Digital Commons Network^™

Motorists Mutl Ins V. Hardinger

2005 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Nafta Panel To Review Complaint About Gas Plant In Baja California, Ladb Staff

SourceMex

No abstract provided.

Interspecific Divergence In Foliar Nutrient Dynamics And Stem Growth In A Temperate Forest In Response To Chronic Nitrogen Inputs, Jeffrey D. May, Sarah Beth Burdette, Frank S. Gilliam, Mary Beth Adams

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

We studied the effects of excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization on foliar nutrient dynamics and stem growth in three important tree species in a mixed-deciduous forest. Stem diameter growth, foliar N concentrations, nitrogen–phosphorus (N/P) ratios, and nutrient resorption were determined for Acer rubrum L. (ACRU), Liriodendron tulipifera L. (LITU), and Prunus serotina Ehrh. (PRSE) on two 30-year-old watersheds at the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia, USA: WS3, fertilized annually with 35 kg ammonium sulfate·ha^-1 since 1989, and WS7, an untreated control watershed. In an earlier (1992) study, foliar N concentrations of all three species averaged 11% higher in WS3 than …

Applications Of Using The Odor Footprint Tool, Richard R. Stowell, L. Koppolu, Dennis D. Schulte, Richard K. Koelsch

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

The Odor Footprint Tool is a science-based computer resource for use in evaluating the potential odor impact of new and expanded animal production facilities. It was developed to assist livestock producers, their service providers, and county planning and zoning officials in making reasonable decisions while limiting the negative impact of livestock operations on surrounding neighbors and rural communities. The Odor Footprint Tool utilizes an EPA regulatory model (AERMOD), weather databases, new source code, and user input to generate regional odor roses, odor footprints, and directional setback distance curves. Odor roses provide a generic picture of the directionality of …

Self-Efficacy And Sexual Transmitted Disease Prevention Among College Women, Dominique M. Ly

Master's Projects

According to the Center of Disease Control (2002), sexual transmitted diseases (STDs) are on the rise, especially among women. By far, women bear the greatest burden of STDs because they suffer more frequently and develop more serious complications than men. This study explored the relationship between self-efficacy and safe sex behaviors among college women. The data was collected by using questionnaires from the General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale (GPSE) and the Condom Use Self-Efficacy Scale(CUSES). The sample was composed of 38 unmarried female college students between the ages of 18 and 25 years-of-age who had been sexually active within the last …

A Survey Of California Nurse Practitioners' Health Practices And Counseling Habits, Jessica Malone

Master's Projects

Morbidity and mortality due to obesity continues to rise in the United States despite well known Healthy People 2010 and American College of Sports Medicine guidelines on physical activity. In the U.S. today, more than 60 percent of Americans aged 20 years and older are overweight (Hedley et al., 2004). This study investigated the exercise practices of California nurse practitioners (NPs }, how their practices compare to recommended guidelines, and to what extent California NPs prescribe aerobic exercise and strength training to their clients. The California Nurse Practitioners Physical Activity Questionnaire was self-administered at the annual2005 California Association for Nurse …

Using Ems’S To Improve Compliance On Livestock And Poultry Operations, L. Mark Risse, Richard K. Koelsch, Bill Bland, Elizabeth A. Bird, Thomas M. Bass

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Across the United States and abroad, innovative producers, processors, trade organizations and others in the agricultural sector are exploring the promise of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) to improve their environmental and business performance. An Environmental Management System or EMS helps farmers develop their own, personal strategies for reducing environmental risk on their operations by integrating environmental management considerations into production management decisions. It is a voluntary, flexible approach and is based on a producer's own sense of how best to manage an operation.

Partnerships for Livestock Environmental Management Systems is a 4-year project to explore the potential of livestock Environmental …

Fabrication Of Magnetic Hollow Silica Nanospheres For Bioapplications, L. Shao, Dumitru Caruntu, J. F. Chen, C. J. O'Connor, W. L. Zhou

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Different kinds of nanospheres are used in magnetic nanosphere fabrication for bioapplications. In this paper, we report a successful synthesis of magnetic hollow silica nanospheres (MHSNS). The MHSNS were fabricated with a one step coating of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (NPs)(∼10nm) and silica on nanosized (20–100nm) spherical calcium carbonate (CaCO3) surface under alkaline conditions, in which the nanosized CaCO3 were used as nanotemplates and tetraethoxysilane and magnetic NPs were used as precursors. The as-synthesized nanoshperes were immersed in an acidic solution to remove nanosized CaCO3, forming MHSNS. The MHSNS were characterized by SEM, TEM, and SQUID. SEM and TEM results showed …

Female Breast Cancer Incidence And Survival In Utah According To Religious Preference, 1985-1999, Ray M. Merrill, Jeffrey A. Folsom

