Cellulosic biomass materials have three principal
components: cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Under
mild acid conditions and high temperature, the first two
components yield a variety of sugars: hexoses and pentoses,
which are subject to decomposition on continued exposure to
hot dilute acid. In the process hexoses yield
hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) which,...
The bacterium most frequently used in microbial
leaching processes and studies is Thiobacillus
ferrooxidans. Applications of this bacterium include the
treatment of coal, low-grade ores and industrial solid
wastes for the solubilization of pyrite and other trace
metals associated with sulfides. The goal of this study
was the development of...
Hemicellulose hydrolyzate contains many carbohydrate
fractions, the most abundant being xylose, arabinose, and
glucuronic acid. Under mild acid conditions (0.025 -
0.10 M sulfuric acid) and high temperatures (140°C to
200°C) the first two components form furfural through a
series of dehydration reactions. Unlike xylose and
arabinose, glucuronic acid must...
Succinic acid, a low molecular weight dicarboxylic acid was used to leach out
heavy metals from Willamette Valley soil (contaminated separately with lead, copper,
and zinc) in form of water-soluble organo-metal complexes. The research tasks included
developing synthetic contaminated soils representative of those found at Superfund sites
and making heavy...
More than 30,000 potential Superfund sites have been identified. Heavy metals are contaminants at many of these Superfund sites. The average cost of cleanup a single-typical Superfund site currently stands at $20 million, and it is expected that the cost may escalate to $50 million within the next decade. Problems...
The effect of over-oxidation on periodate oxidation
of cellulose was studied. It was found that the over-oxidation
process has a significant effect on the overall
reaction. An integrated rate equation was formulated.
The oxidation of internal glucose units is second-order
overall, first order with respect to both periodate and
cellulose;...
Measurable surface parameters which may be related to the response evoked upon contact with biofluids have been suggested to provide direction for characterization, prediction, and ultimate control of biofluid behavior at interfaces. With respect to fouling of heat exchange equipment by biofluids, such properties may be useful for the development...
The effect of pH and ionic strength on the equilibrium adsorptive
behavior of β-lactoglobulin onto hydrophobic and hydrophilic
silicon surfaces was studied using ellipsometry. Plots of amount
adsorbed (μg protein/cm²) as a function of protein concentration
(mg/ml) exhibited attainment of plateau values beyond a protein
concentration of 0.250 mg/ml. At...
Ellipsometry was used to study the effects of surface energetics
and temperature on the equilibrium adsorptive behavior exhibited by
β-lactoglobulin. β-Lactoglobulin isotherms at 25, 37, and 55°C were
constructed for this purpose. The surfaces of acrylic, polycarbonate,
polyester, glass, and #304 stainless steel were contacted with protein
solutions of varying...
Illinois coal ground to 80-200 mesh was leached
with a low phosphate, high nitrogen medium containing a
mixture of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and thiooxidans in a
fluidized bed. Coal slurries of 20-160 g/L were treated
in a 5 cm ID, 9.5 m high continuous loop bioreactor with
crossovers at top and...
The heat unit concept of time-temperature relationships
is used in this thesis as a means of studying the
temperature element of the climate at nine Oregon stations.
The stations, Astoria, Baker, Burns, Eugene, Medford,
Pendleton, Portland, Roseburg, and Salem, were selected on
the basis of distribution and availability of Weather...
This thesis treats the problem of enumerating equivalence
classes of Euler paths of full graphs. A full graph
is a complete, unordered, graph with no loops or repeated
edges. Two Euler paths are equivalent if and only if one
can be transformed into the other by a finite sequence of...
An algorithm is described for determining the vertices
and supporting planes (or lines) of the convex hull
of a given set of N distinct points in 3-space. The
method involves determining a finite sequence of convex
hulls, each successive convex hull being a better approximation
to the convex hull of...
This thesis contains a collection of properties of the greatest integer part function which were obtained by an extensive literature search. A few original properties are stated and proved and some of the properties which were found unproved in the literature are proved.
