems as well as quantifying the uncertainties associated with such predictions. Accomplishing this task requires dealing with special constraints, in addition to the general challenges of inference problems, which are imposed by the uniqueness and size of civil infrastructures. These constraints are mainly associated with the small size and high dimensionality of the relevant data sets, low spatial resolution of measurements, and lack of prior information about the response of structures at all possible damaged states. Additionally, the measured responses at various locations on a structure are statistically dependent due to their connectivity via the structural elements. Ignoring such dependencies may result in inaccurate predictions, usually by blurring the damage localization resolution. In this thesis work, a comprehensive investigation has been carried out on developing appropriate signal processing, inference, and uncertainty quantification techniques with applications to data driven structural health monitoring (SHM). For signal processing, we have developed a feature extraction scheme that uses nonlinear non-stationary signal decomposition techniques to capture the effect of damages on the dynamic response of structures. We have also developed a general purpose signal processing method by combining the sparsity based regularization with the singularity expansion method. This method can provide a sparse representation of signals in complex-frequency plane and hence, more robust system identification schemes. For uncertainty quantification and decision making, we have developed three different learning algorithms which are capable of characterizing the statistical dependencies of the relevant random variables in novelty detection inference problems under various constraints related to the quality, size, and dimensionality of data sets. In doing so, we have mainly used the statistical graphical models and Markov random fields, optimization methods, kernel two sample tests, and kernel dependence analysis. The developed methods may be applied to a wide range of problems such as SHM, medical diagnostic, network security, and event detection. We have experimentally evaluated these techniques by applying them to SHM application problems for damage localization in various laboratory prototypes as well as a full scale structure.
by Reza Mohammadi Ghazi.
Ph. D. in Structures and Materials
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Fugate, David C. "Quantification of Tidal Creek Network Patterns using Fractal Methods." W&M ScholarWorks, 1996. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539617716.
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Nkongolo, Nsalambi Vakanda. "Quantification of greenhouse gas fluxes from soil in agricultural fields." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1474.
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Field studies were conducted at Lincoln University of Missouri (USA) and Hokkaido University (Japan) to: (i) study the relationships between greenhouse gases emissions and soil properties, (ii) assess the influence of agricultural practices on greenhouse gas fluxes and soil properties and (iii) improve the quantification of greenhouse gases from soil in agricultural fields using geospatial technologies. Results showed that besides soil temperature (T), soil thermal properties such as thermal conductivity (K), resistivity (R) and diffusivity (D) and soil pore spaces indices such as the pore tortuosity factor and the relative gas diffusion coefficient (Ds/Do) are controlling factors for greenhouse gases emissions. Soil thermal properties correlated with greenhouse gases emissions when soil temperature could not. The study has found that predicted Ds/Do and correlate with greenhouse gas fluxes even when the air-filled porosity and the total porosity from which they are predicted did not. We have also showed that Ds/Do and can be predicted quickly from routine measurements of soil water and air and existing diffusivity models found in the literature. Agricultural practices do seriously impact greenhouse gases emissions as showed by the effect of mechanized tillage operations on soil physical properties and greenhouse gas fluxes in a corn and soybean fields. In fact, our results showed that tractor compaction increased soil resistance to penetration, water, bulk density and pore tortuosity while reducing air-filled porosity, total pore space and the soil gas diffusion coefficient. Changes in soil properties resulted in increased CO2, NO and N2O emissions. Finally, our results also confirmed that greenhouse gas fluxes vary tremendously in space and time. As estimates of greenhouse gas emissions are influenced by the data processing approach, differences between the different calculation approaches leads to uncertainty. Thus, techniques for developing better estimates are needed. We have showed that Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), computer mapping and geo-statistics are technologies that can be used to better understand systems containing large amounts of spatial and temporal variability. Our GIS-based approach for quantifying CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes from soil in agricultural fields showed that estimating (extrapolating) total greenhouse gas fluxes using the “standard” approach – multiplying the average flux value by the total field area – results in biased predictions of field total greenhouse gases emissions. In contrast, the GIS-based approach we developed produces an interpolated map portraying the spatial distribution of gas fluxes across the field from point measurements and later process the interpolated map produced to determine flux zones. Furthermore, processing, classification and modeling enables the computation of field total fluxes as the sum of fluxes in different zones, therefore taking into account the spatial variability of greenhouse gas fluxes.
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Galloway, P. W. "Performance quantification of tidal turbines subjected to dynamic loading." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2013. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/361524/.
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The behaviour of Tidal Stream Turbines (TST) in the dynamic flow field caused by waves and rotor misalignment to the incoming flow (yaw) is currently poorly understood. The dynamic loading applied to the turbine could drive the structural design of the power capture and support subsystems, device size and its proximity to the water surface and sea bed. In addition, the strongly bi directional nature of the flow encountered at many tidal energy sites may lead to devices omitting yaw drives; accepting the additional dynamic loading associated with rotor misalignment and reduced power production in return for a reduction in capital cost. For such a design strategy it is imperative to quantify potential unsteady rotor loads so that the TST device design accommodates the inflow conditions and avoids an unacceptable increase in maintenance action or, more seriously, suffers sudden structural failure. The experiments presented as part of this work were conducted using a 1:20th scale 3-bladed horizontal axis TST at a large towing tank facility. The turbine had the capability to measure rotor thrust and torque, blade root strain, azimuthal position and speed. The maximum outof- plane bending moment was found to be as much as 9.5 times the in-plane bending moment, within the range of experiments conducted. A maximum loading range of 175% of the median out-of-plane bending moment and 100% of the median in-plane bending moment was observed for a turbine test case with zero yaw, scaled wave height of 2m and intrinsic wave period of 12.8s. A Blade Element Momentum (BEM) numerical model has been developed and modified to account for wave motion and yawed flow effects. This model includes a new dynamic inflow correction which is shown to be in close agreement with the measured experimental loads. The gravitational component was significant to the experimental in-plane blade bending moment and was included in the BEM model. Steady yaw loading on an individual blade was found to be negligible in comparison to wave loading (for the range of experiments conducted), but becomes important for the turbine rotor as a whole, reducing power capture and rotor thrust.
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He, Yang. "Quantification of Carbon Nanotubes in the Environmental Matrices by Using a Microwave Induced Heating Method." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin154392139689757.
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de, Luis Jorge. "A Process for the Quantification of Aircraft Noise and Emissions Interdependencies." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/24618.
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The main purpose of this dissertation is to develop a process to improve actual policy-making procedures in terms of aviation environmental effects. This research work expands current practices with physics based publicly available models. The process herein proposed provides information regarding the interdependencies between the environmental effects of aircraft. These interdependencies are also tied to the actual physical parameters of the aircraft and the engine, making it more intuitive for decision-makers to understand the impacts to the vehicle due to different policy scenarios. These scenarios involve the use of fleet analysis tools in which the existing aircraft are used to predict the environmental effects of imposing new stringency levels. The aircraft used are reduced to a series of coefficients that represent their performance, in terms of flight characteristics, fuel burn, noise, and emissions. These coefficients are then utilized to model flight operations and calculate what the environmental impacts of those aircraft are. If a particular aircraft does not meet the stringency to be analyzed, a technology response is applied to it, in order to meet that stringency. Depending on the level of reduction needed, this technology response can have an effect on the fuel burn characteristic of the aircraft. The proposed alternative is to create a fleet of replacement aircraft to the current fleet that does not meet stringency. These replacement aircraft represent the achievable physical limits for state of the art systems. In addition, the replacement aircraft show the linkage between environmental effects and fundamental aircraft and engine characteristics, something that has been neglected in previous policy making procedures. Another aspect that has been ignored is the creation of the coefficients used for the fleet analyses. In current literature, a defined process for the creation of those coefficients does not exist, but this research work develops a process to do so and demonstrates that the characteristics of the aircraft can be propagated to the coefficients and to the fleet analysis tools.
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Goldstein, Lucas. "Three-dimensional visualization and quantification of residual non-aqueous phase liquids using x-ray computed tomography." Thesis, McGill University, 2004. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=81334.
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If spilled in significant quantities, non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs), such as gasoline, coal tar, and chlorinated solvents, will migrate downward through the subsurface. As the NAPL migrates through the soil or rock matrix, a significant fraction becomes 'trapped' due to capillary forces and may form pools above less permeable soil or rock layers. These 'trapped' NAPL globules and pools may partition into the groundwater and/or vapor phases, and serve as ongoing sources of contamination (i.e. source zones). Currently, the presence of NAPL in the subsurface is typically inferred from chemical analysis data. There are no techniques available for the direct observation of NAPLs entrapped inside soil aggregates or core samples. Furthermore, accurate, three-dimensional, and non-destructive NAPL characterization techniques are an important component of studies aimed at improving our understanding of NAPL movement, dissolution, and remediation.In this study, experiments were conducted to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) to non-destructively quantify contaminants in soil columns.
