The dynein molecule is a peculiar motor protein recognized for its unique stepping behavior. Sometimes it steps forwards. Other times it steps backwards. It has even been observed to occasionally shuffle by beginning a step with the same domain many times in row. These motions make dynein an interesting object...
Past studies have shown that students struggle with main concepts of potential energy, such as reading graphs, understanding that potential energy can be negative, and, most pertinent to this research project, connecting potential energy to force. I designed an activity to help introductory physics students address these struggles. The activity...
A great variety of topologically protected defects exist in ordinary and exotic states of matter. Some of them are promising candidates for technological applications such as magnetic memory or quantum computers. Others possess some properties of elementary particles that could lead to potential applications in quantum fields. Nematic liquid crystals...
Energy production and consumption is a major environmental and economic concern in the world today. Biofuel produced from lignocellulosic biomass is being explored as an alternative energy source to petroleum. Lignocellulosic biomass is comprised of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. To produce biofuels, lignocellulosic biomass must be broken down to expose...
Due to public and regulatory restrictions, genetic containment technology is critical for research and development of transgenic trees in forestry. A multi-year field trial demonstrated that the RNAi-LFY construct successfully induces sexual sterility in 6K10 poplar (Populus alba) without visible effects on vegetative development. However, its limited number of replicates...
Biohydrogen production via dark fermentation (DF) and microbial electrolysis cells (MEC) demonstrate great potential for sustainable hydrogen generation. In this study, DF and MEC were coupled as a hybrid reactor and evaluated using brewery wastewater. The effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and buffer concentration on reactor performance were assessed...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of contaminants ubiquitous in the environment and result from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. Many PAHs have been identified as procarcinogenic, and are metabolized to form DNA adducts; however, other mechanisms also may contribute to toxicity and help explain differences in toxicity...
Prunus laurocerasus, commonly known as cherrylaurel, is a woody shrub grown in temperate climates for its durability and landscape appeal. Due to its abundance of drupes that are spread by birds, cherrylaurel is a litter nuisance in cultivation and also has escaped cultivation such that it has naturalized. Furthermore, it...
The neutron capture cross sections of ¹⁰⁶Cd, ¹⁰⁸Cd, ¹¹⁰Cd, ¹¹²Cd, ¹¹⁴Cd and ¹¹⁶Cd
were determined in the present project. Four different OSU TRIGA reactor facilities were
used to produce redundancy in the results and to measure the thermal cross section and
resonance integral separately. When the present values were compared...
The thermal cross sections and resonance integrals for neutron capture by ⁷⁴,⁷⁸,⁸⁰,⁸²Se were measured using the same procedure and equipment for all of the isotopes. Uncertainty and absence of accurate previous values for several isotopes introduces a need of measuring these parameters using similar techniques. This was done using OSU’s...
We measure the charging and discharging of two organic materials, PCBM and ADT-TES-F. These materials are studied through the noncontact method of particle trapping known as Optical Tweezers, where an IR laser is used to constrain the motion of a coated or noncoated silica sphere while its positional data is...
Xylindein is an organic pigment derived from Chlorociboria aeruginascens and C. aeruginosa fungi that has shown promise as an organic semiconductor. Preliminary estimates of charge carrier mobilities (CCMs) on the order of 0.1 cm2/Vs were calculated from early tests on xylindein thin films, and photocurrents were also observed under laser...
In current nanotoxicology research, there is a lack of standardization in reporting of zebrafish exposure media and sonication practices. This lack of standardization in use and reporting methods has made reproducing nanoparticle (NP) toxicity results between labs a common issue. It is important to have a standardized way of reporting...
There exists a growing need to establish a better in vitro model for evaluating PAH toxicity and carcinogenicity and to improve assessments of risk to human health, especially to the complex mixtures that exist in the environment. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to the incomplete combustion...
