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Investigating Within-Canopy Variation Of Functional Traits And Cellular Structure Of Sugar Maple (Acer Saccharum) Leaves, Adam P. Coble

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Patterns of increasing leaf mass per area (LMA), area-based leaf nitrogen (N_area), and carbon isotope composition (δ13C) with increasing height in the canopy have been attributed to light gradients or hydraulic limitation in tall trees. Theoretical optimal distributions of LMA and N_area that scale with light maximize canopy photosynthesis; however, sub-optimal distributions are often observed due to hydraulic constraints on leaf development. Using observational, experimental, and modeling approaches, we investigated the response of leaf functional traits (LMA, density, thickness, and leaf nitrogen), leaf carbon isotope composition (δ13C), and cellular structure to light availability, height, and leaf water …

Design And Development Of Bodipy-Based Fluorescent Probes For Sensing And Imaging Of Cyanide, Zn (Ii) Ions, Lysosomal Ph And Cancer Cells, Jingtuo Zhang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

BODIPY (4,4-Difluoro-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene) dyes have gained lots of attention in application of fluorescence sensing and imaging in recent years because they possess many distinctive and desirable properties such as high extinction coefficient, narrow absorption and emission bands, high quantum yield and low photobleaching effect. However, most of BODIPY-based fluorescent probes have very poor solubilities in aqueous solution, emit less than 650 nm fluorescence that can cause cell and tissue photodamages compared with bio-desirable near infrared (650-900 nm) light. These undesirable properties extremely limit the applications of BODIPY-based fluorescent probes in sensing and imaging applications. In order to overcome these drawbacks, we …

Writing A Community Guidebook For Evaluating Low-Grade Geothermal Energy From Flooded Underground Mines For Heating And Cooling Buildings, Edward Peace Louie

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

When underground mines close they often fill with water from ground and surface sources; each mine can contain millions to billions of gallons of water. This water, heated by the Earth’s geothermal energy, reaches temperatures ideal for heat pumps. The sheer scale of these flooded underground mines presents a unique opportunity for large scale geothermal heat pump setups which would not be as economically, socially, and environmentally feasible anywhere else. A literature search revealed approximately 30 instances of flooded underground mines being used to heat and cool buildings worldwide. With thousands of closed/abandoned underground mines in the U.S. and a …

Criteria For Sustainable Product Design With 3d Printing In The Developing World, Benjamin L. Savonen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The demand for consumer goods in the developing world continues to rise as populations and economies grow. As designers, manufacturers, and consumers look for ways to address this growing demand, many are considering the possibilities of 3D printing. Due to 3D printing’s flexibility and relative mobility, it is speculated that 3D printing could help to meet the growing demands of the developing world. While the merits and challenges of distributed manufacturing with 3D printing have been presented, little work has been done to determine the types of products that would be appropriate for such manufacturing.

Inspired by the author’s two …

A Naturalistic Computational Model Of Human Behavior In Navigation And Search Tasks, Brandon S. Perelman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Planning, navigation, and search are fundamental human cognitive abilities central to spatial problem solving in search and rescue, law enforcement, and military operations. Despite a wealth of literature concerning naturalistic spatial problem solving in animals, literature on naturalistic spatial problem solving in humans is comparatively lacking and generally conducted by separate camps among which there is little crosstalk. Addressing this deficiency will allow us to predict spatial decision making in operational environments, and understand the factors leading to those decisions. The present dissertation is comprised of two related efforts, (1) a set of empirical research studies intended to identify characteristics …

Translocation And Telemetry Tracking Of Lake Sturgeon In The Menominee River, Mi / Wi, Jeremy G. Olach

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The Menominee River is a Michigan-Wisconsin boundary water historically traversed by lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), but now contains fragmented populations between hydroelectric dams. Though fish passage is currently being implemented on the lower dams, it is unclear whether sturgeon given access to historic spawning grounds would use them. In 2012 and 2013, a total of 15 pre-spawning sturgeon were captured, implanted with sonic transmitters and translocated upstream over two hydroelectric dams to the stretch below the historic spawning site of Sturgeon Falls. Sturgeon were then tracked via five stationary receivers from April 2012 until August 2013, and with …

