Tolkien\u27s Dwarves & the Eddas

Noting the origin of many of Tolkien’s dwarf names in the Eddas; looks specifically for possible roots of the names Gimli, Gloin, and Gríma

Non-Newtonian fluid injection into granular media

The process of fluid injection into granular media is relevant to a wide number of applications such as enhanced oil recovery, grouting, and the construction of permeable reactive barriers. The response of the subsurface is dependent on multiple factors such as in-situ stresses, fluid properties, flow rate, and formation type. Based on these conditions a variety of response mechanisms can be initiated ranging from simple porous infiltration to hydraulic fracturing. Currently, the mechanics of fluid injection into competent rock are well understood and can be sufficiently modeled using linear elastic fracture mechanics. Because the grains in rock formations are individually cemented together, they exhibit cohesion and are able to support tensile stresses. The linear elastic method assumes tensile failure due to stress concentrations at the fracture tip. A fracture propagates when the stress intensity factor exceeds the material toughness (Detournay, 1988) However, understanding fluid injection in cohesionless granular media presents a much larger obstacle. Currently, no theoretical models have been developed to deal with granular media displacements due to fluid injection. Difficulty arises from the complexity of fluid rheology and composition used in engineering processes, the strong coupling between fluid flow and mechanical deformation, the non-linear response of subsurface media, and the multi-scale nature of the problem. The structure of this thesis is intended to first give the reader a basic background of some of the fundamental concepts for non-Newtonian fluid flow in granular media. Fluid properties as well as some interaction mechanisms are described in relation to the injection process. Next, the results from an experimental series of injection tests are presented with a discussion of the failure/flow processes taking place. We developed a novel technique which allows us to visualize the injection process by use of a transparent Hele-Shaw cell. Specifically, we will be using polyacrylamide solutions at a variety of concentrations to study non-Newtonian effects on the response within the Hele-Shaw cell. By performing tests at a range of solution concentrations and injection rates we are to be able to identify a transition from an infiltration dominated flow regime to a fracturing dominated regime.M.S.Committee Chair: Haiying Huang; Committee Member: J. Carlos Santamarina; Committee Member: Leonid Germanovic

Protecting the Older Worker

Unlike racial discrimination, age discrimination statutes do not prohibit all forms of discrimination but only those forms that are arbitrary. In this respect age is most analogous to sex as a basis of discrimination: in neither case has a conclusive statutory presumption been made that these factors are irrelevant in an employment situation; in both situations the employer must make his decision to hire or not to hire on the abilities of the individual and not on assumptions, proven or unproven, about the class as a whole. This note considers the extent of arbitrary age discrimination and what measures have been taken and should be taken to combat it

PeckApp

Major: Marketing, Finance Minor I built a mobile contact building application with the help of two partners. PeckApp allows companies and individuals share their contact information in just seconds using a custom QR code generated based on the information they wish to share. At the Providence College Career Expo in February PeckApp was used by all 125 companies to share their information with all of the students. PeckApp seeks to continue to innovate to make contact sharing as easy at possible so that people can focus on connecting with one another rather than exchanging information

Trace Analysis of Wine from 6000 BC

The Neolithic (10,000-3,500 BC) was the age of achievement and expansion. This period represented a transition where food-collecting cultures shifted to food-producing ones, which allowed people to establish year round settlements. Many plants were domesticated including the Eurasian grape, which is believed to be the first grape used to ferment wine. There is an ongoing archeological dig in the Republic of Georgia to investigate the earliest winemaking and the emergence of wine culture as part of the Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Excavations (G.R.A.P.E.). Sherds of pottery jars excavated from the dig site, along with corresponding soil samples, were analyzed for the presence of four characteristic grape/wine acids (tartaric acid, citric acid, malic acid, and succinic acid) by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. All four acids were detected in trace amounts in every sample; however, there was no significant difference in the amount of acids found in the sherd samples versus the soil samples. As a result, we could not verify the presence of wine in these particular archaeological sherds