2017 Projects

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https://hdl.handle.net/10217/183170

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Open Access
3D-printed microfluidic device for the analysis of intestinal tissue ex vivo
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) McLean, Ian, author; Schwerdtfeger, Luke, author; Wilson, Jessie, author; Henry, Charles, author; Tobet, Stuart, author
Currently, most in vitro experimental models of the intestine rely upon cell lines, and consequently, lack the diverse representation of cells present in vivo. Slices of intestine, removed from living organisms, offer a better representation of in vivo physiology. However, current techniques for maintaining intestinal tissue in vitro are not capable of recapitulating the in vivo environment. This project utilizes 3D printing and microfluidic principles to design a device that delivers differential flows of media across the two surfaces of intestinal tissue. The device will enable the investigation of complex biological questions that previous models have been unable to address.
Open Access
Airborne radar observations of rainband structure in Hurricane Ophelia (2005)
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Razin, Naufal, author; Bell, Michael M., author
One of the mechanisms proposed for the spin-up of the tropical cyclone (TC) mean tangential (swirling) circulation is the convergence of absolute angular momentum above the boundary layer in the outer-core region, which results in the broadening of the TC wind field. Mid-level inflow associated with TC rainband stratiform precipitation may be instrumental in spinning up the broader circulation and may be important in the development of secondary eyewalls. This analysis shows the concurrent presence of an elevated tangential wind maximum and a distinct mid-level inflow in the stratiform region, consistent with the proposed mechanism for TC intensity change.
Open Access
Application of shape memory polymers in wettability transition on superomniphobic surfaces
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Wang, Wei, author; Salazar, Joshua, author; Vahabi, Hamed, author; Joshi-Imre, Alexandra, author; Voit, Walter E., author; Kota, Arun K., author
Superomniphobic surfaces are extremely repellent to virtually all liquids. Prior work have emphasized the importance of low solid surface energy and re-entrant texture (i.e., convex or overhang texture) in the design of superomniphobic surfaces. While superomniphobic surfaces with a wide variety of textures have been reported in literature, to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports of superomniphobic surfaces with metamorphic textures (i.e., textures that transform their morphology in response to an external stimulus). In this work, we present the first-ever metamorphic superomniphobic (MorphS) surfaces fabricated with a thermo-responsive shape memory polymer.
Open Access
Asante Sana Energy
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Herman, Keni, author
Our business's goal is to improve conditions in unelectrified rural communities in the Lake Bunyonyi region of Uganda through better access to affordable electricity using a DC solar microgrid. The microgrid has a hub of a solar panels with wires running to 30-50 homes and businesses. Based on research conducted over six weeks in Uganda, we have concluded an average willingness to pay of 20,000 Ugandan Shillings ($5.55 USD) for a month of service. We plan first to complete a pilot project and then to expand. Our ultimate mission is to create a large scale impact for Uganda.
Open Access
Assessing the efficacy of treatments for digital dermatitis in organic dairy systems
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Paudyal, Sushil, author; Pinedo, Pablo, author
Digital dermatitis is a major cause of lameness in dairy cows causing pain in the limbs leading to reduced animal welfare and significant economic loss. With strict antibiotic regulations and increasing organic dairies, the clinically validated non-antibiotic treatment options are of great value. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of treatment of digital dermatitis using different combinations of copper sulfate, iodine, and honey. Cows with M1 and M2 DD lesion score were identified and enrolled in the hoof-trimming chute. Cows were randomized to be treated with one of the three treatment options: Copper sulfate and Iodine (CS-I), Honey and Iodine (HO-I) and Control (CON). All 70 cows were followed up on D3, D12 and D28 and a subsample of 45 cows were followed until d120 to evaluate lesion size, lesion stage, lameness score and pain response. Tissue samples were collected on D3, D28 and D120 to investigate dynamics of microbial metagenomics. The data were analyzed in SAS using PROC MIXED and PROC GENMOD with repeated measures. The results show that 43% of the lesions were found on the left feet and 57% on the right feet. The early erosive form of lesions changes into papillomatous mature form as the lesion progresses irrespective of treatment application. The lesion size differed among treatment groups and the effect varied with different follow-up days (P< 0.05). The lesion decreased for both CS-I and HO-I group till day 12 after which the HO-I group had an increase in lesion size. In contrast to this CON group had a slower decrease in lesion size. The pain response was decreased for CS-I and less for HO-I groups. The odds of pain and the odds of getting a lame cow decreases as the time progresses. Thus, non-antibiotic treatment options are effective in controlling pain and decreasing lesion size up to 12 days. Also, clinical assessment of animals and evaluation of lesions suggest CS-I combination is superior to HO-I and CON group.
