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Biomass Production, Composition, And Ethanol Potential Of Switchgrass Grown On Reclaimed Surface Mines In West Virginia, Carol A. Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Growing crops for biofuel production on agricultural land has caused a debate between whether we should grow corn grain on productive, agricultural lands to feed a growing human population or to fuel our vehicles. This has increased interest in growing cellulosic biofuel feedstocks on marginal lands. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a warm-season perennial grass, has been shown to be a viable bioenergy crop because it produces high yields on marginal lands under low water and nutrient conditions. West Virginia contains immense acreages of reclaimed surface mine lands and could offer enough area for the production of switchgrass as a feedstock …

Impact Of Planting Date, Cultivar, Phosphorus, Potassium, And Fungicide Seed Treatments On Winter Wheat Survival And Yield, Matthew Gary Taylor

Plant Sciences

Field experiments and greenhouse studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and fungicides on winter survival, and yield of winter-wheat in North Dakota. The study was conducted as a RCBD with a split-plot of planting date, and a factorial combination of cultivars and seed treatments. Of the factors included, cultivar was the most contributing factor for fall emergence, spring stand count, and yield. Planting date was confounded by insufficient autumn soil moisture, delaying emergence approximately 50% at Minot, Williston, and Hettinger. Phosphorus, K, and fungicide treatment effects were not consistent across locations, but fungicide, priming …

Propagation Of American Hophornbeam (Ostrya Virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch.), Juan Ramon Franco Coronado

Plant Sciences

American Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch) is an underutilized ornamental landscape tree with limited species improvement partially as a result of a lack of a clonal propagation protocol and its slower growth rate as compared to other commercially produced trees such as maple (Acer spp.) and ash (Fraxinus spp.). A recent decline in ash and the potential decline in maple have increased American Hophornbeam's importance. Currently, American Hophornbeam is seed propagated (sexual), with no clonal propagation (asexual) reported within the species. The objective of this research was to reduce the precise germination requirements of seed propagation as well as …

Radiation Hybrid Mapping Of Barley Chromosome 3h, Mona Mazaheri

Plant Sciences

Assembly of the barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) genome requires high resolution maps for aligning contig-based physical maps along chromosomes. Genetic maps lack accurate information on the physical position of almost half of the barley genome located in recombination-poor regions. Radiation hybrid (RH) mapping is an alternative approach, which is based on radiation-induced chromosomal deletions. In this study, an RH population for barley chromosome 3H was developed. Genotyping 373 3H-RH lines with 113 markers resulted in an RH map with an average resolution of 2.22 Kb. Compared to an analogous genetic map, the 3H-RH map resolution was 9.53-X higher, reaching to …

Micropropagation Of The Relict Genus Cercidiphyllum (Cercidiphyllaceae), Craig Henry Carlson

Plant Sciences

Focusing on various aspects of micropropagation with respect to well represented genotypes within Cercidiphyllum, this study is an attempt to broaden the experimental knowledge of the genus. The Tertiary relict Cercidiphyllum (Cercidiphyllaceae) is endemic to Japan and China and consists of two deciduous tree species, common katsura, C. japonicum Sieb. & Zucc. and the hiro-ha-katsura, C. magnificum Nakai. To date, there exists no literature on the in vitro requirements of C. magnificum and limited information on C. japonicum. Prized as specimen trees, the importance of Cercidiphyllum extends beyond its ornamental merit and regarded a multifaceted genetic resource. Subsequent protocols and …

Design And Evaluation Of Polymeric Nanomaterials For In Vitro And In Vivo Imaging Applications, Anil V. Wagh

Pharmacy

One of the most versatile and safe material used in medicine is polymer-based nanomaterials. This dissertation describes the use of several formulations of polymeric nanomaterials for in vitro and in vivo optical imaging applications. In the first phase of this work, the particles assembled from diblock copolymers of poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) and polyethylene glycol were used as a carrier for diagnostic agents. In chapter 2, the polymeric nanoparticles with a large Stokes shift of >100 nm were employed for in vivo imaging. The large Stokes shift was achieved through fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) by encapsulating the donor (1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindodicarbocyanine) and acceptor …

Molecular Characterization And Pathogenicity Of Sunflower Stem Pathogens, Febina Mathew