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Verley, Simon. "Environmental quantification and Hα characterisation of the most isolated galaxies in the local universe." Observatoire de Paris (1667-....), 2005. https://hal.science/tel-02071413.
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Le rôle de l'environnement sur l'évolution des galaxies n'est pas encore entièrement connu. Pour quantifier les rôles joués par les processus externes, on doit identifier un échantillon de galaxies isolées. Nous avons étudié 950 galaxies en provenance du Catalogue de Galaxies isolées et évalué leur isolation. Nous avons défini, comparé et discuté différents critères pour quantifier le degré d'isolation de ces galaxies, comme la densité de surface locale, l'estimation des forces de marées externes affectant chaque galaxie isolée. De plus nous avons cherché les redshifts des galaxies centrales ainsi que ceux de leurs compagnons pour avoir une image en trois dimensions de l'environnement. Enfin, nous avons appliqué nos procédures aux triplets, groupes compacts et amas de galaxies et interprété la population de galaxies isolées à la lumière de ces échantillons de contrôle. La formation d'étoiles est connue pour être affectée par l'environnement local des galaxies mais le taux de formation d'étoiles dépend aussi des caractéristiques intrinsèques du milieu interstellaire. Nous avons observé et compilé des données photométriques pour 200 galaxies spirales isolées. Ensuite, nous avons étudié l'aspect de la morphologie en H alpha des 45 galaxies les plus grandes et les moins inclinées. En utilisant les techniques de Transformation de Fourier Rapide, nous nous focalisons sur les modes des bras spiraux. Nous quantifions la force des barres et nous donnons les couples entre les étoiles nouvellement formées et la matière optique. La fréquence observée des modèles morphologiques particuliers apporte des contraintes sur la durée de vie des barres, et les temps de destruction associésThe role of environment on galaxy evolution is still not fully understood. In order to quantify and set limits on the role of nurture one must identify and study an isolated sample of galaxies. We processed 950 galaxies from the Catalogue of Isolated Galaxies and evaluated their isolation. We defined, compared and discussed various criteria to quantify the degree of isolation for these galaxies : e. G. Local surface density computations, estimation of the external tidal force affecting each isolated galaxy. Additionally, we sought for the redshifts of the primary and companion galaxies to access the radial dimension and have accurate three dimensional picture of the surroundings. Finally, we applied our pipeline to triplets, compact groups and clusters and interpret the isolated galaxy population in light of these control samples. The star formation is known to be affected by the local environment of the galaxies, but the star formation rate also highly depends on the intrinsic interstellar medium features. To address this issue, we observed and gathered photometric data for 200 isolated galaxies. We subsequently studied the H alpha morphological aspect of the 45 biggest and less inclined galaxies. Using Fast Fourier Transform techniques, we focus on the modes of the spiral arms, quantify the strength of the bars, and we give the torques between the newly formed stars and the bulk of the optical matter. We interpret the various bar and H alpha morphologies observed in terms of the secular evolution experienced by galaxies isolation. The observed frequency of particular patterns bring constraints on the lifetime of bars and their fading time-scales
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Özbal, Can Cemil 1971. "Quantification of benzo[a]pyrene-diol-epoxide adducts by laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/9513.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Division of Bioengineering and Environmental Health, 1999.Includes bibliographical references.
Quantification of adducts in human samples is a challenging task in analytical chemistry. Humans are typically exposed to low levels of a wide range of different carcinogens. As a result, adduct quantification requires both a highly sensitive and a highly selective method. This project has focused on the development of new laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) based methods for the quantification of adducts in human samples. Two new instruments were built for LIF analysis. A cryogenic LIF instrument using a pulsed tunable dye laser as the excitation source was developed to obtain low temperature fluorescence emission spectra. A second instrument using a LIF detector interfaced to a HPLC separation system was developed to provide a higher level of selectivity than the cryogenic LIF system. The LIF instruments were used to quantify adducts of benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10- epoxide (BPDE) in human lung tissue and human bronchial epithelial cell histones and DNA and in human serum albumin. The presence of BPDE adducts in human lung tissue and human bronchial epithelial cell histones and DNA was proven by cryogenic fluorescence line-narrowing (FLN) spectroscopy. (-)-anti-BPDE-serum albumin adducts were quantified by HPLC-LIF in plasma obtained from 63 healthy volunteers. The method was shown to have a coefficient of variability of 22% and a detection limit of 20 attomoles of BPDE adduct. Adducts were detected in 60 of 63 samples (95%) at an average level of 0.22 femtomoles of adduct per mg of albumin. The investigation of histones as possible long-term molecular dosimeters was another focus in this research. The close proximity of histones and DNA coupled with the lack of repair and long lifetime make histones very attractive candidates as molecular dosimeters. The kinetics of histone turnover can most likely be accurately modeled by cellular turnover rates in vivo. Histone adducts were detected in human lung tissue and human bronchial epithelial cells. Histones were also shown to form adducts with BPDE, aflatoxin B1 (AFB,) and nitrosomethylurea (NMU) in TK6 cells grown in vitro. Histone adducts of AFB 1 , NMU, and BPDE were shown to be stable over 5 cell divisions.
by Can Cemil Özbal.
Ph.D.
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Martin, Michael. "Industrial Symbiosis in the Biofuel Industry : Quantification of the Environmental Performance and Identification of Synergies." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Industriell miljöteknik, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-90233.
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The production of biofuels has increased in recent years, to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate climate change. However, current production practices are heavily criticized on their environmental sustainability. Life cycle assessments have therefore been used in policies and academic studies to assess the systems; with divergent results. In the coming years however, biofuel production practices must improve to meet strict environmental sustainability policies. The aims of the research presented in this thesis, are to explore and analyze concepts from industrial symbiosis (IS) to improve the efficiency and environmental performance of biofuel production and identify possible material and energy exchanges between biofuel producers and external industries. An exploration of potential material and energy exchanges resulted in a diverse set of possible exchanges. Many exchanges were identified between biofuel producers to make use of each other’s by-products. There is also large potential for exchanges with external industries, e.g. with the food, energy and chemical producing industries. As such, the biofuel industry and external industries have possibilities for potential collaboration and environmental performance improvements, though implementation of the exchanges may be influenced by many conditions. In order to analyze if concepts from IS can provide benefits to firms of an IS network, an approach was created which outlines how quantifications of IS networks can be produced using life cycle assessment literature for guidelines and methodological considerations. The approach offers methods for quantifying the environmental performance for firms of the IS network and an approach to distribute impacts and credits for the exchanges between firm, to test the assumed benefits for the firms of the IS network. Life cycle assessment, and the approach from this thesis, have been used to quantify the environmental performance of IS networks by building scenarios based on an example from an IS network of biofuel producers in Sweden. From the analyses, it has been found that exchanges of material and energy may offer environmental performance improvements for the IS network and for firms of the network. However, the results are dependent upon the methodological considerations of the assessments, including the reference system, functional unit and allocation methods, in addition to important processes such as the agricultural inputs for the system and energy systems employed. By using industrial symbiosis concepts, biofuel producers have possibilities to improve the environmental performance. This is done by making use of by-products and waste and diversifying their products, promoting a transition toward biorefinery systems and a bio-based economy for regional environmental sustainability.Produktionen av biobränslen har ökat de senaste åren, vilket är ett steg mot klimateffektivare lösningar i transportsektorn, men biodrivmedlen har ifrågasatts med hänvisning till tveksamheter kring deras miljö- och energiprestanda. Lifecykelanalyser har därför använts inom akademiska studier och för policy för att utvärdera systemen, dock utan samstämmiga resultat. Under de kommande åren måste därför praxis för produktion av biobränslen förbättras för att kunna möta de strikta kraven i hållbarhetskriterier för biobränslen. Syftet med forskningen som presenteras i den här doktorsavhandlingen är att utforska och analysera koncept från området Industriell symbios (IS) och därigenom identifiera förbättringar för ökad effektivitet och miljöprestanda för biobränsleproduktion. Vidare är syftet att identifiera möjliga material- och energiutbyten mellan biobränsleproducenter och externa industrier. Potentiella material- och energiutbyten undersöktes, vilket resulterade förslag på flera olika typer av potentiella utbyten. Undersökningen visar på en potential för att använda biprodukter i en biobränsleprocess som råvara till en annan biobränsleframställning. Vidare identifierades en stor potential för utbyten med externa industrier, som till exempel matproducenter samt industrier för energi och kemikalier. Det är tydligt att det finns möjligheter för biobränsleproducenter och externa industrier att samarbeta och därmed ge möjlighet till förbättringar i miljöprestandan, dock kan en implementering av dessa utbyten påverkas av många olika förutsättningar. Avhandlingen presenterar även ett tillvägagångssätt för att visa hur kvantifiering av miljöprestanda inom ett nätverk för IS kan genomföras genom att använda riktlinjer och metodavvägningar från litteratur för livscykelanalys. Detta tillvägagångssätt kan användas för att analysera om koncept från IS kan leda till fördelar för företagen i ett IS-nätverk. Tillvägsgångssättet ger möjlighet att kvantifiera miljöprestandan för företagen i IS-nätverket och ger dessutom vägledning för hur miljöpåverkan från utbytena kan distribueras mellan de olika företagen. Metoden utvecklades för att bland annat undersöka de förmodade fördelarna från IS för varje enskild aktör. Livscykelanalys i kombination med tillvägagångssättet ovan har använts för att kvantifiera miljöprestandan för IS-nätverk genom att konstruera scenarier. Scenarierna har baserats på ett exempel från ett IS-nätverk av biobränsleprocenter i Sverige. Analyserna visar att utbyten av material- och energi kan ge förbättringar i miljöprestanda. Resultaten är dock beroende av vilka metodavvägningar som gjorts, till exempel val av referenssystem, funktionell enhet och allokeringsmetoder. Vidare spelar viktiga processer som inputs från jordbruk och val av energisystem stor roll för resultatet. Metodavvägningar för utväderingen influerar även miljöpåverkan samt hur den fördelas mellan företagen i IS-nätverket. Dessutom kan den lokala miljöpåverkan öka medan den globala påverkan minskar. Sammanfattningsvis kan biobränsleproducenter, genom att använda koncept från industriell symbios, ges möjlighet att förbättra sin miljöprestanda. Detta kan ske genom att använda biprodukter och avfall samt genom att diversifiera sina produkter som ett första steg mot en övergång mot bioraffinaderier och en mer biobaserad ekonomi för regional hållbarhet.
