Digital Commons Network^™

Climate And Predictability Of Alaska Wildfires, Peter A. Bieniek

Atmospheric Sciences

Wildfires burn an average of 3,760km² each year in Alaska, but varies greatly from year to year. These fires, started by human and natural causes, can endanger life and property when they approach populated areas. The relationship between seasonal area burned and monthly and seasonal average mean sea level pressure, surface air temperature, total column precipitable water, 500hPa and 700hPa geopotential height, 700hPa specific humidity and 1000-500hPa layer thickness is examined. The assessment was done by examining the spring and summer seasonal composites associated with extreme high and low seasons. This showed the predominant anomalies from the climatology for seasons …

Effect Of Oxidative Stress On Kinetic Parameters Of Cellular Actin Dynamics, Sayali Devdatta Kulkarni

Chemistry and Biochemistry

The integrity and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton is essential for the morphology and motility of neuronal cells both in developing and adult nervous system. Oxidative modification of actin both as monomers and in filaments alters the kinetics of actin filament dynamics contributing to neurodegeneration and aging. Our objective focused on changes of the kinetic parameters of oxidized actin as opposed to naive actin and its resulting effects on actin filament dynamics. We first validated Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) technology for our objective by studying interaction of naive actin with a monoclonal anti-actin antibody and DNase I. For interactions of …

Rhinoceros Auklet Developmental Responses To Moderate Food Restriction, Justine Sears

Biological Sciences

Seabird nestlings are vulnerable to food restriction because their parents may not buffer them from prey shortages. I conducted a captive study to explore how rhinoceros auklet chicks (Cerorhinca monocerata) may cope with food restriction and avoid long-term fitness consequences. I predicted auklet nestlings would be adapted to moderate levels of food-stress, and investigated how morphological allocation, glucocorticoid stress response, and fledging behavior change under conditions of a 50% calorie restriction. I also investigated effects of growth and food restriction on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios ([delta]¹³C and [delta]¹⁵N) in auklet tissues. I found that food-restricted auklets allocated resources …

Experimental Investigation Of Low Salinity Enhanced Oil Recovery Potential And Wettability Characterization Of Alaska North Slope Cores, Shivkumar B. Patil

Engineering

Rock wettability and the chemical properties of the injection water influence fluid distribution and multiphase fluid flow behavior in petroleum reservoirs and hence it consequently affects the final residual oil saturation. Many researchers have proven that oil recovery is increased by decreasing the salinity of water used for waterflooding process. Three sets of experiments were conducted on representative Alaska North Slope (ANS) core samples to experimentally ascertain the influence of injected brine/fluid composition on wettability and hence on oil recovery in secondary oil recovery mode. All the sets of experiments examined the effect of brine salinity variation on wettability and …

The Future Of Digital Library Development @ Uconn, Michael J. Bennett

UConn Library Presentations

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Gap

News Releases

No abstract provided.

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 032, Number 21, December 17, 2007, Grand Valley State University

2007-2008, Volume 32

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.

December 17, 2007 Reporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Newsroom, Georgia Southern University

Newsroom (2006-2023)

• Annual Southern Conference on Children set for Jan. 26

From Twisted Supersymmetry To Orbifold Lattices, Simon Catterall

Physics - All Scholarship

We show how to derive the supersymmetric orbifold lattices of Cohen et al. \cite{Cohen:2003xe,Cohen:2003qw} and Kaplan et al. \cite{Kaplan:2005ta} by direct discretization of an appropriate twisted supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory. We examine in detail the four supercharge two dimensional theory and the theory with sixteen supercharges in four dimensions. The continuum limit of the latter theory is the well known Marcus twist of {\cal N}=4 Yang-Mills. The lattice models are gauge invariant and possess one exact supersymmetry at non-zero lattice spacing.

