Impacts of the Chimney Tops 2 Wildfire on Soil and Stream Water Chemistry in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The 2016 Chimney Tops 2 wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) has given a unique opportunity to investigate the effects of wildfire in the eastern US, in a humid climate that rarely experiences wildfire. With ongoing water quality monitoring efforts in the GRSM and a 2010 soil study, pre-fire data were available for evaluation of the potential effects to water and soil chemistry. The acid-base status of soils and streams which govern transport, fate and effects of acidic pollutants were considered in this study. Soils from A/O and B horizons were compared based upon burn severity level, with categories of high burn, low/medium burn, unburned and reference. Collections began immediately after the fire and continued into 2019. A post-fire characterization was conducted for stream water and soil on chemical parameters that were also measured pre-fire. In burned soils, pH, percent base saturation, exchangeable base cations and nitrate were significantly lower than non-burned soils. Exchangeable acidity and Al were significantly greater in burned areas than non-burned areas. An increase in exchangeable Al coupled with a decrease in exchangeable base cations resulted in increased exchangeable acidity and decreased percent base saturation in burned soils. These soil impacts could affect the regrowth of sensitive plant species due to loss of available nutrient cations and increased Al. The water samples showed consistent decreases in pH, conductivity and acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) post-fire, at all sites, burned and reference. The most significant change in stream water was a decrease in ammonium in burned watersheds, however the decline in pH and ANC remains unexplained based on this study’s measured parameters. This study contributes valuable information noting the lack of post-fire export of sulfate and nitrate in streams, and generally aligns with the few studies published on responses of forest fires on soil and stream chemistry in humid, acidic environments. The relationships identified on the response of soil and stream chemical properties to burn severity will inform understanding of patterns and timing of revegetation and recovery of the ecosystem from wildfire as well as the role of wildfire in exacerbating effects of acid deposition

Boudicca: Through the Eyes of the Ancients

The concepts of freedom and greed are a common theme in writing, and this is also true of the Roman historian Tacitus, who used libertas (freedom) and cupiditas (greed) in his writings. By using the revolt of the Celtic Queen of the Iceni, the revolt of Boudicca in Briton during 60-61 CE exemplifies these ideas of libertas and cupiditas. This thesis will compare Tacitus’s his writings of Boudicca to other women, and Celtic figures of Briton who resisted Roman rule. It will also show that Tacitus’s use of libertas was used as a cause for action, while cupiditas in his works leads to downfall or destruction. We know that Tacitus was writing for an audience, and that audience were of his fellow Roman elites. We also know that he was writing in the form of a parable, as many ancient historians did. This is exemplified by works such as Rhetoric in Classical Historiography, where author A.J. Woodman states that Tacitus, like the Roman Hhistorians before him, were writing on the slow moral decline of the Republic. Armed with this knowledge, the story of Boudicca can be viewed in a new light. She began her revolt with libertas as an objective, to keep her people free form from slavery and Roman oppression. However, Boudicca has her own slow moral decline, and gives into her own hubris and greed, and thus cupiditas is her downfall in her final battle, known as the battle of Watling Street

Recommendations for Incorporating Postsecondary and Workforce Data into Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems

Outlines the need for data systems to assess educational transitions, completions, and labor market outcomes of adult students and workers in postsecondary, adult education, and skill development programs in order to strengthen policies and programs

Conformational energy calculations of the pentapeptide PHE-DPHE-ASN-GLN-TYR of Tyrocidine

By virtue of employing a modified version of a popular program for the calculation of polypeptide conformational energies, the lowest energy conformation of the tyrocidine molecule is being sought. This antibiotic molecule, a cyclic decapeptide, invited study due to its role in the process of bacterial sporulation in the Bacillus Brevis ATCC 818!2 strain. In the process of performing this investigation, lists of monopeptide lowest energy conformations, as determined by x-ray crystallographic studies, were combined to yield all possible combinations of half of the polypeptide chain. Beginning with a dipeptide, the conformations of lowest energy were calculated within a \u27local-minimum\u27 range; hereafter, a tripeptide was created from this dipeptide, as specified above, and similar calculations were performed. Finally, the tripeptide and a dipeptide calculated previously were then combined to yield the pentapeptide PHE-DPHE-ASN-GLN-TYR, which then underwent minimizing calculations to yield a set of 11 conformations, one of which possessed a probability of existence of 51.8%. The resulting lowest energy conformations of the pentapeptide will be joined with a pentapeptide from the lowest energy minima of gramicidin-S, PRO-DPHE-LEU-ORN-VAL, to yield the tyrocidine conformation

Transfer of fertilized ova in the hamster

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityTransfer of fertilized ova from a donor female to a uterine foster mother can be a valuable tool for attack of problems of gen etics, cancer, embryologJ, growth, immunology, and fertilization. The technique has been practiced in the rabbit, mouse, rat, and sheep with varying degrees of success. Holding media for the ova usually consist of blood serum, alone, or modified with a balanced saline solution. Diffusion chambers constructed of Millinore Filter membrane have proved valuable for 'in vivo' and 'in vitro' tissue culture and transnlantation. These chambers serve the useful function of mechanically isolating the contents from surrounding tissues and free cells, while providing diffusion of metabolites and oxygen into the chamber to nourish the enclosed tissue . Experimental procedure Donor albino females were mated with albino males. Approximately 24-33 hours after fertilization, when the ova were in the two cell stage, salpingectomies were performed. The ova were removed from the uterine tubes, and transferred to the ovarian bursa of pseudopregnant albino recipients [TRUNCATED