Bioculture Journal
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Building Governance Capacity at the Organizational Level: Facilitating Local Ownership in Zambia
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2013This case example presents a small Zambian non-profit, non-governmental organization poised to transition from a sub-grantee, to the prime grantee of PEPFAR funding. During a two year period from 2010 to 2012, the organization received an initial assessment of transition readiness, technical assistance, and re-assessment. In the context of the PEPFAR re-authorization and the mandated transfer of programs to local ownership this case uses assessment reports, interview responses and surveys to identify lessons learned in relation to 1) assessment methods used to identify capacity needs, 2) the delivery of technical assistance and 3) outcome evaluation feedback. These lessons may be beneficial to other local organizations interested in building governance capacity or donor organizations looking to build the capacity of grantees to better manage large dollar grants from international donors
Overcoming Barriers: Black Women at Boeing
No full textMaster of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS)This research looks at the lives of Black Women in the Pacific Northwest working at Boeing during World War II. Using historical research, archived records and oral history the experiences of Black Women Rosies are documented. Oral histories from Katie Burks and Ruth Render two of the first Black Women employed at Boeing during World War II offer personal insights into barriers Black Women faced and how they overcame these obstacles with activism to build strong communities and a better workplace
The Elwha River Ecosystem Restoration Project: A Case Study of Government-to-Government Co-Management
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2013The contribution of indigenous groups in natural resource management is generally believed to enhance management practices and produce positive outcomes for its participants, by improving stewardship and encouraging power-sharing arrangements, among other outcomes. For federally recognized Native American communities, government-to-government co-management relationships with the U.S. federal government have provided opportunities to modernize the treaty trust relationship, and enrich linkages between environmental ethics and cultural heritage, building tribal capacity and autonomy. The case of the Elwha River dam removal and ecosystem restoration on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State presents an opportunity to demonstrate the progress made in consultation practices and co-management efforts on the behalf of the U.S. government, in the execution of the largest dam removal project ever attempted. For the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, river restoration will re-connect the Tribe to the legendary salmon runs that are its cultural livelihood. The co-management relationship established between the project's two lead actors, the National Park Service and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, has demonstrated the positive outcomes of a mutually respected process facilitated through power-sharing, as well as the dilemma for tribal decision-makers in maintaining cultural tradition and engaging in environmental management under congressional mandates
Narrow Field
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2013Narrow Field is a lyric examination of historical accounts of feral children and contemporary child abduction stories, as well as a personal account of an unsupervised childhood and how that wildness informs an adult life
Chitosan-Based Scaffolds for Stem Cell Renewal and Differentiation
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2013Tissue engineering aims to restore function and treat disease through the fabrication of a suitable microenvironmental niche to facilitate recovery and repair. Often, a scaffold is necessary to provide the appropriate spatial, chemical, and mechanical cues in place of the native extracellular matrix. The cellular microenvironment determines cellular behavior and cell fate via contact, nutrient and waste concentration gradients, soluble signaling factors and cell-cell signaling. Thus, an effective tissue engineering scaffold must recapitulate the native extracellular microenvironment to promote the appropriate cellular behavior, and in turn, restoration of function. Chitosan-based materials are an attractive candidate for tissue engineering scaffolds on account of the inherent biocompatibility, biodegradability, availability, and range of processing techniques available. We first fabricated a porous, 3D chitosan-alginate scaffold, which we determined is an effective microenvironment for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) renewal to confluency without the use of feeder cells or conditioned media. Additionally, a technique was developed to dissolve the scaffold and recover hESCs while maintaining pluripotency. Thus, we developed an effective system for the high-density propagation of hESCs, which will be necessary for translation to future clinical applications. Subsequently, we developed an in vitro cell culture system for the myogenic induction of hESCs that integrates soluble factors with aligned chitosan-PCL fibrous ECM . In the course of this combinatorial study, it was determined that aligned chitosan-PCL fibers convey unique microenvironmental stimuli that guide cell differentiation. Finally, the aligned chitosan-PCL fibrous ECM was used to address the limitations of existing tendon grafts. Tenogenic differentiation was induced in human bone marrow stem cells more rapidly and with a greater purity than possible with current techniques. These findings demonstrate the potential use of chitosan-based materials for tissue engineering applications, and that specific microenvironmental cues can be conveyed by rational design of the scaffold to maximize the biological performance of a tissue-engineered construct
The Milky Way in SDSS and in N-body Models
