Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Controlling Great-Tailed Grackle Damage To Citrus In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, James F. Glahn, Jose D. Palacious, Melvin V. Garrison

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) damage to citrus is a serious concern to producers in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Damage caused by grackles pecking fruit is initiated by breeding colonies in the spring on immature fruit and extends through the fall and winter on ripening fruit. The most significant damage occurs during the post-breeding period of July through September when neither the currently registered DRC-1339-treated dog food bait nor frightening strategies are effective. Observations by Texas Wildlife Services personnel suggested that watermelon was highly attractive to grackles during the period when dog food baits are poorly …

Bird Abundance At Accomack County Southern Landfill, Melfa, Virginia, In Relation To Various Management Activities, Laura Francoeur, Martin Lowney

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Birds, especially gulls (Larus spp.), are attracted to landfills, and when landfills are close to airports, birds can pose a threat to aircraft safety. We conducted a 1-year ecological study to address concerns of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Accomack County, Virginia, officials over potential wildlife hazards caused by the Accomack County Southern Landfill. During 48 surveys conducted from December 1995 to December 1996, we observed 112,693 birds at the landfill (x̄=503). Nine species represented 97% of all observations. Bird numbers varied during the year, increasing during winter and declining during summer. Bird abundance appeared unaffected by …

The Press And Citizen Participation: A Content Analysis, Lisa Pelstring, James Shanahan, Ben Perry

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

We conducted a content analysis of regional New York State newspapers to assess media coverage of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) deer management program. The goal of this analysis was to ascertain media depiction of DEC’s deer management program during the 1985-97 time period. Specifically, this research examines how deer management issues were portrayed both prior to and after implementation of a DEC public participation program (the Citizen Task Force [CTF] process) to determine if deer management issues received more favorable coverage after CTFs were implemented.

Conservation Of A Dinosaur In Modern Times: South Carolina’S Alligator Management Program, Walter E. Rhodes

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) conservation is necessary given the animal's role in wetland ecosystems and its economic value. Although the alligator appears to be no longer threatened with extinction, the reptile’s perceived reputation and a burgeoning human population combine to create a management paradox. Alligator management in South Carolina consists of a Nuisance Control Program, a Private Lands Harvest Program, and public education. Annually, over 750 alligator complaints are received by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), and harvest averages about 250 animals. To address alligator/human interaction in rural habitats, a harvest on private lands was …

An Evaluation Of Farmer Applications Of Deer Damage Controls, Peter A. Fritzell Jr., Glenn Dudderar, R. Ben Peyton

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Damage to agricultural crops caused by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) continues to be a significant concern of farmers in Michigan and elsewhere in the United States. Policy changes that promise to reduce deer numbers may be long in coming, but better application of available damage control techniques may be an immediate alternative for farmers awaiting relief. Conversations with farmers, extension agents, and wildlife professionals suggest that some damage control techniques are underutilized by Michigan farmers, whereas other techniques are applied with little success despite promising field trials. We investigated producers’ practices to identify common weaknesses in how deer …

The Use Of Gis To Delineate Potential Urban Deer Habitat, David M. Kocka, Frederick M. Garst

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Overabundant deer herds in urban environments often require new and creative approaches to properly evaluate the situation and gain support for population management. To determine potential white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) habitat for the Harrisonburg, Virginia, Deer Task Force, a geographic information systems (GIS) map was created that reflected current land use in the city. Data were compiled using 2m resolution Digital Ortho Quarter Quads. Using this backdrop, land use zones were digitized on-screen. Wooded (13%), Agricultural (20%), and Open Areas (14%) land use types accounted for nearly half the city's land area and represent a conservative estimate of …

Developing Urban Deer Management Plans: The Need For Public Education, Deborah Green, Glen R. Askins, Phillip D. West

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Independent public opinion surveys concerning urban deer (Odocoileus virginianus) management were conducted in two Virginia communities. A total of 346 citizens were interviewed in two Random Digit Dial telephone surveys. In addition to questions concerning management techniques and their administration, participants were asked about their experience with deer, their awareness of problems with deer in the area, and their enjoyment of deer. In both localities, non-lethal controls were preferred over lethal controls; trapping and relocation, fencing, repellents, and birth control measures were favored by a majority of residents. The only lethal control acceptable to residents in both communities …

Response From Cooperative Extension Personnel To Citizen Requests For Information About Wildlife, Shannon Thurston, Gary J. San Julian

