Mountain Scholar (Digital Collections of Colorado and Wyoming)
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Socializing playgrounds and creating invisible borders
Full text link2023 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Equal rights have been the outcry for many protesters and environmentalist fighting against injustices done to communities throughout the years. Visual arts have the power to start and steer conversations, therefore juxtaposing objects, images, and the use of color to indicate concepts of invisible borders that are created by people, maps, and the built environment. An understanding of the early adaptation of children's stratification of others through the readings of Pierre Bourdieu's community doxa, and the three capitals that differentiate one's upbringing into a society. The ontology of the adult-made toy can tell us a bit more about how these objects introduce a child to a Marxist society, while other toys can teach them how to socialize and obtain skills that only belong to the community. Low social classes and high social classes are clear distinctions of the social economic state of families across the nation, yet Charles Tilly's Durable Inequality, helps us understand that we care to dissolve injustices, much more than fighting for equality
Quantification and application of uncertainty in the formation of nanoparticles
Full text linkIncludes bibliographical references.2023 Spring.Nanoparticles are essential across many scientific applications, but their properties are size-dependent. Despite the usefulness of producing monodisperse particle size distributions, it still remains a challenge to fully understand – and hence be able to control – nanoparticle formation reactions due to limitations in what can be observed experimentally. This thesis transfers mathematical, statistical, and computational techniques to this area of nanoparticle chemistry to substantially bolster the sophistication of the quantitative analysis used to better understand nanoparticle systems. First, more efficient software is developed to simulate the reactions. Then, parameter estimation is performed in a robust manner through Bayesian inference, where I demonstrate the ability to parameterize nonlinear ordinary differential equations in such a way that I can fit the observed data and quantify the uncertainty in the parameter estimates. From Bayesian inference, I build three additional analysis frameworks. (1) Model selection through a Bayesian framework; (2) optimizing the yield of the nanoparticle-forming reactions while accounting for uncertainty; and (3) optimizing future measurements to collect data providing the most new information. The culmination of this thesis provides a quantitative framework to analyze arbitrary nanoparticle systems to complement and fill in the gaps of the current experimental techniques
Naheun Lee: capstone
No full text2023 Spring.Colorado State University Art and Art History Department capstone project.Capstone contains the artist's statement, a list of works, and images of works.The artist's statement: I am a graphic designer who brings creativity to art. My art is made digitally with Adobe programs and drawings. I grew up watching a lot of cartoons and animation which got me into graphic art. My work is based on two dimensional characters and objects which influenced me to work with cartoon types of characters. I do a lot of sketching in a creating process because that is where all the good ideas come from. Even though I am not confident about some ideas I still sketch it because it has possibilities to come out with something great. That is fun about art when failure can result in success. After I am done with my sketches I use illustrator to create my objects and use photoshop to add finishing touches to my work. Art is a tool where I can express and heal myself. The more I release my energy to something I am passionate about, it becomes a thing I want to pursue in my career. Art sets a navigation and helps me sail my way to the creative process. My work represents myself and creates identity. It shows what kind of character I am and how I speak to others. It is a great way I can communicate with the audience what I am voice in my art. My goal is to become an artist where I can send powerful messages to people like how cartoons give lessons that we don't realize when we are young
Constellations
Full text link2023 Spring.Constellations is a researched book-length lyric essay concerning notions of faith and belief weighed against science and the bodily experience, of layers of meaning, of personal truth. The piece takes the form of "constellations" of text in place of stars. The text appears on 4x6" cards against a black background with speckled white to indicate "space"; white lines suggest an assembly which corresponds to a map with instructions. However, the same instructions encourage user agency in how to assemble and navigate the work—flipping through the cards in a numbered sequence, or in a random sequence, or assembling them according to the map, or assembling them as they, the audience, see fit
Addressing barriers to the wide-scale implementation of roof runoff and stormwater collection and use projects for non-potable end uses in the U.S.