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Peng, Chiung-Yu. "Identification and quantification of volatile organic compound emissions from buildings and heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems." Ann Arbor, Mich. : University of Michigan, 1998. http://books.google.com/books?id=yxIvAAAAMAAJ.
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Ma, Ruowei, and 馬若為. "Quantification and partition of perfluorochemicals in Hong Kong wastewater sludge." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2009. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B43223862.
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Li, Hanyang. "Identification, Quantification, and Constraint of Uncertainties Associated with Atmospheric Black Carbon Aerosols." The Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu158533806705194.
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Holanda, Maisa Viana de. "Detection and quantification of Mycobacterium leprae by real time PCR from environmental samples of Cearà municipalities." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2015. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=14649.
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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgicoA hansenÃase à uma doenÃa infecciosa crÃnica e granulomatosa responsÃvel por afetar a pele e os nervos perifÃricos, sendo ocasionada pelo Mycobacterium leprae, um agente intracelular obrigatÃrio incapaz de ser cultivado em meios de cultura axÃnicos. No ano de 2012, foram detectados 232.857 casos novos no mundo, sendo desses 33.303 (14, 30%) detectados somente no Brasil. O Estado do Cearà diagnosticou 2.066 casos novos sà no ano de 2012, com um coeficiente detecÃÃo geral de 24,0/100.000 habitantes. A transmissÃo da doenÃa està relacionada com eliminaÃÃo dos bacilos provenientes de pacientes multibacilares atravÃs do trato respiratÃrio superior e, como a bactÃria fica em suspensÃo no ar, ocorre a posterior contaminaÃÃo de outra pessoa. A existÃncia de casos clÃnicos da doenÃa nos quais os pacientes nÃo tiveram nenhum contato anterior com portadores de hansenÃase e, ainda, Ãreas com casos prÃximos de fontes de Ãgua sugere infecÃÃo do ser humano com fontes ambientais. Por isso, atualmente, pesquisa-se a possÃvel interferÃncia de fatores ambientais e animais silvestres na transmissÃo da hansenÃase, como solo, Ãgua, vegetaÃÃo e tatus. O ambiente funcionaria como uma espÃcie de reservatÃrio, permitindo que o bacilo permaneÃa infeccioso apÃs longos perÃodos fora do corpo humano. Este estudo tem como objetivo principal detectar e quantificar bacilos de M. leprae por qPCR em amostras de Ãguas ambientais provenientes de municÃpios cearenses. Foram coletadas cinco rÃplicas de cada um dos 30 reservatÃrios selecionados, totalizando 149 amostras. O DNA total foi extraÃdo atravÃs de kit especÃfico para amostras ambientais de acordo com as recomendaÃÃes do fabricante. Posteriormente, foi realizado a amplificaÃÃo do gene 16S rRNA de M. leprae atravÃs de qPCR com o uso do kit SYBR Green PCR Master Mix. Utilizou-se uma curva padrÃo com concentraÃÃes conhecidas de plasmÃdeo pIDTBlue 16SrRNAMlep para quantificar o DNA presente nas amostras ambientais. As amostras ambientais do municÃpio de Juazeiro do Norte e as amostras clÃnicas provenientes de pacientes atendidos no CDREM foram genotipadas e subtipadas por PCR-RFLP. O DNA de M. leprae foi detectado em todos os municÃpios estudados. Do total de 149 amostras de Ãgua analisadas, 81 (54,4%) foram positivas para a pesquisa de DNA. O nÃmero de cÃpias de M. leprae se manteve no intervalo de 1,42 x 10-1 a 1,44 x 10+2 . A maioria das amostras clÃnicas apresentou genÃtipo 4 (64%) enquanto que 100% das amostras de Juazeiro do Norte foram SNP 4. Com relaÃÃo a subtipagem, o SNP 4-N foi o mais presente dentre as amostras analisadas. Este estudo indica a existÃncia de DNA de M. leprae nas amostras de Ãguas ambientais, mostrando fundamentalmente a presenÃa de bacilos nas Ãguas analisadas. TambÃm relata que a maioria das cepas de M. leprae das fontes ambientais estudadas à do mesmo subtipo das isoladas do homem. Dessa forma, sÃo necessÃrios mais estudos a fim de ampliar o conhecimento da influÃncia da Ãgua na transmissÃo da hansenÃase.
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Vowles, Andrew. "Experimental quantification of the response of fish to conditions associated with low-head hydropower and fish passage facilities." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2012. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/360333/.
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This thesis assessed the impact of a novel low-head hydropower device, the Hydrostatic Pressure Converter (HPC), on downstream moving fish, and investigated factors that may limit both up- and down-stream fish pass efficiency. This was achieved through the use of a blade strike model (BSM) and experimental studies conducted in large open channel flumes. A BSM predicted a lower probability of strike with a HPC blade for small fish that travelled downstream faster, and when blades rotated slowly. A major pinch-point between the blade tips and the base of the flume caused severe damage to euthanized brown trout (Salmo trutta) as they passively drifted through a prototype HPC. Damage ranged from abrasive scale loss to skeletal deformation and breakage. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and European eel (Anguilla anguilla) did not exhibit avoidance behaviours when approaching the intake to a HPC located within a flume. When behavioural data (speed of downstream movement and orientation) were incorporated into BSM simulations, probability of strike increased and decreased for trout and eel, respectively, compared with an assumption of passive drift with bulk flow. Species specific behaviours influenced probability and severity of strike with a HPC blade. Management recommendations are made to ensure HPC developments meet the required environmental standards. Ensuring efficient fish passage around low-head hydropower developments presents a major ecological challenge. Behavioural data on individual fish encountering conditions ubiquitous to fish pass structures was used to investigate and identify factors that may limit passage efficiencies. Although upstream migrant adult river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis), a species of conservation concern in Europe, were predicted to avoid areas of elevated turbulence, little evidence in support of this was found. Instead lamprey appeared to alter their migration strategy based primarily on water velocity. Behaviours were indicative of a time conservation strategy, i.e. altering behaviour to expedite passage through energetically expensive environments. For downstream moving fish, delay due to avoidance of conditions created at bypass entrances (e.g. abrupt accelerations of velocity) can negatively impact fitness. Velocity gradients created by a constricted flume section had a clear influence over downstream moving brown trout. Avoidance behaviours occurred at a similar threshold spatial velocity gradient when dark (ca. 0.4 cm s-1 cm-1), and the addition of a light stimulus served to reduce this threshold by approximately 50%. Elevated avoidance to velocity gradients was also evident when downstream migrant juvenile salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were able to navigate using mechanosensory and visual senses. Avoidance behaviour significantly impacted subsequent rate of passage. Information provided in this thesis significantly enhances our understanding of how fish respond to environmental stimuli, has direct application to fish passage, and the potential to improve fish survival at low-head hydropower developments.
