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open access

Acute Toxicity of Crude Oil Exposures to Early Life Stage Teleosts: Contribution of Impaired Renal Function and Select Environmental Factors

Description: Oil spills are well-known adverse anthropogenic events, as they can induce severe impacts on the environment and negative economic consequences. Still, much remains to be learned regarding the effects of crude oil exposure to aquatic organisms. The objectives of this dissertation were to fill some of those knowledge gaps by examining the effects of Deepwater Horizon (DWH) crude oil exposure on teleost kidney development and function. To this end, I analyzed how these effects translate into pote… more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Bonatesta, Fabrizio
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Adaptive Advantages of Carotenoid Pigments in Alpine and Subalpine Copepod Responses to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Induced Phototoxicity

Description: Alpine zooplankton are exposed to a variety of stressors in their natural environment including ultraviolet radiation. Physiological coping mechanisms such as the accumulation of photoprotective compounds provide these zooplankton protection from many of these stressors. Elevated levels of carotenoid compounds such as astaxanthin have been shown to help zooplankton survive longer when exposed to ultraviolet radiation presumably due to the strong antioxidant properties of carotenoid compounds. T… more
Date: May 2010
Creator: Kovach, Matthew James
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Adrenergic and Cholinergic Regulation of Cardiovascular Function in Embryonic Neotropic Cormorants (Phalacrocorax basilianus)

Description: Investigations of cholinergic and adrenergic tone on heart rate (fH) and mean arterial pressure (Pm) during embryonic development have been conducted on numerous avian species. While these investigations have documented that adrenergic tone, a continuous stimulation, on fH and Pm is vital to embryonic development in the birds studied to date, development of cholinergic tone on fH has been shown to vary even within species. Further, past studies have been bias to focus primarily on precocial spe… more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Cummins, James B.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

American Lawn Addictions: Effects of Environmental Education on Student Preferences for Xeriscaping as an Alternative in North Central Texas, USA

Description: Urban land use and land cover has changed in the USA, giving rise to the American lawn – manicured, resource-intensive, and non-native. Green infrastructure design has been suggested in the literature as a potential alternative to the American lawn when managed as native xeriscapes, which require little to no irrigation after establishment. Given the influence of public preference on landscaping decisions, what is the relationship between the perceived value and ecological benefits of the Ameri… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Williams, Jared L.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Analysis and Development of Post Secondary Curriculum on Sustainability

Description: This thesis examines existing curricula at colleges and universities about sustainability and uses results to develop an introductory post secondary course curriculum. The proposed course is organized around three major elements - - science, philosophy, and economics - - all integral to understanding sustainability. Materials needed to teach the proposed 3-semester hour course including syllabus, teaching modules, transparencies, handouts, and exams were developed. Suggestions on how to teach a… more
Date: May 2000
Creator: White, Miki Machell
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Analysis of Students' Knowledge, Perceptions, and Interest in Engineering Post Teacher Participation in a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Professional Development

Description: This study examined the impact of the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Teachers (RET) in engineering at University of North Texas on students after their teachers' participation in the program. Students were evaluated in terms of self-efficacy, knowledge of engineering, perceptions of engineering, and interest in engineering. A 22-item Likert pre/post survey was used for analysis, and participants included 589 students from six high schools, one middle school, and one magne… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Reeder, Christina
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Analysis of the One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros Unicornis) Habitat in the Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal.

Description: This study analyzes the remaining suitable habitat of the one-horned rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis, in Royal Chitwan National Park of Nepal. An April 2003 Landsat image was classified into eight land cover types: wetland, sand, water, mixed forest, sal forest, agriculture, settlement, and grassland. This image was converted into habitat suitability maps using cover, food, and water. The rhinoceros prefers grassland habitat with oxbow lakes and closed canopy during the monsoon season. Nomina… more
Date: December 2005
Creator: Thapa, Vivek
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Assessing Outcomes of a Recycling Education and Service Program within an Elementary School

Description: During the spring 2004 a pilot school recycling program was implemented within Robert E. Lee Elementary. The primary goal of the program was to determine how recycling education in the school would affect curbside recycling rates within the surrounding community. The program was a cooperative effort between the University of North Texas, City of Denton Solid Waste Department and Keep Denton Beautiful. Throughout the first months of the study during the spring 2004, an increase in curbside rec… more
Date: August 2005
Creator: Cunningham-Scott, Carey Beth
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Assessing Regional Gully Erosion Risk: A Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems Approach

