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ContributorsCao, Yuchen (Performer) / Chen, Sicong (Performer) / Soberano, Chino (Performer) / Nam, Michelle (Performer) / Collins, Clarice (Performer) / Witt, Juliana (Performer) / Liu, Jingting (Performer) / Chen, Neilson (Performer) / Zhang, Aihua (Performer) / Jiang, Zhou (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-04-25
ContributorsMcLin, Katherine (Performer) / Campbell, Andrew (Pianist) (Performer) / Ericson, John Q. (John Quincy), 1962- (Performer) / McLin/Campbell Duo (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-09-23
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Description
Creating sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel resources is one of the greatest

challenges facing mankind. Solar energy provides an excellent option to alleviate modern dependence on fossil fuels. However, efficient methods to harness solar energy are still largely lacking. Biomass from photosynthetic organisms can be used as feedstock to produce traditional

Creating sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel resources is one of the greatest

challenges facing mankind. Solar energy provides an excellent option to alleviate modern dependence on fossil fuels. However, efficient methods to harness solar energy are still largely lacking. Biomass from photosynthetic organisms can be used as feedstock to produce traditional fuels, but must be produced in great quantities in order to meet the demands of growing populations. Cyanobacteria are prokaryotic photosynthetic microorganisms that can produce biomass on large scales using only sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and small amounts of nutrients. Thus, Cyanobacteria are a viable option for sustainable production of biofuel feedstock material. Photobioreactors (PBRs) offer a high degree of control over the temperature, aeration, and mixing of cyanobacterial cultures, but cannot be kept sterile due to the scales necessary to meet domestic and global energy demands, meaning that heterotrophic bacteria can grow in PBRs by oxidizing the organic material produced and excreted by the Cyanobacteria. These heterotrophic bacteria can positively or negatively impact the performance of the PBR through their interactions with the Cyanobacteria. This work explores the microbial ecology in PBR cultures of the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 (Synechocystis) using microbiological, molecular, chemical, and engineering techniques. I first show that diverse phylotypes of heterotrophic bacteria can associate with Synechocystis-based PBRs and that excluding them may be impossible under typical PBR operating conditions. Then, I demonstrate that high-throughput sequencing can reliably elucidate the structure of PBR microbial communities without the need for pretreatment to remove Synechocystis 16S rRNA genes, despite the high degree of polyploidy found in Synechocystis. Next, I establish that the structure of PBR microbial communities is strongly influenced by the microbial community of the inoculum culture. Finally, I show that maintaining available phosphorus in the culture medium promotes the production and enrichment of Synechocystis biomass in PBRs by reducing the amount of soluble substrates available to heterotrophic bacteria. This work presents the first analysis of the structure and function of microbial communities associated with Synechocystis-based PBRs.
ContributorsZevin, Alexander Simon (Author) / Rittmann, Bruce E. (Thesis advisor) / Krajmalnik-Brown, Rosa (Thesis advisor) / Vermaas, Willem Fj (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
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Description
Samuel Máynez Prince (1886-1966), was a prolific and important Mexican musician. Prince’s musical style followed the trends of the nineteenth-century salon music genre. His compositions include lullabies, songs, dances, marches, mazurkas, waltzes, and revolutionary anthems. Prince’s social status and performances in the famed Café Colón in Mexico City increased his

Samuel Máynez Prince (1886-1966), was a prolific and important Mexican musician. Prince’s musical style followed the trends of the nineteenth-century salon music genre. His compositions include lullabies, songs, dances, marches, mazurkas, waltzes, and revolutionary anthems. Prince’s social status and performances in the famed Café Colón in Mexico City increased his popularity among high-ranking political figures during the time of the Mexican Revolution as well as his status in the Mexican music scene.

Unfortunately there is virtually no existing scholarship on Prince and even basic information regarding his life and works is not readily available. The lack of organization of the manuscript scores and the absence of dates of his works has further pushed the composer into obscurity. An investigation therefore was necessary in order to explore the neglected aspects of the life and works of Prince as a violinist and composer. This document is the result of such an investigation by including extensive new biographical information, as well as the first musical analysis and edition of the complete recovered works for violin and piano.

