Osteological evidence for violence has only in recent times been thoroughly investigated. Several kinds of traumas indicative of violence have been identified in human skeletal remains worldwide. Such traumas include scalping, embedded and/or associated projectile points, cranial fractures, parry fractures and defensive injuries, decapitation and dismemberment, and evidence of cannibalism. Analysis of traumas at Dust Cave (1LU496) and the O?Neal site (1LU61), two sites in northwestern Alabama with Middle and Late Archaic occupations, was undertaken. Violence-related traumas were observed at both sites. A highly significant difference exists in trauma patterns between the sites. Results were compared to research done on other populations in an attempt to gain a better understanding of violence in prehistory and to place these sites in a wider regional context.

No description available.

What sets the observable chemical composition of exoplanetary atmospheres? The available chemical abundance of the planet's natal protoplanetary disk gas will have a deciding role in the bulk abundance of the atmosphere very early in the planet's life. While late accretion of ices and inter-atmosphere physical processing can change the observable chemical abundances. We have developed a theoretical model which connects the chemical and physical evolution of an accretion disk with the growth of a young planet to predict the bulk chemical abundance of the planetary atmosphere that is inherited from the disk. We assess what variation in atmospheric chemical abundances are attributed to different planet formation histories. We find differences in the relative abundances of primary nitrogen carriers NH$_3$ and N$_2$ depending on {\it when} the planet accreted its gas. Early ($t<1$ Myr) accreters predominately accreted warmer gas which tend to have its nitrogen in NH$_3$, while later protoplanets accrete colder, more N$_2$ dominated gas. Furthermore we compute the carbon-to-oxygen ratio (C/O) for each planets, which is used to infer {\it where} a planet forms in its accretion disk. We find that each of our planets accrete their gas very close to the water ice line, thereby accreting `pristine' gas with C/O$_{planet}$ exactly matching its host star. We extend our results by tuning our initial disk parameters to reproduce the properties of the HL Tau disk. We produce three models that span the range of measured gas masses, and one model which studies a UV quiet system. We generally find that planet formation is efficient enough to produce a Jupiter-massed planet within the predicted 1 Myr age of the disk. We find a correspondence between the radial locations of ice lines within our astrochemical model and the set of observed dust gaps in the HL Tau system. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No description available.

No description available.

Air quality permits are required for the construction of all new surface mining operations. An air quality permit requires a surface mining operation to estimate the type and amount of pollutants the facility will produce. During surface mining the most common pollutant is particulate matter having an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microns (PM10). The Industrial Source Complex (ISC3) model, created by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), is a model used for predicting dispersion of pollutants from industrial facilities, including surface mines and quarries. The use of this model is required when applying for a surface mining permit. However, the U.S. EPA and mining companies have repeatedly demonstrated that this model over-predicts the amount of PM10 dispersed by surface mining facilities, resulting in denied air quality permits. Past research has shown that haul trucks create the majority (80-90%) of PM10 emissions from surface mining operations. Therefore, this research concentrated on improving the ISC3 model by focusing on modeling PM10 emissions from mobile sources, specifically haul trucks at surface mining operations. Research into the ISC3 model showed that its original intended use was for facilities that emit pollutants via smoke stacks. The method used to improve the ISC3 model consisted of applying the dispersion equation used by the ISC3 model in a manner more representative of a moving haul truck. A new model called the Dynamic Component Program was developed to allow modeling of dust dispersion from haul trucks. To validate the Dynamic Component Program, field experiments were designed and conducted. These experiments measured PM10 from haul trucks at two different surface mining operations. The resulting analysis of the Dynamic Component Program, ISC3 model, and the actual field study results showed that the Dynamic Component Program was a 77% improvement over the ISC3 model overall. / Ph. D.

Mites are endemic and allergy to mite excreta and parts is one of the most common allergies. Health care practitioners have recommended the removal of carpets from homes of people with mite allergies. Little, if any, consideration is given to the fact that some persons may benefit directly from the presence of carpet in their homes. In the allergen and mite research literature, carpets are rarely described as having unique characteristics and are generally referred to as a generic entity. Carpets, however, do have unique characteristics that define their construction, appearance, wearability, and cleanability. Seventy-two pieces of commercially available, residential flooring materials were inoculated with identical numbers of mites, Dermatophagiodes farinae, and placed in the Textiles Conditioning Lab at Virginia Tech. The mites and carpet pieces were maintained in the lab, under identical, environmentally controlled conditions for 6 weeks, then the mites were extracted and counted. On the basis of the results of statistical tests run on the study data, the null hypothesis, that there is no difference between the numbers of mites grown on the different flooring conditions, was rejected. Statistically significant differences exist between the hard floor and the nylon carpet, between hard floor and olefin carpets, but no difference between hard floor and wool carpet. Nylon was the carpet fiber that was most supportive of the growth of house dust mites, olefin was the second most supportive, and wool carpet and hard floor were similar in being the least supportive. / Master of Science

