The production of carbon and export to deep ocean sediments is linked to carbon partitioning between the ocean and atmosphere and is a key driver of climate change over the glacial-interglacial transition. Yet conflicting reconstructions create barriers to understanding changes to the carbon system over this important climate transition. Production...
Stony corals are the ecosystem engineers of the vital, dynamic, and complex marine ecosystem known as coral reefs. Globally, coral reefs are undergoing degradation from multiple anthropogenic stressors. Coral reef organism holobionts, or the host along with its microbial components, are key to reef ecosystem success and functioning. Marine microbes...
Current dietary recommendations have placed increasing emphasis on dietary fat
as an important element to decrease risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although total
fat and the fatty acid composition of diets influence the risk of CVD, the optimal amounts
of different fatty acids are not well defined, especially if n-6...
Translation of efficacious programs into real-world settings is an important step in ensuring improved public health outcomes. Yet, the process of translating evidence-based interventions (EBIs) according to fidelity is fraught with challenges. Organizational factors, specifically organizational communication, have been shown to influence translation processes.
To date, there is limited research...
The development of a transient electric birefringence (TEB) apparatus for macroparticle characterization is herein discussed. The experimental difficulties encountered were related largely to poor data resolution. Misalignment and strain birefringence in optical components further complicated results. Improved data digitization methods were developed, and precise mathematical models were derived in order...
As the volume of genetic sequence data increases due to improved sequencing techniques and increased interest, the computational tools available to analyze the data are becoming inadequate. This thesis seeks to improve a few of the computational methods available to access and analyze data in the genetic sequence databases. The...
Deeply weathered soils in tropical rainforests and savannas are classified as Ferralsols according to the World References Bases for Soil Resources (WRB). Ferralsols are most nearly akin to the Oxisols order defined in the US Soil Taxonomy. The acidity, low cation exchange capacity, and strong phosphorus retention by the oxidic...
This dissertation has two objectives. The first objective is to determine where best to situate the study of mentoring (i.e. the 'making of scientists') on the landscape of the history of science and science studies. This task is accomplished by establishing mentoring studies as a link between the robust body...
Gut microbiota plays an essential role in health and diseases, a fact already established. With the explosive increase in obesity and its main complication, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2D), there is an immediate need for novel methods of diagnosis, prevention and treatment of these conditions. In the last one and...
The human health effects of exposure to numerous single environmental contaminants have been well characterized. Yet, biomonitoring studies have detected multiple environmental chemicals in humans, highlighting the need to investigate the health effects of exposure to multiple environmental chemicals. Environmental data is highly complex, therefore current methods of defining environmental...