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Assessing The Feasibility Of Wastewater Effluent As A Nutrient Source For Algae In The Context Of Biofuel Production, Justin Ryan Dore

Masters Theses

Algae have the potential to support the production of biodiesel due to their ability to produce large volumes of oils in relatively small footprints. However, algae production for biodiesel is hampered by the expenses associated with water and nutrients required for sufficient growth. A possible source of inexpensive and nutrient-rich water is the effluent of traditional wastewater treatment facilities. If wastewater effluent can support algae growth, the added benefit of reducing high nutrient loads to natural water systems can be realized. The overarching goal of the current research was to explore the feasibility of growing algae (Scenedesmus) using wastewater effluent …

Genetic Structure And Diversity Of Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) In Three Large Midwestern Rivers, Vaclav Alexei Sotola

Masters Theses

Little information is available regarding the genetic structure and diversity of sportfishes in large rivers, which can be vital to continuing the sustainable exploitation of these fisheries. Additionally, impoundments often have vast impacts on riverine systems. These impacts include altering the flow regime, changing the nutrient load, and preventing migratory fish from reaching their spawning grounds. If fishes are prevented from reaching their spawning grounds, their genetic diversity and structuring could begin to change relative to historic measures, potentially decreasing their fitness and ability to survive. I screened microsatellite loci to assess the genetic population structure and diversity of channel …

"Favorite Of Heaven": The Impact Of Skin Color On Atlantic Ethnic Africans In The Eighteenth Century, Kimberly V. Jones

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Patterns Of The Cannibalism And Sexual Taboos, Kayla R. Rice

Masters Theses

Previous research has suggested that there may be a connection between the cannibalism taboo and sexual attraction. Specifically, it appears that when forced to choose someone to cannibalize, people choose victims in a pattern that mimics who they would choose to be sexually intimate with. To confirm and explore this relationship, the current study measured sexual orientation and examined whether participants' preferences in who to cannibalize if forced reflected their desired sexual partner. Participants recruited from Amazon Turk responded to forced pair choices regarding either desired sexual partner or cannibalism victims. Targets included all combinations of three variables: Physical Appearance …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Dicopper(Ii) Complexes With Biological Relevance, Ashley E. Hall

Masters Theses

The research discussed in this study focused on the design, synthesis, and characterization of new model complexes that mimic the type-3 enzyme, catechol oxidase, which oxidizes catechols to their corresponding quinones. Our approach focused on the design and synthesis new model complexes that contain a dicopper(II) center that can be fine-tuned in a variety of ways, such as sterics and exogeneous bridging molecules. This method allows a multitude of complexes to be created and compared to determine how the overall structure affects the catecholase activity of the complexes.

Two ligands were synthesized; they contain a phenolate body, two amide groups, …

Evaluation Of Hazelnuts As A Sustainable Crop In Illinois, Sharon Neva Dubosky

Masters Theses

Production of hazelnuts has historically been limited to regions with mild climates, with almost all hazelnut production in the United States occurring in Oregon. A recent boom in demand, along with an expanded selection of varieties with improved environmental tolerances, has pushed hazelnut production into new regions. Hazelnut production could prove profitable in areas of the Midwest that are less well-suited to the cultivation of maize and soybeans. However, the lack of varieties proven to thrive in the climatological conditions of this region (cold winters, hot summers, frequent drought) presents a barrier to the viability of hazelnut production. A trial …

Neon Calico, Joshua Webb Garrett

Masters Theses

This is a work of creative fiction in the genre of cyberpunk that explores themes of loss, sexuality, and trans-humanism though the eyes of a young Asian-American woman who struggles to cope with the loss of her former boyfriend, with an emerging sexual attraction to a friend of the same sex, and with feelings of disconnectedness complicated by a loss of humanity brought on by her continually improving her own physical body through cybernetic implants and augmentation. Inspired by such works as William Gibson's Neuromancer and Shirow Masamune's The Ghost in the Shell, this book explores the struggle that …

Dry And Alive: Applications Of Anhydrobiosis In The Preservation Of Eukaryotic Cells, Daniel A. Webster

Undergraduate Honors Theses

First discovered in the 1980's, late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins now play an important role in the modern paradigm of anhydrobiosis. These proteins are intrinsically disordered in the hydrated state, and gain more defined secondary structure motifs (e.g. beta-sheets and alpha-helices) during the process of dehydration. This gain in secondary structure likely plays a key role in the ability of LEA proteins to protect the machinery important to life sustaining processes within the cell during severe water stress. Methods such as high resolution respirometry offer insight into the level of protection conferred by these proteins during periods of acute water …

Effects Of Turbidity On The Vision And Behavior Of Longear Sunfish, Lindsey Denea Caudle

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fish are known to use vision in many essential behaviors, including foraging, intraspecific communication and predator avoidance. Turbidity is one of the many environmental factors potentially affecting vision quality. I examined the behavior of interacting conspecific fish in varying levels of turbidity to determine how this environmental variable affects vision and behavior. Experiments were designed to observe how longear sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, reacted to visual cues - in this case a conspecific fish in a glass jar - in the presence or absence of turbidity. My hypothesis is that sunfish will display territorial behavior when introduced to another fish …

Geo 3420 : Geomorphology: Surficial Processes And Landforms, Geology/Geography

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Geo 3310 : Introduction To Biogeography, Geology/Geography

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Eiu 4111g : Plants And Civilization, Biological Sciences

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Psy 3780 : Abnormal Psychology, Psychology

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Hst 3100 : Disasters And Public Health: Planning And Response, Health Studies

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Psy 3521 : Psychology Of Adolescence And Young Adulthood, Psychology

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Phy 1151g : Principles Of Physics I, Physics

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Geo 5870 : Remote Sensing 2, Geology/Geography

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Geo 5820 : Remote Sensing I, Geology/Geography

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Geo 3085 : Vertebrate Paleoenvironments And Paleoecology, Geology/Geography

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Geo 2450g : Oceanography, Geology/Geography

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Bio 5970a-Z : Special Topics In Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Bio 4920 : Medicinal Plants, Biological Sciences

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Ant 3612 : The Body In Anthropological Perspective, Sociology And Anthropology

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Geo 3820 : Remote Sensing I, Geology/Geography

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Cmn 3903 : Rhetoric Of Gender And The Body, Communication Studies

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Bio 3850 : Environmental Health/Sustainability, Biological Sciences

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Hst 2700 : Marketing Concepts For Health Promotion Professionals, Health Studies

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Phy 1152g : Principles Of Physics I Laboratory, Physics

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Phi 3012 : Philosophy Of Sex And Love, Philosophy

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Mat 2250g : Elementary Statistics, Mathematics And Computer Science

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.