Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Stratigraphic And Structural Analysis Of Coals In The Ferron Sandstone Member Of The Mancos Shale And Fruitland Formation: Relationship To Coal Reservoir Permeability And Coalbed Methane Production, Jason Lynn Kneedy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Coal reservoir quality in the Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale, and in the Fruitland Formation is dependent on coal cleat characteristics. Coal reservoir permeability increases as a result of high cleat density. From careful outcrop examination, we were able to identify several factors that increase cleat density. Vitrain coal typically has the highest fracture density as a result of having well-developed face cleats and conchoidal fractures. Clarain coal contains face and butt cleats. Cleat density in clarain is also controlled by mechanical layer thickness. As mechanical layer thickness decreases, cleat density increases. Durain and fusain coals typically contain …

Measurements Of The Secondary Electron Emission Properties Of Insulators, Clint D. Thomson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Measurements of the electron-induced electron emission properties of insulators are important to many applications including spacecraft charging, scanning electron microscopy, electron sources, and particle detection technology. However, these measurements are difficult to make since insulators can charge either negatively or positively under charge particle bombardment that in turn alters insulator emissions. In addition, incident electron bombardment can modify the conductivity, internal charge distribution, surface potential, and material structure in ways that are not well understood. A primary goal of this dissertation work has been to make consistent and accurate measurements of the uncharged electron yields for insulator materials using innovative …

Simulated Browsing Impacts On Aspen Sucker's Survival And Growth, Koketso Tshireletso

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Western forests dominated by aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) are highly regarded by most resource managers for their ability to provide a variety of benefits (Bartos and Mueggler 1982, Mueggler 1988). They noted aspen to be beneficial for production of livestock forage, wildlife habitat, and scenic beauty, and they are a potentially valuable source of wood products. However, in the West, communities are concerned about the dwindling acreage of aspen. The decline of aspen has been partly attributed to excessive ungulate browsing (Smith et al. 1972, Collins and Urness 1983, Bartos and Campbell 1998). Long-term grazing exclosures have also revealed …

Measurement Of Charge Storage Decay Time And Resistivity Of Spacecraft Insulators, Prasanna V. Swaminathan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Insulators used in the construction of spacecraft are irradiated with high-energy electrons in the space environment and this sometimes causes the insulators to charge to very high voltages. Such charged insulators can generate spontaneous electric partial-discharge pulses of the order of mA to tens of A. These pulses sometimes last enough time to destroy the expensive micro-circuitry present in the spacecraft. In evaluating the threat to the spacecraft due to these discharges, calculation of the resistivity becomes a critical parameter since it determines how accumulated charge will distribute across the spacecraft and how rapidly charge imbalance will dissipate. So far, …

Structural Analysis Of Co2 Leakage Through The Salt Wash And Little Grand Wash Faults From Natural Reservoirs In The Colorado Plateau, Southeastern Utah, Anthony P. Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Little Grand Wash fault and the Salt Wash Graben in the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah emit CO₂ gas from abandoned drillholes, springs, and a hydrocarbon seep. Similar CO₂-charged water has also been emitted in the past, as shown by large localized travertine deposits and veins along and near the fault traces. The faults cut natural CO₂ reservoirs and provide an excellent analog for geologic CO₂ sequestration. The faults cut a north-plunging anticline of rocks consisting of siltstones, shales, and sandstones from the Permian Cutler Formation through the Cretaceous Mancos Shale. The Little Grand …

Lidar Observations Of Oscillations In The Middle Atmosphere, Karen L. M. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The three major types of oscillations in the atmosphere are gravity waves, planetary waves, and tides. Identifying planetary waves and tides in nighttime-only lid are data is a challenge. The Lomb-Scargle method offers a possible solution to this problem, although aliasing is still a problem when tides are present in the data. The method has been applied to mesospheric Rayle high-scalier lidar temperature data taken at the Utah State University Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (ALO). This analysis is greatly enhanced by the length and completeness of the data set available through ALO, especially with regard to the identification of planetary waves. …

Role Of Iron In The Mechanism Of Asbestos-Induced Apoptosis In Human Lung And Pleural Target Cells, Aleksander Baldys

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Occupational exposure to asbestos has been associated with increased incidence of pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, mesothelioma of the pleura, and bronchogenic carcinoma. Although the mechanism by which asbestos causes cancer remains unknown, iron associated with asbestos is thought to play a role in the pathogenic effects of fibers.