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2013In this thesis, I present a comparison between recent Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Galactic studies and N-body simulations to aid in the interpretation of observed structural features. I investigate the origin of the Galactic thin/thick disk system and the contents of the Galactic halo by drawing comparisons to two high resolution simulations produced using GASOLINE. My aim is twofold: (1) to assess the plausibility of radial migration as a main driver for shaping the thick disk, and (2) to evaluate via Jeans equations properties of the Galactic potential within the SDSS volume. I arrive as several key findings: 1. Radial migration can produce on a global scale a physically reasonable thin/thick disk system in an N-body simulation. 2. Secular evolution via radial migration could be the source of spatial, chemical and kinematic disk trends observed in the solar cylinder by SDSS. 3. Jeans equations can meaningfully recover mean accelerations from a non steady-state, non axisymmetric cosmologically derived N-body simulation. 4. The morphology of the acceleration maps generated using Jeans equations applied to SDSS data is consistent with the presence of dark matter and inconsistent with a baryon only model of the Milky Way. 5. An analytic technique utilizing Jeans equations can meaningfully recover an N-body simulation's mean dark matter axis ratio. 6. The same analytic technique applied to SDSS Galactic halo data indicates the Milky Way dark matter axis ratio within the SDSS volume is qDM=0.47 ± 0.14. Breakthroughs such as these were enabled by recent rapid progress in both observational surveys and simulation science. This thesis demonstrates the emergent and informative value of direct comparison between the two
Transcending Inequality: A Grounded Theory Study of Filipino Factory Workers in Taiwan
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2013The purpose of this research is to develop a theory of the main concern of Filipino factory workers in Taiwan and the latent pattern of behavior that accounts for its continual resolution. Using classic grounded theory, nine participants were interviewed and the data were analyzed using the constant comparative method of analysis. The theory that emerged from this study was Transcending Inequality, which explains how participants resolve inequality via three overlapping patterns of behavior: coping, bonding, and serving. Although the notion of transcending is paradoxical in that it tends to sidestep the structural causes of inequality, it foregrounds the participants' individual, cultural, social, and spiritual resources. The findings have implications for three areas of practice and policy: (a) local and transnational community life, (b) religious and spiritual practices, and (c) the strength-based approach
Life Cycle Assessment of Biofuels Produced from Short Rotation Woody Crops
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2013In an effort to find a substitute for petroleum based liquid transportation fuels many countries are turning to biofuels. The newest form of these biofuels, also known as the second generation or cellulosic biofuels, have received considerable attention. Short rotation woody crops (SRWC) such as willow and poplar have been proposed as possible sources of biomass to produce these biofuels via biochemical conversion. Before moving to commercial scale, the impacts these biofuels could place on environment must be investigated. In this thesis two research projects to assess environmental performance of SRWC biofuels using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) are presented. In the first project an LCA of ethanol production via bioconversion of willow biomass crop feedstock is investigated. Willow crop data are used to assess feedstock production impacts. The bioconversion process is modeled with an Aspen simulation that predicts an overall conversion yield of 310 liters of ethanol per tonne of feedstock (74 gal per US short ton). Vehicle combustion impacts are assessed using greenhouse gases, regulated emissions, and energy use in transportation (GREET) model. The impacts of bioconversion produced ethanol are compared with those of gasoline on an equivalent energy basis. Results of the LCA show that the life-cycle global warming potential of ethanol is slightly negative. Carbon emissions from ethanol production and use are balanced by carbon absorption in the growing willow feedstock and the displacement of fossil fuel produced electricity with renewable electricity produced in the bioconversion process. The fossil fuel input required for producing 1 MJ of energy from ethanol is 141 percent less than that from gasoline. More water is needed, however, to produce 1 MJ of ethanol fuel than 1 MJ of gasoline. The life-cycle water use for ethanol is 169 percent greater than that for gasoline. The largest contributors to water use are the conversion process itself and the production of chemicals and materials used in the process, such as enzymes and sulfuric acid. In the second project, LCA for two lignocellulosic bioethanol production pathways are simulated using hybrid poplar as a feedstock are developed and compared. Both processes use a dilute acid pretreatment followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. The processes differ in the fermentation process. In the first pathway an ethanologen is used to produce ethanol. The second pathway is fermented with an acetogen to produce acetic acid. Acetic acid undergoes hydrogenation to produce ethanol. Both bioconversion pathways are modeled in ASPEN-plus simulations. In both processes lignin is recovered and burned onsite to produce electricity. The critical difference between the two processes is that the acetic acid pathway has a higher product yield but requires hydrogen for the process. Steam methane reforming is assumed to be the source of hydrogen. Greenhouse gases, regulated emissions, and energy use in transportation (GREET) is used to model combustion of ethanol from each scenario in a flex fuel vehicle. All necessary chemicals, transportation, and processes required by each production pathway are included within the LCAs. Each pathway is assessed to determine the global warming potential (GWP), fossil fuel use, and freshwater use. Compared to gasoline the ethanologen pathway has a GWP that is 97 percent lower, uses 97 percent less fossil fuels, and 180 percent more water. The acetogen pathway has a GWP 53 percent lower than gasoline, reduces fossil fuel use by 55 percent, and increases water use by 81 percent. In regards to the GWP and fossil fuel use the ethanologen pathway achieves larger reductions compared to gasoline. However, the acetogen pathway will produce more ethanol per unit of land and this may play a crucial role in choosing a lignocellulosic ethanol production method if land is a limited resource
Brechemin Piano Series November 14, 2013
No full textConcert ProgramBrechemin Piano Series November 14, 201