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Hofvander, Lotta. "Polychlorinated biphenyls and their metabolites in human blood : Method development, identification and quantification." Doctoral thesis, Stockholm : Dept. of environmental chemistry, Stockholm university, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-805.
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Kuo, Dave Ta Fu 1978. "Thermodynamics and kinetics of hydrophobic organic compound sorption in natural sorbents and quantification of black carbon by electron microscopy." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/60793.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (v. 3, p.1198-1258).
The sorption behaviors of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in sediments were investigated using pyrene. Native pyrene desorbed slowly, taking from weeks to months to equilibrate. The end-point data suggested that, at nanogram-pyrene-per-liter porewater levels, sorption was much stronger than conventionally expected. The non-linearity of the isotherm may indicate physical occlusion of native sorbate and/or sorption onto micropore surfaces of char/charcoal. Between 30-70% of the native pyrene may be occluded. Conceptual pictures for both hypotheses were presented with supportive evidence from experiments and literature. Analysis of experimental and literature data suggested logKoc (organic-carbon normalized partition coefficient) and logKBC (black-carbon normalized partition coefficient) values were fairly constant across different geosorbents (around 4.5-5.7 and 5.6-6.3, respectively), while the non-linearity exponent varied substantially. This may explain the orders of magnitude scatter in logKoc's and logKBC's reported in recent reviews. An a priori non-linear numerical model based on Intra-particle Porewater Diffusion (IPD) was constructed and successfully predicted the desorption kinetics of native pyrene. Fitted kinetic parameters correlated with system and sorbate/sorbent properties. This suggested the empirical approach can be replaced by the a priori model and the diverse HOC desorption rates in the literature can be reconciled if relevant physicochemical properties are known. The regional fate of pyrene in Boston Harbor was evaluated with a box model using derived kinetic and equilibrium properties. Realistic predictions can be obtained when assuming pseudo steady state conditions, but not equilibrium partitioning, for the bed sediment and the water column. Furthermore, model results and literature evidence suggested that sediment resuspension may be a significant mobilization mechanism for sedimentary HOCs in estuaries and harbors. A new BC quantification method based on energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was developed. The method identified/quantified Organic Carbon (OC) or Black Carbon (BC) by analyzing the elemental ratios of C, N, and 0 of the sample. Agreeable OC/BC estimates on a variety of carbonaceous materials were obtained using the method. The good analytical potential of the method warranted further exploration and methodological refinement. This study has great implications for the sequestration and bioavailability of HOCs in the environment.
by Dave T. F. Kuo.
Ph.D.
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Turner, Alison Jean May. "Diffuse minewater pollution : quantification and risk assessment in the Tamar catchment." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/891.
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Abandoned metal mines in the Tamar catchment, south west England, represent a significant threat to surface water quality via generation of acid mine waters. Currently the River Tamar fails environmental quality standards (EQS) established under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) for dissolved Cu (x ̅ = 0.19 ± 0.05 μmol L-1) and Zn (x ̅ = 0.19 ± 0.06 μmol L-1, both 1997-2007) downstream of historic mining area of Gunnislake. The aim of this study was to quantify the risk to surface water quality by diffuse drainage generated by mine waste tips. For the first time, a GIS model was compiled and used to generate a priority list of known areas of mine waste, based on physical and environmental factors. The methodology was consistent with European guidance documentation published to meet the requirements of the Mining Waste Directive (2001/21/EC) and has since been applied, in a modified form, to other catchments in south west England. Two study sites, with contrasting mineralogy and hydrology, scored highly in the model and were the subject of field investigations from 2007-2009. These were Devon Great Consols (DGC), an abandoned Cu-As mine near Gunnislake and Wheal Betsy (WB), an abandoned Pb-Ag mine, near Mary Tavy. At each site, surface waters and shallow groundwaters were sampled and analysed for dissolved metals (including Al, Cu, Zn, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Cd), metalloids (As, Sb), major ions and anions. Samples of four selected mine waste tips were also gathered and subjected to a range of laboratory leaching experiments including the novel application of a dynamic upflow percolation test, based on an existing European method (CEN TS 14405). Leachates generated by the waste tips in the field were highly variable and elevated with respect to EQS for Al (up to 1850 μmol L-1), Cu (570 μmol L-1), Zn (34 μmol L-1), Ni (3.8 μmol L-1), Cd (0.17 μmol L-1), Mn (216 μmol L-1), Fe(537 μmol L-1) , As (380 μmol L-1) and Sb (5.4 μmol L-1). Estimated annual fluxes of dissolved metals were predicted using average rainfall data and catchment areas calculated in ArcHydro9 to estimate the annual discharge of waters from the tip. These calculations showed annual contaminant flux from the tips to exceed, or be of the same order of magnitude to, major adit discharges in the catchment (e.g. Cu 50900-66900 mol y-1 at DGC and 470 mol y-1 Cd at WB) and represented a significant contributor to metal flux in the Tamar catchment. Primary sulphide minerals in the waste were generally highly altered and metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, and Mn) and As were found to be strongly associated with secondary iron minerals, precipitated under oxic conditions. In finer wastes, sorption to clay minerals was also found to be very important for the retention of dissolved metals, particularly Pb. Concentrations of contaminants in column field leachates were similar for most metals (Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni and Cd) and may provide a useful tool for prediction of leachate composition. However, sorption and release of metals and As to the secondary phases and clays were highly sensitive to pH change and where laboratory experiments did not replicate field pH, discrepancies between in situ and laboratory results were observed up to two orders of magnitude in scale (particularly for As and Pb).
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Hu, Jiangchuan. "Quantification of Carbonaceous Pollutants from On-Road Vehicles at Selected Inner-City Settings." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1338581858.
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Deol, Suhina, and Suhina Deol. "The Effects of Water Quantification on Tribal Economies: Evidence from the Western U.S." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/624150.
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This paper looks at economic factors and water rights quantification on 95 Native American reservations economies in the western United States (U.S.). The study looks at the issues in two parts: (1) the characteristics of reservations quantifying their water rights compared to those who do not and (2) the effects of water rights quantification on reservation economic characteristics. Data was compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau, USDA, water specialists, court decrees, news articles, and scholarly papers. Results found that tribes who operate casinos and have higher revenues from agricultural goods are more likely to have quantified their water rights. Tribes with quantified water rights also had increased income levels. This study can help tribes design policies to create sustainable water management policies and economies on tribal reservations.
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Wiegard, Jean, and JWiegard@groupwise swin edu au. "Quantification of Greenhouse Gases at Visy Industries using Life Cycle Assessment." Swinburne University of Technology. School of Engineering and Science, 2001. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20030729.140753.
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Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are vital components of the earth�s atmosphere, trapping heat around the earth, maintaining temperatures necessary for human existence. Until the Industrial Revolution, these gases existed in a natural equilibrium with the environment. Since that time, anthropogenic activities such as fossil fuel burning and land clearing have increased the quantity of GHGs, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), in the earth�s atmosphere. Evidence indicates that global warming is occurring as a result of the additional accumulation of GHGs in the atmosphere.
International response to climate change resulted in the 1997 development of the Kyoto Protocol. If the Protocol is ratified, developed countries will be legally bound to reduce their GHG emissions in accordance with negotiated emission reduction targets. At the beginning of the year 2001, the Protocol was still to be ratified.
With the possibility of future GHG emission restrictions, some Australian companies have started quantifying their GHG emission levels. One such company is Visy Industries, the largest privately owned paper packaging manufacturing company in the world. Visy�s core business is the manufacture of cardboard boxes from recycled paper. As part of its future operations, a kraft pulp and paper mill is presently being built in New South Wales, Australia.
The environmental decision support tool, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), was used to quantify Visy�s CO2 and CH4 emissions across the entire life cycle of the Visy paper recycling and virgin papermaking processes. Commercially defined LCA models were developed for both papermaking processes.
GHG emissions estimated by each model were compared and the effect of different energy sources, technologies and manufacturing processes on CO2 and CH4 emissions were assessed. The majority of emissions in the two Visy papermaking models were due to fossil fuel derived energy sources and the decomposition of wood fibre in Solid Waste Disposal Sites (SWDSs). Results were used to propose appropriate GHG reduction strategies and business opportunities.