The aim of this research was to examine and compare the asbestos-induced signaling phenomena in relevant human lung and pleural target cells, and to determine the role of iron from asbestos fibers in these events. Exposure of human airway epithelial (A549) cells, human pleural mesothelial (MET5A) cells, and normal human small airway epithelial …

Semilinear Elliptic Equations In Unbounded Domains, Francois A. Van Heerden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We studied some semilinear elliptic equations on the entire space R^N. Our approach was variational, and the major obstacle was the breakdown in compactness due to the unboundedness of the domain. First, we considered an asymptotically linear Scltrodinger equation under the presence of a steep potential well. Using Lusternik-Schnirelmann theory, we obtained multiple solutions depending on the interplay between the linear, and nonlinear parts. We also exploited the nodal structure of the solutions. For periodic potentials, we constructed infinitely many homoclinic-type multibump solutions. This recovers the analogues result for the superlinear case. Finally, we introduced weights on the linear and …

Computational Scattering Models For Elastic And Electromagnetic Waves In Particulate Media, Timothy Edwin Doyle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Numerical models were developed to simulate the propagation of elastic and electromagnetic waves in an arbitrary, dense dispersion of spherical particles. The scattering interactions were modeled with vector multipole fields using pure-orbital vector spherical harmonics, and solved using the full vector form of the boundary conditions. Multiple scattering was simulated by translating the scattered wave fields from one particle to another with the use of translational addition theorems, summing the multiple-scattering contributions, and recalculating the scattering in an iterative fashion to a convergent solution. The addition theorems were rederived in this work using an integral method, and were shown to …

Hydraulic Testing Of The Big Hole Fault, Northern San Rafael Swell, Utah, William M. Schieb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Six cross-hole packer tests were conducted at the Big Hole fault, a dip-slip normal fault in the northern San Rafael Swell of east-central Utah. Three tests were conducted at each of two locations along the fault, each location having a different total displacement. Water was injected in the footwall, hanging wall, and fault core and pressure changes were monitored in isolated intervals in the adjoining wells. Response curves were analyzed using the type curves developed by Hsieh and Neuman, and Theis, in order to evaluate the hydraulic properties of the fault and its associated damage zone.

The tests were not …

Quantifying Losses Of Understory Forage In Aspen Stands On The Dixie And Fishlake National Forests, Barton R. Stam

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The West has lost up to 60% of its historic aspen stands over the last century, probably as a result of the successional tendency of aspen to be replaced by coniferous species in the absence of periodic fires. One of several major impacts of this change is the loss of understory forage as conifer canopy cover increases. I measured understory biomass in aspen stands ranging from 0% to 81 % absolute conifer cover in the canopy and found that understory production declines exponentially as conifers replace aspen. I also did an economic analysis to determine the value of the forage …

Watershed Management To Control Pollution In The Ayuquila River, Jalisco, Mexico, Luis Manuel Martinez Rivera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Ayuquila River watershed is important to western Mexico because of its biodiversity, physiography, fisheries resources, and water production. However, human activities are continuingly affecting natural resources within the basin. Soil erosion, as result of land use change, agriculture in steep land, extensive grazing activities and forest fires; and water diversion and pollution of the Ayuquila River are two relevant issues that have affected the natural resources of this watershed.

