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Corn-Alfalfa Intercropping with Different Row Spacings
Get PDFAlfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a staple crop grown mainly by dairy and beef farmers in the Midwest. To determine if seeding alfalfa with corn (Zea mays L.) could increase alfalfa forage yield and nutritive value in the second year, and provide a corn crop during the first year, an experiment was conducted in Prosper and Hickson, ND in 2020 and 2021. Corn grain yield in 2020 was negatively impacted by 152-cm corn row spacing compared with 76-cm row spacing. However, there was no significant difference in corn grain yield with or without an alfalfa intercrop for the same row spacing although it did trend lower in treatments with alfalfa intercropped. Intercropping corn and alfalfa with 76-cm corn row spacing was more profitable than conventional seeding. Optimizing this specific cropping system for growers in the Midwest could increase profitability as well as forage nutritive value and crop efficiency
Enhanced Bone Tissue Regeneration Enabled with Tissue-Engineered Interlocking Nanoclay Scaffolds and Bone Morphogenic Proteins
Get PDFAbout 6 million bone fractures occur annually in the US; 30% require bone grafting transplants to aid bone healing. Well-established clinical therapy techniques for bone regeneration suffer from limited availability, higher infection risk, donor site morbidity, and poor transplant integration. Delay in healing or nonunion of critical-sized defects is another concern in orthopedics. This dissertation focuses on constructing an interlocking scaffold structure to speed bone regeneration. In this thesis, a BMP-2 & 7 coated PCL-nanoclay-hydroxyapatite interlocking scaffold was developed to accelerate bone regeneration. Developed nano clay polymer interlocking scaffolds retain the scaffold's structural integrity and provide a large surface area while allowing for media interaction. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and osteoblast cells seeded at a 1:1 ratio boost cell viability and enable calcium deposition on day three and collagen production on day 7 with BMP-2 and BMP-7 coated scaffolds. In addition, BMPs, interlocking, and co-culturing of osteoblasts and MSCs promote osteogenic differentiation. In this dissertation, The long-term effect of BMP-2/BMP-7 on in-vitro utilizing interlocking scaffold blocks was evaluated. Changes to the nanomechanical properties of scaffolds and bone tissue during osteogenesis with the progression of ECM formation were reported. Gene expression results and Alizarin Red S staining images indicate a significant increase in mineralized bone nodules with BMPs coated samples compared with uncoated samples. Results suggest BMPs played a critical role in mineralized ECM production, which increased the scaffolds' elastic modulus. This research provides valuable insight into understanding how BMPs affect bone growth. In this dissertation, polymer clay nanocomposites fibers were constructed utilizing a pressured gyration setup and observed improved cell viability, osteogenic differentiation, ECM development, and collagen formation for PCL HAP MMT-Clay nanocomposite fiber scaffolds compared to pure PCL fibers. In this dissertation, the in-silico design of the unnatural amino acids modified clays and fabricated unnatural amino acids modified scaffolds were reported for application as cancer testbeds. This dissertation also reported the design of the in situ hydroxy apatite and tri-calcium phosphate incorporated nano clays polymer scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications. These studies represent a new opportunity to design manufacturable composite nanoclay polymer scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications
An Experimental Study of Fluid-Structure Interaction in Collapsible Vessels
Get PDFThe fluid-structure interaction in collapsible thin-walled vessels is an important topic of research to better understand the physical mechanisms behind many physiological processes and diseases. In this work, we established an experimental setup to study the collapsible tube deformation and fluid-structure interaction within a thin-walled collapsible vessel. The effects of transmural pressure and flow rate were characterized experimentally using high-frequency pressure transducers and optical measurements. Various transmural pressures were also simulated through finite element analysis. Results suggest that the deformation of thin-wall vessel follows the pattern described by Shapiro?s tube law. The collapsed pattern and cross-sectional area changes with different transmural pressure and flow pressure gradients. Below a certain negative transmural pressure threshold, we observed self-induced oscillations whose frequency and magnitude are functions of flow rates. The critical non-dimensional parameter thresholds for self-induced oscillation and the related fluid flow behaviors were examined using Particle Image Velocimetry
A Zoomable Assessment: Navigating the Ecologies of Writing Program Assessment
Get PDFThis dissertation project explores the potential for using an inferential statistics test (t-tests) within an existing writing program assessment design. The purpose of using inferential statistics is to provide several perspectives on a data set collected using the existing assessment design thereby improving what a writing program administrator can learn about the program. To demonstrate the use of statistical tests, I selected as a variable of interest participation in an international collaboration, the Trans-Atlantic and Pacific Project (TAPP). Based on this variable, I asked, can inferential statistics identify whether participation in TAPP created a difference in student portfolio scores for a program outcome? To perform the t-test, I calculated the mean portfolio scores for TAPP and for Non-TAPP groups. Then, after sorting the program data by course, two courses, a writing in the health professions and a writing in the technical professions, had enough sections participate in TAPP to conduct two more tests, one for each course. The tests posed the same question, whether participation in TAPP had a difference in portfolio scores for a program outcome, but had zoomed from the program level into the course level.
