SYSTEM DYNAMICS MODELING AS A QUANTITATIVE-QUALITATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: INSIGHTS FOR WATER QUALITY POLICY IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION

Early water resources modeling efforts were aimed mostly at representing hydrologic processes, but the need for interdisciplinary studies has led to increasing complexity and integration of environmental, social, and economic functions. The gradual shift from merely employing engineering-based simulation models to applying more holistic frameworks is an indicator of promising changes in the traditional paradigm for the application of water resources models, supporting more sustainable management decisions. This dissertation contributes to application of a quantitative-qualitative framework for sustainable water resources management using system dynamics simulation, as well as environmental systems analysis techniques to provide insights for water quality management in the Great Lakes basin. The traditional linear thinking paradigm lacks the mental and organizational framework for sustainable development trajectories, and may lead to quick-fix solutions that fail to address key drivers of water resources problems. To facilitate holistic analysis of water resources systems, systems thinking seeks to understand interactions among the subsystems. System dynamics provides a suitable framework for operationalizing systems thinking and its application to water resources problems by offering useful qualitative tools such as causal loop diagrams (CLD), stock-and-flow diagrams (SFD), and system archetypes. The approach provides a high-level quantitative-qualitative modeling framework for big-picture understanding of water resources systems, stakeholder participation, policy analysis, and strategic decision making. While quantitative modeling using extensive computer simulations and optimization is still very important and needed for policy screening, qualitative system dynamics models can improve understanding of general trends and the root causes of problems, and thus promote sustainable water resources decision making. Within the system dynamics framework, a growth and underinvestment (G&U) system archetype governing Lake Allegan\u27s eutrophication problem was hypothesized to explain the system\u27s problematic behavior and identify policy leverage points for mitigation. A system dynamics simulation model was developed to characterize the lake\u27s recovery from its hypereutrophic state and assess a number of proposed total maximum daily load (TMDL) reduction policies, including phosphorus load reductions from point sources (PS) and non-point sources (NPS). It was shown that, for a TMDL plan to be effective, it should be considered a component of a continuous sustainability process, which considers the functionality of dynamic feedback relationships between socio-economic growth, land use change, and environmental conditions. Furthermore, a high-level simulation-optimization framework was developed to guide watershed scale BMP implementation in the Kalamazoo watershed. Agricultural BMPs should be given priority in the watershed in order to facilitate cost-efficient attainment of the Lake Allegan\u27s TP concentration target. However, without adequate support policies, agricultural BMP implementation may adversely affect the agricultural producers. Results from a case study of the Maumee River basin show that coordinated BMP implementation across upstream and downstream watersheds can significantly improve cost efficiency of TP load abatement

Water resources management in a homogenizing world: Averting the Growth and Underinvestment trajectory

Biotic homogenization, a de facto symptom of a global biodiversity crisis, underscores the urgency of reforming water resources management to focus on the health and viability of ecosystems. Global population and economic growth, coupled with inadequate investment in maintenance of ecological systems, threaten to degrade environmental integrity and ecosystem services that support the global socioeconomic system, indicative of a system governed by the Growth and Underinvestment (G&U) archetype. Water resources management is linked to biotic homogenization and degradation of system integrity through alteration of water systems, ecosystem dynamics, and composition of the biota. Consistent with the G&U archetype, water resources planning primarily treats ecological considerations as exogenous constraints rather than integral, dynamic, and responsive parts of the system. It is essential that the ecological considerations be made objectives of water resources development plans to facilitate the analysis of feedbacks and potential trade-offs between socioeconomic gains and ecological losses. We call for expediting a shift to ecosystem-based management of water resources, which requires a better understanding of the dynamics and links between water resources management actions, ecological side-effects, and associated long-term ramifications for sustainability. To address existing knowledge gaps, models that include dynamics and estimated thresholds for regime shifts or ecosystem degradation need to be developed. Policy levers for implementation of ecosystem-based water resources management include shifting away from growth-oriented supply management, better demand management, increased public awareness, and institutional reform that promotes adaptive and transdisciplinary management approaches

Impact of Coastal Erosion and Sedimentation along the Northern Coast of Sinai Peninsula