This river system plays an important role in wildlife conservation, containing 29 fish species, of which 12 are found inside the BRSM. The River also contains nine species of crustacean, …

Geochemistry Of Ground Water - Surface Water Interactions And Metals Loading Rates In The North Fork Of The American Fork River, Utah, From An Abandoned Silver/Lead Mine, Neil I. Burk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The aqueous geochemistry and hydrology of the North Fork of the American Fork River, its tributaries, and the ground water in the vicinity of the Pacific Mine site were investigated in order to determine what impact ground water entering the North Fork has on toxic metal loads in the river. Toxic metal contamination in the North Fork is great enough that brown and cutthroat trout have absorbed lead, cadmium, and arsenic in their tissues at concentrations that are hazardous to human health if consumed. Ground water that flows through the mine site flows directly through the mine tailings before entering …

Response Of A Peatland Ecosystem To Stratospheric Ozone Reduction In Tierra Del Fuego, Thomas Matthew Robson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tierra del Fuego, at the southernmost tip of South America, is influenced by ozone depletion. The landscape of southern and western Tierra de! Fuego is dominated by peatlands; they are important locally and in the context of global climate change, because they store large quantities of organic carbon.

To determine the influence of solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) on a Tierra de! Fuego peatland, we selectively filtered solar UV-Bin ten pairs of plots. Polyfluorine filters were used to create the Near-Ambient-UV-B Treatment (90% solar UV-B), and polyester filters to create the Reduced-UV-B Treatment ( 17% solar UV-B). These filters were first …

Mesospheric Temperature Climatology Above Utah State University, Joshua P. Herron

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A Rayleigh-scatter lidar has been in operation at Utah State University (41. 7° N, 111.8 ° W) starting in September 1993 until the present (October 2003). The return profiles from the atmosphere have been analyzed to provide temperature measurements of the middle atmosphere from 45 to 90 km. Various methods of averaging were used to construct a temperature climatology of the region based on these observations. The data analysis algorithm has been critically analyzed to find possible sources of error, and has been compared to an independently derived technique. The resulting temperatures have been compared to other mid-latitude lidars with …

Four-Dimensional Non-Reductive Homogeneous Manifolds With Neutral Metrics, Andrew Renner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A method due to É. Cartan was used to algebraically classify the possible four-dimensional manifolds that allow a (2, 2)-signature metric with a transitive group action which acts by isometries. These manifolds are classified according to the Lie algebra of the group action. There are six possibilities: four non-parameterized Lie algebras, one discretely parameterized family, and one family parameterized by R.

Lorentz Homogeneous Spaces And The Petrov Classification, Adam Bowers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A. Z. Petrov gave a complete list of all local group actions on a four-dimensional space-time that admit an invariant Lorentz metric, up to an equivalence relation. His list was compiled by directly constructing all possible Lie algebras of infinitesimal generators of group actions that preserve a Lorentz metric. The goal of this paper was to verify that classification by algebraically constructing a list of all possible three-dimensional homogeneous spaces and calculating which among them have a non-degenerate invariant metric.

Modeling Habitat Quality For American Martens In Western Newfoundland, Canada, William A. Adair

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The "Den Mother" marten habitat quality models were created to provide insight into American marten habitat selection behavior and to promote the recovery of the Newfoundland marten (Martes americana atrata) population. Although these objectives are typical of most wildlife habitat modeling projects, the marten's idiosyncratic habitat ecology and apparently intractable conflicts associated with timber harvesting motivated a unique, process-oriented approach to appraising landscapes. The Den Mother models used optimal decision-making principles to synthesize critical resources (den sites and foraging opportunities) and constraints (adverse thermal situations and exposure to predations) into a single hierarchical framework. The resulting spatially explicit, …

Simulation Of Groundwater Flow In Cache Valley, Utah And Idaho, Barry Myers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A groundwater model of Cache Valley was created using MODFLOW. Steady-state calibration of the model demonstrated that recharge to the lower confined aquifer may occur along the margin of the valley that borders the Wellsville Mountains and the Bear River Range. Steady-state calibration also showed that discharge from the unconfined aquifer may occur along the eastern and western margins of the valley in both the Utah and the Idaho portions of the valley.

