abstract: Mobile sources emit a number of different gases including nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5). As a result, mobile sources are major contributors to urban air pollution and can be the dominant source of some local air pollution problems. In general, mobile sources are divided into two categories: on-road mobile sources and non-road mobile sources. In Maricopa County, the Maricopa County Air Quality Department prepares inventories of all local sources [11], [12]. These inventories report that for Maricopa County, on-road mobile sources emit about 23% of total PM2.5 annually, 58% of the total NOx, and 8% of the total VOCs. To understand how future changes how vehicles might impact local air quality, this work focuses on comparing current inventories of PM2.5, black carbon (BC), NOx, and VOCs to what may be expected emissions in future years based on different scenarios of penetration of hybrid gas-electric vehicles (HEV) and electric vehicles (EV) as well as continued reduction in emissions from conventional internal combustion (IC) vehicles. A range of scenarios has been developed as part of this thesis based on literature reports [6], [8], air quality improvement plan documentation [5], projected vehicle sales and registration [3], [4], as well as using EPA’s Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) [9]. Thus, these created scenarios can be used to evaluate what factors will make the most significant difference in improving local air quality through reduced emissions of PM2.5, BC, NOx and VOCs in the future. Specifically, the impact of a greater fraction of cleaner alternative vehicles such as hybrid-electric and electric vehicles will be compared to the impact of continual reductions in emissions from traditional internal combustion vehicles to reducing urban air pollution emissions in Maricopa County. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2020

Der primäre Hyperaldosteronismus ist eine der häufigsten Ursachen einer sekundären Hypertonie. Entscheidend für eine adäquate Therapie ist die Subtypen-Differenzierung zwischen Aldosteron produzierenden Adenomen und bilateralen Hyperplasien der Nebennierenrinde. Hierfür wird heutzutage eine selektive Katheterisierung der Nebennierenvenen durchgeführt. Diese Untersuchung ist jedoch sehr aufwendig und geht mit einer hohen Strahlenbelastung einher. Daher wurden im Rahmen dieser Arbeit 11 fluorierte Inhibitoren der Aldosteronsynthase (CYP11B2) auf ihre in-vitro- und in-vivo-Wirksamkeit und Selektivität untersucht. Ziel war es, über eine gezielte Bindung radiofluorierter Tracer an Aldosteron produzierenden Zellen eine nicht invasive Bildgebung zur Subtypendifferenzierung beim primären Hyperaldosteronismus zu entwickeln. Hierbei konnten mehrere vielversprechende Substanzen gefunden werden, die selektiv an CYP11B2 binden und die Aldosteronproduktion hemmen. Diese können somit möglicherweise für die Subtypendifferenzierung beim primären Hyperaldosteronismus eingesetzt werden. / Primary aldosteronism is one of the most common causes for secondary hypertension. The subtype differentation between aldosterone producing adenomas and bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia is essential for a suitable treatment. Currently this affords a selective catherization of the adrenal veins. This test however is highly challenging and is attended by high radiation exposure. Therefore we analyzed the in vitro and in vivo effectivitiy of 11 fluorated aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) inhibitors. The purpose was to develop a targeted imaging method with radiofluorinated tracers for the subtype differentation in primary aldosteronism. Several promising substances with a selective bond to CYP11B2 and inhibition of aldosterone production were found. These can possibly be used to differentate between the subtypes in primary aldosteronism.

Soot formation from complex solid fuels, such as coal or biomass, is an under-studied and little understood phenomena which has profound physical effects. Any time a solid fuel is combusted, from coal-burning power plants to wildland fires, soot formation within the flame can have a significant influence on combustion characteristics such as temperature, heat flux, and chemical profiles. If emitted from the flame, soot particles have long-last effects on human health and the environment. The work in this dissertation focuses on creating and implementing computational models to be used for predicting soot mechanisms in a combustion environment. Three models are discussed in this work; the first is a previously developed model designed to predict soot yield in coal systems. This model was implemented into a computational fluid dynamic software and results are presented. The second model is a detailed-physics based model developed here. Validation for this model is presented along with some results of its implementation into the same software. The third model is a simplified version of the detailed model and is presented with some comparison case studies implemented on a variety of platforms and scenarios. While the main focus of this work is the presentation of the three computational models and their implementations, a considerable bulk of this work will discuss some of the technical tools used to accomplish this work. Some of these tools include an introduction to Bayesian statistics used in parameter inference and the method of moments with methods to resolve the 'closure' problem.

