Thesis (B.S.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 2007. / Also available online. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 102 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.). + 1 Excel file. Includes a Particle-size analysis appendix as an Excel spreadsheet. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-101).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009. / Title from title screen (site viewed June 22, 2010). PDF text: x, 251 p. : ill. (chiefly col.), maps ; 16 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3366033. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

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The addition of composted greenwaste (CGW) into soil-forming materials during land reclamation may improve tree growth, alleviate certain negative soil properties and provide an effective waste management solution. CGW addition may also assist the establishment of sustainable earthworm populations, which in turn can further aid soil development through their burrowing and feeding activities. Despite these potentially mutual benefits, little research exists into CGW and earthworm interactions with trees on reclaimed land, and the aim of this thesis was to investigate such interactions. A large-scale field experiment and a nursery-based mesocosm experiment revealed the responses of the tree species Italian alder (Alnus cordata) and Norway maple (Acer platanoides) to CGW and earthworm addition in reclaimed soil. Findings revealed a synergistic effect of CGW addition and earthworm activity leading to significantly greater A. cordata and A. platanoides growth. CGW addition significantly increased levels of soil organic carbon and essential plant macro-nutrients, with earthworm activity increasing the accumulation of organic carbon into reclaimed soils. Additional laboratory-based research revealed the performance of four common UK earthworm species in reclaimed soil, and demonstrated that CGW can support earthworm establishment, and that the earthworms Aporrectodea longa and Allolobophora chlorotica are particularly suitable candidates for inoculation to reclaimed soil. These two earthworm species showed a preference for the foliar material of A. cordata over A. platanoides, but after two weeks, microbial degradation of leaf litter increased A. platanoides leaf palatability to these earthworms. These two tree species may therefore be capable of supporting earthworm populations on reclaimed landfill. A survey of a newly reclaimed site showed that natural colonisation of reclaimed land by earthworms can occur rapidly (within 2 years), where soil quality is sufficient and legacy soil materials are stockpiled and applied following best practice guidance. The studies in this thesis demonstrate methods for effectively improving woodland establishment and soil quality on reclaimed landfill, through CGW application and earthworm activity promoting soil development and encouraging tree growth.

Human blood, saliva, semen and vaginal secretions are the main body fluids encountered at crime scenes. In the “Live-Time” era of forensic science it has become evident that the current challenge in the examination of body fluids is that non-destructive screening methods of greater specificity are required for body fluid identification compared to the presumptive tests currently utilised. Further to this, a method suitable for routine application is strongly sought after to determine the age of body fluid stains as it could enable police forces to make informed decisions regarding the relevance of forensic biological evidence recovered from crime scenes. The focus of this research was to investigate the use of analytical techniques (ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and protein analyses; SDS-PAGE and the Bradford assay) in the application of robust confirmatory body fluid identification and age determination. The findings of this research demonstrated that human blood, saliva, semen and vaginal secretions could successfully be detected and differentiated from one another when analysed with ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, based on the unique spectral pattern and combination of peaks corresponding to macromolecule groups, and SDS-PAGE, based on separation patterns of various proteins within each of the body fluids. Direct ATR-FTIR spectroscopic examination of blood and vaginal secretion stains enabled successful detection and identification in stains aged up to 18 months and 6 months, respectively. In contrast, stains of saliva and semen aged up to 18 months and 9 months, respectively, could not be detected when directly analysed. However, when the stains were extracted with a simple water-based method, all four body fluids could be detected. Age determination analysis with ATR FTIR spectroscopy demonstrated that peak intensities and ratios were not appropriate variables to discriminate between body fluids stains and extracts. Successful detection of extracted blood, semen and vaginal secretion stains aged up to 7 days was also achieved with SDS-PAGE, although saliva stains were not detected when extracted. The age of extracted samples appeared to have no impact on the detection of the proteins. Furthermore, comparison of average total protein yield obtained with the Bradford assay from aged extracted body fluid stains demonstrated no correlation with protein concentration and sample age for any of the body fluids examined. Overall, this research has demonstrated the successful application of both ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and SDS-PAGE for the identification of human body fluids. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in particular has reproducibly demonstrated detection and identification of body fluids, which has great potential to be utilised in the routine screening of biological evidence due to its quick and robust application within forensic science.

Investigations of the physical and chemical structure of archaeological fibresArchaeological fibres can be defined as natural fibres that belong to different time periods, which found in cemeteries or excavation sites. The preservation conditions cause degradation, mineralisation and sometimes a complete deterioration of these fibres, because the chemical and physical structure of the fibres changed over time in response to the specific burial environments. The ancient fibres from different archaeological sites were analysed by several non destructive analytical techniques such as optical Microscopy, Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy, Attenuated Total Reflectance FTIR and Wide Angle X-Ray Scattering Analysis as well as destructive analytical techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry. These analytical techniques showed that keratin fibres from a central European climate have a larger damage at the fibre surface compared with frozen conditions. While bog conditions were the best in preserving the surface. FTIR analysis provides information about cystine oxidation changes in keratin fibres. For all ancient keratin fibres showed a silica peak at 1030 cm-1 which affected the symmetric cysteic acid peak at 1040 cm-1. For this reason the asymmetrical cysteic acid peak 1175 cm-1 was used for identification of cystine oxidation changes. Transmission FTIR gives a better view of the overall chemical changes in both cortex and cuticle compared to ATR analysis. All ancient wools and highly medullated Iceman deer hairs showed the highest concentration of cysteic acid compared with human hair and goat hair. Also it was shown that warm conditions have bigger effect on both the degree of oxidation of cystine and the ions uptake from the environment. The modulated DSC analysis gives a better view on the degree of degradation of hair proteins compared to WAXS analysis. To get a reliable result it is important to correct the DSC data according to the protein content of the fibre.

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