Access to good quality, pathogen-free water is a necessity for human life. Pathogencontaminated water poses a threat to human health, and steps must be taken to minimize that risk using remediation techniques, such as constructed wetlands. Sinking Creek is a tributary of the Watauga River that was placed on the 2016 303(d) list published by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation due to the presence of Escherichia coli. Because of this impairment, a constructed wetland was placed in Sinking Creek to decrease the downstream transport of pathogens. Knowing this, three primary goals were made for this experiment. The first goal was to establish the seasonal presence of E. coli, Salmonella spp., and other culturable bacteria in Sinking Creek. The second goal was to determine the concentration patterns of E. coli, Salmonella, and other culturable bacteria as water in Sinking Creek flows downstream. The third goal was to use the data to analyze the effectiveness of the constructed wetland in Sinking Creek and its ability to decrease bacterial concentrations downstream. To achieve these goals, water samples were collected every Wednesday from January 29th to March 11th from four sites on Sinking Creek: two upstream from the constructed wetland and two downstream from the constructed wetland. The samples were plated on mFC, XLD, and R2A agar using the micro drop technique to establish the presence of E. coli, Salmonella, and other culturable bacteria, respectively. It was hypothesized that, because of the placement of the wetland, concentrations of E. coli, Salmonella, and other culturable bacteria would be lower at Sites 3 and 4 than at Sites 1 and 2, but this hypothesis was disproved. Data analysis and statistical tests displayed that all bacterial concentrations were higher at Sites 3 and 4 than at Sites 1 and 2. From this, it was concluded that the constructed wetland is not functioning as it was intended, and the increase in bacterial concentrations at Sites 3 and 4 suggest that there is most likely a source of fecal contamination below the wetland.

Globally the construction industry struggles to prevent injurious and fatal safety incidents. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies used by construction business managers that had significantly reduced the occurance of safety incidents in a Northwest Ohio construction company. Data were collected from organizational records and interviews with 6 construction managers. The conceptual framework for this research was the concept of safety management systems. Data were compiled and organized, disassembled into fragments, grouped, and then interpreted for meaning. Methodological triangulation and member checking were used to enhance reliability and validity. Four themes emerged from the data: senior management's commitment to a culture of safety, comprehensive safety training, safety accountability, and the importance of engaged employees. These findings indicate that senior managers established a safety-oriented culture by systematically implementing the safety management systems principles and practices in every organizational process and procedure. Safety training ensured that workers have the necessary skills to perform safely. All leaders, at every level of the organization, were held accountability for monitoring and measuring safety performance. Engaged workers were receptive to and compliant with safety rules. The positive social implications of these findings include the potential of contributing to the efforts to establish safer and healthier workplaces that protect workers from injuries and fatalities, thereby contributing to overall safety and health of communities.

Air pollution is a major concern in heavily populated cities such as Los-Angeles, California. Particulate Matter (PM) pollution in Hispanic and Black American neighborhoods in Los Angeles tends to be higher than adjacent non-minority areas. Research has indicated that certain carbon-storing trees can be used to reduce PM pollution. The purpose of this qualitative, interview research project was to determine the feasibility of using carbon-storing trees to reduce PM pollution in Hispanic and Black American neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Using an ecological theoretical framework, 10 subject matter experts were interviewed about their knowledge of carbon-storing properties and the feasibility of planting 10 different types of trees to reduce PM in the target neighborhoods. The results indicated that oak and pine trees are the most feasible in accomplishing PM reduction within the target areas based on factors like leaf structure, size, and adaptation to Southern California climate and soil. The least feasible trees included California sycamore, Fremont cottonwood, ox horn bamboos, American sweetgum, and yellow poplar. Public health officials may use this study's findings to bring social change to communities by encouraging the development and implementation of tree planting plans that may reduce PM pollution for all populations across the United States. The responsibility of implementing a tree planting strategy would be up to city planners and public health officials (stakeholders) in affected communities. To accomplish this, stakeholders would need to determine the financial costs and specific locations for planting oak and pine trees.

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In the past 30 years, binge eating and obesity has increased among all age groups due to lifestyle, environment, social, and biological reasons. To change eating habits, individuals may have to collaborate with others beyond the medical professional. Societal impacts of binge eating and obesity include increases in insurance rates, medical costs, and increased early-age mortality. The purposes of this study were to assess how individuals are referred to other professionals if they self-identify as binge eaters or obese and to understand personal awareness individuals had of binge eating and obesity. Cognitive behavioral theory was used as the theoretical foundation. A quantitative, non experimental design was used with a nonrandom convenience sampling of residents in a northern US state aged 18 years and older. 166 participants completed a demographic questionnaire and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Chi square analyses indicated a significant relationship between individuals who were obese and the lack of referral to another professional beyond the primary care physician. Individuals over identified with binge eating based on elevated EAT-26 scores, and under identified with obesity based on identifying with lower BMI categories than those set by the American Medical Association. Implications for positive social change include an increased awareness of binge eating and obesity, which can result in reduced medical costs and healthier lifestyles. Prevention and intervention programs can be developed to educate children, parents, and communities about lifestyle choices.

