Digital Commons Network^™

Sea Tenure And The Management Of Living Marine Resources In Papua New Guinea, David Hyndman

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

A Probabilistic Analysis Of A String Editing Problem And Its Variations, Guy Louchard, Wojciech Szpankowski

Department of Computer Science Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

A Characterization Of Extractable, Hydroxylated Fatty Acid Bearing Components In Legionella Pneumophila, Jonathan R. Lane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extraction of the lipids of Legionella pneumophila yields phases unlike those produced from other Gram-negative bacteria. A viscous interface forms between the aqueous (wash) and organic phases. More than half of the hydroxylated fatty acids were found distributed between the aqueous phase and the interfacial material, fractions in which such constituents have not been reported in other Gram-negative species. It was further observed that after the material from the aqueous/interfacial phase was dissolved in methanol or chloroform/methanol (2:1 (V/V)), the addition of acetone would create a white, flocculent precipitate. Analyses showed that the supernatant contained fatty acids that were nonhydroxylated …

Miscellaneous Publication 42/93 - Development And Dissemination Of Design Methods For Rangeland Paddocks Which Maximise Animal Production And Minimise Land Degradation, Shane Cridland, Mark Stafford Smith

Animal production and livestock published reports

Surveys of rangeland resources in Western Australia to date have shown that 23% of the area surveyed is in poor range condition. Poor condition is characterised by the loss of perennial vegetation allowing wind and water erosion. Approximately another 37% is in only fair range condition (Curry and Hacker 1990).

The loss of range condition is partly due to uneven use of paddocks by sheep and cattle. The areas close to water and the preferred pasture types are often over-utilised, while areas well away from water and less preferred pasture types are under-utilised. The result is that rangeland in good, …

Diversity: How To Lie With Biodiversity, Gordon H. Rodda

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Biodiversity is the bandwagon of the moment. Unfortunately, the concept is sufficiently complex that almost any population biology study, with almost any conclusion, can be framed as an effort to measure or conserve biodiversity. Based on what 1 have seen in the literature and heard at recent scientific meetings, here is a primer on some of the more popular ways to bend biodiversity data.

Suppose you wish to claim that a species is disappearing. With the explanation that time and funding were limited, you might present population trajectories based on as few as two estimates of abundance. Perhaps the final …

Thermodynamic Properties Of Mixtures Of Aqueous Solutions Of Hydrochloric Acid And Cadmium Chloride, Copper Chloride, Manganese Chloride, And Zinc Chloride, Samia A. Kosa

Masters Theses

The densities of mixtures of aqueous solutions of hydrochloric acid and cadmium chloride, copper chloride, manganese chloride, and zinc chloride have been measured at constant ionic strengths of 1.0 and 3.0 molal at 25 °C. In the case of HCl, CdCl₂ , and ZnCl₂ the literature data were refit using Pitzer' s apparent molal volume equation and the binary solution parameters were determined. Density data were used to determine the volume of mixing (∆V_m). Data from Torok and Berecs were combined with our data for the mixtures with CuCl₂ and MnCl₂. Pitzer's volume …

Design And Construction Of The Aerobot Robotic Manipulator (Arm), William L. Cochran

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis designed, constructed, and tested a robotic arm for the Aerobot Aerial Robot. The main purpose of the ARM is to enable the Aerobot to retrieve objects for use in an annual robotics competition. Design of the ARM involved synthesizing the characteristics of simplicity, weight, strength, and size. The result was a three-degree-of-freedom manipulator that uses electric motors, cable linkages, and telescoping tubes to access a work space below the Aerobot. Forward and inverse kinematics were investigated to enable automation of the ARM. Data was collected from infrared sensors to validate the model. Manipulation of the ARM is presently …

Identity Verification Through The Fusion Of Face And Speaker Recognition, John G. Keller

Theses and Dissertations

In this research, face recognition and speaker identification systems are each converted into verification systems. The two verification systems are then fused to form a single identity verification system. Finally, the use of the Karhunen-Loeve Transform (KLT) for dimensional reduction is examined for suitability in the verification task. The base face recognition system used the KLT for feature reduction and a back-propagation neural net for classification. Verification involved training a net for each individual in the database for two classes of outputs, 'Joe' or 'not Joe.' The base speaker identification system used Cepstral analysis for feature extraction and a distortion …

Upgrading Biological Treatment Of Wastewater At Dubai’S Plant By A Fixed-Film System, Rashid Ahmed Bin-Fahad

