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Articles 1 - 30 of 50
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Using Nestling Bald Eagles To Assess Spatial And Temporal Trends Of Environmental Contaminants, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, Henry Pittman
Using Nestling Bald Eagles To Assess Spatial And Temporal Trends Of Environmental Contaminants, Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, Henry Pittman
All Theses
Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are a avian species used to monitor environmental contaminants such as mercury (Hg), methylmercury (MeHg), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCs) in North America. Populations of bald eagles nesting along the Great Lakes were very slow to recover after the ban of PCBs and OCs because these compounds were very persistent. Bald eagles at Voyageurs National Park (VNP) have been monitored since 1973 and provide an opportunity to assess temporal and spatial trends of persistent environmental contaminants. Nestling bald eagle feathers were analyzed for Hg concentrations for the past 12 years. Nestling bald …
Fuor And Exor Variables: A Nir High-Resolution Spectroscopic Survey, Joseph Liskowsky
Fuor And Exor Variables: A Nir High-Resolution Spectroscopic Survey, Joseph Liskowsky
All Theses
To better understand the labyrinth of heating and cooling processes in YSOs (young stellar objects), we study systems where there exists a large variability in the heating of this gas due to accretion. This research project focuses on several classes of early young eruptable T-Tauri stars, namely the FUors, the EXors and the so-called FU Ori-like, which all have the property of large amplitude oscillations in accretion rate. Each of these categories may well represent specific stages in early low-mass stellar evolution. While these objects have specific spectroscopic and circumstellar diagnostics (as means of identification) our research suggests that there …
Libstatmech And Applications To Astrophysics, Tianhong Yu
Libstatmech And Applications To Astrophysics, Tianhong Yu
All Theses
In this work an introduction to Libstatmech is presented and applications especially to astrophysics are discussed. Libstatmech is a C toolkit for computing the statistical mechanics of fermions and bosons, written on top of libxml and gsl (GNU Scientific Library). Calculations of Thomas-Fermi Screening model and Bose-Einstein Condensate based on libstatmech demonstrate the expected results. For astrophysics application, a simple Type Ia Supernovae model is established to run the network calculation with weak reactions, in which libstatmech contributes to compute the electron chemical potential and allows the weak reverse rates to be calculated from detailed balance. Starting with pure 12C …
Identification Of Patterns And Controls Of The Distribution Of Groundwater Discharge To Streams, Curtis Gebhard
Identification Of Patterns And Controls Of The Distribution Of Groundwater Discharge To Streams, Curtis Gebhard
All Theses
Groundwater discharge is a key component in understanding the interaction between groundwater and surface water. It provides baseflow to streams and can transport nutrients and contaminants to related aquatic ecosystems. It can also influence fish behaviour, spawning, migration and provide areas of refuge during summer and winter months. There are a variety of techniques that are used to characterize the magnitude of groundwater discharge including seepage meters, field permeameters, and piezometers and manometers, however the controls for the magnitude and distribution of discharge remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to conduct field investigations complimented with numerical analysis …
Use Of Sub-Saharan Vultures In Traditional Medicine And Conservation And Policy Issues For The African Grey Parrot (Psittacus Erithacus), Kristina Dunn
All Theses
ABSTRACT
Wildlife populations worldwide are being negatively affected by the illegal wildlife trade. The severity of the impact to both Sub-Saharan vultures and African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) (AGP) populations are explored in this thesis. Many species of Sub-Saharan vultures are used in the traditional medicinal trade. Previous studies have found that vultures have mystical powers attributed to them due to their keen
ability to find food. AGP's are sought after for international trade due to their ability to mimic human vocabularies and for their aesthetic beauty.
