Digital Commons Network^™

Optimized Production And Evaluation Of Cellulose Nanocrystals Derived From Pre-Extracted Kraft Pulp Of Different Wood Species, Gurshagan Kandhola

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Production of nanocellulose from a variety of naturally abundant, locally available and industrially significant wood species provides an opportunity for diversifying the portfolio of traditional pulp and paper industries. The U.S. has a prolific forest products industry with a well-established infrastructure that could be utilized for optimized and customized production of cellulose nanomaterials. However, to achieve that, it is important to a) understand how biorefining strategies for complete fractionation of biomass affect the downstream processing of pulp into nanocellulose, b) maximize the yields of cellulose nanocrystals and nanofibers (CNCs and CNFs) from pretreated raw materials, and c) evaluate if the …

Cover Crops As An Integrated Approach For Pest Suppression And Pollinator Promotion In Arkansas Watermelon Production Systems, Paige Laurel Hickman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Arkansas watermelon growers face a variety of insect pest and disease problems that have the potential to threaten yield. Integrated pest management tactics can provide control over these threats and are intended to cut down on pesticide use and its associated negative impacts like pesticide resistance, non-target effects, and runoff. Cover crops provide an array of benefits and can be useful in integrated pest management. Evidence has shown that certain cover crops can increase beneficial insects and suppress disease in the following cash crop. They can also provide important resources to pollinators. In order to build a better understanding of …

Chasing The Genetics Of Ascites In Broilers Using Whole Genome Resequencing, Alia Parveen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We are using whole genome resequencing to identify chromosomal regions associated with resistance or susceptibility to ascites, a form of pulmonary hypertension syndrome, meat-type chickens. Previous Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) based on Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) have identified regions on chromosomes 2, 9 and Z. Despite several GWAS and further genotyping, there are no reliable or potential markers for ascites phenotype. We have completed screening of Copy Number Variations (CNVs) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in ascites resistant and susceptible birds from the relaxed, REL, line derived from a commercial elite broiler line. DNA samples from resistant and susceptible birds …

The Feedback-Related Negativity Is A Time-Dependent Brain Mechanism That Facilitates Aversive Learning: Implications For The Reinforcement Learning Frn Hypothesis, Eric Rawls

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organisms encode rewarding and aversive experiences through reinforcement learning, capitalizing on prediction errors (PEs), which adapt action strategies over time. Computational theories are explicit that PE signals should update action weights continuously over the course of a behavioral task, an important time-dependent variation that is eschewed in traditional neuroscience studies that average over large numbers of trials. I examined variation in reaction times and feedback-locked cortical activity over time as a function of PE to critically examine theories indicating that PE signals drive time-dependent learning. We recorded EEG while participants completed a novel reinforcement task that varied prediction error on …

Interfacial Contact With Noble Metal - Noble Metal And Noble Metal - 2d Semiconductor Nanostructures Enhance Optical Activity, Ricardo Raphael Lopez Romo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Noble metal nanoparticles and two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) crystals offer unique optical and electronic properties that include strong exciton binding, spin-orbital coupling, and localized surface plasmon resonance. Controlling these properties at high spatiotemporal resolution can support emerging optoelectronic coupling and enhanced optical features. Excitation dynamics of these optical properties on physicochemically bonded mono- and few-layer TMD crystals with metal nanocrystals and two overlapping spherical metal nanocrystals were examined by concurrently (i) DDA simulations and (ii) far-field optical transmission UV-vis spectroscopic measurements. Initially, a novel and scalable method to unsettle van der Waals bonds in bulk TMDs to prepare …

Mitigating Herbicide Impacts To Soybean, Grant Lawson Priess

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rapidity in evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds and the resulting cost to U.S. farmers demonstrate the need to responsibly steward the limited number of herbicides available in agricultural systems. To reduce weed emergence and likewise added selection pressures placed on herbicides, early-season crop canopy formation has been promoted. However, impacts to soybean following a potentially injurious herbicide application have not been thoroughly evaluated. Therefore, field experiments were conducted to determine whether: 1) soybean injury from metribuzin or flumioxazin delayed canopy formation or changed the incidence of pathogen colonization; 2) residual herbicides applied preplant reduced the potential for soybean injury and …

