This thesis project is a first-grade curriculum that is tailored for schools with school gardens. The curriculum contains worksheets and activities for the students, making it easier for teachers to take care of the school garden while also playing a part in fighting food injustice. The curriculum has 4 subjects: Math, Language Arts, Science, and Nutrition Education.
The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether Tai Chi Qigong or Health Information podcasts are more effective for improving mental health and sleep outcomes for midlife women with mobility impairments. No other studies have been done to investigate whether Tai Chi can be more effective for sleep, depressive symptoms, and anxiety for midlife women with mobility impairments specifically. Overall, it was found that midlife women with mobility impairments experienced better sleep when they focused on health information podcasts in comparison to Tai Chi. Change in anxiety and depressive symptoms were negligible.
The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether Tai Chi Qigong or Health Information podcasts are more effective for improving mental health and sleep outcomes for midlife women with mobility impairments. No other studies have been done to investigate whether Tai Chi can be more effective for sleep, depressive symptoms, and anxiety for midlife women with mobility impairments specifically. Overall, it was found that midlife women with mobility impairments experienced better sleep when they focused on health information podcasts in comparison to Tai Chi. Change in anxiety and depressive symptoms were negligible.
This work first compares carbon isotope measurements (δ13C) of particulate matter and fog from locations across the globe to assess how different primary aerosol sources are reflected in the atmosphere. Three field campaigns are then discussed that highlight different aspects of PM formation, composition, and processing. In Tempe, AZ, seasonal and size-dependent differences in the δ13C of total carbon and n-alkanes in PM were studied. δ13C was influenced by seasonal trends, including inversion, transport, population density, and photochemical activity. Variations in δ13C among particle size fractions were caused by sources that generate particles in different size modes.
An analysis of PM from urban and suburban sites in northeastern France shows how both fog and rain can cause measurable changes in the δ13C of PM. The δ13C of PM was consistent over time when no weather events occurred, but particles were isotopically depleted by up to 1.1‰ in the presence of fog due to preferential scavenging of larger isotopically enriched particles. Finally, the δ13C of the dissolved organic carbon in fog collected on the coast of Southern California is discussed. Here, temporal depletion of the δ13C of fog by up to 1.2‰ demonstrates its use in observing the scavenging and deposition of organic PM.
Chemical weathering at Robertson Glacier, a small alpine glacier in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, is examined with a multidisciplinary approach. The relative proportions of differing dissolution reactions at various stages in the glacial system are empirically determined using aqueous geochemistry. Synthesis of laboratory and orbital thermal infrared spectroscopy allows identification of dissolution rinds on hand samples and characterization of carbonate dissolution signals at orbital scales, while chemical and morphological evidence for thin, discontinuous weathering rinds at microscales are evident from electron microscopy. Subglacial dissolution rates are found to outpace those of the proglacial till plain; biologically-mediated pyrite oxidation drives the bulk of this acidic weathering.
Second, the area-elevation relationship, or hypsometry, of LDA in the midlatitudes of Mars is characterized. These glaciers are believed to have formed ~500 Ma during a climate excursion. Hypsometric measurements of these debris-covered glaciers enable insight into past flow regimes and drive predictions about past climate scenarios. The LDA in this study fall into three major groups, strongly dependent on basal elevation, implying regional and climatic controls on ice formation and flow.
I show that biologically-mediated mineral reactions drive high subglacial dissolution rates, such that variations within the valley can be detected with remote sensing techniques. In future work, these insights can be applied to examining Mars’ glacial regions for signs of chemical alteration and biosignatures.
Small but significant U isotope fractionation was observed in aragonite experiments at pH ~ 8.5, with heavier U in the solid phase. 238U/235U of dissolved U in these experiments can be fit by Rayleigh fractionation curves with fractionation factors of 1.00007+0.00002/-0.00003, 1.00005 ± 0.00001, and 1.00003 ± 0.00001. In contrast, no resolvable U isotope fractionation was observed in an aragonite experiment at pH ~7.5 or in calcite experiments at either pH. Equilibrium isotope fractionation among different aqueous U species is the most likely explanation for these findings. Certain charged U species are preferentially incorporated into calcium carbonate relative to the uncharged U species Ca2UO2(CO3)3(aq), which we hypothesize has a lighter equilibrium U isotope composition than most of the charged species. According to this hypothesis, the magnitude of U isotope fractionation should scale with the fraction of dissolved U that is present as Ca2UO2(CO3)3 (aq). This expectation is confirmed by equilibrium speciation modeling of our experiments. Theoretical calculation of the U isotope fractionation factors between different U species could further test this hypothesis and our proposed fractionation mechanism.
These findings suggest that U isotope variations in ancient carbonates could be controlled by changes in the aqueous speciation of seawater U, particularly changes in seawater pH, PCO2, [Ca], or [Mg] concentrations. In general, these effects are likely to be small (<0.13 ‰), but are nevertheless potentially significant because of the small natural range of variation of 238U/235U.