GHG reduction strategies included increasing the use of renewable energy, reducing the volume of solid waste rejects sent to SWDS, incinerating solid waste rejects with energy recovery and sourcing steam from third party providers. Proposed GHG business opportunities included increasing the production of Greenpower from the pulp and paper mill for sale to the grid.
This thesis is an example of the practical application of current GHG knowledge and LCA methodology that was undertaken in an environment where technical, political and commercial guidelines at both a national and international level were still evolving. Nevertheless, the thesis is not a critical review of LCA methodology.
The LCA support tool was able to quantify CO2 and CH4 emissions across the life cycle of the Visy recycling and virgin papermaking processes. The chosen functional unit, the assumptions and exemptions made, and the placement of the system boundaries, were found to be critical to the Visy LCA results.
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Green, Jon Marc. "Development of novel transgenic zebrafish models and their application to studies on environmental oestrogens." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/27141.
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Oestrogenic chemicals have become increasingly associated with health effects in wildlife populations and humans. Transgenic animal models have been developed to understand the mechanisms by which these oestrogenic chemicals alter hormonal signalling pathways and how these alterations can lead to chronic health effects. The use of highly informative transgenic animal models will also result in better use and potential reduction of intact animals used in animal testing in line with the principles of the 3Rs. In this thesis work, two novel oestrogen responsive transgenic zebrafish models have been generated to investigate the effects of oestrogenic chemicals, identify their tissue targets and better understand the temporal dynamics of these responses. Both models express the pigment-free ‘Casper’ (a mutant line lacking skin pigment) phenotype, which facilitate identification of responding target tissues in the whole fish in all fish life stages (embryos to adults). The oestrogen response element green fluorescent (ERE-GFP)-Casper model was generated by crossing an established ERE-GFP line with the skin pigment free Casper line. The model generated is highly sensitive to oestrogenic chemicals, detecting responses to environmentally relevant concentrations of EE2, bisphenol A (BPA), genistein and nonylphenol. Use of the ERE-GFP- Casper model shows chemical type and concentration dependence for green fluorescent protein (GFP) induction and both spatial and temporal responses for different environmental oestrogens tested. A semi-automated (ArrayScan) imaging and image analysis system was also developed to quantify whole body fluorescence responses for a range of different oestrogenic chemicals in the new transgenic zebrafish model. The zebrafish model developed provides a sensitive and highly integrative system for identifying oestrogenic chemicals, their target tissues and effect concentrations for exposures in real time and across different life stages. It thus has application for chemical screening to better direct health effects analysis of environmental oestrogens and for investigating the functional roles of oestrogens in vertebrates. The second model generated was an ERE-Kaede-Casper line developed via crossing of the ERE-GFP-Casper line and a UAS-Kaede line and screening subsequent generations for a desired genotype and homozygous expression of the transgenes. Kaede is a photoconvertible fluorescent protein that initially fluoresces green in colour and can be permanently converted to red fluorescence upon short exposure to UV light. The model has a silenced skin pigmentation and high sensitivity to oestrogenic chemicals comparable with the previously developed ERE-GFP-Casper model. Use of this model has identified windows of tissue-specific sensitivity to ethinyloestradiol (EE2) for exposure during early-life (0-48hpf) and illustrated that exposure to oestrogen (EE2) during early life (0-48hpf) can enhance responsiveness (sensitivity) to different environmental oestrogens (EE2, genistein and bisphenol A) for subsequent exposures during development. These findings illustrate the importance of oestrogen exposure history in effects assessments and they have wider implications for the possible adverse effects associated with oestrogen exposure.
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Mueller, Amy 1980. "Development of a combined multi-sensor/signal processing architecture for improved in-situ quantification of the charge balance of natural waters." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/74267.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2012.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 189-197).
This thesis details the design, implementation, and testing of a new electrochemical instrument for the in situ measurement of both major and environmentally relevant minor ions in fresh waters, namely Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, NH+4 , Cl-, NO-3 , and SO2-4 . The instrument is built on a hybrid multi-probe / signal processing architecture and is implemented using commercial sensor hardware (primarily ion-selective electrodes (ISEs)) paired with a novel neural network processor designed to take advantage of a priori chemical knowledge about the system. Adaptation of this architecture to in-situ conditions and quantification of relatively minor ions required overcoming a number of challenges, including: (1) lack of a standardized method for unsupervised recording of ISE equilibrium potential, (2) non-availability of commercial electrodes for some ion species, and (3) detection of ion concentrations that fall below the ISE linear response region and/or are confounded by the presence of relatively large quantities of interfering ions. As such, a methodology is proposed and validated for standardization of ISE potential readings, resulting in consistent measurements completed in <6.5 min., improving replicability, and facilitating simultaneous measurement of up to 12 ion channels. The sensor suite is then designed such that each ISE provides information about more than one analyte, and finally, the artificial neural network (ANN) architecture is optimized for use on environmental chemical data by including software constraints implementing known chemical relationships, i.e., the concept of charge balance and the total ion-conductivity relationship. Two experiments are conducted using environmentally-relevant data sets (one semi-synthetic, one created in the lab) to characterize the eectiveness of the proposed ANN architecture. Final results demonstrate over an order of magnitude decrease in relative error (as measured against use of ISEs as stand-alone sensors) without concentration-dependent error bias, including estimates for analytes for which no specfic ISE exists (SO2-4 , Mg2+, HCO-3 ). Simultaneous un-biased quantification of all eight ions is achieved with ~20% error on most channels including NO-3 (concentrations by Amy Violet Mueller.
Ph.D.
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Dorner, Wolfgang. "Environmental economic aspects of river basins and their catchment. Identification and quantification of flood related land use externalities." University of Southern Queensland, Faculty of Engineering and Surveying, 2009. http://eprints.usq.edu.au/archive/00006189/.
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[Abstract]This thesis investigates a common problem of land use impacts on flood damage costs on a catchment scale. It does this through a particular case study, to quantify the technical upstream-downstream dependencies and highlights the externalities through hydroeconomicanalysis of flood damages and mitigation costs. The substantive content of the project is cross disciplinary.Peak and volume of river flows are functions of the catchment surface characteristics. This means that any impacts to the run-off regime (for example surface sealing or river training) could affect people and land users in the lower catchment. Thus, upstream activities cancause higher flood peaks, and also entail higher damages downstream. These damages are either borne by the affected parties or they are mitigated by state financed flood defence works or offset with financial compensation. These costs are usually not included in the economic considerations of the upstream land user who is partially causing them. In economic terms, these effects are referred to as unidirectional externalities. This means that a producer can export parts of his production costs to third parties and these are not included in the price of the product.The Herzogbach is a small tributary of the Danube River in Lower Bavaria. It is located in a rural area, dominated by intensive farming practices. Two villages (Bachling and Buchhofen) in the headwaters and middle section of the catchment and one city (Osterhofen) in the lowercatchment were analysed to determine the impact of upstream land use practices on the flood situation.A combination of hydrological and hydraulic modelling provided the core data to allow the interpretation of economic data, using methods of cost damage estimation. A hydrological model of the catchment provided hydrograph simulations based on (a) a regionalisation approach,(b) hydrologic flood routing and (c) hydrologic reservoir routing. A two dimensional stream flow model was then used to convert the hydrographs into flood levels, to simulatethe run-off in settled areas and determine the flood affected areas, flood levels and flow velocities. Estimates for flood damages or mitigation costs resulting from different hydrological scenarios were compared. The scenarios are based on different land uses and alloweconomic externalities to be estimated.It was found that intensive farming and river training increase the peaks, shape and volume of flood waves in comparison to extensive land use, grassland or forest. In the study area, especially river training reduced the detention effect of the river bed and the natural floodplain. These significant changes to the natural run-off regime directly affect land use in the lower catchment through flood damages and increased flood risk, and by reducing the effectiveness of planned or existing flood protection works.The thesis concludes with linked technical and economic findings which indicate a rich potential new area for research - “hydroeconomics”. The published literature shows few people have worked in this cross disciplinary area. The technical finding is that changes to land use, especially in agriculture, can increase the flood damages in downstream settlements or increase the cost of flood mitigation works significantly. From an economic point ofview, this is a unidirectional externality which should be considered in catchment and flood management. Possible solutions could include the control of land use and instruments such as separate waste water fees for rainwater and sewage or run-off certificates.
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Wambo, Kathryn Ann. "Quantification of Microcystis in the Waters of Western Lake Erie and the Maumee River in the Summer of 2009." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1272632694.