Theses

The wastewater treatment plant in Dubai, with a design capacity of 130,000 m³/d, receives primarily domestic wastewater and employs primary, secondary and tertiary stages of treatment to produce an effluent suitable for reuse in irrigation. Performance of the plant is influenced to a great extent by the success of the secondary aerobic biological treatment stage. This stage comprises the high-rate activated sludge system for removal of carbonaceous organics followed by the biofilter system for removal of nitrogenous material by nitrification. Operational problems have often been experienced at this plant because of increasing sludge solids production and sludge rising …

Management Of Dairy Farm Wastewater – A Case Study, Saed Mohamed Al Awadi

Dissertations

There are several dairy farms and milk processing plants in U.A.E. which contribute to the problem of industrial wastewater discharges in the country. This study emphasized the waste management aspects of dairy farms and examined the wastewater characteristics, wastewater treatment and effluent reuse in Al-Rawabi Dairy Plant in Dubai as a case study.

An extensive sampling and analysis program was conducted over a period of one year to determine wastewater characteristics at Al-Rawabi Dairy Plant. It has been found that the wastewater COD, BOD, Solids, Nitrogen and Phosphorus content is relatively high but daily variations in pollution loads were not …

A Non-Homogeneous, Spatio-Temporal, Wavelet Multiresolution Analysis And Its Application To The Analysis Of Motion, Thomas J. Burns

Theses and Dissertations

This research presents a multiresolution wavelet analysis tool for analyzing motion in time sequential imagery. A theoretical framework is developed for constructing an L2R wavelet multiresolution analysis from three non-identical spatial and temporal L2R wavelet multiresolution analyses. This framework provides the flexibility to tailor the spatio-temporal frequency characteristics of the three dimensional wavelet filter to match the frequency behavior of the analyzed signal. An unconventional, discrete multiresolution wavelet decomposition algorithm is developed which yields a rich set of independent spatio-temporally oriented frequency channels for analyzing, the size and speed characteristics of moving objects. Unlike conventional wavelet decomposition methods, this algorithm …

Predicting Nonlinear Time Series, James C. Gainey Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Predicting future values of a time series has many practical uses in real-time signal processing and understanding. This thesis implements an Adaptive Time Delay Neural Network ATNN capable of user-defined degeneration to the more common Time Delay Neural Network TDNN. Time delays along axons or at the synapses, which vary in biological systems, motivate this research. The ATNNTDNN test results and time series prediction capabilities are compared to those of the Real-Time Recurrent Learning RTRL algorithm. To show the advantages and disadvantages of using TDNN and ATNN for prediction versus the RTRL, the networks were applied to two problems incommensurate …

Color Image Segmentation, Kimberley A. Mccrae

Theses and Dissertations

The most difficult stage of automated target recognition ATR is segmentation. Current AFIT segmentation problems include faces and tactical targets previous efforts to segment these objects have used intensity and motion cues. This thesis develops a color preprocessing scheme to be used with the other segmentation techniques. A neural network is trained to identify the color of a desired object, eliminating all but that color from the scene. Gabor correlations and 2D wavelet transformations will be performed on stationary images and 3D wavelet transforms on multispectral data will incorporate color and motion detection into the machine visual system. The thesis …

Handwritten Word Recognition Based On Fourier Coefficients, Gary F. Shartle

Theses and Dissertations

A machine which can read unconstrained words remains an unsolved problem. For example, automatic entry o handwritten documents into a computer is yet to be accomplished. Most systems attempt to segment letters o a word and read words one character at a time. Segmenting a handwritten word is very difficult and often, the confidence of the results is low. Another method which avoids segmentation altogether is to treat each word as a whole. This research investigates the use of Fourier Transform coefficients, computed from the whole word, for the recognition of handwritten words. To test this concept, the particular pattern …

On Image Segmentation Using Neural Networks And Fuzzy Sets., Ashish Ghosh Dr.

Doctoral Theses

During the last five decades or even more a large number of researchers are trying to design intelligent systems to perform tasks at which human beings are more efficient at present. One of the most important behavioral tasks in which human beings show their expertise is image analysis or recognition; where a large amount of pictorial data is processed in a very small amount of time (called real time). Widespread attempts have been made to develop intelligent systems (under different names, like pattern recognition system, image under- standing system, computer vision system etc.) for pictorial pattern analysis and recognition. The …

Response To "Comment On 'The Weakest Bond: Experimental Observation Of Helium Dimer'", Fei Luo, George C. Mcbane, Geunsik Kim, Clayton F. Giese, Ronald Gentry

Peer Reviewed Articles

No abstract provided.

