Digital Commons Network^™

The Environmental Craftsfolk: Making Things In A World Full Of Stuff, Zoey Ballard

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This Civic Engagement Project (CEP) proposes a transformative approach to addressing the complex challenges of environmental degradation and disconnection from nature through the establishment of the Eco-Craft Cabal in Missoula, Montana. The project seeks to reframe environmental consciousness through the lens of craft, fostering improved connections with the local environment and promoting community resilience. By repurposing both natural and artificial materials in inclusive, accessible crafting activities, the Eco-Craft Cabal aims to empower participants to confront feelings of despair and hopelessness with tangible, meaningful actions.

Exploring The Mandelbrot Set, James Shirley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mandelbrot set is a mathematical mystery. Finding its home somewhere be-
tween holomorphic dynamics and complex analysis, the Mandelbrot set showcases
its usefulness in fields across the many realms of math—ranging from physics to nu-
merical methods and even biology. While typically defined in terms of its bounded
sequences, this thesis intends to illuminate the Mandelbrot set as a type of param-
eterization of connectivity itself, specifically that of complex-valued rational maps
of the form z → z² + c. This fully illustrated guide to the Mandelbrot set merges
the worlds of intuition and theory with a series of …

Capturing Higher-Order Relationships Through Information Decomposition, Aobo Lyu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Mutual information between two random variables is a well-studied notion, whose understanding is fairly complete. Mutual information between one random variable and a pair of other random variables, however, is a far more involved notion. Specifically, Shannon's mutual information does not capture fine-grained interactions between those three variables, resulting in limited insights in complex systems. To capture these fine-grained higher-order interactions among variables, Williams and Beer proposed a framework called Partial Information Decomposition (PID) to decompose this mutual information to information atoms, called unique, redundant, and synergistic, and proposed several operational axioms that these atoms must satisfy. This conceptual …

Bio-Based Rigid Polyurethane Foams Using Modified Hemp Seed Oil Combined With Flame Retardants, Sagar Jariwala

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

In today's world, the idea is to synthesize bio-based polyurethane (PU) goods, which reduces reliance on petroleum-based products. As a result, we produced polyol from hemp seed oil (HSO) and evaluated it using FTIR, GPC, hydroxyl value, and acid value. Hemp seed oil polyol (HSOP) was successfully synthesized and combined with additional ingredients such as catalysts, blowing agents, hardeners, and flame-retardant chemicals to produce stiff polyurethane foams. The focus of this research was to synthesize high-quality flame-retardant rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) through the addition of flame retardants. The test results revealed that the HSO-based PU without flame retardants has 47.04 …

Hemp-Seed Oil-Based Polyurethane Composite Foam: Effect Of Fillers On The Properties Of Polyurethanes, Mansi Ahir

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Over the past few decades, polymer composites have been receiving significant interest and become a protagonist due to their enhanced properties and wide range of applications. Herein, the study has been done on the effect of filler and flame-retardant in hemp seed oil-based rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) composite performance. First of all, hemp seed oil (HSO) was gone through an epoxidation process using hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid. After that, epoxidized hemp-seed oil (EHSO) was converted into hemp polyol (HSOP) by a ring-opening reaction with methanol. The synthesized HSOP was then reacted with diisocyanate monomer in the presence of commercial …

Anthropaean Storytelling, Community, And The Ripples Of The Climate Crisis, Jonathan Summers

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

The climate crisis has grown into a dangerous global threat, pushing our planet to the point of ecological no return. We face the certainty of increasingly destructive climate disasters and social upheaval, threatening our societal and biological survival. The next few years will prove critical to the future welfare of our species and our planet. However, we are not without our defenses. Through the lens of fictional short stories, this capstone concentrates on community and storytelling, two deeply human behaviors that could be two of our greatest tools in the struggle against climate change. Human beings are social creatures at …

Cleaner, Green Oxidation Chemistry: Development Of New Oxoammonium- And Nitroxide- Mediated Transformations, Katrina Doherty

Honors Scholar Theses

This work investigates various key oxidation and oxidative functionalization reactions that occur using a bench-stable nitroxide and its oxoammonium nitrate salt congener. Such transformations include amidation of aldehydes to acyl azoles or hexafluoroisopropyl esters and oxidation of alcohols to ketones or aldehydes. These transformations are key, everyday reactions within organic chemistry, and the aim to make them cleaner and greener is essential to the future of chemistry. Novel compounds produced by these green methods will also be discussed, as well as the results of a scale-up protocol showing the efficacy of the reactions on a process chemistry level. As an …