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

With the increasing urbanization of rural areas, conflicts between homeowners and wildlife are becoming more common. County extension offices frequently receive telephone calls from individuals who are experiencing problems with wildlife. In most cases, extension staff provides assistance over the phone or by mail. However, there are no guidelines for the distribution of information nor is there training for extension personnel. Each county office collects and distributes information differently. Because there is no follow-up to inquiries, little is known about what the homeowners actually do or whether the problems were solved. With some wildlife species, there is a question of …

Two-Dimensional Spectral Analysis Of Mesospheric Airglow Image Data, F. J. Garcia, Michael J. Taylor, M. C. Kelley

All Physics Faculty Publications

A technique to analyze short-period (<1 hour) gravity wave structure in all-sky images of the airglow emissions is described. The technique involves spatial calibration, star removal, geographic projection, regridding, and flat fielding of the data prior to the determination of the horizontal wave parameters (wavelength, velocity, and period), by use of standard two-dimensional Fourier analysis techniques. The method was developed to exploit the information that is now available with wide-field solid state imaging systems. This technique permits interactive and quantitative investigations of large, complex data sets. Such studies are important for investigating gravity wave characteristics, their interaction with the airglow emissions, and their geographic and seasonal variability. We study one event of this type here and present possible evidence of a nonlinear wave–wave interaction in the upper atmosphere.

Nonlinear Front Evolution Of Hydrodynamic Chemical Waves In Vertical Cylinders, J. W. Wilder, D. A. Vasquez, Boyd F. Edwards

All Physics Faculty Publications

The nonlinear stability of three-dimensional reaction-diffusion fronts in vertical cylinders is considered using the viscous hydrodynamic fluid equations in the limit of infinite thermal diffusivity. A nonlinear front evolution equation is presented and used to examine the transition from nonaxisymmetric to axisymmetric convection observed in experiments performed in cylinders. Comparisons with experiments show excellent agreement in both the shape and speed of the front.

High Resolution Oi (630 Nm) Image Measurements Of Fregion Depletion Drifts During The Guara Campaign, Michael J. Taylor, J. Labelle, J. A.H. Sobral

All Physics Faculty Publications

A high performance, all‐sky, imaging system has provided data on the evolution and drift motions of F‐region depletions above the magnetic dip equator at Alcântara, Brazil, (2.3°S, 44.5°W). Monochromatic images of depletions in the OI(630 nm) nightglow were recorded on eight nights during 1‐16 October, 1994, as part of the Guará campaign. The drift motions of the depletions were typically 80–100 m/s eastward prior to local midnight and reduced to a minimum of ∼30–50 m/s in the morning hours, in accord with previous observations. However, on October 2–3 and 12–13 the depletions were observed to reverse direction for ∼60–90 min, …

Time-Based Clustering And Its Relationship With Mutual Information Theory, Charles R. Tolle

Utah Space Grant Consortium

This paper re-introduces the concepts of TimeBased Clustering (TBC). Also, the ideas of oversampling and embedding time are introduced in connection with mutual information theory. These concepts are then extended through the use of the Time-Based Clustering (TBC) problem. Mutual information curves for the Rössler system are shown to match a slice through the rich cost function space spanned by the Time-Based Clustering (TBC) solution. In closing, some possible repercussions of this find are discussed.

Examination Of The Combustion Morphology Of Ziconium Carbide Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Brian R. Newbold

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Calculation of viscous particle damping of acoustic combustion instability in solid propellant motors requires an understanding of the combustion behavior of added particles and oxides. A simple hydrogen/oxygen flame was used to ignite carefully sieved zirconium carbide particles which were impacted on slides at different levels below the burner.

Scanning electron microscopy revealed that zirconium carbide has a complex heterogeneous combustion morphology. Initially, particles are partly vitreous and crystalline with a complex surface area. Upon ignition, particles round, but soon wrinkle as zirconium oxide deposits on the surface. Such morphology information is useful to refine viscous damping calculations.