Body Size In Amblyrhiza Inundata (Rodentia, Caviomorpha), An Extinct Megafaunal Rodent From The Anguilla Bank, West Indies: Estimates And Implications, Audrone R. Biknevicius, Donald A. Mcfarlane, Ross D. E. Macphee

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

Rodent species typically evolve larger mean body sizes when isolated on islands, but the extinct caviomorph Amblyrhiza inundata, known only from Quaternary cave deposits on the islands of Anguilla and St. Martin (northern Lesser Antilles), provides an unusually dramatic example of insular gigantism. Here we report on a series of body mass estimates for Amblyrhiza using predictive equations based on anteroposterior diameters and cortical cross-sectional areas of humeral and femoral diaphyses. Analyses of 14 isolated specimens (5 femoral, 9 humeral), all representing adult or near adult animals, yield body mass estimates ranging from slightly less than 50 kg to more …

Coherent Versus Incoherent Ladar Detection At 2.09 Μm, Jay A. Overbeck, Martin B. Mark, Scott H. Mccraken, Paul F. Mcmanamon, Bradley D. Duncan

Electro-Optics and Photonics Faculty Publications

A 2.09-μm ladar system is built to compare coherent to incoherent detection. The 2.09-μm wavelength is of interest because of its high atmospheric transmission and because it is eyesafe. The 2.09-μm system presented is capable of either a coherent or incoherent operational mode, is tunable in a small region around 2.09 μm, and is being used to look at the statistical nature of the ladar return pulses for typical glint and speckle targets. To compare coherent to incoherent detection the probability of detection is investigated as the primary performance criterion of interest. The probability of detection is dependent on both …

The Probe, Issue 138 – November 1993

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

Happenings in ADC's Western Region -- Jeffrey S. Green
Becoming NEPA Proficient
Threatened and Endangered Species
Brown Tree Snakes
Livestock Guarding Dogs
USDA Wildlife Services Honored at Fish & Wildlife Meeting
A Vision for NADCA -- Gary Simmons, NADCA Candidate for President
Where Will NADCA Be Two Years From Now -- James E. Forbes, NADCA Candidate for President
Personnel Changes in ADC: DR. RUSSELL REIDINGER, Dr. Dick Curnow, JOE PACKHAM, Ed Schafer
Animal Damage Control-Then & Now -- Bill Fitzwater

Precipitation Gauge Testing On The Wasatch Plateau, Utah, During Early 1993, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Meterology

The Bureau of Reclamation performed an independent evaluation of an ETI (Electronic Techniques, Inc.) precipitation gauge at the High Altitude Site on the western slope of the Wasatch Plateau in central Utah. The ETI gauge could provide a desirable alternative to conventional recording gauges in several applications, including evaluation of cloud seeding projects, if it performs as advertised. The testing program was intended to determine its performance in a winter mountain environment. The ETI precipitation gauge proved to be reliable from time of installation in late November 1992 until removal in late March 1993. The only problem found was an …

Center For Sustainable Agricultural Systems Newsletter, November/December 1993

Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems: Newsletter (1993–2000)

Contents:

Developments in Planning North Central Institute for Sustainable Systems

Sustainable Ag Mentor Program

NCR SARE Speakers Bureau

UNL's Alice Jones Named SARE Director

Update on Buffalo Commons: Seminar by Deborah and Frank Popper

Local Commentary on Buffalo Commons: Interview with Joe Luther

Agriculture and Rural Community Linkages

In the Seminar Spotlight

Mark Drabenstott

Meena Dalal

Paul Thompson

John Ikerd

Ricardo Salvador

Clive Edwards

Matt Liebman

Coalition Recommends Sustainable Ag Policies

Science and Sustainability: Workshop in Bellevue, WA

Update: President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD)

A Comparison Of No And N20 Production By The Autophic Nitrifier Nitrosomonas Europaea And The Heterotrophic Nitrifier Alcaligenes Faecalis, Iris C. Anderson, Mark Poth, Julie Homstead, David J. Burdige

OES Faculty Publications

Soil microorganisms are important sources of the nitrogen trace gases NO and N₂O for the atmosphere. Present evidence suggests that autotrophic nitrifiers such as Nitrosomonas europaea are the primary producers of NO and N₂O in aerobic soils, whereas denitrifiers such as Pseudomonas spp. or Alcaligenes spp. are responsible for most of the NO and N₂O emissions from anaerobic soils. It has been shown that Alcaligenes faecalis, a bacterium common in both soil and water, is capable of concomitant heterotrophic nitrification and denitrification. This study was undertaken to determine whether heterotrophic nitrification might be …

Morphological Operations In Image Processing And Analysis, Chamim Christopher Pu

Dissertations

Morphological operations applied in image processing and analysis are becoming increasingly important in today's technology. Morphological operations which are based on set theory, can extract object features by suitable shape (structuring elements). Morphological filters are combinations of morphological operations that transform an image into a quantitative description of its geometrical structure which based on structuring elements. Important applications of morphological operations are shape description, shape recognition, nonlinear filtering, industrial parts inspection, and medical image processing.

