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The Boundary Element Method Applied To The Two Dimensional Stefan Moving Boundary Problem, Donald C. Vosika

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis considers problems for which the boundary is not known before the problem is solved and must be determined as part of the solution. We consider a time dependent problem which results in a moving boundary. We look at the heat conduction/diffusion equation in one and two spatial dimensions. We use Green's Theorem to yield a Volterra boundary integral equation which involves an unknown function on the moving boundary. We use the boundary element method to obtain a solution. Graphical results for the two dimensional problem are presented.

A Computer Simulation Of Braitenberg Vehicles, Eric B. Werkowitz

Theses and Dissertations

In his treatise, Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology, Valentino Braitenberg used simple, autonomous vehicle designs to illustrate the principles behind animal nervous system organization and operation. The goal of this effort was to produce a computer program to allow a researcher to experiment with these concepts and to analyze their performance using methods employed by experimental psychologists. The resulting program allows the user to design vehicles that respond to changes in their environments and that have the ability to adapt their behavior, using a learning algorithm developed by Teuvo Kohonen. The vehicle designer is free to select sensor attributes, …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 23, No. 1. March 1991

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

CONTENTS

AGRICULTURAL LAND USE AND MOURNING DOVES IN EASTERN COLORADO: IMPLICATIONS FOR NESTING AND PRODUCTION IN THE GREAT PLAINS ▪ T E. Olson, C. E. Braun, and R. A. Ryder

DISTRIBUTION OF SANDHILL CRANES IN THE NORTH PLATTE RIVER VALLEY 1980 AND 1989 ▪ M. J. Folk and T. C. Tacha

NOCTURNAL BEHAVIOR OF SANDHILL CRANES ROOSTING IN THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA ▪ B. S. Norling, S. H. Anderson, and W A. Hubert

LEAD POISONING OF A MARBLED GODWIT ▪ L. N. Locke, M. R. …

On Image Information Measures And Object Extraction., Nikhil Ranjan Pal Dr.

Doctoral Theses

The field of image processing deals with the manipulation of data which are inherently two-dimensional in nature. techniques of image processing sten from two principal application The areas, namely, Improvement of pictorial information for human interpretation and processing of scene data for automatic machine perception. These areas together have experienced a vigorous growth in recent years because they have offered a number of important applications in solving scientific and engineering problems. In biological and medical sciences, we are interested in automatie analysis and interpretation of radiographs, cell images micrographs. In netallurgical, geological and and tissue environmental sciences, we are concerned …

Fkb1 Encodes A Nonessential Fk 506-Binding Protein In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae And Contains Regions Suggesting Homology To The Cyclophilins, Gregory Wiederrecht, Leonardo Brizuela, Keith Elliston, Nolan H. Sigal, John Siekierka

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

FK 506, a powerful immunosuppressant that blocks allograft rejection by preventing T-cell activation, binds to an 11-kDa protein called the FK 506-binding protein (FKBP). Like cyclophilin, a cytosolic protein that binds another immunosuppressant, cyclosporin A, FKBP possesses peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerase activity. We have isolated a genomic clone encoding the yeast FKBP (FKB1). The gene encodes a protein of 114 amino acids having a calculated M(r) of 12,158. Disruption of the gene shows that FKB1 is not essential for growth. A search of translated nucleic acid data bases revealed bacterial FKBP homologs in Neisseria meningiditis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Comparison of the …

Bear Damage To Agriculture In Wisconsin, Laine R. Stowell, Robert C. Willging

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

Black bear (Ursus americanus) are common in northern Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) has established a population goal of 6,000 bears across 46,361 km2 of bear range. Bear damage to agriculture occurred for over 50 years, and various strategies have been used to address these problems. Bear damage to agricultural c and livestock became eligible for reimbursement by the state in 1939. The legislature terminated this program in 1980 in fate of a new program that placed greater emphasis on damage prevention than on compensation. Since 1984, WDNR has bear damage primarily through abatement practices …

The Need And Difficulty Of Bringing The Pennsylvania Deer Herd Under Control, Gary W. Witmer, David S. Decalesta

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

The Pennsylvania white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)herd has increased dramatically in the last several years despite greatly increased harvests. The high statewide deer density (11+ deer/kmz) causes serious losses to agricultural production, forest regeneration, and diversity of forest flora and fauna. High deer numbers are associated with an exceptional number of vehicle-deer accidents, and is implicated in the rapid increase in the incidence of Lyme disease in humans. Countless efforts to reduce deer densities locally and statewide (extended antlerless harvest seasons and special farm hunts) are not solving the damage problem. Other solutions should be considered, such as increasing …

Status Of Coyotes And Coyote Depredations In Pennsylvania, Gary W. Witmer, Arnold Hayden

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

The coyote (Canis latrans) population in Pennsylvania has grown in the last several decades to about4,000. It continues to grow, despite a known annual harvest of more than 850 animals. There is a growing concern about the effects of coyotes on game and livestock populations. We discuss known and potential coyote-human conflicts in Pennsylvania and propose a program of depredation prevention and control. To be successful, the program requires cooperation, funding, research, educational materials, and training workshops.

