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Understanding The Evolutionary History Of Biochemical Innovation, Madeline Opal St. Julien Dec 2014

Understanding The Evolutionary History Of Biochemical Innovation, Madeline Opal St. Julien

Theses and Dissertations

The serine protease (SP) gene family is an ecologically important gene family because of observed involvement in innate immunity, digestive processes, and embryological development of arthropods. In the past decade, all genes of the serine protease family have been classified in a number of arthropods, with the exception of crustacean. Possible evolutionary mechanisms have been observed based off of varying selectional pressures acting on recent SP expansions in respect to varying diets. Daphnia is the first crustacean to have its genome sequenced, and their genomes were analyzed in this study to elucidate the expansion and divergence of the SP gene …

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Thermal Ecology And Physiology Of An Intertidal Predator-Prey System: Pisaster Ochraceus And Mytilus Californianus, Cristian J. Monaco Dec 2014

Thermal Ecology And Physiology Of An Intertidal Predator-Prey System: Pisaster Ochraceus And Mytilus Californianus, Cristian J. Monaco

Theses and Dissertations

Untangling natural systems’ complexity requires understanding the mechanisms responsible for organisms’ responses to environmental change. Recently, significant advances have been made by recognizing the relevance of direct and indirect effects, which take place when multiple biotic and abiotic factors influence each other. I examined potential direct effects of environmental variables on a predator-prey interaction, as well as potential indirect effects of these variables on the interaction itself. I placed emphasis on behavioral and physiological adaptations, which would potentially contribute/modify these effects. My study system was comprised of a rocky intertidal keystone predator, the sea star Pisaster ochraceus, and its main …

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Experimental And Theoretical Studies Of Native And Engineered Vascular Tissue Mechanics, Boran Zhou Dec 2014

Experimental And Theoretical Studies Of Native And Engineered Vascular Tissue Mechanics, Boran Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Implantation of vascular grafts provides a means to restore blood flow in compromised regions of the circulatory system, and thus is used to treat a wide range of cardiovascular diseases. Despite significant advancements in autologous grafting strategies as well as the engineering of synthetic alternatives, mechanical, structural, and compositional incongruities between the graft and the host artery remain as contributing factors to graft failure. The typical failure modality manifests as proximal anastomotic intimal hyperplasia, which places restrictions on the host vessel size currently treated with grafting strategies (> 5 mm internal diameter). In order to improve long-term clinical outcomes, …

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Theoretical Investigation Of The Catalytic, Liquid-Phase Hydrodeoxygenation Of Organic Acids And Esters, Sina Behtash Dec 2014

Theoretical Investigation Of The Catalytic, Liquid-Phase Hydrodeoxygenation Of Organic Acids And Esters, Sina Behtash

Theses and Dissertations

With worldwide fossil fuel resources dwindling and greenhouse gas emissions rising, it is urgent to find renewable liquid fuel alternatives from e.g. biomass to meet the world’s growing energy demand. Lipid feedstocks and pyrolysis oils from woody biomass can be utilized for the production of second-generation biofuels via a catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) process. The conversion of fatty acids and esters plays an important role in the activity and selectivity of these processes. Understanding the HDO reaction mechanism of organic acids and esters on metal surfaces is a prerequisite for the rational design of new HDO catalysts specifically designed for upgrading …

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Benefits Of Video Games In Multidisciplinary Scientific Research, Jeremiah Jeffrey Shepherd Dec 2014

Benefits Of Video Games In Multidisciplinary Scientific Research, Jeremiah Jeffrey Shepherd

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, computer-based games have been shown to be effective both as a tool for conducting research in a variety of domains and for research on games itself. In this work, we show that implementing games that have a basis in theory and that are combined with the most recent gaming practices result in effective research tools. We demonstrate this via game implementations for three domains. The first implementation is based on new theories in speech pedagogy, and demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach. The second implementation shows that using a game that simulates therapeutic speech practices can aid …

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Understanding Geo-Social Network Patterns: Computation, Visualization, And Usability, Caglar Koylu Dec 2014

Understanding Geo-Social Network Patterns: Computation, Visualization, And Usability, Caglar Koylu

