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Individual Group Flight Of European Starlings And Budgerigars In A Wind Tunnel Without A Horizon Reference, Robert G. Moyle

Open Access Master's Theses

I studied the ability and willingness of European Starlings (Stumus vulgaris) and Budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) to fly under different lighting conditions in a wind tunnel. My observations indicate that these birds can fly under conditions that supply no visual reference points, but their flight ability is more proficient when some light is available. The addition of a single horizon line to dark conditions improved the birds' flight ability and willingness, as indicated by an increase in the number of birds that took flight after landing. When small flocks were flown in the wind tunnel there was …

Design For Disassembly And Environment, Andrew Abbott

Open Access Master's Theses

Government pressure, increased consumer awareness, and decreasing landfill space are affecting manufacturers. As product take-back becomes the norm, manufacturers will need tools to help them deal with end of life products.

Environmental policies are changing. Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and other countries are forming partnership strategies with manufacturers, aiming for resource management and eco-development. "Green" products and product reclamation are important parts of these programs.

Designing for disassembly can be profitable, but needs planning. Tools exist for determining economically optimized and environmentally optimized disassembly sequences for end of life products. However, there is a lack of a system that balances between …

Community-Based Economic Impact Planning For A Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility, David Patton Gilmour

Open Access Master's Theses

This monograph discusses the assessment of social and economic impacts for a Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) disposal facility siting. It examines how to maximize the possibility of locating a host site by actively involving stakeholders to obtain their input on site design. To realize a siting stakeholders may require extensive information sharing and education about the proposed land use. Negotiation and use of incentive can also be useful for developing optimal policy and generating opinion in favor of a siting.

LLRW is relatively benign nuclear refuse produced in power generation, medicine, high-tech industry, and research. Compared with high-level radioactive waste …

The Evolution Of International Fisheries Management In The North Pacific Ocean And Prospects For The Future, Paul Augustus Flynn

Theses and Major Papers

The abundant resources of the North Pacific Ocean have been the subject of international disputes and negotiations through the 20th century. The management of species which range throughout this vast area, are not under the jurisdiction of a single state. That fact has required the establishment of a framework in which allocation and conservation measures can be researched and agreed upon. This has been accomplished through various multilateral and bilateral agreements. From the voluntary Japanese suspension of a directed salmon fishery off the coast of Alaska in 1938 to recently completed multilateral treaties, significant advances have been made in Pacific …

A Policy Analysis Of The Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act Of 1988, Peter Decola

Theses and Major Papers

During the mid-1980's, the crisis in marine insurance and growing concern over fishing vessel safety combined to stimulate passage of the Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act of 1988. This law was enacted with the goal of improving the overall safety of commercial fishing industry vessels. However, the Act as passed by Congress contained no provisions for marine insurance reform. As a result, the commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Act offered little incentive for the industry to improve upon its dubious safety record. With the exception of self-insurance clubs, the vast burden of implementing the Act has fallen upon the …

International Organizations And Tuna Management; Problems And Future Prospects, Yuh-Chen Chern

Theses and Major Papers

A large number of marine species migrate within and without national jurisdictions and a small number occur entirely outside any national jurisdiction. Thus, the species migrating through waters under the jurisdiction of coastal states to high seas beyond the jurisdiction of any single state are defined as highly migratory species (HMS). International organizations play a key role in the management of highly migratory species. Most of the international organizations concerned with HMS focus on tuna management.

Sacrificing Conservation For Pesos: An Analysis Of Select Marine Fisheries In The Political Environment Of Mexico, Sephen W. Bourgeois Jr.

Theses and Major Papers

The decline of most Mexican fisheries has occurred so rapidly that few Mexicans and Americans alike fully appreciate the loss. The major focus of this paper will examine the false impression that Mexico is engaging in marine conservation; in reality, its conservation efforts are responses to after-the-fact actions brought on by world critics and as a vehicle to pacify conservationists. The Mexican government can pass a law but lacks the resources to administer and enforce the law and subsequently manage its fisheries in an effective manner. Rather than survey the state of every fishery found in Mexican waters, this paper …

Federal Legislation Needed To Improve Towing Vessel Safety, Paul J. Keenan Jr.

