Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Research On Geographical Landscape Design Of Ecological Civilization Construction In China, Wenzhong Zhang, Jianhui Yu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As the fundamental goal of ecological civilization construction in the new era of China, the building of a Beautiful China is an important measure to promote the study of Chinese man-land relationships to a higher level and a new stage of development. This study takes the construction of ecological civilization of Beautiful China as the orientation, and carries on the frame design to the geographical landscape. The geographical landscape takes the elements of geoscience as the research object and makes a series of reasonable outlook about man-land system according to the interaction mechanism of human-land relationship and the influence of …

Evolution Of Urbanized Area’S Entities And Flow Space Towards High-Quality Development Path In China, Mingxing Chen, Liangkan Chen, Yue Xian, Jiafan Cheng, Longwu Liang, Jing Ma

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The eco-environmental conservation and Beautiful China have entered the critical phase. Urbanized areas serve as important spatial carriers in the Beautiful China initiative scenarios, but the most prominent challenges in human-environment relationship and difficult points in building Beautiful China. This study focuses on the physical urban area, and utilizing big data technology to reexamine the spatiotemporal distribution and grouped evolution characteristics of impervious surface in cities, as well as the structural features of urban flow networks from space of flows. Moreover, preliminary thoughts and policy recommendations are provided for promoting high-quality development in urbanized areas of the new era. More …

Targeting Macrophytes: Increased Water Quality Through Optimized Vegetation Considerations For Constructed Wetlands, Austin Mcbrady

Masters Theses

This study of constructed wetland design investigated relationships between macrophyte species selection and planting density for water quality improvement. A lab-scale wetland was compared against a pilot-scale wetland in San Antonio, Texas at Mitchell Lake to measure differences in effluent water quality improvement using three native macrophyte species. Using a novel, two-phase method, a targeting macrophyte was identified from among other species based on its marked capability for improving water quality factors, then was planted in varied majority densities to compare differences in treatment effectiveness. The results of this study showed that this complimentary approach to wetland design displayed significant …

Optimization Of Transition-Metal Inclusive Carbon Aerogels For Electrochemical Energy Applications, Allen Dalton Davis

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The ever-growing need for energy alongside rising concerns for climate change demands the development of renewable energy technologies. Hydrogen fuel cells are a promising technology that can serve to either supplement energy generation or act as a lone power source. Yet for these devices to be truly green, the hydrogen that serves as fuel must be procured from a renewable resource. Electrolytic water splitting is a process that allows for the dissociation of water into H₂ and O₂. For this process to be practical, the electrolyzer needs to demonstrate high efficiency and stability, as well as a …

Solar-Powered Microgrids In Northern California: An Opportunity For Resilience, Marina Riddle

Master's Projects and Capstones

Planned and unplanned power outages have been increasing in frequency and duration, negatively impacting all public sectors, and threatening public safety. These outages are deadly to those who rely on medical devices. As climate change-fueled extreme weather events (wildfires, earthquakes, storms, etc.) also increase in frequency, our electrical grid must be prepared to bounce back. Microgrids provide necessary redundancy and reliability. Through a novel GIS suitability analysis, based on solar radiation, land use type, local energy demand, distance to transmission lines, distance to roads, and slope, optimal locations for solar-powered microgrids throughout Northern California were determined. The counties of Fresno, …

The Influence Of Invasive Species On Fishers’ Satisfactions, Caroline M. Laplante

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Invasives species are prevalent and widespread in North America. Outdoor recreational activities, such as fishing, introduce a point in which humans may interact with invasive species and have to adapt their own behaviors. Bigheaded carp in the Missouri River below Gavin’s Point Dam are a group of invasive fish species that were thought to be negatively relating to recreational fishers’ satisfactions. Using a content analysis and an importance-grid, we conclude that invasive species do not strongly relate to recreational paddlefish fishers’ satisfactions. Paddlefish fishers represent a small sub-set of recreational fishers in Nebraska and South Dakota. The content analysis revealed …

