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The Collegian (2006-04-17), José Borjón

UTB/TSC Archives - The Collegian [Newspaper]

Vol. 58, No. 26

Non-Normality In Scalar Delay Differential Equations, Jacob Nathaniel Stroh

Mathematics and Statistics

Analysis of stability for delay differential equations (DDEs) is a tool in a variety of fields such as nonlinear dynamics in physics, biology, and chemistry, engineering and pure mathematics. Stability analysis is based primarily on the eigenvalues of a discretized system. Situations exist in which practical and numerical results may not match expected stability inferred from such approaches. The reasons and mechanisms for this behavior can be related to the eigenvectors associated with the eigenvalues. When the operator associated to a linear (or linearized) DDE is significantly non-normal, the stability analysis must be adapted as demonstrated here. Example DDEs are …

Health Assessment In The Bowhead Whale, Cheryl Rosa

Biological Sciences

Tissue samples and morphometric data were collected from 64 bowhead whales landed during the 1998-2002 subsistence hunts in Barrow and Kaktovik, Alaska. Our primary goal was to assess the health status of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas stock of bowhead whales. Ages of whales were determined via aspartic acid racemization of the eye lens nucleus, baleen stable carbon isotope analysis and morphometric and histologic indices. We investigated the gross and microscopic anatomy of organs and blubber, thyroid hormone concentrations, serum haptoglobin, vitamin A and E concentrations in liver, blubber and serum and essential element concentrations in liver and kidney. Thyroid hormone and …

Resource Partitioning By Sympatric Brown And American Black Bears, Jerrold L. Belant

Biological Sciences

The fundamental niche of a species is rarely if ever realized because the presence of other species restricts it to a narrower range of ecological conditions. Additionally, distribution theory predicts that for two competing species living in sympatry, the subordinate species will be constrained from optimal resources. This constraint would result in use of lower quality resources by the subordinate species and possible spatial segregation from the dominant species. I evaluated diet in relation to body condition and reproduction for sympatric brown bears (Ursus arctos) and American black bears (U. americanus) in southcentral Alaska during 1998-2000, and assessed spatial segregation …

An Analysis Of Using Semi-Permeable Membrane Devices To Assess Persistent Organic Pollutants In Ambient Air Of Alaska, Ted Hsin-Yeh Wu

Chemistry and Biochemistry

A region of concern for persistent organic pollutants (POPS) contamination is the Arctic, because of POPs' ability to migrate long distances through the atmosphere toward cold regions, condense out of the atmosphere in those region, deposit in sensitive arctic ecosystems and bioaccumulate in Arctic species. Thus, monitoring of POP concentrations in the Arctic is necessary. However, traditional active air monitoring techniques for POPs may not be feasible in the Arctic, because of logistics and cost. While these issues may be overcome using passive air sampling devices, questions arise about the interpretation of the contaminant concentrations detected using the passive air …

What Would Captain Underpants Do? A Literary Analysis Of Children In School, Jeanne Noelle Carter

Counseling

Using cultural studies and critical discourse analysis as guiding theories, this study focuses on the literary representation of school experience by analyzing popular children's literature. The study focuses on literature appealing to the 8--12 year-old audience. Books of primary examination include L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series, Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones series, Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby books, Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants series, J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Andrew Clemenet's Frindle, C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series, Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books, Betty McDonald's Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books, and Walter Dean Meyer's Monster. The general trends found …

April 17th 2006, Csusb

Coyote Chronicle (1984-)

No abstract provided.

April 17, 2006 Reporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Diet And Dental Health In Predynastic Egypt: A Comparison Of Hierakonpolis And Naqada, Tammy Renee Greene

Anthropology

Seven dietary indicators on 364 dentitions of working class Predynastic Egyptians from Hierakonpolis and Naqada are examined in this dissertation. The majority of the samples from both sites date to the Naqada 11 period (3500-3200 BC), during which these were the two main urban centers for Upper Egypt. Both sites are located on the west bank of the Nile approximately 130 km from one-another. The samples consist of adults and juveniles ranging from 6 years to over 50 years of age. The dietary indicators, which include caries, calculus, abscess, periodontal disease, macrowear, microwear, and hypoplastic enamel defects are used to …

