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Patterns of Land Use Change, Land Governance, and the Supply of Ecosystem Services in a Multifunctional Landscape: A Case Study from Upstate SC, USA
Get PDFUrban expansion and development continue to increase globally, threatening rural multifunctional landscapes that provide a diversity of direct and indirect ecological benefits. However, not all landscapes are equally impacted, thus making conservation planning more difficult. We used 8 years of land use and land cover to understand this change in Greenville Co. SC, a region experiencing rapid expansion of development into rural landscapes. Regression models helped explain the relationships between development predictor variables and rural response variables. To explore where these changes were occurring, we determined which size categories of land parcels were the most developed and how this is changing over time. Developed open space was revealed to significantly impact rural character, pasture, and evergreen forest most frequently. It was also found to be most prevalent in the smallest parcels. Determining relationships between development, rural character, and multifunctionality will aid in potential solutions for the conservation of multifunctional landscapes
Quantum chemical modeling of organic enhanced atmospheric nucleation: A critical review
No full textAerosol particles are important for our global climate, but the mechanisms and especially the relative importance of various vapors for new particles formation (NPF) remain uncertain. Quantum chemical (QC) studies on organic enhanced nucleation has for the past couple of decades attracted immense attention, but very little remains known about the exact organic compounds that potentially are important for NPF. Here we comprehensively review the QC literature on atmospheric cluster formation involving organic compounds. We outline the potential cluster systems that should be further investigated. Cluster formation involving complex multi-functional organic accretion products warrant further investigations, but such systems are out of reach with currently applied methodologies. We suggest a “cluster of functional groups” approach to address this issue, which will allow for the identification of the potential structure of organic compounds that are involved in atmospheric NPF
The Effect of Different Concentrations of L-theanine on the Heart Rate of Daphnia magna Exposed to Monosodium Glutamate
No full textThe numerous benefits of L-theanine have been well researched, including its ability to reduce blood pressure, increase mental focus, and increase relaxation. However, studies on its ability to reduce heart rate are scarce. The purpose of this study was to determine if L-theanine could act as a relaxant against monosodium glutamate, an environmental stressor that increases heart rate, and to determine which concentration of L-theanine would be most effective in doing so. It was hypothesized that if Daphnia magna were placed in different aqueous solutions of L-theanine after exposure to monosodium glutamate, the Daphnia would display the lowest heart rate for the solution of 2 mg/mL. This is because an insufficient or excess L-theanine dose would not activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers heart rate. The D. magna were exposed to an aqueous monosodium glutamate concentration, then transferred immediately into an aqueous L-theanine solution, and heart rates while it was in each solution were recorded using a compound light lab microscope. The results of a Tukey test suggest that there were significant differences in heart rate when the 1 mg/mL group was compared to the control group (CV=23.94), HSD [0.05]=3.69. Thus, it was concluded that L-theanine could lower heart rate most effectively at a 1 mg/mL concentration in Daphnia magna
The Effect of Website Interactivity on the Popularity of News Sites
No full textAs much of the world’s information moves online with passing generations, the spread of news has become a very technological process. People have access to hard and easy news with the click of a button. The purpose of this study was to detect if there was a correlation between the most popular news websites and there Time To Interactive (TTI) scores (seconds). Therefore, the effectiveness of access to a website was evaluated to see whether the speed at which all interactive aspects of a website become active is faster in websites deemed to be the most popular. The hypothesis predicted that if the popularity of a website was higher then the TTI score would be lower, meaning less time. The webpagetest.org lighthouse test was utilized in order to establish a performance score in which the Time To Interactive score was visible. The data was collected and analyzed in order to determine the significance of the information. The regression test was utilized in order to discover a correlatio between the TTI score of a website and its rank in popularity. There was not enough of a significant pattern detected between the popularity of a website and its TTI scores to establish a valid relationship between the popularity of a website and its TTI score
The Effects of Car Headlight Height on the Amount of Light Reflected and Visibility for Different Reflective Apparel
No full textReduced visibility at night is a significant cause of many night time pedestrian casualties, and the ability for a pedestrian to be easily seen can be the difference between life and death. Reflective clothing can be used by pedestrians to increase their conspicuity, making it easier for drivers to see pedestrians and giving drivers more time to react and avoid a collision with the pedestrian. The purpose of this research was to provide a comparison between four clothing types, a reflective vest, the reflective bands, the white shirt, and a black shirt. The hypothesis would reflect the most light for the light reflected trials with the Forerunner and the Corolla headlight height. For the visibility trials, it was hypothesized that the reflective bands would have the longest distance at the corolla headlight height, and the reflective vest would have the longest distance for the Forerunner headlight height. For the first experiment, a light sensor was used to determine the amount of light reflected by each type of reflective clothing worn by a pedestrian standing approximately 1 meter in front of each vehicle type. Subsequently, pedestrian visibility was tested by having a human wearing one of the four randomly selected types of clothing, standing 215 m from the vehicle. The hypothesis was supported regarding the lux trials by the One Way ANOVAs, but was not supported for the distance trials, due to the vest being more effective for both headlight heights. A One Way ANOVA was used to analyze the data
