Magister Scientiae Dentium - MSc(Dent) / Provisional crown and fixed partial denture (bridge) materials are often referred to as "temporary" materials. The Oxford Dictionary defines temporary as "lasting, or meant to last only for a time; not permanent". Yet for crown and fixed partial denture restorations a provisional restoration is crucial to the final restoration. It is, or should be, a preview of the final prosthesis.

Image signal processors (ISPs) are historically grown legacy software systems for reconstructing color images from noisy raw sensor measurements. They are usually composited of many heuristic blocks for denoising, demosaicking, and color restoration. Color reproduction in this context is of particular importance, since the raw colors are often severely distorted, and each smart phone manufacturer has developed their own characteristic heuristics for improving the color rendition, for example of skin tones and other visually important colors. In recent years there has been strong interest in replacing the historically grown ISP systems with deep learned pipelines. Much progress has been made in approximating legacy ISPs with such learned models. However, so far the focus of these efforts has been on reproducing the structural features of the images, with less attention paid to color rendition. Here we present Color Rendition ISP (CRISPnet), the first learned ISP model to specifically target color rendition accuracy relative to a complex, legacy smart phone ISP. We achieve this by utilizing both image metadata (like a legacy ISP would), as well as by learning simple global semantics based on image classification – similar to what a legacy ISP does to determine the scene type. We also contribute a new ISP image dataset consisting of both high dynamic range monitor data, as well as real-world data, both captured with an actual cell phone ISP pipeline under a variety of lighting conditions, exposure times, and gain settings.

The composition of seed banks of areas on the drained Kissimmee River floodplain (Florida, USA) that are currently pasture and formerly had been wet prairie, broadleaf marsh, and wetland shrub communities was compared to that of seed banks of areas that have extant stands of these communities. The species composition of the seed banks of existing wet prairie and former wet prairie sites were the most similar, with a Jaccard index of similarity of 55. Existing and former broadleaf marsh and wetland shrub communities had Jaccard indices of 38 and 19, respectively. Although existing and former wet prairie seed banks had nearly the same species richness, species richness at former broadleaf marsh and wetland shrub sites was higher than at existing sites. Mean total seed densities were similar in existing and former wet prairies (700 to 800 seeds m2). However, seed densities in former broadleaf marsh and wetland shrub sites were significantly greater than in comparable existing communities (>4,900 seeds m2 at former sites versus 200 to 300 in existing communities). The higher seed densities in former broadleaf marsh and wetland shrub sites was due to over 4,000 seeds m2 of Juncus effusus in their seed banks. Half of the species that characterize wet prairies were found in the seed banks at former and existing wet prairie sites. At existing broadleaf marsh and wetland shrub sites, most of the characteristic species were found in their seed banks. However, only one characteristic broadleaf species was found in the seed banks of the former broadleaf marsh sites, and no characteristic wetland shrub species were found in the seed banks of the former wetland shrub sites. The seeds of only two non-indigenous species were found in the seed banks of former wetland communities at very low densities. For all three vegetation types, but particularly for the broadleaf marsh and wetland shrub sites, re-establishment of the former vegetation on the restored floodplain will require propagule dispersal from off-site sources.

Natural Resources Management is a combination of disciplines all working together to improve management practices, environmental education, and cross-discipline communication. Land managers and conservationist have become a group of people thrust into the public eye and to help the world make sense of the ecological and climatic changes that are taking place. For this reason, Natural Resources Management PhD?s have become a community needed to interface with the public in order to balance environmental and societal needs. This dissertation project took a renaissance approach by examining a wide range of fields. It is said that a Renaissance man is knowledgeable and proficient in a wide range of fields or they are interdisciplinary. The world is in need of a conservation renaissance to reconnect the environment back to societal values, and it is going to need an interdisciplinary approach to do so. To do this each of the three areas: communication, education, and application were explored. Communication was addressed in two parts, first through the completion of a partnered publication with United States Fish and Wildlife Services, which used a framework from education (backward design) to communicate best practices for tallgrass prairie reconstruction in North Dakota. A second document was then completed describing how the backward design model was used to optimize communication. To further connect the importance of education to Natural Resource Management, I partnered with the Minnesota State University Moorhead Regional Science Center and their curriculum based field trips; drawing artifacts were collected and examined using the coding scheme from Human Figure Drawing and cross-racial facial recognition to determine what cues are utilized in novice plant observers. The Natural Resource Management application research was conducted on conservation lands in eastern North and South Dakota comparing the spike seeding method with more traditional seeding methods.

