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Articles 1 - 19 of 19
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Arachidonic Acid Reverses The Pyriproxyfen And Ibuprofen Induced Toxicity In Daphnia Magna, Gautam Kumar Ginjupalli
Arachidonic Acid Reverses The Pyriproxyfen And Ibuprofen Induced Toxicity In Daphnia Magna, Gautam Kumar Ginjupalli
All Dissertations
Healthy reproduction and neonatal sex ratios of Daphnia are crucial to the health of the aquatic ecosystems in which Daphnia play principal roles in trophic transfer of nutrients. Combinations of environmental factors such as availability and quality of diet, overcrowding, hypoxia, reduced photoperiods and fall in ambient temperatures perturb normal parthenogeneic reproduction and induce sexual reproduction through male production. Male production provides a mechanism for overcoming specific stressors such as overcrowding and overwinter pond desiccation. However, it also induces a decrease in the Daphnia population that could have adverse implications on the pond ecosystem that depend on Daphnia . Interestingly, …
Ecology And Impacts Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In The Southeastern United States, Cady Etheredge
Ecology And Impacts Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In The Southeastern United States, Cady Etheredge
All Dissertations
Recent coyote (Canis latrans ) colonization of the southeastern United States has prompted speculation on the top-down effects of a new top predator on systems which have gone without a strong predator presence since the extirpation of the red wolf (Canis rufus ). This dissertation reports on the results of a series of investigations of the potential impact of coyotes on raccoons (Procyon lotor ) and other management issues related to coyotes in the Southeast. Chapters 1-3 present indirect field tests of the Mesopredator Release Hypothesis. Chapter 4 presents an overview of the current knowledge of the …
Factors Affecting The Surface-Mediated Reduction Of Plutonium In The Presence Of Pure Mineral Phases, Amy Hixon
Factors Affecting The Surface-Mediated Reduction Of Plutonium In The Presence Of Pure Mineral Phases, Amy Hixon
All Dissertations
The overall objective of the research is to investigate the mechanistic and kinetic aspects of the surface-mediated reduction of plutonium. The first chapter is a critical review of plutonium sorption to pure mineral phases. The objective is to study if and how the mechanisms by which plutonium interacts with mineral surfaces are connected to mechanisms for the surface-mediated reduction of plutonium. The main conclusion of the review is that advanced spectroscopy, microscopy, and molecular modeling are needed to fully understand not only the surface structure of pure mineral phases, but also the coordination and bonding environment of plutonium surface complexes. …
An Investigation Into The Interactions Of Gold Nanoparticles With Aquatic Vascular Macrophytes, James Glenn
An Investigation Into The Interactions Of Gold Nanoparticles With Aquatic Vascular Macrophytes, James Glenn
All Dissertations
Nanomaterials (NMs) have promised lighter, stronger, smaller and more efficient products in areas such as electronics, medicines and even environmental sectors. This investigation started at the base of the food chain and characterized NMs interactions with aquatic plants. Citrate capped gold nanoparticles were used as a model nanoparticle to track fate and gain insight on factors that influence gold nanoparticle (AuNP) bioavailability and absorption. Four species of aquatic macrophytes were investigated. Azolla caroliniana, Myriophyllum simulans, Egeria densa and Myriophyllum aquaticum were selected due to growth habitat, leaf morphology and root structure. Because aquatic plants absorb the majority of their nutrients …
Macroscopic Investigation Of Ionic- And Nano-Silver Toxicity To Soil Nitrification Process, Abdurrahman Masrahi
Macroscopic Investigation Of Ionic- And Nano-Silver Toxicity To Soil Nitrification Process, Abdurrahman Masrahi
All Theses
The worldwide production of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) has grown rapidly in our era because of the popular applications in industrial and consumer markets. Especially silver (Ag) NP is one of mostly common ENPs in our consumer products due to its unique antimicrobial property. However, release of AgNPs into environment through wastewater treatment plants poses a question that what impact AgNPs have on microbially mediated processes in environment (e.g., nutrient and trace element cycles). In the last decades, numerous toxicological studies of AgNPs on bacteria have been conducted in pure culture systems, and several different antimicrobial mechanisms of AgNPs have been …
Aqueous Geochemistry Of Rhenium And Chromium In Saltstone: Implications For Understanding Technetium Mobility In Saltstone, Amanda Hatfield
Aqueous Geochemistry Of Rhenium And Chromium In Saltstone: Implications For Understanding Technetium Mobility In Saltstone, Amanda Hatfield
All Theses
Incorporation of low level radioactive waste in cementitious materials is an important waste disposal technology in practice at a U.S. DOE facility, the Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC. One of the major risk drivers, technetium (99Tc)
Characterization Of The Hydrogeology And Stress State In The Vicinity Of The Homestake Mine, Lead, Sd, Johnathan Ebenhack
Characterization Of The Hydrogeology And Stress State In The Vicinity Of The Homestake Mine, Lead, Sd, Johnathan Ebenhack
All Theses
