Digital Commons Network^™

Clemson Commencement Program, December 2008, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

University Of Montana Events Monday, Dec. 22, 2008, Through Monday, Jan. 12, 2009, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Resonance Raman Characterization Of The Peroxo And Hydroperoxo Intermediates In Cytochrome P450, Ilia G. Denisov, Piotr J. Mak, Thomas M. Makris, Stephen G. Sligar, James R. Kincaid

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Resonance Raman (RR) studies of intermediates generated by cryoreduction of the oxyferrous complex of the D251N mutant of cytochrome P450_cam (CYP101) are reported. Owing to the fact that proton delivery to the active site is hindered in this mutant, the unprotonated peroxo-ferric intermediate is observed as the primary species after radiolytic reduction of the oxy-complex in frozen solutions at 77 K. In as much as previous EPR and ENDOR studies have shown that annealing of this species to ∼180 K results in protonation of the distal oxygen atom to form the hydroperoxo intermediate, this system has been exploited to …

Interstate Pluralism: The Role Of Federalism In The Same-Sex Marriage Debate, Jeffrey L. Rensberger

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Interstate Recognition Of Adoptions: On Jurisdiction, Full Faith And Credit, And The Kinds Of Challenges The Future May Bring, Mark Strasser

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

"Oye Mi Voz!" (Hear My Voice!): The Perceptions Of Hispanic Boys Regarding Their Literacy Experiences, Rubylinda Zickafoose

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to uncover the perspectives that pertain to the literacy experiences of young Hispanic boys. Hispanic boys will be asked to describe, feel, judge, and make sense of their public and private literacies (Faulkner, 2005). This phenomenological study embraces two methods of data collection, participant focus groups and individual interviews. The primary question guiding this inquiry was: What are the perceptions of adolescent Hispanic boys who are considered low level readers (by state achievement tests) regarding their literacy experiences?

In order to help provide background information and set the stage for future work when considering …

Learning From Near Misses In Medication Errors: A Bayesian Approach, Jessica A. Myers, Francesca Dominici, Laura Morlock

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

Medical errors originating in health care facilities are a significant source of preventable morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Voluntary error report systems that collect information on the causes and contributing factors of medi- cal errors regardless of the resulting harm may be useful for developing effective harm prevention strategies. Some patient safety experts question the utility of data from errors that did not lead to harm to the patient, also called near misses. A near miss (a.k.a. close call) is an unplanned event that did not result in injury to the patient. Only a fortunate break in the chain of …

Stony Brook Press, V. 30, N. 07, Stony Brook University. Stony Brook Press.

Stony Brook Press

v. 30, n. 07, v.:ill. ; 38 cm (original analog pub.)

Archaeology Via Underwater Robots: Mapping And Localization Within Maltese Cistern Systems, Christopher M. Clark, Christopher S. Olstad, Keith Buhagiar, Timmy Gambin

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper documents the application of several underwater robot mapping and localization techniques used during an archaeological expedition. The goal of this project was to explore and map ancient cisterns located on the islands of Malta and Gozo. The cisterns of interest acted as water storage systems for fortresses, private homes, and churches. They often consisted of several connected chambers, still containing water. A sonar-equipped Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) was deployed into these cisterns to obtain both video footage and sonar range measurements. Four different mapping and localization techniques were employed including 1) Sonar image mosaics using stationary sonar scans, …

Semantic Sensor Web, Amit P. Sheth, Cory Henson, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

Guidance For Sustainable Tourism In Kotzebue, Alaska, Annabelle C. Alvite

Rural Development

Tourism once thrived in Kotzebue, a rural largely Iñupiat Eskimo community in Northwest Alaska. Today there is very little evidence of the summer tourism that once characterized this remote Arctic town. Trends suggest a revival of tourism in Kotzebue, though little is being done to prepare for an almost inevitable rebirth. This research is intended to identify local concerns about tourism, the current state of tourism and offer guidance for sustainable tourism. Qualitative and inductive research was conducted to understand local feelings about tourism and possible reasons past tourism levels could not be sustained. Suggestions are given for a new …

Balancing The Conservation Of Wildlife Habitat With Road Access For Subsistence Hunting In Yakutat, Alaska, Colin S. Shanley