Evaluation Of Changes In Evaporative Losses From Lake Powell Reservoir Contributions In The Colorado River Basin, Maria Mlinarcik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Colorado River Basin (CRB) is one of the most critical water sources for the western United States (U.S.) and Mexico. For over a century, numerous policies and regulations have been implemented in attempts to manage the Colorado River Basin to address the concern of overuse, collectively referred to as the “Law of the River.” The USGS hydrologist E.C. LaRue warned that the optimistic estimates used in negotiating the Colorado River Compact did not align with the actual water availability in the river. His analysis in 1925 revealed a potential deficit if all allocated water was utilized, exacerbated by overallocation …

Surface Water Quality Assessment Of Mingo Creek County Park: The Impacts Of Extractive Industries, Mikayla J. Bayto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historical and current extraction operations and infrastructure, including natural gas pipelines, conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas drilling, longwall coal mining, and strip coal mining, occur throughout the Mingo Creek watershed of Washington County, Pennsylvania, including Mingo Creek County Park. Mingo Creek and several associated tributaries flow through Mingo Creek County Park, eventually discharging into the Monongahela River. An independent water quality study was conducted from June 2020 through July 2023 in Mingo Creek County Park to determine if historical and current extraction activities impact Mingo Creek and its associated tributaries. Weekly sampling of Mingo Creek and associated tributaries …

Quaternary Diamond-Like Sulfides For Nonlinear Optical Applications: Investigation Into Composition-Structure-Property Relationships Of The I2-Ii-Iv-Vi4 And I4-Ii-Iv2-Vi7 Formulae, Jordan Kelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research work presented in this dissertation focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and property assessment of new and existing quaternary diamond-like semiconductor (DLS) materials for the potential application in infrared (IR) nonlinear optics (NLO). Chapter 2 discusses the previously discovered temperature-dependent polymorphs of Cu₂ZnGeS₄ (CZGS); however, the IR NLO properties, neutron powder diffraction data, and single crystal X-ray diffraction structures were previously undetermined. The high-temperature α-CZGS polymorph was superior to the low-temperature β-CZGS analog in both second harmonic generation (SHG) and laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). Chapter 3 presents the discovery of Li₂MgGeS₄ and comparison …

Chemical Extraction Of Non-Exchangeable Radiocesium From Fukushima Soils Using Ion-Exchange And Selective Precipitation, Ian Danquah

Master's Theses

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant meltdown in Japan resulted in the release of radionuclides into the environment. Soil in neighboring prefectures has been reported to be among the most contaminated. Since the event in 2011, a large volume of soil has been collected and stored in temporary storage facilities, awaiting decontamination. Numerous methods have been used and employed to remediate these soils, but most methods do not achieve the 90% removal target set by the Japanese government for safe disposal. Among all reported methods, the ion-exchange technique has been reported to be cost-efficient and effective. A study by Tamura …

Draft Final 2024 Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Mandan Park Soil Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Modeled 3d Solar Magnetic Field During 30 X/M-Class Solar Flares, Seth H. Garland, Vasyl B. Yurchyshyn, Robert D. Loper, Benjamin F. Akers, Daniel J. Emmons Ii

Faculty Publications

Using non-linear force free field (NLFFF) extrapolation, 3D magnetic fields were modeled from the 12-min cadence Solar Dynamics Observatory Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) photospheric vector magnetograms, spanning a time period of 1 hour before through 1 hour after the start of 18 X-class and 12 M-class solar flares. Several magnetic field parameters were calculated from the modeled fields directly, as well as from the power spectrum of surface maps generated by summing the fields along the vertical axis, for two different regions: areas with photospheric |B_z|≥ 300 G (active region—AR) and areas above the photosphere with the …

A Novel Method For Multiple Phenotype Association Studies Based On Genotype And Phenotype Network, Xuewei Cao, Shuanglin Zhang, Qiuying Sha

Michigan Tech Publications

Joint analysis of multiple correlated phenotypes for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) can identify and interpret pleiotropic loci which are essential to understand pleiotropy in diseases and complex traits. Meanwhile, constructing a network based on associations between phenotypes and genotypes provides a new insight to analyze multiple phenotypes, which can explore whether phenotypes and genotypes might be related to each other at a higher level of cellular and organismal organization. In this paper, we first develop a bipartite signed network by linking phenotypes and genotypes into a Genotype and Phenotype Network (GPN). The GPN can be constructed by a mixture of …