Underground workings in fractured rock are common worldwide. They have applications in numerous areas and fields of study. These include mining operations, civil engineering projects like tunnels and underground facilities, and research projects that require underground laboratories such as the physics research being conducted by Sanford Laboratory at the former Homestake mine and Fermi Laboratory near Chicago (Bahcall et al. 2001, Elsworth 2009, Sadoulet et al. 2006, bge science@DUSEL, fnal.gov). These excavations can reach several kilometers in depth including the 3.9 km deep TauTona mine in South Africa, the 3 km deep LaRonde mine in Quebec and the 2.4 km …
Sequential Autotrophic-Heterotrophic Culture Of Scenedesmus Spp. For Lipid Production, Jazmine Taylor
Sequential Autotrophic-Heterotrophic Culture Of Scenedesmus Spp. For Lipid Production, Jazmine Taylor
All Theses
Algae are fascinating organisms that are receiving growing attention for their versatility on many fronts of research areas. Immense amounts of research is being conducted to find solutions to challenges in energy and climate change. A large portion of research is focused on algae as a potential solution to both of these issues. The focus of this research is to look at algae closer to home as a local, economical resource to aid in solving both of these problems. The algal genus Scenedesmus was tested for growth in a bi-phased scheme: photoautotrophically for carbon sequestration then heterotrophically on glycerol for …
Long-Term Bald Eagle Monitoring: Assessing Emerging Risks To The Great Lakes Ecosystem By Evaluating Impacts To Tertiary Predators, Latice Fuentes
Long-Term Bald Eagle Monitoring: Assessing Emerging Risks To The Great Lakes Ecosystem By Evaluating Impacts To Tertiary Predators, Latice Fuentes
All Dissertations
Data from the Michigan Bald Eagle Biomonitoring Project (MBEBP) was used to provide ecological evaluations amidst concerns of emerging contaminants and environmental change. Samples and measurements were collected throughout the state of Michigan from 1998-2012. Nestling breast feathers and biometric measurements were used in analytical and statistical analyses which provided a broad assessment of the Great Lakes ecosystem and its resident bald eagles. Bald eagle nestling feathers were taken from Michigan breeding areas, and used to evaluate spatial and temporal trends of mercury (Hg). Overall, remediation has positively affected the Great Lakes region. However, Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Lake Superior …
Microbial Exo-Enzyme Activities In Soil As Infuenced By Polyphenol Chemistries, Daniella Freese
Microbial Exo-Enzyme Activities In Soil As Infuenced By Polyphenol Chemistries, Daniella Freese
All Theses
Soil organic matter decomposition is directly driven by the soil extracellular enzymes excreted by soil microorganisms. Therefore, factors which impede extracellular enzyme activity would result in retarding the rate of soil organic matter decomposition. Several factors in the soil may influence soil extracellular enzymes including the plant secondary metabolites, polyphenols- tannins and lignins. However, thus far few investigations have considered the direct and indirect impacts of polyphenols on soil enzyme activities. Hence, three investigations were conducted to understand the ecological impacts of tannins and lignins on soil extracellular enzyme activities.
Tannins, further classified as condensed and hydrolysable tannins, can hamper …
Evaluation Of Effects That Can Mask Low Decay Rates Of Tce In Aerobic Groundwater Plumes, Laura Daniels
Evaluation Of Effects That Can Mask Low Decay Rates Of Tce In Aerobic Groundwater Plumes, Laura Daniels
All Theses
Current methods for evaluating chlorinated solvent plumes often assume that no TCE degradation occurs under aerobic conditions. It is possible that decay rates with values greater than zero exist in these plumes, but this decay may be masked by effects of parameter values in zero–decay–rate models. This hidden decay can be identified by comparing the zero–decay–rate models with others that have been created with a decay rate greater than zero.
The results of this research and analysis show that it is possible to create matches between the zero–decay–rate models and models with greater than zero decay rates by adjusting model …
Avian Community Response To Fire-Mediated Regeneration Of Native Pine Stands In The Mountains Of South Carolina, Curtis Walker
Avian Community Response To Fire-Mediated Regeneration Of Native Pine Stands In The Mountains Of South Carolina, Curtis Walker
All Theses
To assess the impacts of fire disturbance management on the avian community at Jocassee gorges in the mountains of South Carolina, a total of 1000 10-minute, 50 m radius point counts were conducted in treatment and control plots during the spring breeding seasons of 2011 and 2012. Comparisons of avian communities were made between the burned treatment sites and reference control sites to examine community and priority species response to prescribed fire. Values of species diversity, species richness, and total number of individuals were found to be significantly higher in the burned treatment plots than in the control plots as …
Multitemporal Floristic And Phenological (Flowering) Analysis Of The Shores Of Lake Issaqueena, South Carolina, Ryerson Pamplin
Multitemporal Floristic And Phenological (Flowering) Analysis Of The Shores Of Lake Issaqueena, South Carolina, Ryerson Pamplin
All Theses
The floristic and phenological (flowering) study of Lake Issaqueena in Pickens
County, SC, conducted by William Pamplin in 1970-1971 was reinvestigated in 2011-
2012 using the Carolina Vegetative Survey (CVS) natural community sampling methods
and photo documentation using a GPS-enabled camera to determine floristic and
phenological changes for this site during the forty years separating these two studies.
