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2006

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Automated Photo-Identification Of Cetaceans : An Integrated Software Solution, Daniel Griggs Jan 2006

Automated Photo-Identification Of Cetaceans : An Integrated Software Solution, Daniel Griggs

Theses : Honours

This study investigates current techniques used for automated photo-identification of cetaceans (i.e. dolphins and whales). The primary focus constitutes various techniques that can be applied to identify and extract dorsal fins from digital photographs. A comprehensive analysis of these techniques demonstrates the most effective software solution. To further support this analysis, four prototypes are developed to demonstrate the effectiveness of each technique in a practical environment. The analysis bases its final conclusions on test results generated from these prototype software examples. Final conclusions provide recommendations for an effective, accurate, and practical software solution. This software solution allows dorsal fins to …

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Exploring The Notion Of Emotional Attachment In Orford's Model Of Addiction : Review, And A Step Towards Operationalising Orford's Concept Of Strong Attachment In Addiction : A Qualitative Study, Kate E. Baily Jan 2006

Exploring The Notion Of Emotional Attachment In Orford's Model Of Addiction : Review, And A Step Towards Operationalising Orford's Concept Of Strong Attachment In Addiction : A Qualitative Study, Kate E. Baily

Theses : Honours

Orford's (2001) notion that a strong emotional attachment to an object (drug) or activity (gambling) is a central component of addiction has received little empirical attention. The published research on attachment to inanimate objects was reviewed and led to the following conclusions. First, attachment theory has been validly applied to people's relationships with inanimate objects. Second, researchers have developed technologies (e.g., psychological measures, operational definitions) to enable empirical research in this area. Third, this research is in its early phases, but has produced reliable standardised measures of people's emotional attachment to brands. Further research is needed to operationalise Orford's (2001) …

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Effect Of A Paediatric Incentive Spacer And Reinforcement Of Inhalation Technique Training In Preschool Children, Jasminka Murdzoska Jan 2006

Effect Of A Paediatric Incentive Spacer And Reinforcement Of Inhalation Technique Training In Preschool Children, Jasminka Murdzoska

Theses : Honours

Incorrect inhaled drug delivery technique is a common problem in paediatric asthma [1-4]. Previously, device technique training has been shown to significantly improve inhaler skills, using subjective methods, namely check-list analysis [5-8]. However, more objective measures are needed to examine more comprehensively the effect of training in preschool children and parents. Resistance to regular asthma therapy is also a frequent problem when attempting to treat young children. Reasoning with young children can be very difficult and parents often have to struggle with their child to achieve compliance [2]. The Funhaler spacer (FH) (Funhaler™; InfaMed, Australia) has been developed in an …

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The Experience Of The Transition To An Aged-Care Facility: A Qualitative Exploration, Jenny M. Smith Jan 2006

The Experience Of The Transition To An Aged-Care Facility: A Qualitative Exploration, Jenny M. Smith

Theses : Honours

The transition from one's place of residence to an aged-care facility may be a daunting prospect, with many factors relevant to the degree of ease in which this change occurs. Whilst this is a significant life event, qualified information about older adults' experience of it is limited, with little found about Australia. Much of what is available focuses on the caregivers' and relatives' viewpoints or their interactions with staff and do not pertain to the transition period itself, but to aged care in general. The main findings from the available literature suggest that the way a new resident perceives their …

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Natural Death In The West Australian Newspaper, Heinrich Benz Jan 2006

Natural Death In The West Australian Newspaper, Heinrich Benz

Theses : Honours

This thesis analyses the way The West Australian presents natural death to its readers. Previous research involving death notices and obituaries has focused on gender and numerical analysis. There are hundreds of books dealing with death, covering legal, biological, physical, sociological and spiritual aspects of death, but books on death in the media tend to skirt around natural death. The diverse areas of death research fail to postulate a common definition of natural death. A similar diversity of views exists on the good death and the concepts surrounding life after death. This encourages the analysis of material from daily life, …

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Neural Induction And Differentiation Of Stem Cells Using The Developmental Gene Pax7, Vijesh G. Vaghjiani Jan 2006

Neural Induction And Differentiation Of Stem Cells Using The Developmental Gene Pax7, Vijesh G. Vaghjiani

