Grassland/Atmosphere Response to Changing Climate: Coupling Regional and Local Scales. Final Report (open access)

Grassland/Atmosphere Response to Changing Climate: Coupling Regional and Local Scales. Final Report

The objectives of the study were: to evaluate the response of grassland ecosystems to atmospheric change at regional and site scales, and to develop multiscaled modeling systems to relate ecological and atmospheric models with different spatial and temporal resolutions. A menu-driven shell was developed to facilitate use of models at different temporal scales and to facilitate exchange information between models at different temporal scales. A detailed ecosystem model predicted that C{sub 3} temperate grasslands wig respond more strongly to elevated CO{sub 2} than temperate C{sub 4} grasslands in the short-term while a large positive N-PP response was predicted for a C{sub 4} Kenyan grassland. Long-term climate change scenarios produced either decreases or increases in Colorado plant productivity (NPP) depending on rainfall, but uniform increases in N-PP were predicted in Kenya. Elevated CO{sub 2} is likely to have little effect on ecosystem carbon storage in Colorado while it will increase carbon storage in Kenya. A synoptic climate classification processor (SCP) was developed to evaluate results of GCM climate sensitivity experiments. Roughly 80% agreement was achieved with manual classifications. Comparison of lx and 2xCO{sub 2} GCM Simulations revealed relatively small differences.
Date: October 1, 1993
Creator: Coughenour, M. B.; Kittel, T. G. F.; Pielke, R. A. & Eastman, J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Radon Progeny Control in Buildings. Final Report (open access)

Radon Progeny Control in Buildings. Final Report

None
Date: May 1, 1973
Creator: Culot, M.V.J.; Olson, H.G. & Schiager, K.J.
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library
Diosmacycloalkanes as Models for the Formation of Hydrocarbons From Surface Methylenes. Progress Report, November 1, 1991--October 31, 1992 (open access)

Diosmacycloalkanes as Models for the Formation of Hydrocarbons From Surface Methylenes. Progress Report, November 1, 1991--October 31, 1992

We are making progress on our investigation of the mechanism of olefin exchange with Os{sub 2}(C{sub 2}H{sub 4})(CO){sub 8}. We are probing this system by kinetic study of the reaction of Os{sub 2}(C{sub 2}H{sub 4})(CO){sub 8} with butyl acrylate (BA) under various pressures of ethylene.
Date: May 1, 1992
Creator: Norton, J. R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Diosmacycloalkanes as models for the formation of hydrocarbons from surface methylenes (open access)

Diosmacycloalkanes as models for the formation of hydrocarbons from surface methylenes

We are making progress on our investigation of the mechanism of olefin exchange with Os{sub 2}(C{sub 2}H{sub 4})(CO){sub 8}. We are probing this system by kinetic study of the reaction of Os{sub 2}(C{sub 2}H{sub 4})(CO){sub 8} with butyl acrylate (BA) under various pressures of ethylene.
Date: May 1, 1992
Creator: Norton, J.R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development of a kinetic model and calculation of radiation dose estimates for sodium iodide-{sup 131}I in athyroid individuals (open access)

Development of a kinetic model and calculation of radiation dose estimates for sodium iodide-{sup 131}I in athyroid individuals

The treatment for some thyroid carcinomas involves surgically removing the thyroid gland and administering the radiopharmaceutical Sodium iodide-{sup 131}I (NaI). A diagnostic dose of NaI is given to the patient to determine if remnant tissue from the gland remains or larger doses are administered in order to treat the malignant tissue. Past research regarding NaI uptake and retention in euthyroid individuals (normal functioning thyroid) reveal that radioiodine concentrates mainly in the thyroid tissue and the remaining material is excreted from the body. The majority of radioiodine in athyroid (without thyroid) individuals is also eliminated from the body; however, there has been recent evidence of a long-term retention phase for individuals with no radioiodine concentrating tissue. The general purpose of this study was to develop a kinetic model and estimate the absorbed dose to athyroid individuals regarding the distribution and retention of NaI.
Date: July 1, 1997
Creator: Rodriguez, M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluation of Aftermarket Fuel Delivery Systems for Natural Gas and Lpg Vehicles (open access)

Evaluation of Aftermarket Fuel Delivery Systems for Natural Gas and Lpg Vehicles

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of aftermarket fuel delivery systems for vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Most of the CNG and LPG vehicles studied were converted to the alternative fuel after purchase. There are wide variations in the quality of the conversion hardware and the installation. This leads to questions about the overall quality of the converted vehicles, in terms of emissions, safety, and performance. There is a considerable body of emissions data for converted light-duty vehicles, and a smaller amount for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. However, very few of these data involve real world conditions, and there is growing concern about in-use emissions. This report also attempts to assess factors that could allow in-use emissions to vary from the ``best-case`` results normally reported. The study also addresses issues of fuel supply, fuel composition, performance, safety, and warranty waivers. The report is based on an extensive literature and product survey and on the author`s experience with fuel delivery systems for light-duty vehicles.
Date: September 1, 1992
Creator: Willson, B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comparison of the Response of a Nai Scintillation Crystal With a Pressurized Ionization Chamber as a Function of Altitude, Radiation Level and RA-226 Concentration (open access)