Cadmium Oxide Nanoparticles From New Organometallic Cd(Ii)-Schiff Base Complex And In Vitro Biological Potentials: Dual S. Aureus And E. Coli Dna Gyrase Inhibition By The Precursors Via In Silico Binding Modes’ Study, Ikechukwu P. Ejidike, Amani Direm, Cemal Parlak, Mercy O. Bamigboye, Olajumoke Oluade, Juliana B. Adetunji, Athar Ata, Michael O. Eze, Joshua W. Hollett, Hadley S. Clayton

Michigan Tech Publications

At the nanoscale level, several biological processes take place, owing to the potential that engineered nanomaterials might interrelate with bio-molecules and cellular procedures. This study aimed to synthesize cadmium oxide nanoparticles via a one-step calcination process of tetradentate Schiff base-Cd(II) complex at different temperature ranges. The as-synthesized compounds were carried out via a viz UV–visible, elemental analysis, 1H NMR, molar conductivity, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (PXRD). The band gap energy and average particle sizes of the CdO particles are respectively (2.69 eV, 3.54 eV), 26.88 nm for CdO@250, and (3.20 eV, 3.57 eV), 25.67 nm …

Examining The Authenticity Of The 'Ether Model' In Certain O-Glycosylation Reactions, Varad Vinayak Agarkar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative bacterium species that is responsible for nosocomial infections. It has shown antibiotic resistance and has been designated an urgent threat by the CDC. In Chapter 1, I highlight my efforts in the synthesis of a Kdo building block in the journey towards the construction of an A. baumannii lipooligosaccharide (LOS) core pentasaccharide- a potential candidate for glycoconjugate vaccine against A. baumannii infection. I talk about various optimizations and improvements in the Kdo monosaccharide synthesis and the mechanistic insights I provided about a critical transformation in the synthetic sequence.

Chemical O-glycosylation is a significant research …

Removal Of Phenol From Oilfield Produced Water Using Non-Conventional Adsorbent Medium By An Eco-Friendly Approach, Salem Jawad Alhamd, Mohammed Nsaif Abbas, Hassan Jameel Jawad Al-Fatlawy, Thekra Atta Ibrahim, Zaid Nsaif Abbas

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Petroleum extraction generates substantial quantities of produced water, a challenge compounded by water scarcity in oil-producing regions, notably the Middle East. Leveraging produced water effectively, adhering to environmental standards, can offer a viable solution to the issue of water scarcity. This study explores the potential of mandarin peels as an available, cost-effective adsorbent for treating synthetic aqueous solution simulated to oil-field produced water, specifically targeting phenol, a dangerous pollutant. Employing a batch-mode adsorption unit, six operational factors—phenol concentration, acidity, agitation speed, contact time, adsorbent dose, and temperature—were investigated. Results revealed an inverse relationship between phenol removal and pH, concentration, and …

Motion History Images: A New Method For Tracking Microswimmers In 3d, Max Riekeles, Hadi Albalkhi, Megan Marie Dubay, Jay Nadeau, Christian A. Lindensmith

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Quantitative tracking of rapidly moving micron-scale objects remains an elusive challenge in microscopy due to low signal-to-noise. This paper describes a novel method for tracking micron-sized motile organisms in off-axis Digital Holographic Microscope (DHM) raw holograms and/or reconstructions. We begin by processing the microscopic images with the previously reported Holographic Examination for Life-like Motility (HELM) software, which provides a variety of tracking outputs including motion history images (MHIs). MHIs are stills of videos where the frame-to-frame changes are indicated with color time-coding. This exposes tracks of objects that are difficult to identify in individual frames at a low signal-to-noise ratio. …

Relative Influence Of Sea State And Mean, Turbulent, And Heterogenous Refractivity On X-Band Propagation, Douglas M. Pastore, Erin E. Hackett

Marine Science

In predicting electromagnetic wave propagation within the marine atmospheric surface layer, it is common to assume steady homogenous conditions. However, discrepancies between predicted and measured propagation remain, which could be due in-part to turbulent fluctuations of the refractive index, spatially heterogenous evaporative ducting environments, and mischaracterization of the rough ocean bottom boundary. To better understand the relative importance of these contributors, this study explores the sensitivity of X-band propagation to parameters describing sea-state conditions and refractive environments, including turbulent fluctuations and spatially heterogenous conditions. This study employs the extended Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test to compute sensitivity indices that evaluate the …