Open Access
An assessment of numerical weather prediction models in forecasting atmospheric rivers
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Nardi, Kyle M., author; Barnes, Elizabeth A., author
Atmospheric rivers (ARs), narrow corridors of high atmospheric water vapor transport, influence large regions of the West Coast of North America, from southern California to British Columbia and Alaska. Regardless of location, areas influenced by landfalling ARs face various threats and disruptions from excessive rainfall and associated runoff. Therefore, improving forecasts of AR occurrence and characteristics is of great importance to those responsible for protecting life and property. When providing the public with outlooks and warnings related to ARs, forecasters must confront the challenge of assessing the output of different numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. Specifically, forecasters must understand how performance varies across different time scales, geographical regions, and individual models. Prior work, such as Wick et al. (2013), has examined the forecast skill of several NWP models at different lead times, yet as models are continuously updated, a fresh perspective on AR forecast performance is desired. This study aims to assess how different weather forecast models perform at varying lead times and for distinct regions of the West Coast of North America. Re-forecasts from several operational NWP models, obtained from the International S2S Project Database, are run out to approximately 60 days. An atmospheric river detection algorithm is applied to the model output in order to quantify how the models handle such features. The study examines atmospheric river re-forecasts for the West Coast of North America as well as three non-overlapping sub-regions along the coast. The first sub-region extends from southern California to the Oregon border. The second sub-region covers the Pacific Northwest from southern Oregon to the northern extent of Vancouver Island. The third and final sub-region consists of the coasts of British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. Together, these regions represent a large fraction of the AR landfall locations for western North America. Model performance is studied through the lens of AR occurrence, intensity, and location. Results indicate variations in re-forecast skill as a function of lead time, geographic region, and model used. A desired near-term outcome of this work is an increased awareness of both the utility and limitations of NWP models in the prediction of atmospheric river events at short, medium, and long-range leads. A desired long-term outcome is the use of these results as a bridge to understanding what gives rise to the differing characters of atmospheric rivers over the northeast Pacific and how models can improve their depictions of such features.
Open Access
Associations between motor cortex inhibition & gait variability
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Swanson, Clayton W., author; Fling, Brett W., author
Motor cortex inhibition is significantly associated with complex bimanual control of the upper extremities. It remains unclear whether this same relationship exists for the lower extremities. We utilized transcranial magnetic stimulation to assess motor cortex inhibition and wireless, inertial sensors to quantify gait variables to assess how cortical inhibition contributes to the control of gait in healthy, young adults. Gait cycle duration variability was significantly correlated to right motor cortex inhibition. The results of this study indicate that motor cortex inhibition may be associated with complex components of gait in a similar fashion to its association with bimanual control.
Open Access
Automated versus manual refractive error measurements in domestic cats
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Cleymaet, Allison, author; Harb, Elise, author; Hess, Ann, author; Freeman, Kate, author
PURPOSE. To compare the results of streak retinoscopy (SR) vs. the Welch Allyn SureSight™ autorefractor (WASS) in normal cats and determine the appropriate WASS setting (WASSadult vs. WASSpediatric) for use in the domestic cat. PROCEDURE/DESCRIPTION. Refractive error was determined in 30 young adult domestic short haired cats (60 eyes) with normal, non-cyclopleged eyes via SR. In 28 cats (56 eyes), refractive error was also determined via WASSadult. In 8 cats (16 eyes), refractive error was also determined via WASSpediatric. Refractive error was determined by both WASSadult and WASSpediatric in 6 cats (12 eyes). Agreement between methods was evaluated with Bland-Altman analysis. Mixed modeling was used to test for difference between methods. RESULTS/OUTCOMES. Mean ± SD SR spherical equivalent (SE) was +1.05 ± 0.97 diopters (D) (n=60 eyes). Mean WASS SEadult was +0.60 ± 1.15 D (n=56 eyes), and mean WASS SEpediatric was +2.75 ± 0.98 D (n=16 eyes). The difference between methods was statistically significant for WASSadult vs. SR (p ≤ 0.001, n=56 eyes), WASSpediatric vs. SR (p = 0.01, n=16 eyes), and WASS_adult vs. WASSpediatric (p ≤ 0.001, n=12 eyes). The 95% limits of agreement for WASSadult vs. SR was (-1.80 D, +0.99 D), WASSpediatric vs. SR was (-0.75 D, +3.55 D), and WASSpediatric vs. WASSadult was (-4.75 D, +0.21 D). IMPLICATION/FUTURE DIRECTION. While there was a significant difference between methods, the level of agreement between SR and WASSadult for measurement of refractive error in the adult domestic cat is reasonable. For WASS, adult setting is recommended for clinical use. Supported in part by the Center for Companion Animal Studies at Colorado State University. None.