Faculty Publications

Female breast cancer incidence rates in Utah are among the lowest in the U.S. The influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon) religion on these rates, as well as on disease-specific survival, will be explored for individuals diagnosed with breast cancer in Utah from 1985 through 1999. Methods: Population-based records for incident female breast cancer patients were linked with membership records from the LDS Church to determine religious affiliation and, for LDS Church members, level of religiosity. Incidence rates were age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population using the direct method. Cox proportional hazards …

Aspen Coppice With Coarse Woody Debris: A Silvicultural System For Interior Alaska Moose Browse Production, Todd F. Nichols

Natural Resources

Browse production and use by moose (Alces alces gigas) in interior Alaska was investigated in 4 and 2-year-old quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) coppice stands following clear-felling without removal of the mature aspen stems. Moose winter browse utilization, as related to distance from cover, coarse woody debris (CWD), and browse species composition, was quantified. Aspen terminal leaders were sampled to relate current annual growth (CAG) dry biomass (g) to leader diameter (mm). Stem density, current annual browse production, and browse use were estimated. Browse use was determined as 1) proportion of aspen stems browsed (stand scale), 2) proportion of browsed leaders …

The Physical And Chemical Effects Of Mid-Winter Pumping Of Tundra Lakes On The North Slope, Alaska, Derek Dan Miller

Engineering

Tundra lakes are a valuable freshwater resource on the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain and are of increasing relevance as the petroleum industry in Alaska continues to rely on the freshwater resource to support exploration and production activities. An investigation of the physical and chemical effects of mid-winter pumping activities was conducted at four tundra lakes on the Alaska Arctic Coastal Plain during the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 winters. The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of removing water from tundra lakes for the construction of ice roads and pads. Measurements of water surface level, specific conductance, temperature and …

Soil Nitrogen Dynamics After Fire In A Boreal Forest Of Interior Alaska, Susanne Elisabeth Lyle

Biological Sciences

This study is part of the FROSTFIRE experiment, a controlled bum of black spruce (BS) and mixed hardwood (MH) forest in the boreal zone of Interior Alaska in 1999. As part of the examination of post-burn changes in soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics, this study reports on active soil C and net N mineralization and nitrification in-situ over one year (beginning the year after the burn) in BS and MH stands. Total soil C and N concentrations and pools were higher in burned BS (BS-B) than in controls (BS-C), whereas MH stands (MH-B and MH-C) showed no fire …

Summer Movements Of Female Moose At High Density, Kalin A. Kellie

Biological Sciences

I examined factors influencing the summer movements of adult female moose (Alces alces gigas) at high density in interior Alaska, USA from 1996 to 2003. First, I tested how the distance moved from 4 to 0 days pre-partum was related to migration, change in cover use, reproductive maturity and individual behavior. Second, I evaluated whether long movements prior to parturition were related to predation on previous neonates. Third, I measured the scale of spatial fidelity exhibited by individuals to areas used in early spring (13 to 15 May) and areas used for parturition. Lastly, I compared summer movements of adult …

Nitrogen Retention In The Riparian Zone Of Watersheds Underlain By Discontinuous Permafrost, Jonathan A. O'Donnell

Biological Sciences

Riparian zones function as important ecotones for reducing nitrate concentration in groundwater and inputs into streams. In the boreal forest of interior Alaska, permafrost confines subsurface flow through the riparian zone to shallow organic horizons, where plant uptake of nitrate and denitrification are typically high. Two research questions were addressed in this study: 1) how does riparian zone nitrogen retention vary in watersheds underlain by discontinuous permafrost, and 2) what is the contribution of denitrification to riparian zone nitrogen retention? To estimate the contribution of the riparian zone to watershed nitrogen retention, I analyzed groundwater chemistry using an end-member mixing …

The Social Construction Of Dream Sharing: Disclosure Between Intimate Partners, Michelle Scaman

Communication

Psychology thus far has been the leading discipline in the study of dreams and supposes dreams are intrapersonal. Through the theoretical lens of Social Construction of Reality and the framework of self-disclosure, this study focuses on how intimate couples share dreams as a communicative process. Social Construction of Reality is the creation, maintenance, and transformation of reality through social interaction (Deetz, 1982). Crotty (1998) states that social construction involves 'knowledge' and 'meaningful reality' that is based on 'human practices, being constructed in and of interaction between human beings and their world' (p. 42). This social construction of 'meaningful reality' provides …

Expression And Function Of The Atp Dependent Chromatin Remodeler Imitation Switch In Xenopus Laevis, Sara Suzanne Dirscherl

