Incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) into consumer products is on the rise and human exposure to NPs is unavoidable. Currently, there is insufficient data to assess the safety of nanoparticles. I conducted a series of five studies using the zebrafish model to determine which NP components (i.e., core material or surface...
Studies of Hawaiian volcanoes contribute valuable insights about Earth processes and mantle evolution, and are fundamental for understanding the construction of the largest volcanoes on terrestrial planets. The pre-shield stage exists in every Hawaiian volcano, but is usually blanketed by high volume tholeiitic lava flows during the main shield stage....
My thesis is a novel about mental illness. It follows the stories of four different women who all suffer from mental or emotional disorders. My novel explores the dynamics of relationships, trauma, mental illness, and sexuality. I work to create purposeful ambiguity in my novel between reality and the manifestations...
Street children are a significant presence in Hue, Viet Nam's tourist center, where they eat, sleep, work, and play. Utilizing ethnographic methods, this study examines how tourism impacts the lives of street children involved in the industry. The street children have generally been compelled to leave home because of adverse...
Rising CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere (396 ppmv as of April 2012)
increase the effect of global warming and climate change. CO₂ sequestration has become
a potential method to mitigate climate change. This study focuses on capillary/residual
trapping as a form of geologic CO₂ sequestration. Capillary/residual trapping occurs
when supercritical...
The ocean provides many ecosystems services and yet humans have viewed the ocean as a black hole for trash since the 1950s. With recycling not getting to the source of the problem, smarter consumer choices are being targeted, specifically choices centered around the use of plastic. Thus efficient, useful communication...
Wheat is a major agricultural product in the
Pacific Northwest (PNW). The market class primarily
grown in the region is Western White (WW) wheat. An
important export market for PNW wheat producers is the
Asian Pacific Rim (APR), due to its proximity and
economic growth.
Agronomic research has been conducted...
This study examines the relationship between an invasive annual grass, Ventenata dubia, and fire behavior in three non-forested ecotypes within the Ochoco National Forest: stiff sage, low sage, and wet meadows. Fire is an essential ecological function of ecotypes found within the Ochoco landscape. The stiff sage ecotype is a...
New video-conference devices based on omnidirectional multi-camera systems have been emerging in the last few years. These devices require innovative and automated video quality assessment in the earlier stages of their design in order to guarantee competitive product development and quality monitoring. Current quality assessment techniques are not adequate since...