No description available.

Thesis--University of Oklahoma. / Bibliography: leaf 24.

Reservoir releases for generating power need to be reconciled with efforts to maintain healthy ecosystems in regulated rivers having irregular channel topography. Fluctuating, complex flow patterns near river obstructions such as boulders and large woody debris provide unique habitat for many aquatic organisms. Numerical modeling of the flow structures surrounding these obstructions is challenging, yet it represents an important tool for aquatic habitat assessment. Moreover, efforts for modeling the morphologically and biologically important transient flows, as well as quantifying their impacts on physical fish habitat during the unsteady-flow period remain rare. In this dissertation, the ability of two- (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) hydraulic models to reproduce the localized complex flow features at steady base and peak flows is examined first. The performance of the two hydraulic models is evaluated by comparing the numerical results with measurements of flow around a laboratory hemisphere and boulders located at a reach of the Smith River in Virginia. Close agreement between measured values and the velocity profiles predicted by the two models is obtained outside the wakes behind these obstructions. However, results suggest that in the vicinity of theses obstructions the 3-D model is better suited for reproducing the circulation flow behavior favored by many aquatic species over a broad range of flows. Further, time-dependent flow features affecting channel morphology and aquatic physical habitat are investigated using the numerical models for the same reach in the Smith River. Temporal variation measurements of water surface elevation and velocity profile obtained in the field during a reservoir release are in good agreement with the numerical results. A hypothetical "staggering" flow release scenario simulated by the 3-D model leads to reduced erosional area and longer refugia availability for juvenile brown trout during hydropeaking. Finally, an unsteadiness parameter β is proposed for determining whether an unsteady flow regime can be either modeled using a truly dynamic flow approach or a quasi-steady flow method. / Ph. D.

No description available.

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer affecting women in the world today. To better understand breast cancer initiation and progression modeling biological tissue under physiological conditions is essential. Indeed, breast cancer involves complex interactions between mammary epithelial cells and the stroma, both extracellular matrix (ECM) and cells including adipocytes (fat tissue) and fibroblasts (connective tissue). Therefore, the engineering of in vitro three-dimensional (3D) systems of breast tissues allows a deeper understanding of the complex cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions involved during breast tissue development and cancer initiation and progression. Furthermore, such 3D systems may provide a viable alternative to investigate new drug or drug regimen and to model and monitor concurrent cellular processes during tumor growth and invasion. The development of suitable 3D in vitro models relies on the ability to mimic the microenvironment, the structure, and the functions of the breast tissue. Different approaches to develop a novel 3D breast model have been investigated. Most models use gel scaffolds, including Matrigel® and collagen to generate breast tissue-like structures. However, the physicochemical, mechanical, and geometrical properties of these scaffolds only partially meet the mechanical, physical, and chemical parameters of the breast tissue matrix. In the present studies, we investigated the overall hypothesis that electrospun SF-derived scaffolds promote mammary cell growth and the formation of mammary-like structures depending on the composition and/or coating of the scaffolds with ECM proteins. Through an extensive literature search (1) the importance of 3D modeling of tissues and organs in vivo, (2) 3D modeling of the mammary tissue and currently available models, (3) the properties and applications of SF in tissue modeling and regeneration were reviewed (Chapter 1). Our studies provide evidence of the effects of various concentrations (Chapter 2) of SF along with different electrospinning techniques (Chapter 3) on the structure of electrospun scaffolds and whether those scaffolds provide suitable microenvironments for mammary epithelial cells as determined by MCF10A cell attachment, viability, and structure formation. Further, we investigated the effects of the key ECM proteins collagen I (Chapter 4) and laminin (Chapter 5) used to blend or coat, respectively, SF scaffolds on the attachment, viability and structure formation of mammary epithelial cells. Our studies first highlight the mechanical and physical properties of the different SF-derived scaffolds through various SF concentrations and electrospinning techniques. Second, the biocompatibility of these SF electrospun scaffolds was defined based on MCF10A cell survival and adhesion. Third, our data indicate that scaffolds derived from blended and/or coated SF with collagen I also promoted human mammary cell survival and adhesion. Lastly, our observations suggest that on laminin-coated SF scaffolds MCF10A mammary cells, in the presence of lactogenic hormones, differentiated forming acinus-like structures. Overall, these studies provide evidence that SF electrospun scaffolds closely mimic the structure of the ECM fibers and allow many advantages such as; physical and chemical modification of the microenvironment by varying electrospinning parameters and addition of various proteins, hormones, and growth factors, respectively. Further, coating these SF scaffolds with essential ECM proteins, in particular laminin, promote cell-ECM interactions necessary for cell differentiation and formation of growth-arrested structures, through providing cell integrin binding sites and appropriate chemical cues.