Two simulations were run with increased pumping of 3 5 cubic feet per second (1 cubic meter per second) from the principal aquifer. The first simulation was …

Identification Of Optimal Conditions For Dry Drilling (Analytical Approach To Prediction Of The Occurrence Of Bue), Prasad Gali

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lubrication is used during the drilling of aluminum to counter the formation of a built-up-edge (BUE), among other reasons. The elimination of the use of lubricants in drilling of aluminum is important because of the associated high costs of cleaning and disassembly involved in lubrication. The optimal conditions sought in this work include the elimination of the use of lubricants along with the possible attainment of a high material removal rate, which could help in reduction of cost and increase productivity at the same time. BUE has been found to be almost always present in the process of metal cutting …

One-Dimensional Modeling Of Bromide Tracer And Trichloroethylene Transport Based On Laboratory Experiments In Vertical Soil Columns, Keri L. Murch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Enhanced biodegradation using carbon donor and microbial addition is being considered as a possible remediation technique for a trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated area in Sunset, Utah, west of the source area on Hill Air Force Base. As a precursor to any in situ remediation attempts, several laboratory treatability experiments are being conducted, including the construction of microcosms and flow-through columns. Nine large-scale flow-through columns were built using site groundwater and aquifer material. Bromide tracer tests were conducted to establish and understand the hydraulic conditions within the columns prior to the commencement of the TCE biodegradation experiments. Four predictive models were created …

Evaluation Of Chela Formation In Kambala-Livuite Area, Southern Block 0, Cabinda, Angola, Alba B. Bias Dos Santos

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The abundance of good reservoir and source rocks offshore Cabinda, Angola, makes the area an attractive and successful hydrocarbon province. Block 0, offshore Cabinda, lies in the Lower Congo basin along the western coast of Africa. The stratigraphy of Block 0 consists of two major oil-rich sequences: the rift sequence (primarily lacustrine) and the post-rift sequence (primarily marine). These are separated by a thick section of evaporites, and thus are referred to as the pre-salt sequence and post-salt sequence, respectively.

The Chela Formation, mid-Aptian in age, was deposited before the salt. It consists of sandstones and conglomerates locally interbedded with …

Mitigation, Monitoring, And Geomorphology Related To Gully Erosion Of Archaeological Sites In Grand Canyon, Paul A. Petersen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Gully erosion has been damaging archaeological sites in Grand Canyon during the last several decades, and there is a need to protect these features through mitigation, monitoring, and better geomorphic understanding. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of erosion-control structures, determine the accuracy and utility of aerial photogrammetry for monitoring gullies, and understand the geomorphology of the erosion. We performed total-station surveys and other data collection during February and October, 2002, at nine study sites in eastern and western Grand Canyon.

Erosion-control structures are more prone to be damaged by flow when they are placed in …

Bootstrap Unit Root Tests For Heavy-Tailed Observations, Andrejus Parfionovas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We explore the application of the bootstrap unit root test to time series with heavy-tailed errors. The size and power of the tests are estimated for two different autoregressive models (AR(1)) using computer simulated data. Real-data examples are also presented. Two different bootstrap methods and the subsampling approach are compared. Conclusions on the optimal bootstrap parameters, the range of applicability, and the performance of the tests are made.

Using Geographic Information Systems And Remote Sensing To Analyze Fire Likelihood Areas At The Regional Scale In The Western United States, Russell W. Reading

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are increasingly used to examine fire activity. This study uses GIS to determine fire likelihood probabilities at an intermediate scale ( I-kilometer) on a daily basis given readily available data. Layers used for the analysis included slope, aspect, elevation, fuel type, proximity to existing fires, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, relative humidity, average vapor pressure deficit, precipitation, 1-hour fuel moisture, and 10-hour fuel moisture.