Theses : Honours

Neurodegenerative disorders are conditions that mainly affect the brain and the central nervous system (CNS). Each disease type is characterised by loss of function which results from death of a particular region. Interestingly enough, most of the time disease pathology is due to loss of specific cell types in the CNS. These pathological conditions have both high economic costs and social implications for society. To treat such conditions, either the lost cells must be replaced or the cells surrounding the damaged tissue must be induced to undergo repair to replace the lost cells. The former looks more achievable whereas the …

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The Influence Of Genetics And The Environment On Human Personalities, Relationships And Experiences, Patrice Smith Jan 2006

The Influence Of Genetics And The Environment On Human Personalities, Relationships And Experiences, Patrice Smith

Theses : Honours

It's no mystery that our genetic make-up plays an integral part in the outcome of our lives, but to what extent exactly are our personalities, relationships and experiences pre-determined by this genetic code? There are two forces that contribute to the outcome of these aspects of our lives. Genetics and Environment. The significance of the environment, i.e., our upbringing, lifestyle and the world around us is often emphasized by psychologists as the more dominant force, however our genes are just as, if not more, influential on our lives. My choreographic process is directly in relation to the group of artists …

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Hogarth To Monster Wheels : A Grotesque Connection, Christopher Ridley Jan 2006

Hogarth To Monster Wheels : A Grotesque Connection, Christopher Ridley

Theses : Honours

When an audience is exposed to deformed, altered and abnormal entities, their interpretation relies on some form of cultural awareness of both the expected and the altered shape to stimulate a reaction. I maintain that the stimulus for this reaction has its roots in a dark and terrifying primal force, the manifestation of which we regard as the grotesque. This thesis looks for a commonality in a satirical interpretation afforded to this grotesque force. By using the caricatures in William Hogarth's engravings and the altered cars in three contemporary films. I search for a correlation between the way Hogarth and …

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The Camfields : "The Comforts Of Civilisation" In Early Colonial Western Australia, Joan Groves Jan 2006

The Camfields : "The Comforts Of Civilisation" In Early Colonial Western Australia, Joan Groves

Theses : Honours

This thesis explores and examines in some detail the lives of a little known Anglican missionary couple in early colonial Western Australia. Henry Camfield and Anne Breeze came to the Swan River colony separately: Henry as farmer-settler and Anne Breeze as governess. They married, moved in the higher echelons of Perth society and later went to Albany where Henry took up the position of Government Resident. Subsequently they both became involved in raising and "Christianising" Aboriginal children in an institution known as Annesfield. While some prominence has been given to a well-known pupil of that institution, Bessie Flower (later Cameron), …

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Death Lilly : Performing The 'Flower Girl' Role In The Age Of Consumption, Catherine Gomersall Jan 2006

Death Lilly : Performing The 'Flower Girl' Role In The Age Of Consumption, Catherine Gomersall

Theses : Honours

This self-reflexive photomedia project interrogates the 'flower girl' role as a cultural fetishism of 'innocent' white-girl femininity, which I claim is perpetuated in the bridal fantasy. In my photomedia work the theme of 'death' and the uncanny is explored as well as the themes of 'wildness' and 'violence' in order to subvert the dominant discourse of ideal white femininity which is defined in popular culture by a sanitised bourgeois aesthetic. I attack the bourgeois surface of the bridal magazine in my artwork as I perform the 'flower girl' role in the context of popular culture and capitalism. The flower girl …

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The Dancing Mind, Rebecca Mccormac Jan 2006

The Dancing Mind, Rebecca Mccormac

Theses : Honours

How is it that we go from the unknown to the known? Is there a parallel relationship between mind and body? How does the brain inform the body? An active approach to cognition conceives of the mind as one with the body. The human brain controls feeling, cognition, perception, action, learning and other basic functions, and therefore it is vital to consider the influence of neuroscience on the development of cognitive psychology and vice versa, when looking at a dancing body/mind.