Thesis--University of Oklahoma. / Bibliography: leaves 113-115.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are artificial systems used for wastewater treatment, whose objective is to reproduce, under controlled conditions, the treatment mechanisms that occur in natural environments, through the exploration and improve the processes that involve the vegetation, porous media and microbial assemblages. Horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSF-CWs) is characterized by flow in a horizontal direction, in a gravel or sand beds planted or unplanted with emergent macrophytes whose the inlet and outlet are horizontally opposed, which allows the wastewater flow through the rhizosphere and have contact with the biofilm formed in subsurface. Traditional studies about CWs focuses on the efficiency of contaminants removal look at systems as a "black-boxes" from empirical approaches and do not distinguish between the different active removals processes. The development of numerical models, in order to helping to identify and improve the role of each element acting in the treatment, whether the properties of the porous media, constructive geometry, flow characteristics, among others, appears as an alternative to reach a more detailed understanding of the internal processes involved in CWs. In general, numerical models consist of governing equations (derived from the mathematical combination of the water balance and Darcy's law), initial conditions (they refer to the distribution of the hydraulic head in the model domain) and boundaries conditions (define the hydraulic or physical boundaries that delimit the model domain). In the last decade, different 1D and 2D numerical models have been developed and applied for the simulation of subsurface flow CWs under conditions of saturated horizontal flow (CWM1-RETRASO and PHWAT), variably saturated vertical flow (FITOVERT and HYDRUS-CW2D) and vertical or horizontally saturated flow (HYDRUS-CWM1). However, few studies regarding the application of 3D numerical models for CWs simulation are reported in the scientific literature. In this study, the hydrodynamic simulation of the porous media in a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland was run through the application of a 3D numerical model. The flow patterns were simulated according to the project design and scenarios with changes in the porous media hydrodynamic (hydraulic conductivity) and in the positioning of the wastewater distribution mechanisms (distribution along the cross section with two pipes) in order to verify the influence of these factors in the flow pattern and also to indicate advantages and disadvantages that contribute to the design. The softwares MODFLOW and MODPATH, in the GMS family code, were used for to simulate the direction and flow velocity, hydraulic head and pathlines. The model proved to be a powerful tool to simulation, allowing observing the interdependence between the hydrodynamic parameters and the hydraulic characteristics in the porous media. The simulated scenarios showed the possibility of improving the flow patterns, mainly using two pipes to distribute the wastewater in a more homogeneous way along the cross section of the bed. The use of a porous media with lower hydraulic conductivity also showed improvement in flow characteristics evaluated. However, the general context of wastewater treatment facilities (pretreatment units and tributary loads) should be considered, since materials with low hydraulic conductivity are more susceptible to clogging. Proper design is crucial to improving the treatment conditions in the HSSF-CWs and also to avoid the occurrence of hydraulic problems and damage to the treatment, such as the clogging. / Wetlands construídos (WCs) são tecnologias empregadas para o tratamento de águas residuárias, cujo objetivo é reproduzir, sob condições controladas, os mecanismos de depuração que ocorrem