Thesis (Ph. D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Aerospace Engineering. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--East Carolina University, 2009. / Presented to the faculty of the Department of Physics. Advisor: Michael Dingfelder. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Apr. 23, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-108).

Balm Road Treatment Marsh is a 12 ha constructed wetland treatment system in south-central Hillsborough County, Florida created to improve water quality in Bullfrog Creek and ultimately Tampa Bay. The treatment system was designed to treat runoff from approximately 741 ha of upstream agricultural land prior to discharging into the creek, with the primary goals of reducing sediment and nutrient loads. Water quality data from four sites on Bullfrog Creek were analyzed to determine impacts to ambient water quality and pollutant load reductions downstream. Results were compared to the performance of other wetlands to treat both nonpoint and point source pollution. Impacts to ambient water quality in the creek were found to be minimal, if any, and although significant load reductions were found downstream, they could not be attributed to wetland treatment affects with confidence. In general, nonpoint source pollution, particularly from agriculture, was found to be treated less effectively than point sources. The importance of monitoring the performance of stormwater projects while employing a strategic sample design and including receiving water impacts is highlighted.

No description available.

- / An amorphous system can be viewed as a point in con guration space spending most of its time vibrating about local minima of the energy hypersurface. Transitions to adjacent minima, which correspond to elementary events of structural rearrangement, are rare, since the vibrational energy of the system is not high enough to overcome the surrounding energy barriers. Therefore, molecular dynamics simulations, which can track a system's behavior over at most a few nanoseconds, fail to give us information about the atomistic nature and characteristics of such minimum-to-minimum transitions. In this work we try a di erent approach: we construct molecular con gurations of an amorphous Lennard-Jones solid, which, for given values of the temperature and stress/pressure, constitute local minima of the free energy under the quasi-harmonic approximation (QHA). From the volumetric behavior of these con gurations for various values of the temperature and/or pressure we conclude that the QHA is very reasonable for our system and we calculate the values of the isothermal compressibility and of the elastic constants. We then identify representative paths in con guration space leading from one free energy minimum to an adjacent one at xed temperature and pressure. For each of these transitions or elementary structural relaxation events we determine the corresponding rate constant using the principles of multidimensional transitionstate theory. The distribution of free energy barriers is found to be strongly asymmetric and extremely broad, whereas the corresponding distribution of activation entropies is narrow. There is a strong positive correlation between the volume change and the free energy change accompanying each of these elementary transitions, as would be expected from observed volume relaxation phenomena in glasses. The physical phenomenon of physical ageing can be described as a sequence of elementary relaxation events. Therefore, our next step is the analysis of sequential minimum-to-minimum transitions. This analysis is performed via a novel kinetic Monte-Carlo simulation method, which we call quasi-MD. The quasi-MD method tracks di erent stable initial con gurations "escape" through one of the transition states surrounding their current minimum and get trapped inside a neighboring one, which becomes the new current state for the system. Each of the observed transition events is associated with a characteristic time related to the randomly chosen escape route, integrating-out the vibration inside the minimum. This way, it is possible to follow the time-dependence of the system's properties during the relaxation process. One of the most characteristic such properties for the phenomenon of physical ageing is the self-part of the intermediate scattering function Ss(q; t). Calculation of the timedependence of Ss(q; t) for the glassy Lennard-Jones using quasi-MD clearly shows the three known characteristic regions: a) initial rapid decay which corresponds to local motion of the particles within their "cage", b) the slowly decaying plateau region corresponding to relaxation of the "cage", called the -relaxation, and c) the nal decay which corresponds to the breakup of the "cage" and escape of the particles, designated as the -relaxation. The glassy Lennard-Jones system used so far is an ideal system for the development of novel simulation methods and the analysis of the validity of di erent approaches. However, more complex systems are interesting from a technological point of view. Therefore, our nal step is the analysis of a glassy polymer. We focus on the validity of the QHA in glassy atactic polypropylene. Following the same procedure as in the case of Lennard-Jones spheres, we construct di erent stable amorphous con gurations for a series of temperatures and pressures. Using these con gurations we calculate the values of the thermal expansion coefficient and isothermal compressibility, which agree reasonably well with available experimental data. Finally, the amorphous polypropylene con gurations get uniaxially strained leading to the estimation of the value of Young modulus.

