Plateau pika (Ochotonidae: Ochotona curzoniae) is widespread in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). It is endemic to QTP and restricted to high altitude area, ranging from 3,000 to 5,200 m above sea level. In this study, I examined the genetic structure of O. curzoniae along the Qinghai-Tibetan Railway (QTR) using mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences, and investigated whether QTR had become a barrier of gene flow to populations of O. curzoniae on its two sides. In total, I found 26 haplotypes of cyt b sequences from 29 individuals, of which the mean length was 1,190 bp including 68 informative sites, and the mean genetic distance was 1.7%. Two major clades were revealed in phylogenetic trees as well as TCS haplotype network. In general, the relative positions of haplotypes in the clades were corresponded to their geographic distribution. Most haplotypes of clade I were from east side, while all the haplotypes of clade II were from west side of QTR. Significant population differentiation was revealed between populations from the opposite sides of QTR, but not the same side. Due to the far smaller geographical distances between sampling sites between opposite sides than those of the same side, the differentiation pattern was not consistent with the theory of isolation by distance. Therefore, QTR might have resulted as a barrier to gene flow between populations of O. curzoniae living on opposite sides of QTR. The degree of genetic differentiation between populations of O. curzoniae on opposite sides of QTR will probably further increase in the future.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of trace substances determined by Mass spectrometry has unique advantages which can¡¦t be replaced. For example, the detection limit of common gas sensors are difficult to lower than 1 ppm, and the sensitivity, selectivity, period of use and stability are not ideal. The detection limit of mass spectrometer is general low to 0.01 ppm. Furthermore, all substances in the sample can be simultaneous analysis by mass spectrometer, but single gas sensor measurements cannot. In this study, dielectric barrier discharge plasma is used in environmental mass spectrometry analysis. This study develops an innovative balanced T-shaped dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma generator for generating atmospheric plasma to replace the linear type plasma generator. Through the change of the geometric configuration and the drive phase develop T-shaped dielectric barrier discharge plasma, the balanced design can fully cancel the high potential and noise. The main objective of this study for the more traditional linear electrodes of the study's original novel T-shaped electrodes of different, including mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, and some basic electrical measurements, and by changing the electrode design, voltage, temperature, gas flow, gas flow rate, diameter and other parameters of the dielectric, and compare their differences and to explore the most suitable parameters. The results showed that T-shaped design of the research and development of innovation through the elimination of the exit pressure put EFI flame can indeed significantly reduce sample oxidation and generate fragments of the situation, and thus improve the mass spectrum of readability and debris interference, thus improving the detection limit , especially for some with a benzene ring and long-chain carbon samples. The experimental results confirm that the development of the Institute of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma free system can be prolonged to produce high concentrations of plasma gas as a free source of the mass spectrometry system, and provides more than 107 cm-3 ion concentration. MS-free analysis of the system can be directly on the gas, liquid and solid samples, the test do not need complicated traditional mass spectrometry analysis of the required sample pre-treatment steps, you can get a clear identification of high mass spectrometry signal. In addition to introducing the basic principles and structure of the atmospheric pressure plasma discharge device, and take advantage of many samples test for the different plasma mass spectrometry free system performance verification.

The storm surge from Hurricane Ike inundated Bolivar Peninsula as well as pooled up (~4 meters above sea level) in the Galveston Bay System behind Bolivar. After the hurricane passed, this water flowed back over the peninsula for about 19 hours, causing a great deal of coastal destruction. Analysis of post-Hurricane Ike aerial photography and Lidar data revealed the development of dramatically different scour and backflow features in the beach and dune environments along Bolivar Peninsula, Texas. Using Ward's cluster analysis, the 454 identified features were grouped according to shape and size characteristics generated by an object-oriented shape analysis program. Five distinct groups of features emerged from the cluster analysis. Group 1 features were small and compact, distributed mostly in the west; Group 2 features were large and dendritic in nature, distributed where the peninsula was narrow. Group 3 features had a longshore orientation with many of them resembling piano keys, distributed in the east. Group 4 features were oriented longshore and ornate in shape. Many of them were similar in shape to Group 2 or 3 features though statistically different enough to be grouped alone; they were distributed mostly in the eastern half of the study area. Group 5 features tended to be elongated, oriented cross-shore, nonbranching, and distributed mostly in the east. At least four flow environments caused characteristic forms. The first flow environment is typified by seaward flowing water encountering a road parallel with the coastline. The water flowing over the road scours deeply on the leeward side (seaward side), denuding beach sediments down to the resistant mud layer (Groups 3 and 4). The second flow environment was caused by a geotube, which breached during the storm and channelized flow through the breaches (Groups 2 and 5). The third flow environment had a comparatively high elevation, high development, and shore-perpendicular roads (Group 2). The fourth flow environment was typified by wide beaches backed by dunes (lost in the storm) as well as flat vegetated areas. Water flowing seaward over the vegetation scoured deeply into troughs after it came off the vegetation (Groups 1, 3, and 4).

