Water resources planning for rivers draining into Mobile Bay. Part 2: Non-conservative species transport models

Total coliform group bacteria were selected to expand the mathematical modeling capabilities of the hydrodynamic and salinity models to understand their relationship to commercial fishing ventures within bay waters and to gain a clear insight into the effect that rivers draining into the bay have on water quality conditions. Parametric observations revealed that temperature factors and river flow rate have a pronounced effect on the concentration profiles, while wind conditions showed only slight effects. An examination of coliform group loading concentrations at constant river flow rates and temperature shows these loading changes have an appreciable influence on total coliform distribution within Mobile Bay

Differential response of barrier island dune grasses to species interactions and burial

Barrier islands are at the forefront of storms and sea-level rise. High disturbance regimes and sediment mobility make these systems sensitive and dynamic. Island foredunes are protective structures against storm-induced overwash that are integrally tied to dune grasses via biogeomorphic feedbacks. Shifts in dune grass dominance could influence dune morphology and susceptibility to overwash, altering island stability. In a glasshouse study, two dune grasses, Ammophila breviligulata and Uniola paniculata, were planted together and subjected to a 20 cm burial to quantify morphological and physiological responses. Burial had positive effects on both plants as indicated by increased electron transport rate and total biomass. Ammophila breviligulata performance declined when planted with U. paniculata. Uniola paniculata was not affected when planted with A. breviligulata but did have higher water use efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency. Planted in mixture, differential reallocation of biomass occurred between species potentially altering resource acquisition further. As U. paniculata migrates into A. breviligulata dominated habitat and A. breviligulata performance diminishes, biotic interactions between these and other species may affect dune formation and community structure. Our study emphasizes the importance of studying biotic interactions alongside naturally occurring abiotic drivers

Training the Fetal Immune System Through Maternal Inflammation-A Layered Hygiene Hypothesis.

Over the last century, the alarming surge in allergy and autoimmune disease has led to the hypothesis that decreasing exposure to microbes, which has accompanied industrialization and modern life in the Western world, has fundamentally altered the immune response. In its current iteration, the "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that reduced microbial exposures during early life restricts the production and differentiation of immune cells suited for immune regulation. Although it is now well-appreciated that the increase in hypersensitivity disorders represents a "perfect storm" of many contributing factors, we argue here that two important considerations have rarely been explored. First, the window of microbial exposure that impacts immune development is not limited to early childhood, but likely extends into the womb. Second, restricted microbial interactions by an expectant mother will bias the fetal immune system toward hypersensitivity. Here, we extend this discussion to hypothesize that the cell types sensing microbial exposures include fetal hematopoietic stem cells, which drive long-lasting changes to immunity

Factors of placement decisions of students with learning disabilities

This study looked at the factors that are involved in determining the placement decision of a child with a learning disability. Reading level, previous placement, initial placement, intelligence quotient, English proficiency and behavior were the factors examined in the study. Data was collected by examining the school files of children labeled as learning disabled in two school districts in south Texas. The different placement factors were studied to see which ones were most predictive of the number of hours a week that a student spent in a special education classroom. The research design utilized was a descriptive analysis, a correlation analysis and an all-possible subsets regression analysis. Research indicated that reading level, previous placement, initial placement, and intelligence quotient (I.Q.) and English were significantly correlated with time in special education. Previous placement and reading level accounted for 31% of the variance in placements

Male County Correctional Facility Inmates\u27 Attitudes Towards Male Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Services

Male rape is a topic that has been neglected both in society and in research. When male rape is researched it focuses on male to male prison rape while neglecting treatment options for the male rape victims. An anonymous survey was distributed to 85 male inmates in a northeast correctional facility. Quantitative data was collected and analyzed from 51 male inmates. This research examined male inmates\u27 attitudes towards male rape and the rape crisis services provided. The findings of this research helped to identify barriers that prohibit male victims from seeking rape crisis services

Timing of Castration, with or without Analgesia, on Growth Performance, Hematology, and Behavior of Beef Calves

