Here we present a phylogeny of beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) based on DNA sequence data from eight nuclear genes, including six single-copy nuclear protein-coding genes, for 367 species representing 172 of 183 extant families. Our results refine existing knowledge of relationships among major groups of beetles. Strepsiptera was confirmed as sister...
Low-level nuclear power plant outages in the United States can lead to unanticipated costs, potentially compromising the expected operation lifetime of the plant. Nuclear power plants are complex systems of interfacing components and highly regulated processes. This inherent complexity makes predicting outages from system dependencies very challenging. When outages do...
The introduction of non-native species can negatively impact native species through reduced genetic fitness resulting from hybridization. The lack of spatiotemporal data of hybrids occurrences makes assessing hybridization risk difficult. Here, I developed a spatially-explicit GIS Hybridization Risk Model (HRM) between native ESA-listed Bull Trout and introduced Brook Trout by...
Paper-based assays for HIV diagnosis are cheap, portable, and require little to no skilled training, electricity, or expensive equipment to perform successfully. However, there is a need for tests with lower limits of detection (LOD) for diagnosing infection at the earliest stages. Effective labeling to increase signal-to-noise ratio is critical...
Health effects stemming from animal feeding operations pollution in the contiguous United States are analyzed using a 20-year, county-level data set. Several quasi-experimental, potential outcome models are used to estimate the impact of high concentrations of animal units on mortality rates and other health and economic outcomes over a 20-year...
Zebrafish are capable of fully regenerating organs and tissue such as their caudal fin, which is similar to a human regrowing an arm or a leg. In contrast, most mammals including humans have a greatly reduced capacity for wound healing. The ability of zebrafish to undergo this regenerative process, called...
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Michael Austin Garland, Author
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
After five years, I have a lot to
Increased dependence on fossil fuels and concerns of anthropogenic climate change have led to increased interest in alternative energy sources. Liquid fuels derived from renewable raw materials have gained attention in recent years due to their similarity to petroleum-based fuels. Biofuels derived through hydrodeoxygenation have been found to be one...
Western hemlock and Sitka spruce are relatively thin-
barked species and susceptible to damage during thinning
operations. Damage to the wood allows decay-causing fungi
to enter resulting in loss of merchantable volume at the
time of final harvest. Cable yarding systems are needed for
much of the thinning because most...
Predicting condensation flow regimes and the associated heat transfer and pressure drop in microchannels is critical for designing terrestrial and space systems for heating, cooling, power generation, and advanced manufacturing. It is well established that in flows approaching the microscale (Dh < 1 mm) gravity-dominated flow regimes become less relevant,...
Recent opportunities for new hydropower generation in the United States have often been in non-powered dams and run-of-river type flows occurring in low-impact natural areas and unregulated conduits. At the same time, a changing water resource paradigm is challenging some existing generation in drought stricken areas where supply reservoirs behind...