There were three objectives of this study: 1. Establish a correlation between burn perimeters and readily available topographic and environmental data, and map the spatial distribution of these as fire likelihood areas; 2. …

From The Rim To The River: The Geomorphology Of Debris Flows In The Green River Canyons Of Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado And Utah, Isaac J. Larsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Green River canyons of the eastern Uinta Mountains have experienced a 5-year period of high debris flow activity. Catchment factors were studied in watersheds and on debris fans with recent debris flows, leading to the development of a conceptual framework of the hillslope and debris flow processes that deliver sediment to the Green River. Two recent fan deposits were monitored to determine the magnitude and processes of reworking that occur during mainstem floods of varying magnitude.

The dominant debris flow initiation mechanism, termed the firehose effect, occurs when overland flow generated on bedrock slopes cascades down steep cliffs and …

Characteristics, Evolution, And Lateral Variation Of Lower Cretaceous Supradetachment Basins In The Daqing Shan, Inner Mongolia, China, Adrian K. Berry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lower Cretaceous basins associated with the Hohhot detachment in the Daqing Shan of Inner Mongolia, China, allow us to better understand the tectonic evolution of extensional basins formed in association with detachment faulting and metamorphic core complex formation. The six basins, informally named N1, N2, S1, S2, S3, and S4, are located in different structural settings, or depozones, throughout the detachment-metamorphic core complex setting, and although all basins are consistent with previously proposed models for supradetachment basin sedimentation, second-order variability in sedimentary style is exerted by these distinct structural settings. The basins are composed of coarse, predominantly footwall derived, conglomerate …

Geology Of The Deseret Peak East 7.5' Quadrangle, Tooele County, Utah, And Impacts For Hydrology Of The Region, Torrey J. Copfer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Detailed geologic mapping of the Deseret Peak East 7.5' Quadrangle yields new interpretations regarding the stratigraphy of the Oquirrh Basin, fault and fold geometry, and structural evolution of the region. The Stansbury Range consists of the north-south-trending Deseret anticline. Basal Mississippian units rest unconformably on Cambrian beds in the central part of the range. Paleozoic uplift, Mesozoic contraction, and Cenozoic extension have created a series of broad folds, large thrust faults, and several normal faults.

The area is dominated by bedrock springs, with the presence of abundant and thick Quaternary deposits unrelated to Pleistocene glaciation, burying drainages, and mantling hillslopes. …

Quaternary Geology And Landscape Evolution Of Eastern Grand Canyon, Arizona, Matt D. Anders

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tectonics and drainage evolution are controlling overall landscape incision in eastern Grand Canyon. Superimposed on downcutting are dynamic responses of hillslopes, tributary streams, and the Colorado River to glacial-interglacial climate cycles. Five tributary stream fill terraces have been identified, and luminescence dating indicates aggradation was occurring 50- 34 ka {S3), 12-7 ka (S2), and 5-3.5 ka (S1). Seven Colorado River fill terraces have been identified, and luminescence and U-series dating indicate deposition was occurring 343-322 ka (M5), 151-118 ka (M4), and 71-64 ka (M3).

Aggradation by the Colorado River in eastern Grand Canyon begins during glacial advances and continues into …

Validation Of A Radiometric Normalization Procedure For Satellite-Derived Imagery Within A Change Detection Framework, Karin E. Callahan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Detecting changes in land cover through time using remotely sensed imagery is a powerful application that has seen increased use as imagery has become more widely available and inexpensive. Before a time series of remotely sensed imagery can be used for change detection, images must first be standardized for effects outside of real surface change. This thesis established a validation protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of an automated technique for normalizing temporally separate but spatially coincident imagery. Using the concept of pseudo-invariant features between master-slave image pairs, spatially coincident dark and bright points are identified from images and a regression …