Aquaculture Governance: Five Engagement Arenas For Sustainability Transformation, Darien D. Mizuta, Stefan Partelow

VIMS Articles

A greater focus on governance is needed to facilitate effective and substantive progress toward sustainability transformations in the aquaculture sector. Concerted governance efforts can help move the sector beyond fragmented technical questions associated with intensification and expansion, social and environmental impacts, and toward system-based approaches that address interconnected sustainability issues. Through a review and expert-elicitation process, we identify five engagement arenas to advance a governance agenda for aquaculture sustainability transformation: (1) setting sustainability transformation goals, (2) cross-sectoral linkages, (3) land–water–sea connectivity, (4) knowledge and innovation, and (5) value chains. We then outline the roles different actors and modes of …

Agricultural Groundcover Update November 2023, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• About 98% of the grainbelt had adequate (more than 50%) vegetative groundcover to prevent wind erosion in November 2023. This amount of groundcover is normal for the middle of harvest.
• In the northern half of the grainbelt, a larger-than-average area had 51–60% groundcover, which is expected to decrease to below 50% over summer.
• Just over 2% of the grainbelt (324,000 ha) had less than 50% groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion. Mullewa to Morawa Ag Soil Zone had the highest risk of wind erosion and 9.7% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.
• Less than 0.5% of the …

Costs Of Wind Erosion In The Northern Agricultural Region, Anne Bennett

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• To date, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) estimated opportunity cost of wind erosion for Western Australia’s (WA) agricultural region has only included the costs of forgone production income and therefore underestimates the broader costs of wind erosion events.
• This underestimation of costs was the impetus to create a case study to give an indication of the magnitude of the costs of wind erosion from agricultural land.
• Farmers in the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) were contacted to seek information about the on-farm costs of wind erosion events that occurred in 2020. Seventeen farmers responded to the …

Status Of The Western Australian Pastoral Rangelands 2023: Total Vegetative Cover And Cover Risk, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development

Natural resources published reports

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) monitors and reports on the vegetation condition of pastoral rangelands in Western Australia. This 2023 short report uses remotely sensed total cover data available to the end of October 2023, rainfall data to the end of November 2023 and Stock Return data reported in 2022 (the most recent available) to determine cover risk. Cover risk at the land conservation district (LCD) level is an indicator of the likelihood of total cover declining to, or remaining at, low or very low levels. Total cover and cover risk may not be indicative of …

Bitcoin's Technical Foundation And Its Potential For A Decentralized And Environmentally Friendly Future, Iqtiar Md Siddique

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research examines a systematic analysis of Bitcoin, employing a Coefficient of Variation (CV) approach to gauge its degree of decentralization. Bitcoin, an innovative decentralized digital currency, has received much attention for its potential to revolutionize traditional financial systems. This study employs the Coefficient of Variation (CV) to acquire insights into the wealth distribution and concentration among Bitcoin users. This research demonstrates how decentralized the network of Bitcoin is. The methodology uses real data on Bitcoin addresses and their holdings to compute the Coefficient of Variation (CV). This approach provides valuable insights into the ongoing discourse surrounding Bitcoin's decentralization, offering …

Vertical Free-Swinging Photovoltaic Racking Energy Modeling: A Novel Approach To Agrivoltaics, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Joshua M. Pearce

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

To enable lower-cost building materials, a free-swinging bifacial vertical solar photovoltaic (PV) rack has been proposed, which complies with Canadian building codes and is the lowest capital-cost agrivoltaics rack. The wind force applied to the free-swinging PV, however, causes it to have varying tilt angles depending on the wind speed and direction. No energy performance model accurately describes such a system. To provide a simulation model for the free-swinging PV, where wind speed and direction govern the array tilt angle, this study builds upon the open-source System Advisor Model (SAM) using Python. After the SAM python model is validated, a …