Angus-sired (n = 30) and Hereford-sired (n = 32) bull calves were assigned randomly to 1 of 4 treatments. Treatments were 1) surgical castration near birth, 2) oral administration of the analgesic meloxicam (1 mg/kg of body weight) followed by surgical castration near birth, 3) surgical castration at weaning, or 4) surgical castration at weaning with oral administration of the analgesic meloxicam (1 mg/kg of body weight). Data was recorded for behavior, hematology, and growth at birth and weaning. Calf standing and lying activity was monitored at both stages by recording x and y axis positions of a data logger accelerometer attached to the metatarsus of the right leg for 7 d. At birth, blood was collected on d 0 (birth), 1, 3, and 7 from a subset of calves, and post-weaning blood samples were collected on d 214 (weaning), 214 + 6 h, 215, 217, 221, and 228. Body weight was recorded on all calves on d 4, 33, 66, 116, 162, 199, and 214 (weaning). Body weight was recorded on all weaned calves on d 214 (weaning), 228, 246, and 270. Average daily gain did not differ between treatments (P ¡Ý 0.88) through weaning. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio at birth decreased with day (P \u3c 0.0001). Following castration at birth, there were no differences in treatments for any of the three observed positions. Overall, post-weaning ADG was greater (P = 0.02) in steers compared to bulls castrated without meloxicam. At weaning the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio displayed a d effect (P \u3c 0.0001), with an increase at 6 h post castration, and then decreasing. Post-weaning behavior following castration resulted in steers spending the least proportion of time standing, and bulls castrated with analgesia tended to spend less time, numerically, lying on sternum compared to steers

Versatile Synthesis of Transition Metal Phosphides: Emerging Front-runners for Affordable Catalysis

Transition metal phosphide materials have found themselves at the forefront of research revolving around energy applications. Due to the vast range of properties possessed by marginally different phase compositions, binary and ternary metal phosphides are utilized as catalysts, semi-conductors and magnetocaloric materials along with many others. These attractive properties, which are highly phase dependent, call for a versatile and cost effective synthesis route for various phosphide materials without sacrificing properties important at the nanoscale such as particle size and morphology. The primary focus outlined in the work of this dissertation pertains to a versatile wet chemical synthesis capable of producing multiple phases of binary and ternary phosphides containing one or more of the transition metals cobalt, iron and nickel. These metals were of particular interest due to the proven catalytic activity of iron, cobalt or nickel binary phases and the lack of research conducted on the corresponding ternary phases. The challenge presented by wet chemical synthesis methods is the ability to separate different crystal phases of metal phosphide in a short amount of time, with less toxic and lower cost chemicals, and a simple synthetic process with the ability to produce products on a larger scale. Oleylamine was used as a solvent, capping agent and reducing agent along with trioctylphosphine or triphenylphosphine as a phosphorus source. Many binary phosphide phases were synthesized with the same method and purity of phase was controlled primarily with temperature or phosphorus to metal ratio (P:M). At lower temperatures (290-320°C) or lower P:M (4:1) Ni3P,Ni2P, Fe2P, and Co2P were synthesized while higher temperatures (330-360°C) or higher P:M (22:1) produced Ni5P4, Ni12P5, FeP and CoP. Ternary phosphides FeCoP and CoNiP were also successfully synthesized at temperatures of 300-330°C with small excesses of phosphorus (2-5 molar excess). Preliminary catalytic studies for the evolution of hydrogen gas were conducted to test the efficacy of phosphide materials produced via the simplistic oleylamine method. Ni2P was found to have the highest activity toward hydrogen evolution with an overpotential of 320 mV which is comparable and in some cases better than other unsupported phosphide catalysts of the same phase. The ability to control phase composition using a simple, cost effective wet chemical synthesis is promising for the future production of active metal phosphide materials

The Benefits of a Professional Website for a Musician

For my capstone project at Boise State, I decided to create a website for my music. I am a music producer and needed a professional web presence for promotion, current and future fans, professional contacts, and to also serve as a portfolio of my work. There are also added benefits for future projects in the form of a blog and file selling features. I researched web-building platforms and methods as well the benefits of having a website for not just myself but for fans and other consumers of music and developed an action plan to create my own professional website. This paper will detail the research conducted, steps taken and outcomes achieved for my capstone project