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.2023 Spring.Roof runoff and stormwater have the potential to serve as important local water sources and diversify the water budget portfolio in regions with dwindling water supplies and increasing populations. Due to the lack of guidance regulating the use of roof runoff for non-potable end uses, characterizing its microbial quality is necessary to promote roof runoff use across the U.S. Similarly, the degree of stormwater microbial contamination is still not well understood, and uncertainty about the required treatment is a barrier for the implementation of stormwater capture and use (SCU) projects. Stormwater runoff could become contaminated with human fecal matter in areas with aging infrastructure where raw wastewater exfiltrate from sewer networks to stormwater collection networks, areas with homeless encampments, or areas with sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). Stormwater practitioners wanting to benefit from stormwater to augment the available water resources struggle with the selection and design of efficient stormwater treatment trains that are protective of public health for the designated end use. Knowledge of the degree to which stormwater is contaminated with human fecal matter, termed here as the human fecal contamination analog (HFCA), is critical for the design process and estimating the required pathogen log reduction targets (LRTs).To address the barrier to wide-scale implementations of roof runoff collection and use projects, a 2-year research study was designed to examine roof runoff microbial quality in four U.S. cities: Fort Collins, CO; Tucson, AZ; Baltimore, MD; and Miami, FL. Sample collection was conducted as part of a citizen science approach. The occurrence and concentrations of indicator organisms (E. coli and enterococci) and potentially human-infectious pathogens (PHIPs) including Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Cryptosporidium parvum in roof runoff were determined using culture methods and digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR), respectively. E. coli and enterococci were detected in 73.4% and 96.2% of the analyzed samples, respectively. Concentrations of both E. coli and enterococci ranged from 3.38 log10 MPN/100 mL. Salmonella spp. invA, Campylobacter spp. ceuE, and G. duodenalis β – giardin gene targets were detected in 8.9%, 2.5%, and 5.1% of the analyzed samples, respectively. Campylobacter spp. mapA and C. parvum 18S rRNA gene targets were not detected in any of the analyzed samples. This dataset represents the largest-scale study to date of enteric pathogens in U.S. roof runoff collections and will inform treatment targets for different non-potable end uses for roof runoff. To address barriers to the wide-scale implementation of SCU projects for non-potable end uses, stormwater microbial contamination originating from human fecal matter was examined using the detection frequencies and concentrations of human microbial source tracking (MST) markers and PHIPs observed in stormwater. Measurements of human MST markers in wet weather flows, dry weather flows, and influent wastewater in addition to measurements of viral and protozoan pathogens in wet weather flows and influent wastewater were compiled through a systematic review. Human MST marker and PHIP datasets were statistically analyzed and used to estimate HFCAs based on relative concentrations of microbial contaminants in stormwater compared to municipal wastewater. Analytical statistical distributions of the original data, unpaired Monte Carlo simulation, and paired Monte Carlo simulation were applied for the estimates of HFCAs in wet and dry weather flows. Estimates of human MST-based HFCAs are more reliable than PHIP-based HFCAs because the current PHIP datasets are limited by detection limits and the range of data observed within the statistical distributions. Unpaired Monte Carlo simulations and analytical statistical distributions were found to be the best methods for the estimation of human MST-based HFCAs in wet and dry weather flows which ranged from <10-7.0 to 10-1.5 and 10-12 to 10-2.6, respectively. Pathogen LRTs were determined in this study using HFCAHuman MST Markers and previously published quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRAs) to guide the selection of stormwater treatment process trains based on the intended end use (e.g., unrestricted irrigation or indoor use) of stormwater. Combinations of stormwater treatment trains at varying HFCA levels were evaluated based on complexity and reliability of the suggested trains. To use stormwater safely for unrestricted irrigation and indoor uses, treatment trains containing both filtration and disinfection unit processes are required. The HFCA threshold beyond which the complexity of stormwater trains becomes considerably higher is 10-4. Performance evaluation of the suggested stormwater treatment trains revealed that trains consisting of membrane filtration and at least two disinfection unit treatment processes, specifically ultraviolet (UV) and ozone (O3) or UV and chloramine are recommended at HFCA values of 10-3, 10-2, and 10-1. At HFCA value of 10-4, a treatment train consisting of membrane filtration and O3 or chloramine is recommended. The use of free chlorination at all HFCA levels is not recommended due to the high continuous monitoring requirements associated with the use of free Cl2
