As genetically modified products come under greater production, tensions surrounding the potential benefits and harms of the technology have appeared in divergent policy between the European Union (EU) and certain member states. The purpose of this thesis is to consider whether some type of international law, also called an environmental...
Presented here is an investigation and comparison of two entrapment methods of algae. Conventional calcium alginate bead entrapment is compared to a recently described modified bead entrapment method, utilizing poly(ethylene glycol) and calcium alginate, which results in void or capillary formation within the beads. It is shown that algal growth...
An important by-product of the kraft pulping process, black liquor is currently used in most pulp mills to produce steam in a recovery boiler. Two important black liquor characteristics are viscosity and burning (firing) characteristics, which determine the operating efficiency of the recovery boiler. Kraft black liquor is a complicated...
Designing for construction safety is a collaborative process that combines the field experience of builders with the design skills of architects to improve construction safety. Research studies have shown that the design of a project is a factor in approximately fifty percent of jobsite deaths. To reduce this problem it...
Rhodococcus fascians is a Gram-positive, pleiomorphic actinomycete that causes leafy gall formation in a wide range of plant hosts. This particular phytopathogen has been a focus of research at the Oregon State University Plant Clinic, a diagnostic laboratory. Phylogeny of R. fascians isolates obtained from Plant Clinic submissions was determined...
Adverse effects of anti-epileptic (AED) medications on bone density have been reported since the 1960s. Phenytoin and carbamazepine, two commonly prescribed AED, are frequently associated with osteomalacia including fractures and reduced bone formation. The mechanism by which AED induces bone loss is not fully explained. We sought to determine the...
Twenty seven modern (top 1-2cm) sediment samples from multicores retrieved from throughout coastal SE Alaska were analyzed for their organic matter content and the source composition. Total organic carbon (TOC) as well as biogenic silica (bioSi), and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content were analyzed to evaluate the organic matter content and...
High-throughput culturing (HTC) consisting of extinction culturing in autoclaved seawater has led to the isolation and characterization of many novel strains of oligotrophic marine bacteria. Strain HTCC 2207 was isolated from the Oregon coast by the HTC method. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that this strain...
Mitochondria provide energy for biological cells to function, but this process is also a source of oxygen radicals that are capable of damaging nearby proteins. Mitochondrial protein damage can eventually lead to cell death, especially in the case of heart cells, where mitochondria are present in the highest concentrations. As...
Two strains of Escherichia coli were studied to determine the effect of constitutive expression of the SOS DNA damage repair response on the activity of ribonucleotide reductase. Activity of the reductase and cellular deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) pools were both determined before and after exposure of the cells to ultraviolet radiation....