Theses and Dissertations

Geo-social networks are formed by flows of physical entities (e.g., humans, vehicles, sensors, animals), and communication (e.g., information, ideas, innovation) that connect places to places and individuals to individuals. Several major problems remain to be addressed for understanding the complex patterns in geo-social networks. This dissertation makes the following contributions to the theory and methodologies that aim at understanding complex geo-social data by integrating methods of computation, visualization and usability evaluation. Chapter 2 introduces a novel network-based smoothing approach that addresses the size-difference and small area problem in calculating and mapping locational (graph) measures in spatial interaction networks. The new …

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Neodymium Isotopic Signature Of The Deep Western Boundary Current And The Distribution Of Neodymium Isotopes And Concentrations Across Line W, Brian Daniel Duggan Dec 2014

Neodymium Isotopic Signature Of The Deep Western Boundary Current And The Distribution Of Neodymium Isotopes And Concentrations Across Line W, Brian Daniel Duggan

Theses and Dissertations

The capacity of the neodymium (Nd) 143Nd/144Nd ratio to trace modern ocean circulation accurately allows for the assumption that the ratio can also accurately trace paleo ocean circulation. Therefore, a complete understanding of Nd cycling and its effect on the isotopic composition in the oceans is vital. Traditionally, Nd isotopic composition (Nd IC) is considered a conservative property in the open ocean, while coastal and margin environments tend to be dictated by nonconservative exchange processes. However, Nd concentrations ([Nd]) in the open ocean typically display a nutrient like profile, increasing with depth. Such a discrepancy between Nd IC and [Nd] …

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Behavior Of Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensor In Various Media, Tuncay Kamas Dec 2014

Behavior Of Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensor In Various Media, Tuncay Kamas

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation addresses structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques using ultrasonic waves generated by piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) with an emphasis on the development of theoretical models of standing harmonic waves and guided waves. The focal objective of the research is to extend the theoretical study of electro-mechanical coupled PWAS as a resonator/transducer that interacts with standing and traveling waves in various media through electro-mechanical impedance spectroscopy (EMIS) method and guided wave propagation. The analytical models are developed and the coupled field finite element analysis (CF-FEA) models are simulated and verified with experiments. The dissertation is divided into two parts …

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Weight-Gain And Energy Balance, Benjamin Thomas Gordon Dec 2014

Weight-Gain And Energy Balance, Benjamin Thomas Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

Energy balance is the result of a dynamic relationship between energy intake (EI), energy expenditure (EE) and energy storage (ES). These three components of energy balance have extremely complicated associations, and all three major components are consistently influenced by physiologic, psychological, and sociologic factors. Concerted changes between EE and EI result in alterations of the ES. Most often in clinical and research settings, bodyweight is used as marker of body composition (i.e., ES) changes. Traditional measurements of bodyweight do not give an accurate portrayal of ES change or the role it has in energy balance. This dissertation supplies new methods …

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Who Let The Elephant In The Room? Analyzing Race And Racism Through A Critical Family Literacy Book Club, Lamar L. Johnson Dec 2014

Who Let The Elephant In The Room? Analyzing Race And Racism Through A Critical Family Literacy Book Club, Lamar L. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to interpret, investigate, and analyze how race, racism, and power are embedded and intertwined not only in society but also in the education system and in homes and communities. Specifically, through parent and student engagement during a series of book club meetings, I investigated how parents’ racial identities impacted how they created critical dialogue pertaining to issues of race, racism, and power with their children. Guided by critical race pedagogy, critical race theory (CRT) and CRT methodology, this study used race as a critical analytic lens to examine the lives and work of people …

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Global Climate Change And The Southern Ocean: How Antarctic Fishes Physiologically Respond To A Changing Environment From The Cellular To The Organismal Level, Laura A. Enzor Dec 2014

Global Climate Change And The Southern Ocean: How Antarctic Fishes Physiologically Respond To A Changing Environment From The Cellular To The Organismal Level, Laura A. Enzor