Beyond Corporate Greenwashing: Discourse Of A 'Just' Electric Energy Transition Materialized At The Thacker Pass Lithium Mine, Laekyn Kelley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Thacker Pass in Northern Nevada is a rich desert ecosystem with spiritual significance to local Indigenous peoples, and it is also the site for what will be, for now, the United States’ largest open-pit lithium mine. Lithium is one mineral constituent of electric batteries which are essential to current U.S. electric energy transition policy, a transition which policymakers and other public groups have called on to be done in a way which is just. However, what exactly a just electric energy transition looks like in places like Thacker Pass is under continued negotiation in theoretical and practical senses. Existing research …

The Evaluation Of Feed Additives On Reducing Enteric Methane Production From Cattle, Reba L. Colin

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Environmental sustainability can be positively impacted by the inclusion of feed additives to reduce enteric methane production from cattle. Methane production can be affected by feed additives that either alter the rumen environment or act as methanogenesis inhibitors. A reduction in methane from cattle can contribute to meeting carbon neutrality.

A metabolism study was conducted to evaluate Alga 1.0, a product containing bromoform, fed to cattle to evaluate the effects on gas emissions. Treatments were (0, 69, or 103 g/d Alga 1.0) fed in a corn-based diet. Headbox-style indirect calorimeters were used to measure gas emissions. Feeding Alga 1.0 linearly …

Co2 Storage Capacity And Injectivity Of Stacked Carbonates Of The Pennsylvanian And Permian In Western Nebraska, Lateef Lawal

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Geological carbon storage (GCS) is a critical aspect of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in which captured CO₂ from power plants and industrial processes is injected and stored securely underground. Potential subsurface rock formations include saline aquifers, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, unmineable coal seams and volcanic rocks. GCS technology has been proven in the United States and many other parts of the world as a net-zero carbon emission strategy to mitigate the current climate crisis of our planet. Unlike other states such as Wyoming, GCS projects are still in the early phases in Nebraska. The goal of this …

Patterns In Winter Stonefly Distribution Along A River Continuum And Land-Use Gradient In Northwest Arkansas Streams, Zachary Tipton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Freshwater ecosystems are facing a crisis with extinction rates of aquatic species exceeding those of their terrestrial counterparts by up to fivefold. This decline is predominantly attributed to evolving land use patterns within watersheds, leading to chemical and physical transformations in freshwater habitats. Northwest Arkansas (NWA) represents one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States, undergoing substantial shifts in land use. Consequently, the status of aquatic life in this region remains uncertain. Addressing this concern, the latest Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan emphasizes the necessity of distribution and population data to guide conservation efforts for Species of Greatest Conservation Need …

Assessing The Evaporation Method For Soil-Water Retention Curve Development And Comparison Of Soil-Water Characteristics Across Different Tillage Practices In A Furrow-Irrigated Corn (Zea Mays L.) System, Jeferson Prass Pimentel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The thesis comprises three studies. The first study in this thesis (Chapter I) focused on a six-year corn field experiment to assess the influence of conservation agricultural practices on soil properties and their long-term effects on water-use efficiency and yield. Non-tillage management did not significantly reduce soil bulk density compared to conventional tillage, as no differences were observed between non-tillage and tillage systems throughout the 6-year experiment. There was no difference in total water-use efficiency among soil management practices in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Even though in one year of the study, a significant 24 kg ha-1 mm-1 improvement …

Sustainable Energy Distribution Methods At The Azraq And Za’Atari Refugee Camps In Jordan: A Refugee Perspective, Lucie Lagodich

Capstone Collection

The looming climate change crisis requires research and development of mitigation strategies to protect those most vulnerable. This study uses semi-structured interviews to capture the refugee perspective of the successes and shortcomings of large-scale solar farm projects installed at the Azraq and Za’atari Syrian refugee camps in the west and north of Jordan, respectively. These perspectives may be utilized to improve each camp's current renewable energy distribution system. Results suggest that at both camps the current renewable energy systems are deeply flawed with limited hours with rampant distrust among camp residents in the management of the solar farms. Most refugees …

Beyond The Tide: A Comprehensive Guide To Sea-Level-Rise Inundation Mapping Using Foss4g, Levente Juhasz, Jinwen Xu, Randall W. Parkinson

GIS Center

No abstract provided.

