Hydrocarbon Removal

A group of Chemical Engineers romoved hydrocarbons from a surrogate flowback solution. The solution contained polar and non-polar hydrocarbons that had to be removed to protect an RO membrane. The full scale solution would use UF to remove the non-polar hydrocarbons and GAC beds to remove the soluble hydrocarbons

Length, Weight, and Yield in Channel Catfish, Lake Diane, MI

Background: Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) are important to both commercial aquaculture and recreational fisheries. Little published data is available on length-weight relationships of channel catfish in Michigan. Though there is no record of public or private stocking, channel catfish appeared in Lake Diane between 1984 and 1995 and it has developed into an excellent fishery. 
Materials and Methods: Sport angling provided 38 samples which were weighed and measured (fork length). Fillets were also weighed. The best fit estimates of parameters a and b in the model, W(L) = aLb, were obtained by both linear least-squares (LLS) regression (log(W) = log(a) + b log(L)) and non-linear least-squares (NLLS) regression. Best-fit parameters of an improved model, W(L) = (L/L1)^b, were also determined by NLLS regression; the parameter L1 is the typical length of a fish weighing 1 kg. The resulting best-fit parameters, parameter standard errors, and covariances are compared between the two models. The average relative weight for this sample of channel catfish is also determined, along with the typical meat yield obtained by filleting. 
Results: NLLS regression yields parameter estimates of b = 3.2293 and a = 0.00522. The improved model yields the same estimate for the exponent, b, and a length estimate (parameter L1) of 45.23 cm. Estimates of uncertainty and covariance are smaller for the improved model, but the correlation coefficient is r = 0.995 in both cases. LLS regression produced different parameter values, a = 0.01356 and b = 2.9726, and a smaller correlation coefficient, r = 0.980. On average, catfish in the sample weighed 106.0% of the standard weight, (Brown et al.) and the linear regression (no slope) of fillet yield vs. total weight suggests a typical fillet yield of 28.1% with r = 0.989.
Conclusion: Most of the fish in the sample were above the standard weight, heavier than the 75th percentile for their length. Channel catfish are doing well in Lake Diane and the population is well matched to the food supply. Management should attempt to maintain current population levels. In this case, the improved length-weight model, W(L) = (L/L1)^b, provided lower uncertainties in parameter estimates and smaller covariance than the traditional model.
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Creating a low-cost, low-particulate emissions corn cob charcoal grinder for use in Peru

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 35).Indoor air pollution is a serious health risk in developing countries, and is the leading cause of death for children under five. By replacing traditional cooking fuels with charcoal, one can significantly reduce a user's exposure to the particulate matter responsible for the detrimental health effects. The MIT D-Lab has have developed a method of creating charcoal using agriculture wastes such as bagasse and corncobs. However, it has been found that corncob charcoal produces dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide and as a result is unable to be burned directly and must be briquetted. In conjunction with this, an organization in Lima, Peru called Enlace Solidario makes coal briquettes in a configuration that optimizes the burning performance. They have entered in a partnership with the nearby orphanage of Segrada Familia to produce cooking fuel at no cost. However, Segrada Familia must supply their own ground charcoal to be briquetted. Thus, there is a clear need for a charcoal grinding machine. This thesis developed a successful grinding mechanism based on a peanut sheller design developed by the Full Belly Project. Though it needs to be scaled up to achieve the required throughput, this mechanism successfully limits the user's exposure to charcoal dust created during the grinding process and provides a means to produce corn cob powder necessary to briquette charcoal.by Ashely Elizabeth Thomas.S.B