Land management techniques can enhance altered ecosystems on a variety of landscapes. In the Williston Basin of North Dakota, brine ponds created 50 years ago still cause problems today. We applied six treatments to reclaim the A-horizon of brine-affected soil on six legacy brine ponds and monitored soil nutrients until 23 months after treatment. We found that from 0-15 cm, all treatments were significantly better at reducing electrical conductivity than the control. In addition, sodium adsorption ratio was reduced at all depths over time. In Southcentral North Dakota, we monitored the effects of fire and grazing on colonies of western snowberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis), an invasive woody shrub. Prescribed burning had a significant effect on western snowberry by reducing the number of mature plants and increasing the number of new shoots/m2. By incorporating drone aerial imagery, we helped develop an increasingly useful tool in vegetation monitoring.

Congress passed a revised Farm Bill in 2014 that amended the Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA) to, hopefully, increase the speed with which natural resource issues could be addressed. Federal land management has often been condemned for being time-consuming and burdensome, chiefly in situations that require rapid response, such as insect disease and fire. The amendment in the 2014 Farm Bill is meant to address this concern. The amendment would allow for the insect and disease restoration projects on U.S.D.A. Forest Service land to fall under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as categorical exclusions, provided that collaboration occurs while creating and implementing the projects. This new provision could allow for the U.S.D.A. Forest service to create and implement restoration projects at a faster rate than ever before. Each state's Governor was required to nominate restoration lands in their National Forests. These Nominations ranged from very comprehensive to extremely ambiguous and from just a few acres to entire national forests. This research documents why there was variation in designation nominations and what potential benefit this new amendment could bring to future natural resource management.

A major goal in restoration is to reestablish native plant communities. There are several ways to reestablish species, but for large areas the most logistically feasible approach is to sow seed of desirable species. However, most wetland seeds are buoyant and are extremely difficult to establish in designated areas before floating away. In upland areas, tackifiers have been used to stabilize hill slopes from erosion and to keep seeds in place. The tackifier works as an adhesive that binds the seeds to the soil. However, the use of a tackifier has not been widely employed in wetland restorations, and prior to its broad implementation into wetland restoration practice, it is important to determine if tackifiers will hold up in wetland conditions. In greenhouse studies, we tested the effectiveness of different tackifier types and concentrations on Bolboschoenus maritimus seedling emergence, the influence of soil moisture and flooding on the duration of tackifier effectiveness, the effect of a mulch addition on tackifier effectiveness (Bolboschoenus maritimus, Schoenoplectus acutus and S. americanus), the effectiveness of pre-germination in enhancing Bolboschoenus maritimus seedling emergence using a tackifier, and the effectiveness of tackifier over time. We concluded that the use of a tackifier was effective at keeping seeds from washing away for at least 15 days, a mulch addition did not enhance tackifier effectiveness, and pre-germination did not benefit B. maritimus seedling emergence. The results from this study provide strong evidence that the use of a tackifier could be an effective solution to establish bulrush species in designated areas in wetland restorations.

The overall objective of this study was to quantify the effects of dominant grass propagule source (i.e., cultivar vs. non-cultivar) and seeded diversity of propagules on community structure and ecosystem function during prairie restoration. Two field experiments, and two chronosequences were used to investigate this main objective. The two field experiments were established at the same latitude separated by 620 km (corresponding to a precipitation gradient from eastern Kansas to western Illinois), and consisted of a split plot design, with dominant grass source as the whole-plot factor (2 levels) and seeded dominance of grasses as the subplot factor (5 levels). Percent cover of each species in each treatment combination was quantified during the first five years of restoration. Total plant species richness and diversity were not adversely affected by cultivars in Kansas or Illinois. The effect of the dominant grass population source on the cover of focal grasses, planted species, and volunteer species were contingent upon location. By the fifth year of restoration, diversity and richness were greatest, and cover of volunteer species was lowest in the low grass dominance (i.e., high diversity) treatment. ANPP, as well as total, microbial, and mineralizable pools of C and N were measured to quantify ecosystem function in these two field experiments. Changes in ecosystem function in Kansas and Illinois were primarily driven by time and regional abiotic differences, not propagule source or seeded diversity. The effect of plant species diversity on ecosystem function was further investigated at a landscape scale by developing and sampling two chronosequences of high (HDC; n=20) and low diversity (LDC; n=15) prairies spanning over two decades of restoration in northwestern Illinois. In general most metrics of ecosystem function in both chronosequences moved towards levels measured in remnant prairies. While the constituent prairies of the HDC had higher species richness, diversity, and more rapidly increasing root biomass than the fields of the LDC, recovery of other important ecosystem functions including aboveground net primary productivity, total, microbial, and mineralizable soil C, and soil aggregate mean weighted diameter were achieved equally well with either high or low diversity prairie plantings.