Theses and Major Papers

To the casual observer, towing vessels and barges, with their low profile and unassuming presence, may seem to be an uninspiring and small part of the shipping scene. However, tank and dry cargo barges actually carry sixty-nine percent of our nation's domestic waterborne commerce. Regulations for large ships, especially oil tankers, have touched every aspect of the shipping industry, including naval architecture, engineering, damage control, manning, training, licensing, etc. Towing vessels and barges however, have largely managed to escape the proliferation of regulation. Current legislation does not provide for the inspection of sea-going towing vessels under three hundred gross tons …

Democratization Of Ocean Research: A Model For The Post-Cold War Era?, Maureen A. Kennelly

Theses and Major Papers

Since the end of World War II the field of oceanography has enjoyed the generous patronage of the federal government under the "social contract" model for the support of science. This model is based on the principles of freedom and autonomy for scientists, insulation of science from politics, and emphasis on basic research. With the recent ending of the Cold War, the simple science policies of the post-World War II years are being philosophically and politically challenged and the rationales for the support of science are being questioned. National security is no longer the driving force behind science funding in …

Integration Of Natural Hazard Mitigation Into Municipal Harbor Management Plans In The United States, Frank J. Mcneilly

Theses and Major Papers

Harbor management planning is a relatively new concept in this country. What is believed to be the first municipal level harbor management plan (HMP) in the United States originated from a need to resolve a problem of encroachments on a Federal navigation channel in Connecticut. This method of harbor planning was soon recognized as an effective management tool and was used as a model for other coastal communities in the Northeast. While early HMPs primarily focused on mooring management, today's plans address many more harbor issues. The Coastal Zone Management Act was intended to form a national coastal zone management …

Trends In Abundance Of The Gulf Of Maine Population Of Harbor Porpoise, Paula Ann Olson

Theses and Major Papers

Hundreds of harbor porpoise die each year as bycatch in the Gulf of Maine's sink gillnet fishery. In recent years, concern has arisen whether the Gulf of Maine population of harbor porpoise can sustain this level of bycatch. It is believed that the population may have declined, or is declining as a result of the incidental moralities. This paper reviews what is known about Gulf of Maine harbor porpoise demographics and how that information is incorporated into the management of the porpoise/fishery interaction. Included in this paper is a new study on the trend of relative abundance of harbor porpoise …

Protection Of Marine Fish Habitat: Towards An Integrated Approach To Management, Andrea L. Oliver

Theses and Major Papers

This paper focuses on the problems associated with marine fish habitat protection and conservation at the federal level in the United States. The intent of the study is to provide a general overview of the issues, impacts, management problems and potential solutions. Federal statutory legislation that impacts marine fish habitat and agency authority derived from those legislative mandates are examined with a view toward promoting integrated management for marine biodiversity and overall ecosystem health. The concepts of coordinated and integrated approaches to management are discussed in the context of the present management regimes. Given the fragmented authority over the policy …

The Influence Of Sea Power Upon Oceanography: A Historical And Policy Analysis Of Governmental Support For Marine Science, Daniel Stuart Schwartz

Theses and Major Papers

In a time of austere funding for national ocean science R & D programs and Congressional balanced budget constraints, marine science investigators and program managers must increasingly ponder how committed to the support of oceanography our government will continue to be. The questions might better be phrased as how, in the absence of a credible open-ocean naval threat (the traditional focus of both basic and applied research), will policy makers justify the expenditure of scarce public revenues on marine science programs? Sea Power-as broadly defined in the works of Alfred Thayer Mahan and Sergei Gorshkov-has driven, and will continue to …

Applying The Concept Of Recreational Specialization To Rhode Island Alliance Anglers, Eric Asadorian

Theses and Major Papers

Many recreationally popular marine species of fish are at or near historic lows in terms of their overall numbers. Many of these species, such as cod, summer flounder, winter flounder, and bluefish, are also commercially valuable. Fishery managers must be able to make allocation and management decisions that both protect the resource and maintain user satisfaction. The basis for achieving this goal lies in the understanding of what the users expectations, satisfactions and perceptions are related to their marine recreational fishing experience. It is often the case that a population of anglers are managed as a homogeneous group, with similar …

Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Programs: An Assessment Of Public Participation As A Means Of Fostering Environmental Stewardship, Christopher Damon

Theses and Major Papers

Volunteer water quality monitoring organizations from across the country were surveyed (n=516) to determine the relationship between public involvement and the generation of stewardship within the community. Program coordinators were asked first to rate the level of stewardship values within the community, and then respond to questions covering four broad areas of public involvement: pre-existing conditions, public education, volunteer behavior, and communal involvement. For each question, organizations were aggregated by response, and a frequency analysis was performed to discover the most common responses in each of the four public involvement categories. the mean of perceived stewardship values was graphed as …