At many sites it has become apparent that most chemicals of concern (COCs) in groundwater are persistent and not effectively treated by conventional remediation methods. In recent years, the permeable reactive barrier (PRB) technology has proven to be more cost-efficient in the long-run and capable of rapidly reducing COC concentrations by up to several orders of magnitude. In its simplest form, the PRB is a vertically emplaced rectangular porous medium in which impacted groundwater passively enters a narrow treatment zone. In the treatment zone dissolved COCs are rapidly degraded as they come in contact with the reactive material. As a result, the effluent groundwater contains significantly lower solute concentrations as it re-enters the aquifer and flows towards the plane of compliance (POC). Effective implementation of the PRB relies on accurate site characterization to identify the existing COCs, their interactions, and their required residence time in the PRB and aquifer. Ensuring adequate residence time in the PRB-aquifer system allows COCs to react longer, hence improving the probability that regulatory concentrations are achieved at the POC. In this study, the Park and Zhan solution technique is used to derive steady-state analytical and transient semi-analytical solutions to multispecies reactive transport in a permeable reactive barrier-aquifer (dual domain) system. The advantage of the dual domain model is that it can account for the potential existence of natural degradation in the aquifer, when designing the required PRB thickness. Also, like the single-species Park and Zhan solution, the solutions presented here were derived using the total mass flux (third-type) boundary condition in PRB-aquifer system. The study focuses primarily on the steady-state analytical solutions of the tetrachloroethylene (PCE) serial degradation pathway and secondly on the analytical solutions of the parallel degradation pathway. Lastly, the solutions in this study are not restricted solely to the PRB-aquifer model. They can also be applied to other types of dual domain systems with distinct flow and transport properties, and up to four other species reacting in serial or parallel degradation pathways. Although the solutions are long, the results of this study are novel in that the solutions provide improved modeling flexibility. For example: 1) every species can have unique first-order reaction rates and unique retardation factors, 2) higher order daughter species can be modeled solely as byproducts by neglecting their input concentrations, 3) entire segments of the parallel degradation pathway can be neglected depending on the desired degradation pathway model, and 4) converging multi-parent reactions can be modeled. As part of the study, separate Excel spreadsheet programs were created to facilitate prompt application of the steady-state analytical solutions, for both the serial and parallel degradation pathways. The spreadsheet programs are included as supplementary material.

The alongshore variability of beach-dune systems and the response and recovery from extreme storms remains poorly understood. The height and extent of foredunes along barrier islands varies over a range of spatial scales, implying that during extreme storms, the beach-dune system should respond in different ways depending on the elevation and volume of the dunes relative to the storm surge. The purpose of this study is to use Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) and vibra-cores to investigate the internal structure of small, intermediate and large dunes along a 2.5 km transect of beach in Padre Island National Seashore, TX with particular attention to storm impacts. A series of dune normal and parallel GPR profiles were collected to capture the variation in beach-dune morphology at the three sites. Site locations were chosen along a transition from dissipative to intermediate beach states. Following the Sallenger (2000) storm impact model, the small dune is defined by low-lying topography that is susceptible to overwash and inundation depending on the size of the storm surge. The large dune is characteristic of the “collision regime”, while the intermediate dune represents a transition between “overwash” and “collision regimes”, with the underlying assumption that all three dunes would be impacted by the same level of surge during a single storm event. Results from the GPR survey suggest that each site contains a bright, laterally continuous radar reflector that is interpreted with the aid of the sedimentary data as an erosional layer. Different characteristic radar facies and sequence boundaries provide evidence as to how each dune evolved through and after the storm. Results from XRF scans and grain size analysis show a direct comparison between the GPR reflectors at the storm surface and spikes in calcium counts from XRF scans to distinct changes in grain size parameters at the same depth. It is argued that the location of each shell layer corresponds to a storm surface generated during a single storm, which means it is possible to interpret different recovery mechanisms. The presence of the storm layer across the backbeach and dunes provides evidence for the height and extent of the surge during the storm event. The data suggests that the small dune was overtopped by the surge, experiencing minimal erosion and recovery. The intermediate dune was completely eroded by the surge, but showed the greatest recovery of all the dune sites. The large dune was scoured at the base with marginal impact along its crest and shows minimal recovery after the storm. These results suggest that the evolution (i.e., transgression) of a barrier island varies considerably over short distances.

