Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1926. / Vita. Bibliography: p. [32].

Inaug.-Diss.--Königsberg.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Princeton University, 1925.

Thesis (M.E.)--University of Canterbury, 2002. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-166). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Th. 3e cycle--Mét.--Grenoble--I.N.P., 1980. N°: D3 108.

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Agricultural runoff is a major non-point source pollutant in the Midwest and has been documented as a significant contributor to nutrient loads in the Mississippi River and subsequent hypoxic conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. In an attempt to minimize eutrophication, researchers have been collaborating with farmers to improve best management practices targeting nutrient retention. Over the past four decades riparian buffers have proven effective in retaining nutrients and sediment from agricultural runoff. We hypothesize that the addition of biochar to vegetated buffers can further improve nutrient attenuation by enhancing nutrient adsorption and cycling soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. In June 2012, fifteen flumes were established adjacent to fifteen existing flumes that were installed in 2008 for a related study at Southern Illinois University's farms. Each flume was either vegetated and/or amended with one of ten treatments and replicated three times: 1) giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl) established in 2008; 2) Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.); 3) orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.); 4) giant cane and compost (i.e., horse manure and mushroom compost); 5) biochar (i.e., pine and oak feedstock pyrolyzed between 450 °C and 650 °C.); 6) biochar and giant cane; 7) biochar, giant cane, and compost; 8) corn; 9) volunteer herbaceous species; and 10) a non-amended, non-vegetated control. Soil samples were collected prior to the application of soil amendments and nutrients were assessed annually. Surface runoff samples were collected from significant rain events (i.e., precipitation > 2.5 cm) and analyzed for nutrient and sediment levels. Data indicate that various combinations of biochar, compost, and giant cane were successful at reducing the frequency of surface runoff events as well as reducing concentrations of NO3- and NH4+ in agricultural surface runoff. Concentrations of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) were greatly reduced when biochar and giant cane were present in the buffer without the addition of compost. Total phosphorus (TP) concentrations were lowest for the established giant cane treatment. There were no significant differences in the concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS) among the various buffer treatments. Data from this study are promising for the incorporation of biochar, compost, and giant cane into vegetated buffers to reduce the concentration of nutrients in agricultural surface runoff.

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The availability and assimilation of NH₄⁺ plays an integral role in the growth of microorganisms and the production of amino acids by these organisms. This study investigated the dissociation of NH₄⁺in aqueous solution, its availability and effect on the enzymes of NH₄⁺ assimilation and its influence on lysine production by Corynebacterium glutamicum.In aqueous solution the extent of dissociation of NH₄C1, {NH₄)₂S0₄ and (NH₄)₂HP0₄ increases with decreasing concentration. A model is proposed for the dissociation of these molecules. It is believed that at very low concentrations, dissociation to NH₃ plus the respective counter-ions occurs. At these low concentrations the NH₃ acts as the substrate for glutamine synthetase. At the higher concentrations dissociation is to NH₄⁺ which is the substrate for glutamate dehydrogenase. At these higher concentrations the enzyme activities obtained for glutamate dehydrogenase, at equivalent concentrations of the above ammonium salts, were different when based on the total concentration of NH₄⁺, and similar when based on the concentration of free NH₄⁺. L-Iysine occurs in the +1 ionic form, at pH 7,2. The lysine which is produced during fermentation associates with the anionic counter-ion of the ammonium salt used. The concentration of the free NH₄⁺ in the media appears to affect both the rate of lysine synthesis as well as the yield. The lysine fermentation occurs in two stages; a growth (or replicative) phase, during which very little lysine is produced, and a lysine synthesis (or maturation) phase. During the lysine synthesis phase there is no cell replication, however an increase in the mass of the biomass produced is apparent. Evidence is provided for the possible concomitant synthesis of the the cell wall polymer, glycerol teichoic acid, and lysine. On the basis of this evidence, a nucleotide balance is proposed for lysine and teichoic acid synthesis. The replicative phase and the maturation phase have to be effectively separated to obtain optimal lysine yields and titres. It is believed that teichoic acid synthesis during the replicative phase must be kept to a minimum for optimal yields and titres to be obtained, and on completion of the cell wall and therefore teichoic acid synthesis, lysine synthesis ceases. As the production of lysine appears to be affected by the NH₄⁺ concentration in the culture media, it is proposed that a futile cycle may exist around the transport and assimilation of the NH₄⁺. If the fermentations are run at low free NH₄⁺ concentrations, it was shown that lysine yields of 0,66, on the glucose utilised, are attainable during the fermentation.

Highly concentrated ammonium nitrate emulsions are extensively used as an explosive in the mining industry. The emulsion is made from a supercooled aqueous salt solution with various stabilisers and an organic hydrocarbon phase under vigorous stirring to room temperature. The resulting emulsion is thermodynamically unstable and tends to crystallise over time. This is not suitable for the transportation or pumping of the emulsion in its application. This study showed that the crystallisation process of highly concentrated ammonium nitrate emulsions can be influenced by varying the emulsion droplet size as well as the types and ratios of surfactants used during the preparation stage. The results showed that there were significant differences in the rheological properties of the freshly-prepared emulsion, based on both the emulsion droplet size, and the type of surfactant and ratio of surfactants used. A decrease of the emulsion droplet size resulted in the increase of the elastic character, which can be explained by more compact network organisation of droplets. In terms of the different surfactants, it was shown that the Pibsa-Imide stabilised emulsions resulted in an emulsion with the highest storage modulus over the entire strain amplitude regions as well as the highest shear stresses over the whole shear rate region. The study showed that the relatively slow emulsion crystallisation process can be studied by using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The amount of amorphous and crystalline phases present in the sample can be effectively quantified by using the Partial Or No Known Crystal Structural (PONKCS) method which can model accurately the contributions of the amorphous halo. An external standard calibration method, which used a different amorphous material with the crystalline material to obtain a suitable calibration constant, was employed. The results showed that the method would quantify the amount of the fully crystallised emulsion to be between 80 and 90 percent, which was in agreement with the solid content added during sample preparation and confirmed by Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). The simultaneous TGA / DSC results were able to show the number of solid/solid peak transitions as well as the total moisture content to be around 20 percent by mass in various emulsion samples studied. The study was able to model the crystallisation by using the Avrami and Tobin kinetic relationships which are commonly used for the crystallisation processes of polymers. The Avrami relationship proved to be useful in describing the type of crystallisation that occurred. This was based on literature where the exponent parameter (n) which was between 1 and 4 would relate to different types of crystallisation models. The results of this study showed that the crystallisation process would change for the samples that had shown a longer crystallisation process. The results indicated that the samples prepared with the lower Pibsa-Urea ratio showed a more sporadic crystallisation process, whereas the samples with the higher ratio of Pibsa-Urea showed a more controlled crystallisation process. The study also considered the rheological properties of the fresh emulsion, which showed that droplet size also had an influence on the stress strain relationship of the emulsion droplets.