SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry: Digital Commons @ ESF (State University of New York)Not a member yet
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Library as Publisher of Graduate Student Data
Get PDFThe purpose of this project it to publish graduate student data, particularly from individual laboratory groups, in the institutional repository Digital Commons @ ESF. Graduate students at Master and Doctoral levels generate many datasets that are all too often forgotten once the student leaves the institution. We propose having graduate students or upper-level undergraduates work with the lab groups and librarians to carefully describe and not just archive the data, but use it to communicate with future researchers.
While students are only temporarily located on college campuses, their work is often part of larger, lengthier, and ongoing studies. Graduate students generate a good deal of data which can languish in various states of organization and description. If the library was to provide reliable access to this electronic data and encourage the use of data through the creation of metadata, we would show the value of these materials that may otherwise be unfindable or unusable. It is important that the library be involved in this undertaking because when it comes to data, metadata is incredibly important and often forgotten. The library would assist these researchers to communicate their otherwise unpublished data to people who may be using it in the future. Data are often reported in journal articles but there is a sizeable amount of useful data that are not published. This project would highlight this hidden data
Determining host-parasitoid linkages between Sirex noctilio and Sirex nigricornis through molecular techniques
Get PDFThe European woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, is a wood-boring insect native to Eurasia and North Africa, which was accidentally introduced across the Southern Hemisphere where it caused extensive economic damage to conifer plantations. Discovered ten years ago in North America, S. noctilio competes directly with Sirex nigricornis, a native congener, through shared resources in host trees. The two species also share a suite of six parasitoids, which utilize both native and non-native species of woodwasps as hosts. To study these interactions, it is common practice to fell trees and split logs from which siricid larvae and their parasitoids are collected. It is exceedingly difficult to identify larval species due to their indistinct morphology. The objectives of this study were to: 1) differentiate between the native S. nigricornis and the non-native S. noctilio using PCR assays and 2) determine if such assays can be used to identify host species from a parasitoid’s gut contents. DNA was extracted from 206 siricid larvae and 202 were identifiable as S. noctilio (154, 73%) or S. nigricornis (48, 23%) using PCR, illustrating the applicability of this technique to differentiate among Sirex species. Identification of species from DNA extracted from host cadavers associated with parasitoid larvae was also successful (17 of 21, 81%). However, identification of species from DNA extracted from gut contents of parasitoids was also successful (12 of 35, 34%). Being able to successfully identify trophic linkages associated with non-native species is important to understand how they will invade an area and their ecological impacts
Research and Development of Palladium/Metal Oxide Based Nanostructures as High-Performance Hydrogen Gas Sensors
Get PDFAn alternative energy source to petroleum is hydrogen fuel-cells, and better hydrogen sensors are needed to detect low hydrogen concentrations to make these fuel-cells safer. Pure palladium hydrogen sensors, based on networks of ultrasmall nanowires sputter-deposited on a filtration membrane have shown promising results, especially when alloyed with other metals or when layered with other metals. Unfortunately, even the best palladium-based hydrogen sensors still cannot distinguish hydrogen concentrations below 3% or at high operating temperatures, thus limiting the safety and application of the sensors. This study reports on new resistance based sensors of alternating nanowire network layers of pure palladium and titanium dioxide. These sensors show promise at sensing both low hydrogen concentrations, as low as 0.01%, and at sensing hydrogen at an operating temperature of 150 degrees Celsius; a step in the direction of sensors that work at temperatures approaching 1000 degrees Celsius. Although the titanium dioxide layers are not as sensitive to hydrogen as the palladium, they help to increase the durability and potential operating temperature of the sensor by providing additional adhesion and sensing properties
Rising tides : resilient Amsterdam
Get PDFLike windmills, wooden clogs, tulips, and cheese, water is synonymous with the Dutch. More so, in fact, because the symbols of Dutch culture that we readily recognize all have water in their roots.
The connections are revealed everywhere; from the iconic canals edging the streets of Amsterdam, to the perfectly lined sluits of the country side. Water is what makes this country work, but now more than ever, the threat of water calls for some serious attention.
The resiliency of the Netherlands stems from its ability to adapt to change in climate, society, and the environment. In this way they have moved towards methods that aim to live with water rather than without. Informed by the methods of the past, the Dutch revive historic solutions to suite their modern needs. They celebrate water in their streets, canals, and rivers, they put water to use, they design with it in mind, and they resist it only when absolutely necessary.
This study looks at four methods for living with water w against it. These solutions prove that adapting to changing environmental conditions provides opportunity for improvement in design and function overall
Analysis of Disinfectants on Mycobacterium spp.
Get PDFThe zebrafish, Danio rerio, is an important model organism in the field of biomedical research. Unfortunately, these fish are negatively impacted by different species of Mycobacterium which cause subclinical infections, lesions on the body, and sometimes premature death. When new fish are introduced to a facility, it is typically by eggs only, and the standard disinfection practice, a treatment of 50ppm sodium hypochlorite, has unknown efficacy for killing mycobacteria. This study tested 100ppm and 150ppm bleach, as well as 1.5% and 3% hydrogen peroxide and 100ppm iodine, to determine the germicidal efficacy for use in fish facilities. Cultures of M. gordonae and M. peregrinum grown in Middlebrook broth were used. Each trial included a positive control, low concentration, and high concentration of disinfectants; iodine contained only a control and low treatment. Bleach was applied for 10 minutes and deactivated by sodium thiosulfate while hydrogen peroxide and iodine were applied for 5 minutes and removed. Plate counts were made on treatment and control groups following serial dilution and a week of growth at 30 degree C. Only iodine resulted in complete killing of both Mycobacterium species tested. Bleach treatment impacted growth of both species. The hydrogen peroxide only impacted M. peregrinum. ANOVA statistical analysis showed the following significant differences: 1) bleach treated cultures of M. peregrinum exhibited less growth than untreated
Potential Soil Nitrogen Mineralization in Biofuel Feedstock Crops with Varying Management Intensity
Get PDFIn order to test whether or not in situ ion-exchange resin strips can be used as a successful indicator of soil nitrogen availability as compared to the wide-spread laboratory potential mineralization method, nine plots in the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center located in Hickory Corners, MI were tested using both methods. The nine plots included several different crops systems with different management intensities, such as: continuous corn, continuous corn and cover crop, rotational soybean with a cover crop, rotational corn with a cover crop, switchgrass, hybrid poplar, mixed-species native grasses, successional vegetation, and restored prairie. The two methods compared were the use of ion-exchange resin strips incubated in the field plots for 28 days, and lab incubation of extracted soil cores. The results found that the use of ion-exchange resin strips were an accurate measurement of actual nitrogen flow through the system, as opposed to the potential nitrogen mineralization through the laboratory procedure. The stated hypothesis was proved correct, that soils with more intensive management, such as fertilizer, cover crops, and rotational cropping, will have more nitrogen available for plants and higher nitrogen mineralization rates than unmanaged soils. The strips have been credited to being an accurate representation of real root-soil interactions in the field, which has many potential future benefits for ecological soil studies