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Andersson, Simon, and Johan Petersson. "Potential for Urban Mining in Norrköping : a Static Quantification of Metal in Subterranean Infrasystems." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tema vatten i natur och samhälle, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-68929.
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As the society’s demand for metal increases, the rate of mineral extraction will do the same. This contributes to environmental implications in the form of emissions and depletion of finite natural resources. Conventional recycling is a common practice used to reduce the need for extraction of metal ore and in turn reduce the environmental impact. Recycling is an important source to satisfy the metal demand; as much of 30 % of the metal demand is covered by recycling in some markets. Another form of recycling is the practice of urban mining. A practice which includes recycling of society’s stocks of unused but not discarded metal, these unused amounts metal is part of a so called hibernating stock. An example of a very large stock is the infrasystems in the shape of power cables and pipes. The objective of this thesis is to quantify the metal stocks of copper, aluminium and iron in subterranean infrasystems in the city district of Södra Butängen in Norrköping. Also, a quantification for Norrköping as a whole is performed but on slightly different infrasystems. An economical valuation of these stocks is also performed. The Municipality of Norrköping has the ambition to transform this small industrial area, that Södra Butängen is today, into to a sustainability profiled residential and commercial area which opens up an opportunity to recycle the infrasystems when all buildings are removed and the ground is dug up. To fulfil the objective of the thesis, and quantify the metal stocks, so called static quantification was used. The infrasystems to be included in this study were chosen and the data describing these systems was collected from the respective owner of the systems. The gathered data consists of maps which were digitalized with GIS-software using ArcMap 10 where the stocks then were quantified. The results show that the infrasystems in Södra Butängen holds almost 600 tons of metal with an economical value of 4.67 million SEK. For the Norrköping quantification the results shows that the stock contains about 30,000 tons of metal. The economical value is a little over 70 million SEK. The hibernating stocks in Norrköping equals to 5,100 tons of metal and a value of 9.5 million SEK. There is a potential for urban mining in Södra Butängen that should be considered. However, there are some issues that also must be considered, like cost of extraction. There are large stocks of metal that not have been possible to identify in this thesis. This includes the power grid for Norrköping; a valuable stock due to its large copper content.
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Kelly, Joseph P. "Dry Needling of Myofascial Trigger Points: Quantification of the Biomechanical Response Using a Myotonometer." Diss., NSUWorks, 2017. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_pt_stuetd/68.
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Background: Biomechanical stiffness has been linked to risk of injury and found to be a measureable characteristic in musculoskeletal disorders. Specific identification of stiffness may clarify who is most likely to benefit from the trigger point dry needling (TDN). The purpose of this study is to investigate the reliability and concurrent validity of the MyotonPRO® to the criterion of shear wave ultrasound elastography for the measurement of biomechanical stiffness in the infraspinatus, erector spinae, and gastrocnemius of healthy subjects over increasing muscle contraction. Second purpose is to investigate the biomechanical effects of TDN to latent myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in the infraspinatus, erector spinae, or gastrocnemius. Research Design and Method: The first phase of the study investigated 30 subjects who completed three levels of muscle contraction in standardized test positions for the infraspinatus, erector spinae and gastrocnemius. Biomechanical stiffness measures were collected using shear wave elastography and MyotonPRO®. The second phase of the study investigated 60 new subjects who were categorized into infraspinatus, erector spinae, or gastrocnemius group based on an identified latent MTrP. These subjects underwent TDN while monitoring biomechanical stiffness at baseline, immediately post TDN, and 24 hours later. Analysis: Discriminate ability, reliability, and correlations were calculated for measured stiffness variable across the three conditions of contraction in the first phase of the study. Differences between stiffness at baseline and after TDN were calculated in the second phase of the study. Results: Correlation of the two measurement methods in the three muscle regions was significant and strongest in the gastrocnemius. MyotonPRO reliability was excellent, and demonstrated ability to discriminate between the three levels of muscle contraction. In the second phase, immediate decreased stiffness was observed in the MTrP following TDN treatment. Significant decreased stiffness was found in in the erector spinae and gastrocnemius group who also demonstrated a localized twitch response during TDN. Stiffness returned to near baseline values after 24 hours. Discussion: The MyotonPRO® stiffness measurement was found to be reliable and discriminate across predefined muscle contraction intensities. TDN may cause an immediate change in stiffness but this change was not observed at 24 hours. It is not known whether these effects are present in a symptomatic population or related to improvements in other clinical outcomes. Future studies are necessary to determine if a decrease in biomechanical stiffness is an indication of patient improvement in pain and function.
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Newbold, Lynda Rhian. "Experimental quantification of fish swimming performance and behavioural response to hydraulic stimuli : application to fish pass design in the UK and China." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2015. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/385313/.
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Loss of habitat connectivity due to anthropogenic structures is among the greatest threats to freshwater fish populations. Re-establishing river connectivity through fish pass facilities can be an effective and cost-efficient method of enhancing local productivity, yet many are unsuccessful. A good understanding of multispecies swimming performance and behavioural response to hydraulic conditions is therefore needed to improve designs. This thesis aimed to improve knowledge in this field for non-salmonid fish species of conservation concern and economic value. Swimming performance data were collected for juvenile bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), a species threatened by anthropogenic barriers in China, using a range of swim chamber and open channel flume methodologies. Burst swimming performance was relatively weak, especially where multiple high velocity areas had to be passed. In addition, the availability of low velocity areas in a section of open channel flume did not improve endurance, and beyond aerobic swimming speeds these velocity refugia were rarely utilised. Management recommendations for fish pass velocities are presented based on this data. To further explore carp behavioural utilisation of low velocity regions, juvenile common carp (Cyprinus carpio) swimming performance and behaviour were evaluated under various wall roughness treatments. Fish generally maintained position close to smooth walls and small corrugations, yet often moved further from medium and large corrugations and into areas of higher velocity and lower turbulent kinetic energy. Thus, performance was not enhanced by the larger areas of low velocity created by corrugated walls. To assess the influence of accelerating flow on European eel (Anguilla anguilla) behaviour, a constricted flume created a velocity gradient representative of that found at anthropogenic structures and downstream bypass facilities. Of 138 downstream moving silver eels approaching the constriction, 46% reacted by changing orientation and/or a rapid burst of upstream swimming. Furthermore, 36% rejected the constricted channel and returned upstream, delaying downstream passage. The probability of a rejection was increased by a high abundance of the invasive parasite, Anguillicoloides crassus. These findings have potential implications for bypass efficiencies and escapement to sea. Eel swimming performance and behaviour were also evaluated during upstream passage through a culvert. Traditional corner baffles and prototype sloped baffles improved passage success compared to a bare culvert. Although the prototype created higher barrel velocities and turbulence, eel passage success was equal between the two baffle designs. Installation of the sloped baffle is recommended due to high passage efficiency and the potential to reduce the risk of debris accumulation compared to 90° baffles. The data presented in this thesis enhances our understanding of non-salmonid swimming performance and behaviour, and are used to recommend approaches to fish pass design for European eel and Asian carp.
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Chen, Michael Andrew. "Pore-scale processes : quantification of the controls on the transport of Ra and Cr, and development of a novel geochemical visualization tool." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/123225.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2019Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 123-140).
Addressing soil contamination inorganic metals and metalloids remains a critical task for the continuing protection of human health globally. The dissolved concentrations of contaminants are controlled by a wide range of biogeochemical processes including oxidation and reduction by microbes, sorption to minerals and organic matter, and complexation with ligands in solution. Depending on the contaminant of interest, the importance of these different processes will widely vary, and the natural heterogeneity of soil systems all further frustrate modeling of contaminant transport. Recent studies have demonstrated that soil conditions vary at scales as small as individual soil pores, suggesting that the controls on contaminant transport also vary at that scale. Understanding the impact these pore scale processes have is necessary to build accurate conceptual models of contaminant fate. The work here explores these types of microscale processes through three different projects. The first project focuses on the sorption of radium, a naturally occurring radioactive material, to different minerals. Surface complexation modeling of Ra was able to replicate sorption experiments, but could not predict the impact of different solution conditions. The second project examines metal reduction via Fe (hyrd)-oxides, showing that bacteria may be able to form networks with semi-conducting Fe (hydr)-oxides. This means bacteria can access electron acceptors without physical contact, and will impact the cycling of redox sensitive metals at pore scales. The final project was the development in a microfluidic device that could be used to directly visualize biogeochemical processes at pore scales through x-ray fluorescence microprobe spectroscopy. The three projects, though focused on different systems, each reveal the importance of considering how microscale processes impact transport of contaminants.
by Michael Andrew Chen.