In order to reduce the cost of lignocellulosic ethanol production, a model was previously developed to predict the amount of fermentable sugar released based on parameters concerning both biomass and enzymes. To validate this model, enzymatic hydrolysis must be carried out using individual purified cellulase enzymes. Endo-1,4-β-D-glucanase I (EG I),...
Bacteria are critical to the health of eukaryotes and the ecosystems in which they persist. Some symbiotic interactions are mutualistic in which both microbe and host benefit from the partnership. Other interactions are parasitic, and the microbe typically benefits at a cost to the host. Rhodococcus is a genus of...
The prevalence of obesity and diabetes in the United States and globally has been rising in the last few decades and it continues to climb. One of the causes for this increase is the over consumption of sugars and/or carbohydrates. Among medications available to treat obesity and diabetes are the...
Organic photovoltaics are being explored as the next generation material for semiconducting and optoelectronic devices but are limited by their stability and efficiency. One new candidate is crystallized Anthradithiophene (ADT), which is a promising photo-voltaic material due to its high quantum yield and adjustable side groups. The side derivatives TES-F,...
Cascadia’s 1700 earthquake generated a tsunami and widespread subsidence along Pacific Northwest coastline. The tsunami deposited sandy sediments in many Oregon coastal estuaries, such as Alsea Bay. Although the recurrence of subduction-generated megathrust earthquakes and tsunami events in this region are recorded in the stratigraphy, knowledge of the full inland...
The details of the 1700 Cascadia Subdction Zone earthquake and tsunami can be better constrained using data from tsunami sand sheets, provided knowledge of the waveform, estuary geometry and bed roughness controls on the deposition pattern of the sand sheet. In this study, we use the hydrodynamic and sediment transport...
With the incredible technological advancements that have come from the introduction of plastic many problems have arisen. Once plastics were created the value of items once they reached their end of life were lowered. Considering the majority of all plastics created are for packaging with single-use intentions people now dispose...
The equation of state for a fluid described by the Weeks-Chandler-Andersen (WCA) potential was solved to determine at what pressures and temperatures the fluid will theoretically freeze. A Monte Carlo (MC) algorithm was used to sample a system of 256 spheres for a set of thermodynamic averages to locate and...
The optical transition in high-fraction polymorphs of titania (TiO2) were investigated to determine the band gap behavior of the most common polymorphs—brookite, rutile, and anatase—the values of which are varied in the literature. The direct optical band gaps of brookite, rutile, and anatase, were determined to be 3.37(7)eV, 3.41(11)eV and...
As engineered nanomaterials (ENM) become more common in consumer products, it is crucial to rapidly assess toxicity of unique ENM. Previous studies rarely focused on standardizing nanotoxicity testing, leading to inconsistent and irreproducible results. This study characterized a variety of ENM of different size, shape, core type, and surface charge...
The response of cells to periodic driving is important for many biological processes, particularly blood flow and heart functioning. Our research analyzes the collective shear stress response of fibroblast cells due to a periodic driving frequency. When cells experience shear stress, they release calcium into the cytosol. To quantify the...
Computational simulations of disks are becoming an important tool to predict the the evolution of protostars and disks to better understand the formation of planets. Past research has shown that the evolution of disks and their protostar can be altered through the interaction between gravity and hydrodynamic instabilities. We perform...
Semiconducting materials are of immense importance due to their presence in almost all modern devices. It is possible that the surface physics of semiconductors could be used to control the nanoscale topography and properties of these materials, ultimately creating new options for device fabrication. This could result in profound implications...
A flipped classroom provides students with course content in the form of videos, readings, and/or simulations that they complete during the time traditionally used for homework assignments while in-class time is devoted to hands-on group learning activities. Project BoxSand is gathering quantitative data on how students in a flipped classroom,...
The calculation of interplanetary trajectories is a numeric problem which requires a high degree
of precision for the results to be accurate. A computer program was written for this project which
uses leapfrog integration combined with Newton’s method of iterative root finding to find ideal
interplanetary trajectories. Reasonable initial conditions...