Due to the illegal, secret, and illusive nature of this trade, the monetary …
Home Range, Habitat Selection, And Migratory Pathways Of Canada Geese Wintering At The Santee National Wildlife Refuge, Molly Giles
All Theses
Information on local and flyway-scale space use is lacking for the cohort of migrant geese (Branta canadensis interior) that winter in and adjacent to the Santee National Wildlife Refuge in Summerton, South Carolina. I examined home range and habitat selection of Canada geese in this region. I deployed transmitters on 17 geese (9 VHF and 8 PTT) on wintering grounds at Santee NWR during the winter of 2009-2010. Estimates of fixed kernel home range size ranged from 214.2 to 263.6 ha for VHF-marked geese and 1190.2 to 1915.6 ha for PTT-marked geese. Home ranges of all birds were compact and …
Sysml-Based Domain-Specific Executable Workflows, Vikas Patel
Sysml-Based Domain-Specific Executable Workflows, Vikas Patel
All Theses
The Systems Modeling Language (SysML) is a general-purpose graphical modeling language for specifying, analyzing, designing, and verifying complex systems. This thesis presents a tool called SysFlow Workflow Engine (SWE) that is being developed to execute a domain workflow defined using SysML's Activity Diagram. The thesis also describes extensions added to the SysML semantics to make them SWE executable. SWE focuses on grid computing, cyberinfrastructure and related domains; however, support for other domains can be easily added. SWE aims to provide a common interface to grid, cyberinfrastructure and other domain-specific software by abstracting their complexity and idiosyncrasies. To create a workflow, …
The Synthesis, Characterization, And Electrochemical Study Of Tris(Pyrazolyl)-Type Iron(Ii) Complexes, Iron(Ii) Sulfur- And Selenium-Containing Complexes, And Tris(Pyrazolyl)-Type Ruthenium(Ii) Complexes, Christopher Underwood
The Synthesis, Characterization, And Electrochemical Study Of Tris(Pyrazolyl)-Type Iron(Ii) Complexes, Iron(Ii) Sulfur- And Selenium-Containing Complexes, And Tris(Pyrazolyl)-Type Ruthenium(Ii) Complexes, Christopher Underwood
All Theses
Highly reactive radical species such as hydroxyl radical cause oxidative stress, resulting in chronic or degenerative diseases. In the biological Fenton reaction, iron(II) generates hydroxyl radical, OH, but only within a specific electrochemical potential window (-324 mV to 640 mV). Selenium and sulfur compounds have been extensively studied for their antioxidant properties, and they may exert their effects by binding iron(II) and shifting its electrochemical potential out of this window. This work has investigated the synthesis and electrochemical characterization of iron(II) chalcogenate complexes and iron(II) chalcogenone complexes. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) of [Fe(EPh)4][(PPh4)2] (E = S, Se) complexes shows Fe2+/3+ redox …
Conceptual Model Testing And Development For Neptunium And Radium Sorption To Srs Sediments, Todd Miller
Conceptual Model Testing And Development For Neptunium And Radium Sorption To Srs Sediments, Todd Miller
All Theses
Models which can estimate environmental transport of contaminants are required to ensure minimal risk to the public. These models require accurate transport parameters in order to correctly predict how these contaminants will move in the subsurface. This work aimed to determine more accurately the distribution coefficients for neptunium, strontium, and radium for the Savannah River Site (SRS) Performance Assessment (PA). All neptunium sorption studies were performed at a pH value of 5.50 and an ionic strength of 0.01M as NaCl with neptunium concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 50 ppb. Two different sediments were examined, SRS Subsurface Clayey and SRS Subsurface …
A Ptas For The Uncertain Capacity Knapsack Problem, Matthew Dabney
A Ptas For The Uncertain Capacity Knapsack Problem, Matthew Dabney
All Theses
The standard NP-hard knapsack problem can be interpreted as a scheduling problem with n jobs with weights w1 . . .wn and processing times p1 . . . pn, where our goal is to order the jobs on a single machine so as to maximize the weight of all jobs completing prior to a known common deadline d. In this paper, we study the uncertain capacity knapsack problem (UCKP), a generalization of this problem in which the deadline d is not known with certainty, but rather is provided as a probability distribution, and our goal …
Explicit Level Lowering Of 2-Dimensional Modular Galois Representations, Rodney Keaton
Explicit Level Lowering Of 2-Dimensional Modular Galois Representations, Rodney Keaton
All Theses
Let f be a normalized eigenform of level Npα for some positive integer α and some odd prime p satisfying gcd(p,N)=1. A construction of Deligne, Shimura, et. al., attaches a p-adic continuous two-dimensional Galois representation to f. The Refined Conjecture of Serre states that such a representation should in fact arise from a normalized eigenform of level prime to p.