Maiyumerak Creek: Late Prehistoric Subsistence And Seasonality In Northwest Alaska, Scott Shirar

Anthropology

The Maiyumerak Creek Site (XBM-131) is a late prehistoric site located near the confluence of Maiyumerak Creek and the Noatak River in the Noatak National Preserve, Alaska. Excavations conducted at the site by the National Park Service during the 2006 field season focused on one of eight identified house pits. This thesis focuses on the faunal remains and artifacts collected from the living floor of this house (House Pit 8). The analysis centers on answering how subsistence resource use is reflected in the artifact and faunal assemblages and the relationship between these two classes of data. I also analyze the …

Analysis And Comparison Of Age-Structured Assessment Models For Two Pacific Herring Populations, Peter-John F. Hulson

Fisheries

Substantial research has been devoted to identify causes for decline the of Prince William Sound (PWS) Pacific herring in the early 1990's because of the proximity to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). A potential source for decline has been identified with the isolation of disease in the PWS population. There have been limited investigations of PWS Pacific herring population dynamics related to other stocks in the Gulf of Alaska. The objective of this thesis was to compare observations and age-structured assessment (ASA) model results between PWS and Sitka Sound Pacific herring. Data conflicts were evaluated in the PWS …

The Effect Of Temperature On Circulating Levels Of Methyl Farnesoate And Ecdysteroid Hormones In Female Snow Crab Chionoecetes Opilio, From The Bering Sea, Jacqueline Loretta Mitchell

Fisheries

Methyl farnesoate, a reproductive hormone in crustaceans, was detected for the first time in the hemolymph of female Chionoecetes opilio. Ovigerous crabs were maintained at -1,0, 1, and 3° C to represent near bottom temperatures of the Bering Sea, throughout a reproductive cycle to assess changes, and temperature effects, in hormone levels associated with ovarian maturation, hatching and subsequent extrusion of the next clutch. Methyl farnesoate (MF) levels did not change significantly in any treatment throughout the duration of egg incubation. Levels of MF significantly decreased in crabs exposed to -1 and 0° C when initial versus post extrusion levels …

Landscape Modeling Of Threespine Stickleback Occurrence In Small Southeast Alaska Lakes, Dave Gregovich

Fisheries

Although threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L) are known to inhabit a wide range of habitats, their distribution in lakes across Southeast Alaska is not known. Threespine stickleback are an important prey item for many consumers in freshwater ecosystems. Additionally, isolated populations may be genetically unique and thus important from a conservation perspective. This study focused on identifying' landscape factors and models useful in predicting the presence of threespine stickleback in small (0.5-5 ha) lakes of Southeast Alaska. Stickleback occurrence was assessed via snorkeling and minnow trapping in 54 lakes, which were divided into calibration (n=36) and prediction (n=18) data sets. …

Feeding Ecology And Energy Density Of Juvenile Chum Salmon, Oncorhynchus Keta, From Kuskokwim Bay, Western Alaska, Sean Eugene Burril

Fisheries

Juvenile chum salmon from Kuskokwim Bay were sampled for patterns in diet and energy density in 2003 and 2004. Comparisons were made interannually, seasonally, between juvenile size classes, and between sailinity ranges. Sampling was conducted using a modified Kvichak Trawl. Bomb calorimetry was used to obtain energy density values. Feeding success and feeding intensity increased with fish size and season, and was highest in waters with moderate salinity. Feeding success and intensity were lowest for smaller juvenile chum salmon collected early in the season in water with low salinity. Prey composition was similar in both years, but varied with fish …

Occurrence Patterns Of Whistler Mode (Wm) Echoes Observed By Rpi/Image And Their Relation To Geomagnetic Activity, Amani Reddy