The Effect of Nylon, PET, and Polystyrene Microplastics on Dugesia tigrina Reproduction
No full textPlastic waste products are often found littered throughout the environment. When organisms digest plastic, microplastics are left in their system. Therefore, these microplastics are present in virtually all living organisms, including humans. The purpose of this experiment was to discern which type of microplastic has the least harmful impact on Dugesia tigrina as a model organism for other animals and the environment. It was hypothesized that if Dugesia tigrina were exposed to polystyrene, nylon, or PET, then the brown planaria would reproduce at the lowest rate in the presence of polystyrene. Polystyrene contains toxic chemicals, which, when this plastic is broken down, are released. Polyethylene terephthalate and nylon are also known for being more hygienic and safe plastics. The effect of microplastics on brown planaria was tested by adding 0.3g of nylon, polyethylene terephthalate, and polystyrene to three different beakers of water containing planaria, with an additional beaker without microplastics as a control. Planaria in each culture were counted every three days for two weeks to measure the rate of reproduction. The results were analyzed using a Chi Square Goodness of Fit test at the end of the experiment to see how the plastic affected different cultures. The results of the test showed x^2 values \u3c 9.488, meaning that none of the plastics had a significant effect on the rate of planaria reproduction
Creating a Smartphone Application That Monitors the Consumption of FODMAPs to Prevent FODMAP Stacking
No full textFermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs) are short-chain carbohydrates which can cause gastrointestinal distress due to their ability to rapidly ferment and draw water into the intestine. To combat symptoms, patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, may be prescribed a Low FODMAP Diet, in which the consumption of FODMAPs is limited. However, adequately limiting FODMAPs can be difficult due to a process called FODMAP Stacking, where same-type FODMAPs from recently consumed foods accumulate in the stomach. The purpose of this project was to develop a smartphone application that allows for the user’s diet to be documented and calculates if the user eating a selected food item will stack FODMAPs past the Low FODMAP threshold. Based on the identified amount of total FODMAPs, the app displays an icon to the user, categorizing the total as Low, Medium, or High FODMAP. To test the app, different trios of food combinations were hand-calculated for FODMAP amounts and plugged into the app. The expected FODMAP categorization and the app-identified FODMAP categorization were compared, showing that the app displayed the correct category for all trials
The Second Floor
No full textOur project regarded making a design for a cart that is able to move items up a flight of stairs in an efficient manner. This project was meant to resolve was the lack of a cart currently on the market that could be used by moving companies in order to perform jobs involving heavier loads, as well as avoiding injuries such as chronic joint pain. In order to test the designs generated, a contruction of the cart on a smaller scale using VEX parts, was utlized to try different tread designs as well as test a breaking system. To test the micro scaled cart, a smaller wooden mockup of a stair case was created using quarter-inch thick plywood, and featured 8 steps. The smaller wooden steps and the smaller cart allowed to a simulation of the cart on a larger scale. The test were done in trials where force to move up the flight of steps and weight held while breaking was calculated in orde rto determine the best design. The simulation on a smaller scaled allowed for the safety risk to be mitigated, that otherwise would have been present in a full scale model. After the test, the design feature triangle pieces for the treads was chosen as it showed the most positive results. Once chosen the cart was then built at a full scale and tested on an actual stairs case. Furthermore any noticeable flaws in the design on the full scale model were adjusted
The Impact of Physical Therapy on DBS Dystonia Patients
No full textOver 250,000 people in the United States suffer from generalized dystonia, a disorder that causes uncontrollable muscle convulsions. There are few treatments currently available to lessen the tremor, spasms, and pain caused by dystonia. One specific treatment known as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), in which electrodes are implanted into the brain to control muscle movements, can be advantageous for dystonia patients. However, there is significant variation present in the levels of improvement from patient to patient. We hypothesized that the reason some DBS dystonia patients improve more than others is due to physical therapy (PT). To test this, we looked at a case series of 10 patients who had undergone DBS — 6 who had PT and 4 who did not. Using subjective patient statements before and after DBS, we found that 3 out of the 6 patients who had PT improved (50%) while 3 out of the 4 patients who did not have PT improved (75%). Thus, the group who did not undergo PT tended to improve more. However, there were only 10 patients in the study, making it difficult to determine if our outcome was accurate or not. In the future, we hope to redo this experiment with a larger sample size and focus on more factors such as the time spent in PT per patient. This research is a start to gaining a deeper knowledge of the most accurate treatment for dystonia patients of varying backgrounds and if physical therapy is truly worthwhile or not