The tests indicated that at the highest level (the program) participation in TAPP did not have a statistically significant difference on portfolio scores. The tests at the other level (the course) indicated that participation in TAPP did not have a statistically significant difference on writing in the health professions but did have a statistically significant difference on writing in the technical professions. Possible explanations for these results are examined in relation to existing writing studies literature.
The approach of examining several levels is dubbed a zoomable assessment because the statistical tests allow for more nuanced examinations, that is, the tests zoom into the data set. Based on the findings, I propose further uses and possible limits of uses of inferential statistics as a complement to existing assessment designs. As part of the proposal, I advocate for assessment design, such as zoomable assessment, that is accessible, meaning the design does not require special software or extensive knowledge of advanced statistical analysis methods
Childhood Obesity Prevention: Infant Nutrition and Feeding Education
Get PDFChildhood obesity is a global concern, as of 2020 it affected 39 million children under the age of five. Obesity increases the risk of developing many health problems, including type-2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, asthma, sleep apnea, and others. Overweight and obese children are more likely to become obese adolescents and adults. Once obesity occurs, it is likely to persist as achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is more challenging. Many of the diseases related to obesity are now developing in children and adolescence.
Preventing obesity from occurring has the most promising effect on tackling the issue. Researchers have found that food preferences and eating patterns are developed in the first two years of life, therefore, in order to prevent obesity from occurring, focus should be placed on nutrition during infancy. This practice improvement project aspired to increase parental knowledge regarding healthy nutrition and feeding during infancy. An educational session was conducted during a childbirth preparation class. A post education survey showed that participants did report an increase in their knowledge regarding healthy nutrition and feeding during infancy
Rangeland Forage Growth Prediction, Logistics, Energy, and Economics Analysis and Tool Development Using Open-Source Software
Get PDFForage availability was crucial for livestock production across the United States. Rangelands occupied vast areas 31 % of land and were the primary source of forage for livestock. However, extreme climatic conditions such as drought affect rangeland forage production and pose a serious threat to the rangeland enterprise. This increases the need to monitor forage in vast rangelands and adapt to other measures such as cultivating or buying forage to balance demand and supply. Despite this need, resources (studies and tools) on rangeland forage monitoring and existing forage production, handling, and economics were scattered and scarce. Therefore, a comprehensive systematic literature review was performed to gather the current understanding of the technology and resources used for monitoring and economics of forage production. Remote sensing technologies were widely used in recent research for their ability to scout vast areas frequently and machine learning (ML) in successfully comprehending complex relationships. Forage production economics was predominantly available for alfalfa forage crop, but other crops and bale collection logistics during production were ignored. Bale collection using conventional tractor carrying 1 and 2 bales/trip (BPT) and automatic bale picker (8-23 BPT) was simulated mathematically and analyzed with open-source R software using realistic equipment turning scenarios. Fuel consumption based on aggregation distance for ABP decreased on average by 72 % and 53 % compared to the tractor with 1 and 2 BPT. A web-based calculator tool was developed using open-source HTML, CSS, and JavaScript software for forage economic analysis including more than 10 varieties of forage crops involving the economics of bale collection (tractor and ABP). Pasture biomass yield prediction was performed with R software using vegetation index (VI) and climate data through ML approaches. Recursive feature selection (RFE) and random forest (RF) model for forage yield emerged as the best methodology based on accuracy. A web-based interactive tool was developed using the Shiny package in R to accommodate ?field-specific,? pasture-scale inputs for predicting biomass yield. In conclusion, these successful results demonstrate the possibility of using open-source software for simulating logistics, developing models, and building tools for forage monitoring and analyzing the economics of forage production
Regenerating Space for Community Enhancement