In this presentation we present a proof of Ribet which allows us to 'strip' these powers of p from the level while still retaining the original Galois representation, i.e., the residual of our new representation arising from level N will …
The Dependence Of Electrical Resistivity, Saturation And Saturation Exponent On Multi-Phase Flow Instability, Zuolin Liu
The Dependence Of Electrical Resistivity, Saturation And Saturation Exponent On Multi-Phase Flow Instability, Zuolin Liu
All Theses
Multiphase flow channeling in oil reservoirs during water floods reduces oil recovery. Electrical methods may be used to monitor reservoirs and detect the onset of channeling, but the dependence of electrical resistivity on reservoir flow conditions is complex. The present study is directed toward understanding how the parameters of Archie's law, a commonly assumed relationship between electrical resistivity and water saturation in a porous medium, depends on multiphase flow instability leading to flow channeling. In this research a series of 34 flow experiments were conducted in a thin, two-dimensional tank (55cm x 55cm x 3.75cm) packed with 2mm glass beads …
A Synthetic Analysis Of Integrated Data Fusion: Combining Hydrologic And Geophysical Data Collected During A Tracer Test To Estimate Aquifer Flow And Transport Parameters, Dylan Fowler
All Theses
Integrated data fusion (IDF), also known as coupled inversion, is becoming a more widely used method for estimating hydrologic parameters from geophysical data. IDF is being used in this research as an approach to inversion that couples mathematical models of groundwater flow, solute transport, and electrical resistivity for the direct estimation of hydraulic conductivity, porosity, and dispersivity from transient resistivity data collected during a tracer test. In this work, synthetic field resistivity data are generated using only a single current electrode pair and many potential electrodes. This data is then used within the IDF framework to a) estimate hydraulic conductivity …
Evaluation Of Spotlight Surveys For Monitoring Mink Populations In Coastal South Carolina, Michael Waller
Evaluation Of Spotlight Surveys For Monitoring Mink Populations In Coastal South Carolina, Michael Waller
All Theses
Annual commercial fur harvest data suggests a decline in South Carolina's mink (Mustela vison) populations over the past century (Butfiloski and Baker 2005). In 1990, DNR began conducting assessments of South Carolina's coastal marshes, revealing mink populations to be scarce to absent in the northern coastal regions (Baker 1999). Since 1999, restoration efforts have re-established mink populations in the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and additional areas in the northern coastal marshes of South Carolina. Because mink are a species of high conservation priority throughout the coastal zone of South Carolina, it is important to develop and implement a reliable …
Effects Of Varying Field Conditions On Potential Painted Bunting Habitat In Coastal South Carolina, Kelly Campbell
Effects Of Varying Field Conditions On Potential Painted Bunting Habitat In Coastal South Carolina, Kelly Campbell
All Theses
Daily point counts were conducted during the summer seasons of 2006, 2007 and 2008 in randomly selected agricultural plots at two field sites in coastal South Carolina to examine habitat use by painted buntings, indigo buntings, blue grosbeaks and brown-headed cowbirds. Plots were selected based on their original condition, such as planted, fallow or old field, in 2006. The two sites, James A. Webb Wildlife Management Area and Nemours Plantation, are areas managed in methods similar to those described in several Conservation Reserve Programs (CRPs), and CP33 - Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds - in particular. I propose the management …
Evaluation Of A Pilot-Scale Constructed Wetland Treatment System For Renovation Of A Specific Oilfield Produced Water For Beneficial Use, Jennifer Horner
Evaluation Of A Pilot-Scale Constructed Wetland Treatment System For Renovation Of A Specific Oilfield Produced Water For Beneficial Use, Jennifer Horner
All Theses
Oilfield produced waters (OPWs) are brought to the surface when oil reservoirs contained in water-bearing geologic units are extracted. Large volumes of OPW present environmental challenges concerning disposal, as well as potential opportunities for beneficial use if constituents posing risk can be remediated. In this study a pilot-scale constructed wetland treatment system (CWTS) was specifically designed to treat an OPW from sub-Saharan Africa for use in irrigation and livestock watering. Three major objectives were to: characterize and identify constituents of concern in the OPW in terms of beneficial use, evaluate treatment performance of a pilot-scale constructed wetland treatment system for …
Pilot-Scale Constructed Wetland Treatment System For Ammonia Removal From Oil-Field Produced Water, Yun Song
Pilot-Scale Constructed Wetland Treatment System For Ammonia Removal From Oil-Field Produced Water, Yun Song
All Theses
This investigation examined the feasibility of using free-water surface constructed wetland systems (CWTSs) to decrease the ammonia concentration in oil-field produced water. The objective of this research was to design constructed wetland experiments to determine specific conditions that decrease aqueous ammonia concentrations in simulated oilfield produced water. The design of these experiments was based on biogeochemical pathways of nitrification and denitrification. The experiments included three scales: bench-scale, single-cell, and pilot-scale. Bench-scale reactors contained wetland plants (Typha latifolia) and hydrosoil in 5-gallon buckets. Single wetland cells were constructed by adding hydrosoil and plants (T. latifolia and Schoenoplectus californicus) to 70-gallon containers. …
