Life Sciences Commons^™

Reliability And Validity Of Neurobehavioral Function On The Psychology Experimental Building Language Test Battery In Young Adults, Brian J. Piper, Shane Mueller, Alexander R. Geerken, Kyle L. Dixon, Gregory Kroliczak, Reid H. Olsen, Jeremy K. Miller

Michigan Tech Publications

Background. The Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL) software consists of over one-hundred computerized tests based on classic and novel cognitive neuropsychology and behavioral neurology measures. Although the PEBL tests are becoming more widely utilized, there is currently very limited information about the psychometric properties of these measures.

Methods. Study I examined inter-relationships among nine PEBL tests including indices of motor-function (Pursuit Rotor and Dexterity), attention (Test of Attentional Vigilance and Time-Wall), working memory (Digit Span Forward), and executive-function (PEBL Trail Making Test, Berg/Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Iowa Gambling Test, and Mental Rotation) in a normative sample (N = 189, …

Recombinant Dna Modification Of Gibberellin Metabolism Alters Growth Rate And Biomass Allocation In Populus, Haiwei Lu, Venkatesh Viswanath, Cathleen Ma, Elizabeth Etherington, Palitha Dharmawardhana, Olga Shevchenko, Steven H. Strauss, David W. Pearce, Stewart B. Rood, Victor Busov

Michigan Tech Publications

Overexpression of genes that modify gibberellin (GA) metabolism and signaling have been previously shown to produce trees with improved biomass production but highly disturbed development. To examine if more subtle types of genetic modification of GA could improve growth rate and modify tree architecture, we transformed a model poplar genotype (Populus tremula × P. alba) with eight genes, including two cisgenes (intact copies of native genes), four intragenes (modified copies of native genes), and two transgenes (from sexually incompatible species), and studied their effects under greenhouse and field conditions. In the greenhouse, four out of the eight tested genes produced …

Development Of A Bi-National Great Lakes Coastal Wetland And Land Use Map Using Three-Season Palsar And Landsat Imagery, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Sarah L. Endres, Michael Battaglia, Mary Ellen Miller, Elizabeth Banda, Zachary Laubach, Phyllis Higman, Pat Chow-Fraser, James Marcaccio

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

Methods using extensive field data and three-season Landsat TM and PALSAR imagery were developed to map wetland type and identify potential wetland stressors (i.e., adjacent land use) for the United States and Canadian Laurentian coastal Great Lakes. The mapped area included the coastline to 10 km inland to capture the region hydrologically connected to the Great Lakes. Maps were developed in cooperation with the overarching Great Lakes Consortium plan to provide a comprehensive regional baseline map suitable for coastal wetland assessment and management by agencies at the local, tribal, state, and federal levels. The goal was to provide …

Subject Assessment Of In-Vehicle Auditory Warnings For Rail Grade Crossings, Steven Landry, Jayde Croschere, Myounghoon Jeon

Michigan Tech Publications

Human factors research has played an important role in reducing the incidents of vehicle-train collisions at rail grade crossings over the past 30 years. With the growing popularity of in-vehicle infotainment systems and GPS devices, new opportunities arise to cost-efficiently and effectively alert drivers of railroad crossings and to promote safer driving habits. To best utilize this in-vehicle technology, 32 auditory warnings (16 verbal, 7 train-related auditory icons, and 9 generic earcons) were generated and presented to 31 participants after a brief low-fidelity driving simulation. Participants rated each sound on eight dimensions deemed important in previous auditory warning literature. Preliminary …

Using An Obcd Approach And Landsat Tm Data To Detect Harvesting On Nonindustrial Private Property In Upper Michigan, Riccardo Tortini, Audrey L. Mayer, Pieralberto Maianti

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Publications

Forest dynamics influence climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods at multiple scales, yet current resource policy addressing these dynamics is ineffective without reliable land use land cover change data. The collective impact of harvest decisions by many small forest owners can be substantial at the landscape scale, yet monitoring harvests and regrowth in these forests is challenging. Remote sensing is an obvious route to detect and monitor small-scale land use dynamics over large areas. Using an annual series of Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images and a GIS shapefile of property boundaries, we identified units where harvests occurred from 2005 to 2011 using …

Assessing Site Availability Of Aspen And Northern Hardwoods For Potential Feedstock Development In Michigan: A Case Study, Sara Alian, Ann Maclean

Michigan Tech Publications

The importance of wood and wood byproducts as biomass feedstocks is of increasing interest as a source of ethanol and electricity. Second generation woody feedstock sources in Michigan, e.g., hybrid poplar and hybrid willow (Populus spp.), and native forests, particularly aspen and northern hardwoods, are a potential source of woody biomass for these uses. This study provides a geographic information system (GIS) framework for assessing the current spatial extent of aspen and northern hardwoods) and their proximity to roads. Additionally, the potential for expanding the area of these feedstock sources based on pre-European settlement vegetation cover is assessed. Utilizing GIS …

Rapid Response Tools And Datasets For Post-Fire Modeling: Linking Earth Observations And Process-Based Hydrological Models To Support Post-Fire Remediation, Mary Ellen Miller, Michael Billmire, William J. Elliot, K. A. Endsley, P. R. Robichaud

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

Preparation is key to utilizing Earth Observations and process-based models to support post-wildfire mitigation. Post-fire flooding and erosion can pose a serious threat to life, property and municipal water supplies. Increased runoff and sediment delivery due to the loss of surface cover and fire-induced changes in soil properties are of great concern. Remediation plans and treatments must be developed and implemented before the first major storms in order to be effective. One of the primary sources of information for making remediation decisions is a soil burn severity map derived from Earth Observation data (typically Landsat) that reflects fire induced changes …

Using The Landsat Data Archive To Assess Long-Term Regional Forest Dynamics Assessment In Eastern Europe, 1985-2012, S. Turubanova, P. Potapov, A. Krylov, A. Tyukavina, Jessica L. Mccarty, V. C. Radeloff, M. C. Hansen

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

Abstract. Dramatic political and economic changes in Eastern European countries following the dissolution of the “Eastern Bloc” and the collapse of the Soviet Union greatly affected land-cover and land-use trends. In particular, changes in forest cover dynamics may be attributed to the collapse of the planned economy, agricultural land abandonment, economy liberalization, and market conditions. However, changes in forest cover are hard to quantify given inconsistent forest statistics collected by different countries over the last 30 years. The objective of our research was to consistently quantify forest cover change across Eastern Europe from 1985 until 2012 using the complete Landsat …