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- Title
- Application of Landfill Treatment Approaches for the Stabilization of Municipal Solid Waste.
- Creator
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Bolyard, Stephanie, Reinhart, Debra, Santra, Swadeshmukul, Randall, Andrew, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This research focused on the fundamental requirements of stabilizing a mature landfill using three treatment approaches as well as the implications of discharging leachate organic matter (LOM) to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Three treatment approaches aimed at removing releasable carbon and nitrogen from mature landfills including flushing with clean water, leachate recirculation with ex-situ chemical oxidation, and leachate recirculation with ex-situ chemical oxidation and in-situ...
Show moreThis research focused on the fundamental requirements of stabilizing a mature landfill using three treatment approaches as well as the implications of discharging leachate organic matter (LOM) to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Three treatment approaches aimed at removing releasable carbon and nitrogen from mature landfills including flushing with clean water, leachate recirculation with ex-situ chemical oxidation, and leachate recirculation with ex-situ chemical oxidation and in-situ aeration were evaluated. After extensive treatment of the waste in the flushing bioreactor (FB) scenarios, the overall biodegradable fraction was reduced relative to mature waste. Leachate quality improved for all FBs but through different mechanisms. Flushing was the most effective approach at removing biodegradable components and improving leachate quality. A mass balance on carbon and nitrogen revealed that a significant fraction still remained in the waste. Solid waste and leachate samples from the anaerobic bioreactors and FBs were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) to provide a better understanding of changes in waste characteristics when waste transitions from mature to stabilized. Organic functional groups associated with aliphatic methylene were present in leachate and solid waste samples during the early stages of anaerobic degradation and disappeared once these wastes underwent treatment. Once the waste was stabilized, the FTIR spectra of leachate and solid waste were dominated by inorganic functional groups (carboxylic acid/carbonate group, carbonate, quartz, and clay minerals). Leachate is commonly co-treated with domestic wastewater due to the cost and complexity of on-site treatment. The organic constituents in leachate can be problematic for WWTPs as their recalcitrant components pass through conventional treatment processes, impacting effluent quality. Twelve leachates where characterized for total nitrogen (TN) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). The average concentration of TN and DON in leachate was 1,160 and 40.7 mg/L, respectively. Leachates were fractionated based on hydrophobic (recalcitrant; rDON) and hydrophilic (bioavailable; bDON) properties. The average concentrations of bDON and rDON were 16.5 and 18.4 mg/L, respectively. Multiple leachate and wastewater co-treatment simulations were carried out to assess the treatment of leachate nitrogen at historic nitrogen removal levels of four WWTPs and the effects on wastewater effluent quality for four WWTPs. The effluent quality exceeded typical TN limits of 3 to 10 mg/L at leachate volumetric contributions of 10%. The maximum calculated pass through concentrations of rDON and DON at 10% volumetric contribution for the twelve leachates was 4.77 and 9.71 mg/L, respectively. The effects of LOM on wastewater effluent quality was further evaluated in the field. Results showed that leachate detection for each field study could be determined using UV254 nm absorbance. DON and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations increased at significant levels in leachate-impacted wastewater samples. The DON decreased through the treatment train, suggesting that this parameter was effectively removed, while DOC persisted. DOC pass through coincided with an increase in color and UV254 nm absorption. In effluents, the UV254 nm transmittance was just below the minimum 65% disinfection requirement at dilutions greater than 1%. Leachate-impacted wastewater showed a higher concentration of humic-like peaks during fluorescence measurements than wastewater without leachate.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006076, ucf:50959
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006076
- Title
- THE FORGOTTEN THIRD BRANCH: THE SUPREME COURT, PUBLIC OPINION, AND THE MEDIA.
- Creator
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Pitchman, Adrien, Schmidt, Cynthia, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The three branches of government rely on public engagement for the prosperity of the nation. Moreover, informed public opinion is a fundamental tenant of democracy. With that in mind, this paper aims to explore the relationship between the Judicial Branch and the public. Specifically, this paper examines and questions the Supreme Court's efficacy communicating with the public. American constituents are inundated on a daily basis by the clamor of D.C. politics. The twenty four hour news cycle...