Plant Pathology

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) production can be limited by several stem diseases. Among these, Phomopsis stem canker causes frequent yield reductions in Australia, Europe and North America. In the U.S., while Diaporthe helianthi was assumed to be the sole causal agent, Diaporthe gulyae was found to cause Phomopsis stem canker in Australia. In order to determine the causal agent in the U.S., 234 isolates were cultured from 275 infected sunflower stems collected from the Northern Great Plains. Phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer region, elongation factor subunit 1-α, and actin gene sequences confirmed two species, D. helianthi and D. …

Association And Bioavailability Of 17Β-Estradiol With Soil And Manure Aqueous Dissolved And Colloidal Fractions, Katrin Bella Chambers

Soil Science

Steroidal estrogens in the environment exert toxicological effects at very low concentrations. Furthermore, dissolved and colloidal fractions of soil and manure play an important role in the environmental fate and transport of steroidal estrogens. One objective of this study was to quantify the association of the natural estrogen, 17β-estradiol (E2), with the dissolved fraction and colloidal fraction isolated from liquid swine manure (LSM), soil, and soil+LSM mixtures. The second objective of this study was to evaluate whether the E2 associated with the dissolved fraction/colloidal fraction, dissolved fraction and colloidal fraction of the various media could induce an estrogenic response. Estrogenicity …

Two Approaches To The Isotonic Change-Point Problem: Nonparametric And Minimax, Karl D'Silva

Statistics

A change in model parameters over time often characterizes major events. Situations in which this may arise include observing increasing temperatures, intense rainfall, and the valuation of a stock. The question is whether these observations are simply the result of natural variation, or rather are indicative of an underlying monotonic trend. This is known as the isotonic change-point problem. Two approaches to this problem are considered: Firstly, for correlated data with short-range dependence, we prove that a particular U-statistic based on a modified version of the Jonckheere-Terpstra test statistic is asymptotically equivalent to a more complex U-statistic discussed by Shen …

Treating Objects Like Women: The Impact Of Terror Management And Objectification On The Perception Of Women's Faces, Christina Roylance

Psychology

According to terror management theory, humans are threatened by the awareness of death and counter this threat by investing in cultural systems that make them feel like they are more than mortal animals. Based on this proposition, it has been argued that women's bodies pose a unique existential threat, as they remind humans of their similarity to other biological organisms. However, no research thus far has examined how death awareness impacts perceptual assessments of women. The current study examined the effect of heightened death-awareness on perceptions of women's faces, utilizing face-morphing techniques that create a range of artificial-to-real faces. Results …

Restoration Of Upland And Riparian Vegetation Communities In The Sheyenne River Valley, Austin Link

Range Science

Degraded rangelands and riparian woodlands in eastern North Dakota are increasing in frequency. Two studies were conducted to address reduced forage quantity and quality and reduced regeneration of riparian tree and shrub species. Research objectives were to (1) analyze multiple pre-seeding treatments to determine impacts on rangeland production of interseeded native species; and (2) determine if fencing, weed-barrier fabric, mowing, or herbicide treatments can increase survivability of riparian tree and shrub seedling plantings. Pre-seeding treatments with herbicide showed significantly higher production of native species than the control. High-fencing/mowing treatment and high-fencing/weed-barrier fabric/herbicide treatment in riparian tree and shrub plantings resulted …

The Impact Of Media On The Morality Of Young Adventist Church People In The Nairobi Central Church, Alex Ambuchi

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Young people in urban areas are especially affected by the liberal trends of the media industry.The media advertises and broadcasts programs that promote immoral behaviors among young people. The Nairobi Central Seventh-day Adventist Church is located in the capital city of Kenya and the negative effects of the media have impacted the youth of this church.

Method

The strategy involved sensitizing Adventist youth concerning the negative impact of the media on morality. A theology of morality and purity was developed and a description of the context for the project conducted. I then used the logical framework and the Gantt …

A Biblical And Theological Strategy For Dealing With Spiritualism In The Zambian Context, Peter Chulu

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Rusangu Secondary School has experienced many incidents in recent years where dorm students were harassed by evil spiritual forces, causing fear and uncertainty among the students.

Method

A systematic study of the Bible, commentaries, books, journals, and articles concerning spiritualism was undertaken. Once theological and historical data on spiritualism was identified, it was utilized for training, equipping, and empowering prayer band members on how to deal with demonic harassment at the school.

