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Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Characterization Of The Gut Microbiota Among Veterans With Unique Military-Related Exposures And High Prevalence Of Chronic Health Conditions: A United States-Veteran Microbiome Project (Us-Vmp) Study, Maggie A. Stanislawski, Christopher E. Stamper, Kelly A. Stearns-Yoder, Andrew J. Hoisington, Diana P. Brostow, Jeri E. Forster, Teodor T. Postolache, Christopher A. Lowry, Lisa A. Brenner Dec 2021

Characterization Of The Gut Microbiota Among Veterans With Unique Military-Related Exposures And High Prevalence Of Chronic Health Conditions: A United States-Veteran Microbiome Project (Us-Vmp) Study, Maggie A. Stanislawski, Christopher E. Stamper, Kelly A. Stearns-Yoder, Andrew J. Hoisington, Diana P. Brostow, Jeri E. Forster, Teodor T. Postolache, Christopher A. Lowry, Lisa A. Brenner

Faculty Publications

The gut microbiome is impacted by environmental exposures and has been implicated in many physical and mental health conditions, including anxiety disorders, affective disorders, and trauma- and stressor-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). United States (US) military Veterans are a unique population in that their military-related exposures can have consequences for both physical and mental health, but the gut microbiome of this population has been understudied. In this publication, we describe exposures, health conditions, and medication use of Veterans in the US Veteran Microbiome Project (US-VMP) and examine the associations between these characteristics and the gut microbiota. This …


Water Security At United States Air Force Installations, John D. Pollock Mar 2021

Water Security At United States Air Force Installations, John D. Pollock

Theses and Dissertations

Global water security is a growing concern that poses unique challenges that stem from geopolitical arrangement, regional location, and local climate conditions. United States national defense relies on an uninterrupted water supply to sustain operations to carry out its readiness mission. Accurate water security assessments are necessary for adapting to climate factors and to provide essential information to meet the changing needs of human water demand. This research presents how different water metrics are applied at various United States Air Force locations to measure water scarcity. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software is used to conduct spatial correlation across the United …


Crop Circles In The Corn Belt: A Farm-Scale Model To Curb Future Crop Yield Loss With Blended Policy-Structural Adaptations, Daniel Ress Mar 2021

Crop Circles In The Corn Belt: A Farm-Scale Model To Curb Future Crop Yield Loss With Blended Policy-Structural Adaptations, Daniel Ress

Theses and Dissertations

In today's rainfed agricultural regions farmers reliably produce marketable yields without the need for irrigation technology or specific planting policies. However, climate change is expected to challenge global food security. As a result, farmers might seek adaptation strategies. This research investigates the spatiotemporal suitability of blended policy-structural adaptations to reduce yield losses in Greene County, Ohio. A crop-water model is used to calibrate and generate field-scale yield predictions. The resultant framework holds the potential to inform farmer and county-level decision making under future climate uncertainty, and it illustrates the tradeoffs between adaptation cost and yield security.


Analysis Of Pollution Prevention Business Case Analyses, Erwin A. Spencer Jr. Mar 2021

Analysis Of Pollution Prevention Business Case Analyses, Erwin A. Spencer Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to improve the Business Case Analysis (BCA) process in the context of pollution prevention. The research will inform guidance, training, and policy recommendations. Using grounded theory methods allowed us to gather qualitative data directly from participants actively involved in pollution prevention projects. In addition to answering several research questions, the results of the research informed the design of a tool to help government and contractor personnel agree on what constitutes a high-quality BCA. This research has implications for DoD decision making and future studies in environmental cost analysis.


Operational Carbon Footprint Of The U.S. Water Sector’S Energy Consumption, Louis J. Zib Iii Mar 2021

Operational Carbon Footprint Of The U.S. Water Sector’S Energy Consumption, Louis J. Zib Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Accounting of energy-related GHG emissions in the water sector have largely been conducted at single utilities or cities and rarely at a regional or country scale. In this study, we assess the carbon footprints of operational energy use for 76 wastewater utilities and 64 water utilities across the United States. Additionally, we investigate water-related GHG emissions at a sub-annual scale through three case cities to understand how GHG emissions change at the monthly scale. We estimate the total drinking water and wastewater GHG emissions associated with electricity, biogas, natural gas, and fuel oil consumption across the United States to be …


Conversion From Coal To Natural Gas At Wright Patterson Air Force Base: An Analysis And Case Study, Tyler A. Ferry Mar 2021