Agroborealis, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Winter 2006-2007), School Of Natural Resources And Agricultural Sciences

Agroborealis

Green Map Fairbanks: The geography of a community, as expressed in a map, doesn't have to limit itself to street names and topographical features. Green Map System Project #350 will be an online map of the Fairbanks area that includes cultural assets, recycling options, toxic waste hot spots, and more. / Deirdre Helfferich -- We all depend on our forests: The president of the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs (NAUFRP) offers commentary on our shared interest in the health, productivity, and sustainability of our forests. / Don DeHayes, reprinted from the Rutland Daily Herald -- Forests for a …

Dynamic Modeling Of The Hydrologic Processes In Areas Of Discontinuous Permafrost, William Robert Bolton

Engineering

The overarching hypothesis of this dissertation is "in the sub-arctic environment, the presence or absence of permafrost is dominant influence on hydrologic processes." The presence or absence of permafrost is the defining hydrologic characteristic in the sub-arctic environment. Discontinuous permafrost introduces very distinct changes in soil hydraulic properties, which introduce sharp discontinuities in hydrologic processes and ecosystem characteristics. Hydraulic properties vary over short and long time scales as the active layer thaws over the course of a summer or with changes in permafrost extent. The influence of permafrost distribution, active layer thaw depth, and wildfire on the soil moisture regime …

Mechanisms Of Soil Carbon Stabilization In Black Spruce Forests Of Interior Alaska: Soil Temperature, Soil Water, And Wildfire, Evan S. Kane

Forest Sciences

The likely direction of change in soil organic carbon (SOC) in the boreal forest biome, which harbors roughly 22% of the global soil carbon pool, is of marked concern because climate warming is projected to be greatest in high latitudes and temperature is the cardinal determinant of soil C mineralization. Moreover, the majority of boreal forest SOC is harbored in surficial organic horizons which are the most susceptible to consumption in wildfire. This research focuses on mechanisms of soil C accumulation in recently burned (2004) and unburned (~1850-1950) black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] BSP) forests along gradients in stand productivity …

Retrospective Analysis Of Marine Biological Data From Port Valdez, Alaska: A Case Study In Long -Term Monitoring, Arny L. Blanchard

Marine Biology

Efforts to understand anthropogenic effects within the Port Valdez study area provide a simple and adaptive model for developing and refining hypotheses to measure the structure of and detect, change in nearshore and benthic habitats. Drivers of change detected by this study are the 1964 Prince William Sound earthquake and the oil transportation and salmon aquaculture industries within the fjord. The study area is a glacial-outwash fjord characterized by strong seasonal and spatial environmental gradients due to glacial influences including seasonally low salinity, high suspended sediment loads, and subsequent high sedimentation rates. Direct and indirect effects from intolerance to low …

Odors And Ornaments In Crested Auklets (Aethia Cristatella): Signals Of Mate Quality?, Hector D. Douglas

Marine Biology

Crested auklets (Aethia cristatella) are small colonial seabirds that display an ornamental feather crest and emit a citrus-like odorant during the breeding season. In this study odors and ornaments were investigated as possible signals of mate quality. Crest size was negatively correlated with the stress hormone corticosterone in males, but this was not the case in females. Body condition was negatively correlated with corticosterone in females, but this was not the case in males. Corticosterone levels were interpreted as an index of physiological condition, and it was concluded that males with longer crests were more competent at meeting the social …

Growth Rates Of Calanoid Copepods In The Northern Gulf Of Alaska, And Their Relationships To Temperature, Chlorophyll And Body Size, Hui Liu

Marine Biology

The juvenile growth rate and development time of the dominant calanoid copepods in the northern Gulf of Alaska were investigated. The utility of the artificial-cohort method was successfully validated as the most practical approach for estimating copepod growth rates in this ecosystem. The underlying functional responses of growth rates to temperature, food concentration, and body size were thoroughly explored for Neocalanus flemingeri/plumchrus, Metridia pacifica, Calanus marshallae, C. pacificus and Pseudocalanus spp. These results lay the foundation for the calculation of copepod secondary production and ongoing ecosystem modeling activities for the northern Gulf of Alaska, and will contribute to the refinement …