Citizen Task Force On Deer Management, Mike Hall

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

In spring 1990, as part of an intensified effort to involve the public in wildlife management decisions, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) implemented a new public input program. Citizen task forces were organized in 15 deer (Odocoileus virginianus) management units (DMUs) across the state. The task force purpose was to choose a desired deer population level for their particular DMU.

DEC and CCE designed task forces to include a broad range of interests, in order to balance the viewpoints of various groups affected by deer. CCE agents and DEC …

Interactions Between People And Wildlife In Urbanizing Landscapes, John Hadidian

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

In little more than 100 years, America has been transformed from a rural to an urban society in which 8 out of every 10 people live in cities or associated metropolitan areas. This change has affected the way that people interact with wildlife and has introduced new and unique situations in which human-wildlife conflicts arise and must be dealt with. Most urban wildlife problems occur in and around primary residences or nodes (e.g., airports, golf courses, lake fronts) and involve only a few species. This relationship may change as urban landscapes mature or expand through restoration efforts, or as more …

Wildlife Damage Management: Policy And Professional Considerations, Harry E. Hodgdon

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

I am honored by the opportunity to be part of this conference and to participate with such a distinguished panel this morning.

Today I have been asked to address policy and professional considerations as they relate to wildlife damage management. As an advocate of professional wildlife management, I will share with you some of the problems and issues that confront, frustrate, and confound us; some sense of the problems that lie ahead; and some thoughts on what we need to do to ensure the wildlife profession remains relevant in the future.

The Wildlife Society endorses the management of wildlife to …

Wildlife Damage Education At Auburn University, Nicholas R. Holler

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

Wildlife Damage Control is offered as a 3-hour course during winter quarter in alternate years at Auburn University. This course is taught simultaneously at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage (R. Timm, ed.) 1983. Nebraska Cooperative Extension Service, University of Nebraska-Lincoln) is the course text, but numerous outside readings are provided on specific topic areas. Graduate students are given additional required reading material, must complete a term paper, and are given examinations requiring greater synthesis of ideas than do those administered to undergraduates. An optional weekend field trip, arranged in cooperation with United States Department …

New York State Department Of Environmental Conservation, Robert A. Inslerman

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

In 1990, the Legislature passed a bill that would have allowed year-round hunting of coyotes (Canis latrans) in New York's Northern Zone, as opposed to the current system of open and closed hunting seasons established annually by Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) regulation. The bill generated such controversy that it was withdrawn pending a study by DEC. The objectives of the study were to: (1) assess the role of the coyote in northern New York in relation to people, wildlife, and livestock; (2) provide adequate opportunity for citizens to express their opinions concerning coyotes; and (3) prepare a …

Wildlife Damage Education At West Virginia University, Edwin D. Michael

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

West Virginia University has offered a formal wildlife damage course in each of the last 2 years (1990 and 1991). Prior to offering the formal course in 1990, the topic of wildlife damage was presented as one section of 2 different courses: Introduction to Wildlife Management (for nonwildlife majors), and Principles of Wildlife Management (a senior-level course required for wildlife majors).

The current wildlife damage course involves 2 1-hour lectures per week and students receive 2 semester credit hours upon completion. Two class periods per semester are devoted to field exercises, involving demonstration of damage control equipment and investigation of …

Economics And Effectiveness Of Control Methods: Fact And Fiction, Rick D. Owens, Dennis Slate

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

Wildlife damage management decisions are often incorrectly viewed as being predicated solely upon economic Although costs of wildlife damage and methods employed to reduce this damage are considerations in damage management decision-making, the selection and application of methods are also dependent upon environmental factors that include biologic physical, social, and legal influences. Professional decision-making involves an assessment of these factors on a case-by-case basis, to determine which methods and application strategies are environmentally cost-effective and therefore practical.

