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Since the White River in east central Indiana is a source of water for human use, the quality of its water is an important concern. Certain heavy metals, when present in high enough concentrations may cause discoloration, foul taste, or may even be a health hazard to man. The particular metals of interest in this investigation are iron, copper, mercury, lead, chromium, nickel, and cobalt. The present study is concerned with the measurement of the concentrations of these metals in the waters and sediment of the White River at Muncie, Indiana.The analyses for the metals listed were performed via appropriate standard methods, involving principally atomic absorption spectroscopy. Four river sites in the Muncie vicinity were sampled daily for a. week, one week per month, for two months, using techniques designed both for convenience and representative character of samples.The end-products of this study are a, comparison of the heavy metal concentrations in the White River with values from other studies and a discussion of the many variables needed to present a true picture of the metallic content of the river water.

This is the first study to compare total arsenic (As) and other trace elements in the agricultural soils and grain of Eastern, Western and Southern Libya, North Africa and the Middle East (NA &amp; MIDEA). Soil pot experiments and field experiments were conducted to determine the levels of As within wheat grains in Libya. In the soil pot experiments, wheat genotypes were planted in similar soils and yet differences in grain As concentration were found among the cultivars. The highest As accumulation was found in <i>T. durum; </i>however, in the field data the highest levels were found in <i>T. aestrivum.</i> The levels of As and other trace elements found in agricultural soils from the Eastern Western and Southern regions of Libya are examined. Mean As concentrations in the clay mineral agricultural soils of the Eastern Region were nearly 4.8 and 4.1 times higher than in the southern and western regions, respectively. It is possible that the parent material of that region contains elevated levels of As, which are then exhibited in the overlying soil. Differences in the levels of As and other trace elements found in the irrigated agricultural soil of Southern Libya were compared with non-irrigated soil from the same region.  Concentrations of P, Zn and As in soil were higher in irrigated compared to non-irrigated soils, while the concentration of Cd is nearly the same in all soil samples. A market basket investigation was conducted to determine the total levels of As and Se in rice purchased from supermarkets. The average level of As in rice from NA &amp; MIDEA is 0.22 mg/kg, comparable with average levels in Australia.

This thesis focuses on the geochemistry of secondary minerals, mainly calcite but also others such as fluorite and Ca/Al silicates, precipitated throughout the last 1.5 billion years in fractures of crystalline rock, SE Sweden. The work was based on previous reconnaissance studies and has been possible thanks to access to high-quality drill cores and associated mapping data provided by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co (SKB). Concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) and occasionally other metals were determined in a variety of secondary minerals from fractures (mainly open systems) and veins (mainly sealed systems) and in primary minerals from the bedrock. Stable-isotope composition was measured in the secondary minerals. The overall aim was to define the sources, uptake and fractionation of REEs in calcite, and a few other co-genetic minerals, precipitated throughout the geological history under conditions ranging from hydrothermal to low temperatures. Collectively, the findings of the individual studies show that there is no easy and straightforward control of REE abundance and fractionation in calcite and other minerals in fractures and veins in crystalline bedrock settings. For example, the REE features in calcite vary extensively within sub-generations of single vein-precipitating events, on micro scale in transects across individual veins, and unsystematically over the geological history characterised by successively decreasing temperatures of mineral formation. Although the REE content in, and release from, the crystalline bedrock can have an influence on REE distribution in calcite and other minerals, it is of overall minor importance within a given bedrock domain. The main advantage of determining REEs in secondary minerals in fractures and veins in crystalline rock is therefore, as revealed in this work, to assess the character and evolution of the conditions (including features of the paleofluids) during confined mineral-precipitating events.

This thesis examines the development of Tamarrion and how it has been influenced by World of Warcraft and other games, focusing on the textures. The authors use the element of colour from the elements of art (Beloeil, et.al. 2013) to break down the texture maps, and analyse and compare the results. This is done both between the three development phases of Tamarrion and other games. The results show that there are similarities between the games referenced within this paper. They also show that the texture maps of Tamarrion have increased their similarities with the examples from other games during each following stage. The authors document the techniques used to create the results of Tamarrion and how they have altered throughout the process. Based on the results of the textures of games referenced, the authors come to a conclusion that they have succeeded in their attempts to increase the level of craftsmanship in their textures. Due to this it is deemed that the incorporation of new techniques proved valuable and will continue to be utilised and experimented with further. The authors recommend artists to gather reference material of any visual style they desire for their own developments and break them down by using the elements of art. / Detta examensarbete undersöker utvecklingen av Tamarrion och hur det har influerats av World of Warcraft och andra spel med fokus på texturer. Författarna bryter ner texturerna med hjälp av färgdelen inom elements of art och analyserar och jämför resultaten. Detta görs både för Tamarrions tre utvecklingsfaser och andra spel. Resultaten visar att det finns likheter mellan spelen som undersöks i examensarbetet. De visar även att Tamarrions texturer ökat i likhet med spelen som författarna jämför med för varje utvecklingsfas. Författarna dokumenterar tekniker som de använt för att producera Tamarrions texturer och hur dessa har ändrats under processen. Baserat på resultaten, drar de slutsatsen att de har lyckats med sitt mål att ta texturerna till en högre hantverksmässig nivå. På grund av detta dras även slutsatsen att beslutet att inkludera nya tekniker visat sig värdefullt och därför kommer de fortsätta användas och experimeteras vidare med. Författarna rekommenderar andra grafiker att samla ett rikt referensmaterial som representerar den visuella stil som önskas för sina egna projekt och bryta ner dem med hjälp av elements of art.

