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Signature Of Recent Sediment Accumulating In Prince William Sound, Alaska: A Record Of Storms, Earthquakes, And Seasonal Inputs, Nicole R. Marshall Jan 2015

Signature Of Recent Sediment Accumulating In Prince William Sound, Alaska: A Record Of Storms, Earthquakes, And Seasonal Inputs, Nicole R. Marshall

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This study focuses on the development o f provenance signatures for sediments accumulating in Prince William Sound, with an emphasis on interpreting mechanisms of sediment deposition using historical earthquake, wave, river discharge, and glacial outburst flood records. A highresolution sedimentary sequence in Prince William Sound, Alaska contains sediments sourced from local watersheds as a result of seasonal and event-driven sedimentation. This study contributes to the development of paleo-proxies for sediment provenance, earthquakes, shelf sediment resuspension, and Copper River discharge. Geochemical studies of sediment cores and end-member samples using X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry allows for the development …


Ontogeny Of The Feeding Apparatus And Sensory Modalities: Relationship To Habitat Differentiation Among Early Life History Stage Drums (Sciaenidae) In The Chesapeake Bay, Alison L. Deary Jan 2015

Ontogeny Of The Feeding Apparatus And Sensory Modalities: Relationship To Habitat Differentiation Among Early Life History Stage Drums (Sciaenidae) In The Chesapeake Bay, Alison L. Deary

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Although the form and function of the structure of the feeding apparatus and diet are linked in adult fishes, it is often not clear when during ontogeny the ecomorphological patterns enable early life history stage fishes (ELHS) to partition their foraging niches and reduce competition. Sciaenid (family Sciaenidae) species exhibit variability in the structure of the feeding apparatus, which allows them to exploit more foraging habitats as adults than any other family in the Chesapeake Bay. In this study, ELHS and juvenile sciaenids representing three foraging guilds (pelagic: n=92, 2.9-48.2 mm SL; generalist: n=71, 4.3-53.8 mm SL; and benthic: n=75, …


Confrontation Of Prejudice Towards Multiracials And Monoracials, Gandalf Nicolas Jan 2015

Confrontation Of Prejudice Towards Multiracials And Monoracials, Gandalf Nicolas

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Condition Of Juvenile Fishes In Estuarine Nursery Areas: Measuring Performance And Assessing Temporal And Spatial Dynamics With Multiple Indices., Ryan W. Schloesser Jan 2015

Condition Of Juvenile Fishes In Estuarine Nursery Areas: Measuring Performance And Assessing Temporal And Spatial Dynamics With Multiple Indices., Ryan W. Schloesser

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The focus of this dissertation is to investigate relationships among indices of fish condition and examine temporal and spatial dynamics in condition of juvenile summer flounder, striped bass, and Atlantic croaker from Virginia estuaries. In the first two chapters, I compare multiple direct (energy density and proximate components) and indirect (length-based indices, hepatosomatic index, and relative subdermal lipids) approaches for assessing fish health to identify suitable means of estimating the lipid and energy content of juvenile fishes. Because indirect approaches can rapidly estimate the condition of juvenile fishes, these indices were then used to assess spatial and temporal variability in …


Effect Of Noise On The Social Structure Of European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris), Autumn Swan Jan 2015

Effect Of Noise On The Social Structure Of European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris), Autumn Swan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Ultracold Rubidium And Potassium System For Atom Chip-Based Microwave And Rf Potentials, Austin R. Ziltz Jan 2015

Ultracold Rubidium And Potassium System For Atom Chip-Based Microwave And Rf Potentials, Austin R. Ziltz

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In this dissertation we study the development of microwave and RF near-field potentials for use with atom chip trapped atomic gases. These potentials are inherently spin-dependent, able to target individual spin states simultaneously. In contrast with traditional atom chip potentials, these RF traps can be operated at arbitrary bias magnetic field strengths and thus be combined with magnetic Feshbach resonances. Furthermore, these potentials can strongly suppress the potential roughness that plagues traditional atom chip potentials. We present a dual chamber atom chip apparatus for generating ultracold 87Rb and 39K atomic gases. The apparatus produces quasi-pure Bose-Einstein condensates of 104 87Rb …


Staging The Asian American In Hong Kong: Examining Transcultural Performances Of Asian American Identity In Hong Kong English Language Amateur Theatre Productions Of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" And "Yellow Face", Iris Eu Loa Mein Jan 2015

Staging The Asian American In Hong Kong: Examining Transcultural Performances Of Asian American Identity In Hong Kong English Language Amateur Theatre Productions Of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" And "Yellow Face", Iris Eu Loa Mein

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Students' Self-Determined Motivation, Emotional Intelligence And Academic Persistence: An Examination Of Second Year Students At A Public And A Private Historically Black University, Evanda Shentelle Watts-Martinez Jan 2015

Students' Self-Determined Motivation, Emotional Intelligence And Academic Persistence: An Examination Of Second Year Students At A Public And A Private Historically Black University, Evanda Shentelle Watts-Martinez

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Enabling Parallel Execution Via Principled Speculation., Zhijia Zhao Jan 2015