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What Are The Benefits Of Dance In Relation To Developing Creative Potential For The Individual?, Shannon Riggs Jan 2006

What Are The Benefits Of Dance In Relation To Developing Creative Potential For The Individual?, Shannon Riggs

Theses : Honours

This thesis proposes to discuss the benefits of creativity for the individual and highlight the increasing importance of creativity in today's society. The thesis discusses how creativity can be identified, nurtured and developed and what factors effect the development of creative potential. Creativity plays a major role in dance as an art form. This thesis draws attention to the fact that dance teaches many of the key skills needed to develop creative potential and how dance can be utilised as an avenue to enhancing an individual's creative ability. This thesis will outline the parallels between learning dance and developing creative …

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Ideas Of Landscape: Finding An Uneasy Peace, Iris Koornstra Jan 2006

Ideas Of Landscape: Finding An Uneasy Peace, Iris Koornstra

Theses : Honours

Landscape, both the actual and the representational, "is a work of the mind" (Schama, 1995, p. 7) it encompasses ideas of difference, arcadia, commodification, nationalism and many others. How does one negotiate the physical and the representational when trying to reach beyond the traditions of the sublime? Anchoring my research in the physical landscape of Kings Park, Perth, Australia whilst looking at looking this paper explores the manifestation of ideas about land in both forms. Central to my research approach is W.J.T. Mitchell's theses on landscape number eight, which states: "landscape is an exhausted medium, no longer viable as a …

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Review Of To Save The Wild Bison: Life On The Edge In Yellowstone By Mary Ann Franke, David Nesheim Jan 2006

Review Of To Save The Wild Bison: Life On The Edge In Yellowstone By Mary Ann Franke, David Nesheim

Department of History: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mary Ann Franke investigates the recent controversy regarding the Yellowstone bison and the efforts to control their movements, the longer history of their management in the twentieth century, and a brief natural history of the species.

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Potential Impacts Of Climate Change On Agricultural Land Use Suitability : Oats, Dennis Van Gool, Luke Vernon Jan 2006

Potential Impacts Of Climate Change On Agricultural Land Use Suitability : Oats, Dennis Van Gool, Luke Vernon

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

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Methods To Set Land Salinity Resource Condition Targets For The South West : Case Studies From Australia And New Zealand, Sharon Hu Jan 2006

Methods To Set Land Salinity Resource Condition Targets For The South West : Case Studies From Australia And New Zealand, Sharon Hu

Resource management technical reports

This Resource Management Technical Report provides background to methods to set targets on land salinity in the South West Natural Resource Management (NRM) region of Western Australia. Case studies from Australia and New Zealand have been reviewed to determine what approaches should be used. Resource Condition Targets (RCTs) are required for land salinity, soil condition and remnant vegetation.

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Trout Unlimited, Grieta Gilchrist Jan 2006

Trout Unlimited, Grieta Gilchrist

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

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2006 Best Student Paper Awards Jan 2006

2006 Best Student Paper Awards

Virginia Journal of Science

The recipients of the 2006 Best Student Paper Awards are listed, Virginia Academy of Sciences.

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Why Does Policy Fail? Understanding The Problems Of Policy Implementation In Pakistan - A Neuro-Cognitive Perspective, Sajid Ali Jan 2006

Why Does Policy Fail? Understanding The Problems Of Policy Implementation In Pakistan - A Neuro-Cognitive Perspective, Sajid Ali

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Education policy in Pakistan, as in other developing countries, faces the challenge of poor implementation. The article explores the history of education policy in Pakistan and describes the conventional accounts of policy failures. It particularly highlights the issues of unclear goals, political commitment, governance, centralisation, resources and foreign aid. Generally, it is assumed that overcoming these conventional challenges will result in better policy outcomes. Although this is partially true, Spillane, Reiser and Reimer (2002) direct our attention to the cognitive factors that play a critical role in policy implementation. They argued that implementing agents try to make sense of policy …

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Finicky Fish Finish... Last! Pre-Visit Lessons -- Support Materials (Grade 5), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth Jan 2006

Finicky Fish Finish... Last! Pre-Visit Lessons -- Support Materials (Grade 5), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

In “Finicky Fish Finish…Last!” students explore what has happened to the Colorado River and the reasons why it is so difficult for the razorback sucker to thrive in a changed environment. Working as ichthyologists (fish biologists) at Lake Mead, students collect water quality data such as temperature, pH, and clarity -- to determine whether current habitat conditions are sufficient for survival of young razorback suckers. Students observe and identify non-native fish in Lake Mead as they learn how the razorback sucker interacts with these neighbors. Students assess whether Lake Mead is still a good habitat for razorback suckers. Using the …

