Digital Commons Network^™

Adapting To Climate Change While Planning For Disaster: Footholds, Rope Lines, And The Iowa Floods, Robert R.M. Verchick, Abby Hall

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Unexplained Fractures In Infants And Child Abuse: The Case For Requiring Bone-Density Testing Before Convicting Caretakers, Matt Seeley

BYU Law Review

No abstract provided.

Fall 2011 Commencement - The University Of Texas Of The Permian Basin, The University Of Texas Permian Basin

UTPB Commencement Programs

Fall 2011 Commencement - December 17, 2011

Role Of Pseudomonas Produced Hydrogen Cyanide In Biological Control Of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes, Haytham Aly

Dissertations

Plant-parasitic nematodes are among the most devastating pests world-wide, causing extensive damage to important agriculture crops. The management of nematodes is challenging. Current methods used for nematode control rely mostly on using chemical nematicides and naturally resistant plants. Because of serious health and environmental problems associated with chemical control and over use of resistant plants resulting in resistant breaking strains of nematodes, alternative nematode-control methods are needed. Several potential nematode-biocontrol agents, including bacteria and fungi, have been studied for their antagonistic effect toward plant-parasitic nematodes. However, a concise picture about the biological agent’s mechanisms used to antagonize nematodes remains elusive. …

Part Ed 306 Minimum Standards For Public School Approval, New Hampshire Department Of Education

Manchester Research Group

New Hampshire minimum school standards.

Fall Commencement [Program], December 17, 2011, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates.

Integrated Waste Management As A Climate Change Stabilization Wedge For The Maletese Islands, Clyde Falzon

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Planet Earth is finding difficulty in dealing with the continuous increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. This is leading to change in climate which leads to extensive damage to communities, ecosystems and resources. This study is focussed on the waste sector which is the second largest greenhouse gas emitter in the Maltese islands after the energy (including transport) sector. Moreover, if practiced according to standards, waste management can lead to emission reduction. This work is based on the stabilisation wedges strategy and specifically focused on the integrated waste management wedge. Moreover in this work a life cycle assessment methodology is …

Nicotine Sensitization And Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Content In Adolescent Rats Neonatally Treated With Quinpirole., Addie Roberts

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Neonatal treatment of quinpirole in rats increases dopamine D2-like receptor sensitivity over the animal’s lifetime, a phenomenon referred to as D2 priming. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were given quinpirole (1mg/kg, i.p.) or saline on postnatal days (P)1-21. After habituation to a locomotor arena on P29-31, beginning P33, animals were administered nicotine (0.3 mg/kg, 0.5 mg/kg, or 0.7 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline and placed into a locomotor arena for behavioral testing every second day for a total of 9 treatments. The results showed that adolescents neonatally treated with quinpirole produced more enhanced sensitization to nicotine than controls. Brains tissues were …

162nd Commencement, Fall

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of Chemical Models Of Hydrolase Enzymes For Intramolecular Catalysis., Cornelius Ndi Ndi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most nuclease enzymes can hydrolyze phosphoester bonds (in DNA and RNA) by using metal ions cofactors that coordinate and activate water molecules in the enzymes' active sites. However, there are some hydrolase enzymes (including nucleases) that can function without the aid of metal ions. 2,6-Di(1H-imidazol-2-yl)phenol, a model compound for hydrolase enzyme, was synthesized by the reaction between ethylenediamine and dimethyl-3-carboxysalicylate, initially resulting in the formation of diimidazoline. The diimidazoline was subsequently aromatized to the diimidazole by dehydrogenation over palladium. The overall reaction yield was low; therefore, other dehydrogenation transformation reactions were tried but all failed to improve the …

Entry Age And Reading Level By The End Of Third Grade., Tony Lynn Dalton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to see if a difference exists in the mean Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills: Oral Reading Fluency scores of students who entered kindergarten as 4 year olds, 5 year olds, and 6 year olds inclusively. Specifically, this dissertation considered the possibility that holding children out of kindergarten an extra year increased their reading level, while sending children to school too young delayed their ability to read and comprehend.