A Phase 1 Study Of Intravenous Busulfan As A Conditioning Regimen For Multiple Myeloma, Sabarinath V. Radhakrishnan, Michael Boyer, Catherine M. Sherwin, Maurizio Zangari, Guido Tricot

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The efficacy of melphalan (MEL) 140 mg/m 2 pre-transplant conditioning versus MEL 200 mg/m 2 for the elderly is still debated. We hypothesized that single-agent intravenous busulfan (BU) would show significant anti-myeloma efficacy and be better tolerated by elderly patients. A prospective 3+3 dose escalation study enrolled symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) patients 65 years or older with SWOG performance 0–2 for treatment with intravenous BU pre-transplant at different administration levels. The primary objective was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of BU that could be safely given over the least number of days. All patients, except one, received maintenance …

Anxiety Symptoms As A Predictor Of Head And Neck Cancer Survival And Potential For Mediation By Cancer Treatment Response., Tyler D. Pollitt

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

BACKGROUND:

Head and neck cancers (HNC) are associated with high rates of depression, which seems to affect overall survival. However, little attention has been paid to the effects of anxiety on overall survival, though anxiety has been shown to activate inflammatory pathways implicated in cancer symptom development and progression. Here it was hypothesized that higher pre-treatment anxiety levels in HNC patients would predict poorer overall two-year survival and a higher likelihood of subsequent HNC treatment failure. Additionally, we expected that the relationship between higher pre-treatment anxiety and poorer two-year overall survival would be mediated by treatment failure.

METHODS:

Patients (n …

Flying Under The Radar: Two Decades Of Dna Testing At Ircc, Ida Ngueng Feze, Gabriel Marrocco, Miriam Pinkesz, Jacqueline Lacey, Yann Joly

Canadian Journal of Law and Technology

Since the early 1990s, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (formerly Citizenship and Immigration Canada) began using DNA testing technology in the processing of family reunification applications. Over the years, Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and family members living abroad have been increasingly suggested, or required to undergo DNA testing to either facilitate or enable them to reunite in Canada, under the family reunification procedure. This practice, although said to be rare, has since grown in popularity, and is used more extensively for applications coming from certain regions, including Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Through analysis of recent case law, this paper …

Development, Evaluation, And Application Of Chromatographic Resolution Enhancement Strategies, Garrett Hellinghausen

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations - Archive

With the emergence of advanced separation technologies, like high-efficiency stationary phases bonded with superficially porous particles, or sub-2 μm fully porous particles, faster and more effective methodologies are possible for liquid chromatographic analyses. Such advanced approaches can be easily applied to achiral separations but require more extensive optimization for chiral separations. Chiral molecules are subjected to extensive characterization of their enantiomeric pharmacological properties due to requirements of the Food and Drug Administration. Herein, fundamental chiral method development strategies are thoroughly discussed for hundreds of small molecules using conventional and newly synthesized chiral selectors bonded to high-efficiency supports. In these strategies …

Evidence For Trait-Based Community Assembly Patterns In Hardwood Hammock Forests, Suresh C. Subedi, J. Aaron Hogan, Michael S. Ross, Jay P. Sah, Christopher Baraloto

Faculty Publications - Biological Sciences

The hardwood forests of south Florida, commonly referred to as hammocks, persist as well-drained patches of broadleaf forest, embedded in a matrix of brackish water swamp, freshwater marsh, or pineland. Little is known about the patterns of community assembly of these subtropical forest communities in the landscape mosaic of south Florida. We used a functional trait approach to understand the composition of these communities and their responses to environmental variation across four areas of south Florida: the pine rocklands and freshwater marshes in Everglades National Park, and the lower and upper Florida Keys, where the hammocks are surrounded by halophytic …