Gps Tracking For Small Sounding Rockets, Darin K. Fowers

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Active areas of research often create the need for improved technology to make observations in a way that has not previously been utilized. Such is the case with middle atmospheric research. This 60 to 120 km region of the atmosphere is too low to be directly probed by satellites and too high to be probed by research airplanes or high altitude balloons. Sounding rockets are the only vehicle that can carry instruments for in situ measurements. Up until now only a few methods have been available to track the location of a sounding rocket - radar skin tracking, radio beacon …

Absolute Solar Transmittance Interferometer, Arthur W. Dybdahl

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The University of Denver's Absolute Solar Transmittance Interferometer (ASTI) has been developed to make high-resolution infrared (TR) radiometric measurements of the incident solar radiance and irradiance at the Earth's surface. It is a research instrument that provides spectral data of high scientific interest in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) band covering 0.97 to 5.13 µm. This band contains about 20 percent of the suns incident energy, having a significant impact on global as well as regional climate. ASTI spectra are used to provide significant radiometric information describing the SWlR transmittance and absorption properties of the atmosphere. The ASTl research program and …

Flow Past Bluff Bodies, Thad S. Morton

Utah Space Grant Consortium

More than a century ago Kirchhoff solved for the velocity distribution within an elliptical patch of uniform vorticity. That solution became the basis for all further studies of elliptical vortices and has been regarded as the only known exact solution for a steady, elliptical patch of uniform vorticity. In the present paper, an exact solution for a new elliptical patch of uniform vorticity is presented. The vortex is constructed of streamlines of constant eccentricity. By specifying a velocity distribution along either of the principle axes of the vortex, continuity between differentially-spaced streamlines provides the velocity distribution throughout the vortex. Some …

Internet Access For Instrumental Control And Data Viewing At Bear Lake Observatory, Kerry M. Nelson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Two departments at Utah State University have collaborated to operate an observatory near Bear Lake, Utah. The purpose of the observatory is to study various phenomena in the upper atmosphere, and houses such instruments as high-power CCD cameras, a radar system, and others. Until recently, only one instrument has had the capability of being controlled and monitored remotely. Since the other instruments do not have this capability, they must be set up and left running, only to have a person drive up to the observatory to check their operation after a given amount of time. This monitoring system is not …

Microgravity Effects On Water Flow And Distribution In Unsaturated Porous Media, Scott B. Jones, Dani Or

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Several aspects of the physical processes of liquid flow and distribution within partially saturated porous media are altered in the reduced gravity conditions (microgravity) of orbiting spacecraft. The objectives of this study were to simulate and test measured flow and distribution in porous media from a microgravity environment using conventional capillary flow theory. Two past microgravity experiments studying water supply and uptake in porous media took place on a U.S. space shuttle, titled ASC-1, and on the Russian space station Mir, titled Greenhouse-2. Data from microgravity and ground experiments were simulated using similar physical flow models by elimination of the …

Validation Study Of A Novel Neonatal Pneumotach, Scott A. Kofoed

Utah Space Grant Consortium

We have developed a pneumotach for measuring respiratory gas flows in humans and or animals. The pneumotach enables the monitoring of respiratory and metabolic function in human subjects over extended periods of time. A bench study was conducted to validate the new pneumotach system against other predicate devices. The pneumotach under test compared well to the predicate devices used.

Binary Classification Of Wind Fields Through Hypothesis Testing On Scatterometer Measurements, Paul E. Johnson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Scatterometers are radars specially designed to nearsurface wind over the ocean from space. Traditional scatterometer wind estimation inverts the model function relationship between the wind and backscatter at each resolution element, yielding a set of ambiguities due to the many-to-one mapping of the model function. Field-wise wind estimation dramatically reduces the number of ambiguities by estimating the wind at many resolution elements, simultaneously, using a wind model that constrains the spatial variability of the wind. However, the appropriate choice of the model order needed for a particular wind field is not known a priori. The approximate model order is valuable …

Temporal Change Enhancement In Multispectral Images Remotely Sensed From Satellites, William P. Pfaff

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The application of principal components analysis to multispectral satellite images is a routine way to present the data in false-color composite images. These composite images include a very high percentage of available information and have no correlation between the displayed colors. The transformation of multispectral image data into its principal components is also an effective way to separate image information from noise. This paper describes a procedure for temporal change enhancement which exploits both the decorrelation and noise isolation properties of the principal components transformation. Using simulated temporal change, this procedure was demonstrated to be more effective than the standard …

Development Of A Full-Spectrum Raman Device For Detection Of Environmental Contaminants, David G. Smith

Utah Space Grant Consortium

NASA needs sensors to accurately monitor the water and atmospheric quality in its space habitat. Concerns for health and safety necessitate the development of sensors to measure common atmospheric gas concentrations, as well as trace contaminants (low ppm or ppb), including both combustible and noncombustible gases. The University of Utah is developing an enhanced Raman monitoring system to detect airborne, environmental contaminants. We have collected laboratory data to benchmark current laser Raman technology for gas analysis, which provides a reference for future developments. The objective of this project was to design a prototype gas-phase monitor, incorporating new technology that would …