Tallgrass prairie is one of the most threatened grasslands in North America. Conservation of tallgrass prairie focuses on both effective management of remaining native prairie, and restoration of formerly cultivated fields to tallgrass prairie. This research focused on processes and properties relevant to restoration and conservation of tallgrass prairie. Community assembly theory attempts to explain the formation of communities, which can be governed by deterministic or stochastic processes, or some combination of both. Fire and grazing are widely used to manage grasslands for conservation purposes, but few studies have evaluated the effects of these drivers on the conservation value of plant communities measured by the floristic quality index (FQI). Pollination services play a vital role in the reproductive stability of the plant community in prairies, though this has not been well studied in restored prairie. The first chapter of this dissertation reports on a sequential restoration approach used to gain insights into the extent to which community assembly is deterministic and stochastic events change the trajectory of community development. The sequential restorations consisted of former agriculture fields restored to prairie, varying only in time since abandonment. Species composition and aboveground net primary production were quantified over time in sequentially restored communities to reveal the predictability of ecological restoration in producing desired communities and ecosystem functions. The sequential restoration plots were established in a block design. The same suite of species was seeded using the same seeding rates in each restoration sequence. Species composition was recorded each September in the year of seeding and each June and September in the two subsequent years for each block. Annual aboveground net primary productivity was collected from 2 randomly placed 0.1 m2 plots per subplot during peak biomass. There was a significant sequence by age interaction for sown, volunteer, and total species composition. Sown, volunteer, and total cover, diversity, and richness also were affected by a sequence by age interaction. Annual net primary production (ANPP) also was affected by a sequence by age interaction for sown and volunteer species. However, total ANPP was only affected by the variable age. Results show that interannual climate variability (specifically growing season precipitation) inhibits a priori determinations of community assembly, which suggests that stochastic processes play a significant role in the community assembly process in tallgrass prairie restoration. Variations in annual precipitation during the installation years likely drove the initial differences in species composition and ANPP. In general this study revealed that drought conditions at the time of restoration may be more deleterious than drought conditions occurring at other times post-establishment. The influence of fire and grazing on soil properties and functions is difficult for land managers and restoration practitioners to assess. Therefore, the objectives for the second study were to (i) to quantify the independent and interactive effects of grazing and fire frequency on floristic quality in native tallgrass prairie, and provide potential benchmarks for community assessment, and (ii) to explore whether floristic quality can serve as an indicator of soil structure and function for more holistic ecosystem assessments. A factorial combination of fire frequencies (1-2, 4, and 20 y return intervals) and grazing (by bison or ungrazed) treatments was sampled for plant species composition and several indicators of soil quality in lowland tallgrass prairie. Floristic quality, diversity, and richness were higher in grazed than ungrazed prairie over all fire frequencies. Available inorganic N, microbial biomass N, total soil N, and soil bulk density were also higher in grazed prairie soil over all fire frequencies. Microbial biomass C, total soil organic C, and total soil N were positively correlated with FQI. This study demonstrated that floristic quality and soil N pools are more strongly influenced by grazing than fire and that floristic quality can be an indicator of total soil C and N stocks in never cultivated lowland prairie. In tallgrass prairie, 85 – 90 % of angiosperms require an insect or other animal for pollen transfer. Restorations can play a vital role in the reestablishment of pollination services and simultaneously help maintain high levels of diversity in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Missed pollination, via temporal asynchronies, could have a number of biological disadvantages for a plant population. In the third study we addressed the effects of missed pollination on floral period, photosynthetic activity, leaf N content, and seed set in a common native tallgrass prairie forb, Penstemon digitalis. In each of 12 plots, 6 individual plants were either bagged to prevent pollination, or left unbagged, to allow for pollination. There was no difference in mean flower duration between netted and open plots. There was a treatment by time interaction for relative chlorophyll concentrations (P = 0.0005). Mean relative chlorophyll concentrations values at sampling times (prior to flowering; Pre, 10 days after FFD; Plus, 10 days after cessation of flowering; Post, and at the time of leaf collection; Coll) all differed from one another in bagged plots. Comparisons of relative chlorophyll concentrations values only showed a difference between bagged and open-pollinated plots at sampling time ‘Coll’. There was no difference in percent leaf N between bagged and open-pollinated plots and the amount of seed set in bagged plots was significantly lower than the amount of seed set in the open-pollinated plats. Any disruption to plant-pollinator interactions can create temporal asynchronies, however, the impact of those asynchronies is equivocal.