Limits To Private Aquaculture On Cape Cod, Kevin Robert Cute

Theses and Major Papers

This study examined the potential of social conflict related to private and public rights, to constrain aquaculture on Cape Cod. While the ability of social conflict to constrain aquaculture has been demonstrated in a few cases, its current potential to constrain aquaculture on Cape Cod had not been established prior to this study. This study was based on information gathered from town records and public hearings related to proposed aquaculture ventures. In addition, town officials were interviewed to obtain additional information related to cases. The finding of this study is that private riparian proprietors, and interests in shell-fishing tend to …

Maritime Fisheries Enforcement Analysis Of The Nmfs Northeast Region, John Thomas Davis

Theses and Major Papers

The success or failure of fishery management plans (FMP's) is dependent upon many factors. One of those factors is the level of compliance to the regulations implementing the conservation and management decisions of the FMP's that is achieved. Although compliance with regulations does not guarantee the success of management efforts, failure to ensure adequate compliance with management objectives results in failed conservation and management efforts. Enforcement is a crucial element towards achieving conservation and management goals. The objective of this paper is to analyze the maritime fisheries enforcement system in the geographic bounds of the national marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) …

Shoreline Setbacks Vs. Regulatory Takings Law In Massachusetts, Deborah Fraize

Theses and Major Papers

this thesis examines whether the current shoreline setback scheme provided for under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act may be deemed unconstitutional under the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution in light of recent holdings of the U.S. Supreme Court. In so doing, the thesis addresses what latitude regulators in Massachusetts may have under the merging case law. Because this area of law -- regulatory takings -- is still evolving, it was necessary to look at the evolution of the law in the U.S. Supreme Court and the Massachusetts appellate level courts. Research reveals that …

A Partnership For Coral Reef Protection: A Case Study Of The International Coral Reef Initiative, Karla M. Boreri

Theses and Major Papers

Coral reef are considered the most biologically diverse marine ecosystems on earth. They are a world-wide symbol of the economic and ecological importance of all types of coastal environments. The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) was developed in 1994 to increase the awareness of the human and anthropogenic threats facing reefs. Initially a U.S.-focused initiative, ICRI now includes over 70 like-minded governments and a growing list of UN organizations, science and academic organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector as its partners. This qualitative case study was developed based on actual participation in the initiative and hundreds of pages of …

The Role Of The Federal Aid In Sportfish Restoration Program In Promoting State Marine Artificial Reef Development Activities, Loren Clark Evans

Theses and Major Papers

The passage of the Wallop-Breaux Amendments to the Federal Aid in Sportfish Restoration Program (FASRP), in 1984, significantly increased the funding available to states participating in the Program. Subsequently, the FASRP became the largest single source of funding for state marine artificial reef development activities. In recent years, there has been concern among program constituents that FASRP funds are not being utilized as intended. The principle question of the current research focused on how effective FASRP subsidies have been in providing meaningful benefits to state fisheries management programs. Specifically, the research focused on the application of FASRP monies in promoting …

The Cumulative Impacts Of Management Decisions On Nitrogen Loading To The Rhode Island Salt Ponds, Laura M. Ernst

Theses and Major Papers

Calculations and measurements of nitrogen in groundwater, stream flow and atmospheric deposition were used to see if the cumulative impacts of management decisions over a fifteen year period of time resulted in measurable changes in nitrogen loading to six of the salt ponds on the south shore of Rhode Island. The changes in the source and transmission of nitrogen were tested by comparing calculated and measured nitrogen data from 1980 and 1995. The calculated method included a nitrogen budget based on land-use and literature values for nitrogen loss to groundwater. The second method compared concentrations of nitrogen in groundwater taken …

The Expanding Role Of State Government In Oil Pollution Prevention Through Regulation Of The Coastal Tug And Barge Industry, Elise Erica Golden

Theses and Major Papers

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 was enacted by Congress in order to streamline the legislative and regulatory framework governing oil spill prevention, liability, and response. However, in the six years since this law was enacted, a proliferation of oil pollution prevention laws have been enacted at the state level. Many of these state laws directly target the oil transportation industry, and such legislation has ignited controversy among marine safety experts as to the appropriate role of state government in preventing oil spills through industry regulation. This thesis examines one such law, recently enacted by the State of Rhode Island …

Massachusetts Angler Typologies: The Recreation Specialization Approach, Jonathan S. O'Neil