Numerical Modeling Of Contaminant Transport In Fractured Porous Media Using Mixed Finite Element And Finite Volume Methods, Chen Dong
All Theses
A mathematical model for contaminant species passing through fractured porous media is presented. In the numerical model, we combine two locally conservative methods, i.e. mixed finite element (MFE) and the finite volume methods. Adaptive triangle mesh is used for effective treatment of the fractures. A hybrid MFE method is employed to provide an accurate approximation of velocities field for both the fractures and matrix which are crucial to the convection part of the transport equation. The finite volume method and the standard MFE method are used to approximate the convection and dispersion terms respectively. Numerical examples in different fractured media …
Metalloporphyrin-Catalyzed Reduction Reactions Of Hexavalent Chromium, Rong Zhang
Metalloporphyrin-Catalyzed Reduction Reactions Of Hexavalent Chromium, Rong Zhang
All Theses
Previous studies have demonstrated that the reduction of oxidized organic and inorganic contaminants could be catalyzed by electron shuttle systems, which generally were biological organic macrocycle complexes with transition metals. Metalloporphyrins (MPs) and their derivatives are well known electron shuttles for many biogeochemical systems. The objective of this research was to study the catalytic capabilities of selected MPs for the reduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in the presence of reducing agents. Zero valent iron (ZVI) was chosen as the primary electron donor in the experimental systems. Protoporphyrin IX (Proto) and Uroporphyrin I (Uro) are naturally occurring porphyrins produced during heme …
Effect Of Abiotic Factors On Lead Corrosion In Drinking Water Systems, Bin Yang
Effect Of Abiotic Factors On Lead Corrosion In Drinking Water Systems, Bin Yang
All Theses
A major shift in water disinfection has been happening over the past few years from chlorination to chloramination. Chloramination is considered advantageous to chlorination due to the decreased formation of hazardous disinfection byproducts (DBPs) that are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Disinfectants/Disinfection By-Products Rule. Despite the advantage of chloramination in generating less DBPs, unexpected increases in lead concentrations have recently been uncovered and receiving intensive attention. Because lead is neurologically toxic, research is needed to investigate the mechanisms involved in lead corrosion in such systems and to develop counteractive approaches. Currently, there is a very poor …
Quantum Codes From Two-Point Hermitian Codes, Justine Hyde-Volpe
Quantum Codes From Two-Point Hermitian Codes, Justine Hyde-Volpe
All Theses
We explore the background on error-correcting codes, including linear codes and quantum codes from curves. Then we consider the parameters of quantum codes constructed from two-point Hermitian codes.
The Impact Of Water Harvesting On A Small Watershed In Rural India, Daniel Matz
The Impact Of Water Harvesting On A Small Watershed In Rural India, Daniel Matz
All Theses
Reliable sources of fresh water are a finite resource across the world. Many countries, including India, face water scarcity due to temporal and spatial variations in precipitation, surface water pollution, and depletion of groundwater resources. In order to combat against water scarcity, the government, non-governmental organizations, researchers, and individuals have attempted to create solutions to the water scarcity problem. One solution, which has become popular throughout India is the construction of water harvestings structures (WHS), small earthen dams built to capture monsoonal runoff on ephemeral streams. Villagers believe these structures have a positive effect on groundwater levels and water availability …
Predicting Long-Term Well Performance From Short-Term Well Tests In The Piedmont, David Hisz
Predicting Long-Term Well Performance From Short-Term Well Tests In The Piedmont, David Hisz
All Theses
A reliable estimate of the physically sustainable discharge of a well is a fundamental aspect affecting management of water resources, but there are surprisingly few analyses describing on how to make such an estimate. Current available methods include either an empirical or a quantitative approach. The empirical method is based on holding the head or flow rate constant in order to maintain a target drawdown for as long as possible. The second method involves conducting a constant rate test to calculate the properties of the aquifer, T and S, and extrapolate the drawdown using a type curve (i.e. Theis analysis). …
Creating Touchpanel Graphics For Control Systems, Lucas Mcdaniel
Creating Touchpanel Graphics For Control Systems, Lucas Mcdaniel
All Theses
More often than system designers would like to admit, a discrepancy lies between the implementation of audiovisual control systems and their apparent ease of use to a novice or casual user. System designers and programmers are often hampered by the software tools provided by industry manufacturers and cannot reliably create desirable graphical interfaces that match the level of systems they are asked to program and install.