Creating Reporter Systems within Drosophila melanogaster

The objective of these projects was to generate two fluorescently based systems within Drosophila melanogaster for the advancement of molecular research. The first project was aimed to create fluorescent phosphomimetic constructs of m8, a regulator in eye formation. The second project was to create a fluorescent visual marker for heterochromatic gene silencing in Drosophila. Proper formation of the eye requires that only one cell from a group of equipotent cells assumes a neural fate (the R8 cell). The cells surrounding the R8 cell are prevented from assuming this outcome through a process known as lateral inhibition. Lateral inhibition uses the regulation of proteins from the Enhancer of split complex E(spl)C, to down regulate the neural protein, Atonal. The functionality of a specific E(spl) protein, M8, is regulated by phosphorylation by CK2 at a specific site within the phosphorylation domain of M8. It was the goal of this project to create fluorescently labeled phosphomimetic variants of M8 with aspartic acid and alanine substitutions at key phosphorylation sites (the CK2 phosphorylation site and all four phosphorylation sites within the M8 phosphorylation domain). These constructs were used to generate preliminary data in a Drosophila Expression System. The initial data indicated that M8S 159A showed statistical differences between the control and the treatment group, while M8, M8S159D, and M8SDDDD, showed no statistical difference between treatments and controls. The location of these constructs in Schneider 2 cells suggested that M8 and M8S159A proteins were at times located in the nucleus, while the other phosphomimetic variants were restricted to the cytoplasm. This project generated a solid foundation of data collection methods and gave some insight into the location of M8 that can give rise to future studies within this system.;The second project was aimed at creating a fluorescent marker for an epigenetic phenomenon known as Position Effect Variegation (PEV) within Drosophila. PEV is caused by the relocation of a gene close to, if not adjacent to heterochromatin. When in close proximity, the heterochromatin can spread to silence the gene in some cells, rendering the gene silent; while failing to spread in others, allowing for expression resulting in a variegated phenotype within Drosophila. Male flies with a miniwhite gene adjacent to Gal4/UAS driven Yellow Fluorescent Protein were mutated in hopes of causing a translocation or inversion which would bring the fluorescent marker in close proximity to heterochromatin to observe epigenetic silencing. Although no variegated flies were found, this tool would serve as an effective marker to visually observe, using different UAS drivers within Drosophila, where PEV is occurring spatially and at what developmental time points within the fly as well. Such a variegating mutant would provide a molecular tool for future research on how CK2 and other modifiers of PEV act within the cascade of epigenetic changes within Drosophila

Closing One Door on the Parent-Child Immunity Doctrine: Legislature Rejects the Decision of Coffey v. Coffey

This Note has four objectives. First, this Note will summarize the facts of Coffey. Second, this Note will review the history of parent-child immunity and the role of the family purpose doctrine in cases involving parent-child immunity in automobile cases. Third, this Note will analyze the Coffey case, the North Carolina Legislature\u27s abolishment of parent-child immunity in motor vehicle cases, and possible alternatives to the parent-child immunity doctrine in cases other than those involving motor vehicles. Fourth, this Note will suggest that the North Carolina courts are not powerless to abrogate parent-child immunity. The courts should take the initiative to modernize the judicially created parent- child immunity doctrine as it applies to tort actions between parents and their children

Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Behavior and Reading in the Classroom

Research has shown that the presence of a therapy dog in the classroom should elicit a calming effect, reduce stress, and promote positive interactions among peers and adults. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect a therapy dog has on behavior and reading in the classroom. Specifically, the study will be comparing behavior gradesand reading scores for two groups of students: one that received Animal Assisted Therapy and one that did not receive Animal Assisted Therapy. Data were collected from two fifth-grade classrooms. There were 17 fifth-grade students in the experimental groupand 15 in the control group. Results showed that there was no significant difference in pre- and post-test behavior for the experimental and control group. Also, there was no significant difference in reading for the experimental and control groups

Cover Crop Establishment and Potential Benefits to Arkansas Farmers

Soybean farmers in Arkansas need best management practices (BMPs) that maximize the benefits of using cover crops including planting date and fertilization recommendations. An evaluation of cover crop species, planting dates, seeding rates, fertilizer rates, and N accumulation aids in providing these BMPs. The first objective of this research is to assess the effect of planting date on biomass production, as well as looking at the interaction of seeding rate or fertilizer rate for legumes or non-legumes, respectively, using Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum), cereal rye (Secale cereale), black oats (Avena strigosa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and tillage radish (Raphanus sativus). Crops were planted on five dates in three locations across the primary crop production regions of Arkansas, using either variable Agrotain-treated urea rates or variable seeding rates. Agrotain is a N fertilizer additive that inhibits urease activity and limits ammonia volatilization loss potential. A 0.9 x 0.9 m sample of above-ground biomass was oven-dried and weighed to determine total cover crop biomass production. This research found that earlier planting dates were preferable for all species and that fertilizer or seeding rates did not have much effect on establishment and biomass across all planting dates. The second objective was to gauge the potential N credits by assessing the N accumulation via biological N fixation of three legumes in two locations. Three species were evaluated and compared for N accumulation at termination – Austrian winter pea, hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum). Pea biomass was taken from the above study, and pea, vetch, and clover biomasses were taken from an herbicide tolerance study. A 0.9x0.9 meter sample of above-ground biomass was oven-dried, ground, and analyzed for total N. This study found that Austrian winter pea generated more biomass on average, and accumulated the most N

Improving Routine Human Immunodeficiency Virus Screening in a Primary Care Setting