Breaking The Loop: Strategies For Fighting Climate Change On U.S. Farms, Ashley Barry

Honors Capstones

Climate change is an increasingly urgent area of research due to the hardships it causes for lands and communities across the globe. Specifically in regard to the United States (U.S.), climate change has many concerning implications on our agricultural system. Increased weather hazards, decreased crop production, and drought are just a few of the hardships American farmers are facing in their fight to keep their farms alive and feed their communities, despite a rapidly changing climate. This study investigates how farmers can fight and prevent climate change through the use of specific mitigation and adaptation strategies on their farms. Semi- …

Characteristics And Genetic Mechanism Of Low Sulfate In High-Salt Groundwater Of Permian Sandstone In Fudong Mining Area, Huainan, Jiang Chunlu, Huang Wendi, Fu Xianjie, Zheng Liugen, Cheng Shigui, Shan Chonglei

Coal Geology & Exploration

Hydrogeochemistry research of groundwater in coal mining areas is of great significance to the prevention and control of mine water and the comprehensive utilization of water resources. In terms of the low surfate of Permian sandstone water in Fudong mining area, Anhui Huainan Coalfield, the hydrochemical characteristics, water-rock interaction and low sulfate genesis of sandstone water were studied through water sampling and test by multivariate statistical method, in combination with the hydrogeological condition analysis and the sulfur and oxygen isotope technology. The results show that the Permian sandstone water in the study area is weakly alkaline, with an average TDS …

Detection Of Small Objects In Open-Pit Coal Mine Stopes Using Uav Remote Sensing Images, Liu Mingrui, Che Ben, Dong Hongbo, Zhu Ruoli

Coal Geology & Exploration

Open-pit coal mine stopes witness frequent vehicle accidents due to their complex terrains. Therefore, accurately positioning vehicles in the stopes is critical to safe coal mining. To overcome the inaccurate positioning of small targets in the mining areas using Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing images, this study proposed an improved YOLOv7 model for object detection. First, to expedite the reasoning of the YOLOv7 network, the ELAN module in the original YOLOv7 model was improved by introducing partial convolution. Based on this, the eSE channel attention mechanism was combined to form the PConv-eSE convolution attention module. The purpose is to …

A Method For Evaluating Aquiclude Stability In The Water Conservation-Based Mining Of Shallowly Buried Coal Seams In Ecologically Vulnerable Areas In Northwest China, Li Heng, He Tao, Guo Bin

Coal Geology & Exploration

Water conservation and coal mining are both critical to Northwest China. Water conservation-based coal mining is an important technology for the coordinated development of coal and water resources in this region. In this technology, the evaluation of aquiclude stability is critical. Due to the shallow depth of coal seams, intense topographic cutting, and complex changes in near-surface aquifers in the ecologically vulnerable areas in Northwest China, there exist large errors between traditional methods for aquiclude evaluation and the actual hydrological observations in these areas. To address this challenge, this study develops using the 3D geological modelling combined with numerical simulation …

Obstacle-Avoidance Trajectory Planning Of Mine Drilling Robot During Drill Pipe Loading And Unloading, Yao Yafeng, Yao Ningping, Peng Tao, Liang Chunmiao, Peng Guangyu

Coal Geology & Exploration

The position of drill pipe loading and unloading by mine drilling robot will change with the attitude adjustment of the host machine, and obstacles are present in the loading and unloading path of drill pipe. Therefore, there is a problem of obstacle-avoidance trajectory planning with variable targets in the loading and unloading of drill pipe. For this reason, the DH parameter table was created according to the performance parameters of the explosion-proof 6-DOF manipulator, and the function relation of the change in loading and unloading position of drill pipe before and after the attitude adjustment of the 3-DOF host machine …