Conversion From Coal To Natural Gas At Wright Patterson Air Force Base: An Analysis And Case Study, Tyler A. Ferry

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last 20 years, natural gas has replaced coal as the preferred fossil fuel for heat and power generation across the United States, due to its increased prevalence, lower cost, and reduced environmental impacts. While most conversion decisions are driven by cost savings, proponents of energy transitions often cite emissions reductions as a tangential benefit. Over the same time, climate change and its impact on the environment and society have come to the forefront of scientific inquiry. One example of the transition from coal to natural gas can be found in Dayton, Ohio. Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) …


Characterization And Analysis Of Bomarc Accident Debris, Aaron J. Heffelfinger Mar 2021

Characterization And Analysis Of Bomarc Accident Debris, Aaron J. Heffelfinger

Theses and Dissertations

Accidents involving nuclear weapons, such as the Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center (BOMARC) accident in 1960, always pose a significant risk of allowing particles composed of nuclear materials to enter the environment. These particles often differ in characteristics and can be of greatly varying sizes. Gamma ray analysis was conducted on the soil sample and radioisotopes within the sample were identified. Two non-destructive methods for locating actinide bearing particles within the sample were testing, resulting in 70 actinide bearing particles ranging from 1-34 microns being identified. These 70 particles underwent both morphological and elemental characterization, indicating uranium and other elements.


Fluid Dynamics Modeling For Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Removal In Legacy Fire Suppression Systems, Jacob G. Spaulding Mar 2021

Fluid Dynamics Modeling For Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Removal In Legacy Fire Suppression Systems, Jacob G. Spaulding

Theses and Dissertations

Legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) exist in the form of aqueous film-forming foams within hangar fire suppression systems throughout the country, posing a threat to both surrounding environments as well as local populations. The United States (US) Department of Defense (DoD), in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is investigating best practices to flush out existing contaminants prior to disposal and replacement with a less environmentally harmful replacement. While current procedures dictate a triple rinse of the entire system to yield contaminant levels acceptable to the DoD, the practice has never truly been tested. Designed as a …


Evaluation Of Efficient Water Reuse Technologies For Sustainable Forward Operating Bases, Kelsie L. Crouch Mar 2021

Evaluation Of Efficient Water Reuse Technologies For Sustainable Forward Operating Bases, Kelsie L. Crouch

Theses and Dissertations

A secure water source is essential to the resiliency and readiness of military installations and contingency operation locations, especially those located in the dry climates the US military operates in today. There are multiple issues of concern when identifying water sources, such as security, cleanliness, accessibility, and sustainability. Water resources pose a potential vulnerability to mission readiness in a remote, agile environment, such as a forward operating base (FOB). Having a secure water resource helps facilitate mission readiness in the contingency environment, offering the opportunity to be more resilient and cost-effective. Current water treatment technologies present the possibility to perform …


The Traded Water Footprint Of Global Energy From 2010 To 2018, Christopher M. Chini, Rebecca A. M. Peer Jan 2021

The Traded Water Footprint Of Global Energy From 2010 To 2018, Christopher M. Chini, Rebecca A. M. Peer

Faculty Publications

The energy-water nexus describes the requirement of water-for-energy and energy-for-water. The consumption of water in the production and generation of energy resources is also deemed virtual water. Pairing the virtual water estimates for energy with international trade data creates a virtual water trade network, facilitating analysis of global water resources management. In this database, we identify the virtual water footprints for the trade of eleven different energy commodities including fossil fuels, biomass, and electricity. Additionally, we provide the necessary scripts for downloading and pairing trade data with the virtual water footprints to create a virtual water trade network. The resulting …


A Review Of Energy-For-Water Data In Energy-Water Nexus Publications, Christopher M. Chini, Lauren E. Excell, Ashlynn S. Stillwell Jan 2021

A Review Of Energy-For-Water Data In Energy-Water Nexus Publications, Christopher M. Chini, Lauren E. Excell, Ashlynn S. Stillwell

Faculty Publications

Published literature on the energy-water nexus continues to increase, yet much of the supporting data, particularly regarding energy-for-water, remains obscure or inaccessible. We perform a systematic review of literature that describes the primary energy and electricity demands for drinking water and wastewater systems in urban environments. This review provides an analysis of the underlying data and other properties of over 170 published studies by systematically creating metadata on each study. Over 45% of the evaluated studies utilized primary data sources (data collected directly from utilities), potentially enabling large-scale data sharing and a more comprehensive understanding of global water-related energy demand. …