Theses and Dissertations

Studies have projected that future changes in sea surface temperature and pCO2 levels will impact higher latitudes to a greater extent than in temperate regions. For notothenioid fishes of the Southern Ocean, evolution in extremely stable, cold waters has resulted in several adaptations which have left these fishes poorly prepared for global climate change. I have analyzed the metabolic and cellular response of Trematomus bernacchii, Pagothenia borchgrevinki and Trematomus newnesi to a long-term, multi-stressor scenario relevant to the predicted changes in the Southern Ocean. By combining whole animal respirometry with cellular level analysis of energy allocation, osmoregulatory mechanisms and cellular …

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Methods For Identifying Regions Of Brain Activation Using Fmri Meta-Data, Meredith A. Ray Dec 2014

Methods For Identifying Regions Of Brain Activation Using Fmri Meta-Data, Meredith A. Ray

Theses and Dissertations

Functional neuroimaging is a relatively young discipline within the neurosciences that has led to significant advances in our understanding of the human brain and progress in neuroscientific research related to public health. Accurately identifying activated regions in the brain showing a strong association with an outcome of interest is crucial in terms of disease prediction and prevention. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is the most widely used method for this type of study as it has the ability to measure and identify the location of changes in tissue perfusion, blood oxygenation, and blood volume. In practice, the three-dimensional brain locations …

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The Cardio-Protective Effects Of Substance P In Both Ischemia/Reperfusion And And Short-Term Hypoxia Rat Models, Shaiban Jubair Dec 2014

The Cardio-Protective Effects Of Substance P In Both Ischemia/Reperfusion And And Short-Term Hypoxia Rat Models, Shaiban Jubair

Theses and Dissertations

Substance P, a member of the tachykinin family, is found primarily in sensory nerves. In the heart, substance P-containing nerve fibers surround coronary vessels, making them ideally positioned to sense changes in coronary pressure and/or flow. Recent studies have identified substance P as being protective acutely following ischemia-reperfusion due to its ability to induce coronary blood vessel vasodilation. In addition, studies conducted on non-cardiac tissue have reported substance P to be protective against cell death through a mechanism involving activation of anti-apoptotic AKT pathway. However, the possibility of substance P being similarly cardioprotective has not been reported. Accordingly, the purpose …

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Temporal Constraints On Holocene Initiation And Termination Of Mound Development At An Episodic Gas Hydrate And Cold Seep System, Woolsey Mound, Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Nathan Robinson Dec 2014

Temporal Constraints On Holocene Initiation And Termination Of Mound Development At An Episodic Gas Hydrate And Cold Seep System, Woolsey Mound, Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Nathan Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Woolsey Mound is a thermogenic gas hydrate and cold seep system in the deepwater (900m) Gulf of Mexico. A set of sub-bottom seismic profiles acquired at MC-118 Woolsey Mound provide decimeter-scale vertical resolution of the upper ~50m of the subsurface throughout the lease block. Integration of these data with radiocarbon, lithostratigraphic, and biostratigraphic data from shallow gravity cores provides the basis for detailed interpretation of the mound evolution within the last 12,000 years. Uniform sedimentation during the Last Glacial Maximum and following changes in sediment distribution over MC-118 suggests modern mound activity did not begin until at least ~12ka. Development …

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Climate-Induced Changes In The Germination Phenology Of Boechera Stricta, Samuel Johnson Dec 2014

Climate-Induced Changes In The Germination Phenology Of Boechera Stricta, Samuel Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is having demonstrable, worldwide impacts on ecological systems in ways that have modified aspects of organism behavior. Plant phenologies have responded to warmer temperatures in a variety of ways that may have implications for long-term species survival. How germination phenology changes in response to warmer climate is a largely unexplored question yet the ability of a plant to advance or delay germination in unfavorable conditions is critical for survival. Knowing the relative success and timing of germination under different climate regimes is important in understanding whether species can keep pace with the rate of climate change via migration …

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Finite Element Analysis Simulations Of Micro And Nano-Electromechanical Sensors For Design Optimization, Nicholas Frank Deroller Dec 2014

Finite Element Analysis Simulations Of Micro And Nano-Electromechanical Sensors For Design Optimization, Nicholas Frank Deroller