Dynein is a motor protein which transports cargo along tracks inside the cell. Like related motor proteins kinesin and myosin, dynein uses cellular energy to take steps with its two foot domains. Unlike kinesin or myosin, dynein’s stepping pattern is highly varied: it can take steps between zero and 60nm...
Riparian areas are an integral component of fluvial ecosystems. The management of Oregon's riparian areas has come under greater scrutiny since that latest revision of the Oregon Forest Practices Act (1994). Many riparian areas lie within forested areas. Riparian management issues such as anadromous fish population decline and large woody...
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) depend on the fir-dominated forest ecosystem in the states of Michoacán and Mexico for shelter during their winter hibernation. Since 1980, the Mexican government has sought to protect this natural phenomenon by designating their overwintering habitat as the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR). According to the...
Needle length in young ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws var. ponderosa) was assessed for its ability to estimate site quality of afforested land in Neuquén, Argentina. The objective was to determine the best aspect on the tree, number of needle age classes, and number of trees that would...
The standard model (SM) of particle physics describes many of the experimentally observed subatomic particle interactions. However, there are a few discrepancies with the SM namely: matter/antimatter asymmetry and dark energy. A current extension of the SM allows for small amounts of Lorentz Violation to fix these discrepancies. Lorentz Violating...
Micro-organisms are a distinct class of unicellular vegetable organisms placed under the general name of bacteria instead of trying to affix either algae or fungi to this class of living beings. These microorganisms are divided into two classes; pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. The pathogenesis is determined by inoculating a susceptible...
Dynein is a motor protein which transports cargo along tracks inside the cell. Like related motor proteins kinesin and myosin, dynein uses cellular energy to take steps with its two foot domains. Unlike kinesin or myosin, dynein’s stepping pattern is highly varied: it can take steps between zero and 60nm...
We computationally modeled protostellar star-disk systems with star to disk mass ratio of 10. Our computational models looked at the development of density perturbations in these systems for different geometries of the system. The ratio of the star’s height and radius (rₚ/rₑ) is varied between 0.1746 and 0.88095. We modeled...
Canine Transitional Cell Carcinoma (TCC) makes up 2% of all canine cancers and is the most common cancer of the bladder for dogs. Usually diagnosed in its later stages, TCC is difficult to treat, with low survival times. Current diagnosis involves invasive techniques, and mainstream screening tests are often ineffective....
Feeding cows flaxseed rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids has been shown to decrease the proportion of saturated fatty acids and increase the proportion of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in milk. Consuming products enriched in n-3 PUFAs have beneficial effects to human health; thus, feeding cows flaxseed could potentially increase...
Fungicide sensitivity of honey bee associated fungi
Abstract - Honey bees are exposed to a wide range of pesticides while pollinating agricultural crops. These pesticides residues are found in beeswax, nectar and pollen in the hive. Some of the pesticides found are fungicides which are not generally considered harmful to...
The Boulder Batholith and Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics (EMV) formed concurrently during shortening between ~85-76 Ma near the end of Mesozoic Cordillera arc magmatism. Together they represent an exceptionally well-preserved and voluminous record of continental arc magmatism. We report field and analytical results from studies of the EMV and Boulder Batholith...
Cyanophage are viruses that infect cyanobacteria, photosynthetic microorganisms which are known to produce several anticancer and antibacterial chemical compounds. Cyanophage are significant members of microbial communities in marine and freshwater environments. There has been significant difficulty inventorying marine and freshwater cyanophage, however, due to the difficulty in cultivating their hosts....
Understanding charge transfer in organic semiconductors is important for developing devices like organic light emitting diodes and flexible electronics. Optical tweezers have been used in many disciplines for trapping, manipulating, and analyzing microscopic objects such as microspheres, micro-organisms, and other colloidal particles. Using optical tweezers, studies have measured the average...