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2017, over 38,700 people receive an human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diagnosis in the US. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published recommendations in 2013 for routine HIV screening of patients ages 15 to 65 years old. Primary care providers who offer routine HIV screening can identify patients with a positive result and promptly connect them to care to decrease transmission of HIV. This process improvement project targeted health care providers and staff, using evidence-based interventions, 2013 USPSTF recommendations, and the Chronic Care Model, to improve HIV screening at a primary care site. Information sessions were held with health care providers and staff pre- and post-intervention. Participants were given a pre-survey (n=28) and post-survey (n=25) questionnaires, information on the electronic medical record screening reminder and educational materials about routine HIV screening. Monthly visits were made to the clinic by the primary investigator who conducted semi-structured interviews with participants. A retrospective chart review evaluated HIV screening data during the months of September, October, and November for 2017, (baseline year), compared to September - November 2018, intervention months. The pre- and post-intervention surveys were confidential and paired by the number assigned to each provider participant (n=6). The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-tests to determine if perspectives on HIV screening changed from pre- to post-survey. There were no statistically significant findings from the survey questionnaire results, however, the mean Likert scores improved in the post-survey in most topics. Twenty-five percent of encounters during the 2017 baseline months and 2018 intervention months had an HIV test ordered. During the 2018 intervention year, September had a 3.5% increase and October had a 1.0% increase in percentage of tests ordered when compared to 2017; however, November 2018 had a 5.8% decrease from November 2017. This project piloted interventions to increase provider and clinic staff’s knowledge on routine HIV screening practices to help further reduce HIV transmissions among patients with an unknown serostatus. Further work is needed to identify ways to improve screening rates, such as clinic staff-initiated screening and rapid screening.Doctor of Nursing Practic

State-Led Approaches to Electronic Waste Management in the U.S.: A Study of Stakeholder Involvement in Take-Back Legislation Efficiency

Information technology has proliferated over the past two decades, and waste from electronics represents the fastest growing waste stream in the world. The production and disposal of electronics, from cradle to grave, pose critical threats to human health and the environment. The management of electronic, or e-waste, streams poses a particular set of challenges for solid waste management, hazardous waste management, and economic development in the United States. As e-waste accumulates, state governments, municipalities and private landfills are refusing to accept the responsibility for its disposal. To address this problem, the federal and state governments must find a safe and economically feasible way to process e-waste. This thesis analyzes the lessons learned from both the European Union’s e-waste programs and from a set of US e-waste cases. These range from state-led e-waste programs to manufacturer-led and voluntary e-waste programs. Based on this comparative case method, a set of key barriers emerge in the US cases that undermine e-waste management policies: the perception that US manufacturers will recycle electronic products properly, the power of the electronics industry to block policies, the lack of public consumer education about the environmental consequences of e-waste disposal, and the fact that recycling e-waste is more expensive than extracting raw materials. These factors reflect political and socio-economic realities within the US, including the power of the electronics industry, the perceived capacity of municipal solid waste systems, and the salience and the perception of consumers that US federal laws appropriately manage e-waste disposal. Part of the issue is that e-waste falls into regulatory gaps across major waste management federal laws. This thesis argues that state-led e-waste management policies are not adequate because of the lack of cooperation from all e-waste stakeholders from the federal government, state government, electronics industry, third party processors, and consumers

Optical responses at the nanoparticle-biological interface with an introduction to optical microscopy in undergraduate analytical chemistry curriculum

Plasmonic nanoparticles have been gaining attention in the medical field for their use as chemical and biological sensors, drug delivery vectors and contrast agents for cellular imaging; however, the ability to monitor the chemical binding events and drug delivery kinetics is limited. The majority of this body of work explores nanoparticles optical responses as they undergo energy transfer processes for biological sensing. The latter portion of this dissertation discusses optical microscopy in undergraduate analytical chemistry. In the first experiment, plasmon resonance energy transfer between gold nanospheres and cytochrome c was investigated. As cytochrome c adsorbs to the surface of a nanoparticle, the plasmonic energy is transferred from the nanoparticle to cytochrome c, as a result there are spectral dips in the extinction spectrum of the gold nanoparticle. This optical phenomenon was studied in Hi-Fi microchannels and HeLa cells undergoing ethanol induced apoptosis. The second set of experiments encompasses the observations of the optical changes of gold-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) undergoing uncapping by dithiothreitol and glutathione. The uncapping process was studied in flow cells with dithiothreitol as the uncapping agent, and also in lung cancer cells using glutathione as the cleaving agent. Differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy was employed to image the optical changes as gold is cleaved from MSNs. As part of the chemical education project, an optical microscopy laboratory experiment was created, implemented and assessed in an instrumental analysis course for junior and senior level undergraduate chemistry students. Students were introduced to optical microscopy and nanoparticles through the use of a dark field microscope to image a reaction between copper wire and silver nitrate in the first section. In the second portion of the experiment, students imaged gold, silver and silica nanospheres with the aid of bandpass filters and were also introduced to the concept of localized surface plasmon resonances. There were two formats for the experiment, traditional and inquiry based. Students were split into two groups, each group performing one format of the experiment and their learning gains were monitored with the Chemical Optical Microscopy Assessment (COMA) that was created for this purpose. The learning outcomes based on the COMA and laboratory report scores were compared to determine with which instructional method students had higher learning gains