Release Of Captive-Raised Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis) To Test The Success Of A Chytrid Vaccine And New Cage Design, Megan C. Kocher

Biology Theses

Researchers and managers commonly apply captive-raising and reintroductions of animals to offset losses due to worldwide amphibian declines. Recent declines in the Eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) have resulted in several reintroductions that have had little success. There is evidence that chytridiomycosis (chytrid), a disease caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), may negatively affect hellbenders post-release. Further, excessive post-release movement may result in movement away from suitable habitat and increased risk of predation which can have negative effects on the survival of released hellbenders. Caging captive-raised animals can be effective for limiting excessive post-release movement. …

Movements And Behaviors Of Resident And Translocated Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys Geographica) In The Upper Niagara River With Artificial Basking/Nesting Platforms As A Management Strategy, Chelsea L. Moore

Biology Theses

Urbanization and degradation of riparian zones has contributed to the decline of fish and wildlife populations throughout the world. Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica) in the upper Niagara River face similar declines due to shoreline development and the concurrent loss of backwater habitats and terrestrial nesting sites. A project was initiated in which basking/nesting platforms were created, and Northern Map Turtles from a Lake Erie population were translocated into the river. Resident and translocated turtles were tracked using biotelemetry and their habitat use, behaviors, and swimming paths were compared. Translocated turtles exhibited homing behavior and had longer home …

Integration Of Inboard Propulsion In Shock Mitigating Membrane Hull Technology, Korrey Rotkiske

Theses and Dissertations

Membrane Hull Technology is a strength based marine vessel design concept that seeks to utilize the in-plane properties of fiber reinforced composites to generate a lighter weight vessel with inherent shock mitigation benefits. MHT has been applied on several Naval crafts yet the design features of inboard propulsion systems have not been addressed. Inboard propulsion systems are a very common form of propulsion used in many types of marine vessels especially larger vessels. This thesis seeks to overcome the inboard engine mounting challenges of MHT which limits use of this technology in the marine industry. The fundamental design elements of …

Effects Of Different Water And Nitrogen Regimens On Yield Of Winter Wheat Produced In Nebraska, Joseph Emory Davis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Wheat is the 3rd most prominent crop in the United States and approximately 50% is exported annually. Nebraska wheat production is 11^th in the country, and it plays a major role in the state's agricultural economy, especially in western Nebraska. Generally, wheat is grown under dryland conditions and the region grows much more wheat on unirrigated land than it does on irrigated. However, deficit irrigation has shown great value in producing high yielding wheat with much less water than needed for other crops. Finding new ways to leverage irrigation in wheat production may help address the need to produce …

A Survey Of Soil Properties Affecting Vegetation Establishment Along Nebraska Highways, Shad D. Mills

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Vegetation along roadsides is important to prevent soil erosion, provide habitat and filter water running off the road. Along some highways in Nebraska vegetation does not readily establish and persist. It is thought that sodium and bulk density issues are the driving factor behind the lack of vegetation. After a construction project, the shoulder is seeded into the compacted soil, and salts can accumulate in the soil due to deicing agents being used during the winter. The purpose of our study was to determine if the bulk density and sodium are the driving factors of the vegetation cover. We also …

Use Of Uav Imagery And Nutrient Analyses For Estimation Of The Spatial And Temporal Contributions Of Cattle Dung To Nutrient Cycling In Grazed Ecosystems, Amanda E. Shine

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nutrient inputs from cattle dung are crucial drivers of nutrient cycling processes in grazed ecosystems. These inputs are important both spatially and temporally and are affected by variables such as grazing strategy, water location, and the nutritional profile of forage being grazed. Past research has attempted to map dung deposition patterns in order to more accurately estimate nutrient input, but the large spatial extent of a typical pasture and the tedious nature of identifying and mapping individual dung pats has prohibited the development of a time- and cost-effective methodology. The first objective of this research was to develop and validate …