Coastal engineering activities during the past five decades have resulted in considerable shoreline change along the northern coast of Sinai Peninsula. In the west of El Arish Power Plant, sediment accretion has reached the tip of the breakwater of the cooling water intake basin necessitating extensive dredging inside the basin. In the east of El Arish Harbor, the shoreline is continuously retreating. Previous activities to mitigate the erosion have not succeeded. For example, the groin field in the east of the El Arish Harbor has transferred the problem to the neighboring beaches farther downcoast. In this study predominant coastal processes affecting the erosion of the Sinai northern coastline were investigated. Wave-induced longshore currents were found to be responsible for transporting the littoral drift along the coastline. Longshore sediment transport, from Port Said to Ashqelon, was quantified and the general patterns of erosion-accretion were determined by looking upon the gradients between transport rates along the coast. Particular emphasis was placed on shoreline change due to perturbations introduced by infrastructure sited at the coastline near El Arish. The shoreline change at El Arish Power Plant and Harbor were modeled using the coastal evolution model GENESIS. Having understood the coastal processes driving the shoreline change at these two locations, appropriate remedial measures were proposed to mitigate the problem. In this regard, a combination of hard and soft coastal engineering methods are presented to alleviate the dredging problem at the power plant while sand-bypassing/beach-nourishment is suggested as an effective sustainable solution to the erosion problem in the east of El Arish Harbor

Lattice thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of the single-layer penta-NiN2 explored by a deep-learning interatomic potential

Penta-NiN2, a novel pentagonal 2D sheet with potential nanoelectronic applications, is investigated in terms of its lattice thermal conductivity, stability, and mechanical behavior. A deep learning interatomic potential (DLP) is firstly generated from ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) data and then utilized for classical molecular dynamics simulations. The DLP's accuracy is verified, showing strong agreement with AIMD results. The dependence of thermal conductivity on size, temperature, and tensile strain, reveals important insights into the material's thermal properties. Additionally, the mechanical response of penta-NiN2 under uniaxial loading is examined, yielding a Young's modulus of approximately 368 GPa. The influence of vacancy defects on mechanical properties is analyzed, demonstrating significant reduction in modulus, fracture stress, and ultimate strength. This study also investigates the influence of strain on phonon dispersion relations and phonon group velocity in penta-NiN2, shedding light on how alterations in the atomic lattice affect the phonon dynamics and, consequently, impact the thermal conductivity. This investigation showcases the ability of deep learning based interatomic potentials in studying the properties of 2D Penta-NiN2

Value of Water - Economic and Full Value - Michigan Tech University

Lecture module on Economic and Full Value of water developed by Michigan Tech University (slides). Lecture draws on two readings: Brett Walton. (2010). The Price of Water: A Comparison of Water Rates, Usage in 30 U.S. Cities. April 26. Circle of Blue WaterNews. Available at: https://www.circleofblue.org/2010/world/the-price-of-water-a-comparison-of-water-rates-usage-in-30-u-s-cities/. Peter Rogers, Radhika de Silva, Ramesh Bhatia. (2002) Water is an economic good: How to use prices to promote equity, efficiency, and sustainability, Water Policy, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2002, Pages 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1366-7017(02)00004-1. Find a companion Jeopardy game -- test your knowledge about the readings, prices, economic values, full values, and more -- under the Games heading

Jeopardy - Water price, ecnomic cost, economic value

It\u27s Jeopardy! Test your knowledge of water prices, water cost, it\u27s economic value, full value, and more. Information developed from a companion lecture and two readings: Brett Walton. (2010). The Price of Water: A Comparison of Water Rates, Usage in 30 U.S. Cities. April 26. Circle of Blue WaterNews. Available at: https://www.circleofblue.org/2010/world/the-price-of-water-a-comparison-of-water-rates-usage-in-30-u-s-cities/. Peter Rogers, Radhika de Silva, Ramesh Bhatia. (2002) Water is an economic good: How to use prices to promote equity, efficiency, and sustainability, Water Policy, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2002, Pages 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1366-7017(02)00004-1. How many Jeopardy points can you earn