Show moreThe three branches of government rely on public engagement for the prosperity of the nation. Moreover, informed public opinion is a fundamental tenant of democracy. With that in mind, this paper aims to explore the relationship between the Judicial Branch and the public. Specifically, this paper examines and questions the Supreme Court's efficacy communicating with the public. American constituents are inundated on a daily basis by the clamor of D.C. politics. The twenty four hour news cycle has given way to politicized headlines and exaggerated pundit commentary on contentious national issues. In a technological age where information is instant and the public has become accustomed to soundbites for education, the Supreme Court is left out of place. Both the Executive Branch and Legislative Branch converse directly with the public when necessary. Politicians frequently address their constituents or discuss complicated issues with voters first hand. However, the Supreme Court has rejected this strategy and instead relies almost exclusively on the press to relay their decisions. The judicial branch is the only third of our government without constant communication to the American people. As a result, the judiciary is relatively ignored by its citizens. By discussing a number of landmark cases since the turn of the century, this paper aims to analyze how those decisions were both announced to the public by the media and how the public received them. The Court has certainly adopted the press as an agent of communication. But is the media truly the proper outlet for the Court's rulings?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004771, ucf:45392
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004771
- Title
- FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE COMMISSION OF ERRORS AND OMISSION OF STANDARD NURSING PRACTICE AMONG NEW NURSES.
- Creator
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Knowles, Rachel, Gibson-Young, Linda, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Every year, millions of medical errors are committed, costing not only patient health and satisfaction, but thousands of lives and billions of dollars. Errors occur in many areas of the healthcare environment, including the profession of nursing. Nurses provide and delegate patient care and consequently, standard nursing responsibilities such as medication administration, charting, patient education, and basic life support protocol may be incorrect, inadequate, or omitted. Although there is...
Show moreEvery year, millions of medical errors are committed, costing not only patient health and satisfaction, but thousands of lives and billions of dollars. Errors occur in many areas of the healthcare environment, including the profession of nursing. Nurses provide and delegate patient care and consequently, standard nursing responsibilities such as medication administration, charting, patient education, and basic life support protocol may be incorrect, inadequate, or omitted. Although there is much literature about errors among the general nurse population and there is indication that new nurses commit more errors than experienced nurses, not much literature asks the following question: What are the factors contributing to the commission of errors, including the omission of standard nursing care, among new nurses? Ten studies (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-mode) were examined to identify these factors. From the 10 studies, the researcher identified the three themes of lack of experience, stressful working conditions, and interpersonal and intrapersonal factors. New nurses may not have had enough clinical time, may develop poor habits, may not turn to more experienced nurses and other professionals, may be fatigued from working too many hours with not enough staffing, may not be able to concentrate at work, and may not give or receive adequate communication. Based on these findings and discussion, suggested implications for nursing practice include extended clinical experience, skills practice, adherence to the nursing process, adherence to medications standards such as the five rights and independent double verification, shorter working hours, adequate staffing, no-interruption and no-phone zones, creating a culture of support, electronically entered orders, translation phones, read-backs, and standardized handoff reports.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004439, ucf:45103
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004439
- Title
- Hmong Americans in Higher Education: Exploring their Sense of Belongingness and the Concept of the American Dream.
- Creator
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Daugherty, Janet, Cintron Delgado, Rosa, Owens, J. Thomas, Cox, Thomas, Molina, Olga, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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I conducted this study to examine Hmong American college students' perspectives on sense of belongingness and their idea on the American Dream. The college experience can serve as a precursor to improving the social and economic situation of the Hmong students when aligned with the personal desire to gain upward mobility and motivation to circumvent social and academic inconsistencies.The methodology of the study was designed for one-on-one phenomenological informal interviews with Hmong...
Show moreI conducted this study to examine Hmong American college students' perspectives on sense of belongingness and their idea on the American Dream. The college experience can serve as a precursor to improving the social and economic situation of the Hmong students when aligned with the personal desire to gain upward mobility and motivation to circumvent social and academic inconsistencies.The methodology of the study was designed for one-on-one phenomenological informal interviews with Hmong American college upper-classmen using a two-part interview protocol to elicit demographic and experiential information. Moustakas' approach to the analysis of data provided guidelines to review individual transcripts and to group, remove, cluster, and thematize lived experiences.The findings of this study indicated that Hmong college students: (a) enrolled out of obedience to the parents, especially their fathers, regardless of the educational level of the parents and (b) thrived when authority figures on campus reached out to help their humble situation. . . it not only made them belong to the campus family but it strengthened their self-esteem.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005596, ucf:50250
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005596