Wastewater generated in the Tucson metropolitan region is conveyed to and treated at the Roger Road Wastewater Reclamation Facility (WRF) and Ina Road WRF. From 2005 to 2012, approximately 15,000 acre-feet per year of effluent was returned to the City of Tucson for additional filtration and reuse in the reclaimed water system. The remaining 48,000+ acre-feet per year of treated effluent was discharged to the Santa Cruz River, where a variable portion of the effluent infiltrates the streambed. The effluent that infiltrates the streambed contributes to recharge credits for participants invested in the Managed Underground Storage Facilities. In the effluent-dependent river, physical, chemical, and biological processes work in combination to develop a clogging layer near the streambed surface, which reduces infiltration. Previous studies have shown that large storm events have the ability to scour away the clogging layer and are the most significant processes contributing to establishing infiltration rates. Without the occurrence of large storm events, other variables such as effluent discharge and effluent concentrations affect infiltration to a lesser degree. Effluent discharge, biochemical oxygen demand, and total suspended solids are monitored and recorded daily at the outfalls of the WRFs. The parameters were investigated individually and in combination using statistical analyses to determine their correlations with streambed infiltration in the Santa Cruz River. The dry spring-early summer seasons from 2005 to 2012 were analyzed. A water balance was constructed for non-stormflow days during each time period. Evapotranspiration was calculated using riparian vegetation surveys and detailed delineations of aerial photography of the surface water and streamside herbaceous vegetation. Infiltration was derived as the residual of the water balance. At the daily time scale, correlations among variables were unobtainable due to the extremely variable characteristics of infiltration. The seasonal time scale analyses demonstrated an inverse relationship between both the effluent concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids with infiltration and a direct correlation between effluent discharge and infiltration under extreme conditions. Under normal conditions, the distribution of discharge between Roger Road WRF and Ina Road WRF had a critical effect on infiltration as a result of the different deposition and erosive regimes through the Santa Cruz River.

Tobulėjant skaitiniams metodams ir kompiuterinei technikai atsivėrė galimybė naujų, sudėtingesnių mechaninių objektų modeliavimui. Turėdami naujus sudėtingesnių objektų modelius tyrėjai gali pritaikyti aprašytas ir sumodeliuotas šių objektų savybes su mikro struktūros ypatumais esamų ar busimų savybių nustatymui bei naujų medžiagų kūrimui. Tam intensyviai naudojami kaip eksperimentiniai taip ir skaitiniai metodai, kurių tobulinimui šiuo metu yra skiriamas labai didelis dėmesys. Skaitinis eksperimentas, kaip medžiagos tyrimo būdas pasitelkiamas dar ir todėl kad yra pigesnis ir leidžia interpretuoti jau žinomus eksperimentų rezultatus, o taip suteikia žinių naujiems tyrimams. Vienas iš metodų, kuris modeliuoja makroskopines medžiagų savybes remdamasis medžiagos mikro savybėmis yra diskrečiųjų elementų metodas (DEM). DEM metodas remiasi idėja, kad bet kokia fizikinė struktūra gali būti aprašyta kaip judančių dalelių sistema. Ši idėja pradėta taikyti ir vientisam deformuojamam kūnui aprašyti. Skirtingai nuo biriųjų medžiagų, vientiso kūno dalelės ir tarp jų egzistuojančios sąveikos yra kitokios prigimties, o jų modeliai yra fizikinės ir matematinės abstrakcijos rezultatas. Vientiso deformuojamo kūno modeliavimas diskrečiais elementais yra tik pradinėje stadijoje, o vientiso požiūrio į diskrečių elementų modelius dar nėra. Yra kelios hipotetinės versijos, grindžiamos skirtingais požiūriais. Taikant DEM kūnui, pirmas žingsnis būtu tampriųjų savybių modeliavimas. Tai yra... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Development of numerical methods and computation environments opened the possibility of new, more sophisticated mechanical objects modelling. In this context it is natural desire of the researchers to describe macroscopic mechanical characteristics of the materials by their microstructure, which can be adapted for simulation of the existing and future materials. For this purpose researchers are using intensively experimental and numerical methods for the development of which the highest priority is given. Numerical experiments are used because they are cheaper and allow the interpretation of already known results of experiments and provide information to new investigations. One of the methods used for modelling of macroscopic properties modelling is based on microscopic properties of material is discrete element method (DEM). The DEM traditionally was applied for the granular materials. The basic idea of DEM is that any physical structure could be described as a system of moving particles. This idea could be also applied to the description of solid deformable body. Particles forming solid body and existing interaction between them are of different nature than the granular materials because their models are often the result of physical and mathematical abstraction. The modelling of solid deformable body with the discrete elements is just at the initial stage and the unified approach to discrete elements models doesn’t exist. There are several versions of models, based... [to full text]