This research aims at understanding the effects that Ministry of Education implements the Recurrent Education of in-service master programs in every university. Investigate the adult learners from in-service master programs, specially in the learners¡¦ learning motivations, participation barriers and learning satisfactions in order to the reference which carries out the effort as inspecting. The process of this research¡G Firstly, investigate the learning motivations, participation barriers and learning satisfactions of in-service master program students. Secondly, understand the relationships between (1)the demographics and learning motivations¡Bparticipation barriers and learning satisfactions ,and (2) learning motivations¡B participation barriers and learning satisfactions. Finally, suggest some advises forward on the policy for Recurrent Education of in-service master programs. For supporting the above-mentioned purposes, I used questionnaire investigation method to collect the material data. The currently register students are 1278, particularly in 92nd school year, and the effective samples are 337.Describing statistics, exploratory factor analysis, secondary confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were used to analyze and explain the raw data. Research tells: ¡]1¡^The learning motivations¡Bparticipation barriers and learning satisfactions are related to certain items of demographics. ¡]2¡^The higher learning motivation which in-service master program students have, the more learning satisfaction they get. The participation barrier is higher and the lower learning satisfaction is. The participation barrier can influence the learning satisfaction through the learning motivation, that means the learning motivation is a intervening variable. The research suggests: ¡]1¡^ Set up the scholarship of in-service master programs to keep the fair position of the students. ¡]2¡^ Legislate the paid educational leave. ¡]3¡^ Strengthen the promotion of educational programs for the expansion of adult learners¡¦ participation. ¡]4¡^ Redistribute educational resources . ¡]5¡^ Have the flexible years of studying and set up the transfer systems.

This research was aimed to investigate the enhancement of electrokinetic (EK) remediation arsenate-contaminated soil by permeable reaction barrier (PRB). All experiments, which experimental parameters included the position, materials, and quantity of PRB, processing fluid types, potential gradients, and treatment time, were conducted in two types of EK systems. One was Pyrex glass cylindrical cells with dimension of 4.2 cm (£r) ¡Ñ 12 cm (L) and the other was a small pilot-scale modulus with dimension of 36cm (L) ¡Ñ18cm (W) ¡Ñ18cm cm (H). The PRBs were composed of four kinds of reaction materials, which included commercial zero valent iron (Fe(0)C), manufactured zero valent iron (Fe(0)M), commercial hydrous ferric oxide (FeOOHC), and manufactured hydrous ferric oxide (FeOOHM), mixed with ottawa sand in a ratio of 1:2,respectively, and installed in the anode, middle, and cathode side of the EK systems. For 5-day EK cylindrical cell tests, the results showed that the PRB installation would result in a lower electroosmosis permeability (Ke) and a higher removal efficiency of arsenate. The arsenate removal efficiency of EK system with PRB was in the range of 43.89-70.25%, which was 1.5~2.6 times greater than that without PRB, and the value of Ke was in the range of 4.30-12.61¡Ñ10-6 cm2/V-s. The soil pH after EK/PRB treatment was much closer to natural and more arsenate was collected in the anode reservoir. Moreover, the remediation performance of FeOOHC as PRB materials was much better than other materials. For EK pilot-scale modulus tests, it was shown that the removal efficiency of arsenate was effectively enhanced as improved experimental parameters and, however, led to increase the treatment cost. In EK modulus without PRB, the removal efficiency of arsenate, elctroosmosis permeability, and energy consumption were 27.76%, 3.30-5.39¡Ñ10-6 cm2/V-s, and 1724.81 kWh/m3, respectively. Furthermore, the treatment cost was NT 9583/m3. As increasing treatment time, graphite electrode, potential gradient, and quantity of PRB materials, the removal efficiency of arsenate increased to as high as 45.11-71.22% and the treatment cost also increased up to NT 24,800-57,730/m3. As investigated the binding form of arsenate with soil after EK/PRB treatment, it was found that the arsenate ¡Vsoil binding forms of Fe-Mn oxide bound, organically bound, and residual in the soil section behind the PRB were much easier transformed to the forms of exchangeable and carbonate bound. The transformation rate reached as high as 72.5% and it increased with treatment time. However, the Fe-Mn oxide bound was still the main binding form, 61.6-81.6%, in the soil section prior to the PRB. The removal mechanism of arsenate contaminated soil remediation was dominated by electromigration, electrolysis, and electroosmosis in EK system without PRB. And, in EK/PRB system, the removal of arsenate from soil was mainly resulted from adsorption rather than redox reaction by PRB. To sum up, the PRB can effectively enhance the electrokinetic remediation of arsenate contaminated soil by choosing the right PRB materials and operation parameters.