Comparison of the Response of a Nai Scintillation Crystal With a Pressurized Ionization Chamber as a Function of Altitude, Radiation Level and RA-226 Concentration

The Grand Junction Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action-Radiological Survey Activities Group (UMTRA-RASA) program employs a screening method in which external exposure rates are used to determine if a property contaminated with uranium mill tailings is eligible for remedial action. Portable NaI detectors are used by survey technicians to locate contaminated areas and determine exposure rates. The exposure rate is calculated using a regression equation derived from paired measurements made with a pressurized ionization chamber (PIC) and a NaI detector. During July of 1985 extensive measurements were taken using a PIC and a NaI scintillator with both analogue and digital readout for a wide range of exposure rates and at a variety of elevations. The surface soil was sampled at most of these locations and analyzed for /sup 226/Ra. The response of the NaI detectors was shown to be highly correlated to radiation level but not to /sup 226/Ra concentration or elevation.
Date: January 1, 1986
Creator: Provencher, R.; Smith, G.; Borak, T.B. & Kearney, P.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluation of Aftermarket Fuel Delivery Systems for Natural Gas and Lpg Vehicles (open access)

Evaluation of Aftermarket Fuel Delivery Systems for Natural Gas and Lpg Vehicles

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of aftermarket fuel delivery systems for vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Most of the CNG and LPG vehicles studied were converted to the alternative fuel after purchase. There are wide variations in the quality of the conversion hardware and the installation. This leads to questions about the overall quality of the converted vehicles, in terms of emissions, safety, and performance. There is a considerable body of emissions data for converted light-duty vehicles, and a smaller amount for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. However, very few of these data involve real world conditions, and there is growing concern about in-use emissions. This report also attempts to assess factors that could allow in-use emissions to vary from the best-case'' results normally reported. The study also addresses issues of fuel supply, fuel composition, performance, safety, and warranty waivers. The report is based on an extensive literature and product survey and on the author's experience with fuel delivery systems for light-duty vehicles.
Date: September 1, 1992
Creator: Willson, B. (Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States))
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rapid estimation of /sup 226/Ra in soil for the Grand Junction RASA/UMTRA project (open access)

Rapid estimation of /sup 226/Ra in soil for the Grand Junction RASA/UMTRA project

The Radiological Survey Activities (RASA) Group of the Health and Safety Research Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is an Inclusion Survey Contractor (ISC) for the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Program (UMTRAP). The purpose of the ISC is to survey designated sites potentially contaminated with radioactive material originating from the 24 inactive uranium mill sites and make recommendations as to whether the site should be included in or excluded from further consideration by UMTRAP. An important aspect of the program is a prompt and inexpensive estimation of Radium-226 (/sup 226/Ra) concentration in soil samples. A large sodium iodide (NaI) well crystal coupled to a multichannel analyzer is used to count soil samples. Count data are currently analyzed with an algorithm that utilizes three regions of interest (ROI). A lack of agreement was observed when samples were also analyzed with lithium-drifted germanium (GeLi) spectrometers. The average estimate of /sup 226/Ra obtained using the current algorithm was 19% greater than the GeLi determination. Some possible reasons for these differences were examined. In 8.5% of the samples, the relative concentration of Cesium-137 (/sup 137/Cs) was highly correlated to the extent of error. Using alternative analysis techniques, the error for /sup 226/Ra …
Date: January 1, 1986
Creator: Kark, J.B.; Borak, T.B.; Kearney, P.D. & Rood, A.S.
Object Type: Article
System: The UNT Digital Library
Novel Concepts in Electrochemical Solar Cells. Second Quarterly Progress Report, August 15, 1979-October 15, 1979. [Molten Salt Electrolytes] (open access)

Novel Concepts in Electrochemical Solar Cells. Second Quarterly Progress Report, August 15, 1979-October 15, 1979. [Molten Salt Electrolytes]

It is considered that the short term stability of n-GaAs PEC's in a ferrocene-based, ambient temperature molten salt electrolyte is reasonably good. However, longer term evaluation is required to determine the extent and significance of corrosion, stability, etc. Extremely few fundamental studies have been made of the semiconductor/molten salt interphase and experiments in this area would be most useful. Indeed, even the design parameters for PECs of any kind have not been quantitatively delineated and present consideration will be given to models for PEC solar cells and limitations caused by ion transport in the electrolyte. The MoSe/sub 2/ and MoS/sub 2/ electrodes appear to have substrate reproducibility and transport limitations that make them unsuitable candidates for efficient PEC's at this time. Similarly, the lack of availability of high quality CuInSe/sub 2/ and CuInS/sub 2/ substrates limits the quantitative experimental evaluation of their utility for PEC applications. We are presently focusing attention on CdSe/CdTe mixtures and CdS as electrodes as well as Si and GaAs in molten salt and polyelectrolyte solutions. The system for solar cell evaluation and network analysis of substrates and cells was mode operational. Preliminary work on economic and theoretical modelling was begun. Progress is reported. (WHK)
Date: January 1, 1979
Creator: DuBow, J.; Job, R.; Krishnan, R. & Gale, B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effects of Vegetation of Radon Transport Processes in Soil: The Origins and Pathways of {Sup 222}Rn Entering Into Basement Structures. Final Report, March 15, 1987--May 15, 1993 (open access)