In order to fill the gaps present in the limited biographical information regarding Prince’s life, investigative research was conducted in Mexico City. Information was drawn from archives of the composer’s grandchildren, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Conservatorio Nacional de Música de México, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional. The surviving relatives provided first-hand details on events in the composer’s life; one also offered the researcher access to their personal archive including, important life documents, photographs, programs from concert performances, and manuscript scores of the compositions. Establishing connections with the relatives also led the researcher to examining the violins owned and used by the late violinist/composer.

This oral history approach led to new and updated information, including the revival of previously unpublished music for violin and piano. These works are here compiled in an edition that will give students, teachers, and music-lovers access to this unknown repertoire. Finally, this research seeks to promote the beauty and nuances of Mexican salon music, and the complete works for violin and piano of Samuel Máynez Prince in particular.
ContributorsEkenes, Spencer Arvin (Author) / McLin, Katherine (Thesis advisor) / Feisst, Sabine (Committee member) / Jiang, Danwen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
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Description
One solution to mitigating global climate change is using cyanobacteria or single-celled algae (collectively microalgae) to replace petroleum-based fuels and products, thereby reducing the net release of carbon dioxide. This work develops and evaluates a mechanistic kinetic model for light-dependent microalgal growth. Light interacts with microalgae in a

One solution to mitigating global climate change is using cyanobacteria or single-celled algae (collectively microalgae) to replace petroleum-based fuels and products, thereby reducing the net release of carbon dioxide. This work develops and evaluates a mechanistic kinetic model for light-dependent microalgal growth. Light interacts with microalgae in a variety of positive and negative ways that are captured by the model: light intensity (LI) attenuates through a microalgal culture, light absorption provides the energy and electron flows that drive photosynthesis, microalgae pool absorbed light energy, microalgae acclimate to different LI conditions, too-high LI causes damage to the cells’ photosystems, and sharp increases in light cause severe photoinhibition that inhibits growth. The model accounts for all these phenomena by using a set of state variables that represent the pooled light energy, photoacclimation, PSII photo-damage, PSII repair inhibition and PSI photodamage. Sets of experiments were conducted with the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 during step-changes in light intensity and flashing light. The model was able to represent and explain all phenomena observed in the experiments. This included the spike and depression in growth rate following an increasing light step, the temporary depression in growth rate following a decreasing light step, the shape of the steady-state growth-irradiance curve, and the “blending” of light and dark periods under rapid flashes of light. The LI model is a marked improvement over previous light-dependent growth models, and can be used to design and interpret future experiments and practical systems for generating renewable feedstock to replace petroleum.
ContributorsStraka, Levi (Author) / Rittmann, Bruce E. (Thesis advisor) / Fox, Peter (Committee member) / Torres, César I (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
ContributorsKarsheva, Inna (Performer) / Shraibman, Dani (Performer) / Chen, Neilson (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-03-19
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Description
Like most other phototrophic organisms the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 produces carotenoids. These pigments often bind to proteins and assume various functions in light harvesting, protection from reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protein stabilization. One hypothesis was that carotenoids bind to the surface (S-)layer protein. In this work the