Avoiding Water Bankruptcy in the Drought-Troubled Southwest: What the US and Iran Can Learn from Each Other

The 2021 water year ends on Sept. 30, and it was another hot, dry year in the western U.S., with almost the entire region in drought. Reservoirs vital for farms, communities and hydropower have fallen to dangerous lows. The biggest blow came in August, when the U.S. government issued its first ever water shortage declaration for the Colorado River, triggering water use restrictions. In response, farmers and cities across the Southwest are now finding new, often unsustainable ways to meet their future water needs. Las Vegas opened a lower-elevation tunnel to Lake Mead, a Colorado River reservoir where water levels reached unprecedented lows at 35% of capacity. Farmers are ratcheting up groundwater pumping. Officials in Arizona, which will lose nearly one-fifth of its river water allotment under the new restrictions, even floated the idea of piping water hundreds of miles from the Mississippi River

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease in a young female with discoid lupus and alopecia

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is an uncommon, benign, autoimmune condition characterized by lymphadenopathy, fever, and neutropenia. It is a self-contained condition of unidentified etiology. A 38-year-old female of Iranian Kurdish origin referred to us with multiple neck swellings, fever, and generalized arthropathy. There was no weight loss and no history of tuberculosis, medication intake, or allergy. Clinical examination revealed bilateral large, mobile, and tendercervical lymphadenopathy. Cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological examination was normal. The patient had leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease must be considered in the differential diagnosis of a female patient with fever and cervical lymphadenopathy

Genetic factors responsible for development of metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a worldwide highly prevalent disease defined as a clustering of at least three of the following conditions: central obesity, hypertension, diabetes, high level of low-density lipoproteins, low level of high-density lipoprotein or high level cholesterol. MetS is a multifactorial disease which is caused by both environmental factors and a heritable component. Unfortunately, because of its ever rising worldwide incidence MetS emerges as a worldwide epidemic and a heavy socioeconomic burden. In order to effectively fight the MetS pandemic, it is vital to dissect the genetic background and mechanisms that underlie MetS and its individual components, a goal that is profoundly benefitted by physiological and genetic studies in animal models of MetS. The aim of this thesis was to dissect the genetic background of metabolic syndrome by using comparative transcriptomic analysis in relevant organs obtained from genetically defined rodent models. Each of our genetically defined rat strains is phenotypically distinct in terms of manifesting individual components of MetS. We present three separate transcriptomic experiments in order to unravel the genetic background of MetS. First, we performed the global comparative transcriptomic analysis of left ventricular tissue from SHR and...Metabolický syndrom je celosvětově vysoce prevalentní onemocnění charakterizované přítomností alespoň tří z následujících znaků: abdominální obezity, hypertenze, diabetu mellitu, vyšší hladiny LDL cholesterolu či snížené hladiny HDL cholesterolu. Metabolický syndrom je komplexní onemocnění, při kterém je fenotyp daného jedince determinován výslednicí interakce genomu a faktorů prostředí. Bohužel se v současné době metabolický syndrom díky své nezastavitelně rostoucí incidenci jeví jako celosvětová neinfekční pandemie představující významnou socioekonomickou zátěž. Pochopení genetického pozadí metabolického syndromu za pomocí geneticky definovaných savčích modelů představuje jednu ze strategií ke zlepšení možností boje s MetS a jeho zdravotnámi následky. Cíl této dizertační práce je poodkrýt genetické pozadí metabolického syndromu a to za pomoci komparativní transkriptomické analýzy relevantních orgánů geneticky definovaných potkaních modelů. K popisu genetické architektury metabolického syndromu jsme provedli tři nezávislé experimenty. Nejprve jsme pomocí komparativní transkriptomické analýzy mezi levými srdečními komorami kmene SHR a jeho minimálního kongenního kmene PD5, charakterizovaným mj. menší mírou fibrózy myokardu, identifikovali zvýšenou expresi genu Nr4a1/Nur77 u kmene PD5 a dále...Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics First Faculty of Medicine Charles University and General University Hospital in PragueÚstav biologie a lékařské genetiky 1. LF UK a VFN1. lékařská fakultaFirst Faculty of Medicin