Chemistry and Biochemistry

One of the first ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes was first identified and characterized over ten years ago. Since then, the number of distinct ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes and the variety of roles they play in nuclear processes have become dizzying. Some of the processes include transcription, replication, repair, recombination, and sister chromatid cohesion. The SWI/SNF-related ATP-dependent remodelers are divided into a number of subfamilies, all related by the SWI2/SNF2 ATPase at their catalytic core. In nearly every species where researchers have looked for them, one or more members of each subfamily have been identified. Here I have investigated the ATP …

Analysis Of Structure And Function Of The Serotonin Type-3 Receptor Using Site Directed Mutagenesis, Structure Activity Relationship And Chimeric Constructs, Asha Suryanarayanan

Chemistry and Biochemistry

The serotonin type-3 receptor (5-HT₃R) is a cation conducting ligand gated ion channel that mediates fast synaptic transmission. The 5-HT₃R belongs to the Cys loop superfamily of ligand gated ion channels that also includes the nicotinic acetylcholine, glycine and GABAa receptors. The 5-HT₃R has been implicated in several processes such as emesis, gastrointestinal motility, drug abuse, alcoholism and nociception. Studies involving the ligand-binding domain will thus aid in development of new drugs that modulate these physiological and pathophysiological processes. The ligand-binding site of this receptor is comprised of six putative loops, viz. loop A-F. The focus of this thesis was …

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor's Angiogenic Role In Tumor Growth And Metastasis, Scott W. Kemp

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Angiogenesis and vasculogenesis are two very important processes in the development and maintenance of mammalian health. All structures of the body (human or animal) need certain essential elements in order to live thrive and maintain. The angiogenic role is to supply and support tissue with ample vasculature, thus providing a route of access for the transportation of essential nutrients and the removal of waste in a sustained fashion. Just like normal tissue, tumorogenic tissue is no exception; neoplastic tissue has the same nutritional requirements which must be supported via vascularization. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to be …

Dna Recovery From Latent Blood After Identification By Fluorescein, Laurie A. Martin

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Luminol has been widely used in the field of crime scene investigations to detect latent blood; however, luminol has the tendency to destroy DNA evidence. Fluorescein, an alternative to luminol for detecting latent blood at a crime scene, had not been adequately evaluated for its impact on DNA evidence. This thesis demonstrates the successful recovery of DNA from a blood sample treated with fluorescein. DNA was extracted from blood-containing denim substrates after fluorescein was applied to the substrates. The DNA locus, D18S51, was amplified using standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, separated by gel electrophoresis, and visualized using ultraviolet light. …

Community Identity And Sense Of Place In Fairbanks, Alaska, Eun Sook Sul

Communication

Autobiographical narratives of shared experience are explored in a narrative qualitative approach regarding people who have come to Fairbanks, Alaska and decided to stay. Six co-researchers shared their lived experience regarding what influenced their staying in Alaska and resulting changes to their identity. This research is based on a Communication perspective, in particular, adopting Costructionism as epistemology for this study. Social Construction of Reality is the theoretical basis for a discussion of social construction of identity, social construction of community, and social construction of sense of place. This study focuses on the experience of changes in the co-researchers' identity through …

Using Gis-Based And Remotely Sensed Data For Early Winter Moose (Alces Alces Gigas) Survey Stratification, Karen J. Clyde

Forest Sciences

Stratification of moose survey areas is a key step to reduce population estimation variance. In the Yukon and Alaska, use of fixed-area grids for early winter moose counts combined with the increasing availability of GIS and remotely sensed data provide the opportunity to develop standardized and repeatable habitat-based stratifications. I used univariate comparisons, stepwise regression and AIC modeling to describe moose distribution as a function of landscape level variables for an area in west central Yukon during 1998 and 1999. Results quantified early winter habitat use of upland shrub habitats and support previous observations for early winter moose habitat use …

Production And Quality Of Spring Sap From Alaskan Birch (Betula Neoalaskana Sargent) In Interior Alaska, Kimberley Anne Maher

Forest Sciences

Little is known about the specifics of spring sap production in Alaskan birch Betula neoalaskana Sargent. With an emerging industry in Alaska based on the harvest of birch sap, additional information is needed. This thesis is an exploratory study that investigates the production of sap during the 2002 and 2003 spring seasons in the Fairbanks region and characterizes the dissolved solid components of the sap harvested in 2003. April 2002 and 2003 had strongly contrasting weather patterns which affected sap yields. In general, trees yielded more sap in the wet, cool spring of 2002 than the dry, warm spring of …

Cellulose Utilization By Clostridium Thermocellum: Bioenergetics And Hydrolysis Product Assimilation, Yi-Heng P. Zhang, Lee R. Lynd

Dartmouth Scholarship

The bioenergetics of cellulose utilization by Clostridium thermocellum was investigated. Cell yield and maintenance parameters, Y(X/ATP)True = 16.44 g cell/mol ATP and m = 3.27 mmol ATP/g cell per hour, were obtained from cellobiose-grown chemostats, and it was shown that one ATP is required per glucan transported. Experimentally determined values for G(ATP)P-T (ATP from phosphorolytic beta-glucan cleavage minus ATP for substrate transport, mol ATP/mol hexose) from chemostats fed beta-glucans with degree of polymerization (DP) 2-6 agreed well with the predicted value of (n-2)/n [corrected] (n = mean cellodextrin DP assimilated). A mean G(ATP)(P-T) value of 0.52 +/- 0.06 was calculated …

Variability In Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias Jubatus) Prey Quality In Southeastern Alaska, Johanna Jill Vollenweider

Fisheries

No abstract provided.