Effects of Vegetation of Radon Transport Processes in Soil: The Origins and Pathways of {Sup 222}Rn Entering Into Basement Structures. Final Report, March 15, 1987--May 15, 1993

The entry rate of {sup 22}Rn into a basement structure was measured continuously. These measurements demonstrated that radon entry did not vanish even when the structure was slightly pressurized. This persistent entry has been determined to be dominated by diffusion through the floor and walls and a combination of diffusion and convection through the floor-wall joint. The highest indoor radon concentrations occurred during calm periods when the pressure differentials between the inside and outside of the structure were small. The objectives of this work were to identify the origins of the radon and investigate the entry pathways. The radon could originate either in the concrete or in the soil surrounding the structure. Entry pathways into the basement were through the concrete floor and walls as well as through the floor-wall joint. The contributions of the origins and entry pathways were determined by continuously measuring the radon entry rate into the basement, using a trace gas system, and the flux density through portions of the floor and walls. Radon entry through the floor-wall joint could be controlled using a baseboard barrier system. Results indicated that, during calm conditions with wind speeds less than 1 m s{sup {minus}1}, 25 % of the …
Date: August 1, 1992
Creator: Borak, T. B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Solar Thermal Electric Power Systems With Line-Focus Collectors. Final Report (open access)

Solar Thermal Electric Power Systems With Line-Focus Collectors. Final Report

Electric power generation by conventional Rankine cycle heat engines with heat supplied by line-focus solar collectors was investigated. The objectives of the study were: (1) determine which of four types of line-focus solar collectors coupled with turbine-generators of conventional design has the potential to produce low-cost electric power with thermal energy in 100 to 300/sup 0/C range; (2) develop performance and cost relationships for organic Rankine cycle engines for power generation capacities from 3 MW/sub e/ to 300 MW/sub e/; (3) develop conceptual storage units for organic fluid systems. Evaluation procedures and study results and conclusion are presented and discussed in detail. (WHK)
Date: December 1, 1978
Creator: Duff, W. S.; Karaki, S.; Shaner, W. W.; Wilbur, P. J.; Somers, E. V.; Grimble, R. E. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rehabilitation Potential and Practices of Colorado Oil Shale Lands. Progress Report, June 1, 1978--May 31, 1979 (open access)

Rehabilitation Potential and Practices of Colorado Oil Shale Lands. Progress Report, June 1, 1978--May 31, 1979

The following document is a third-year progress report for the period June 1, 1978 to May 31, 1979. The overall objective of the project is to study the effects of seeding techniques, species mixtures, fertilizer, ecotypes, improved plant materials, mycorrhizal fungi, and soil microorganisms on the initial and final stages of reclamation obtained through seeding and subsequent succession on disturbed oil shale lands. Plant growth medias that are being used in field-established test plots include retorted shale, soil over retorted shale, subsoil materials, and surface disturbed topsoils. Because of the long-term nature of successional and ecologically oriented studies the project is just beginning to generate significant publications. Several of the studies associated with the project have some phases being conducted principally in the laboratories and greenhouses at Colorado State Univerisity. The majority of the research, however, is being conducted on a 20 hectare Intensive Study Site located near the focal points of oil shale activity in the Piceance Basin. The site is at an elevation of 2,042 m, receives approximately 30 to 55 cm of precipitation annually, and encompasses the plant communities most typical of the Piceance Basin. Most of the information contained in this report originated from the monitoring …
Date: March 1, 1979
Creator: Cook, C.W.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Historical Development and Future of the National Technological University (open access)

The Historical Development and Future of the National Technological University

The National Technological University (NTU), a consortium of more than twenty American engineering schools, broadcasts courses produced at member institutions to professional engineers at corporate sites across the country. It is a nonprofit institution.begun in fall 1984 with headquarters in Fort Collins, Colorado, which offers only course work leading to the Master of Science degree in various branches of technology, or applied science. Students must be sponsored by their corporate employers who pay their tuition. This is the first systematic examination of the instructional process at an educational institution created in response to the demands of the governmental and corporate sectors' technological needs. This study includes an attempt to explore the effectiveness of that instructional process and the use of computers in distance education at NTU and implications for institutions of the future. This study focuses on distance education, corporate education, national universities and nontraditional institutions and the extent to which NTO exemplifies each of these concepts. It covers the organizational structure and methods of operation of NTU, and offers opinions of students, faculty, and other personnel associated with the institution as reflected by surveys, interviews, and the media.
Date: August 1988
Creator: Mays, Marilyn Elaine
Object Type: Thesis or Dissertation
System: The UNT Digital Library