Carbon nanotubes are the subject of intense interest in virtually every field, from medicine to
nano-scale electrical components. Multi-walled nanotubes exhibit a strong nonlinear response
to high-field strength terahertz radiation. This research uses terahertz pulses with field strength
exceeding 1 MV/cm generated by means of optical rectification utilizing a lithium...
Today, with countless study abroad programs available, students have the opportunity to travel and study all over the world. Those who are lucky enough to study abroad are able to embark on an international journey that will change their life forever. This thesis expands on what happens after returning home...
Modifications of histone tail amino acid residues are necessary for many reactions involving chromatin. These processes can produce transcriptionally active, euchromatic, or inactive, heterochromatic, segments of DNA. The formation and maintenance of facultative heterochromatin is critical for the proper growth and development of many eukaryotes. Euchromatin can be changed into...
Throughout a large portion of our planet, malaria has been nearly eradicated or reduced to levels that are highly manageable, and many countries possess the means to effectively treat the disease. However, many areas of the world, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, are still heavily burdened by malaria....
Every country has its own unique culinary heritage that has developed over time and that has led to specific eating behaviors, eating patterns, and attitudes toward food. In this thesis, I aim to answer a central question: how have the culinary histories of France and the United States shaped their...
By alloying face centered cubic CaSe with orthorhombic SnSe, we created the heterostructural alloy
Sn1-xCaxSe. The phase separated lms created with a high deposition temperature acted as highly crys-
talline SnSe while the low deposition temperature lms acted as a mix of SnSe and CaSe. For the alloyed
lms we...
Chain rules are critical to the process of solving many thermodynamics-related partial derivatives. This study evaluates the solution method and error evolution of students’ responses to a pair of chain rule problems in an upper-level undergraduate thermodynamics course. Students’ responses were categorized by solution method. Students’ solution methods included implicit...
Kinesins are intracellular motor proteins that transform chemical energy into mechanical energy through ATP hydrolysis to move along microtubules. Kinesin roles can vary among transportation, regulation, and spindle alignment within most cells. Many kinesin have been found to move towards the plus end of microtubules
at a steady velocity. For...
This study examines how students were interacting with pre-lecture videos via the BoxSand website. Students of the Fall 2015 and Fall 2016 introductory physics courses at Oregon State University were studied. The course was taught as a flipped classroom in which the instructional material was provided via BoxSand. BoxSand is...
Understanding the electrical transport properties of graphene provides a basis for determining its future as a potential semiconducting device that can be used for the next generation of transistors and photodetectors. Graphene p-n junctions can also function as field effect transistors, and thus are a logical starting point for I-V...
Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) for hydrogen production exhibit great advantages over many other biohydrogen production techniques in terms of versatility of substrate and hydrogen yield. However, hydrogen scavenging by methanogens put forward a great challenge to the application of the single chamber MECs when using mixed culture. Various strategies were...
Vibrio cholerae a major health problem in developing countries because of its ability to cause the disease cholera in humans. As V. cholerae bacteria are common inhabitants of temperate marine and brackish water environments worldwide, they are subject to intense top-down pressure by amoebae, which can affect their survival and...
Organic aggregates and transparent amorphous metals are transforming opto-electronic devices such as highly efficiency solar cells and flexible displays. We present a fundamental optical study of how local morphology critically impacts the device performance of both stacked, conjugated organics and In-Ga-Zn-O (IGZO) transparent metallic materials. Derivatives of anthradithiophene (ADT): ADTTES-F,...
In recent decades, the cell phone has provided a convenient form of long-distance communi-cation to the general public. Despite the technological improvements since, cell phones and their smartphone successors have suffered from a lack of clarity over a typical voice call, a result of their limited bandwidth. New phone services,...