A quantitative study was used to find differences between the mean reading levels at the end of 3rd grade for students who entered kindergarten on or …

Survey Of Flavonoids And Their Distribution In Different Kinds Of Onions Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography And Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry., Archana Racharla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research is done to determine the distribution of flavonoids in diverse varieties of onions (commercial and wild onions). Reflux extraction method was done on dried onions and the abstracts were analyzed subsequently by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). Statistical calculations were done to see if there are significant differences in the varieties of onions studied from the chromatographic profiles obtained. The chromatograms obtained were patterned using visual observations, scatter plot study, correlation co-efficient, and ANOVA to evaluate the significant difference of the distribution of flavonoids in varieties of onions. The organic white onions seem …

Fabrication Of Chemically Modified Nanometer-Sized Gold Electrodes And Their Application In Electrocatalysis At Pt Nanoparticles., Jude Lakbub

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogen evolution via proton reduction occurs at a high rate at the surface of Pt than at Au electrodes. Using cyclic voltammetry, chemically modified nanometer-sized Au electrodes, prepared by the Laser-Assisted Puller Method, were employed to examine current amplification by electrocalysis at Pt nanoparticles adsorbed on the modified Au electrode surfaces. The electrodes were modified with Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs) of cysteamine and soaked in Pt colloid solutions overnight. Monitoring the decrements of the characteristic steady-state catalytic current for proton reduction indicated that aggregates of Pt nanoparticles are adsorbed on the cysteamine monolayers and desorb from them particle by particle. The …

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Fifty-Second Annual Commencement, December 17, 2011, Illinois State University

Commencement Programs

Normal, Illinois
Illinois State University
One Hundred and Fifty-Second Annual Commencement
December 17, 2011

Remote Sensing Of Browning Trends In The Alaskan Boreal Forest, Mary Elizabeth Parent

Forest Sciences

Vegetation health can be monitored using a time series of remotely sensed images by calculating the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). We assessed temporal trends throughout an NDVI time series with three sensors: Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Landsat Thematic Mapper/Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (TM/ETM+). There has been debate over the reliability of AVHRR sensor NDVI data in the circumboreal region. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to first use MODIS and Landsat TM/ETM+ data and assess declining trends within twelve Landsat scene footprints across boreal Alaska and second use Landsat …

Reproductive Ecology And Morphometric Subspecies Comparisons Of Dunlin (Calidris Alpina), An Arctic Shorebird, Heather River Gates

Biological Sciences

The Arctic region provides globally important breeding and migratory habitat for abundant wildlife populations including migratory shorebirds. Due to their remote breeding locations, basic information on breeding ecology, annual productivity, and factors that regulate their populations are poorly studied. Wildlife biologists managing migratory bird populations require detailed information on avian breeding biology, in addition to information on migration ecology including connectivity of migratory stopover and wintering locations. To address information gaps in fecundity, I conducted an experimental study investigating the renesting ecology of Dunlin (Calidris alpina arcticola) by removing clutches at two stages of incubation and by following adults marked …

Novel Fungal Taxa In An Alaskan Boreal Forest: Phylogenetic Affinities, Ecologies, And Ribosomal Rna Secondary Structures, Daniel Glass

Biological Sciences

Phylogenetic analyses suggest that a novel DNA sequence (NS1) found in a boreal forest soil-clone library belongs to the fungal kingdom but does not fall unambiguously within any known class. In order to determine if NS1 codes for an authentic ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene-copy, I modeled ribosomal RNA secondary structure for four gene regions. Such analyses have never been used on environmental ribosomal sequences before. It appears that NS1 does code for an authentic gene-copy and is not a biological or lab artifact. I also elucidated the habitat preferences, horizon preferences, and fine-scale spatial structure of NS1 using molecular methods. …

The Response Of Plant Community Structure And Productivity To Changes In Hydrology In Alaskan Boreal Peatlands, Amber C. Churchill