Theses and Dissertations

Micro and Nano-electromechanical sensors (MEMS and NEMS) provide a means of actively sensing minute changes in the surrounding environment. Small changes in temperature, momentum, and strain may be sensed in passive modes while greater sensing possibilities exist in active modes. Theoretical femto-gram resolution mass detection and heated element sensing methods may be used while volatile organic compound (VOC) sensing may be achieved when combined with a functionalization layer or device heating. These devices offer a great reduction in cost and offer increased mobility by allowing a "lab-on-chip" solution for the prospective user while also greatly reducing the amount of energy …

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Design And Development Of A Novel Class Of Cell Cycle Cdk Inhibitors Targeting The Cyclin Binding Groove Utilizing The Replace Strategy, Padmavathy Nandha Premnath Dec 2014

Design And Development Of A Novel Class Of Cell Cycle Cdk Inhibitors Targeting The Cyclin Binding Groove Utilizing The Replace Strategy, Padmavathy Nandha Premnath

Theses and Dissertations

Inhibition of CDK2 activity in G1 and S phases of the cell cycle can promote selective apoptosis of cancer cells through the E2F1 pathway. Currently available CDK inhibitors target the ATP binding pocket and result in lack of specificity for the cell cycle vs. the transcriptional CDKs. It has been shown that a peptide HAKRRLIF derived from the tumor suppressor p21 binds to the cyclin binding groove (CBG) and selectively inhibits cell cycle CDKs (CDK2/Cyclin A, CDK2/Cyclin E and CDK4/Cyclin D). The CBG is unique to cell cycle CDKs hence targeting this site avoids the inhibition of transcriptional CDKs can …

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The Effects Of Multiple Gratitude Interventions Among Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease, Cristy Degregory Dec 2014

The Effects Of Multiple Gratitude Interventions Among Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease, Cristy Degregory

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this group randomized intervention trial was to examine the impact of participation in three telephone-based gratitude interventions on the physical, psychological and social functioning of participants in caregiver support groups who are unpaid family caregivers of persons with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Fredrickson’s (2001) Broaden-and-Build Theory informed the investigation of the effect of three gratitude interventions on participants’ levels of gratitude, positive aspects of caregiving, subjective well-being, physical health and mental health. This was a randomized, wait-list controlled study involving informal caregivers involved in support groups. The research questions were: 1.) How does gratitude contribute to subjective …

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Metformin Arrests Growth And Induces Apoptosis Of Neuroblastoma Cells, Nadia Al-Sammarraie Dec 2014

Metformin Arrests Growth And Induces Apoptosis Of Neuroblastoma Cells, Nadia Al-Sammarraie

Theses and Dissertations

Neuroblastoma is one of the most common solid neoplasms in children, which affects sympathetic neurons with a wide range of genetic abnormalities, especially MYCN amplification, a molecular marker of poor prognosis. Despite advance therapy, still the mortality rate for advance disease is high with frequent relapse and resistance to cytotoxic therapy with evidence of p53 mutation. Metformin, an oral hypoglycemic medication, is a relatively safe and cost effective drug with wide clinical applications, mainly for treatment of Type 2 diabetes. Recent studies have showed promising anticancer effect of metformin on various cancer types, especially on p53 mutant cells. In our …

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How School Leadership Develops Parental Involvement Strategies With Social Capital In Four South Carolina Middle Schools, Anthony Neil Boatwright Dec 2014

How School Leadership Develops Parental Involvement Strategies With Social Capital In Four South Carolina Middle Schools, Anthony Neil Boatwright

Theses and Dissertations

Passed in 2001, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate requires schools to have a comprehensive plan for addressing parental involvement. Identifying successful practices to increase social capital and academic achievement in lower socio-economic schools appears to be the area that is having the most impact. Principals can contribute to higher success rates by generating productive partnerships between the school and parents/guardians. The purpose of this study is to describe the parental involvement strategies that four successful South Carolina (SC) middle school principals used and to identify successful practices being implemented to increase social capital and academic achievement. The researcher …

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Toward A Theory Of Safe Passage: Agentic Practices Of Women Writers Who Teach, Lillian Gordon Reeves Dec 2014