In this dissertation, basic morphological operations are reviewed, algorithms and theorems are presented for solving problems in distance transformation, skeletonization, recognition, and nonlinear filtering. A …

Nitric Oxide Absorption From Flue Gas With Cumene Hydroperoxide Solution, Chung-Der Chen

Theses

The absorption of nitric oxide from gas streams with cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) in n-hexadecane (cetane) as the scrubbing solution was investigated. The efficiency of the scrubbing solution to remove nitric oxide was evaluated over the temperature range of 90 to 110°C, concentration range of 0.1 to 0.5M, and residence time of 12 to 80 seconds. The products were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ion chromatography (IC). The goal of this research was to determine the NO removing efficiency of cumene hydroperoxide solution, a relatively inexpensive tertiary organic hydroperoxide. Also, a possible reaction mechanism for …

Interaction Of Cationic Porphyrins With Dna, Ulrica Sehlstedt, Pamela Carter, Jerry Goodisman, James C. Dabrowiak, Seog K. Kim

Chemistry - All Scholarship

Utilizing linear dichroism (LD), circular dichroism (CD), and fluorescence energy transfer, the binding geometries of a series of Co3+-porphyrins and their free ligands were examined. The compounds studied were Co-meso-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyi(nC oTMPyP) and its free ligand (H2- TMPyP), Co-meso-tetrakis(N-n-butylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin( CoTBPyP) and its free ligand (H2TBPyP), and Co-meso-tetrakis(N-n-octylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin (CoTOPyP). The two non-metalloporphyrins exhibit negative LD, having angles of roughly 75' relative to the DNA helix axis. They also display negative CD and a significant contact energy transfer from the DNA bases. On the other hand, the three metalloporphyrins display orientation angles of roughly 45' between the porphyrin plane and the helix axis …

Contraception In Domestic And Wild Animal Populations Using Zona Pellucida Lmmunogens, Bonnie S. Dunbar

Contraception in Wildlife Management

The human population presently exceeds 6 billion and is continuing to expand at a startling rate. This population increase has resulted in the depletion of Earth's resources, which are essential for human survival. An unfortunate consequence of this expansion has been the destruction of wildlife habitats. As these habitats have diminished, numerous problems have arisen, including conflicts between wildlife and human populations. The threat of extinction of many plant and animal species has already become a reality; other wildlife populations have increased due to reductions in predator populations. While the increase in the human population must ultimately be checked, there …

A Review Of Baits And Bait Delivery Systems For Free-Ranging Carnivores And Ungulates, Samuel B. Linhart, Andreas Kappeler, Lamar A. Windberg

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Baits and bait delivery systems have been described for orally administering a variety of chemicals and biologicals to selected carnivores and ungulates. Development has varied from species for which bait preferences and means of distributing oral contraceptives have not yet been determined even on a limited scale (e.g., white-tailed deer) to cooperative, multicountry programs involving the annual distribution of millions of mass-produced oral rabies vaccine baits (e.g., red foxes in Europe). Much of the technical literature on the subject has appeared in sometimes obscure sources encompassing such fields as medical epidemiology, wildlife diseases, animal behavior, applied ecology, flavor chemistry, furbearer …

The Development Of Contraceptive Methods For Captive Wildlife, Cheryl S. Asa

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Contraception has become critical in managing zoo populations, both to limit production of surplus animals and to promote genetic health. One role of the Contraception Advisory Group, formed in 1989, is to coordinate research to develop new contraceptive methods. Because melengestrol acetate (MGA) implants, which have been used by zoos for almost 20 years, recently have been associated with uterine pathology in felids, several new contraceptive techniques are being evaluated. These include other steroid hormone formulations, such as the birth control pill Depo-Provers®, the Norplant® implant, and MGA added to feed; bisdiamine, an oral male contraceptive; zona pellucida (ZP) vaccine; …

Authors' Affiliations

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Authors' Affiliations

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (Gnrh) Analogs Or Active Immunization Against Gnrh To Control Fertility In Wildlife, Susan E. Becker, Larry S. Katz

Contraception in Wildlife Management

The administration of analogs, both agonists and antagonists, of GnRH and immunization against GnRH have been investigated for their ability to control reproductive function in domestic species. These methods can be used to inhibit the secretion of gonadotropins, the necessary stimulants for steroidogenesis and gametogensis, thereby potentially preventing ovulation and inhibiting spermatogenesis. Induction of infertility in this manner could be used for nonlethal population control of wildlife species. Relatively little research has been done in this area. This chapter reviews relevant studies with domestic species and discusses results from studies with wildlife species.