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A Study On The Current State Of Contaminants Of Concern Research, With A Focus On Biosolids And Regulations, Maren Mariah Fulton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Wastewater treatment plants are a major source of contaminants of emerging concern, as these facilities are the main receptors of these products via household, commercial, and industrial drains, and transport via stormwater runoff. Biosolids are composed of numerous constituents, with a number of environmentally persistent and potentially toxic contaminants of emerging concern identified as present in large concentrations. Research is needed to understand the transport and fate mechanisms of these compounds in biosolids. Additionally, this research is needed to determine a new priority framework to regulate CECs, both on the national level and regional levels. Wastewater treatment plant influent and …

Curriculum Change 2016-2017, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

The Pathology Of Command And Control: A Formal Synthesis, Michael Cox

Dartmouth Scholarship

One of the most important theories in the study of environmental governance and policy is the pathology of command and control, which describes the negative consequences of top-down, technocratic governance of social and ecological systems. However, to date, this theory has been expressed somewhat inconsistently and informally in the literature, even by the seminal works that have established its importance and popularized it. This presents a problem for the sustainability science community if it cannot be sure of the precise details of one of its most important theories. Without such precision, applications and tests of various elements of the theory …

Climate And Bark Beetle Effects On Forest Productivity — Linking Dendroecology With Forest Landscape Modeling, Alec M. Kretchun, E. Louise Loudermilk, Robert M. Scheller, Matthew Hurteau, Soumaya Belmecher

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

In forested systems throughout the world, climate influences tree growth and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP). The effects of extreme climate events (i.e., drought) on ANPP can be compounded by biotic factors (e.g., insect outbreaks). Understanding the contribution of each of these influences on growth requires information at multiple spatial scales and is essential for understanding regional forest response to changing climate. The mixed conifer forests of the Lake Tahoe Basin, California and Nevada, provide an opportunity to analyze biotic and abiotic influences on ANPP. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of moisture stress (climatic water deficit, CWD) and …

Adverse Effects Of Mercury And Some Management Options To Reduce Dental Amalgam Waste, Marta Szabatin

University Honors Theses

Mercury is a persistent, toxic pollutant and at elevated levels can cause serious environmental harm to aquatic life, wildlife, and humans. Mercury from anthropogenic sources continues to be a significant risk to human health causing regulatory agencies to address this issue. The purpose of this study is to review the sources, forms and adverse effects of mercury, and identify the tools regulating mercury-containing dental waste management, and the advantages and disadvantages of various management practices that help to minimize mercury releases into municipal sewage system and into waterbodies. Dental facilities are significant mercury dischargers to wastewater treatment facilities and dental …

Algal Community Membership Of Estuarine Mudflats From The Savannah River, United States, Kalina M. Manoylov, Yenkang Ellen France, Abeselom Geletu, Joseph N. Dominy

Faculty and Staff Works

Algae represent a large and diverse group of photosynthetic organisms inhabiting all aquatic habitats. Although the traditional assessment of algal diversity relies mainly on microscopy-based morphological identification, certain limitations exist. In this study, we present a combined molecular and morphological assessment of algal diversity in mudflats from the Savannah River Estuary, Georgia. High diversity of diatoms was documented, and less than 20% of the algal community was physiologically active at the time of collection. From the total genomic DNA extracted from the field samples and lab isolates, 18S rDNA sequences were PCR amplified, cloned, sequenced, identified, and then compared to …

A Sustainability-Based Project Selection Algorithm: Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection (Steps) Algorithm, Bharathi Bhattu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Multi-dimensional aspects play a vital role in the task of project-decision making. Environmental effects are to be considered in addition to other technical and non-technical aspects in order to avoid undue environmental damage. This current work introduces a new decision-making algorithm (Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection or STEPS) that is demonstrated with the use of RCA (recycled concrete aggregate) as riprap for slope stabilization and erosion control which leaches chemical arsenic when in contact with water. Arsenic has long been recognized for its lethal properties. The main intention of introducing this new algorithm is to use sustainability concepts of social, technical, and …

Development And Application Of Quantitative Gene Expression Assays In Wild-Caught, Non-Model Fish Species, Cassidy Megan Hahn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Great Lakes Basin is the most significant freshwater resource in North America. It is a central location for diverse anthropogenic enterprises and consequently has been heavily impacted by the release of toxic substances. Environmental studies increasingly identify the presence of both contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and legacy contaminants in aquatic environments; however, the biological effects of these compounds on resident fishes remain largely unknown. To address this issue, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Contaminants Programs initiated a multiagency, collaborative study which included chemical analysis of water and benthic sediment, assessment of caged fathead minnows and assessment …