The Quabbin Reservation White-Tailed Deer Impact Management Plan: A Case History, James A. Parkhurst, Robert W. O'Connor

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

Quabbin Reservation, a 22,662-ha watershed management area located in west-central Massachusetts, is experiencing moderate to severe browsing pressure by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on much of the reservation's forested land. In many areas, park-like habitat exists where natural regeneration of the dominant mixed oak (Quercus spp. ) forest has been severely repressed, or outright eliminated, due to repetitive browsing by deer. Understory composition is now dominated by patches of blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), huckleberry (Gayl ussacia baccata), thick carpets of hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), and grasses. Managers are concerned that as the …

Evaluation Of A New Deer Repellent On Japanese Yews At Suburban Homesteads, Roger W. Sayre, Milo E. Richmond

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

Jersey, an experimental deer repellent, was field tested against 2 commercial repellents on Japanese yews (Taxuscuspidata) near Ithaca, New York, during spring 1990. In Experiment 1, plots (nnn = 24) of 4 individually-potted yews were established, with 2 yews at each plot randomly treated with Jersey and 2 left as controls. Plots of 4 (1 x 4, n nn =12) and 16 (4 x 4, nnn = 2) plants were used in Experiment 2, with individual plants being treated with Jersey, Hinder”, or Big Game RepellentR (BGRR) or left as controls. Photographs with a …

Perceived Risks Of Deer-Related Vehicle Accidents: Influence On Deer Population Preferences Of The Residents Of Tompkins County, New York, Richard C. Stedman, Rebecca J. Stout, Barbara A. Knuth, Daniel J. Decker

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

High populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in much of the eastern United States have increased the probability of deer-related vehicle accidents (DRVAs). These accidents are very costly in terms of vehicle repair and have the potential for serious physical injury to motorists. DRVAs are increasing rapidly in suburban areas, where deer may also cause other types of damage (i.e., to gardens or ornamental shrubs). In these suburban areas, wildlife professionals have limited deer management options. We hypothesized that the peoples' perception of the potential risk posed by DRVAs interacts with the perceived benefits provided by deer, to …

Ecological Considerations In The Management Of Wildlife Damage , Robert K. Swihart

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

Strategies for managing wildlife damage may be divided into 3 broad categories: direct manipulation of populations, manipulation of behavioral or ecological traits of pest species, and manipulation of environmental features. For each of these categories, I review the importance of ecological considerations in determining the effectiveness of management strategies. Proper incorporation of ecological information is important to the success of management strategies in all 3 categories. I predict that future demands will increase for ecologically-based strategies that require minimal intervention, and for integration of management strategies that simultaneously address problems posed by both vertebrate and invertebrate pests. Several recent ecologically-based …

Comparison Of Methods For Detecting Voles Under Apple Trees, Mark E. Tobin, Milo E. Richmond, Richard M. Engeman

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

We conducted a study in 2 heavily infested orchards in the mid-Hudson Valley of New York to evaluate methods for detecting the presence of meadow voles (MV, Microtus pennsylvanicus) and pine voles (PV, M. pinetorum) under apple trees. We quantified several possible signs indicating the presence of voles in each of the 4 quadrants under the canopy of each tree, and then set and monitored traps until capture success in the orchard declined to zero. There was no evidence that the 4 quadrants differed with respect to any of the variables examined. The apple slice index (ASI) was …

Volume 1 - February 1, 1991

What on Earth

What on Earth was a short-run student publication by the Providence College Environmental and Wildlife Club. (Volume 1 - February 1, 1991 - 8 pages total.)

Geographic Variation In Sea Otters, Enhydra Lutris, Don E. Wilson, Michael A. Bogan, Robert L. Brownell Jr., A. M. Burdin, M. K. Maminov

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Univariate and multivariate analyses of 20 skull characters of 304 adult sea otters from throughout the geographic range strongly suggest that three subspecies should be recognized. The nominate form, Enhydra lutris lutris, occurs from the Kuril Islands north to the Commander Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Individuals of E. l. lutris are characterized by large size and wide skulls with short nasal bones. E. 1. nereis is found along the California coast and off San Nicolas Island, where the species recently has been reintroduced from coastal California. Specimens of E. 1. nereis have narrow skulls with a long …

Perspectives On Wildlife Nuisance Control: Results Of A Wildlife Damage Control Firm's Customer Survey, Lynn A. Braband, Kevin D. Clark

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

Customers of Critter Control, Ins, offices were surveyed in 1990 and 1991 to examine their views and experience nuisance wildlife. Most of the survey respondents were having problems with raccoons (Procyon lotor), squirrels (Sciurus), skunks (Mephitis mephitis), woodchucks (Marmata monax), and moles (Talpidae). Approximately 25% of the respective attempted to control the nuisance situation themselves before contacting Critter Control. Most customers approved of the control of rats/mice (Muridae), moles, snakes, bats (Chiroptera), pigeons (Columba livia), and skunks. Most disapproves lethal control of deer (Odocoileus spp. ), geese (Branta …