Intelligent Optimization Method For Tunnel Rotary Drilling Based On Drill String Status Estimation, Yao Ningping, Wei Hongchao, Zhang Jinbao, Lu Chengda, Li Hao, Yao Yafeng, Ke Yougang, Zhang Youzhen

Coal Geology & Exploration

To address the issue in existing research where it is difficult to obtain bottom-hole drilling parameters while drilling, and to overcome the problem of low accuracy and insufficient improvement when optimizing rotary drilling operational parameters using only borehole data, an intelligent optimization method for near-horizontal tunnel rotary drilling based on drill string status is proposed. This involves constructing an in-hole state observer to estimate bottom-hole drilling parameter information. Firstly, the characteristics of rotary drilling in underground coal mine tunnels are analyzed, considering the constraints of actual drilling, and an optimization target evaluation method for mechanical drilling speed and drill bit …

Table Of Contents, The Editors

Coal Geology & Exploration

No abstract provided.

Stress Field Of High-Temperature Wellbore Under Spray Cooling For Underground Coal Gasification, Tang Yang, Xie Na, Xiong Haoyu, He Yin, Huang Shunxiao

Coal Geology & Exploration

As a supplement to traditional physical coal mining technology, underground coal gasification (UCG) is a new generation of chemical coal mining technology. During the gasification, the wellbore of UCG production wells is subjected to the combined action of high temperature and internal pressure loads. Targeting the structural characteristics of the wellbore of UCG production wells, this study, based on the heat transfer theory, established a calculation model for the transient temperature of the wellbore under the cooling through annular spray water injection. By combining the wellbore pressure model, as well as the elasticity theory and the wall cylinder theory, this …

Micp Restoration Law Of Coal Mining Induced Ground Fissures And Its Influencing Factors, Li Tao, Gao Ying, Yan Jingwang, Zhang Jiarui, Kou Guigui, Ma Tengfei, Mei Aoran

Coal Geology & Exploration

The coal mining induced ground fissures in the loess covered area of northwest China cause shallow groundwater resource leakage and soil instability. Therefore, the experimental study was conducted on Microbial Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) restoration of coal mining induced ground fissures in the loess covered area. Specifically, the characteristics of mining induced ground fissures were observed and their development characteristics were revealed based on Ningtiaota Coal Mine in northern Shaanxi. The coal mining induced ground fissures in loess were classified with consideration to the observed mine pressure. Based on the classification and characteristics of coal mining induced ground fractures, the …

On-Line Compensation For Geomagnetic Error While Drilling Based On Magnetic Inertial Slime Mould Algorithm, Yang Jinxian, Cai Jipeng

Coal Geology & Exploration

In response to the serious distortion of the azimuth angle of the drilling tool caused by the large measurement error of strap-down micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) magnetometer on the drilling tool in the measurement-while-drilling (MWD) environment, an online compensation method for the geomagnetic error of the drilling tool based on the magnetic-inertial slime mould algorithm (MISMA) was proposed. Firstly, the geomagnetic measurement error compensation model of the drilling tool was established through the analysis on the output error of the magnetometer, and the magnetometer error parameters were sorted into solution vectors. Then, the objective function of the ideal magnetic output data, the …

Numerical Simulations Of Enhancing Permeability And Gas Extraction Of Thick Coal Seams Through Static Fracturing, Wang Xinfeng, Liu Wengang, Wang Long, Wei Youyu, Zhang Qiao

Coal Geology & Exploration

This study seeks to improve the underground operation efficiency and optimize the borehole arrangement parameters for static fracturing of coal seams. To this end, this study conducted tests in the belt roadway of the No. 12316 fully mechanized mining face in the Wangjialing Coal Mine, China Coal Huajin Group. By combining the equations for coal seams’ deformation and failure, gas diffusion and seepage, and coal seams’ permeability evolution, this study constructed a model of the damage and permeability evolution of coal seams. Based on the numerical simulations of the process of static fracturing and permeability enhancement of coals, as well …