Enabling Parallel Execution Via Principled Speculation., Zhijia Zhao

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Black Gothic Imagination: Horror, Subjectivity, And Spectatorship From The Civil Rights Era To The New Millennium., Mikal J. Gaines Jan 2015

The Black Gothic Imagination: Horror, Subjectivity, And Spectatorship From The Civil Rights Era To The New Millennium., Mikal J. Gaines

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Could You Point Me To Your Nearest Clay Source, Please?: A Xrf Study Of Barbadian Historic Era Ceramics, Benjamin Crossley Kirby Jan 2015

Could You Point Me To Your Nearest Clay Source, Please?: A Xrf Study Of Barbadian Historic Era Ceramics, Benjamin Crossley Kirby

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Assessing The Impact Of Climate Change On Proposed Restoration Of The Lynnhaven River Ecosystem, Emily E. Skeehan Jan 2015

Assessing The Impact Of Climate Change On Proposed Restoration Of The Lynnhaven River Ecosystem, Emily E. Skeehan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Environmental degradation of the Chesapeake Bay (CB) and its sub-estuaries has been linked to population growth in the surrounding coastal zone, rapid development in the watershed and resultant nutrient loading into the Bay. Consequently, the federal government and its partners have developed restoration plans to mitigate the effects of eutrophication and improve essential ecosystem functions, though few restoration plans have considered the interactive effects of climate change. Climate change and other anthropogenic drivers are causing changes in ecosystem structure and function, thereby impacting the beneficial services ecosystems provide. While some studies have attempted to quantitatively predict the benefits of ecosystem …


Linking Structure And Function Of Microbial Communities Responsible For Sedimentary Nitrogen Processes In North Carolina Estuaries, Jessica A. Lisa Jan 2015

Linking Structure And Function Of Microbial Communities Responsible For Sedimentary Nitrogen Processes In North Carolina Estuaries, Jessica A. Lisa

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Estuaries and coastal areas are highly diverse and productive ecosystems that serve as critical habitats for many marine organisms. Anthropogenic activities and changes in coastal land use have resulted in nutrient over-enrichment, posing a threat to the ecological integrity of estuaries. Nitrogen is often the limiting nutrient and its dynamics are central in determining coastal ecosystem health. The cycling and removal of nitrogen is primarily microbially mediated and the structure of these microbial communities is tightly interlaced with ecosystem function. Recycling processes nitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) serve as a conduit for loss when coupled to the …


"Members, Don't Git Weary": Max Roach, "Treme", And The Sound Of Resistance, Brian Edward Jones Jan 2015

"Members, Don't Git Weary": Max Roach, "Treme", And The Sound Of Resistance, Brian Edward Jones

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Afro-Barbadian Foodways: Analysis Of The Use Of Ceramics By Freed Afro-Barbadian Estate Workers, Camille Lois Chambers Jan 2015

Afro-Barbadian Foodways: Analysis Of The Use Of Ceramics By Freed Afro-Barbadian Estate Workers, Camille Lois Chambers

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Networks In Favor Of Liberty: St Eustatius As An EntrepôT Of Goods And Information During The American Revolution, Sarah Marie Vlasity Jan 2015

Networks In Favor Of Liberty: St Eustatius As An EntrepôT Of Goods And Information During The American Revolution, Sarah Marie Vlasity

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Neurotransmitter Systems And Age Related Cognitive Decline: A Focus On Attention And Plasticity, Christine Teal Kozikowski Jan 2015

Neurotransmitter Systems And Age Related Cognitive Decline: A Focus On Attention And Plasticity, Christine Teal Kozikowski

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Influences Of Science Fiction And Fantasy Fandom On Bias, Melissa Anne Gomez Jan 2015

Influences Of Science Fiction And Fantasy Fandom On Bias, Melissa Anne Gomez

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


"In Noe Wise Cruelly Whipped": Indentured Servitude, Household Violence, And The Law In Seventeenth-Century Virginia, Caylin Elizabeth Carbonell Jan 2015

"In Noe Wise Cruelly Whipped": Indentured Servitude, Household Violence, And The Law In Seventeenth-Century Virginia, Caylin Elizabeth Carbonell

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Surface-Enhanced Raman And Single-Molecule Spectroscopy Studies Of Fugitive Artists' Pigments, Kristen A. Frano Jan 2015

Surface-Enhanced Raman And Single-Molecule Spectroscopy Studies Of Fugitive Artists' Pigments, Kristen A. Frano

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Use Of Functional Traits To Elucidate The Causes And Consequences Of Biological Diversity., Jonathan S. Lefcheck Jan 2015

The Use Of Functional Traits To Elucidate The Causes And Consequences Of Biological Diversity., Jonathan S. Lefcheck

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The rapid and global rise in species extinctions has prompted much research into the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss. In the past two decades, efforts have expanded beyond characterizing diversity through numbers of species -- or species richness -- and integrated additional information on how species interact with one another and their environment via functional traits. Functional traits permit a more nuanced exploration of patterns in community structure and composition, and provide a mechanistic basis to link community diversity to ecosystem processes. In this dissertation, I apply functional traits to observational surveys and a small-scale experimental manipulation to understand …