Open Access
Barriers and norms regarding kidney transplantation on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Reedy, Julia E., author
American Indian populations in the United States have, in recent years, been plagued by a diabetes epidemic of catastrophic proportions. On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, located in southwest South Dakota, discrimination, extreme poverty, rampant unemployment, limited access to healthy foods, and other factors have led the Oglala Lakota population to have the highest rates of End-stage renal disease (ESRD). Despite high rates of ESRD, American Indian populations have the lowest rates of kidney transplantation. This research explores the political economic barriers and cultural norms surrounding kidney transplantation as a treatment option for ESRD on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Open Access
Boot Camp Translation for the prevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Fort Collins Hispanic/Latino adolescents
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Annameier, Shelly, author; Schwartz, Laura, author; Haemer, Matthew, author; Shomaker, Lauren, author
~50% of Hispanic/Latinos in the US will develop type 2 diabetes (T2D). Adolescent-onset T2D has an aggressive disease course, earlier mortality, and is a growing health concern. Standard lifestyle interventions have poor adherence and sustainability in adolescents at-risk for T2D. Psychosocial stressors and depressive symptoms may pose additional challenges for making lifestyle changes. There is a critical need for new approaches to preventing T2D in adolescents. Through a community-based participatory research program, "Boot Camp Translation," we examined evidence-based programs and cultivated culturally-tailored ideas for more effective prevention efforts, including launching focus groups to gather feedback for a comparative effectiveness trial.
Open Access
Can water conservation save agriculture?
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Wostoupal, Benjamin, author; Dozier, Andre, author; Arabi, Mazdak, author; Goemans, Christopher, author
More than one-third of the global population lives in parts of the world that lack sufficient freshwater resources to support the needs of local populations. In many of these regions, rapid population growth has led to the reallocation of water from agricultural purposes to meet growing urban demands. Rural economies, dependent on agriculture, have suffered as a result. This study examines how water transfers affects rural economies and investigates strategies to protect such economies. Results are of widespread interest for the future health, security, and livelihood of agricultural communities throughout the world and the populations that depend on their productivity.
Open Access
Characterization of urban water use and water demand forecasting using the Integrated Urban Water Model in Sao Paulo, Brazil
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Batista, Giovana, author; Arabi, Mazdak, author; Sharvelle, Sybil, author; Dozier, Andre, author
Urban sprawl over the past decades have put water resources under pressure in urban areas due to constantly increasing demand and impaired quality. Particularly in developing countries, investments in this sector are still scarce. The application of the Integrated Urban Water Model - IUWM - for the characterization of current and future urban water demand in the municipality of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is pioneering in applying the model outside of the United States. The model also evaluates water conservation scenarios, cost saving options and can be of use for water utilities and urban planners.
Open Access
Cinnamon teal: a case of adaptive nest site selection
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Setash, Casey, author; Kendall, William, author; Olson, Dave, author
Open Access
Coffee farmer adaptations to climate change
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Shinbrot, Xoco, author; Jones, Kelly, author
This research explores the determining factors for farmer adoption of adaptation strategies in response to climate change. Farmers can adapt to changing climates through land use diversification, community investment, market diversification, technological investment, storing supplies, and migration. Researchers hypothesized that financial, physical and social capitals would be determining factors. We also hypothesized that external mitigating factors, including experience with natural disasters and climate perceptions would be determinants in adoption of adaptation strategies. Farmer responses were most strongly related to their experience of a natural disaster, followed by climate change perceptions, group participation, wealth, health, land holdings, and market distance.
Open Access
Collaborative models for adaptive conservation in the Ethiopian Highlands
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Steger, Cara, author
My dissertation seeks to advance our understanding of collaborative governance to improve the management of complex social-ecological systems. Modeling is increasingly used to facilitate collaborative environmental governance, yet little research has been done to measure the impacts of this process on local ecological knowledge, cultural norms, and cultural values. My research investigates the cultural and cognitive changes that occur when participants engage with a scientific modeling process. This case study on technologically-mediated cultural change has potential to inform the study and implementation of collaborative methods for advancing adaptive and resilient social-ecological systems worldwide.
Open Access
Communal music, prosocial skills, and long term wellness: exploring the connections
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Beese, Laura, author
Elementary music classes, in which singing games, group dance, and synchronous instrument playing are common, can be uniquely positioned to develop socioemotional skills. Akin to math and literacy, social skills - reading others’ emotional states, managing emotions, developing empathy, and maintaining relationships – can be learned. Compelling research correlates group music making to the development of these prosocial skills in school-aged children. If general music specialists who work with young children understand how and why communal musical activities can impact socioemotional learning, it is possible that they can emphasize such activities to enhance cooperation and ensemble cohesion among students.