Let A and B be two subsets of the set of all non-negative
integers with 0 ε A and O ε B. The sum of the sets A and B is
the set C = A + B = {a + b: a ε A, b ε B). For n...
This thesis brings together under one cover a survey of the
history of the real number pi along with a study of the present state
of its theory, application, and calculation.
In 1932 A. Ya. Khinchin gave the first partial solution of the celebrated 1931 αβ Conjecture of L.G. Schnirelmann and E. Landau of the density of sums of sets on integers, which was completely proved in 1942 by H.B. Mann.
Khinchin's theorem is proved along with theorems of P. Scherk...
This thesis contains a collection of summation formulas for
the greatest integer part function. Proofs are supplied for original
results and for those formulas which are stated without proof in the
literature. References are given for formulas and proofs which
appear in the literature.
In this thesis, we study conditions not involving density which
guarantee that a given positive integer is contained in a sum of sets
of nonnegative integers. We survey the literature, give more detailed
proofs of some known theorems, develop some new theorems,
and make some conjectures.
This thesis presents the procedure adopted to develop the priority rating system for highway safety improvements. Safety hazards are classified into four categories:
(1) Railroad crossings,
(2) Intersections,
(3) Geometric-Related Hazards, and
(4) Roadside Hazards.
For each category of hazards, relationships are developed to obtain a hazard index and expected...
This thesis presents a procedure to identify and evaluate forest
arterial and collector networks. The procedure identifies those
decision criteria important in evaluating both the arterial and
collector networks and the specific facilities identified on these
networks. The procedure incorporates the decision criteria and results
from network and facility analysis...
Many hazardous locations exist on our local and street highway
systems. Such hazards contribute to the frequency and severity of
traffic accidents. The elimination and mitigation of the hazards
reduces accident frequency and severity, as measured by the number of
fatalities, injuries and property damage resulting from the accidents.
The...
The Murderers Creek Area, within the Aldrich Mountain province of
northeast Oregon, originated in an arc-trench gap during Permian-early
Triassic time. The area represents a small portion of a forearc
depositional basin and tectonic highland which borders the basin along
its seaward margin. The trench associated with an east dipping...
The purpose of this study was to provide the USDA-Forest Service,
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and other agencies or industries
that may deal with temporary and intermittent use roads with
the necessary background information for the identification, economic
evaluation, and selection of the alternate surfacing systems and to
determine...
Rocks south of the Main Mantle Thrust (MMT) in Swat,
Pakistan consist predominantly of Precambrian to Paleozoic
granitic gneisses and metasedimentary rocks that represent
the deformed and metamorphosed northern margin of the Indian
subcontinent. In the Karakar Pass area the rocks are divisible into three lithologic units: the Swat granite...
The type section of the Mascall Formation, which is located in
the John Day Valley, is interpreted to represent a sequence of
paleosols. These fossil soils were formed on a floodplain during the
middle Miocene. The measured thickness of this section is 1340 feet,
and although the top of the...
The Nanga Parbat-Haramosh massif (NPHM) is a unique structural
and topographic high in the northwestern corner of the Himalayan
convergence zone. Previously, the NPHM was thought to be bounded by
the MMT, a thrust along which the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc was
obducted onto the northern margin of fridia. This study...
The research examines the effect of restricted head and neck movement on
driving performance as measured by decision time at T-intersections. The traffic
safety and human factors literature was reviewed, and very little was found
concerning drivers with physical limitations. T-intersections were selected for
study because most accidents involving drivers...
Surface and subsurface data from the Sulaiman thrust belt show that nearly all
the 10 km thick sequence of dominantly platform (>7 km) and molasse strata is detached
at the deformation front. These strata thicken tectonically to a minimum of 20 km in the
hinterland of the Sulaiman fold belt...
This study defines the information gathering and communication and response
needed for safety at highway-rail crossings. It examines technologies for low-cost,
high-safety treatments for low volume highway crossings of higher speed (130-200 kph) rail. Crossing closure and consolidation is a necessary first step. Existing
train control and crossing safety systems...