The Mount Thompson 7.5 Minute Quadrangle is located in the central Boulder Batholith, between the cities of Butte and Helena. The Boulder batholith is host to numerous metalliferous vein deposits, including those in the Butte District. Recent USGS (EDMAP)-funded geologic mapping at 1:24,000 scale in the Mount Thompson Quadrangle during...
A recent article by Cozzi and Kelliher [3] has demonstrated a sense of "locality" to the incompressible Euler equations which mirrors physical fluid behavior. We further develop the corresponding notion of "damping," and identify both temporal and local damping behaviors. To represent this problem, we perturb the initial condition of...
Western diets can influence behavior and gut microbiome due to the excessive intake of high fat and sucrose. Altering the microbiome can also influence the brain and behavior. The hypothesis that was tested was that diet-induced changes in the microbiome cause changes in cognitive abilities. A previous study showed learning...
Average monthly temperatures (maximum and minimum) and precipitation patterns are expected to change as a direct consequence of anthropogenic climate change. Temperatures are expected to be warmer in the future but precise estimates vary depending on factors like number of ensembles and emission scenario. For this study, we used 100...
Sand dunes provide coastal communities critical protection from flooding and erosion, as well as a habitat for a range of species- some threatened or endangered. As such, it is of importance to develop a quantitative understanding of the processes through which these systems evolve at a variety of temporal and...
Using a simple dry transfer process, I construct and characterize three nanoscale MoS2 devices using current-voltage curves, Raman spectroscopy, optical and atomic force microscopy. I compare these devices, the thinnest of which was few layer ( ≤ 10 nm) MoS₂ capable of showing photoconductance, with a current whose magnitude is...
Columbia Glacier, Alaska’s most rapidly retreating body of ice, provides a compelling insight into the fragile state of tidewater glaciers worldwide. Catastrophic retreat of the glacier’s terminal ice margin began in 1978 when contact was lost with its stabilizing terminal moraine shoal. Since this time, Columbia Glacier has lost ~20...
Bio-oil from hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) represents a promising fuel source due to large higher heating values and compatibility with current energy infrastructure. For bio-oil production to become commercially viable, novel methods of co-product recycling must be explored.
The aims of this study were to culture Chlorella vulgaris, a common HTL...
This particular study focuses on the changes in the ideas and perspectives of Nicaraguan women throughout the span of several generations. With the gaining popularity and successful strides that women have made to advance the Women’s Movement in Nicaragua, the definition of empowerment, the ideology of stereotypes, and the manner...
The hypothalamic neuropeptide kisspeptin (Kiss-1) acts as a central component of the reproductive axis. A critical factor in pubertal progression and normal reproduction, this peptide is an afferent stimulator of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and is responsive to gonadal steroids, integrating steroid hormone signals and modulating GnRH secretion accordingly. Kiss-1 exhibits...
Diet History Questionnaires (DHQ) can only provide general information about a person’s nutritional intake. It is unable to cluster groups of people based on diets or lifestyles, nor identify specific foods that may play a role in disease prevention. The aim of this study was to validate the use of...
4-H, an agriculture based youth program, promotes a variety of curricula in both agriculture and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M.) topics. However, science based curricula provided by this organization gravitates away from the programs agricultural roots. An effort was made to pilot a test on lesson plans that would...
Gene expression in plants (and other eukaryotes) is a very complex process. Gene expression is primarily controlled by proteins and their binding sites near the gene in the chromosomal DNA. More specifically, interactions among transcription factors (DNA-binding proteins) and cis-regulatory modules (CRMs-sets of binding sites) control the expression of nearby...
Monitoring the concentration of phenolic compounds is important for environmental regulation, health diagnostics, and bioenergy fermentation. Vanillin is a phenol compound used as a food flavoring that can cause allergies and inhibits biofuel production. The phenol m-cresol is a toxic compound that is regulated in the environment and in human...
Genetic engineering techniques allow scientists to create plants with desired traits. However, there is unwanted variability in transgene expression due to enhancer-promoter interactions and the influence from genetic elements near the insertion site of the transgene, which integrates into a random location in the genome. In an attempt to reduce...