Thirty-two privately owned structures were treated with a 0.06% exterior and interior, 0.06% exterior-only, or 0.125% exterior-only application of fipronil (Termidor SC®) in order to compare their efficacies in the post-construction control of interior populations of Reticulitermes spp. (Holmgren). The concentration of fipronil in the soils from the structures was measured pre-treatment and at 1 week, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months post-treatment. Bioassays conducted with fipronil-treated soils from five locations in Texas determined the minimum effective concentration (minimum concentration necessary to stop termites from breeching a 50 mm column of treated soil) was < 1.0 ppm. Lethal concentration (LC50) values ranged from 0.19 to 0.60 ppm for Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar). All structures receiving a 0.06% fipronil exterior and interior or 0.125% exterior-only application showed full control of interior termite populations within 6 months. In contrast, 36% of the structures that received a 0.06% fipronil exterior-only application still had termites 6 months post-treatment. When taking the point of termite entry into account, it was shown that only structures treated with fipronil at the point of entry into the structure by termites showed full control within 6 months. This indicated that the placement of the termiticide at the point of subterranean termite entry, and not the rate at which it was applied, was the most important factor that predicted whether a post-construction application of fipronil provided full control of an interior infestation. Results also indicated that Termidor SC® was effective when used according to the current product label, which calls for a thorough application including exterior and interior applications for post-construction termite control. Soil monitoring data for fipronil indicated that the technical material provided by the manufacturer of Termidor SC® was labeled appropriately in terms of concentration. Tank mix samples, while variable, were between 83 - 96% of the labeled concentrations. Post-treatment soil samples and bioassays with treated soil showed that fipronil concentrations were adequate to effectively control termites through the first 18 months.

Groundwater contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons has become one of the serious environmental problems in many countries. The sources of petroleum-hydrocarbon contaminants may be released from above ground and underground storage tanks, and pipelines. Petroleum hydrocarbons are mainly composed of benzene, toluene, ethyl- benzene, and xylems (BTEX), and other constituents such as methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), naphthalene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (1,3,5-TMB), and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene (1,2,4-TMB). It is generally recognized that petroleum hydrocarbons have high risks to environmental receptors when hydrocarbon releases occur. Various biological, physical, and chemical remediation technologies (e.g. pump and treat, air sparging, enhanced bioremediation, and chemical oxidation) can be used to remediate petroleum-hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater. However, many of these techniques are typically costly or have limited applications. Permeable reactive barriers (PRBs) are a promising technology for the passive and in situ treatment of contaminated groundwater. A PRB can be defined as ¡§an emplacement of reactive materials in the subsurface designed to intercept a contaminant plume, provide a preferential flow path through the reactive media, and transform the contaminant(s) into environmentally acceptable forms to attain remediation concentration goals at points of compliance.¡¨ The oxygen release materials can be emplaced in the PRBs to passive increase dissolved oxygen (DO) in the subsurface to enhance the intrinsic biodegradation of dissolved hydrocarbons. In the first part of this study, guidelines for PRBs installation have been developed for the remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and organic solvents contaminated groundwater. PRB is a cost-effective approach for the remediation of contaminated aquifers. As contaminated groundwater moves through a permeable reactive barrier, the contaminants are scavenged or degraded, and uncontaminated groundwater emerges from the downgradient side of the reactive zone. The permeable reactive barrier concept has several advantages over other remediation technologies currently in use (e.g., pump and treat, air sparging), including absence of mechanical facilities and the electric power, no groundwater extraction and reinjection, treatment in situ, and cost-effective. The first part of this study presents the designs, applications, and case studies of PRB systems on groundwater remediation. In the second part of this study, oxygen release materials have been constructed and evaluated for the appropriate components in batch experiments. Microbial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater can occur naturally. Since the petroleum-hydrocarbons are generally degraded faster under aerobic conditions, aerobic bioremediation can be applied to enhance the biodegradation of petroleum-hydrocarbons within of the plume if oxygen can be provided to the subsurface economically. Batch experiments were conducted to design and identify the components of