Development of numerical methods and computation environments opened the possibility of new, more sophisticated mechanical objects modelling. In this context it is natural desire of the researchers to describe macroscopic mechanical characteristics of the materials by their microstructure, which can be adapted for simulation of the existing and future materials. For this purpose researchers are using intensively experimental and numerical methods for the development of which the highest priority is given. Numerical experiments are used because they are cheaper and allow the interpretation of already known results of experiments and provide information to new investigations. One of the methods used for modelling of macroscopic properties modelling is based on microscopic properties of material is discrete element method (DEM). The DEM traditionally was applied for the granular materials. The basic idea of DEM is that any physical structure could be described as a system of moving particles. This idea could be also applied to the description of solid deformable body. Particles forming solid body and existing interaction between them are of different nature than the granular materials because their models are often the result of physical and mathematical abstraction. The modelling of solid deformable body with the discrete elements is just at the initial stage and the unified approach to discrete elements models doesn’t exist. There are several versions of models, based on... [to full text] / Tobulėjant skaitiniams metodams ir kompiuterinei technikai atsivėrė galimybė naujų, sudėtingesnių mechaninių objektų modeliavimui. Turėdami naujus sudėtingesnių objektų modelius tyrėjai gali pritaikyti aprašytas ir sumodeliuotas šių objektų savybes su mikro struktūros ypatumais esamų ar busimų savybių nustatymui bei naujų medžiagų kūrimui. Tam intensyviai naudojami kaip eksperimentiniai taip ir skaitiniai metodai, kurių tobulinimui šiuo metu yra skiriamas labai didelis dėmesys. Skaitinis eksperimentas, kaip medžiagos tyrimo būdas pasitelkiamas dar ir todėl kad yra pigesnis ir leidžia interpretuoti jau žinomus eksperimentų rezultatus, o taip suteikia žinių naujiems tyrimams. Vienas iš metodų, kuris modeliuoja makroskopines medžiagų savybes remdamasis medžiagos mikro savybėmis yra diskrečiųjų elementų metodas (DEM). DEM metodas remiasi idėja, kad bet kokia fizikinė struktūra gali būti aprašyta kaip judančių dalelių sistema. Ši idėja pradėta taikyti ir vientisam deformuojamam kūnui aprašyti. Skirtingai nuo biriųjų medžiagų, vientiso kūno dalelės ir tarp jų egzistuojančios sąveikos yra kitokios prigimties, o jų modeliai yra fizikinės ir matematinės abstrakcijos rezultatas. Vientiso deformuojamo kūno modeliavimas diskrečiais elementais yra tik pradinėje stadijoje, o vientiso požiūrio į diskrečių elementų modelius dar nėra. Yra kelios hipotetinės versijos, grindžiamos skirtingais požiūriais. Taikant DEM kūnui, pirmas žingsnis būtu tampriųjų savybių modeliavimas. Tai yra... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

The objective of this thesis was to assess the physical (concentrations, durations, and sedimentation) and biological effects of total suspended solids (TSS) in Arctic lakes following in-lake construction of dikes. TSS concentration and duration estimates were applied in a Severity of Ill Effects model which predicted possible habitat degradation and a reduction of feeding of salmonids with no significant difference between stations (ANOVA, p=0.153). Benthic invertebrates collected inside suspended sediment containment curtains showed a decrease in richness and abundance (Tukey’s, p<0.05), with no effects elsewhere. Stable isotope analysis from lake trout and arctic char muscle tissue suggested no differences in isotopic signatures following TSS exposure, but stable isotope analysis of stomach contents in lake trout had a significant increase in δ15N compared to the reference basin (Tukey’s, p<0.05). These findings suggested that lake trout adapted their food sources under moderate TSS exposure and benthic invertebrates rapidly recovered to pre-disturbance values. / Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited: Meadowbank Division and the University of Guelph; Research approved by Department of Fisheries and Oceans & Nunavut Impact Review Board