Ph. D.
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Boulard, Lise [Verfasser], Joachim [Gutachter] Scholz, and Thomas A. [Gutachter] Ternes. "Method development for the quantification of pharmaceuticals in aqueous environmental matrices / Lise Boulard ; Gutachter: Joachim Scholz, Thomas A. Ternes." Koblenz, 2021. http://d-nb.info/1224885457/34.
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Elderbrock, Evan. "Revealing Promising Pathways for Increasing Urban Ecosystem Services: An Approach Combining Stakeholder Priorities with Ecosystem Service Quantification." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/24232.
Full textAbstract:
Urban development diminishes the delivery of ecosystem services (ES), defined as benefits from ecological processes and functions critical to human health and well-being. Land-use planners and environmental managers are increasingly familiar with the concept of ES; however, methods for incorporating ES into urban planning are underdeveloped. While previous reports have identified the combination of ES quantification and stakeholder engagement as necessary for increasing the delivery of ES, methods of implementation remain unexplored. To address this disparity, this study combines ES quantification with perspectives from multiple stakeholders to identify specific land cover conversion scenarios that increase the delivery of ES in the Friendly Area Neighborhood of Eugene, Oregon and compares each conversion scenario using an informed weighting system. The result is a method, with potential for use by researchers and public officials, to quantify the delivery of ES, identify stakeholders’ ES priorities, and assess the benefits associated with green infrastructure development.2020-01-11
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Akpabey, Felix Jerry. "Quantification of the cross-sectoral impacts of waterweeds and their control in Ghana." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005435.
Full textAbstract:
The Akosombo Dam on the Volta River in Ghana was built in 1963 to provide cheap energy to fuel industry and to accelerate the economic growth of the country. It provides hydroelectric power, enhanced fishing and water transportation upstream, and improved opportunities for irrigated farming, especially in the lower reaches, and their attendant economic multiplier effects. A few years after the construction of this major dam, a rapid expansion of industrialization took place in Ghana. This brought about an exponential increase in demand for more electrical power. This led to the construction of a smaller dam at Akuse, downstream of the Akosomho Dam in 1981 and the formation of a headpond at Kpong. The impoundment of the river at the two sites (Akosombo and Kpong) caused an alteration in the existing ecological and biophysical processes in the river basin, including a slowing of the flow of the river, upstream and downstream. Changes in the natural processes, such as a reduction in the flow of the river and an increase in nutrient status of the water, resulted in an invasion of aquatic weeds, increasing the density of aquatic snails (intermediate hosts of schistosomiasis), silting and closure of the estuary, as well as other more subtle effects. The invasion of the river's main course and the dams by aquatic plants led to a corresponding reduction of navigable water both upstream and downstream. The aim of this thesis was to quantify the impact and control of waterweeds, especially water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes (Mart) Solms-Laubach (Pontederiaceae), in Ghana. A floral survey on the Kpong Headpond recorded 49 emergent, 12 free floating and I submerged aquatic plant species, many of which were indigenous, but the exotic or introduced water hyacinth was recorded at most of the sampling sites, and was the most abundant and had the biggest impact on the utilization of the water resource. Mats of water hyacinth served as substrates for other, indigenous species to grow out into the main channel of the headpond, including the intake point of the Kpong head works of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and landing sites for boats. These mats resulted in a reduction of the fish (fin and shell) harvest, reducing the annual production to far below demand. Water hyacinth was also shown to have severe health implications. A survey of the Ministry of Health records showed that the prevalence of both urinary and intestinal schistosomiasis had risen significantly over time as the abundance of waterweeds, most notably water hyacinth, increased, and ranged between 70% and 75% but up to 100% in some lakeside communities. Based on the work done by an NGO on board the medical boat ("Onipa Nua "), losses in terms of money due to the effect on health of the aquatic weed infestations on the Volta River in 2006 amounted to US$ 620,000. Economic losses due to invasive alien aquatic weeds were also calculated on the Oti River Arm of Lake Volta. It was estimated that about US$2.3 million per annum would be lost to the Volta Lake Transport Company and individual boat transport operators if this section of the river were 100% covered by aquatic weeds (water hyacinth and Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitchell (Salviniaceae)). It was also estimated that US$327,038 was spent annually in monitoring and managing the weeds in the Oti River. Control interventions for aquatic weeds have been implemented in river systems in Ghana. The biological control agents Neochetina bruchi Hustache (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) and Neochetina eichhorniae Warner (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) have been used on water hyacinth infestations in the Oti River Arm of Lake Volta, the Tano River and the Lagoon complex in the south-western part of the country. Cyrtobagous salviniae Calder and Sands (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) has been used to control salvinia, and Neohydronomous affinis Hustache (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to control water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes Lilmaeus (Araceae) in the Tano River and Lagoon complex. Although these projects have been regarded as successful, they have relied on research from elsewhere in the world and no postrelease quantification has been conducted. In evaluating the impact of the biological control agents Neochetina bruchi and Neochetina eichhorniae weevils on water hyacinth infestations in the Tano River, fresh adult feeding scars were recorded as well as the numbers of adult weevils on each water hyacinth plant sampled at six sites. Despite being released in 1994, weevil numbers and resultant damage to plants in the Tano Lagoon was low in comparison to other regions of the world where these agents have been used. The main reason for this is that this lagoon floods seasonally, washing weevil-infested plants out to sea. Water hyacinth then re-infests the lagoon from seed and the weevil populations are low. To resolve this situation, two courses of action are proposed. The first is to mass rear the weevils along the shore of the lagoon and release them when the first seedlings recruit. The second proposal is that additional agents that have shorter lifecycies and are more mobile than the weevils should be released. To this end, the water hyacinth mirid, Eccritotarsus catarinensis (Carvalho) (Hemiptera: Miridae) was imported from South Africa and released onto the Tano Lagoon in 2009. Retrospective laboratory host specificity trials were conducted on Neachetina eichharniae and Neachetina bruchi weevils 15 years after their release into Ghana to see if any variation in their host ranges had occurred. Considerable damage was inflicted on the E. crassipes leaves by the Neachetina weevils, while little feeding damage was recorded on both Heteranthera callifalia Kunth. (Pontederiaceae) and Eichharnia natans (P.Beauv.) Solms (Pontederiaceae). All the weevils introduced on H callifalia and E. natans died after the first week. This study served to confirm the host specificity and thereby the safety of these agents. Invasive alien aquatic macrophytes have negative impacts on the environment and economy of Ghana. The control of these weeds is essential to socioeconomic development and improved human health standards in riparian communities. Biological control offers a safe and sustainable control option, but requires diligent implementation. However, aquatic weed invasion is more typically a result of the anthropogenically induced eutrophication of water bodies, and this is the main issue that has to be addressed.
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Boedecker, Ashlynn Rose. "Evaluating sediments as an ecosystem service in western Lake Erie through quantification of nitrogen cycling pathways." Wright State University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1545068281691301.
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Palagama, Dilrukshika S. W. "Development of Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Methods for Identification and Quantification of Microcystins in Water and Biological Fluids, and their Removal from Water." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1544703858711738.
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Xie, Ting. "Quantification of carbon emissions and removals from land, plants, and products : A case study of cotton used in IKEA'sproducts." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tema Miljöförändring, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-178813.
Full textAbstract:
The method framework for quantifying the carbon emissions and removals from land, plants and products for cotton is developed in this study, which is feasible for most cotton supply chains. Collected defaults and suggested sources for required data inputs are provided. Current data gaps are defined, including the knowledge gap found in the storage time of cotton in the product pool, which requires further investigation in the future. Based on the quantification results of IKEA's case in 2019, there is a net 2.9 kg carbon stock increase per kg purchased cotton on average, equivalently offsetting 10.2% of global warming potential caused by cotton lint production emissions. Analysis results indicate that land-based carbon removals can be a cost-effective approach to achieve climate mitigation for cotton corporations. The amount of removed carbon can be greatly improved by avoiding emissions from land use change, adopting a higher level of conservation tillage to improve mineral soil carbon sequestration, and increasing carbon storage time in products to enlarge the climate benefit of cotton products carbon removals. Based on case study results, the carbon removals potential of global cotton production is estimated to be 5.4 Mt CO2-eq in 2019 and projected to reach 6.2 Mt CO2-eq in2029, which can mitigate over 0.01% of the GWP caused by the total worldwide anthropogenic emissions. Though this climate mitigation is relatively small, it breaks out the general cognition of agriculture carbon removals and provides us preliminary insight into cotton carbon sequestration capability and its potential.