Like most other phototrophic organisms the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 produces carotenoids. These pigments often bind to proteins and assume various functions in light harvesting, protection from reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protein stabilization. One hypothesis was that carotenoids bind to the surface (S-)layer protein. In this work the Synechocystis S-layer protein was identified as Sll1951 and the effect on the carotenoid composition of this prokaryote by disruption of sll1951 was studied. Loss of the S-layer, which was demonstrated by electron microscopy, did not result in loss of carotenoids or changes in the carotenoid profile of the mutant, which was shown by HPLC and protein analysis. Although Δsll1951 was more susceptible to osmotic stress than the wild type, the general viability of the mutant remained unaffected. In a different study a combination of mutants having single or multiple deletions of putative carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) genes was created. CCDs are presumed to play a role in the breakdown of carotenoids or apo-carotenoids. The carotenoid profiles of the mutants that were grown under conditions of increased reactive oxygen species were analyzed by HPLC. Pigment lifetimes of all strains were estimated by 13C-labeling. Carotenoid composition and metabolism were similar in all strains leading to the conclusion that the deleted CCDs do not affect carotenoid turnover in Synechocystis. The putative CCDs either do not fulfill this function in cyanobacteria or alternative pathways for carotenoid degradation exist. Finally, slr0941, a gene of unknown function but a conserved genome position in many cyanobacteria downstream of the δ-carotene desaturase, was disrupted. Initially, the mutant strain was impaired in growth but displayed a rather normal carotenoid content and composition, but an apparent second-site mutation occurred infrequently that restored growth rates and caused an accumulation of carotenoid isomers not found in the wild type. Based on the obtained data a role of the slr0941 gene in carotenoid binding/positioning for isomerization and further conversion to mature carotenoids is suggested.
ContributorsTrautner, Christoph (Author) / Vermaas, Willem Fj (Thesis advisor) / Chandler, Douglas E. (Committee member) / Misra, Rajeev (Committee member) / Bingham, Scott E (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
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Description
Transmission electron microscopy has been used to identify poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) granules in cyanobacteria for over 40 years. Electron-transparent (sometimes containing a slightly electron-dense area in the inclusions) or slightly electron-dense spherical inclusions found in transmission electron micrographs of cyanobacteria are often assumed to be PHB granules. The aim of this

Transmission electron microscopy has been used to identify poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) granules in cyanobacteria for over 40 years. Electron-transparent (sometimes containing a slightly electron-dense area in the inclusions) or slightly electron-dense spherical inclusions found in transmission electron micrographs of cyanobacteria are often assumed to be PHB granules. The aim of this study was to test this assumption in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, and to determine whether all inclusions of this kind are indeed PHB granules. Based on the results gathered, it is concluded that not all of the slightly electron-dense spherical inclusions are PHB granules in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. This result is potentially applicable to other cyanobacteria.
ContributorsTsang, Tin Ki (Author) / Vermaas, Willem F. J. (Thesis director) / Nielsen, David (Committee member) / Roberson, Robert (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2013-05
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Description
With global warming becoming a more serious problem and mankind's alarming dependency on fossil fuels, the need for a sustainable and environmentally friendly fuel source is becoming more important. Biofuels produced from photosynthetic microorganisms like algae or cyanobacteria offer a carbon neutral replacement for petroleum fuel sources; however, with the

With global warming becoming a more serious problem and mankind's alarming dependency on fossil fuels, the need for a sustainable and environmentally friendly fuel source is becoming more important. Biofuels produced from photosynthetic microorganisms like algae or cyanobacteria offer a carbon neutral replacement for petroleum fuel sources; however, with the technology and information available today, the amount of biomass that would need to be produced is not economically feasible. In this work, I examined a possible factor impacting the growth of a model cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, which is heterotrophic bacteria communities accompanying the cyanobacteria. I experimented with three variables: the type of heterotrophic bacteria strain, the initial concentration of heterotrophic bacteria, and the addition of a carbon source (glucose) to the culture. With experimental information, I identified if given conditions would increase Synechocystis growth and thus increase the yield of biomass. I found that under non-limiting growth conditions, heterotrophic bacteria do not significantly affect the growth of Synechocystis or the corresponding biomass yield. The initial concentration of heterotrophic bacteria and the added glucose also did not affect the growth of Synechocystis. I did see some nutrient recycling from the heterotrophic bacteria as the phosphate levels in the growth medium were depleted, which was apparent from prolonged growth phase and higher levels of reactive phosphate in the media.
ContributorsCahill, Brendan Robert (Author) / Rittmann, Bruce (Thesis director) / Krajmalnik-Brown, Rosa (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2015-12
ContributorsDu, Pan (Performer) / ASU Library. Music Library (Publisher)
Created2018-04-23