Mitochondria Regulate Proliferation In Adult Cardiac Myocytes, Gregory B Waypa, Kimberly A Smith, Paul T Mungai, Vincent J Dudley, Kathryn A Helmin, Benjamin D Singer, Clara Bien Peek, Joseph Bass, Lauren Nelson, Sanjiv J Shah, Gaston Ofman, J Andrew Wasserstrom, William A Muller, Alexander V Misharin, G R Scott Budinger, Hiam Abdala-Valencia, Navdeep S Chandel, Danijela Dokic, Elizabeth Bartom, Shuang Zhang, Yuki Tatekoshi, Amir Mahmoodzadeh, Hossein Ardehali, Edward B Thorp, Paul T Schumacker

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Newborn mammalian cardiomyocytes quickly transition from a fetal to an adult phenotype that utilizes mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation but loses mitotic capacity. We tested whether forced reversal of adult cardiomyocytes back to a fetal glycolytic phenotype would restore proliferative capacity. We deleted Uqcrfs1 (mitochondrial Rieske iron-sulfur protein, RISP) in hearts of adult mice. As RISP protein decreased, heart mitochondrial function declined, and glucose utilization increased. Simultaneously, the hearts underwent hyperplastic remodeling during which cardiomyocyte number doubled without cellular hypertrophy. Cellular energy supply was preserved, AMPK activation was absent, and mTOR activation was evident. In ischemic hearts with RISP deletion, new cardiomyocytes …

A Turn-Off Fluorescent Sensor For Metal Ions Quantifies Corrosion In An Organic Solvent, Lianlian Liu, Zechariah Pfaffenberger, Mark Siegel, Anuj Saini, Lydia Kisley

Faculty Scholarship

We demonstrate that the corrosion of AISI 1045 medium carbon steel and pure aluminum can be quantified by the turn-off fluorescent sensor Phen Green-SK (PGSK) in ethanol-based solutions. We first evaluate the dependence of the chelation enhanced quenching of PGSK on iron and aluminum ion concentrations. Subsequently, we apply PGSK to examine the anodic dissolution of metal corrosion. The observed time-dependent PGSK-quenching quantifies the corrosion rates of two metals over 24 h of immersion in ethanol-based solutions. The PGSK-based quantification of corrosion is compared to scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical techniques, including open circuit potential and Tafel extrapolation. The corrosion …

High-Density Genetic Map Construction And Qtl Mapping Of A Zigzag-Shaped Stem Trait In Tea Plant (Camellia Sinensis), Dingding Liu, Yuanyuan Ye, Rongjin Tang, Yang Gong, Si Chen, Chenyu Zhang, Piao Mei, Jiedan Chen, Liang Chen, Chunlei Ma

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The highly unique zigzag-shaped stem phenotype in tea plants boasts significant ornamental value and is exceptionally rare. To investigate the genetic mechanism behind this trait, we developed BC1 artificial hybrid populations. Our genetic analysis revealed the zigzag-shaped trait as a qualitative trait. Utilizing whole-genome resequencing, we constructed a high-density genetic map from the BC1 population, incorporating 5,250 SNP markers across 15 linkage groups, covering 3,328.51 cM with an average marker interval distance of 0.68 cM. A quantitative trait locus (QTL) for the zigzag-shaped trait was identified on chromosome 4, within a 61.2 to 97.2 Mb range, accounting for a phenotypic …

Αb-Crystallin Phosphorylation Induces A Condensatopathy To Worsen Post-Myocardial Infarction Cardiomyopathy, Md Moydul Islam

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Rare genetic mutations in proteins expressed in cardiomyocytes lead to proteotoxic cardiomyopathies which are characterized by widespread protein-aggregate pathology. However, the mechanistic link between proteotoxicity and protein-aggregates in the more common ischemic cardiomyopathy remains unclear. Our study revealed the mis-localization of desmin, actin, and α-actinin to protein-aggregates in the myocardium of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and in mouse hearts undergoing post-myocardial infarction ventricular remodeling. These findings mimic observations in autosomal-dominant cardiomyopathy resulting from the R120G mutation in the chaperone protein CRYAB where desmin is mis-localized into the aggregates. Importantly, we observed increased phosphorylation of CRYAB at serine-59 (pS59-CRYAB) and its …

