Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Slurry Seeding Cover Crops, Edwin Alexander Suarez

Open Access Theses

Cover crops improve soil quality through increased organic matter, biological activity, aggregate stability, water infiltration, and nutrient cycling. Slurry seeding, the co-application of cover crop seed and swine (Sus domesticus) manure, is a new practice that saves fuel, time and labor. High salinity and/or ammonia, among other components in swine manure, may reduce cover crop seed germination and limit the use of slurry seeding. Ten cover crop species were evaluated to compare the effects of swine manure components on cover crop seed germination. Seed germination percentages and rates were affected by swine manure but not by equivalent salinity levels established …

Interactive Multivariate Data Exploration For Risk-Based Decision Making, Silvia Oliveros Torres

Open Access Theses

Risk-based decision making is a data-driven process used to gather data about outcomes, analyze different scenarios, and deliver informed decisions to mitigate risk.

An interactive visual analytics system can help derive insights from large amounts of data and facilitate the risk management process thereby providing a suitable solution to examine different decision factors. This work introduces two separate systems that

incorporate visual analytics techniques to help the users in the tasks of identifying patterns, finding correlations, designing mitigation strategies, and assisting in the long term planning and assessment process. The first system looks at the National Health

and Nutrition Examination …

Content Analysis Concerning State Green Lodging Certification Programs In The United States, Yue Yu

Open Access Theses

The present thesis reports a content analysis study of state green lodging certification programs (SGLCPs) in the United States. The study explores how the government and industry associations operate and maintain SGLCPs. Through online research, the researcher found that 20 states have SGLCP. There are total 21 programs in operation currently. The study focused on the textual content of the 21 programs' websites.

The study determined the rationale of SGLCPs adoption through analyzing program purposes and certification bodies. The application procedure, assessment process, participation rate, certification levels, recertification process of programs were discussed to figure out whether SGLCPs implement the …

A Spatially Explicit Watershed Scale Optimization Of Cellulosic Biofuels Production, Jingyu Song

Open Access Theses

Producing biofuels from energy crops is one such alternative. They can result in relatively lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional energy sources. Up to now, corn grain is the most researched energy crop. Cellulosic perennial crops such as switchgrass, miscanthus and fast growing trees are also promising energy crops and are expected to help with the energy supply. The 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard requires 16 billion gallons of a total of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be cellulosic biofuels by 2022. Many studies are being done to evaluate costs and feasibility of different potential feedstocks and the …

Chemical Consequences Of Chicxulub Impact Ejecta Reentry, Devon Donald Parkos

Open Access Theses

The Chicxulub impact 66.0 million years ago initiated the second biggest extinction in the Phanerozoic Eon. The global reentry of material ejected by the impact generated a strong pulse of thermal radiation that wiped out much of the terrestrial biota. The cause of the marine extinction, however, has remained elusive. This report shows that reentering ejecta produces enough NOx to acidify the upper ocean and cause a massive marine extinction. Using non-equilibrium chemically reacting flow simulations coupled with atmospheric transport modeling, it is determined that enough NOx reached the stratosphere and precipitated to overpower the carbonate buffer and acidify the …

An Analysis Of Underlying Competencies And Computer And Information Technology Learning Objectives For Business Analysis, Ryan Thomas Quigley

Open Access Theses

This research examines whether the Computer and Information Technology (CIT) department at Purdue University should develop a business analyst concentration. The differences between system and business analysts, evolution of the business analyst profession, job demand and trends, and applicable model curricula were explored to support this research. Review of relevant literature regarding the topics suggested that a business analyst concentration should be developed. A gap analysis was performed to determine how well selected CIT courses address the skills and competencies required by today's business analysts. The primary finding, as a result of the analysis, was that CIT courses alone are …

Text-Based Phishing Detection Using A Simulation Model, Gilchan Park

Open Access Theses

Phishing is one of the most potentially disruptive actions that can be performed on the Internet. Intellectual property and other pertinent business information could potentially be at risk if a user falls for a phishing attack. The most common way of carrying out a phishing attack is through email. The adversary sends an email with a link to a fraudulent site to lure consumers into divulging their confidential information. While such attacks may be easily identifiable for those well-versed in technology, it may be difficult for the typical Internet user to spot a fraudulent email.

The emphasis of this research …