Biological Sciences

Northern peatlands have been a long-term sink for atmospheric CO₂, and have had a net cooling effect on global climate for the last 8,000 to 11,000 years. Across Alaska, peatlands face increased effects of climate change through hydrologic disturbance, both drying and flooding, and these conditions alter the ability of peatlands to accumulate carbon. Here, I examined the influence of changing hydrology in a moderate rich fen and a bog located in the discontinuous permafrost zone of interior Alaska. In both sites, I quantified how changing hydrology affected vegetation composition and ecosystem carbon uptake. At the fen, drying via a …

Terrestrial Invertebrate Prey For Juvenile Chinook Salmon: Abundance And Environmental Controls In An Interior Alaska River, Laura Gutierrez

Biological Sciences

Terrestrial prey subsidies can be a key food source for stream fish, but their importance and environmental controls on their abundance have not been widely documented in high latitude ecosystems. This study investigated terrestrial invertebrate prey availability and predation by age-0+ juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), overlap between terrestrial infall and drift to diet, and the relationship between diet to stream temperature and discharge in the Chena River, Interior Alaska. Terrestrial infall, drift, and juvenile chinook diet varied widely through the summers (May-September) of 2008 and 2009. Drift was comprised of 33% terrestrial and 67% aquatic invertebrate mass, while juvenile …

Use Of Hurst And Renyi Analysis To Detect And Characterize Pacific Decadal Oscillation Impacts On Climate Variability In Alaska, Jean K. Talbot

Atmospheric Sciences

While climate systems are known be nonlinear, most statistical tools used to study climate are linear. Two nonlinear analyses are introduced for indicating predictability in climate studies: Hurst analysis and Renyi analysis, the advantages of which are illustrated by applying both to characterize Alaska climate time series 'dynamics' or temporal evolution. These methods are also applied to reanalysis and model data to compare with the observational analysis. Hurst analysis is used to calculate long term predictability in data on a scale of five to 15 years; Renyi analysis is used to quantify the degree of order on a time scale …

Assessment Of Fungal And Bacterial Bioaerosols In Ambient Air In Fairbanks, Alaska, Mitali S. Patil

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Bioaerosols are solid or liquid particles of biological origin that are suspended in the surrounding air or other gaseous environments. Bioaerosols can cause diseases, allergenic or toxicological reactions, respiratory distress, and can be potential bioterrorism threats. Studies concerning ambient bioaerosols have never focused upon central Alaska, and only one experiment has utilized the DRUM (Davis Rotating Unit for Monitoring) impactor as the collection apparatus. This study focuses on the assessment and identification of fungi and bacteria present in the ambient air collected by the DRUM impactor from March 2008 to January 2009. The samples were collected on MylarTM and aluminum …

Hydrodynamics Of Downstream Pointed Guidevanes: A Case Study Of The Hess Creek Meander Bend Realignment, Alexandre W. Lai

Engineering

The hydrodynamics of downstream pointed guidevanes installed to realign an eroding meander bend upstream of the Trans- Alaska Pipeline bridge is studied. The bridge is located at Hess Creek, 137 km north of Fairbanks, Alaska. Effect of the downstream pointed vanes on bed form, erosion, longitudinal and transverse slopes, three dimensional velocity profiles, flow patterns, and other hydraulic parameters for high and low flows are compared and analyzed. Six years after installation of the vanes the realigned thalweg remains in its original design location. The longitudinal bed profile changed from a dominant continuous pool typical of natural meander bends on …

Commencement Convocation Exercises - December 2011, Prairie View A&M University

Commencement and Convocation Exercises

No abstract provided.

2011 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Commencement on December 17.

Commencement Speaker: Brant Bryan

Effects Of The Age-Composition Of Spawning Sockeye Salmon On Future Returns Of Sockeye Salmon To Bristol, Bay, Alaska, Janelle C. Mueller

Fisheries

The age structure of sockeye salmon on spawning grounds is highly variable, yet little is known about the influence of spawner age composition on subsequent abundance and age composition of recruits. Management of Bristol Bay sockeye salmon relies on estimated spawner abundance to determine escapement goals, without regard to age or size composition. This may not accurately reflect reproductive potential as a basis for setting escapement goals. Parental age structure and environmental conditions were included as independent variables in statistical models to evaluate their effects on the age structure of their progeny. In addition, relationships between spawner age composition and …