Toward A Theory Of Safe Passage: Agentic Practices Of Women Writers Who Teach, Lillian Gordon Reeves

Theses and Dissertations

Past studies show that narrative is an effective tool for guiding teachers to develop teacher identity, to recognize their practical knowledge, and to engage in teacher transformation, especially during initial teacher training and the early years of their career. Consequently, other researchers have identified how narrative studies inform what we know about teachers’ identities, their practical knowledge, and their transformations during initial training and early career teaching. However, we do not know how narrative functions in the experiences of teachers beyond initial teacher training and early career teaching. This study intends to fill this gap in the research. In this …

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Science Fairs Before Sputnik: Adolescent Scientific Culture In Contemporary America, Sarah Michel Scripps Dec 2014

Science Fairs Before Sputnik: Adolescent Scientific Culture In Contemporary America, Sarah Michel Scripps

Theses and Dissertations

"Science Fairs before Sputnik: Adolescent Scientific Culture in Contemporary America" traces the formation and evolution of science fairs in America, focusing on the ways in which adolescents established communities of practice by engaging in these competitions. Over the course of the twentieth century, generations of American children conducted their first experiments by crafting science fair projects. The dissertation evaluates this understudied phenomenon against the backdrop of American fascinations and fears of science and evolving notions of adolescence. It argues that science fairs were central to shaping an adolescent scientific culture in the United States during the early to mid twentieth …

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An Engineering Approach For The Design Of Archaeological Reburial Systems, Angel Ari Perez Mejia Dec 2014

An Engineering Approach For The Design Of Archaeological Reburial Systems, Angel Ari Perez Mejia

Theses and Dissertations

Archaeological sites are a non-renewable resource which is often our only link to the past. However, sites are under constant threat of destruction due to construction activities. Civil engineers and archaeologists must the work together to ensure both the continued survival of archaeological sites while allowing for development to continue. Reburial systems, when properly designed and constructed, allow for the protection of archaeological sites while allowing the continued use of the land. However, because reburial as an intentional conservation technique is relatively modern, practice is fragmented and there are no universally accepted guidelines. Current reburial system design relies on prescriptive …

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Piezotransistive Iii-V Nitride Microcantilever Based Mems/Nems Sensor For Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Of Chemicals, Abdul Hafiz Ibne Talukdar Dec 2014

Piezotransistive Iii-V Nitride Microcantilever Based Mems/Nems Sensor For Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Of Chemicals, Abdul Hafiz Ibne Talukdar

Theses and Dissertations

Microcantilevers are highly attractive as transducers for detecting chemicals, explosives, and biological molecules due to their high sensitivity, micro-scale dimensions, and low power consumption. Though optical transduction of the mechanical movement of the microcantilevers into an electrical signal is widely practiced, there is a continuous thrust to develop alternative transduction methods that are more conducive to the development of compact miniaturized sensors. Piezoelectric and piezoresistive transduction methods are two of the most popular ones that have been utilized to develop miniaturized sensor systems. Piezoelectric cantilevers, which are commonly made of PZT film, have demonstrated very high sensitivity; however, they suffer …

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Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In Dna Repair And Oxidative Stress Genes, And Their Interaction With Antioxidants On Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness, Samuel Antwi Dec 2014

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In Dna Repair And Oxidative Stress Genes, And Their Interaction With Antioxidants On Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness, Samuel Antwi

Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the leading invasive malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer death among American men. Despite compelling evidence that oxidative stress, ineffective DNA damage repair, and habitually low antioxidants intake may act in tandem to influence prostate carcinogenesis, few studies have examined gene-diet interactions involving these risk factors. Even fewer studies have examined such interactions in relation to prostate cancer aggressiveness. This study investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA repair- and oxidative stress-related genes modulated associations between antioxidant intake and prostate cancer aggressiveness. We utilized data from the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project (PCaP) …

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A Three-Dimensional-Engineered Matrix To Study The Microenvironment Of Cancer Stem Cells, Samaneh Kamali Sarvestani Dec 2014

A Three-Dimensional-Engineered Matrix To Study The Microenvironment Of Cancer Stem Cells, Samaneh Kamali Sarvestani