The aim of the present work was to experimentally investigate the influence of atomizing medium on combustion properties of methyl-ester of rapeseed oil. The experiments were carried out in a water-cooled horizontal combustion chamber. The pneumatic atomization using effervescent atomizer was used in test. As atomizing medium compressed air and superheated steam was chosen. The tests were performed at GLR = 15, 20 and 25 %. The experiments were focused on the investigation of the flame characteristics, quality of combustion, emissions, temperature of flue gas, distribution of heat fluxes and stability of combustion. Results revealed that atomization by compressed air is more efficient (approximately by 6 %), on the other hand it leads to higher NO emissions (for 15 mg/mN3 due to higher in-flame temperature).

The Oil and Gas (O&G) Industry has been one of the most environmentally questioned sectors in the lastdecades, where the management of the resources and impact over natural life has been severelycriticized. There are many adverse effects of the activities around the O&G business, from which theconsumption of energy and the emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) stand out to be one of the mostimportant aspects to mitigate. This project studies the actual EnMS in E&P and develops measures of improvement using establishedmanagement tools in the division, applying the principles of the ISO 50001 Standard, to include energysavings and GHG emissions mitigation in the lifecycle of Repsol’s E&P operated assets. The main focuslands over three core elements: the Integrated Project Management platform for new projects, the EnergyPlanning follow-up applications, and the implementation of relevant energy audit outlines.

Measurement-based behavioral electromagnetic interference (EMI) models have been shown earlier to accurately capture the EMI behavior of switched power converters. These models are compact, linear, and run in frequency domain, enabling faster and more stable simulations compared to the detailed lumped circuit models. So far, the behavioral EMI modeling techniques are developed and applied to the converter's input side only. The resulting models are therefore referred to as "terminated EMI models". Under the condition that the output side of the converter remains fixed, these models can predict the input side EMI for any change in the impedance of the input side network. However, any change at the output side would require re-extraction of the behavioral model. Thus the terminated EMI models are incapable of predicting the change in the input side EMI due to changes at the output side of the converter or vice versa. The above mentioned limitation has been overcome by an "un-terminated EMI model" proposed in this dissertation. Un-terminated EMI models are developed here to predict both the common-mode (CM) and the differential (DM) noise currents at the input and the output sides of a motor-drive system. The modeling procedure itself has been simplified and now requires fewer measurements and results in less noise in the identified model parameters. Both CM and DM models are then combined to predict the total noise in the motor drive system. All models are validated by experiments and their limitations identified. A significant portion of this dissertation is then devoted to the application of behavioral EMI models in the design of EMI filters. Comprehensive design procedures are developed for both DM and CM filters in a motor-drive system. The filters designed using the proposed methods are experimentally shown to satisfy the DO-160 conducted emissions standards. The dissertation ends with a summary of contributions, limitations, and some future research directions. / Ph. D.

Demands for sustainable crop production are increasing to cope with threats of climate change and diversity loss. Tillage is one of the main farming practices that could impact crop production, soil, and air quality. We utilized a long-term (>48-yr old) tillage trial to evaluate four tillage systems including: (i) moldboard plow (MP), (ii) chisel-disk (grower’s current practice) (CD), (iii) alternate tillage [2-yr no-till (NT) and 1-yr MP; AT], and (iv) NT on corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) grain production, nutrient removal and balances, soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. We found that a switch from intensive tillage practices (CD and MP) to NT resulted in (i) similar corn and soybean grain yield, nutrient removal, and balances; (ii) increased soil aggregation and aggregate stability; (iii) increased soil organic carbon (C), active C, and aggregate associated C and nitrogen at 0-15 cm soil depth (iv) had consistence penetration resistance at the plow depth (30 cm depth), lower bulk density, higher soil porosity and available water capacity; (v) had lower soil NO3-N and TN, two-yr cumulative N2O-N emissions, and yield-scaled N2O-N (vi) greater soil ecosystem stability based on nematode community populations; (vii) increased earthworm abundance and biomass, diversity and species evenness, and percentage of epigeic ecotypes. Interestingly, NT did not influence soil C beyond topsoil indicating a limitation for NT to sequester C at deeper soil layers. These findings indicate improved soil in NT vs. other tillage practices provides C sequestration and reduced environmental footprints, without impacting grain yield while improving functional soil biology. Because the cost of NT operations are lower than other tillage practices, we concluded continuous NT could be a step towards sustainable crop production. To further improve the sustainability of crop production, other practices (e.g. cover cropping, crop diversification, soil amendments etc.) should be integrated into continuous NT practices.