the oxygen-releasing materials. Cement and gypsum were used as a binder in this mixtures experments. (1) using cement as the binding material The mixtures of the oxygen release material were prepared by blending cement, peat, sand, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer(EVA), calcium peroxide (CaO2), and water together at a ratio of 1.0¡G0.18¡G0.20¡G0.10¡G1.12¡G1.74 by weight. Cement was used as a binder and regular medium filter sand was used to increase the permeability of the mixture. Calcium peroxide releases oxygen upon contact water. The designed material with a density of 1.9 g/cm3 was made of 3.5 cm cube for the batch experiment. Results show that the oxygen release rate of the material is 0.046 mg O2/day/g rock. The oxygen release material was able to remain active in oxygen release for more than three months. (2) using gypsum as the binding material The mixtures of the oxygen release material were prepared by blending gypsum, CaO2, sand, and water together at a ratio of 1¡G0.5¡G0.14¡G0.75 by weight. Gypsum was used as a binder and regular medium filter sand was used to increase the permeability of the mixture. Calcium peroxide releases oxygen upon contact water. The designed material with a density of 1.1 g/cm3 was made of 3.5 cm cube for the batch experiment. Results show that the oxygen release rate of the material is 0.031 mg/day/g. The oxygen release material was able to remain active in oxygen release for more than three months. In the third part of this study, immobilization technology was applied to produce the low permeability wrapping film for the construction of oxygen-releasing granular materials. The mixtures of the oxygen release material were prepared by blending alginate, CaO2, and sand together at a ratio of 8.3¡G1.0¡G1 by weight. The low permeability wrapping film of the oxygen release material was able to remain active in oxygen release for two months. In the fourth part of this study, a laboratory-scale column experiment was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of this proposed system on the bioremediation of petroleum-hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater. This system was performed using a series of continuous-flow glass columns including four consecutive soil columns. Simulated petroleum-hydrocarbons contaminated groundwater with a flow rate of 0.263 m/day was pumped into this system. In the column experiment, the samples of column influent and specified sampling ports were collected and analyzed for pH, DO, BTEX, MTBE, and microbial populations. Results show that up to 99% of BTEX removal was observed in this passive system. Results from this study would be useful in designing an efficient and cost-effective passive oxygen-releasing and bioremediation system to remediate petroleum- hydrocarbon contaminated aquifer.

This thesis is mainly proposed and discussed the characteristics of polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor putting forward and probing into four kinds of novel buried-oxide structures. Because of the shortcoming of the traditional polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor, like leakage current (On/Off state current), subthreshold swing, floating body effect (kink effect), self-heating effect, and short channel effect etc.. Thus, we propose and fabricate four kinds of novel structural polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors that are involved in the following, indicating to improve the critical issues of polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor mentioned above. 1. We propose and fabricate the multiple/dual trenched-body polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor. This proposed structure is demonstrated to obviously suppress the off-state leakage up to 70% reduction, comparing with the conventional device. Also, we survey the reliability of this proposed device included temperature and DC hot-carrier stress effects. We found that the trenched-body TFTs perform more rapid degradation than the conventional TFT does after the temperature and stress durations, but their electrical characteristics are still superior to the conventional counterparts. Importantly, we demonstrate that this proposed device have a dramatic potential to be a novel capacitorless 1T-DRAM, because of its large floating-body-charge storages. As the experiment, the large threshold voltage shift is examined apparently after a certain write and erase operations, leading to a manifest programming window. 2. We propose and fabricate the block-oxide polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor. This proposed structure can not only improve the leakage issue of conventional device seriously, but also avoid fluctuating threshold voltage attributed from the ultra-thin film effect. 3. We propose and fabricate the floating-body contact polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor. This structure is modified by the conventional contact window in order to effectively improve the kink effect, utilizing the bottom gate polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor. 4. Finally, we propose and simulate the non-continuous buried layer polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor. This structure built upon the field oxidation layer can effectively improve the self-heating effect and kink effect. Furthermore, this structure is simple to fabricate, practical, and completely compatible on CMOS technology.