Biological Sciences

"This thesis was an interdisciplinary investigation with the goal of balancing the conservation of wildlife habitat with road access for subsistence hunting in Yakutat, Alaska. The problem posed by land managers and subsistence moose hunters revolved around the use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs; e.g. 'four-wheelers') for subsistence moose hunting and the potential disturbance OHVs have on moose. This complex social-ecological problem is becoming an increasingly common management dilemma faced by rural mixed cash-subsistence communities across the Circumpolar North. I addressed this problem in two chapters with a combination of methods from wildlife ecology, landscape modeling, subsistence land-use, and scenario planning. …

Effects Of Military Overflights On Habitat Use And Selection By Female Dall's Sheep, Yukon-Tanana Uplands, Alaska, Bradley R. Wendling

Biological Sciences

"My objective was to assess the potential effects of military overflights on home range size, movement rates, habitat use, and habitat selection of female Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli) during 2-week sequential periods, April-July, 1999-2002. I examined sheep in 2 study areas overlain with designated military training airspace within the Yukon-Tanana uplands, Alaska. I examined the effects of study area, year, and sequential time period on: 1) mean home range size, 2) mean minimum hourly distance traveled by sheep, and 3) mean use and selection ratios for the habitat variables of elevation, slope, terrain ruggedness, aspect, and landcover class. Mean number …

The Acetylcholine Binding Protein Of Lymnaea Stagnalis As A Biosensor And Model For Ligand Gated Ion Channel Proteins, Abraham Edward Harms-Smyth

Chemistry and Biochemistry

The structural similarity of the Acetylcholine Binding Protein (AChBP) from Lymnaea stagnalis to the extracellular ligand binding domain of Ligand Gated Ion Channel (LGIC) receptors suggests that the AChBP could be used to mimic cys-loop ligand-gated ion channel (LGIC) receptors. An LGIC mimic could be used as a sensor molecule in a range of biotechnology applications including high throughput drug screening as well as in vivo and in vitro sensing of biologically active compounds. It could also be used as a lead molecule for engineering novel proteins with binding characteristics similar to non-acetylcholine receptor LGIC's. The soluble AChBP is easily …

Latitudinal Patterns Of Amino Acid Cycling And Plant N Uptake Among North American Forest Ecosystems, Jack W. Mcfarland

Biological Sciences

Interest in the role of organic nitrogen (N) to the N economy of forest ecosystems is gaining momentum as ecologists revise the traditional paradigm in N cycling to emphasize the importance of depolymerization of soil organic matter (SOM) in controlling the bioavailability of N in forest soils. Still, there has yet to be a coordinated effort aimed at developing general patterns for soil organic N cycling across ecosystems that vary in climate, SOM quality, plant taxa, or dominant mycorrhizal association: ectomycorrhizae (EM) vs. arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM). In this study, experimental additions of 13C15N-glycine and 15NH4+ were traced in situ through …

King Eider Migration And Seasonal Interactions At The Individual Level, Steffen Oppel

Biological Sciences

Seasonal interactions describe how events during one season of the annual cycle of a migratory bird affect its fitness in subsequent seasons. Understanding the strength and mechanism of seasonal interactions is important to predict how migratory birds will respond to future challenges caused by habitat loss and climate change. This dissertation explores seasonal interactions between different stages of the annual cycle in an arctic-breeding sea duck, the King Eider (Somateria spectabilis). Concerns over recent population declines and potential effects of climate change on marine habitats used by the species highlight the need for a better understanding of its life history. …

Patterns Of Genetic Variation Among Various Beringian Birds, Elizabeth Marella Humphries

Biological Sciences

Every animal has two different sets of genes, the mitochondrial genome and the nuclear genome. They are inherited independently of each other and can have dissimilar evolutionary histories. For this thesis, I examined the correlation of the mitochondrial (using direct sequencing of mitochondrial DNA) and nuclear (using a fragment-based technique, AFLPs) evolutionary histories in Beringian birds. The first study looked at relationships among a within-Beringia radiation of birds, the Aethia auklets. I was able to infer a resolved phylogeny using mitochondrial DNA, but found a polytomy using nuclear DNA. The lack of correlation between the genomes is either the result …

