Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed September 17, 2009). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 234-241).

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-59). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Whenever projects fail, analysis of the causes has shown that risks were present from day one. Often individuals at some level in the project team have knowledge of these risks and they could have been identified and appropriate remedial action taken. Risk, whether identified or not, generally results in some increase in financial exposure on behalf of the organisation, but, if managed well, offers a potential that could lead to increased profits. There has been a tremendous explosion regarding the amount of data that organisations generate, collect and store. Managers are beginning to recognize the value of this asset and are increasingly relying on intelligent systems to access, analyse, summarise and interpret information from large and multiple data sources. These systems help them to make critical decisions at a faster rate or with a greater degree of confidence. Data mining is a promising new technology that helps bring intelligence into these systems. The purpose of this thesis is to present a methodology that integrates a data mining technique with a decision support system in order to form an intelligent decision support system. The implementation of such an intelligent decision support system will enable project and project risk managers to improve the management of and reduce risk within a project. This thesis consists of two sections. The first section describes the processes and characteristics of project management, project risk management, data mining and decision support systems. The aim is to provide the reader with a background about these four management methodologies. The second section describes the methodology of how the processes of project and project risk management can benefit from the integration of a data mining technique and a decision support system. An application that uses the case-based reasoning approach as a data mining technique to intelligently profile a project according to its risks is demonstrated. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Wanneer projekte misluk, toon 'n analise van die oorsake dat risiko's vanuit die staanspoor daar teenwoordig was. Individuele persone op verskillende vlakke in die projekspan is dikwels daarvan bewus. Hierdie risiko's kon geïdentifiseer gewees het en regstellende stappe kon geneem gewees het. Risiko, hetsy geïdentifiseer of nie, loop gewoonlik uit op 'n sekere mate van toename in finansiële blootstelling namens die organisasie, maar wanneer dit goed bestuur word, bied dit 'n potensiaal vir verhoogde wins. Daar is 'n geweldige vermeerdering in die hoeveelheid data wat organisasies genereer, versamel en berg. Bestuurders begin alreeds die onskatbare waarde van hierdie bate besef en steun toenemend op intelligensiestelsels vir toegang, analise, opsomming en interpretasie van inligting van omvangryke en veelsoortige databronne. Hierdie sisteme stel hulle in staat om kritieke besluite vinniger of met 'n groter mate van vertroue te neem. Dataontginning is 'n belowende nuwe tegnologie wat daartoe bydra dat intelligensie in hierdie sisteme ingebring word. Die doel van hierdie tesis is om 'n metodologie wat 'n dataontginningstegniek met 'n besluitnemingsondersteuningsisteem integreer sodat 'n intelligente besluitnemingsondersteuningsisteem gevorm kan word. Die implementering van so 'n intelligensie besluitnemingsondersteuningsisteem sal projekbestuurders en projekrisikobestuurders in staat stelom die bestuur van 'n projek te verbeter en die risiko binne die projek te verminder. Hierdie tesis word in twee dele aangebied. Die eerste deel beskryf die prosesse en karakteristieke van projekbestuur, projekrisikobestuur, dataontginning en besluitondersteuningsisteme. Sodoende word aan die leser agtergrondinligting van hierdie vier bestuursmetodologieë verskaf. Die tweede deel beskryf die metodologie en hoe die prosesse van projekbestuur en projekrisikobestuur voordeel kan trek uit die integrasie van 'n dataontginningstegniek en 'n besluitondersteuningsisteem. 'n Toepassing is ontwikkel wat die gevallebasis beredeneringsbenadering as 'n dataontginingstegniek gebruik om 'n projek op 'n intelligente wyse volgens sy risiko's uit te beeld.

The focus of this thesis is the regulatory aspects of environmental hazard and risk assessment of chemicals, with a particular emphasis on whether current regulatory requirements are sufficient for assessing the risks chemicals pose to the environment. Since the way that chemicals are currently regulated on a global, regional or national level is complex and challenging, it is not surprising that there are faults with the current system. Legislations and regulations, such as the European regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restrictions of Chemicals (REACH), specifically indicates that unnecessary testing should be avoided wherever possible. However, this has not been the case for all hazard evaluations and some substances may have been assessed unnecessarily, or incorrectly resulting in significant underestimation of the potential effects to the environment. The aim of this research was to identify the major pitfalls and flaws with how environmental risk assessments are being performed, and to find a more harmonious approach to properly ensure that chemicals are regulated more appropriately. Within this thesis, there are examples of ecotoxicity studies for substances that should have little or minimal environmental consequences but which have been required for regulatory reasons. Such an example highlighted in this thesis is the artificial sweetener sucralose or silica fume. Conversely, other substances which are likely to have severe adverse environmental impacts could have been authorised for use inappropriately without the additional research that was carried out. Examples of potentially harmful chemicals not being regulated sufficiently, detailed in this thesis, include benzoylurea pesticides, used in aquaculture, and novel antifoulant substances such as thiophenones used in industrial processes. The papers in this thesis indicate that there is a large disparity between how some substances are being regulated. In order to improve the current situation and to aid environmental risk assessors and regulatory authorities, integrated strategies have been proposed incorporating all available data to collectively inform on for example the bioaccumulative properties of a substance. In addition, recommendations for improving the risk assessment processes are discussed with the aim of better regulating chemicals and harmonizing future environmental risk assessments.