Numerical Simulations Of Gravity Waves Imaged Over Arecibo During The 10-Day January 1993 Campaign, M. P. Hickey, R. L. Walterscheid, Michael J. Taylor, W. Ward, G. Schubert, Q. Zhou, F. Garcia, M. C. Kelley, G. G. Shepherd

All Physics Faculty Publications

Recently, measurements were made of mesospheric gravity waves in the OI (5577 Å) nightglow observed from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, during January 1993 as part of a special 10-day campaign. Clear, monochromatic gravity waves were observed on several nights. By using a full-wave model that realistically includes the major physical processes in this region, we have simulated the propagation of two waves through the mesopause region and calculated the O(1 S) nightglow response to the waves. Mean winds derived from both UARS wind imaging interferometer (WINDII) and Arecibo incoherent scatter radar observations were employed in the computations as were the climatological …

Managed Health Care And Its Effects On Health Care Access In Box Elder County Utah, Douglas Sean Linford

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Since 1994 the issue of how access is impacted by managed care in rural Utah has been the focus of State advisory groups, the Utah Health Policy Commission, and the legislature. The Health Systems Improvement Act (1995) formalized the concern with a request that the Utah Department of Health study this impact (Sinclair et. Al., #2, pg. 1). In focus meetings around the state, the perception that managed care can negatively impact access in rural communities is generally accepted without significant controversy. Such comments often assume that rural residents will be forced to travel further or will receive fewer services …

Terminal Emulation System, Chun-Fu Lee

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Terminal emulation is a personal computer application software which emulates the terminal's behavior to communicate with the mainframe/host computer. It can show the terminal screen on a personal computer screen and make the mainframe/host computer interact with it as it would with a real terminal without any distinction.

Personal computers are increasingly more powerful and efficient today. Their mobility, compatibility, flexibility, and extendibility are definitely superior to the 'dumb' traditional terminals. Terminal emulation is therefore devised to take advantage of these personal computers' redemptions to offset the traditional terminal's drawbacks and inconveniences.

A terminal emulation is actually a very complex …

Fourth Siam Conference On Applications Of Dynamical Systems, Siam Activity Group On Dynamical Systems

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

No abstract provided.

Nettest: An Integrated Web-Based Test Tools, Tzy-Tao Yang

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This report presents the design and implementation of NetTest; a Java program that can be run within a Java enabled Web browser. NetTest is a Web-based test tool, which allows instructors to create or edit tests and students to take tests using a Java-enabled Web-browser. It also allows managers to perform their tasks using similar tools.

NetTest is a server/client program, which is located on the server. While using the NetTest system, the Web browser will automatically download the program and execute it on the client machine. In other words, NetTest can be run on any kind of network …

Wildfire Case Study: Butte City Fire, Southeastern Idaho, July 1, 1994, Bret W. Butler, Timothy D. Reynolds, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Butte City Fire occurred on July 1, 1994, west of Idaho Falls, ID. Ignited from a burning flat tire, the blaze was driven by high winds that caused it to cover over 20,500 acres in just over 6.5 hours. Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) is the principal shrub species of this high dese~t rangeland. With the absence of vegetation after the fire, erosion increased tremendously. Because the fire occurred on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, researchers were able to gather weather information from remote meteorological stations positioned on and around the site.

Synthesis And Protection Of Nitrogen Containing Heterocycles, Timothy I. Elwell

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The pyrrolo[2,3-d] pyrimidine ring systems are present in a variety of antibacterial/anticancer compounds. A scarcity of natural sources has made necessary the need for researchers to find more efficient methodologies to synthesize such compounds.1 The Edstrom research group is currently exploring new routes to these compounds, varying the protecting groups and the precursors used to make them.

Effects Of Flow Augmentation On Channel Morphology And Riparian Vegetation In The Upper Arkansas River Basin, Colorado, Dewitt S. Dominick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined historic change of riparian plant communities and fluvial geomorphic response of gravel-bedded streams and their floodplains to over 50 years of hydrologic disturbance. Four tributary basins of the Arkansas River were analyzed. Lake Creek, Clear Creek, and Cottonwood Creek are drainages similar in area, physiography, and vegetation composition. However, Lake Creek may receive an instantaneous discharge of approximately 28 m3sec^-1 from the Twin Lakes tunnel, over three times the normal flow of the stream during spring runoff. By contrast, Clear Creek and Cottonwood Creek, nonaugmented streams, were used as controls to compare the historic and present …