The Fanned Flames Of Discontent: A Solidarity-Inspired History Of The Identity/Ideology, Cultural History, And Rhetorical Strategies Of The Wobblies During The 1916 Minnesota Iron Ore Strike, Gary Kaunonen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Rooted in critical scholarship this dissertation is an interdisciplinary study, which contends that having a history is a basic human right. Advocating a newly conceived and termed, Solidarity-inspired History framework/practice perspective, the dissertation argues for and then delivers a restorative voice to working-class historical actors during the 1916 Minnesota Iron Ore Strike. Utilizing an interdisciplinary methodological framework the dissertation combines research methods from the Humanities and the Social Sciences to form a working-class history that is a corrective to standardized studies of labor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Oftentimes class interests and power relationships determine the dominant …

Mechanical Impedance Of Ankle As A Function Of Electromyography Signals Of Lower Leg Muscles Using Artificial Neural Network, Chen Jia

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This paper reports on the feasibility of developing a model to describe the nonlinear relationship between the mechanical impedance of the human ankle within a specified range of frequency and the root mean square (RMS) value of the Electromyography (EMG) signals of the muscles of human ankle using Artificial Neural Network (ANN). A lower extremity rehabilitation robot — Anklebot was used to apply pseudo-random mechanical perturbations to the ankle and measure the angular displacement of the ankle to estimate the data of ankle mechanical impedance. Meanwhile, the surface EMG signals from the selected muscles were monitored and recorded using a …

Biogeochemical Cycling In Lake Superior Tributaries: Seasonality, Quantity And Quality Of Export, Ashley Anne Coble

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Seasonal and spatial variability in environmental factors may affect dissolved organic matter composition and nutrient transformation and retention in streams. The objective of this research was to quantify and describe seasonality, quantity, and quality of nutrient processing and export of ammonium (NH₄), soluble reactive phosphate (SRP), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) into Lake Superior through intensive study in a small 1st order watershed coupled with snapshot measurements across 12 tributaries that varied in size, location, and wetland coverage. Our results suggest biodegradable C is exported from a small headwater stream year-round and that DOC mineralization rates can be …

Stabilization Of Iron Mine Tailings Through Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation, Noah D. Buikema

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Mine tailings are deposited into large-scale impoundments. Seasonal temperature fluctuations destabilize particles on the impoundment surface. Wind-induced shear stresses on the destabilized particles can in turn result in suspension of micron-sized particles into the atmosphere, creating dust storms that pose hazards to humans and the environment. Thus, efficient and sustainable methods of dust abatement are needed. One novel method for controlling dust emissions is biomodification. For example, Sporosarcina pasteurii can promote biocalcification in soil via ureolysis. However, application of this method to fined grained materials, such as mine tailings, is challenging. The goal of this work was to perform a …

The Use Of Jatropha Curcas To Achieve A Self Sufficient Water Distribution System: A Case Study In Rural Senegal, Alexandra Archer

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The use of Jatropha curcas as a source of oil for fueling water pumps holds promise for rural communities struggling to achieve water security in arid climates. The potential for use in developing communities as an affordable, sustainable fuel source has been highly recommended for many reasons: it is easily propagated, drought resistant, grows rapidly, and has high-oil-content seeds, as well as medicinal and economic potential. This study uses a rural community in Senegal, West Africa, and calculates at what level of Jatropha curcas production the village is able to be self-sufficient in fueling their water system to meet drinking, …

On The Protective Properties Of Glycine Based Osmolytes In A Thiol Reducing Environment, John Michael Hausman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The protective properties of osmolytes have been studied intently for decades. Originally used to aid in the crystallization of proteins in x-ray diffraction studies, these cosolvents have been shown to reverse protein denaturation and aggregation. Osmolytes aid extremophiles in surviving harsh environments by preferentially excluding themselves from the surface of the protein, thus directing water molecules to the protein’s surface. These osmolytes are naturally found in many health foods and also in many daily use products such as shampoo. Due to their osmoprotective effect their use in everyday consumer product is increasing. Consumers also supplement their diets with thiol-based antioxidants …

Application Of Hydrodynamic Models In Simulating The Thermal Regime Of Lake Superior, Rasika K. Gawde

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In large systems, such as the Great Lakes and coastal oceans, physical processes have a significant influence on chemical and biological phenomena. Hydrodynamic modeling assists in describing these physical characteristics and in recent years, these models have been extensively applied in the Great Lakes basin to study the response of the lake ecosystem to long-term meteorological forcing conditions.