A Multiple Stable Isotope Study Of Steller Sea Lions And Bowhead Whales: Signals Of A Changing Northern Environment, Pieter Andrew Dehart

Marine Biology

The North Pacific and Arctic marine realm is currently experiencing dramatic environmental changes as a result of global climate change. Stable isotope analysis of western arctic bowhead whales (WABW, Balaena mysticetus ) and Steller sea lions (SSL, Eumetopias jubatus) were conducted to examine the influence of these changes on life history characteristics (migration and foraging) of these marine mammals. WABW baleen plates were analyzed for their stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition (delta 18O and deltaD) and were compared to the delta18O and deltaD in water and zooplankton prey along their seasonal migratory route. The delta18O and deltaD varied along …

Population Structure And Behavior Of Pacific Halibut, Andrew C. Seitz

Marine Biology

Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) is not managed on regional scales with separate population dynamics, but rather as a single, fully mixed population extending from California through the Bering Sea. However, some of the evidence from which this paradigm was established is questionable and I hypothesize that there are separate spawning populations of Pacific halibut in three regions, the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, because these regions are geographically separated by land masses and/or deep water passes that may prevent movement by adults. Pop-up Archival Transmitting (PAT) tags were attached to Pacific halibut in each region to examine …

Distribution, Growth And Egg Production Of Euphausiids In The Northern Gulf Of Alaska, Alexei I. Pinchuk

Marine Biology

The euphausiids Thysanoessa inermis, Thysanoessa spinifera and Euphausia pacifica are key pelagic grazers and important prey for many vertebrates in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This thesis provides the first account of distribution, egg production, growth, development, and temporal variability in abundance of the euphausiids in relation to environmental variations in the northern GOA. T. inermis and T spinifera were abundant on the shelf within 120-130 km from the coast, while E. pacifica originated from offshore and was advected onto the shelf during summer. E. pacifica produced multiple broods with brood size strongly related to ambient chlorophyll a concentrations. In …

Understanding Alaska: People, Economy, And Resources, Mark Foster, Pamela Cravez, Terrence Cole

ISER Reports

Understanding Alaska is a special series of studies by the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), to examine economic development issues and help Alaskans understand how their economy works. The studies began in 2001, and here we highlight some of the work so far. The University of Alaska Foundation has provided most of the funding for Understanding Alaska which examines how Alaska’s economy works, why it’s different from those in other states, and how Alaska’s unique circumstances affect economic development. This publication divides Understanding Alaska research into three categories: People, Economy, and Fisheries. At the end of each section …

Hollins Columns (2006 Apr 17), Hollins College

Hollins Student Newspapers

Table of Contents:

• Spring fever hits Ireland abroad program
• Environmental advisory board comes to Hollins
• Evolution vs. intelligent design debate hits campus
• What do you think?
• Promotions abound: the tenure and "professor" process
• Communication department receives grant for trip to Washington D.C.
• Women in Music Course continues networking project
• Censorship: Why it's never an option
• April fools article on patriot act a personal bias
• Where has all the integrity gone?
• Freya activities: promote love and understanding
• Interstate 81 begins process to become new toll road
• Lacrosse teams ends its season with a win
• Veronica Mars delivers mysteries, and more
• Summer …

Microsatellite Variation Of Double-Crested Cormorant Populations In Eastern North America, M. Clay Green, Juliann L. Waits, Michael L. Avery, Mark E. Tobin, Paul L. Leberg

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) exhibit highly adaptive and opportunistic foraging behavior. This flexibility in foraging and increases in population size have led to conflicts with aquaculture and recreational and commercial fishing (Duffy 1995). Although double-crested cormorants roosting in the lower Mississippi Valley appear to have minimal negative impact on sport fisheries, they may have a significant impact on commercial aquaculture production in this region (Glahn and Brugger 1995, Glahn et al. 1998). In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the Final Environmental Impact Statement on double-crested cormorant management allowing more flexibility in control of these birds …

Agent-Based Modeling Of The Bristol Bay Drift Gillnet Salmon Fishery, Brandon Chasco, Gunnar Knapp, Ray Hilborn

ISER Reports

Alaska’s Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery is the world’s largest fishery for this species. Between 1980 and 2005, annual catches averaged 24 million fish, with an annual average ex-vessel value of US$165 million. Historically, the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery has accounted for 20-40% of the total value of Alaska salmon fisheries. Similar to most other Alaska salmon fisheries, Bristol Bay fisheries are managed to achieve escapement goals for several major river systems flowing into Bristol Bay. Fish- ing is allowed during period “openings” over the season to catch returning salmon surplus to escapement goals. In general, the current management …

Central Florida Future, Vol. 38 No. 61, April 17, 2006

Central Florida Future

No abstract provided.