Results

The school and church experienced revitalization. Members learned how to utilize a prayer band ministry to pray for the students who were being harassed by evil …

Desarrollo E Implementacion De Una Escuela De Capacitation Laica Para La Union Colombiana Del Sur, Jose Aicardo Arias Quintero

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem. The South Colombian Union (SCU) was established in 2010. Because of its recent organization, the Union does not have a well-organized lay training program, to fulfill its mission. The formation of a lay training school will greatly contribute with the formation of new leaders, as well with the dissemination of the gospel in the region.

Methodology. This research begins with a theological study related to the training of laity for evangelism, followed by a review of current literature on training lay people for ministry. To meet the goal to train lay leaders’ for ministry, the SCU adopted, contextualized, and …

Leadership Strategies In Visioning And Strategic Planning For Members In Ministry In The Hamilton Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Kenneth Manders

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bermuda has over 800 church members and 170 church officers, yet only one ministry has been actively engaged in interfacing with the community. The gospel commission calls us to return to the united ministry given to our first parents, to populate the earth with children of God. It requires ministry to be conducted by all believers without distinction, from the entire world, to the entire world. Pastoral leaders are called to cast this vision and strategically plan how to develop and how to deploy church members into the community, according to their spiritual …

Biomimetic Nanoclay Scaffolds For Bone Tissue Engineering, Avinash Harishchandra Ambre

Materials and Nanotechnology

Tissue engineering offers a significant potential alternative to conventional methods for rectifying tissue defects by evoking natural regeneration process via interactions between cells and 3D porous scaffolds. Imparting adequate mechanical properties to biodegradable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering is an important challenge and extends from molecular to macroscale. This work focuses on the use of sodium montmorillonite (Na-MMT) to design polymer composite scaffolds having enhanced mechanical properties along with multiple interdependent properties. Materials design beginning at the molecular level was used in which Na-MMT clay was modified with three different unnatural amino acids and further characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared …

Flow Accelerated Organic Coating Degradation, Qixin Zhou

Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Applying organic coatings is a common and the most cost effective way to protect metallic objects and structures from corrosion. Water entry into coating-metal interface is usually the main cause for the deterioration of organic coatings, which leads to coating delamination and underfilm corrosion. Recently, flowing fluids over sample surface have received attention due to their capability to accelerate material degradation. A plethora of works has focused on the flow induced metal corrosion, while few studies have investigated the flow accelerated organic coating degradation. Flowing fluids above coating surface affect corrosion by enhancing the water transport and abrading the surface …

A Recofigurable Tri-Band Interconnect For Future Network-On-Chip, Alexander Todd Dilello

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The scaling of CMOS feature sizes has yielded the capability of integrating heterogeneous intellectual properties (IPs) like graphics processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs) and central processing units (CPUs) on a single die. The collection of multiple IPs on a single die presents a problem of reliable communication due to congestion. The infrastructure that facilitates and manages communication among IPs is referred to as a network-on-chip (NoC). Its ultimate goal should be low latency with negligible power and area consumption. Unfortunately, as CMOS feature sizes have been scaling smaller, this has exacerbated latency and signal degradation due to increasing …

January 2014 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Architecture And The Body: Integrating Fitness In The Modern Urban Center, Calvin Morey

Architecture Theses

History reveals the human body in a way that differs greatly from today’s understanding. Through the artefacts of ancient architectural constructs, art, and literature we can see that the body was once articulated as an integral part to the world as a body of perception. It was and still is the case that through our bodies we are able to sensually touch and translate the world into thought, imagination and dreams. Our environments and their ability to shape our movements through them have an immense impact on how we come in contact with one another, perceive ourselves, and engage our …

Metamaterial-Inspired Reconfigurable Series-Fed Arrays, Bilal Ijaz

Electrical and Computer Engineering

One of the biggest challenges in modern day wireless communication systems is to attain agility and provide more degrees of freedom in parameters such as frequency, radiation pattern and polarization. Existing phased array antenna technology has limitations in frequency bandwidth and scan angle. So it is important to design frequency reconfigurable antenna arrays which can provide two different frequency bandwidths with a broadside radiation pattern having a lower sidelobe and reduced frequency scanning. The reconfigurable antenna array inspired by the properties of metamaterials presented here provides a solution to attain frequency agility in a wireless communication system. The adaptive change …

Formation And Lifespans Of Emergent Recovery Groups In Post-Katrina New Orleans, Samantha Lea Montano