What Genetic Testing Teaches About Predictive Health Analytics Regulation, Sharona Hoffman

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

"Be My Baby": A Surrogacy Law Proposal For North Carolina, Katherine C. Richardson

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Sex Differences In Pre-Clinical And Clinical Data Sets, Adriene M. Beltz, Annaliese K. Beery, Jill B. Becker

Neuroscience: Faculty Publications

As more studies begin to address the role of sex as a biological variable (SABV), it has become increasingly important to understand how to collect and analyze the data so that the presence or absence of sex differences can be assessed. This has led to some concerns about how to conduct statistical analyses. In this brief commentary we do not attempt to review the field of sex differences, but provide a conceptual guide to the statistical analysis of sex differences in research with both animal and human subjects.

Blood Glucose Predictor, Jessica Patterson

Electrical Engineering

For my senior project, I perform data analysis using statistical methods to determine body metrics that correlate with blood glucose levels. Working with Dr. Tina Smilkstein, I take repeat measurements from 6 different volunteers to establish trends in bodily metric data. The data taken includes weight, body fat, pulse rate, VO2, blood glucose, blood pressure, hours slept, and quality of sleep. Using these values, I use the program MiniTab to view results.

A few examples of correlations with blood glucose found in this project are:

• Systolic blood pressure for females had a regression line of 124.0 -0.3366*Blood Pressure. This indicates …

Effects Of A Double Mutation In The Heparin Binding Pocket On Hfgf-1, Vanessa Weidling

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The human acidic fibroblast growth factor (hFGF-1) is a protein that plays an important role in many body processes such as angiogenesis and tissue repair. As such, it has great potential for therapeutic application. However, hFGF-1 is relatively unstable in the body with a significant fraction being denatured at body temperature and pH. It contains a group of positively charged amino acids in close proximity that create an electrostatic strain on the molecule and can lead to denaturation and increased susceptibility to enzymatic digestion. Upon its release from the cell, hFGF-1 binds to the glycosaminoglycan heparin in the extracellular matrix. …

Statewide Survey Of Boat-Based Recreational Fishing In Western Australia 2017/18, K. L. Ryan, N.G. Hall, E.K. Lai, Claire B. Smallwood, Alissa Tate, S.M Taylor, Brent S. Wise

Fisheries Research Reports

The statewide survey of boat-based recreational fishing includes three components: (i) off-site Phone Surveys (encompassing an initial Screening Survey, a longitudinal Phone-Diary Survey, and Post-Enumeration Surveys); (ii) on-site Boat Ramp Surveys; and (iii) Remote Camera Surveys. The main data collection period was the 12-months from September 2017 to August 2018 inclusive, with the Post-Enumeration Surveys occurring from September to December 2018.

Mammal Species Inventory Using Various Trapping Methods In Zone 4 Of Billy Barquedier National Park, Belize During Rainy Season, Mersady Redding

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Belize is a small country, but it is extremely ecologically diverse. Based on the few studies conducted in Belize, the abundance of mammals is low but diversity is high. Particular findings note the number and identity of species differed between four sites in the Maya Mountains of Belize, indicating that a data set from a single site is not representative of the Neotropical region. Insufficient data is available to estimate current species richness of many areas in Belize, including Billy Barquedier National Park (BBNP). The objective of this study was to explore trapping and documentation methods of terrestrial mammals in …

Mise En Scene And The Decisive Moment Of Visual Legal Rhetoric, Michael D. Murray

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

This article explores the attorney author's understanding and implementation of principles that define how visual rhetorical works fulfill the task of effective visual communication and advocacy. These principles-referred to as mise en scene-will guide the attorney in the identification or creation of works that will exhibit the "decisive moment" of effective visual rhetoric in legal contexts. In equal measure, knowledge and understanding of these principles will enable lawyers to design and use effective visuals, and to challenge or respond to the visual rhetorical works proffered by their opponents.