<p>Approximately 30% of Canadians and 50% of Americans rely on groundwater for their domestic water supplies. A significant portion of this groundwater originates from fractured rock aquifers, as they are ubiquitous throughout North America. In comparison to unconsolidated porous media aquifers, relatively little is understood about biocolloid transport in fractures. A mechanistic understanding of the transport and retention of biocolloids in fractures is important towards determining the risk of biocolloid contamination to these sources, which can have a significant impact on human health. It has been well documented in the interfacial science literature that micro-scale hydrodynamics play a significant role in the transport of particles greater than approximately one micron in diameter, but do not significantly affect the transport of smaller particles. This phenomenon, however, has never been investigated in fractures,where the larger-scale hydrodynamics are complex, and must also be considered. To bridge this knowledge gap, this research was conducted to elucidate the effects of hydrodynamics on the transport and retention of <em>E. coli </em>RS2GFP and carboxylate modified yellow-green polystyrene (CMP) microspheres (0.05 μm diameter) in single, saturated, fractures at the laboratory scale.</p> <p>To achieve this goal, dolomitic limestone samples were acquired from a quarry in Guelph, Ontario, and were fractured under a uniaxial force. The hydrologic properties of each fracture sample were characterized using hydraulic and solute tracer tests. Using a factorial design approach, a known number of either <em>E. coli </em>RS2-GFP or CMP microspheres was released into the fracture under a range of specific discharges (30, 10 and 5 m/day). The resulting effluent concentration profiles were compared to isolate the effects of hydrodynamics on particle transport.</p> <p>Comparing and contrasting the effluent concentration profiles from these experiments revealed that hydrodynamic forces strongly influence the retention of particles larger than 1 μm in diameter in saturated, fractured media. Additionally, the mechanisms that dominate transport and retention are dependent on, and therefore vary with both specific discharge and particle size.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

<p>Coates Paradise is a 250 ha coastal marsh, located at the western most point of Lake Ontario, adjoining Hamilton Harbour. Currently the marsh is severely degraded. Only 15% of the marsh remains vegetated, while the rest exists as an open water turbid bay. Stresses affecting the marsh include a very high carp population, excessive nutrient and sediment input, and water level regulation. Both Coates Paradise and Hamilton Harbour are the targets of an extensive remediation plan, known as the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan (HHRAP 1991 ).</p> <p>Coastal marshes are recognized for their importance as reproductive areas for the fish community. Considering the importance of marshes to fish, there is a surprising lack of information available. There have been very few comprehensive studies of whole fish communities and their use of marshes, and even fewer which address reproductive utilization. Herdendorf et. al. (1986) listed fish community structure and utilization of marshes for spawning, nursery and feeding areas as the top priorities of coastal wetland research.</p> <p>This study examines the fish community of Coates Paradise for the purpose of providing detailed information on the fish community in association with the HHRAP, as well as examining fish community use of the marsh with respect to reproductive utilization.</p> <p>The study included both temporal and spatial coverage of the marsh fish community. In an attempt to capture whole fish community data for Coates Paradise, fish community surveys were done monthly during the ice-free portion of the season. Surveys were initiated in the summer of 1994, followed by 3 full seasons between 1995 and 1997. Further to this, Coates Paradise was subdivided into 3 habitat types including off-shore, near-shore, and lower river. These habitats were further subdivided into sub-habitats, based on habitat variables that included wind fetch, nutrient enrichment, and degree of vegetation. A total of 8 sub-habitat types were included. Within each sub-habitat type four 50 m transects were located. The transects were surveyed by electrofishing.</p> <p>A total of 47,512 fish covering 47 species were captured in the study. Annual species diversity averaged 38 species, while monthly richness followed a seasonal trend with a maximum of 34 species occurring in July. Most species of fish were found to exist only in the near-shore habitat. Also the near-shore habitat had substantially more fish (Exposed sub-habitat -187 I transect) than the off-shore habitat (Bay sub-habitat -8 I transect).</p> <p>All species demonstrated migration into and out of the marsh in association with spawning periods and spawning habitat guilds. Most species of non YOY fish had highest densities at corresponding spawning times and in correlation to spawning habitat guilds. Habitat preferences of YOY species also generally reflected a species spawning habitat guild. Total non YOY populations were also generally at a peak during spawning periods. The non YOY of most species showed a distinct migration out of the marsh following spawning periods. Samples taken two months prior to a species spawning periods had almost no fish of the species occurring in the marsh, while samples taken two months following peak spawning periods resulted in almost no larger fish of a species being found in the marsh.</p> <p>The dominant fish species of the marsh was adult carp. In the electrofishing data, adult carp represented 90% of the biomass, but only 10% of the total catch. Only six other species had substantial adult population, while most other species are represent by less than 15 individuals in the data set. These six species included, brown bullhead, white sucker, gizzard shad, white perch, spottail shiner and pumpkinseed, and are reflective of the state of the harbour (the adult habitat).</p> <p>The most abundant species in the marsh include YOY of gizzard shad, white perch and spottail shiners, reflecting the marsh's role as reproductive habitat. Maximum numbers of fish occurred in late August, with as many as 800 fish being captured in a single transect. At this time the fish community consisted almost entirely of YOY fish.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)