Winter Movements Of Arctic Foxes In Northern Alaska Measured By Satellite Telemetry, Nathan J. Pamperin

Biological Sciences

We studied winter movements of 37 arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) collared within a petroleum development area at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (n = 20), and an undeveloped area in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A, n = 17) during the winters of 2004, 2005, and 2006 using satellite telemetry. Comparing Prudhoe Bay and NPR-A, differences in mean movement rates of juveniles was 23.9 ± 2.7 km per duty cycle and 10.6 ± 2.8 km per duty cycle for adults, and mean difference in maximum distance from capture site for juveniles was 265.2 ± 63.2 km and 205.5 ± 128.9 km for adults. …

The Ontogeny Of Hypoxic Neuroventilation In The Brainstem Of The Developing American Bullfrog, Rana Catesbeiana, Justin C. Buehner

Biological Sciences

Isolated brainstem models have been used twice to examine the hypoxic neuroventilatory response (HnVR) in developing bullfrogs with varying results, leading me to question if the results of these two previous studies were physiologically relevant. Based on in vivo and in vitro observations, I hypothesized that buccal neuroventilation exhibits no ventilatory response to hypoxia in any developmental stage and that lung neuroventilation exhibits a biphasic hypoxic response in late metamorphic tadpoles and a neuroventilatory depression in juvenile bullfrogs and early metamorphic tadpoles. I tested this by using brainstems isolated from intact early and late metamorphic tadpoles and juvenile bullfrogs exposed …

Community, Population, And Growth Dynamics Of Alnus Tenuifolia: Implications For Nutrient Cycling On An Interior Alaskan Floodplain, Dana Rachel Nossov

Biological Sciences

This study describes the community, population, and growth dynamics of Alnus tenuifolia (thinleaf alder) and implications for nutrient cycling on the Tanana River floodplains. Through symbiotic N-fixation inputs, alder contributed to soil N accumulation with time. N-fixation itself was likely limited by soil P. Soil N was positively related to alder stem density in early successional stands. Community structure varied along a temporal gradient of changing environmental characteristics, but variations in successional patterns were found. Landscape scale alder recruitment varied temporally and was apparently linked to interactions between geofluvial processes, seed production and dispersal, and herbivory. A widespread stem canker …

Gene By Environment Interactions Between Three Candidate Genes For Obesity And Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Renee Leigh Pasker

Biological Sciences

Multi-factorial diseases, like obesity, are caused by genetic and environmental factors. Few studies examine potential interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Understanding these interactions can lead to better disease prevention. One important environmental factor related to obesity is omega-3 fatty acids. Yup’ik Eskimos consume a high amount of two omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This study examined 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in three genes: ADIPOQ, PPARG, and PPARGC1A. Also, 7 obesity phenotypes were examined: BMI, percent body fat, waist circumference, sum of skin-folds, plasma adiponectin, plasma triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol. Associations between these SNPs …

Sensitivity Of Boreal Forest Carbon Dynamics To Long-Term (1989-2005) Throughfall Exclusion In Interior Alaska), Sarah A. Runck

Forest Sciences

"The objective of this study was to assess the effect of throughfall exclusion (1989-2005) on forest vegetation and soil in upland and floodplain landscape positions. In uplands, imposed drought reduced soil moisture at 5, 10, and 20 cm depths and increased soil C storage by slowing decomposer activity at the surface. In the drought plots, aboveground tree growth was reduced and root biomass in mineral soil was increased. In floodplains, imposed drought did not reduce soil moisture as strongly as it did in uplands, though near-surface soil C storage was still increased as a result of reduced decomposer activity. Floodplain …

Suffering, Pity, And Pride: Complexities Of The Russian-American Adoption Relationship From The Early 1990'S To 2007, Andrea K. Neighbors

Anthropology

This thesis describes and analyzes the Russian-American adoption relationship between the early 1990s and 2007. In the early 1990s, an Non-Governmental Organization report depicting Russian orphanages provided Americans with pitiful images of Russian orphaned children. The report became iconic and shaped the way Americans perceived Russian orphans and orphanages. For the rest of the 1990s, Russian children became one of the most popular adoption choices for American parents; these children had the “right” race and could be “saved”. In 2005, news started to surface that adopted Russian children had been murdered in the U.S. by American adoptive parents. The Russian …

