Wood-staining fungal pigments have potential uses as colorants for wood and textiles. Traditionally, organic solvents have been used as carriers for these pigments. However, other environmentally-friendly and more readily available carriers must be found. Natural oils have the potential to carry these pigments but have demonstrated color loss over relatively...
With the resurgence in the interest of using natural textile dyes, a solution must be found that will overcome the limitations of traditional natural dyes. This solution must also be safer for both humankind and the environment than are synthetic dyes. This study compares the colorfastness of commercially available synthetic...
The extracellular colorants produced by Chlorociboria aeruginosa, Scytalidium cuboideum, and Scytalidium ganodermophthorum, three commonly utilized spalting fungi, were tested against a standard woodworker’s aniline dye to determine if the fungal colorants could be utilized in an effort to find a naturally occurring replacement for the synthetic dye. Fungal colorants were...
Many devices and methods for radiological searches are currently being developed, including scanning using simple detectors, mapping using large-volume detectors, and Compton imaging using 3-D position sensitive detectors. However, these devices are typically expensive and the methods used require long periods of time to generate a direction or location. The...
Using a spectrometer and photomultiplier tube, I measured the electromagnetic radiation transmittance properties of three types of tissue-- ventral skin, cardiac muscle, and liver tissue--in the red-sided garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis between the wavelengths of 450 and 850 nanometers (nm). Control readings were taken using a 10⁻² neutral density...
The Moderate or Intense Low-oxygen Dilution (MILD) combustion regime has received interest from the industrial furnace and gas turbine engine industries due to attractive properties of reduced NO[subscript x] emissions and high thermal efficiency. MILD combustion is characterized by low oxygen concentrations (i.e. 3%-9% by volume) and high reactant temperatures....
An experimental framework for investigation of the effects of Micro Pin Fin Arrays (MPFA) on the fuel oxidation efficiency of catalytic combustion is presented in this thesis. Complete combustion of the fuel is essential for operation at maximum efficiency and high standards of environmental cleanliness desired in existing microscale combustion...
There is a significant role in emergency response and personal radiation safety that can be played by a compact radiation detector that is capable of identifying radionuclides. Herein is described the design, construction, and characterization of a small, low-cost, low-power gamma ray spectrometer prototype intended to fill this role, conducted...
The Quotient Method (QM), a laboratory-based risk assessment methodology used by the Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate pesticides for registration and use, has not been thoroughly field-tested and its performance has not always been reliable. My objective was to determine if variation in vegetation structure or diet of exposed animals...