Phenological events (flowering) were recorded via photographs taken by a GPS-enabled
camera on a monthly basis. Photographs were downloaded and organized by sampling
date in Picasa 3 web albums and stored in a project Google website. Plants were
identified using expert knowledge, …
Black Bear Encounters In The Wildland-Urban Interface Of Upstate South Carolina, Victoria Luke
Black Bear Encounters In The Wildland-Urban Interface Of Upstate South Carolina, Victoria Luke
All Theses
As humans move into more remote areas wildlife are displaced and there are an increasing number of human-wildlife interactions. Human dimensions research is important in order to understand social components necessary to maintain healthy wildlife populations while also maintaining healthy relationships between wildlife and the local community. In upstate South Carolina, the number of wildlife nuisance calls received by the Department of Natural Resources has increased. More importantly, wildlife populations, particularly the American black bear (Ursus americanus), continue to move into urban areas. The following study explores black bear encounter report calls coming into the SC Department of Natural Resources …
Attaining Sustainable Behavior Among Non-Environmentally-Motivated Individuals: A Formative Experiment, Brooklynn Wynveen
Attaining Sustainable Behavior Among Non-Environmentally-Motivated Individuals: A Formative Experiment, Brooklynn Wynveen
All Dissertations
Experts agree that overconsumption is a major problem in Western culture today, particularly in the United States. Thus, it is important to promote sustainable behavior among the general public. And yet, existing educational programming geared toward promoting such behavior changes remains appealing largely to environmentally-motivated audiences, as opposed to individuals with alternative (i.e., social and economic) motivations. In response to this discrepancy, I conducted a formative experiment with the goals of: 1) fostering participation among non-environmentally-motivated individuals in sustainable living educational programming; and 2) obtaining behavior change commitments, in the direction of more sustainable lifestyles, from those participants.
As part …
The American Lawn: Culture, Nature, Design And Sustainability, Maria Ghys
The American Lawn: Culture, Nature, Design And Sustainability, Maria Ghys
All Theses
Abstract
This was an exploratory study examining the processes and underlying concepts of design nature, and culture necessary to discussing sustainable design solutions for the American lawn. A review of the literature identifies historical perceptions of the lawn and contemporary research that links lawns to sustainability. Research data was collected by conducting personal interviews with green industry professionals and administering a survey instrument to administrators and residents of planned urban development communities. Recommended guidelines for the sustainable American lawn are identified and include native plant usage to increase habitat and biodiversity, permeable paving and ground cover as an alternative to …
Evaluation Of Dormant-Season Herbicide Treatment Methods For Chinese Privet At Congaree National Park, Karen Vaughn
Evaluation Of Dormant-Season Herbicide Treatment Methods For Chinese Privet At Congaree National Park, Karen Vaughn
All Theses
Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense Lour.) is a non-native invasive shrub that has become ubiquitous throughout the southeastern United States. There is a large infestation of privet at Congaree National Park in South Carolina, and the National Park Service is interested in controlling it with dormant-season foliar herbicide treatments. The primary objective of this study was to determine which combination of herbicide and applicator provides the most effective control of privet, while minimizing damage to non-target plants. Another objective was to document impacts of privet invasion on Congaree's plant communities.
Seven vegetation plots were installed in each of five large privet …
Nest Success And Habitat Choice Of Wilson's Plovers In Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center Heritage Preserve, South Carolina, Elizabeth Zinsser
Nest Success And Habitat Choice Of Wilson's Plovers In Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center Heritage Preserve, South Carolina, Elizabeth Zinsser
All Theses
Little is known about the reproductive ecology of Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsonia). I conducted a study of nest site selection and nest success at a critical breeding area in South Carolina, USA. Data from other coastal nesting birds in the region suggest that a suite of environmental factors including flooding and predation may limit nest success in this region. To assess nest success rates of Wilson's Plovers in an area with limited human disturbance I monitored 72 nests during 2012 and 2013 on South Island and Sand Island located in Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and Heritage Preserve. I measured environmental …
Hexavalent Chromium Reduction Using Supported N-Zvi And Metalloporphyrin Matrices, Jonathon Ball
Hexavalent Chromium Reduction Using Supported N-Zvi And Metalloporphyrin Matrices, Jonathon Ball
All Theses
Chromium (Cr) can exist in the environment in many valence states ranging from -2 to +6. Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI) and trivalent chromium (Cr(III) are the most stable forms of Cr and therefore are the most common in the environment. Cr(VI) is very toxic and has been considered a hazardous material and danger to society for many years. One of the main locations of Cr(VI) contamination in the environment is in groundwater aquifers. A simulation of this system coupled with a reduction-precipitation remediation method was utilized. In this research, n-ZVI was used in a supported silica sol-gel matrix by itself and …