Experimental Investigation On Up-Flow Boiling Of R1234yf In Aluminum Multi-Port Extruded Tubes, Jiyang Li, Chaobin Dang, Eiji Hihara

International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference

The local characteristics of heat transfer and pressure drop were investigated experimentally for the vertical upflow boiling of low GWP refrigerant R1234yf in two types of aluminum multi-port extruded tubes having 16 channels with a cross section of 0.9×0.2 mm2 and 40 channels with a cross section of 0.3×0.2 mm2 respectively. At an evaporating temperature of 15 ℃, the local heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop at heat flux of 4-16 kW/m2 and mass flux of 60-240 kg/(m2s) were measured. Combined with previous results of multi-port extruded tubes having 16 channels with a cross section of 0.9×0.9 mm2, the effect …

Theoretical And Experimental Investigation On Dewatering Performance From Aqueous Lithium Bromide Solution Stream Confined By Hollow Fiber Membrane, Sung Joo Hong, Eiji Hihara, Chaobin Dang

International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference

Vapor absorption refrigeration system efficiently could be driven by the low grade renewable heat associated with the exhaust gas from the car engine, and uses the eco-friendly refrigerant, i.e. water. The absorption cycle, however, has not yet obtained much attraction in the automobile application due to its large volume and weight per unit of cooling capacity, which has limited to use. A micro-porous hydrophobic membrane acts as a selective barrier which allows water vapor to pass through but blocks the passage of liquid solution, and therefore as an application of VARs, it is expected that a hydrophobic hollow fiber membrane …

Application Of Geographical Information Systems To Determine Human Population Impact On Water Resources Of Yellow Springs, Ohio, And The Use Of Lidar Intensities In Land Use Classification, Gregory Geise

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of the following studies were to investigate natural and human influences on several spatial and temporal aspects of a local and regional environment. The decreasing discharge rate of the ground water supplied Yellow Spring may be caused by the increase in population of the nearby Village of Yellow Springs, Ohio. Periodic measurements of Yellow Spring's discharge rate compared to changes in the town's population showed an inverse relationship, where spring discharge declined as population grew. A sharp decrease in discharge occurred during a period when the spring's facade was modified and an airport was built partially overlying the …

Disrupting The Past To Disrupt The Future: An Antenarrative Of Technical Communication, Natasha N. Jones, Kristen R. Moore, Rebecca Walton

English Faculty Publications

This article presents an antenarrative of the field of technical and professional communication. Part methodology and part practice, an antenarrative allows the work of the field to be reseen, forges new paths forward, and emboldens the field’s objectives to unabashedly embrace social justice andinclusivity as part of its core narrative. The authors present a heuristic that can usefully extend the pursuit of inclusivity in technical and professional communication.

Land Use Consultations Advancing Therapeutic Jurisprudence: Ripe For Clinical Trials, Michael N. Widener

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This paper proposes educating law students in the processes of therapeutic justice through service as a neutral in land use controversies, and in the process, improving law student dispute resolution skills and enabling them to promote therapeutic outcomes.

Strangers Among Us: Invasive Plants In British Literature, 1669-1800., Thomas Lance Bullington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exotic flora in the long eighteenth century (1666-1800) embodied a point of contact between the natural and imaginary worlds, bearing witness to the ways that ideology relocates living things according to human desire. Most accounts view these exotics through the lens of ecological imperialism and “invasive” species. Both of these terms are twenty-first century metaphors that materialize the role of imperialism in circulating exotics, applying the narrative of invading British empire to the behavior of foreign plants. However, such accounts do not fully acknowledge the cultural work that images of foreign plants do. I opt instead for an ecocritical reappraisal …

A Mirrored Telematics-Scada System Using Global System For Mobile Communications And Short Message Service, Cesar Isaza, Karina Anaya, Jonny Zavala De Paz, Salvador Francisco Acuña

AgroEnviron 2016: 10th International Symposium on Agriculture and the Environment - May 23-27, 2016

No abstract provided.

A Park For Everyone: The National Park Service In Urban America, Sarah J. Morath

Akron Law Faculty Publications

This article examines the National Park Service's past and future presence in urban America. Scholars, conservationists, and park administrators agree that urban park spaces and programming must be a focus of the National Park Service in its second century. This article explains the motivations behind the National Park Service's first urban parks and describes the National Park Service's recent emphasis on urban areas. From designations such as Pullman Park in Chicago, to initiatives like the Urban Agenda, the National Park Service is poised to engage urban America and create a new generation of park visitors.