Retrotransposons comprise a large portion of mammalian genomes. They contribute to structural changes and more importantly to gene regulation. The expansion and diversification of gene families have been implicated as sources of evolutionary novelties. Given the roles retrotransposons play in genomes, their contribution to the evolution of gene families warrants further exploration. In this study, we found a significant association between two major retrotransposon classes, LINEs and LTRs, and lineage-specific gene family expansions in both the human and mouse genomes. The distribution and diversity differ between LINEs and LTRs, suggesting that each has a distinct involvement in gene family expansion. LTRs are associated with open chromatin sites surrounding the gene families, supporting their involvement in gene regulation, whereas LINEs may play a structural role promoting gene duplication. Our findings also suggest that gene family expansions, especially in the mouse genome, undergo two phases. The first phase is characterized by elevated deposition of LTRs and their utilization in reshaping gene regulatory networks. The second phase is characterized by rapid gene family expansion due to continuous accumulation of LINEs and it appears that, in some instances at least, this could become a runaway process. We provide an example in which this has happened and we present a simulation supporting the possibility of the runaway process. Altogether we provide evidence of the contribution of retrotransposons to the expansion and evolution of gene families. Our findings emphasize the putative importance of these elements in diversification and adaptation in the human and mouse lineages.

Biosurfactants are compounds that exhibit surface activity (e.g., reduce surface and interfacial tension) and are derived from natural, biological sources. They are considered green substances due to their natural derivation, biodegradability, and relatively low toxicity. Biosurfactants from multiple classes have been shown to interact with metals, and a review of these interactions is provided. Rhamnolipids produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa are attracting attention for metal remediation applications. The purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate rhamnolipids' ability to complex rare earth elements, determine the environmental compatibility of novel rhamnolipid diastereomers, and assess the efficacy of rhamnolipid as a collector in ion flotation. Previous research shows rhamnolipids selectively bind elements of environmental concern over common soil and water cations, but there had been no examination of transition metals from the f-block of the periodic table. The f-block elements include the rare earth elements, which are a vital component of nearly every modern technology and subject to supply risk. The interaction between monorhamnolipids and the rare earth elements was investigated by determining conditional stability constants using a resin-based ion exchange method. For the 27 metals examined, the conditional stability constants could be divided into three groups, albeit somewhat subjectively: weakly, moderately, and strongly bound. UO22+, Eu3+, Nd3+, Tb3+, Dy3+, La3+, Cu2+, Al3+, Pb2+, Y3+, Pr3+, and Lu3+are strongly bound with conditional stability constants ranging from 9.82 to 8.20; Cd2+, In3+, Zn2+, Fe3+, Hg2+, and Ca2+ are moderately bound with stability constants ranging from 7.17 to 4.10; and Sr2+, Co2+, Ni2+, UO22+, Cs+, Ba2+, Mn2+, Mg2+, Rb+, and K+ are weakly bound with stability constants ranging from 3.95 to 0.96. The uranyl ion is reported twice due to the ion demonstrating two distinct binding regions. The conditional stability constants were demonstrated to be an effective predictor of metal removal order. The metal parameters of enthalpy of hydration and ionic charge to radius ratio were shown to be determinants of complexation strength. Naturally produced rhamnolipids are a mixture of congeners. Synthetic rhamnolipid synthesis has recently enabled production of four monorhamnolipid diastereomers of a single congener. The biodegradability, acute toxicity (Microtox assay), embryo toxicity (Zebrafish assay), and metal binding capacity of the diastereomers was investigated and compared to natural monorhamnolipid. Biodegradability testing showed all the diastereomers were inherently biodegradable. By the Microtox assay, all of the monorhamnolipids were categorized as slightly toxic by Environmental Protection Agency ecotoxicity categories. Out of 22 parameters tested, the zebrafish toxicity assay showed only diastereomer toxicity for the mortality parameter, except for diastereomer R,R which showed no toxic effects. All the monorhamnolipids interacted with both Cd2+ and Pb2+. Ion flotation is one possible technology for metal recovery and remediation of metal contaminated waters. Ion flotation utilizes charged surfactants to collect and concentrate non-surface active ions at the surface of an aerated solution. Rhamnolipid's suitability as a collector in ion flotation was investigated. A flotation column was designed to test monorhamnolipid efficacy as a collector. Monorhamnolipids form foams and effectively remove Cs+, Cd2+, and La3+ from solution. The efficacy of the flotation process relies on the collector:colligend ratio and valency of the colligend. Flotation of metal solutions showed a removal order of Cd2+>La3+>>Cs+ when the metals were present individually and mixed at equimolar concentrations. When mixed at order of magnitude different concentrations, the flotation order was Cd2+>>Cs+>>La3+. These studies show rhamnolipid has potential to be used for environmentally-compatible metal recovery and metalliferous water remediation, especially for the rare earth elements.

This problem consists primarily in determining the numerical value of the leukocytes after different amounts of roentgen rays had been applied to the subjects. The Atomic Energy Commission set up a problem concerning the effects of roentgen rays on the fertility in chickens, and grants were given to two institutions to study this. The blood work in this paper was an off-shoot from one of these five fertility grants.

Thirty trials of each of three roughness conditions were examined. The first condition consisted of a baseball pitched so that two of the roughness elements opposed the flow. The second condition consisted of a pitched baseball with four of the roughness elements opposing the flow. The third consisted of a pitched uniformly rough sphere. The conclusions were that roughness elements increase horizontal flight deviations when a baseball rotates about a vertical axis; roughness elements on the surface of a baseball may cause a decrease in the encountered drag forces; linear velocity has a dominating effect on the trajectory of a spinning baseball; previously developed mathematical models do not adequately predict flight deviations.