Communicating Death To Potential Military Recruits: A Terror Management Theory Approach, Amanda M. Augustine

Communication Theses - Archive

Efforts to encourage more citizens to join the military is a prominent duty within a military organization. In order to maintain force strength, military recruiters and marketing teams need to persuade the population to join. This study used Terror Management Theory (TMT) and the relationship between the fear of mortality and its effect on motivation toward volunteering for military service in the United States. TMT is a theory that explains how the human psyche combats the fear of mortality, and this study sought to answer how mortality salience affects an individual’s motivation to join the military. TMT’s explanation of defense …

Removal Of Acid Dyes From Textile Wastewaters Using Fish Scales By Absorption Process, S. M.Fijul Kabir, Rafael Cueto, Sreelatha Balamurugan, Laurel D. Romeo, Jenna T. Kuttruff, Brian D. Marx, Ioan I. Negulescu

Faculty Publications

Fish scales (FS), a byproduct of the fish processing industry, are often discarded carelessly. In this present study, FS were used as a promising bio-sorbent for the removal of anionic acid dyes (acid red 1 (AR1), acid blue 45 (AB45) and acid yellow 127 (AY127)) from the wastewaters of textile coloration. Here, physiochemical characterizations of the FS were investigated by SEM-EDS, TGA and FI-IR analyses, and dye absorption and removal efficiency were evaluated and optimized considering different process parameters such as concentration of initial dye solution, amount of FS used, contact time, FS size, process temperature, additives, stirring and vacuum. …

Removal Of Acid Dyes From Textile Wastewaters Using Fish Scales By Absorption Process, S. M.Fijul Kabir, Rafael Cueto, Sreelatha Balamurugan, Laurel D. Romeo, Jenna T. Kuttruff, Brian D. Marx, Ioan I. Negulescu

Faculty Publications

Fish scales (FS), a byproduct of the fish processing industry, are often discarded carelessly. In this present study, FS were used as a promising bio-sorbent for the removal of anionic acid dyes (acid red 1 (AR1), acid blue 45 (AB45) and acid yellow 127 (AY127)) from the wastewaters of textile coloration. Here, physiochemical characterizations of the FS were investigated by SEM-EDS, TGA and FI-IR analyses, and dye absorption and removal efficiency were evaluated and optimized considering different process parameters such as concentration of initial dye solution, amount of FS used, contact time, FS size, process temperature, additives, stirring and vacuum. …

Stories Of Color: An Exploration Of Storytelling And Racial Microaggression, Tama Lunceford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines experiences of racial microaggressions as related to an audience through the art of Storytelling. Integrating Performance Ethnography and Critical Race Theory, it examines how storytelling may serve to illuminate the concept of racial microaggressions. After examining the current body of work on Racism, Storytelling and Microaggression, the author moves through the stories of experiences with racial microaggression from four individuals, gathered and performed as a storytelling event, before a live audience. The communicative management methods individuals use when talking about race and racial microaggressions are explored in presentation of the audience discussion which followed the performance. The …

Transcriptomic Data Support A Nocturnal Bottleneck In The Ancestor Of Gecko Lizards, Brendan J. Pinto, Stuart V. Nielsen, Tony Gamble

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Gecko lizards are a species-rich clade of primarily-nocturnal squamate reptiles. In geckos, adaptations to nocturnality have dramatically reshaped the eye. Perhaps the most notable change is the loss of rod cells in the retina and subsequent “transmutation” of cones into a rod-like morphology and physiology. While many studies have noted the absence of some rod-specific genes, such as the visual pigment Rhodopsin (RH1), these studies have focused on just a handful of species that are nested deep in the gecko phylogeny. Thus, it is not clear whether these changes arose through convergence, are homologous and ubiquitous across geckos, or restricted …