Emissions of greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels, in particular carbon dioxide (CO2), are a major contributor to global climate change. In the United States 28% of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion are produced by road vehicles. This dissertation reports the results of three studies that improve on our knowledge of the spatial and temporal distribution of vehicle CO2 emissions in the U.S. over the last 35 years. Using bottom-up data assimilation techniques we produce several new high-resolution inventories of vehicle emissions, and use these new data products to analyze the relationships between emissions, population, employment, traffic congestion, and climate change at multiple spatial and temporal scales across the U.S. We find that population density has a strong, non-linear effect on vehicle emissions, with increasing emissions in low density areas and decreasing emissions in high density areas. We identify large biases in estimates of vehicle CO2 emissions by the most commonly used national and global inventories, and highlight the susceptibility of spatially-downscaled inventories to local biases in urban areas. We also quantify emissions of several air pollutants regulated by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, at hourly and roadway scales for the metropolitan area surrounding Boston, MA. Emissions of these pollutants show high emissions gradients across identifiable spatial hotspots, considerable diurnal and seasonal variations, and a high sensitivity to the presence or absence of heavy-duty truck traffic. We also find that the impact of traffic congestion on air pollution emissions across the region is minimal as a share of the total emissions. We show that policies that combine a reduction in the number of vehicles on the road with a focus on improving traffic speeds have greater success in reducing emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases than policies that focus solely on improving traffic speeds. Finally, we estimate that regional emissions of carbon monoxide will increase by 3% in 2050, but with numerous localized increases of 25-50%, due to an expected rise in mean regional temperatures due to global climate change.

This exploratory study examined the differences between ma les who have and ma les who have not experienced nocturnal emissions. There were 104 males between the ages of 18 to 41 who participated by completing a sexuality pretest and a nocturnal emissions questionnaire. The respondents' information and education about sexuality, reactions to nocturnal emission ejaculation or the lack of ejacu l ation, dream frequency levels of nocturnal emissions, and the effect of other sexual outlets upon the freq uen cy of nocturnal emissions were assessed. Results revealed that in this sample the males who did not experience nocturnal emissions had received less sexual information than ma l es who experienced nocturnal emissions.

Emissions of methane, non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC), and carbon dioxide (CO2) at 27 natural gas well pads, 11 non-well locations in oil and gas fields, and 7 hydrocarbon-bearing outcrops in eastern Utah between 2013 and 2016 were measured using a dynamic flux chamber (DFC) in effort to answer the following questions: What effect does the development of oil and gas have on the observed air quality (increased ozone, CO2, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and/or methane emissions) in northeastern Utah? What percentage of these gases is due to natural background emissions, and what percentage is due to oil and gas development in the region? Methane emissions were the focus of this study, but emissions of other compounds were also measured to better understand the sources and characteristics of emissions. Background methane fluxes were all (mg) meter (m)-2 hour (h)-1. Methane emissions from well pad soils were commonly higher closer to the wellhead, though exceptions existed. Methane fluxes from well pad soils ranged from -5.6 to 70,000 mg m-2h-1. Based on analysis of NMHC emissions data, emissions from 68% of the sampled well pad soils were due to leaks of raw natural gas, whereas the remaining emissions were likely from a combination of raw gas leaks, liquid hydrocarbon spills, and/or methanogenic processes. CO2 emissions were higher than methane emissions 92% of the time at well sites, possibly due to CO2 in natural gas, and/or CO2 emitted from bacterial decomposition of soil organic matter and/or fossil hydrocarbons. Total combustible soil gas concentrations were measured at 21 wells. In summer 2015, soil properties were also analyzed to better understand well leakage. Wells categorized as shut-in had the highest average methane fluxes. Measured methane soil emissions were scaled-up for the entire Uinta Basin to estimate the overall emission from well pad soils, and to compare soil emissions with other natural gas-related sources. Producing and shut-in gas wells were estimated to emit 16.1 ± 4.3 and 8.6 ± 3.2 (90% confidence interval) t y-1 (tonne/year) of methane in the Uinta Basin, respectively, which is