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3-Pg Productivity Modeling Of Regenerating Amazon Forests: Climate Sensitivity And Comparison With Modis-Derived Npp, Joseph D. White, Neal A. Scott, Adam I. Hirsch, Steven W. Running Jan 2006

3-Pg Productivity Modeling Of Regenerating Amazon Forests: Climate Sensitivity And Comparison With Modis-Derived Npp, Joseph D. White, Neal A. Scott, Adam I. Hirsch, Steven W. Running

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

Potential forest growth predicted by the Physiological Principles in Predicting Growth (3-PG) model was compared for forest and deforested areas in the Legal Amazon to assess potential differing regeneration associated with climate. Historical deforestation and regeneration have occurred in environmentally marginal areas that influence regional carbon sequestration estimates. Effects of El Niño–induced drought further reduce simulated production by decreasing soil water availability in areas with shallow soils and high transpiration potential. The model was calibrated through comparison of literature biomass and with satellite-based estimates. Net primary productivity (NPP) for mature Amazonian forests from the 3-PG model was positively correlated ( …

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Estimation Of Incident Photosynthetically Active Radiation From Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer Data, Shunlin Liang, Tao Zheng, Ronggao Liu, Hongliang Fang, Si-Chee Tsay, Steven W. Running Jan 2006

Estimation Of Incident Photosynthetically Active Radiation From Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer Data, Shunlin Liang, Tao Zheng, Ronggao Liu, Hongliang Fang, Si-Chee Tsay, Steven W. Running

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

Incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is a key variable needed by almost all terrestrial ecosystem models. Unfortunately, the current incident PAR products estimated from remotely sensed data at spatial and temporal resolutions are not sufficient for carbon cycle modeling and various applications. In this study, the authors develop a new method based on the look-up table approach for estimating instantaneous incident PAR from the polar-orbiting Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) data. Since the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiance depends on both surface reflectance and atmospheric properties that largely determine the incident PAR, our first step is to estimate surface reflectance. The approach …

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Nutrient Regulation Of Organic Matter Decomposition In A Tropical Rain Forest, Cory C. Cleveland, Sasha C. Reed, Alan R. Townsend Jan 2006

Nutrient Regulation Of Organic Matter Decomposition In A Tropical Rain Forest, Cory C. Cleveland, Sasha C. Reed, Alan R. Townsend

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

errestrial biosphere–atmosphere CO2 exchange is dominated by tropical forests, so understanding how nutrient availability affects carbon (C) decomposition in these ecosystems is central to predicting the global C cycle's response to environmental change. In tropical rain forests, phosphorus (P) limitation of primary production and decomposition is believed to be widespread, but direct evidence is rare. We assessed the effects of nitrogen (N) and P fertilization on litter-layer organic matter decomposition in two neighboring tropical rain forests in southwest Costa Rica that are similar in most ways, but that differ in soil P availability. The sites contain 100–200 tree species …

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Sensitivity Of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (Modis) Terrestrial Primary Production To The Accuracy Of Meteorological Reanalyses, Maosheng Zhao, Steven W. Running, Ramakrishna R. Nemani Jan 2006

Sensitivity Of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (Modis) Terrestrial Primary Production To The Accuracy Of Meteorological Reanalyses, Maosheng Zhao, Steven W. Running, Ramakrishna R. Nemani

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's satellites, Terra and Aqua, dramatically improves our ability to accurately and continuously monitor the terrestrial biosphere. MODIS information is used to estimate global terrestrial primary production weekly and annually in near-real time at a 1-km resolution. MODIS terrestrial primary production requires daily gridded assimilation meteorological data as inputs, and the accuracy of the existing meteorological reanalysis data sets show marked differences both spatially and temporally. This study compares surface meteorological data sets from three well-documented global reanalyses, NASA Data Assimilation Office (DAO), European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) (ERA-40) and …

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Habitat-Specific Impacts Of Multiple Consumers On Plant Population Dynamics, John L. Maron, Matthew J. Kauffman Jan 2006

Habitat-Specific Impacts Of Multiple Consumers On Plant Population Dynamics, John L. Maron, Matthew J. Kauffman