em meios naturais, através da exploração e aperfeiçoamento dos processos que envolvem a vegetação, o substrato e os microrganismos. Wetlands construídos de escoamento subsuperficial de fluxo horizontal (WCFH) são caracterizados pelo fluxo em direção horizontal através de um leito de cascalho ou areia, vegetado ou não com macrófitas emergentes, cujas entrada e saída dos efluentes são horizontalmente opostas, o que permite que as águas residuárias fluam através da rizosfera e tenham contato com o biofilme formado em subsuperfície. Tradicionalmente, os estudos sobre WCs incidem apenas sobre a remoção das concentrações de contaminantes, considerando esses sistemas como “black-boxes” a partir de abordagens empíricas, sem fazer distinção entre os diferentes processos atuantes. O desenvolvimento de modelos numéricos, como forma de auxiliar a identificar e aperfeiçoar o papel de cada elemento atuante no tratamento, quer sejam as propriedades do meio poroso, a geometria construtiva, as características de fluxo, entre outros, surge como alternativa para o alcance de uma compreensão mais detalhada dos processos internos intervenientes nos WCs. De uma forma geral, os modelos numéricos são constituídos por equações governantes (derivada da combinação matemática da equação de balanço de água e da lei de Darcy), por condições iniciais (dizem respeito à distribuição da carga hidráulica no domínio do modelo) e por condições de contorno (definem as fronteiras hidráulicas ou físicas que delimitam o domínio do modelo). Na última década, diferentes modelos 1D e 2D foram desenvolvidos e aplicados para a simulação de WCs de escoamento subsuperficial em condições de fluxo horizontal saturado (CWM1-RETRASO e PHWAT), vertical variavelmente saturado (FITOVERT e HYDRUS-CW2D) e vertical ou horizontal variavelmente saturado (HYDRUS-CWM1). Porém, poucas experiências relativas à aplicação de modelos 3D para simulação de WCs são relatadas pela literatura científica. Neste trabalho, a simulação da hidrodinâmica do meio poroso de um sistema de tratamento de efluentes do tipo wetlands construídos de escoamento subsuperficial de fluxo horizontal foi realizada por meio da aplicação de um modelo numérico 3D. Foram simuladas as condições de fluxo conforme as especificações de um projeto de engenheria, e também cenários com mudanças nas características hidrodinâmicas do meio poroso (condutividade hidráulica) e no posicionamento dos mecanismos de distribuição das águas residuárias (distribuição ao longo da seção transversal por meio de duas tubulações) visando verificar a influência desses fatores no sistema de fluxo e também indicar vantagens e desvantagens que contribuam para a elaboração de projetos. Os softwares MODFLOW e MODPATH, executados por meio da interface GMS, foram utilizados para a simulação da direção e velocidade de fluxo, nível hidráulico e linhas de trajetória das partículas transportadas por advecção. O modelo provou ser uma ferramenta poderosa para a simulação, permitindo visualizar a interdependência entre os parâmetros hidrodinâmicos e as características hidráulicas do meio poroso. Os cenários simulados mostraram a possibilidade de melhoria dos padrões de fluxo, principalmente por meio do uso de duas tubulações para distribuição dos efluentes de forma mais homogênea ao longo da seção transversal do leito. O uso de materiais com menor condutividade hidráulica também apresentou melhoria nas características de fluxo avaliadas. Porém, deve-se considerar o contexto geral das instalações de tratamento das águas residuárias (unidades de tratamento preliminar e cargas afluentes), visto que materiais com baixa condutividade hidráulica são mais susceptíveis ao entupimento. A concepção adequada é crucial para melhorar as condições de tratamento verificadas nos WCFH e também para evitar a ocorrência de danos e problemas hidráulicos, como a estagnação de fluxo em zonas de baixa velocidade de escoamento.