Twenty springs in the central parts of Vallentuna municipality have been studied to determine their present water qualities and suggest actions that could be taken to improve the water quality and availability of the springs. The measured parameters are the water volume, the water flow, the water temperature, the pH-value, the electrical conductivity, the chloride concentration, the alkalinity and the CODMn. The sensory properties of the springs were also examined, which include odour, colour, clarity and precipitation. Measurements of the water flows, the water temperatures, the pH-values and the electrical conductivities were performed during a field trip in Vallentuna. During this field trip, two water samples were taken from each spring. Thereafter, the alkalinity, the chloride concentration, the CODMn and the sensory properties were determined in the laboratory. Four of the springs, which were wells, have water of high quality and can easily be restored. Some of the twenty springs have not been cared for or have even disappeared. The water from the spring horizon near Arkels tingstad is unfortunately mixed with stormwater, which runs off the nearby roads. This contamination is examined by measuring the chloride flows of the different streams.  The roads also contribute with metal pollution, with metals such as cadmium. Therefore, metal speciations of cadmium were examined. A simple solution is suggested to remove the metal pollution. The measured water flows of all of the spring waters in Vallentuna were quite small. The results of the measurements of the spring waters were compared with the values recommended by Livsmedelsverket and Socialstyrelsen. Most of the values were between the recommended limits for drinking water. Suggestions are given to improve the springs concerning water quality and availability. / Tjugo källor i centrala Vallentuna studerades för att bestämma deras vattenkvalitet och för att föreslå åtgärder i avsikt att förbättra vattenkvaliteten och tillgängligheten av källorna. De mätta parametrarna är vattenvolym, flödeshastighet, vattentemperatur, pH-värde, elektrisk konduktivitet, kloridkoncentration, alkalinitet och CODMn. Dessutom undersöktes källvattnens sensoriska egenskaper, vilka innefattar lukt, färg, klarhet och utfällning. Mätningar av flödeshastigheterna, vattentemperaturerna, pH-värdena och elektriska konduktiviteterna gjordes under en exkursion i Vallentuna. Två vattenprover togs från varje källa. Därefter undersöktes kloridkoncentrationen, alkaliniteten, CODMn och de sensoriska egenskaperna på laboratoriet. Fyra av källorna, vilka var brunnar, har vatten av hög kvalitet och kan relativt enkelt restaureras. En del av de tjugo källorna har inte vårdats under lång tid och har till och med försvunnit. Vattnet från källhorisonten vid Arkels tingstad har olyckligtvis blandats med dagvatten, vilket rinner från de närliggande vägarna. Denna förorening analyseras genom att mäta kloridflödet i olika strömmar. Vägarna bidrar också med metallföroreningar, t.ex. kadmium. Därför har också metallförekomstformer för kadmium modellerats. En enkel metod föreslås för att avlägsna metallföroreningarna. Vattenflödena från källorna i centrala Vallentuna är relativt små.  Resultatet av mätningarna av källvattnen jämfördes med de rekommenderade värdena för dricksvatten enligt Livsmedelsverket och Socialstyrelsen. De flesta värdena låg inom gränserna för de rekommenderade värdena för dricksvatten. Förslag ges till förbättring av källorna med avseende på vattenkvalitet och tillgänglighet.