The Effects Of Scale And Spatial Heterogeneities On Diffusion In Volcanic Breccias And Basalts: Amchitka, Alaska, Jennifer Lyn Benning

Engineering

Aqueous phase diffusion of molecules in fractured crystalline rock can play a dominant role in the fate and transport of contaminants, particularly if advective flows are very slow. The importance of the role of diffusion, typically a very slow process, also becomes an important mechanism to consider if the contaminants are long-lived in the subsurface, and thus their fate and transport must be considered over very long time-scales. Owing to the inherently heterogeneous nature of the subsurface, quantification of diffusive transport in the subsurface is extremely complex. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the …

Habitat Analysis Of Major Fishing Grounds On The Continental Shelf Off Kodiak, Alaska, Sean Charles Rooney

Fisheries

"The continental shelf and upper slope of the Gulf of Alaska support diverse and commercially important communities of demersal fishes. Twenty-eight video-strip transects conducted from a research submersible, together with habitat maps based on interpreted multibeam sonar data, were used to classify distribution and abundance patterns of fishes relative to seafloor substrate type and water depth on Albatross and Portlock Banks on the Kodiak Shelf in the Gulf of Alaska. These associations were examined across spatial scales: ranging from tens of kilometer centimeters in size. A total of 5,778 fishes were recorded from 33 taxa. Fish community distribution patterns were …

Chancellor's Report 2008-12, John Pugh

Chancellor's Report

No abstract provided.

Quikscat Measurements Of The Wind Field Over The Bering And Chukchi Seas, Jeremy M. Mull

Marine Biology

The purpose of this study is to investigate the dynamic wind field and resulting ocean circulation patterns in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. This region forms an important link in global ocean circulation as Bering Strait is a major conduit for water flowing into the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic has been identified as an area sensitive to climate change; thus it is vital to understand how water and energy flow through this region. We first quantify the differences between the winds measured in this region by the Quik Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) and those modeled by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction …

The Status Of Pacific Walrus (Odebenus Rosmarus Divergens) Foraging Habitat And Diet Around St. Lawrence Island, Tracie E. Merrill

Marine Biology

With ongoing climate change, food resources may be reduced for Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). Significant differences in walrus foraging habitat (benthic communities) or diet might indicate changes in prey quality or quantity. In this study, benthic infaunal biomass, abundance, and composition were compared between 1970-1974 and 2006 at stations southwest of St. Lawrence Island. Sediment grain size was compared because it strongly determines benthic community structure. Wet weights, counts, and species composition of prey items found in stomachs of walruses collected near the island were compared between the 1980s and 2007. Benthic invertebrate biomass and abundance increased mainly due …

Quantifying The Effects Of Land Use Change On Stream Ecosystems For Use In Ecological Risk Assessment, Katherine Sciera

All Dissertations

Land disturbance often results in a cascade of physical and chemical stressors to aquatic ecosystems which can impact their biotic integrity. This study examined three developing watersheds near Greenville, SC to evaluate the quantitative relationships between the physical stressors associated with land use alterations and biotic integrity. More specifically, the objectives of this study were to 1) quantify the mechanisms of aquatic ecosystem degradation in streams impacted by watershed urbanization, 2) demonstrate the use of quantitative relationships among the physical, chemical, and biological stressors associated with land use change in an established ecological risk assessment framework, and 3) identify the …

Ontology Generation, Information Harvesting And Semantic Annotation For Machine-Generated Web Pages, Cui Tao

Theses and Dissertations

The current World Wide Web is a web of pages. Users have to guess possible keywords that might lead through search engines to the pages that contain information of interest and browse hundreds or even thousands of the returned pages in order to obtain what they want. This frustrating problem motivates an approach to turn the web of pages into a web of knowledge, so that web users can query the information of interest directly. This dissertation provides a step in this direction and a way to partially overcome the challenges. Specifically, this dissertation shows how to turn machine-generated web …