Due to its role in mediating physical, biological and chemical processes in lake environments, water temperature (and the attendant thermal regime) has been the parameter of interest in many of these mathematical modeling studies and was adopted as the primary metric for …

Ontogeny Of Feeding-Ecological Morphology In The Sympatric Sunfishes, Lepomis Macrochirus And Lepomis Microlophus, Nathaniel Zbasnik

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• Sympatric species maintain divergent food habits (feeding ecology) in order to release each other from competing for limited food resources (1, 2).
• Two congeners coexist in North American lakes: suction-feeding bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus feeds primarily on soft, elusive, and planktonic prey whereas durophagous redear, Lepomis microlophus eats hard-shelled invertebrates such as clams (1, 2).
• Is ecological divergence consistent with functional or biomechanical divergence in these sympatric fishes?
• This study compares growth trajectories of feeding biomechanics that underlie feeding performance in sympatric Florida sunfishes with the dietary prey items.

Evaluating The Effects Of Kin Recognition Under Controlled Conditions, Shukun Yang

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Roots are the primary route for water and nutrient uptake in plants. Neighboring plants compete for these nutrients and adjust their root system architecture (RSA) and total body plan accordingly. The degree to which the RSA is modified depends on the identity of these competitors. Many plants are capable of ‘kin recognition’ (KR), i.e. the ability to distinguish genetic relatedness among conspecifics1. These studies have established that KR induces obvious phenotypic changes to the RSA2. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms associated with the KR response. Our lab is attempting to identify the metabolomic, proteomic, and genomic elements associated …

Disparate Thermal Sensitivity Of Predator And Prey Confounds The Effects Of Temperature On The Feeding Performance Of Invasive Lionfish, Pterois Volitans, Louis Penrod

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

• With increasing environmental temperature due to global warming, poleward movement of marine species has been recorded.
• Environmental temperature affects physiological systems in fishes and physical properties of water that influence movement and feeding performance of fishes.
• Consequently, invasive species extend their negative impacts spreading diseases, competing with native species, and disturbing economies.

Cellular Organization Of The Brain In Ramphotyphlops Braminus, Kathryn Gallman

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

The Brahminy blind snake, Ramphotyphlops braminus, is an ancestral, subterranean species. It is well studied as a triploid, all female, parthenogenic species, but essentially nothing is known about its eyes and brain. A brain atlas for snakes in general is nonexistent. Therefore, identification of this minute organism’s brain and eye architecture was the first step toward investigating the neural pathways related to photoreceptive mechanisms retained in the subcutaneous eyes.

Dense Populations Of Benthopelagic Hydromedusae Found In Deep Water Off Anvers Island, Western Antarctic Peninsula, Michelle E. Deal

Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Student Publications

Scant data are available on the abundance and distribution of benthopelagic hydromedusae in Antarctic waters. A photographic survey of the sea floor off Anvers Island, western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) was conducted during November–December 2013. Our survey encompassed the slope and shelf environment from approximately 400–2050 m depth within a 100 km by a 100 km study area. I describe the distribution and abundance of dense populations of hydromedusae in the deep water off the WAP. The data provide a record of two hydromedusae genera present in a largely unstudied region of the world.

Evaluation Of Inhibitors Of Histone Deacetylases As Potential Neurotrophic Agents, Surabhi Shukla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The inhibitors of histone deacetylases (HDACs) have shown promising neuroprotective and neuroactive properties. A set of pan- and isoform-specific HDAC inhibitors were evaluated for neurotrophic activity on Neuroscreen-1 (NS-1) cells, a subclone of PC-12 (rat pheochromocytoma) cells.