Open Access
Comparing natural area herbicides for residual weed control and native species tolerance
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Clark, Shannon, author; Sebastian, Derek, author; Nissen, Scott, author; Sebastian, Jim, author
Downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.) is a competitive winter annual grass species, and is considered one of the most problematic invasive species on rangeland, open spaces and natural areas, and sites impacted by fire. Downy brome seeds germinate in the late summer or fall, overwintering until the seedlings begin rapidly growing in the spring, exploiting available water and nutrients before native grasses and forbs have emerged from dormancy. Invasive winter annual grasses, including downy brome, pose a major threat to native ecosystems by increasing fire frequency and intensity, degrading available wildlife and pollinator habitat, and decreasing native species diversity. Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica L.) is another problematic invasive weed species found in dense populations in the western US, many times co-occurring with downy brome. Dalmatian toadflax infestations can be hard to control and the weed easily outcompetes native vegetation. The currently recommended herbicides (aminocyclopyrachlor, imazapic, picloram) for restoration of sites with invasive annual grasses and other biennial and perennial weeds have proven to provide inconsistent control or cause injury to desirable perennial species. Indaziflam, a new herbicide alternative for weed management in natural areas and open spaces, has been proven to provide long-term control of downy brome and other weed seedlings. A field trial was conducted to evaluate native species tolerance to indaziflam and other currently recommended herbicides used for downy brome and Dalmatian toadflax control. A total of 11 herbicide treatments were applied at two separate locations. For each native species, total counts were conducted across the entire plot area and analyzed as an increase or decrease compared to the non-treated control plots. Species richness was calculated by comparing the amount of unique species in each plot to the non-treated plots. Downy brome control, Dalmatian toadflax control, and perennial grass response were also evaluated through visual evaluations. Only indaziflam treatments (44, 73 and 102 g∙ai∙ha-1) increased native species richness (up to 8%, ± 1.2% SE) while providing 95-100% downy brome control. Imazapic treatments provided limited downy brome control and failed to increase species richness compared to non-treated plots. Aminocyclopyrachlor and picloram treatments resulted in a significant reduction in species richness, with up to a 35% decrease ± 1% SE compared to non-treated plots. Treatments containing picloram plus indaziflam provided significant control of Dalmatian toadflax compared to picloram alone, suggesting indaziflam provides extended control of the weed seedlings. These results suggest that indaziflam could be used by land managers as an alternative herbicide treatment, with less impact to native species, in restoring open spaces and natural areas severely impacted by downy brome and other invasive weed species. Additional work on the impact of herbicides to native species is needed to determine management options for restoration of native habitats. Future work includes conducting tolerance studies at sites where native species are grown in a production setting to reduce variability in species occurrence. Additionally, research looking at the impact of other weed management options, such as burning, to the native plant community is necessary for determining best management practices for restoration.
Open Access
Complete graph reconstruction from partial information
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Mahindre, Gunjan S., author; Jayasumana, Anura P., author
Networks, biological molecules, neural structures can be represented as graphs. Data processing and storage of such structures with millions of nodes is very bulky. Thus, we derive important properties and synthesize a technique to regenerate a graph from partial information about the graph with minimum data and high fidelity. This will impact the way we store and operate on network data and opens new possibilities in areas such as chemistry, social networks, neural networks and the ever evolving Internet.
Open Access
Cultural and aesthetic space in the encyclopedic novel
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Rankin, James, author
In this presentation, I seek to examine ideas about how notions of space and place are formed within the genre of the encyclopedic novel. I will investigate the various definitions and types of space, focusing my attention on the interplay between cultural and aesthetic space. To this end, I will examine the encyclopedic novels The Recognitions by William Gaddis and Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko. I hope to illustrate the contingency of cultural and aesthetic space as determined by socio-historical forces. These hegemonic forces determine how we occupy, interact with, and think about spaces.
Open Access
Demand for food quantity and quality in urban China
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Mendis, Sachintha S., author; Hovhannisyan, Vardges, author
Food consumers in China have undergone significant changes in their food consumption patterns and have become more dependent on animal products for protein, while substituting fine grains for coarse grains. Considerable research effort has been devoted to this topic. A majority of these studies rely on the AIDS model, which has linear Engel and ignores unobserved consumer heterogeneity. We study food demand in China using the Exact Affine Stone Index (EASI) system. The EASI model not only shares all of the desirable properties of the AIDS model but also provides additional benefits. Specifically, it is not subject to the rank three limitation of Gorman (1981) and allows the Engel curves to take arbitrary shapes. Further, the EASI accounts for unobserved consumer heterogeneity. This is especially important in welfare studies conducted on consumer-level since much of the demand variation is left unexplained. Previous studies focus on changes in quantities, however we reveal that quality is also very important. Further, results confirm the prevalence of unobserved heterogeneity in consumer food preferences across provinces in China. By enhancing the findings of previous studies, this study elicits more realistic food preferences in China for agricultural policy, trade, and foreign direct investment decisions.