[ES] Los ocho siglos de dominio de la cultura islámica en la Península Ibérica motivaron la proliferación de un extenso patrimonio cultural, arquitectónico y artístico. En este contexto, nació el arte mudéjar como una fusión de estilos dada la convivencia entre distintas culturas. Siendo las torres alminares-mudéjares aragonesas el fiel reflejo de este tipo de arquitectura, éstas constituyen el objeto de estudio del presente trabajo. En este sentido, el marco geográfico de la tesis abarca el territorio de la antigua Marca Superior de Al-Andalus, que incluye los valles de los ríos Ebro, Jalón, Jiloca y afluentes, como centros neurálgicos de la esencia del mudéjar (con sus torres como máximo exponente). La inquietud por investigar acerca de la evolución histórico-constructiva de dichas torres nace de su peculiar arquitectura, producto de la síntesis entre Oriente y Occidente. Asimismo, la escasa presencia de documentación de la época unida a los estudios que se han venido realizando hasta el momento, genera todavía una serie de carencias en el conocimiento de dichas torres, especialmente en lo referente a su origen. Por tanto, resulta conveniente abordar dichas necesidades aportando un nuevo enfoque al estudio de su evolución histórico-constructiva. Para ello, se establece una metodología de levantamiento digital (específica para elementos con tipología de torre), mediante la aplicación de las técnicas de fotogrametría y escáner láser, como herramientas de apoyo a la lectura de sus fábricas. El gran potencial a nivel gráfico que ofrecen los resultados obtenidos (modelos tridimensionales hiperrealistas texturizados, con alta precisión geométrica y muy buena definición), permite profundizar en el conocimiento de estas torres. Dichos resultados de la investigación, resultan eficaces y cuentan con el rigor científico adecuado para la posterior formulación de una hipótesis sobre el alminar original, del que procede la torre objeto de estudio, y que se podría extrapolar al resto de torres. / [CA] Els huit segles de domini de la cultura islàmica en la Península Ibèrica van motivar la proliferació d'un extens patrimoni cultural, arquitectònic i artístic. En aquest context, va nàixer l'art mudèjar com una fusió d'estils donada la convivència entre diferents cultures. Sent les torres minarets-mudèjars aragoneses el fidel reflex d'aquesta mena d'arquitectura, aquestes constitueixen l'objecte d'estudi del present treball. En aquest sentit, el marc geogràfic de la tesi comprén el territori de l'antiga Marca Superior d'Al-Andalus, que inclou les valls dels rius Ebro, Jalón, Jiloca i afluents, com a centres neuràlgics de l'essència del mudèjar (amb les seues torres com a màxim exponent). La inquietud per investigar sobre l'evolució històric-constructiva d'aquestes torres naix de la seua peculiar arquitectura, producte de la síntesi entre Orient i Occident. Així mateix, l'escassa presència de documentació de l'època unida als estudis que s'han realitzat fins al moment, genera encara una sèrie de mancances en el coneixement d'aquestes torres, especialment referent al seu origen. Per tant, resulta convenient abordar aquestes necessitats aportant un nou enfocament a l'estudi de la seua evolució històric-constructiva. Per a això, s'estableix una metodologia d'alçament digital (específica per a elements amb tipologia de torre), mitjançant l'aplicació de les tècniques de fotogrametria i escàner làser, com a eines de suport a la lectura de les seues fàbriques. El gran potencial a nivell gràfic que ofereixen els resultats obtinguts (models tridimensionals hiperrealistes texturizados, amb alta precisió geomètrica i molt bona definició), permet aprofundir en el coneixement d'aquestes torres. Aquests resultats de la investigació, resulten eficaces i compten amb el rigor científic adequat per a la posterior formulació d'una hipòtesi sobre el minaret original, del qual procedeix la torre objecte d'estudi, i que es podria extrapolar a la resta de torres. / [EN] The eight centuries of Islamic culture in Iberian Peninsula led to the proliferation of an extensive cultural, architectural and artistic heritage. In this context, Mudejar art was born as a fusion of styles due to the coexistence of different cultures. Aragonese minaret-Mudejar towers are a faithful reflection of this type of architecture, and are the object of study of this work. In this sense, thesis' geographical framework covers the territory of ancient Marca Superior of Al-Andalus, which includes the river valleys of Ebro, Jalón, Jiloca and tributaries, as nerve centres of the essence of Mudejar architecture (with its towers as its maximum exponent). The interest in researching the historical-constructive evolution of these towers stems from their peculiar architecture, a product of the synthesis between East and West. Likewise, the scarce documentation of that period, together with different studies that have been carried out up to now, still generate a series of deficiencies in the knowledge of these towers, especially with regard to their origin. It is therefore advisable to address these needs by providing a new approach to the study of their historical-constructive evolution. For this purpose, a digital survey methodology is established (specifically for tower typology elements), using photogrammetry (SfM) and laser scanner techniques as tools to support the reading of their walls. A great graphic potential offered by the results obtained (reality-based 3D models, with high geometric precision and optimal definition), allows us to deepen our knowledge of these towers. These research results are effective and have an appropriate scientific rigour for the subsequent formulation of a hypothesis about the original minaret, from which the tower under study originates, and which could be extrapolated to the rest of the towers. / Molina Sánchez, S. (2022). Alminares mudéjares de la marca superior. Nueva aproximación a su evolución histórica. El caso de la torre de San Pablo en Zaragoza [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/188135 / TESIS