Draft Final 2024 Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Borrow Amendment Submittal #1, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Two-Photon Laser Scanning Microscope, Jess Hollenbaugh

Student Research Symposium

The objective of this project was to convert a Sarastro 2000 confocal laser scanning microscope into a system capable of imaging using two-photon excitation (TPE) fluorescence for the use of the PSU biology department. TPE microscopy operates on the ability of fluorophores to accept two photons each with half the energy of a desired transition in a single quantum event via a virtual energy state and then emit a higher energy photon upon relaxation. This is preferable to single-photon excitation (SPE) due to the lower energy photons causing less damage to delicate biological samples. The adaptation process included physically altering …

Revitalizing Turtle Creek Park, Michael Hardyway, Ethan Harm, Abbey Jacoby, Casey Stephenson

Final Reports in ENST 411: Environmental Community Projects

We current ENST 411 students, Abbey Jacoby, Michael Hardyway, Ethan Harm, and Casey Stephenson have chosen to work with Jim Knight, East Buffalo Township, the Merrill Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy, and many others in an attempt to revitalize Turtle Creek Park for a plethora of reasons. Three of us are majoring in biology, and two are majoring in environmental science, which makes much of the information and techniques relevant in Turtle Creek applicable to our courses of study. This project included heavy hands on work which allowed us students to leave a memorable and impactful influence on the Lewisburg …

Fireflies At Rpa Natural Area Final Report, Olivia H. Bush, Sydney M. Shea, Sofia J. Gordon, Nick S. Wiebke

Final Reports in ENST 411: Environmental Community Projects

Our group worked alongside community partners Shaunna Barnhart and Jim Dunn during the Spring 2024 semester to assist with their annual event Fireflies at RPA Natural Area. RPA Natural Area is a local park in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania that was recently acquired by Southside Recreational Authority. Since taking over the park, the organization has begun hosting an event each July to educate the general public about firefly biology and conservation by showing a film and guiding attendees through a firefly tour through the park. Our goals for this project included creating physical educational materials to be used at the park …

Controls On Soft Tissue And Cellular Preservation In Late Eocene And Oligocene Vertebrate Fossils From The White River And Arikaree Groups Of Nebraska, South Dakota, And Wyoming, John E. Gallucci, Grace Woolslayer, Kelsey Barker, Brian Kibelstis, Allison R Tumarkin-Deratzian, Paul V. Ullmann, David E. Grandstaff, Dennis O. Terry

School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research

Previous studies on microtaphonomy have identified multiple types of organic microstructures in fossil vertebrates from a variety of time periods and past environmental settings. This study investigates potential taphonomic, paleoenvironmental, and paleoclimatic controls on soft tissue and cellular preservation in fossil bone. To this end, fifteen vertebrate fossils were studied: eight fossils collected from the Oligocene Sharps Formation of the Arikaree Group in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, and seven fossils from formations in the underlying White River Group, including the Oligocene Brule Formation of Badlands National Park, and the Eocene Chadron Formation of Flagstaff Rim, Wyoming; Toadstool Geologic Park, …

A Just, Sustainable Transition At Fordham University, Ethan Shepard

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper takes a deeper look at Fordham University’s environmental impact and concludes with a strategy outline that works towards a just, sustainable future on the university campus and surrounding areas. New York City is an area already facing the adverse effects of climate change, and there are several threats that have the potential to cause grave consequences moving forward. Prior to constructing a climate action plan, it is integral to understand the past and present status of The Bronx under a socio-environmental lens. Chapter One focuses on the current status of Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus from a sustainability perspective …

Testing The Hypothesis That Tennis Points Are Independent And Identically Distributed Using Statistical Methods, Ernesto Ugona Santana

Senior Honors Theses

Most research on the probability of winning a tennis match is based on the assumption that the points are independent and identically distributed, treating each point as a Bernoulli trial with fixed probability of success. This assumption, however, seems to contradict experience. Players' performance appears to fluctuate as the match progresses due to the psychological effect of past performance. To test this counterintuitive yet central assumption, previous research has attempted to test the independence hypothesis. However, there exists a research gap in evaluating the identicality-of-distribution hypothesis, a question of broader scope than that of independence. Hence, the purpose of this …