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Cochran, Samuel J. "Improved quantification of fungal exposures in house dust from homes of asthmatic children using quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR)." The Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1555660151059543.
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Coleman, Kristen K. "Environmental Detection and Quantification of Airborne Influenza A Virus in an Elementary School, and its Implications for Student and Community Illness." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1493372170333178.
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Badenhorst, Hendrik Louis. "The environmental monitoring and quantification of M. tuberculosis occupational exposure risk in various occupational settings in a platinum mine / H.L. Badenhorst." Thesis, North-West University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/4653.
Full textAbstract:
Tuberculosis is a disease that has a detrimental effect on the economic growth of
South Africa. The country’s TB mortality rate is amongst the highest in the world,
and the worst affected industry is mining. Effective environmental controls of
tuberculosis in mining areas remain a challenge, mainly because there is a lack of
quantitative data to guide the implementation of these controls. No occupational
exposure limits exist for bio–aerosols, particularly Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This
makes it difficult to distinguish between high– and low risk areas. It is believed that a
single inhaled M. tuberculosis particle can cause the tuberculosis disease, and as
this disease can deteriorate all major systems of the body, great care should be
taken in the classification of an area.
Aim: This study aimed to quantify the environmental presence of the M. tuberculosis
bacilli in various occupational settings of a platinum mine. Method: The monitored
areas are all structures above ground, and include high TB risk areas, such as the
hospital TB Ward, and low TB risk areas, such as an office area. Personal
monitoring of the staff in high TB risk areas has also been conducted. Monitoring
was done via the PTFE filter sampling method and the SKC Bio–Sampler impinger
method. The results of these two methods were compared to determine which
method is more effective.
The environmental variables, such as carbon dioxide and -monoxide levels,
temperature (both ambient and wet– bulb), and relative humidity, were also monitored
in order to identify any possible correlations between these variables and the levels
of ambient TB particles. The effectiveness of the Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation
(UVGI) system, which is in place in some of the monitored areas, was also indirectly
assessed, i.e. to see if there are any M. tuberculosis particles present in an area that
makes use of an UVGI system. The PCR analytical method was used to quantify the
number of M. tuberculosis bacilli sampled, and the results were statistically analysed.
Results: M. tuberculosis was found to be present in the office area, the laundry
room, the hospital’s waiting area, the training facility, the dining room, and the mobile
clinic. No M. tuberculosis particles were found in the hospital’s TB Ward and the
change houses of the mine. The results showed that the PTFE filter method had a
greater efficiency than the SKC Bio– Sampler in monitoring environmental M.
tuberculosis particles, as the PTFE filter method yielded positive samples where the
SKC Bio–Sampler did not. There is a practical significant difference between the
two methods. No viable correlations between the environmental variables and M. tuberculosis
prevalence were established due to the low number of samples taken.
Conclusion: It seems that the effectiveness of a UVGI system is dependent on the
number of people crowded into that specific area and the ventilation thereof. A UVGI
system is only a precautionary measure and not a solution.
There are too many factors that still need better understanding before the risk of
contracting environmental TB in high risk areas of a mine can be determined. The
high risk areas seem to be occupational settings that have poor ventilation, but
accommodate a large number of people. The highest risk of TB infection remains
close contact with infected individuals, as the results of the employee monitoring
testified.Thesis (M.Sc. (Occupational Hygiene))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.
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Andersen, Mark R. "Quantification of cytochrome P450 expression : a biomarker of chemical exposure and a tool for basic research /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/8448.
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Cagle, Lauren M. "Municipal Wastewater Disinfection with Electromagnetic Waves using Escherichia coli Concentration as Measurement of Quantification." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2012. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1500.
Full textAbstract:
Wastewater treatment is essential to protecting the environment and human welfare. Although chlorination is widely used, the environmental and health concerns associated with chlorine are growing. Treatment facilities are implementing alternative technologies, though the cost and efficiency associated with these practices leave much room in the wastewater field for innovation.
Hydropath Technologies Limited introduced a piece of equipment that uses the properties of a transformer to pass an alternating electric current through the pipe and into the contents of the channel. Hydroflow claims that the charged microorganisms react with the oppositely charged water molecule to force osmosis and kill the cell. Disinfection capabilities of three Hydroflow models with varying voltages are tested using municipal wastewater from the secondary clarifier using Escherichia coli concentration as the unit for quantification. After testing the results surrounding theses experiments cannot support the hypothesis that the Hydroflow technology could replace chlorination for municipal wastewater disinfection.
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DuFour, Mark R. "Hydroacoustic Quantification of Lake Erie Walleye (Sander vitreus)Distribution and Abundance." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1483715286731694.
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Olsen, Peter A. "Shear Modulus Degradation of Liquefying Sand: Quantification and Modeling." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2007. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/1214.
Full textAbstract:
A major concern for geotechnical engineers is the ability to predict how a soil will react to large ground motions produced by earthquakes. Of all the different types of soil, liquefiable soils present some of the greatest challenges. The ability to quantify the degradation of a soil's shear modulus as it undergoes liquefaction would help engineers design more reliably and economically. This thesis uses ground motions recorded by an array of downhole accelerometers on Port Island, Japan, during the 1995 Kobe Earthquake, to quantify the shear modulus of sand as it liquefies. It has been shown that the shear modulus of sand decreases significantly as it liquefies, apparently decreasing in proportion to the increasing excess pore water pressure ratio (Ru). When completely liquefied, the shear modulus of sand (Ru = 1.0) for a relative density of 40 to 50% is approximately 15% of the high-strain modulus of the sand in its non-liquefied state, or 1% of its initial low-strain value. Presented in this thesis is an approach to modeling the shear modulus degradation of sand as it liquefies. This approach, called the "degrading shear modulus backbone curve method" reasonably predicts the hysteretic shear stress behavior of the liquefied sand. The shear stresses and ground accelerations computed using this method reasonably matches those recorded at the Port Island Downhole Array (PIDA) site. The degrading shear modulus backbone method is recommended as a possible method for conducting ground response analyses at sites with potentially liquefiable soils.
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Accardi-Dey, AmyMarie 1976. "Black carbon in marine sediments : quantification and implications for the sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39160.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2003.Includes bibliographical references.
Sorption is a key factor in determining the fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. Here, PAH sorption is proposed as the sum of two mechanisms: absorption into a biogenic, organic carbon (OC) fraction and adsorption onto a combustion-derived, black carbon (BC) fraction. To study BC adsorption, a 375ʻC thermal oxidation method was employed to remove OC and isolate the BC fraction. Test studies showed that nitrogen-containing macromolecules charred during this pretreatment causing a positive bias to the BC measurement. Meanwhile, the oxidation of relatively small BC particles underestimated the total BC content in non-charring samples. Models based on carbon oxidation were then proposed to estimate reasonably the total BC and OC contents of sediment samples. The adsorption of pyrene onto isolated BC particles was then studied by constructing a nonlinear isotherm, which was characterized with a BC-normalized distribution coefficient and a Freundlich exponent. Pyrene sorption to Boston Harbor sediment was then modeled as the sum of OC absorption and BC adsorption using the measured adsorption parameters and literature absorption values. Finally, literature reports of high PAH distribution coefficients from the field and nonlinear PAH isotherms from the laboratory were re-explained by considering BC adsorption.
by AmyMarie Accardi-Dey.
Ph.D.
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Sanchez, Maria Ambert. "Quantification of Soil Physical Properties by Using X-Ray Computerized Tomography (CT) and Standard Laboratory (STD) Methods." Washington, D.C. : Oak Ridge, Tenn. : United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Science ; distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy, 2003. http://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/822059-1gxx3T/native/.
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Thesis (M.S.); Submitted to Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (US); 12 Dec 2003.Published through the Information Bridge: DOE Scientific and Technical Information. "IS-T 2608" Maria Ambert Sanchez. 12/12/2003. Report is also available in paper and microfiche from NTIS.
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Bhuyan-Erhardt, Upasana Priyambada [Verfasser], Annette [Akademischer Betreuer] Menzel, Achim [Gutachter] Bräuning, and Annette [Gutachter] Menzel. "Drought quantification by multivariate indices and their validation against various environmental data / Upasana Priyambada Bhuyan-Erhardt ; Gutachter: Achim Bräuning, Annette Menzel ; Betreuer: Annette Menzel." München : Universitätsbibliothek der TU München, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1159703612/34.
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DuFour, Mark R. "Quantification of Variability, Abundance, and Mortality of Maumee River Larval Walleye (Sander vitreus) Using Bayesian Hierarchical Models." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1351976817.
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