Two interesting challenges have been created in the traditional transportation planning process through recent adoption of more interactive roles by Federal, State and local transportation agencies and of those representing the communities being impacted by proposed transportation projects. First, the decision-making groups that formerly included solely transportation and related professionals...
The Bear Creek area is situated at the boundry between the Basin and Range Province, Deschutes Basin and Blue Mountains Province. It contains rock units representing most of the Cenozoic geologic column. The major rock units exposed are the Clarno Formation, John Day Formation, Columbia River Basalt Group, Deschutes Formation...
In an exploratory survey of the serviceability of wood in the
marine environment in the Pacific Northwest, pressure-creosoted
piling with tops protected from wetting by the superstructure provided
40 and more years of service and showed little or no indication
of deterioration. The service life of these piling is still...
The western Taylor Park area covers about 65 square
miles on the western flank of the Sawatch Range. It is
underlain chiefly by Precambrian rocks, partially covered
on the east by glacial debris and overlapped on the west
and south by Paleozoic sedimentary rocks.
The Precambrian rocks include a group...
This study presents a rational process with supporting data to establish
appropriate road design controls, criteria, and standards for low volume
recreation and resource development. Much of the information presented can
be used to supplement design data presented in a National road design policy
published by the American Association of...
The Salt Range is clearly the active participant in the scenario of the progressive southward migration of the Himalayan thrust front. It extends approximately 180 km ENE along strike and is underlain by salt. This is manifested by its very narrow (<1°) cross-sectional taper and great (150 km) width. Integration...
Three groups of experiments were performed to determine an effective
procedure for controlling decay in southern pine (Pinus spp.)
laminated timbers. (i) A decaying laminated arch of southern pine was
treated with chloropicrin. Movement of the chemical vapor through the
arch and its effect on the decay and nondecay fungal...
The response of three hardwoods from Ghana and a hardwood and
three softwoods from the United States to liquid and gas-phase impregnation
was investigated. Impregnation with liquids included a sink-float
test in a water-glycerine solution and pressure treatment with a copper
sulphate solution and creosote under identical treating conditions.
Flow...
Wood degrading ability and tolerance to wood-preserving chemicals
of several fungi isolated from Douglas-fir utility poles were
investigated by the agar-stick and soil-block methods. Birch (Betula.
sp. ) wood sticks and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) wood blocks
were used.
The soil-block and agar-stick tests provided identical weight
loss rankings of...
Given the vital role of forest ecosystems in landscape pattern and process, it is important to quantify the effects, feedbacks, and uncertainties associated with forest disturbance dynamics. In western North America, insects and wildfires are both native disturbances that have influenced forests for millennia, and both are projected to increase...
This multidisciplinary study integrates remote sensing, stratigraphy, siliciclastic and carbonate sedimentology, tectonics, and petrography of the Nisai, Khojak and Sharankar Formations to reveal the Paleogene depositional, diagenetic and deformational history of the Katawaz Basin.
Study of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) digital data shows that maximum discrimination of different rocks is...
I investigated the relationship between harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) behavior and lack of recovery from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. First, I evaluated the hypothesis that harlequin ducks in winter have little flexibility to increase foraging time in response to disturbance because they are constrained...
What constitutes a quality solution to an authentic task from industry? This study seeks to address this question through the examination of two expert solutions to an authentic engineering task used in the Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering curriculum at Oregon State University. The two solutions were generated by two...
The Greenhorn Mountains contain a tectonic ally disrupted
ophiolite and both arc-derived and pelagic sediments. Age of major
sedimentary units within and bordering the thesis area is Early
Permian, based upon dates of conodonts and fusulinids from contemporaneous
but allocthanous limestones. Sediments near the south
boundary of the thesis area...
Three methods--radial compression strength, color indicators of decay and micro-toughness, an examination of tracheid fracture patterns, were evaluated for detection of early decay and for application to field use. Three-eighth-inch diameter plugs 3/4-inch long, cut from the sapwood and heartwood of a Douglas-fir pole free of decay, were decayed by...