Engineering

This thesis presents an analysis of whistler mode (WM) echoes observed at altitudes less than 5,000 km by the Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) on the IMAGE satellite. WM echoes are generated either by specular reflection (SR) of RPI signals at the Earth-ionosphere boundary (~90 km) or by magnetospheric reflection of RPI signals [...] at altitudes greater than 1,000 km [Sonwalkar et al., 2004; Sonwalkar et al., 2006]. These echoes are further influenced by field aligned irregularities (FAI) and are categorized into discrete, multipath or diffuse SR- and MR- WM echoes, based on their characteristic spectral forms. A survey of WM …

Argon Isotopes And Geochemistry Of El ChichóN Volcano, Chiapas, Mexico, Daniel A. Jones

Geosciences

Argon isotope systematics can be highly insightful for the investigation of magmatic processes, as the isotopic ratios of different terrestrial reservoirs vary greatly and argon diffuses rapidly at magmatic temperatures. In an effort to understand the dynamics of argon systematics in volcanic systems, the major phases of the eruptive products of EI Chichón volcano were subjected to argon isotopic and bulk chemical analysis. While glass analyses were typically atmospheric in composition, phenocrysts display variation in both concentration and isotopic composition, both within and between the eruptive units, with a major change in behavior noted around 1500 YBP. This same event …

Seismicity And Stresses In The Kantishna Seismic Cluster, Central Alaska, Lea A. Burris

Alaska Earthquake Center Related Theses

The Kantishna Cluster is an enigmatic and energetic cluster of earthquakes located in central Alaska, just to the northwest of Mt. McKinley/Denali and adjacent to the Denali Fault. The Kantishna Cluster has no visible fault traces, and is often speculated to have a connection to the Denali Fault. The Kantishna Cluster is located at a hub of tectonic activity including Bering Block rotation to the west, bookshelf faulting to the northeast, and rotation of southern Alaska due to Pacific plate convergence to the south. The intention of this study was to broaden the knowledge base about the Kantishna Cluster and …

Carbonate Facies And Sequence Stratigraphy Of The Carboniferous Lisburne Group, Upper Nanushuk River Region, Central Brooks Range, Alaska, Jesse Garnett White

Geosciences

This study documents the stratigraphy, facies, facies associations, depositional environment, sequence stratigraphy, and conodont biostratigraphy of the upper Nanushuk River section of the Lisburne Group. 1621 meters of Kayak Shale and Lisburne Group rocks were measured and studied for facies analysis. Sixteen lithofacies and eleven microfacies were identified composing six facies assemblages. Facies analysis, stacking patterns, and associations suggest that the Nansushuk River section represents a homoclinal carbonate ramp recording an intertidal (Kayak Shale) and open marine to basin transitional sequence. Facies associations, stacking patterns and marine flooding surfaces helped to delineate major sequence boundaries and maximum flooding surfaces. Six …

Bacteria Associated With Paralytic Shellfish Toxin-Producing Strains Of Anabaena Circinalis, Renee Alaine Raudonis

Marine Biology

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are produced by dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria. There is growing evidence that bacteria associated with dinoflagellates play a role in the production of PSTs, however, no studies have examined the type of bacteria associated with toxic cyanobacteria or the role these bacteria could play in PST-production or metabolism. Further, there are no known axenic cultures of PST-producing cyanobacteria, suggesting that cyanobacteria are dependent on one or more bacteria for growth/survival. The research reported here examined the bacterial community associated with six Australian freshwater cyanobacterial strains of Anabaena circinalis obtained from the CSIRO, three toxic and three non-toxic. …

A Multi-Proxy Approach To Determine Paleoecological Change Of Mangroves, During The Holocene, In Belize, Central America, Natalie Marie Monacci

Marine Biology

This thesis presents multiple analyses of mangrove peat cores from Spanish Lookout Cay (BT - 79) and from along the banks of the Sibun River (SR-63), Belize to examine ecosystem responses to environmental change during the Holocene. Radiocarbon measurements showed these sites were colonized by mangroves ~8,000 cal. yrs BP and have decreased sedimentation rates from ~6,000 to ~1,000 cal. yrs BP, which is attributed to a decrease in sea-level inundation. Core SR-63 has a change in lithology from primarily mangrove peat to fluvial material at 2,500 cal. yrs BP, which is attributed to erosion inputs of the drainage basin. …