Spatio-Temporal Population Genetic Structure And Mating System Of Red King Crab (Paralithodes Camtschaticus) In Alaska, Scott C. Vulstek

Fisheries

Population genetic data can be used to make inferences about the Population structure and mating system and inform management decisions of overharvested species such as red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in Alaska. Red king crab tissue and hemolymph samples were collected from 11 geographically distinct locations from Norton Sound through Southeast Alaska (n = 845). At six locations, two collections were taken at least one generation apart. Heterogeneity of allele frequencies over time was detected in three of the six locations examined, which suggested signs of recent population bottlenecks. An overall Fst = 0.025 (P <0.00 1) suggested moderate genetic differentiation among red king crab collections. A two-region model of spatial differentiation in which collections from Southeast Alaska diverge from those in the Gulf of Alaska and Westen Alaska was supported by pairwise Fst Values, homogeneity tests, Bayesian clustering, and discriminant analysis of principal components. However, spatial analysis of molecular variance suggests some finer-scale structuring within regions and greater differentiation occurs among collections within Southeast Alaska than among the rest of the collections. In addition to population genetic structure analyses, 24 female red king crab and their broods were collected from the Bering Sea. Ovigerous females and 20 offspring per brood were genotyped in order to determine whether multiple mating of a female occurred. There was no evidence of multiple paternity in any brood. The results of this study support continued management of distinct geographic groups within the Gulf of Alaska/Western Alaska/Western Alaska region and suggest that finer-scale management may be beneficial in Southeast Alaska.

Considering Predation By Humpback Whales In The Mystery Of The Failed Recovery Of Pacific Herring In Prince William Sound, Alaska, Suzanne F. Teerlink

Fisheries

In Prince William Sound (PWS) in the early 1990s, biomass of an important forage species, Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), crashed and has since failed to recover. This thesis explores the role that predation by humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) may have in limiting this recovery. This was done by modeling the historic (1980-2009) relationship between these two species using existing data. Mark-recapture estimates of abundance were combined to form the first time series of humpback whale abundance for this area. This time series was then integrated into the age-structured assessment model used by Alaska Department of Fish and Game to manage …

Effects Of Climate Variability And Fishing On Gadid-Crustacean Interactions In Subarctic Ecosystems, Laurinda Marcello

Fisheries

Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) are a vital economic and biotic resource to many subarctic ecosystems. Their abundance varies greatly, but what causes large changes in production and early life survival is unknown. My overall goal is to improve our understanding of snow crab population dynamics during early life history stages. Chapter 1 provides background information on subarctic ecosystems, addresses possible mechanisms of population control and potential drivers of variability, describes snow crab life history, and reviews recent population trends in snow crab and their major cod predators. Chapter 2 details a regression study examining the effects of snow crab spawning …

Refined Liquid Smoke: A Potential Antilisterial Supplement To Cold-Smoked Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus Nerka), Naim Montazeri Djouybari

Fisheries

Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis can contaminate cold smoked salmon (CSS) and make it a high-risk ready-to-eat food product. Due to the lack of a critical control point in the cold-smoking process, a post-process elimination is essential to ensure product safety. The goal of this project was to improve safety of vacuum-packaged CSS supplemented with commercially refined liquid smoke (LS). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis showed the LS were high in carbonyl containing compounds and low in phenol derivatives. The LS (AM-10 and AM-3) producing the greatest inhibition against L. innocua in a paper disk diffusion assay were applied …

Characteristics Of The Sulukna River Spawning Population Of Inconnu, Yukon River Drainage, Alaska, David Andrews Esse

Fisheries

Inconnu Stenodus leucichthys are large migratory whitefish harvested in subsistence and sport fisheries in Alaska. Research on the Sulukna River spawning population of inconnu was conducted in September and early October from 2007 to 2009. Samples were collected to verify maturity and spawning readiness, and to determine age distributions of mature males and females. Spawning abundance was estimated and post-spawning migration timing was identified. Otoliths were analyzed optically to determine age and chemically to determine amphidromy. Maturity sampling indicated that all sampled fish were in spawning condition or had recently spawned. Abundance estimates were 2,079 and 3,531 inconnu in 2008 …