Using neural networks to learn the forced response of the jet-stream to tropospheric temperature tendencies
Full text link2023 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Two distinct features of anthropogenic climate change, warming in the tropical upper troposphere and warming at the Arctic surface, have competing effects on the midlatitude jet-stream's latitudinal position, often referred to as a "tug-of-war". Many previous studies have investigated the strength of the jet response to these thermal forcings, as well as many others, and have shown that the jet response is sensitive to model type, season, initial atmospheric conditions, and the shape and magnitude of the forcing. Here, we explore the potential for training a convolutional neural network (CNN) on internal variability alone to examine possible nonlinear jet responses to a variety of thermal forcings. Our approach thus makes use of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, which relates the internal variability of a system to its forced response. We train a CNN on data from a long control run of the CESM dry dynamical core, thereby providing it with ample data to learn relationships between the temperature forcing and the jet movement over the coming days. Then, we use the CNN to explore the jet response to a wide range of tropospheric temperature tendencies. Despite being trained on the jet-stream response to internal variability alone, we show that the trained CNN is able to skillfully predict the nonlinear response of the jet-stream to sustained external forcing. The trained CNN provides a quick method for exploring the jet-stream sensitivity to a wide range of tropospheric temperature tendencies and, considering that this method can likely be applied to any model with a long control run, could lend itself useful for early stage experiment design
Uncoupling plant growth and defense through phytohormone crosstalk modification
No full text2023 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Phytohormones are essential regulators of development and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. Activation of the plant immune system by pathogen attack often results in changes in plant growth, frequently leading to smaller plants with reduced seed set. Previously, we discovered that cytokinin (CK), a hormone known for its role in the regulation of cell division and plant growth, also has an important role in the activation of defense against pathogens through a synergistic interaction with the defense hormone salicylic acid (SA). Here, we address whether these two phytohormones also regulate the negative effect of immune activation on plant growth. Differential gene expression analysis and physiological assays were used to characterize the crosstalk between CK and SA in growth and defense in Arabidopsis thaliana plants with altered states of immunity. We show that the interplay between the phytohormones CK and SA regulates both defense responses to pathogens and plant development. Endogenous levels of these two hormones were modulated in the snc1 ckx3 ckx5 (s35) triple mutant. The three mutations result in increased CK and SA content simultaneously and yields a novel reproductive growth phenotype. When challenged with pathogens from diverse lifestyles, the s35 mutant conserves an autoimmune phenotype. Transcriptome analysis of s35 reproductive tissue reveals differential regulation of genes associated with nitrogen response and regulation of redox status. Our data suggests that the increased content of both CK and SA hormones contributes to a rebalancing of redox homeostasis and perception of nutrient availability within the shoot apical meristem (SAM), resulting in the uncoupling of reproductive growth and pathogen defense. Further experimentation and investigation into the mechanistic interactions mediating the balance between plant growth and defense could lead to implementation of phytohormone crosstalk engineering to target specific advancements in crop species
Ava Kerzic: capstone
No full text2023 Spring.Colorado State University Art and Art History Department capstone project.Capstone contains the artist's statement, a list of works, and images of works,The artist's statement: I am passionate about using visual communication to bring my ideas to life. My goal is to tell captivating stories with visually appealing designs. My process as an artist is simple. I start every project by sketching out my ideas after doing research and planning and then turn my ideas digital. Once I have made my idea digital, I experiment with different color options and compositions. I believe it is important to experiment with my ideas as much as possible before reaching my final piece, whether an illustration, a logo, a package design, etc. No matter the project, experimentation is key to my design process. Through this process of trial and error, I can develop creative solutions that are functional and well thought out. I draw inspiration from multiple sources and I am constantly seeking new ways to keep my work fresh and innovative. My work is driven by a desire to create favorable designs and effectively communicate the intended message to my audience. I work closely with clients to understand their needs and end goals and am always open to feedback and suggestions. By working together, we can collaboratively create designs that exceed your expectations