Popular consumer trends in portable touchscreen devices, pioneered on devices such as the Apple iPhone, light a way forward into a new era of elegantly solving the audiovisual control system graphical user interface problem. …
Behavioral Animation For Maya Particles Using Steering Forces, Edgar Rodriguez
Behavioral Animation For Maya Particles Using Steering Forces, Edgar Rodriguez
All Theses
Maya has various built-in solutions for modeling effects. Maya does not, however, offer a built-in solution for modeling so called 'steering behaviors.' While users may rely on particle expressions or scene rigs, these solutions are generally time consuming and ultimately limiting in their cross application. Accordingly, Maya's particle system was extended, by implementing a new force, which can be used to model a set of steering behaviors. The new force was coded in Python and was implemented using Maya's Python Application Programming Interface ('API'). The new force can be used in conjunction with the particle system's existing forces and Maya's …
Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis For The Selection Of A Land Use Impact Method For A Life Cycle Assessment Of Switchgrass As A Bioenergy Feedstock In The Pee Dee Region Of South Carolina, Joel Kohn
All Theses
The interactions of a growing human population and increasing demand for food and energy have led to governmental and social pressures encouraging the adoption of biofuels as a substitute for fossil energy sources; however, several potential biofuel feedstocks can compete directly with food products for valuable land area. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool that examines the environmental impacts of a product or process and can assist decision makers in the development of policy. The environmental impacts of land use are not well incorporated into LCA. As an emerging field, there is no consensus regarding the best methods by …
Impact Of Microsparticle Concentration Levels Upon Toxicity Of Phenol To Artemia, Federico Sinche
Impact Of Microsparticle Concentration Levels Upon Toxicity Of Phenol To Artemia, Federico Sinche
All Theses
Plastic pollution constitutes a threat to marine wildlife because of the deleterious impacts ranging from entanglement to ingestion of plastic debris. However, knowledge regarding the impacts of fragmented plastics into micron sizes and their interaction with other toxicants in the marine environment is still limited. In the present study the impact of polystyrene microspheres, 3 µm in diameter, upon toxicity of phenol to the brine shrimp Artemia was investigated in acute toxicity tests. The brine shrimp are employed as a model organism in marine toxicity tests. Phenol is a hydrophobic compound used as an intermediate resin discharged to the environment. …
Factors Influencing The Adsorption Of Synthetic Organic Compounds By Carbon Nanotubes In Aquatic Environments, Ting Shao
All Theses
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon consisting of sheets of carbon atoms covalently bonded in hexagonal arrays that are seamlessly rolled into a hollow, cy-lindrical shape with both ends rounded by fullerene-like caps. As large amounts of CNTs have been manufactured and significant growth is expected in commercial CNT produc-tion, there is a major concern over their health and environmental risks once they enter into the environment. In aquatic systems, CNTs are likely to adsorb organic chemicals and aggregate as bundles due to their extremely hydrophobic surfaces. The aggregation state of CNTs plays a significant role in their fate …
Community Ecology Approaches To Amphibian Conservation, Joanna Hawley
Community Ecology Approaches To Amphibian Conservation, Joanna Hawley
All Theses
Amphibian declines have been observed globally for several decades and populations continue to decline in many areas today. Through an extensive literature review of amphibian `impact studies,' I evaluated the use of multiple species, multiple spatial and temporal scales in an effort to ascertain a more complete, community-wide perspective on the causes of amphibian declines as well as management and conservation implications aimed at reversing these declines. Additionally, I performed multivariate analysis of an amphibian community dataset from southern Maine, USA using a multi-species and scalar approach to identify potentially important environmental variables associated with high levels of amphibian reproductive …
Understanding The Role Of Electrostatics On Protein-Protein Binding, Rooplekha C Mitra
Understanding The Role Of Electrostatics On Protein-Protein Binding, Rooplekha C Mitra
All Theses
Ionized groups carry net charge and thus play a major role in the electrostatic interactions between the ligand and receptor. So understanding the role of electrostatics on protein-protein interactions is crucial for understanding the contribution of ionizable groups to the binding. However, their ionization states depend on many factors including pH of water phase. The complexity comes from the fact that the pKa's of ionizable groups may be quite different from their standard values and even may change due to protein-protein binding. The main difficulty in modeling plausible ionization changes induced by the complex formation arises from the differences in …