Embryonic development, where organs and major structures begin to develop, requires precise coordination of numerous gene regulatory pathways. Fendrr is an long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that plays a role in regulating gene expression in mesodermal tissues during early embryonic development in mouse. The lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) is an earlier...
Liquid manure lagoons are known to be sources of odor and environmentally damaging gas emissions. Land application of the manure slurry after storage can lead to detrimental nutrient runoff and leaching. Floating lagoon covers (biocovers) are one option for reducing emissions, but to date they have only been used to...
The Bcl-2 family of proteins regulate cell survival and are targets for cancer therapy. This protein family has also been implicated in chemotherapeutic resistance, the cause of approximately 90% of treatment failure in advanced cancer. We analyzed the expression and the role of the Bcl-2 proteins in chemotherapy resistant breast...
Current methods in traction force analysis rely on a homogeneous extra-cellular matrix and
embedded microbeads to track deformations. The efficacy of these methods decreases when the matrix is not homogeneous. In heterogeneous matrices, beads often aggregate in regions of higher matrix density and float in regions where matrix substrate is...
Vibrio cholerae (Vc), the etiological agent of cholera, has developed many mechanisms to combat the great fluctuations in pH, ion content and osmotic conditions of the vastly differing environments it encounters through its infections of the human host. A series of cation antiporters are found in the Vc membrane to...
The use of zebrafish in behavioral neuroscience is rapidly growing. Zebrafish can be assessed for alterations in multiple behavioral endpoints, creating opportunities to use this powerful model to identify chemicals that alter behavioral phenotypes. To evaluate the utility of zebrafish for neurotoxicity research, we designed custom instrumentation to evaluate numerous...
The Boulder Batholith and Elkhorn Mountains Volcanics (EMV) formed concurrently during shortening between ~85-76 Ma near the end of Mesozoic Cordillera arc magmatism. Together they represent an exceptionally well-preserved and voluminous record of continental arc magmatism. We report field and analytical results from studies of the EMV and Boulder Batholith...
We construct a Monte Carlo simulation in Python to calculate optical flashes at 5x10¹⁴ Hz peaking at 6x10³¹ erg s⁻¹Hz⁻¹St⁻¹ due to synchrotron radiation from the reverse shock of a gamma-ray burst’s jet. While analytical solutions to this problem exist, they rely on sweeping simplifications of what is necessarily a...
Crystal morphology and dimensionality of single-crystal semiconducting materials can have dramatic effects on the optical and electrical properties. Organic photovoltaic (OPV) materials and fluorinated graphene folds are two materials that show these dependencies. Anthradithiophene (ADT), is an OPV that can be functionalized with different side groups to form different crystal...
I investigate the feasibility of a micron-sized biosensor designed to measure neural activity. The circuitry of the biosensor is composed of graphene, some photodiodes, and a light-emitting diode. Many of these biosensors would be injected into a subject’s brain, and when powered by near-infrared light, they would glow in response...
This research investigates the electronic properties of a fungi-derived pigment, xylindein
as a novel sustainable material for organic electronics. Xylindein molecules were characterized in solution and in film. Absorption spectra and (photo)luminescence spectra were
taken at various excitation wavelengths. Xylindein’s molecular properties were computed
with the Gaussian 09 software suite....
Quantum yield is an important, characteristic quantity to be measured for fluorescent compounds. Here, a comparative method between fluorescent compounds in solution is applied to measure unknown quantum yields. An absorption spectrometer was used to measure the absorbances of two different fluorescent quantum yield standards. The integrated fluorescence intensities were...
High field time-domain terahertz spectroscopy (TDS) is used to determine the time dependent transmission and the time-delay and optical-power dependent conductivity of a wafer of gallium arsenide (GaAs). Gallium arsenide is a direct band-gap semiconductor and has potential as a computer processor component. Analysis of the transmission of terahertz (THz)...