Description: Gully erosion has been established as a major source of sediment pollution in the upper Trinity River watershed in north-central Texas. This fact, along with a lack of models appropriate for a large-area gully erosion analysis established a need for a gully erosion study in the upper Trinity basin. This thesis project attempted to address this need by deriving an index indicative of gully erosion risk using remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) methodology. In context of previ… more
Date: August 1995
Creator: Sill, Paul E. (Paul Eric)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Assessing the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of MTBE and BTEX Compounds in Lake Lewisville, Texas February 1999 - February 2000

Description: The spatial and temporal distribution of Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MTBE) and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes) compounds were assessed in a multipurpose reservoir, Lake Lewisville, Texas between February 1999 and February 2000. Concentrations of MTBE ranged from 0.0 - 16.7 mg/L. Levels of MTBE in the lake were related to watercraft. BTEX concentrations were never detected above 2.0 mg/L during the sampling period. Finished drinking water from Denton and the Upper Trinity Regio… more
Date: August 2000
Creator: Lee, Anne W.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Assessment of Radio-Tagged Grass Carp (Ctenopharnygodon idella) Dispersion, Vegetation, and Temperature Preferences in North Lake Reservoir

Description: Twenty-nine (Group One, June 8,1995) grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and five (Group Two, April 18, 1996) grass carp were radio-tagged to monitor movement patterns and habitat preferences on North Lake, a 335 hectare multi-use reservoir located in Irving, Texas. Overall fish mean Average Daily Movement (ADM) rates were 49.2 meters/day (during Half One, 6/8/95-11/30/95) and 5.3 meters/day (during Half Two, 12/14/95-6/6/96). Aquatic macrophtye distribution data were obtained. Radio-tagged gr… more
Date: August 1996
Creator: Lacewell, Jason (Jason Lawrence)
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Assessment of Storm Water Toxicity from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and Denton, Texas

Description: With the advent of national storm water regulations, municipalities with populations greater than 100,000 are required to obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permits (NPDES) for storm water discharges. In addition to the sampling required for the permit process, the City of Fort Worth contracted with the University of North Texas' Institute of Applied Sciences to conduct acute toxicity testing using Pimephales prcmelas and Ceriodaphnia dubia on storm water samples received fr… more
Date: August 1995
Creator: Keating, Paul Redmond
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Assessment of the Efficacy of a Constructed Wetland to Reduce or Remove Wastewater Effluent Estrogenicity and Toxicity Using Biomarkers in Male Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas Rafinesque, 1820)

Description: Vitellogenin in Pimephales promelas was used to assess estrogenicity of a local municipal effluent. Vitellogenin induction in male P. promelas increased in frequency and magnitude with increased exposure duration and was greater ("=0.05) than controls after 2 and 3 weeks of exposure. The level of vitellogenesis induced by effluent exposure was high compared to similar studies. A spring season evaluation followed. Biomarkers in P. promelas were used to assess the efficacy of a treatment wetland … more
Date: December 2000
Creator: Hemming, Jon M.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Assessment of the Use of Seeding, Mowing, and Burning in the Restoration of an Oldfield to Tallgrass Prairie in Lewisville, Texas

Description: An examination of the effectiveness of seeding, burning, and mowing in the reestablishment of tallgrass prairie species on overgrazed and abandoned pastureland. The study site is a 20 acre tract on U.S. Corps of Engineers land below Lake Lewisville in Denton County, Texas. The site was partitioned into thirty-nine 40 by 40 meter plots with seeding (carried out in 1996) and management treatment (burning, mowing, and no maintenance carried out in 1998) randomly applied following a two level desig… more
Date: August 1999
Creator: Windhager, Steven
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Avian Community Response to Riverby Ranch Restoration Reconstruction

Description: Anthropogenic activities have caused many wildlife spices to decline in populations worldwide. The grassland bird communities are especially being impacted by these land use changes. Breeding success is closely tied to functional habitats for most grassland bird species in North Texas. Restoring these degraded habitats is an important component to aid in conserving wildlife biodiversity. We surveyed the bird population at Riverby Ranch Mitigation site by conducting point count sampling. This si… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Boucher, Tessa Katrish
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Behavioral Model for Detection of Acute Stress in Bivalves

Description: A behavioral model for acute responses in bivalves, was developed using time series analysis for use in a real-time biomonitoring unit. Stressed bivalves closed their shell and waited for the stressful conditions to pass. Baseline data showed that group behavior of fifteen bivalves was periodic, however, individuals behaved independently. Group behavior did not change over a period of 20 minutes more than 30 percent, however, following toxic exposures the group behavior changed by more than 30 … more
Date: May 1998
Creator: Allen, H. Joel
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Bioaccumulation of Triclocarban, Triclosan, and Methyl-triclosan in a North Texas Wastewater Treatment Plant Receiving Stream and Effects of Triclosan on Algal Lipid Synthesis.