“Cartas al editor” / Revisión por pares

A metodologia ação corretiva baseada no risco (RBCA - Risk Based Corrective Action) é um procedimento que incorpora as etapas tradicionais de uma avaliação de risco com tomada de decisões e resposta a contaminações baseadas na quantificação dos efeitos adversos a saúde humana. É aplicada principalmente em áreas impactadas por derivados de petróleo. O presente estudo aplicou a metodologia RBCA para o Município de Porto Alegre por meio de determinações de NABR (Níveis Aceitáveis Baseados no Risco) para hidrocarbonetos. Como objetivo específico foi realizada a análise de sensibilidade dos parâmetros do meio físico, com o intuito de avaliar o grau de influência nas equações dos NABR, visando a relação custo-benefício diante de dificuldades na obtenção de dados de campo. Os dados hidrogeológicos para caracterização do meio físico foram obtidos a partir de trabalhos anteriores de empresas privadas e instituições públicas. Referências bibliográficas apropriadas foram utilizadas para definição de parâmetros de exposição adequados à população do município, bem como dados de toxicidade dos compostos de interesse pesquisados em bancos toxicológicos. Os dados levantados foram divididos de acordo com as unidades hidrogeológicas que ocorrem na região, denominadas de alteração do embasamento cristalino e depósitos sedimentares quaternários. O procedimento RBCA foi satisfatoriamente aplicado para as condições ambientais de Porto Alegre. Os resultados de NABR estabelecidos para a alteração do embasamento cristalino, de modo geral, foram mais conservadores e as variações entre as duas unidades, pouco significativas. Os parâmetros físicos como porosidade, fração de carbono orgânico e conteúdo volumétrico de água da zona não saturada foram os de maior influência nos resultados de NABR. / The Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA) is a procedure that incorporates traditional steps of risk assessment with decision-making and response to contamination, quantifying adverse effects to human health. It’s applied mainly to contaminated areas by hydrocarbon products. This study applied the RBCA methodology in the Porto Alegre Municipality area, southern Brazil, through RBSL determinations (Risk Based Screening Levels) to hydrocarbons. The specific goal was to evaluate sensibility analysis for parameters of the physical environment in order to assess the influence degree in the RBSL equations, for a cost-benefit analysis due to the difficulty in obtaining field data. A survey to obtain hydrogeological data was carried out through the data banks in private companies and public institutions. Appropriate bibliographical references were used in order to define adequate exposure parameters to the city population, as well as the toxicity data of compounds selected from toxicological data banks. The data of the survey were divided according to the hydrogeological units, nominated as crystalline basement alteration and Quaternary sedimentary deposits. The RBCA procedure was applied satisfactorily to the Porto Alegre environmental conditions. The RBSL results for the crystalline basement alteration, in general, were more conservative and variations between the two units were not significant. Physical parameters as porosity, organic carbon fraction and water volumetric content of the unsaturated zone showed the highest influence in RBSL results.

Corn is a dominating feature in the landscape of the Midwestern United States. Associated with this crop are a plethora of products from fertilizers to pesticides that help farmers maximize grain yield while minimizing costs. A widely accepted form of protection from major pests in the United States is genetically modified corn that has been altered so that it contains genetic material from another species, a soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt corn), in order to produce proteins that are toxic to some insect pests. Additional insecticides that are commonly used to protect corn include a neonicotinoid seed coating, clothianidin, and a pyrethroid insecticide applied in-furrow, tefluthrin. The goal of my dissertation was to measure the environmental fate of the Cry1Ab Bt corn protein, clothianidin, and tefluthrin and determine if measured concentrations could be causing effects to non-target species. The Cry1Ab proteins persisted only during the corn growing season in soil, runoff water and sediment with the highest concentrations measured during pollination. Clothianidin was detected in all matrices and remained persistent throughout the year in soil pore water. Tefluthrin was consistently detected in soil, runoff water, and runoff sediment during the corn growing season, but was not found in groundwater or soil pore water. No acute toxicity was observed to any species when exposed to the Cry1Ab protein in corn plant leaf tissue, therefore little risk was anticipated. Non-target species exposed to clothianidin resulted in limited ecological risk from field exposures. Tefluthrin results indicated elevated risk for non-target species exposed to tefluthrin at concentrations that were measured in the field study. There was no increase in toxicity to tefluthrin when non-target species were exposed to a combination of all three insecticides. In summary, the genetically modified corn insecticidal proteins and clothianidin were not found at environmental concentrations exceeding benchmark values for ecological effects, but tefluthrin was consistently detected in the environment at levels that could be causing toxicity to non-target species, especially if it is able to travel off-site.