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Multiple consumers often attack seeds, seedlings, and adult plants, but their population-level consequences remain uncertain. We examined how insect and small mammal consumers influenced the demography and abundance of the perennial shrub, bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus). In grassland and dune habitats we established replicate experimental lupine populations in 81-m2 plots that were either protected from, or exposed to, herbivorous voles and granivorous mice (via fencing) and/or root feeding insects (via insecticide treatment). Populations were initiated with transplanted seedlings in 1999 and 2000. We followed the demography of these cohorts, subsequent generations, and the seed bank for 5.5 …

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Legal History Meets The Honors Program, Robert B. Bennett Jan 2006

Legal History Meets The Honors Program, Robert B. Bennett

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

In this article, the author discusses the "Law and Culture" course that he developed to teach in the Butler University Honors Program. The course looks at some landmark periods or events in legal history and explores how those events were the product of their culture, and how they affected their culture. Among the events or periods that the author has looked at in iterations of this course were the survival instinct on display in "Regina v. Dudley and Stephens," the Nuremberg trials, the Scopes Monkey Trial, the modern American litigation explosion, and the events surrounding the U.S. Supreme Court decision …

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Roles Of Wrky Proteins In Mediating The Crosstalk Of Hormone Signaling Pathways: An Approach Integrating Bioinformatics And Experimental Biology, Zhen Xie Jan 2006

Roles Of Wrky Proteins In Mediating The Crosstalk Of Hormone Signaling Pathways: An Approach Integrating Bioinformatics And Experimental Biology, Zhen Xie

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The goal of my research is to understand the molecular mechanism by which hormones control seed germination. Gibberellins (GA) promote, while abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA) inhibit seed germination. Key molecules in these signaling pathways include receptors, secondary messengers, protein kinases and phosphatases, and transcription factors. My study focuses on how WRKY transcription factors modulate the expression of an alpha-amylase gene (Amy32b), which is up-regulated by GA, but down-regulated by ABA and SA in the aleurone cells of germinating seeds; Chapter 2 started with the annotation and phylogenetic analyses of the WRKY gene superfamily, followed by functional studies …

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Modality Effects On Adult Learning, Earl S Douglas Jan 2006

Modality Effects On Adult Learning, Earl S Douglas

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This paper focuses on improving older adults' recall of important health information. The study's objective is to test which of three presentation modalities (text, audio or text plus audio) leads to improved performance of older adults' learning health information. The total number of participants consisted of 16 males and 18 females, or a total of 34 participants. The mean age of the group was 72.5. The participants were divided into three groups and each group was presented with one of three modalities (i.e. text, text plus audio, and audio), selected randomly, on an "auto start" CD, using PowerPoint as a …

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Longitudinal Trends In Postpartum Mental Health, Cognition And Steroid Hormones, Chandler R Marrs Jan 2006

Longitudinal Trends In Postpartum Mental Health, Cognition And Steroid Hormones, Chandler R Marrs

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The temporal association between psychiatric and cognitive disturbances during pregnancy and postpartum is clear in the literature. However, associations between these disturbances and puerperal hormones are equivocal. The present study followed nine primigravid women from late pregnancy through one year postpartum to investigate trends in psychiatric and cognitive disturbances relative to postpartum hormone changes. Participants completed a battery of neuropsychological instruments at 37 weeks of pregnancy, at 10 days and four-, eight- and twelve-months postpartum and provided salivary specimen from which dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), testosterone, estradiol and estriol concentrations were quantified. Results showed psychiatric disturbances and cognitive decrements in late …

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Air Exchange Rate In A Horse Trailer During Road Transport, Joseph L. Purswell, Richard S. Gates, Laurie M. Lawrence, Jamey D. Jacob, Timothy S. Stombaugh, Robert J. Coleman Jan 2006

Air Exchange Rate In A Horse Trailer During Road Transport, Joseph L. Purswell, Richard S. Gates, Laurie M. Lawrence, Jamey D. Jacob, Timothy S. Stombaugh, Robert J. Coleman

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Horses traveling by road commonly experience heat stress conditions and poor air quality, which may be caused by insufficient ventilation; however, there are few estimates of air exchange in a horse trailer during transport. Air exchange rate was measured at ten locations within a four-horse trailer (internal volume 18.5 m3) using tracer gas decay measurement to assess the adequacy of ventilation. Three vehicle speeds (13, 48, and 97 km h-1) and three window configurations (all windows and roof vents closed, all windows open, all windows open and roof vents open forward) were tested with and without …

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