Use Of Drc-1339 To Eliminate Gulls And Re-Establish A Tern Nesting Colony In Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, Bradford G. Blodget, Laura Henze

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 5th (1991)

DRC-1339 was used in 1990 and 1991 to reverse gull (Laridae) domination at Ram Island in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, a site historically important to the endangered roseate tern (Sterna dougallii). Reduction of the very dense gull population at Ram Island and reclamation of the island for nesting terms is seen as a challenge, especially considering the site's proximity to New Bedford, the largest commercial fishery on the Atlantic Seaboard. During 1990 and 1991, gull productivity at Ram Island was completely suppressed Eight hundred twenty-three and 172 gulls were recovered dead following treatments in 1990 and 1991. Females predominated nearly …

Long-Term Monitoring Of Water Quality And Biological Indicators In Hillsborough Bay, Tampa Bay, Florida, Bay Study Group, J. O. R. Johansson

Reports

The Bay . study Group of the City of Tampa has conducted an extensive monitoring program of water quality and various biological indicator organisms in Hillsborough Bay and Middle Tampa Bay since 1978 (Figure 1). Hillsborough Bay has generally had the poorest water quality of the Tampa Bay subsections. The monitoring program started as a comprehensive study of phytoplankton productivity and standing crop to evaluate anticipated future effects of domestic wastewater pollution abatement as the City of Tampa converted its wastewater treatment process from primary to state of the art nitro~en removal. The Bay stud¥ Group is the only organization …

Water Resources Review - February 1991 Vol 4 No 1, Annis Water Resources Institute

AWRI Reviews

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of D-Amino Acid Levels In Human Urine And In Commercial L-Amino Acid Samples, Daniel W. Armstrong, J. D. Duncan, S. C. Lee

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Detectable levels of four free D-amino acids (phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan and leucine) were found in human urine. This was accomplished using a liquid chromatographic coupled column (i.e., achiral-chiral) method that was developed for the rapid and sensitive analysis of these compounds. The technique was tested on a series of commercial L-amino acids. Care was taken to minimize racemization. Trace to percent levels of contaminating D-enantiomers were found in all commercial samples. In urine the D-amino acids ranged from several hundredths of a percent up to percent levels of the corresponding excreted natural L-amino acids. There were no apparent correlations between …

Thermal Desorption Of Organic Contaminant From Sand Using A Continuous Feed Rotary Kiln, Hsien-Tsung Chern

Theses

The purpose of this research was to determine the feasibility of removing organic contaminants from sand by thermal desorption. A continuous feed rotary kiln was designed and constructed to study the thermal desorption behavior of organic contaminant from sand with respect to temperature and residence time, and to develop a mathematical model that will describe this desorption behavior. The model will allow prediction of the desorption rate of an organic contaminant in larger scale rotary kiln desorption system over temperature at a known set of residence time.

In this experiment, sand was uniformly contaminated with a known amount of organic …

Anaerobic Biological Treatment Of Incinerator Ash To Immobilize Toxic Metal Residues, Uma Parasar

Theses

In this study, a reliable and inexpensive method for biologically immobilizing toxic heavy metal residues present in very high concentrations in incinerator ash was developed. Desulfovibrzo, a genus of sulfate-reducing bacteria was cultured and treated with combined ash under anaerobic conditions. The carbon source, lactate, and the electron acceptor, sulfate, were provided to the cultures for their normal growth. Since the sulfate reducers utilize organic matter using sulfate as the oxidizing agent, sulfides are the corresponding end products of the reaction. Ash was added to well established cultures of desu f ovibrio. Immobilization of the heavy metals in the ash …

Thermal Desorption Of Contaminated Soils, Hsi-Ming Sung

Theses

A new method by employing the heating probe for the in-situ cleanup of soils that are contaminated with volatile organic hazardous substances is explored. This investigation is a laboratory simulation that was aimed to evaluate the feasibility of desorption of volatile organic compoumds (VOCs) from soil, and to determine the efficiency of the heating probe for maximum desorption.

Two organic compounds, Trichloroethylene, Carbon tetrachloride, were selected as simulants. The experimental results demonstrate that the removal efficiency range from 97.65% to >99.95% of Trichloroethylene and 98.14% to >99.95% of Carbon tetrachloride can be recovered for a 24 hour interval with a …