The risk associated with the application and co-occurrence of atrazine and sulfentrazone, two herbicides applied to a corn and soybean rotational field, was evaluated in the current study. Peak field concentrations were found in the soil matrix, with atrazine and sulfentrazone values of 144 ng/g dry weight (dw), and 318 ng/g dw, respectively; however, due to the physicochemical properties of the compounds, the two herbicides were also transported to field water matrices. The highest mean runoff water concentrations for atrazine and sulfentrazone were 4.72 µg/L and 10.3 µg/L, respectively. A direct spray event of atrazine to the runoff water sampler caused concentrations as high as 1.6 mg/L, effectively becoming a worst case scenario concentration. Individual and mixture laboratory bioassays were also conducted to determine the effects of atrazine and sulfentrazone on the survival of D. magna, and P. promelas. Sub-lethal effects including germination of L. sativa, and growth of P. promelas, S. capricornutum and L. minor were also evaluated. Results showed that S. capricornutum and L. minor were the most susceptible non-target species tested, and synergistic effects were observed for both species when equipotent mixtures were tested. Margin of safety of 10% (MOS10) values were calculated for each species using field concentrations and bioassay benchmark concentrations. Atrazine MOS10 values, calculated with environmental concentrations not including the direct spray event, were 0.83 and 0.10 for S. capricornutum and L. minor, respectively. The MOS10 value for sulfentrazone effects on S. capricornutum was 0.31, and effects on L. minor was 1.39. There was a slight risk to S. capricornutum and L. minor growth associated with exposure to atrazine and sulfentrazone in an agricultural field. Although the co-occurrence of atrazine and sulfentrazone was observed, and synergistic effects were observed in the equipotent binary mixture bioassays for S. capricornutum and L. minor, it is believed that there is minimal increase in risk potential due to the co-occurrence, because field concentrations do not proportionally mimic the concentrations that produced synergism in the plant species.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Katherine E. Strain, for the Master's degree in Zoology, presented on October 21, 2014, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: FATE AND TRANSPORT OF CRY1AB FROM TRANSGENIC BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS CORN IN AN AGRICULTURAL FIELD AND AQUATIC MICROCOSMS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Michael Lydy, Ph.D. Genetically-modified crops expressing insecticidal crystalline proteins derived from a soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), were commercialized almost two decades ago as a means to combat agricultural pests. The Bt proteins are highly specific and only lethal upon ingestion, limiting the scope of toxicity to target insects. However, evidence for risk to non-target organisms and negative public perceptions on the use of Bt crops has caused controversy surrounding their use. The objective of this research was to monitor the fate and transport of a Bt protein, Cry1Ab, in a large-scale agricultural field and in aquatic microcosms. Quantitative methods were validated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and then used to evaluate field and laboratory samples. The highest environmental concentrations of the Cry1Ab protein were found in runoff water and sediment, up to 130 ng/L and 143 ng/g dry weight, respectively, with the Cry1Ab protein detected in both Bt and non-Bt fields. As surface runoff and residual crop debris can transport Bt proteins to waterways adjacent to agricultural fields, a series of laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the potential risk to non-target aquatic organisms. The results showed that sediment type and temperature can influence the degradation of the Cry1Ab protein in an aquatic system and that the Cry1Ab protein can persist for two months. While Cry1Ab protein concentrations measured in the field soil indicate little risk to terrestrial organisms, the consistent input of Bt-contaminated runoff and crop debris into agricultural waterways impart chronic risk to non-target aquatic species.

The main purpose of the present study is to examine the predictive validity of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) to Japanese juvenile offender population. Three hundred and eighty-nine juveniles who were released from the five Juvenile Classification Homes (JCHs) were followed for more than one year on average. Results demonstrate that those who show higher score on the YLS/CMI are more likely to recidivate than those who are not. A total score of the YLS/CMI also significantly contributes to predict faster time to recidivate. Furthermore, the superiority of actuarial risk measures over clinical risk judgment is confirmed. The overall findings support the applicability of the YLS/CMI among Japanese juvenile offenders. Practical implications and limitations to the current study are also discussed.