April 17, 2006, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Institute Of Northern Engineering 2006 Annual Report, University Of Alaska Fairbanks, Melanie Rohr

INE Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Biocomplexity Of Nonsorted Circles In The Low Arctic, Alaska, Anja N. Kade

Biological Sciences

The vegetation and soils in many arctic tundra regions are influenced by the distribution of nonsorted circles, unique patterned-ground features that dot the well-vegetated tundra landscape. They are flat to dome-shaped, bare soil patches 0.5 to 3 m across and lack a border of stones. Localized soil disturbance due to cryogenic processes creates unusual micro-environments with unique plant communities, slow soil development and deep active layers. The contrast between barren nonsorted circles and the well-vegetated stable tundra provides an ideal opportunity to examine the complex linkages among vegetation, soil and disturbance through cryogenic processes, offering insight into how the tundra …

Methane Emissions From Lakes In Northeast Siberia And Alaska, Katey Marion Walter

Biological Sciences

Large uncertainties in the budget of atmospheric methane (CH4), an important greenhouse gas whose relative greenhouse effect is 23 times stronger than that of carbon dioxide (CO2), limit the accuracy of climate-change projections. Concentrations of atmospheric CH 4 have been rising during recent decades, particularly at high northern latitudes. The causes of this increase are not well understood. Here I describe and quantify an important source of methane---bubbling from northern lakes---that has not been incorporated in previous regional or global methane budgets. I introduce a new method to accurately measure ebullition (bubbling), which accounted for 95% of CH4 emissions from …

Molecular Population Genetics And Systematics Of Alaska Brown Bear (Ursus Arctos L.), Sandra Looman Talbot

Biological Sciences

Complete nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b, tRNAproline and tRNA threonine genes of the eight extant species of ursids, as well as 166 brown bears (Ursus arctos L.) from 10 geographic regions of Alaska and elsewhere, are used to generate hypotheses about phylogenetic relationships among ursids and phylogeographic relationships among brown bears. Additional data were obtained from mitochondrial DNA control region from over 200 brown bears among 14 populations in Alaska, to assess structuring among brown bears. Phylogenetic analyses indicate the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornata) represent basal extant taxa. Ursines, including the sun bear …

Carbon Sequestration In Alaska's Boreal Forest: Planning For Resilience In A Changing Landscape, Nancy Fresco

Biological Sciences

Northern ecosystems and those who rely upon them are facing a time of unprecedented rapid change. Global boreal forests will play an important role in the feedback loop between climate, ecosystems, and society. In this thesis, I examine forest carbon dynamics and the potential for carbon management in Interior boreal Alaska in three distinct frameworks, then analyze my results in the context of social-ecological resilience. In Chapter 1, I analyze comparative historical trends and current regulatory frameworks governing the use and management of boreal forests in Russia, Sweden, Canada, and Alaska, and assess indicators of socio-ecological sustainability in these regions. …

A Preliminary Review Of Neotropical Primates In The Subsistence And Symbolism Of Indigenous Lowland South American Peoples, Loretta Cormier

Ecological and Environmental Anthropology (University of Georgia)

This article provides a review of selected literature of nonhuman primates in the subsistence and symbolism of indigenous lowland South American groups. While few works have focused specifically on the relationship between human and nonhuman primates in Amazonia and the surrounding areas, a number of ethnographic works do incorporate information about the roles of monkeys in varied groups. The section on subsistence focuses on the use of primates as food, including preferences, avoidances, and taboos. The section on symbolism focuses on the role of monkeys in myths, folklore, and in delineating the humanity/animality divide.