Toxin production by cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) in freshwater systems has lasting ecological and human impacts. Nutrients, light availability, hydrology, and microbial community composition impact the frequency and intensity of toxic cyanoHABs. Climate change will exacerbate toxic cyanoHABs, making real time and predictive monitoring a vital tool for managing...
Since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, the fungal kingdom has remained a fertile source for the discovery of new, biologically active, natural products. Further, as natural products continue to be discovered from fungi, a deeper understanding of the critical role of specialized metabolism in fungal ecology is afforded. The...
While seemingly harmless, stereotypes can play a significant role in prejudice and discrimination. In two studies, we examined stereotypes of Asian American women and how they may vary with different clothing types. We used a mixed factorial design with a sample of college students from a U.S. university. In the...
Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) and Septoria tritici blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici) are a constant and significant threat to wheat production, significantly reducing wheat quality and yield. Wheat is responsible for 20% of the world’s human calorie intake, and wheat production must increase to supply the demand of the...
Magneto- and chemostratigraphic correlation underpins much of our understanding of Earth history, yet typical correlation techniques are neither quantitative nor objective. Within this dissertation, I detail my efforts to develop and apply dynamic programming-based algorithms that accomplish optimal and reproducible stratigraphic alignment. I apply these algorithms to three geologic intervals:...
Metal-organic frameworks are promising novel materials for gas storage and separations because of their extremely high internal surface area and their modular structures based on metal nodes and organic linker molecules. Due to their modular design, it is possible to finely tune a structure for optimal storage of a specific...
All animals have developed the critical ability to detect, respond to, and detoxify a large array of environmental chemicals and stressors that can cause adverse health effects. Important examples of landmark contaminants around the world are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dioxins, both of which can act via the aryl...
The constitutive behavior of high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCCs) under mechanical loading is characterized by significant tensile properties that play an essential role in the structural response of several applications in structural engineering. The significance of tensile properties of HPFRCCs in structural engineering is the focus of three manuscripts presented...
Transpiration (T), or the evaporation of water through plant stomata, plays a critical role in climate and biophysical processes at the earth’s surface. While T makes up a majority of the terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET) flux on a global scale, the partitioning of ET is variable and remains elusive. Because photosynthetic...
Potato Virus Y (PVY) is an enduring problem for potato production worldwide. Potato varieties that resist the “ordinary” strain PVYO were developed by breeders, but in recent years, recombinant strains of PVY have been able to circumvent this strain-specific resistance and evade growers and seed certification officials by causing fewer...
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7. PVY testing by RT-PCR of leaves from in-season infected plants (A-C) and seedborne