Hall measurements can be made on the unstudied alloy, Sn₁-ₓCaₓSe to determine its electrical transport properties. The Sn₁-ₓCaₓSe samples were made by laser deposition into thin films and have a variable of calcium concentration x. These samples are approximately 250 nm in thickness, were grown at 366° C and are...
The Laser Gravitational Wave Observatory, or LIGO, is built to observe gravitational waves as they propagate through space. Advanced LIGO is extremely sensitive
to movements of the test mass as small as 10⁻²¹ m/√Hz , which allows many signals other
than gravitational waves to be detected by the system. Pressure...
Liquid manure lagoons are known to be sources of odor and environmentally damaging gas emissions. Land application of the manure slurry after storage can lead to detrimental nutrient runoff and leaching. Floating lagoon covers (biocovers) are one option for reducing emissions, but to date they have only been used to...
Lung cancer in humans is an adult-onset disease. It is the number one cause of cancer mortality for both men and women and has a poor (15%) survival rate. Biological markers of the disease would allow for early diagnosis and treatment. The specific aims of this research project were to...
This study examines climatological influences, particularly that of snowpack, on tree growth and stable carbon isotope discrimination (Δ¹³C) from ~1980 to 2013 at two sites located in the upper reaches of the McKenzie River watershed of the Oregon Cascade Mountains. We tested the use of Δ¹³C values from latewood, corroborated...
Humanitarian intervention by the United States has increased since the end of the Cold War. This thesis examines the cases of Somalia, Rwanda, Libya and Syria as to explore why the US chooses to offer various amounts of aid to some failed or fragile nation states and not others. Rwanda...
Infestations of container nursery beds by Phytophthora spp. can be persistent and costly. One method of disinfestation that does not require the use of chemicals is soil solarization, which captures energy from the sun to heat soil and thermally inactivate target pathogens. In laboratory temperature gradient experiments, I investigated the...
Fungicide sensitivity of honey bee associated fungi
Abstract - Honey bees are exposed to a wide range of pesticides while pollinating agricultural crops. These pesticides residues are found in beeswax, nectar and pollen in the hive. Some of the pesticides found are fungicides which are not generally considered harmful to...
Budburst, the initiation of annual growth in plants, is sensitive to climate variation and is therefore used to monitor physiological responses to climate change. Budburst timing can vary between regions of an individual tree, but this phenomenon it is unaccounted for in current monitoring efforts and may contribute to the...
Anaerobic digestion of lipid-extracted algal biomass has been proposed as a method to
recover and recycle nutrients in algal biofuel systems. The purpose of this study was to quantify recoverable nitrogen and phosphorus from anaerobically digested C. vulgaris. Recoverable nutrients were deemed those present in the liquid phase of anaerobic...
Colorectal cancer (CRC), the third leading cause of cancer death in the USA, depends on early detection for patient survival. Early detection is improved with the identification of high risk individuals. Risk of CRC development is a complex interaction between an individual’s genetics and environmental exposures. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)...
Extraction of natural gas from shale formations using the process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) requires the use of thousands of cubic meters of fluid. Hydraulic fracturing fluids are pumped under pressure into shale formations, fracturing the shale and releasing pockets of trapped gases. When the pressure in a natural gas...
Lignocellulosic biomass has potential as a renewable resource for global energy and bioproducts production. Biomass consists of three main polymers, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Cellulose is a homopolymer of glucose, while hemicellulose and lignin are heteropolymers. Lignin is primarily made of syringyl (S), guiacayl (G) and p-hydroxyphenyl (H) units. Pretreatment...
Abstract
Flame-retardants (FRs) generally enter the environment by dissociating from the products they were originally manufactured into. The predominant class of FR used in consumer products before their eventual phase-out in the mid-2000s were the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Previous studies have illustrated a correlation between socio-economic status, notably gross...