Polyethylene Oxide Nanofiber Production By Electrospinning, H. E. Schneider, J. G. Steuber, W. Du, M. Mortazavi, D. W. Bullock

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Electrospinning is an inexpensive technique that is used to produce nanofibers for a variety of applications. In electrospinning, a polymer solution is dispensed from a hypodermic-like syringe where an intense electric field attracts the solution to a collector while drawing the polymer into a very thin fiber. The diameter of the fiber can be controlled by tuning the process parameters such as the applied electric field, solution flow rate, distance between syringe tip and collector, and the collector geometry. In this paper we describe results from electrospinning poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), a likely candidate for applications involving scaffolding for tissue engineering. …

Result Inequality In Family Law, Margaret F. Brinig

Journal Articles

To the extent that family law is governed by statute, all families are treated as though they are the same. This is of course consistent with the equal protection guarantees of the US Constitution as well as those of the states. However, in our pluralistic society, all families are not alike. At birth, some children are born to wealthy, married parents who will always put the children’s interests first and will never engage in domestic violence. Many laws benefit these children, while, according to some academics, they either further disadvantage other children or at best ignore their needs.

This presentation …

Camas, Winter 2016-2017

Camas

Terrain I Knew / Seth Kantner -- Passengers / Terri Nichols -- No Meat / Gibson Collins -- The Summeriest Concert Ever / Brian Doyle -- It's About Being Lost / Mary Pauline Lowry -- Hunting Geese / Sarah Rau Peterson -- Road Trance / Kevin Scott Chess -- A Map of Vaughn, New Mexico / Jeffery Alfier -- We Must Not / Mackenzie Cole -- Of Elwha, Kootenai / Sam Olson -- Road Story / Abby Chew -- Global Perspective / Tom Versteeg -- Ice Out / Noelle Sullivan -- Red Wings / Tom Versteeg -- Ice Frogs / …

Mapuche Resilience: Environmental Justice In Chile, Hannah N. Lussier

ENV 434 Environmental Justice

This paper presents a close analysis of the Mapuche Conflict and its implications from an Environmental Justice perspective. It serves to outline the plight of the Mapuche, a South American indigenous group, in their continued struggle to gain the rights to autonomic control over their ancestral territory from the Chilean government. By utilizing a holistic approach to research, this paper serves to provide a background on the conflict as well as to incorporate claims to justice. It chronicles the depth and breadth of media attention on the issue by incorporating perspectives from scholarly articles, news sources and social media platforms. …

Active Listening "Debates" - Classroom Activity, Victoria Derr

Activities and Assignments Collection

Students will practice critical thinking, active listening, and the development and presentation of arguments and positions through oral and written communication.

Graduate Students Navigating Social-Ecological Research: Insights From The Long-Term Ecological Research Network, S. Record, P. F. B. Ferguson, E. Benveniste, R. A. Graves, V. W. Pfeiffer, Michele Romolini, C. E. Yorke, B. Beardmore

Center for Urban Resilience Scholarship

Interdisciplinary, collaborative research capable of capturing the feedbacks between biophysical and social systems can improve the capacity for sustainable environmental decision making. Networks of researchers provide unique opportunities to foster social-ecological inquiry. Although insights into interdisciplinary research have been discussed elsewhere, they rarely address the role of networks and often come from the perspectives of more senior scientists. We have provided graduate student perspectives on interdisciplinary degree paths from within the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network. Focusing on data from a survey of graduate students in the LTER Network and four self-identified successful graduate student research experiences, we examined the …

Tradeoffs Between Three Forest Ecosystem Services Across The State Of New Hampshire, Usa: Timber, Carbon, And Albedo, David A. Lutz, Elizabeth A. Burakowski, Mackenzie B. Murphy, Mark E. Borsuk, Rebecca M. Niemiec, Richard B. Howarth

All Materials

Forests are more frequently being managed to store and sequester carbon for the purposes of climate change mitigation. Generally, this practice involves long-term conservation of intact mature forests and/or reductions in the frequency and intensity of timber harvests. However, incorporating the influence of forest surface albedo often suggests that long rotation lengths may not always be optimal in mitigating climate change in forests characterized by frequent snowfall. To address this, we investigated trade-offs between three ecosystem services: carbon storage, albedo-related radiative forcing, and timber provisioning. We calculated optimal rotation length at 498 diverse Forest Inventory and Analysis forest sites in …

Indirect Pathways Into Practice: Philippine Internationally Educated Nurses And Their Entry Into Ontario’S Nursing Profession, Lualhati Marcelino