Theses and Major Papers

As the abundance of fish stocks in the Northeast continues to decline, the need to regulate the marine recreational catch is a topic receiving much attention. Yet, the move to manage recreational anglers' fishing activities raises a host of new questions. How should the resource be allocated among different groups of fishermen? Which group should take precedence over others; or should resources be divided equally among all? To manage the Massachusetts recreational fishery, many of these questions will have to be answered to ensure the success of conservation goals. With a comprehensive understanding of anglers and their relationship to fishery …

Public Health Hazards Associated With The Consumption Of Molluscan Shellfish In The State Of Rhode Island, Jeffrey F. Nussbaum

Theses and Major Papers

The principal objective of this thesis was to descriptively and empirically assess shellfish consumption hazards in the state of Rhode Island and to evaluate the use of a shellfish hazard warning label to modify unsafe consumptive behaviors. To accomplish this task, three research problems were examined using a survey instrument. The survey instrument was a questionnaire which included both closed and open-ended questions. The survey questions were designed to identify four primary research variables; shellfish consumptive behaviors, consumer knowledge of shellfish hazards and related government advisories, perceptions of risk regarding personal shellfish consumption, and response to warning label information. The …

Evaluation Of A Conflict Resolution - Peer Mediation Program, Carol Lee Macnaught

Open Access Master's Theses

This research evaluates a seven-week conflict resolution - peer mediation program offered at a diverse, small, private middle school (4th through 8th grade). Identical curriculum based measures of knowledge about conflict, self-efficacy for managing conflict, and endorsed strategies for responding to conflict were given both before and after the program. The 72 students demonstrated gains in knowledge following the intervention. Differences were not found in the other areas. An exploration of the relationship among variables revealed low correlation and shared variance. The contribution of conflict knowledge and self-efficacy for managing conflict to the prediction of endorsed conflict response strategies was …

Longitudinal Prediction Of Women In The Stages Of Change For Condom Use: A Comparison Of Methods, Kerry E. Evers

Open Access Master's Theses

This study attempts to identify how women naturally progress through the Transtheoretical Model Stages of Condom Use over a one year period, as well as identifies the psycho-social and behavioral predictors of these changes. Three separate types of analyses (Latent Transition Analysis, Discriminant Function Analysis, and Logistic Regression) were used in an effort to assess how they complement each other in longitudinal studies such as this. A total of 545 women participated in the one year study of HIV risk in women. Latent Transition Analysis identified the best fitting model of change of stage, which included both forward and backward …

Design Optimization Of Indium-Gallium-Arsenide-Phosphide Multi-Quantum Well Electroabsorbtion Modulators, Gregory H. Ames

Open Access Dissertations

A theoretical analysis of the performance of InGaAsP multi-quantum well electro-absorption modulators is presented. A comprehensive model of the quantum confined Stark effect is described to determine the absorption and index change spectra versus applied field. This model is based on previously developed models for GaAs/AIGaAs structures, but includes improvements in the handling of exciton line broadening and the variation of exciton oscillator strength with field.

The analysis of line broadening due to composition fluctuations is presented, revealing a previously neglected factor. Two numerical methods for calculating the line broadening, based on the resonant tunneling method, are presented and compared. …

Ego Identity Status, Intellectual Development, And Academic Achievement In University Of Freshman, Deborah E. Flammia

Open Access Master's Theses

Late adolescent development was examined through the attitudes, values, beliefs, and academic performance of 121 Freshman students, 57 male and 64 female, at the University of Rhode Island. Marcia's (1966) operationalization of Erik Erikson's psycho-social theory of late adolescence and William Perry's (1970) model of intellectual formation in the college years were instrumentally applied through two objective tests that classify students into the stages of each theory. Findings confirm the study's hypothesis of a significant relationship between academic achievement and identity status. There were significant main effects of identity status, as reported in GPA scores, before and after intelligence (SAT …

Land Development Techniques To Protext Scenic Areas In Coventry, R.I., Raymond M. Goff

Open Access Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Molecular Genetic Analysis Of Senescence And The Reversal Of Senescence In Soybean Cotyledons [Glycine Max (L.) Bass], Normand Edouard Allaire

Open Access Master's Theses

Whole plant senescence is a programmed, endogenously controlled process in which cellular components are degraded and the resultant metabolites sequestered to other plant organs. All cells, with the possible exception of the meristem progenitors, go through cell division, expansion, elaboration of secondary structures to the primary cell wall, quiescence, and finally death. This senescence process is thought to be partially catalyzed by an increase in translation of degradative proteins coupled to a decrease in translation of vital proteins (Skadsen and Cherry, 1983). Inducers of senescence include wounding, fruit ripening, changes in hormone levels (auxin, cytokinins + auxin, Ca²+ …