Theses and Dissertations

Maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is regulated by their microenvironment. As cancer cells are affected by many factors in their microenvironment, a major challenge is to isolate the effect of a specific factor on CSCs while keeping other factors unchanged. We developed a synthetic inert 3D Poly Ethylene Glycol Di-Acrylate (PEGDA) gel culture system as a unique tool to study the effect of microenvironmental factors on CSCs response. Synthetic hydrogels provide the flexibility to design three-dimensional (3D) matrices to isolate and study individual factors in the tumor microenvironment. The first objective of this work was to investigate the effect …

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Bio-Active Degradable Micellar Hydrogels For Osteogenic Differentiation Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Seyedsina Moeinzadeh Dec 2014

Bio-Active Degradable Micellar Hydrogels For Osteogenic Differentiation Of Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Seyedsina Moeinzadeh

Theses and Dissertations

A feasible approach to the restoration of injured bone tissue is the use of tissue engineering strategies to deliver mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to the site of regenration in degradable, in-situ gelling, bio-active hydrogels. Although inert Polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels provide flexibility in controlling the cell microenvironment, their use for in vivo applications in tissue regeneration is limited by their persistence (nondegradability) in the site of regeneration. In an attempt to produce inert hydrolytically degradable matrices for encapsulation of MSCs, hydrogels based on star PEG macromonomers chain-extended with short hydroxy acid (HA) segments (SPEXA) were synthesized and characterized with respect …

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Biomass And Decomposition Dynamics Of Invasive Chinese Tallow (Triadica Sebifera) In The Southeastern United States, Allison M. Stoklosa Dec 2014

Biomass And Decomposition Dynamics Of Invasive Chinese Tallow (Triadica Sebifera) In The Southeastern United States, Allison M. Stoklosa

Theses and Dissertations

Recent and anticipated global change has focused concern on the role of forests in ecosystem functioning and carbon sequestration. Of key importance is identifying relevant factors that drive carbon and nutrient dynamics and the consequences of changes in these processes. Systems undergoing invasion by invasive woody species are particularly prone to changes. This study examined the branch and crown biomass and decay dynamics for the invasive Chinese tallow tree in Mississippi, USA as well as the influences of stand and site conditions on biomass modeling and arthropod contributions to fine woody debris decay. Coupling biomass and decay models presents a …

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Catalytic Conversion Of Syngas To Higher Alcohols Over Cu-Fe Based Catalysts, Yongwu Lu Dec 2014

Catalytic Conversion Of Syngas To Higher Alcohols Over Cu-Fe Based Catalysts, Yongwu Lu

Theses and Dissertations

Higher alcohol synthesis (HAS) from syngas or biomass-derived syngas is an important process for the production of oxygenate fuels, fuel additives and other intermediates for valueded chemical feedstock to produce medicine, cosmetics, lubricants, detergents, and polyesters. Chapter I reviews biomass to liquid fuels technology, higher alcohols being used as alternative fuels and fuel additives, the historical perspective and commercial status of higher alcohols, the catalyst system and the reaction mechanism for HAS from syngas. Chapter II discusses the Zn-Mn promoted Cu-Fe based catalyst that was synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The reaction temperature has been tested to study the influence …

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Effects Of Intercropping Switchgrass In Loblolly Pine Plantations On Bird Communities, Zachary G. Loman Dec 2014

Effects Of Intercropping Switchgrass In Loblolly Pine Plantations On Bird Communities, Zachary G. Loman

Theses and Dissertations

Intercropping switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) between tree rows within young pine (Pinus spp.) plantations is a novel method to generate lignocellulosic biofuel feedstocks within intensively managed forests. Intensively managed pine supports diverse avian assemblages potentially affected by establishment and maintenance of a biomass feedstock. I sought to understand how establishing switchgrass on an operational scale affects bird communities within intercropped plantations as compared to typical intensively managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations. I conducted breeding bird point counts, nest searching and monitoring, and coarse woody debris (CWD) surveys following establishment of intercropped switchgrass stands (6 replicates), traditionally-managed pine plantations, and switchgrass-only …

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