"Where The Blind Don't See And The Lame Don't Walk": Deconstructing Disability In Flannery O'Connor's 'Wise Blood, ' 'Good Country People, ' And 'The Lame Shall Enter First', Sherry Michelle Lohmeyer

English

Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood, 'Good Country People, ' and 'The Lame Shall Enter First' deconstruct the hierarchical opposites able-bodied/disabled by revealing interdependence and similarity between the two terms. O'Connor's texts question the nature of disability and ability by looking at ways that the disabled experience freedom and confinement. O'Connor undercuts the positive connotations of freedom by suggesting that a character needs to experience confinement in order to fully experience freedom. The reversal occurs because of two reasons: first, O'Connor's world is crafted anagogically, which means the characters and actions of each story have physical and spiritual significance, and second, her …

The Pelagia Story, Mary Jane Nielsen

Rural Development

The Pelagia Melgenak story is a qualitative case study and history of Pelagia Melgenak, a Sugpiaq Alaska Native culture bearer who was the matriarch of the family of the author. Ms. Melgenak was born July 21, 1879 in Old Savonoski, Alaska. She left her home after the 1912 eruption of Mt. Novarupta, in what is now Katmai National Park, and lived most of her life in a new site on the Naknek River near South Naknek, named New Savonoski. Until her death in 1974, she passed on stories, songs, customs and traditions that link contemporary Sugpiat to their pasts. This …

Interannual Variations In The Carbon To Chlorophyll A Ratios During The Spring Bloom In Prince William Sound, Alaska, Kathereen Rachel Tamburello

Marine Biology

The carbon to chlorophyll a ratio of phytoplankton during the spring bloom in Prince William Sound, Alaska was investigated for 3 seasons and related to major physical and chemical variables. Carbon to chlorophyll a ratios (C:Chl) were determined by two methods, based on particulate organic carbon to chlorophyll (POC:Chl) and phytoplankton cell carbon to chlorophyll (PCC:Chl). These ratios were compared to a more commonly used estimate, a fixed ratio of C:Chl, taken from literature, for the spring phytoplankton community. The hypothesis that the C:Chl ratios were significantly different between years was proven false. This research indicates that the C:Chl ratio …

Red Rock Desert Learning Center Core Group Meeting: May 17, 2005, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

1. Introductions (5 min.)
2. Approval of Minutes from March 15, 2005 Meeting (5 min.)
3. Review of Project Issues & Concerns (30 min.)
   A. Discussion of Strategic Project Review
4. Update on Water Options and NEPA Timeline/Progress – Michael Reiland (15 min.)
5. Core Curriculum Development: Progress Report – Jeannie Klockow (15 min.)
6. Community Outreach – Nancy Flagg (15 min.)
   A. Key Messages
   B. List of environmental groups and media
   D. Revisit Core Group list
7. Standing Reports (20 minutes)
   A. Line and Space Architects – Les Wallach/Henry Tom
   B. BLM Capital Improvements – Michael Reiland
8. Committee Reports (10 min.)
   A. Building Committee – Angie …

Aerodynamic Heating Of The Student Rocket Project-5 Sounding Rocket, Venkata Mudunuri

Engineering

This thesis deals with the calculation of the flow properties and heat transfer around the rocket nose cone for Student Rocket Project-5 (SRP-5). Governing differential equations are presented for this purpose, giving the fundamental relations between the skin temperature and flight history. The determination of all the required parameters in the equations is discussed, and the Runge-Kutta numerical method of integration is used to obtain the solution. A model to implement the above equations to predict skin temperature for the given trajectory was built in SIMULINK®. Individual sub-systems of the SIMULINK® model are used to calculate local tree-stream values, Reynolds …

Design Of A Wireless Sensor Network Platform And Testing Environment, Srikar Vadlamani

Engineering

In this thesis, we present the design and implementation of a wireless sensor network platform and testing environment, for energy efficient, centralized Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) architecture. The entire design process for an energy efficient sensor network requires several design considerations, from component selection for the design of sensor nodes, to the design of a power efficient application specific communication protocol. This thesis provides an insight into all these design considerations. We also discuss tools and techniques for the analysis and assessment of the performance and energy efficiency of a chosen sensor node design. We present a comprehensive design and …