International Migration Research Centre

• Social connectedness to social support systems and communities highly affect the transitioning success of Philippine Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs). These networks are especially critical during the first year upon arrival.
• The fragmented, indirect pathways to professional practice, (including barriers to foreign credential recognition, lengthy and costly examination, licensing and retraining result in direct devaluation of IENs and the possibility of permanent (de)skilling.
• Female IENs endured more financial and emotional hardship, compared to their male counterparts, with regard to family obligations and deeper financial burden. While many of the male IENs experienced the same challenges as women, the latter experienced longer …

Analysis Of The Water Quality Of The Kiskiminetas River System And Its Impacts On The Allegheny River, Pennsylvania, Emily Catherine Mashuda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Kiskiminetas River system, a major tributary of the Allegheny River, has a history of water quality impacts due to industrial activity. In conjunction with the program 3 Rivers QUEST, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on the water quality of the Kiskiminetas system and its impacts on the Allegheny River. Samples were collected biweekly from 8 sites in the Kiskiminetas watershed and the Allegheny River, from 2013 to 2015, and sent to a certified lab for analysis. Data was analyzed for concentrations of several anions and dissolved metals and for the chemical ratios between sites and compared to historic data. …

An Experimental Comparison Of The Performance Of Two Impulse Micro-Hydro Turbine Impellers, Joshua A. Matheny

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of this project was to measure the performance of two micro-hydro Turgo Impulse Turbine Impellers. In 2014, Hydropower accounted for 6% of total electric power produced and 48% of electricity produced by renewable sources in the United States. Micro-hydro power is an established, robust, and versatile technology that can help society produce electric power without the emission of greenhouse gases and with minimal environmental impact. Competition from other renewable energy sources is causing the operational efficiency and power production of micro-hydro turbines to become increasingly important. This competition puts pressure on manufacturers to improve the quality of their …

Impact Of Climate Parameters On Spring Wheat Yield In North Dakota, Purbasha Mistry

Natural Resources Management

The impacts of climate change in agriculture is a growing concern. The agricultural sector plays a significant role in North Dakota's (ND) economy, and spring wheat contributes most to the economy. This study focuses on assessing possible impacts of three climate variables on spring wheat yield in ND by building regression model. The trend of average minimum temperature, average maximum temperature, average precipitation and spring wheat yield was analyzed using Mann-Kendall test for 86 years. The study was conducted by dividing ND into 9 divisions. Increasing trend was noticed for 6 divisions for average minimum temperature and average precipitation during …

Immersive Geodesign: Exploring The Built Environment Through The Coupling Of Geodesign, 3d Modeling, And Immersive Geography, Marvin Davis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

GeoDesign is a relatively new field that serves as a repurposing of many different disciplines concerned with design decisions about the built environment. More specifically, GeoDesign represents a coupling of urban planning concepts with the analytical capabilities of GIS. While GIS has been used in planning mostly in the two-dimensional realm, the built environment is three-dimensional and challenges GIS in the handling of the vertical dimension, notably in floor-by-floor uses in mixed-use developments, basement-level parking, light capture, and intervisibility between structures. This research advances GeoDesign by addressing these three-dimensional issues through the utilization of highly-detailed 3D models using Trimble SketchUp, …

Environmental Justice In Remediation: Tools For Community Empowerment, Chihiro Tamefusa

Pomona Senior Theses

Exide Technologies finally closed its secondary lead-battery recycling plant on March 12, 2015. The community of primarily Hispanics around the facility had to fight many years to have the polluting facility shut down. Because government agencies, whose job is to protect citizens from polluters, were not regulating the facility properly, residents are not sure if they can trust the agencies to carry out remediation effectively and efficiently either. In this paper I explore the environmental justice issues associated with environmental remediation and what community members can do to make sure that their neighborhood is cleaned up properly. Through interviews with …

Ballot-Box Environmentalism Across The Golden State: How Geography Influences California Voters’ Demand For Environmental Public Goods, William Skyler Lewis

Pomona Senior Theses

In California, voters frequently face ballot propositions dealing directly or indirectly with environmental protection. Records of these votes provide powerful evidence of the character of voters’ demand and willingness-to-pay for environmental public goods (e.g., air quality, watershed ecosystem services, parks and recreation), and have been used in past environmental econometrics research to produce aggregated income and price effect estimates. Using neighborhood-level voting records on seven environmental-related ballot propositions in California between 2002 and 2010, this econometric study investigates the nature of voters’ demand for environmental public goods, focusing on the effect of household income on pro-environment voting. Unlike previous studies, …