Emergency Management

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, numerous groups emerged to address recovery related needs in Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes. The phenomenon of emergent groups is widely noted in the disaster literature, but there has been little empirical research focusing on these groups. And, the existing literature discusses emergent groups primarily in the context of response. This study sought to explore the factors related to formation of emergent recovery groups (ERGs) and allow ERGs to have an extended lifespan. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews with founders of twenty ERGs that formed to work in Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes. It …

Age And Gender Differences In Decision-Making Style Profiles, Rebecca K. Delaney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current study examined Scott and Bruce's (1995) five decision-making styles (i.e. rational, intuitive, spontaneous, dependent, and avoidant) to assess potential combinations of styles using cluster analysis. The sample comprised 1,075 members from RAND's American Life Panel (56.2% female, 18-93 years, Mage = 53.49). Data was collected from a larger survey that members completed on a monthly basis. Findings yielded a three-cluster model which included: affective/experiential, dependent, and independent/self-controlled decision-making style profiles. These profiles were significantly differentiated by age and gender. Older age and being female was associated with being more likely to be in the independent/self-controlled decision-making style profile …

Urban Advocate : Fargo City Hall Renovation And Addition, Matthew Fremstad

Architecture Theses

This thesis, Urban advocate, presents a proposed addition and renovation to Fargo’s current city hall. In Fargo, North Dakota, population growth has forced city leaders to consider their options on the undersized city hall. This project investigates the typology of the city hall, public spaces, sustainable architecture, and office space required for the various departments within the city. The significance of this project comes with the examination of the inherent prominence of a city hall, and the implications of the design on the community. The design attempts to be all inclusive in that it not only looks towards the past …

Catalytic Converter : Facilitating Change In The Places That Need It Most, Dane Andersen

Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates the question, how can struggling American cities be rejuvenated in the rapidly evolving context of the twenty-first century? The typology explored is a community design center. The site for this project is Detroit, Michigan, USA. The theoretical premise that guides the research is, Architecture can serve as a catalyst for change in cities suffering from the effects of deindustrialization and depopulation.

The Nature Of Happiness, Alexander Carlson

Architecture Theses

Designed as a 384,300 SF urban mixed-use community Node and placed in Minneapolis, MN this thesis attempts to show how architectural design may respond to the overwhelming pollution, poor quality of life and mass urban sprawl produced by today’s urban environment? Nature has given us the basic building blocks to create more harmonious environments for ourselves. If we apply what we observe from nature into our own urban environments we have an opportunity to reduce urban sprawl, reduce stress on infrastructure, reduce overall pollution, and increase the quality of life for ourselves and our community.

Investigation Of Chemical And Physical Properties Of Carbon Nanotubes And Their Effects On Cell Biomechanics, Chenbo Dong

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are used for a variety of applications from nanocircuits, to hydrogen storage devices, and from designing optical fibers to forming conductive plastics. Recently, their functionalization with biomolecules led to exciting biological and biomedical applications in drug delivery or bioimaging. However, because of CNTs interactions with biological systems and their ability to translocate and persist into the circulatory and lymphatic systems and biological tissues, concerns about CNTs intrinsic toxicity have risen. It is thus necessary to develop and implement sensitive analysis technologies that allow investigation of CNTs toxicity upon uptake into a biological system.;This thesis provides a comprehensive …

Application Of Nano Fluids In Changing Reservoir Rock And Fluid Properties For Enhanced Oil Recovery, Mohammad Ehtemam Haghighi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In conventional oil reservoirs after drilling a well, the hydrocarbon starts to produce by the natural force of the reservoir. After a period of production the reservoir energy declines and the secondary recovery methods are used to keep the production rate constant. The most common secondary method is water flooding in which by injecting water into the reservoir, trapped oil is pushed toward the producing wells. Water flooding is not a long term method for producing oil and as soon as the water finds its path to the producers, water cut goes up and injection is not economical anymore. Therefore …

The Many Texts Of The Law, Michael Davis, Dana Neacsu

Law Faculty Publications

This paper contends that even as jurists invoke the official canonic version of the legal text, it is in danger of being replaced for the jurist, as well as for the lay person, if it has not been substituted already, by some apocryphal, inauthentic or casual text. We argue that in addition to the approximate nature of legal knowledge, the overuse of overedited and perverted casebooks, as well as the distribution of legal information among imperfect sources – some official but partial, others inauthentic but highly accessible, and a few reliable but highly unaffordable commercial sources – are largely responsible …

Annotated Legal Bibliography On Gender

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.