Description: Triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC), widely used antimicrobial agents found in numerous consumer products, are incompletely removed by wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) processing. Methyl-triclosan (M-TCS) is a more lipophilic metabolite of its parent compound, TCS. The focus of this study was to quantify bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) for TCS, M-TCS, and TCC in Pecan creek, the receiving stream for the City of Denton, Texas WWTP by using field samples mostly composed of the alga Cladophor… more
Date: August 2007
Creator: Coogan, Melinda Ann
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Bioconcentration of Triclosan, Methyl-Triclosan, and Triclocarban in the Plants and Sediments of a Constructed Wetland

Description: Triclosan and triclocarban are antimicrobial compounds added to a variety of consumer products that are commonly detected in waste water effluent. The focus of this study was to determine whether the bioconcentration of these compounds in wetland plants and sediments exhibited species specific and site specific differences by collecting field samples from a constructed wetland in Denton, Texas. The study showed that species-specific differences in bioconcentration exist for triclosan and triclo… more
Date: August 2011
Creator: Zarate, Frederick M., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Biodiversity and Genetic Structure of Benthic Macroinvertebrates Along an Altitudinal Gradient: A Comparison of the Windhond and Róbalo River Communities on Navarino Island, Chile

Description: Altitudinal gradients in Sub-Antarctic freshwater systems present unique opportunities to study the effect of distinct environmental gradients on benthic macroinvertebrate community composition and dispersal. This study investigates patterns in biodiversity, dispersal and population genetic structure of benthic macroinvertebrate fauna across an altitudinal gradient between two watersheds on Navarino Island in southern Chile. Patterns in diversity, density, evenness and functional feeding grou… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Pulliam, Lauren
Partner: UNT Libraries

Biomonitoring at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport: Relating Watershed Land Use with Aquatic Life Use

Description: The Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport is located in a densely urbanized area with one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S.A. The airport property includes a large tract of "protected" riparian forest that is unique to the urban surroundings. This dissertation explores variables that influence the benthic macroinvertebrate community structure found in urbanized prairie streams that were initially assessed by the University of North Texas (UNT) Benthic Ecology Lab during fou… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Harlow, Megann Mae Lewis
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Biotic Factors and Temperature Tolerances via Critical Thermal Methodology in Goldfish

Description: CTMinimum and CTMaximum were measured in 620 goldfish to determine if biotic factors, in particular starvation, condition factor and size, affect temperature tolerance. Twenty-eight days of starvation adversely affected both upper and lower temperature tolerance. Condition factor was related to upper but not lower temperature tolerance.
Date: August 1999
Creator: Ford, Tiiu Kirsti, 1972-
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Characterization Of Jackson Blue Spring, Jackson County, Florida

Description: Jackson Blue is a first magnitude spring in the karst terrane of northeast Florida. Previous studies have identified inorganic fertilizer as the source of high nitrate levels in the spring. Agricultural land use and karst vulnerability make Jackson Blue a good model for conservation concerns. This work offers an aggregation of studies relating to the springshed, providing a valuable tool for planning and conservation efforts in the region. An analysis of nitrate levels and other water quality p… more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Reiser, Cora
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Characterization of Triclocarban, Methyl- Triclosan, and Triclosan in Water, Sediment, and Corbicula Fluminea (Müller, 1774) Using Laboratory, in Situ, and Field Assessments

Description: In the last decade emerging contaminants research has intensified in a bid to answer questions about fate, transport, and effects as these chemicals as they get released into the environment. The chemicals of interest were the antimicrobials; triclocarban (TCC) and triclosan (TCS), and a metabolite of triclosan, methyl triclosan (MTCS). This research was designed to answer the question: what is the fate of these chemicals once they are released from the waste water treatment plant into receivin… more
Date: May 2011
Creator: Edziyie, Regina E.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Characterizing Storm Water Runoff from Natural Gas Well Sites in Denton County, Texas

Description: In order to better understand runoff characteristics from natural gas well sites in north central Texas, the City of Denton, with assistance through an EPA funded 104b3 Water Quality Cooperative Agreement, monitored storm water runoff from local natural gas well sites. Storm water runoff was found to contain high concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS). Observed TSS concentrations resulted in sediment loading rates that are similar to those observed from typical construction activities. … more
Date: May 2008
Creator: Wachal, David J.
Partner: UNT Libraries
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