This thesis is concerned with a study of the effect of The Acid Rain Provision of the 1990 Clean Air Act on the investment, production, and distribution operations in the coal industry, with a concentration on the development of new mines, shutting down of inefficient strips of existing mines, and on blending and distribution problems. The problem here is to determine which new mines to open and when, and what decisions and schedules to make for the shipment of coal from mines to silos, cleaning and blending operations at silos, and the subsequent shipment of coal to customers over a multi-period time horizon, so as to satisfy the demand at a minimum total operational cost. To meet this objective, a long-term strategic model is developed, and is coordinated with a modification of a short-term tactical model developed by Sherali and Puri (1991). The final product is a computer-based decision tool which will serve as a mechanism for implementing cost effective decisions in light of complex variations in the production levels of existing and potential mines, ore quality, and demand and quality requirements. The strategic model will play a useful role in planning future growth and in making capital investment decisions, and the tactical model will help in making better operational decisions. The models can also be used to study the effect of various policies, by testing the sensitivity, feasibility, and the cost of system operations under different perturbations of system configuration, data, and demand specifications. Real operational data and future projections from the Westmoreland Coal Company are used for testing purposes. / Master of Science

In this thesis, the optical communication systems for millimeter-scale sensing and communication devises known as "Smart Dust" are described and analyzed. A smart dust element is a self-contained sensing and communication system that can be combined into roughly a cubic-millimeter mote to perform integrated, massively distributed sensor networks. The suitable passive optical and fiber-optic communication systems will be selected for the further performance design and analysis based on the requirements for implementing these systems. Based on the communication link designs of the free-space passive optical and fiber-optic communication systems, the simulations for link performance will be performed. / Master of Science

Respirable coal mine dust (RCMD) has long been recognized as an occupational health hazard. In addition to coal, RCMD can contain minerals such as crystalline silica (i.e., most often present as quartz). There has been a resurgence of lung diseases among US coal miners since the late-1990s which has emphasized the need for better quartz monitoring, and better dust characterization in general. Quartz monitoring in coal mines has traditionally used infrared (IR) spectroscopy-based analytical methods such as the MSHA Method P7 that require significant sample preparation and must be performed in a centralized lab. There are generally thus days to weeks between dust sample collection and reporting of results, which can prevent the prompt mitigation efforts to better control dust and reduce exposures. Recently, a rapid analysis method for quartz has been developed by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) using direct-on-filter (DOF) Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The method has been demonstrated in a number of NIOSH-led studies using both laboratory and field samples, and the results show very good accuracy relative to the Method P7 reference. However, it has heretofore not been widely used by others or compared to results from other non-IR analytical methods. Moreover, while FTIR can allow the measurement of additional analytes, this has not yet been a focus of DOF FTIR for RCMD analysis. Analytes such as kaolinite and calcite could be of particular interest in the context of RCMD source apportionment. In this thesis, the DOF FTIR method is used to estimate silica, kaolinite, and calcite mineral fraction in RCMD samples collected in 16 coal mines, and in the laboratory using dust source materials from those same mines. The results are compared to results from other dust characterization methods such as mass-based thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and particle-based scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). Results indicate the usefulness of the DOF FTIR method, and comparison suggests the presence of significant non-carbonate minerals other than silica and kaolinite in the coal mine dust. The results also show that SEM-EDX frequently indicates more mineral content (primarily other aluminosilicates), than that is predicted by either FTIR or the TGA. Additionally, by focusing mainly on calcite (generally sourced from limestone-based rock dust used in coal mines to prevent coal dust explosion), the second part of this study explores basic source apportionment by analyzing mine samples and samples of major dust source materials (such as run-of-mine coal, rock strata, and rock dust products). Results show that calcite can serve as a suitable proxy for rock dust in coal mine dust, and the results are consistent with expectations surrounding the contribution of dust from different mine locations and sample sources. Additionally, the DOF FTIR also showed good agreement with the TGA and SEM-EDX. / Master of Science / Respirable dust generated in coal mines has long been recognized as an occupational health hazard. In addition to coal, coal mine dust can contain minerals such as crystalline silica, which is particularly hazardous. Since the mid-1990s, there has been an alarming and unexpected increase in lung diseases in coal miners. Respirable crystalline silica is assumed to be a likely causal factor for this resurgence of lung diseases, and this has emphasized the need for better respirable crystalline silica monitoring and to better understand coal mine dust composition. The standard method of measurement of silica (called the MSHA Method P7) generally takes days to weeks between dust sample collection and reporting of results, which can prevent the mine from taking prompt mitigative efforts to better control dust and reduce exposures. Recently, a rapid analysis method for silica has been developed by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) called the DOF FTIR (direct-on-filter Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy). This method has been shown to have very good accuracy relative to the standard method (MSHA P7). However, it has heretofore not been widely used by others or compared to results from other analytical methods. Moreover, DOF FTIR can also be used to estimate other minerals of interest such as kaolinite and calcite, which can be important in the context of understanding coal mine dust sources. In this thesis, the DOF FTIR method is used to estimate silica, kaolinite, and calcite mineral fraction in coal mine dust samples collected in 16 coal mines, and in the laboratory using dust source materials from those same mines. The results are compared to results from other dust analysis methods such as mass-based TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and particle-based SEM-EDX (scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray). Results indicate the usefulness of the DOF FTIR method, and comparison suggests the presence of significant non-carbonate minerals other than silica and kaolinite in the coal mine dust. The results also show that SEM-EDX frequently indicates more mineral content than that is predicted by either FTIR or the TGA. Additionally, by focusing mainly on calcite—which is generally sourced from limestone-based rock dust used in coal mines to prevent coal dust explosion—the second part of this study explores the sources of the dust by analysing samples collected in mines, and samples generated in lab from major dust source materials (such as the raw coal, rock strata, and rock dust products obtained from the mines). Results show that calcite can be representative of rock dust in coal mine dust, and the results are consistent with expectations surrounding the contribution of dust from different mine locations and sample sources. Additionally, the DOF FTIR also showed good agreement with the TGA and SEM-EDX.