Habitat Use Of Pacific Herring (Clupea Pallasii) In Prince William Sound, Alaska, Seanbob R. Kelly

Marine Biology

To determine the spawning area contributions of Pacific herring (Clupea pallashii) larvae to nursery bays, otolith chemical analysis was conducted on juvenile fish collected from 1995 to 1997 in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The otolith edge, representing the chemical signature of the known capture location, and the otolith core, representing the unknown spawning ground chemistry, were compared with discriminant function analysis to infer spawning area origin. Chemical signatures of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, ⁸⁸Sr/⁴⁸Ca, ²⁴Mg/⁴⁸Ca, and ¹³⁸Ba/⁴⁸Ca were used to identify broad spawning regions from inner and outer PWS that persisted for the three years sampling period despite significant interannual variability in otolith …

12 Cfr 201: Extensions Of Credit By Federal Reserve Banks [12/17/2007 Regulation A], Federal Reserve System: Board Of Governors

Documents

Final rule establishing the TAF and building on prior versions of Regulation A

Secretary Paulson Prepared Remarks Before The Housing Townhall Meeting At The East Orange Community Center, Henry M. Paulson Jr.

Documents

No abstract provided.

Taking The Legislative Temperature: Which Federal Climate Change Legislative Proposal Is “Best”? (Part Ii), Victor B. Flatt

NULR Online

No abstract provided.

All The Mornings

News Releases

No abstract provided.

No Health Insurance: How Do Alaskans Cope?, Rosyland Frazier, Virgene Hanna

ISER Reports

No abstract provided.

Sculptures By New York-Born Artist Displayed In Meek Hall Through Jan. 17, Lee Eric Smith

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. - Sculptures by visiting artist Jennifer Torres are on exhibit at the University of Mississippi through Jan. 17. Torres, a faculty member at the University of Southern Mississippi, is showing her work in Gallery 130 of Meek Hall. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The gallery is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays except during the holiday break Dec. 21-Jan. 2.

Oral Immunization Of Rhesus Macaques With Adenoviral Hiv Vaccines Using Enteric-Coated Capsules, George T. Mercier, Pramod N. Nehete, Marco F. Passeri, Bharti N. Nehete, Eric A. Weaver, Nancy Smyth Templeton, Kimberly Schluns, Stephanie S. Buchl, K. Buchl, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Targeted delivery of vaccine candidates to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract holds potential for mucosal immunization, particularly against mucosal pathogens like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Among the different strategies for achieving targeted release in the GI tract, namely the small intestine, pH sensitive enteric coating polymers have been shown to protect solid oral dosage forms from the harsh digestive environment of the stomach and dissolve relatively rapidly in the small intestine by taking advantage of the luminal pH gradient. We developed an enteric polymethacrylate formulation for coating hydroxy-propyl-methyl-cellulose (HPMC) capsules containing lyophilized Adenoviral type 5 (Ad5) vectors expressing HIV-1 gag …

Post-Breeding Habitat Use By Adult Boreal Toads (Bufo Boreas) After Wildfire In Glacier National Park, Usa, C. Gregory Guscio, Blake R. Hossack, Lisa A. Eby, Paul Stephen Corn

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Effects of wildfire on amphibians are complex, and some species may benefit from the severe disturbance of stand-replacing fire. Boreal Toads (Bufo boreas boreas) in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA increased in occurrence after fires in 2001 and 2003. We used radio telemetry to track adult B. boreas in a mosaic of terrestrial habitats with different burn severities to better understand factors related to the post-fire pulse in breeding activity. Toads used severely burned habitats more than expected and partially burned habitats less than expected. No toads were relocated in unburned habitat, but little of the study area …