The HDAC inhibitors were tested alone and in combination with nerve growth factor (NGF). An in vitro method has been standardized that measures neurite outgrowth along with cytotoxicity of test compounds in a single assay. The neurotrophin signaling pathways were interrogated with selective inhibitors of MEK1/2 (PD98059/U0126) PI3K (LY294002) and TrkA (GW441756) and phosphorylation of target kinases. Associated factors namely, acetylation of histones …

Oviposition Site Selection By Mosquitoes: Predator-Released Kairomones And Responses To Different Taxa, Lauren Larea Eveland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oviposition site selection is a critical reproductive behavior for egg-laying organisms that offer little to no parental care. Determining the mechanisms females use to assess sites is critical to understanding life history traits, community structure, and species interactions. Mosquitoes are excellent model organisms for studying oviposition site selection for numerous reasons: 1) a poor decision can lead to zero reproductive success, 2) females actively assess and choose among habitat patches when locating an oviposition site, 3) larvae remain in the habitat where they hatch until they metamorphose, and 4) they lay conspicuous egg rafts that allow direct assessment of oviposition. …

Alumni Of The Arts Are Often Happier Than Most, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Positive News For Lgbt People In Science Fields, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Higher Education Distortions Enter Into Debates, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Confronting Totalitarianism At Home: The Roots Of European Privacy Protections, Hannah Bloch-Wehba

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Facial Attractiveness And Babyfaceness On Actors' Memorability, April Marie Burns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While researchers suggest that people displaying emotional expressions are memorable because of meanings associated with the expressions, the current study explored whether other facial characteristics, such as attractiveness and babyfaceness, how much an adult's face resembles a baby's, influence memorability as well. Introductory psychology students (150 female, 53 male) participated in an incidental memory task in which they attempted to recognize actors they had previously seen displaying emotional expressions who varied in both emotional attractiveness, how attractive actors appear due to changes in facial features associated with displaying emotional expressions, and emotional babyfaceness, how babyfaced actors appear due to changes …

Adaptive Movements And Thermoregulation In Big-Eared Bats, Cody Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are a variety of (non-exclusive) reasons to explain the presence of group-living, but clustering or huddling is especially important for small endotherms with high surface-area-to-volume ratios. Clustering is interesting because variations within clustering are seldom investigated despite anecdotal evidence that bat clustering varies widely. I studied a colony of Rafinesque's big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) to learn more about clustering behavior using infrared video. I predicted that temperature would be the primary driver of how and when bats cluster while roosting. The actual relationship was not as predicted by an energetic model. High density clusters of bats were comacross a …

A Solitary Fibrous Tumor Of The Upper Limb, Bisher N. Al-Shanawani, Mohammad M. Al-Qattan, Maha M. Arafah, Muhammed I. Al-Motairi

Saudi Medical Journal

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFT) of the upper limb are extremely rare, and we report this tumor in the arm of a 30-year-old male. He is presented with a 22 cm painless mass. Complete surgical excision was performed. The histological diagnosis of SFT was based on the presence of ectatic blood vessels and positive staining for CD34 and vimentin. He remains disease-free at the 3-year follow-up interval. The report aims to increase the awareness of the criteria for the histological diagnosis of SFT, as well as the principles of their surgical excision and follow-up.

Back Matter, North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

An Attentional Effect Of Musical Metrical Structure, Jonah Katz

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Theories of metrical structure postulate the existence of several degrees of beat strength. While previous work has clearly established that humans are sensitive to the distinction between strong beats and weak ones, there is little evidence for a more fine grained distinction between intermediate levels. Here, we present experimental data showing that attention can be allocated to an intermediate level of beat strength. Comparing the effects of short exposures to 6/8 and 3/4 metrical structures on a tone detection task, we observe that subjects respond differently to beats of intermediate strength than to weak beats.

Initial Plant Growth In Sand Mine Spoil Amended With Organic Materials, Todd A. Aschenbach, Mitchell Poling

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

Sand dunes in the Great Lakes Basin are ecologically and economically important. One economic value of sand dunes is sand mining. However, sand mining activities reduce soil quality which represents an impediment to reclamation efforts. Soil quality improvements followed by revegetation may be necessary for successful reclamation. This study evaluates the germination and initial growth of two legume species, wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) and Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illinoensis), and two warm-season grass species, Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), in the presence of three soil amendments (coco peat, municipal …