Insecticides in the diamide class have a novel mode of action and have become a key component for management of agriculturally important lepidopteran pests since their introduction in 2008. Corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie); and the armyworm complex including fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith); and Spodoptera exigua (Hübner); are significant pests of agroecosystems in the Mid-southern and Southeastern regions of the United States. They have developed resistance to, and/or inconsistent control has occurred with most chemical classes. The objectives of this study were to establish susceptibility levels of field populations of H. zea, S. frugiperda, and S. exigua collected in the Mid-southern and Southeastern regions of the United States to flubendiamide and chlorantraniliprole. To achieve equivalent levels of mortality for each species, a higher concentration of flubendiamide was required compared to chlorantraniliprole. Furthermore, two experiments were conducted to determine the systemic and residual efficacy of chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide against H. zea on vegetative and reproductive structures of soybean. Chlorantraniliprole moved systemically and had significantly greater control than flubendiamide in the systemic and residual study out to 31 DAT. Flubendiamide did not move systemically but provided significant residual control out to 31 DAT compared with the untreated control. Neither insecticide was detected in reproductive structures. Finally, to determine the risk of resistance development, a S. exigua colony, originating from a field collection in 2013, was separated into three cohorts that were independently selected with three concentrations (0.016, 0.020, and 0.025 ppm) of flubendiamide incorporated into a meridic diet. These concentrations were chosen from the LC30, LC60 and LC90 of the original colony. Resistance ratios never increased past 2.11old. The highest resistance ratios occurred after 18 generations for the LC30 colony, 19 generations for the LC60 colony, and 13 and 15 generations for the LC90 colony. After reaching their highest point of resistance, the colonies began to decline in egg production and larval survivability and did not recover. After 22 generations the selected colonies were terminated. The results from this portion of the study suggest that the potential for resistance development of beet armyworm to flubendiamide is unclear.

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This objective of this project was to develop a new dewatering device that could produce a lower moisture content and better fine particle recovery than current technology. To meet this goal, a hyperbaric horizontal belt filter was designed and constructed over the course of 18 months. Once built, the filter was then thoroughly tested to determine operational capabilities. The test data showed that the lowest moisture content that could be achieved with a coarse feed (minus 1 mm screen-bowl centrifuge feed) was 8.8%. This value could be further reduced to 8.2% and capacity increased with the use of dewatering aids. When testing with a fine feed (minus 0.15 mm column product feed), the lowest moisture content was 35% without chemicals and 29% with chemicals. A 50/50 mixture by volume of coarse and fine feeds was artificially created and provided a moisture of 10.8%, which was reduced using reagents to 8.4%. The machine provided a very high recovery rate for all feed materials. Of the coal input, no less than 94% of it reported to the dry product. The pressure used to dewater the coal was the controlling factor for the air consumption of the unit. The data from these tests suggest that a full size production unit is feasible, although the power requirements for gas compression would be high. / Master of Science

<p> Urban development in the Niagara fruit belt has long been a problem for the area. The gradual beginnings of small non-rural land uses created demand for the infrastructure that literally paved the way for large scale urbanization of this agricultural land. Development has continued to the point that the fruit belt's viability as an agricultural resource, is threatened. This paper outlines a history of events the fruit belt, it's importance to Canada's agricultural industry, the threats to the area and the conflicting views in order to determine whether or not the fruit belt can be preserved for agriculture. In this, it was discovered that the greatest threats to the area originate from economic conditions favouring urban development. This thesis provides a basis on which future planning and development for the fruit belt can be assessed. It also indicates the extent of damage and conditions in order to determine the possibility of saving the area.</p> / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy

This thesis establishes the concept of Rust Belt aesthetics, a term for the artistic and cultural narratives that define, analyze, critique, or otherwise describe the deindustrialized U.S. Midwest, a region commonly referred to as the Rust Belt. This thesis explores how aesthetic projects re-present the experience of deindustrialization. The locus of this analysis is the region, and the thesis argues that the region operates as a discursive device that can mediate between and through other spatial “levels,” like the local or the global. Rust Belt aesthetics emerge from a moment of regional, national, and global transformations, and these aesthetics can construct the region to various political ends. The thesis analyzes aesthetics projects like advertisements, literature, and visual art in order to provide insight into the shifting economic, cultural, and social forces at play in the region and beyond. The goal of my analysis is not to arrive at a static definition of Rust Belt aesthetics. Instead, I hope to understand how aesthetic projects from and about the region communicate specific narratives about the Rust Belt, often through the lens of critical regionalism and the everyday life of the working class. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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