Get PDFUrban development and master planning of a large site that lies within a growing city can unify and influence expansion in a community, if done so in a strategic and deliberate way. My thesis project will analyze the community benefits, best methods for urban regeneration, and eco-friendly improvements that can be made when transforming a vacant site into an innovation district. Innovation districts adjacent to university campuses are becoming more and more prominent throughout the United States, allowing for the sharing of facilities and resources needed to discover and create new ideas. Research of other large regeneration projects, as well as sustainable campus master plans, will help drive the efforts of the project. By understanding what cities need to prosper, how to make them more sufficient, and the role that an innovation district can play in the advancement of a community, I hope to design a successful and sustainable university campus for the future
The Preserve at Edgewood Golf Course
Get PDFStormwater is expelled from the urban environment and treated as a greater product of waste. Excess watershed is rushed from the vast grey landscape we?ve built of impervious surfaces and below the surface through hundreds of miles of outdated storm sewer waterways into the nearest natural water source, carrying with it pollutants and hazardous materials that contaminate the very source that our communities rely on. An increase of rainfall introduced from the surfaces of our metropolitan municipalities to these natural waterways become too much to contain and damaging events of flooding occur to surrounding areas. Consequently, during times of little rainfall, that same municipalities bleed the same waterways dry due to the consistent water demands of the communities regardless of annual precipitation. Millions of dollars are spent on large scale engineering projects meant to neutralize the self-inflicted impacts imposed on our natural resources. This project is a study on how to find a solution that better utilizes the natural water cycle to capture excess stormwater and improve the ecological quality of our resources
The Effects of Kinesiotape Star Technique in Individuals with Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain
Get PDFKinesio? Tape is theorized to reduce pain and aid with movement during treatment of chronic non-specific low back pain. This study investigated the effect that Kinesio? Tape has on patient-reported outcome measures and on disability in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. Six volunteers exhibiting chronic non-specific low back pain, based on an included questionnaire, were recruited for this study. Patient-reported visual analog scores (VAS), Oswestry Disability (ODI) scores, Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK) scores and postural stability measured by the Biodex balance system, as well as timed up and go scores were recorded over two randomized sessions with Kinesio? Tape star technique and with a sham taping. Upon conclusion of this study there was significance found when looking at the pain, timed up and go, and ODI scores but there were not any differences found between the two different Kinesio? Tape taping techniques
From Paintings to Opera: Discovering the Reimagination of William Hogarth's A Rake's Progress in Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress
Get PDFThe Rake?s Progress (1951) is a well-known satirical opera in three acts with an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), with a libretto written by Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973) and Chester Kallman (1921-1975). This opera is based on William Hogarth?s (1697-1764) series of eight paintings, A Rake?s Progress (1734), which inspired Stravinsky during his visit to the Art Institute of Chicago on May 2, 1947. Even though many scholars have conducted discussions on the opera itself, there is little scholarship on the influence of Hogarth?s paintings on Stravinsky?s opera. This dissertation considers how Stravinsky, Auden, and Kallman translated Hogarth?s series of satirical paintings into a period opera to which audiences in the mid-twentieth century could relate. As I am a collaborative pianist that works extensively with singers and opera projects, I aim for this document to be helpful as a guide for singers, vocal coaches, or other interested individuals who wish to have a fresh perspective on this opera.
I have divided this dissertation into three parts. In the first part of my disquisition, I investigate Stravinsky?s motivation to write this opera by researching the societal culture, in both early-eighteenth-century London and the mid-twentieth-century United States. In the second part of this paper, I track the collaborators' creative decisions in altering the opera's narrative. I review the libretto of the opera and the iconography of Hogarth?s series of paintings which consists of religious and cultural symbols reflecting Hogarth?s perspective on morality during his time. I also consult modern scholarships in interpreting the narrative and proceed to establish the relationship between the libretto and Hogarth?s paintings. In the third part of this dissertation, I critically analyze selected arias of the opera to investigate how Stravinsky employs neoclassicism in bringing the libretto to life in the music.
Ultimately, this dissertation provides a fresh perspective on Stravinsky?s opera by giving a better understanding of Hogarth?s views on morality and culture in eighteenth-century London through his series of engravings as well as how Stravinsky, Auden, and Kallman translated Hogarth?s intentions for their own purposes in this opera, The Rake?s Progress