Effects Of Commercial Clam Aquaculture On Biogeochemical Cycling In Shallow Coastal Ecosystems, Anna Elizabeth Murphy Jan 2015

Effects Of Commercial Clam Aquaculture On Biogeochemical Cycling In Shallow Coastal Ecosystems, Anna Elizabeth Murphy

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

As the bivalve aquaculture industry expands worldwide, there is growing interest in its use to mitigate coastal eutrophication, the increased supply of organic matter to an ecosystem. Bivalves influence eutrophication by exerting `top-down' control on primary production through feeding while simultaneously influencing local `bottom-up' effects by increasing nutrient recycling. Additionally, nitrogen (N) is removed via harvest and potentially enhanced denitrification (DNF); however, DNF competes for nitrate (NO3-) with dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), an N retention process. Seasonal in situ flux measurements in Cherrystone Inlet, VA, demonstrated that clam aquaculture sediments are a source of ammonium (NH4+), derived from …


Culture Clash: A Case Study Of The Issues That Non-Traditional College Presidents Face In Adjusting To Academic Culture, Sean Michael Heuvel Jan 2015

Culture Clash: A Case Study Of The Issues That Non-Traditional College Presidents Face In Adjusting To Academic Culture, Sean Michael Heuvel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Building A Consensus On The Professional Dispositions Of Counseling Students: A Content Analysis On Counseling Student Retention Policies, Jeffrey Kyle Christensen Jan 2015

Building A Consensus On The Professional Dispositions Of Counseling Students: A Content Analysis On Counseling Student Retention Policies, Jeffrey Kyle Christensen

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Effects Of Virtual Conversations On International, Students' Intercultural Communicative Competence, Jingzhu Zhang Jan 2015

Effects Of Virtual Conversations On International, Students' Intercultural Communicative Competence, Jingzhu Zhang

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Bay Scallop, Argopecten Irradians, Restoration In The Virginia Coastal Bays: The Role Of Predation On Spring Vs Fall Cohort Survival, Erika L. Schmitt Jan 2015

Bay Scallop, Argopecten Irradians, Restoration In The Virginia Coastal Bays: The Role Of Predation On Spring Vs Fall Cohort Survival, Erika L. Schmitt

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

While the importance o f predation in controlling many natural bivalve populations is well established, it is often overlooked in the restoration strategies for depleted populations. Adult bay scallops {Argopecten irradians concentricus) along the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast spawn multiple times per year, typically once in the early summer and again in the early fall. Larvae generally settle on seagrass leaves to avoid benthic predators, but shift to the sediment surface around 20 mm in size when they become less vulnerable to predation. The objectives o f this study were to 1.) Determine proportional survival o f two distinct size classes …


The Influence Of Short-Term Events On The Hydrographic And Biological Structure Of The Southwestern Ross Sea, Randolph M. Jones Jan 2015

The Influence Of Short-Term Events On The Hydrographic And Biological Structure Of The Southwestern Ross Sea, Randolph M. Jones

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Relative to the rest of the Southern Ocean, the Ross Sea continental shelf experiences very high productivity and phytoplankton biomass, which supports an extensive food web including high concentrations of upper trophic level biomass. Conventional observational methods, including ship-based sampling, instrumented moorings, satellite imagery, and computer-based modelling, have illustrated the seasonal progression of the phytoplankton bloom over the past four decades. While we have been sampling phytoplankton variability in the Ross Sea on a variety of relatively large scales, with observations at specific locations or times, over spans of time, or at specific depths, our understanding of smaller scales of …


The Relationship Between Student Infractions And Social Emotional Competence: A Program Evaluation Of Responsive Classroom(Rtm), Bloodine Barthelus Jan 2015

The Relationship Between Student Infractions And Social Emotional Competence: A Program Evaluation Of Responsive Classroom(Rtm), Bloodine Barthelus

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Students In A Comprehensive Four-Year Undergraduate Leadership Development Program, Jessica Walker Hench Jan 2015

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Students In A Comprehensive Four-Year Undergraduate Leadership Development Program, Jessica Walker Hench

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Optical Characterization Of Ferromagnetic And Multiferroic Thin-Film Heterostructures, Xin Ma Jan 2015

Optical Characterization Of Ferromagnetic And Multiferroic Thin-Film Heterostructures, Xin Ma

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This thesis presents optical characterization of the static and dynamic magnetic interactions in ferromagnetic and multiferroic heterostructures with time-resolved and interface-specific optical techniques. The focus of the thesis is on elucidating the underlying physics of key physical parameters and novel approaches, crucial to the performance of magnetic recording and spintronic devices.;First, time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect (TRMOKE) is applied to investigate the spin dynamics in L10 ordered FePt thin films, where perpendicular magnetic anisotropy Ku and intrinsic Gilbert damping alpha0 are determined. Furthermore, the quadratic dependence of Ku and alpha0 on spin-orbit coupling strength xi is demonstrated, where xi is continuously …