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2011

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Nanocapillary Membrane Devices: A Study In Electrokinetic Transport Phenomena, Jarrod Schiffbauer Aug 2011

Nanocapillary Membrane Devices: A Study In Electrokinetic Transport Phenomena, Jarrod Schiffbauer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There is considerable interest in developing micro-total analysis systems, also known as lab-on-a-chip devices, for applications in chemical and biological analysis. These devices often employ electrokinetic transport phenomena to move, mix, concentrate and separate dissolved species. The details of these phenomena in micro- and nanometer scale geometries are not fully understood; consequently, the basic principles of device operation are often unclear. For example, nanocapillary membranes (NCM) and other nanometer-sized passages can exhibit charge-selectivity and rectification effects similar to those observed in biological membranes. This dissertation addresses several issues related to ion transport in these membranes. Leading-order 1D steady-state models for …

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Mathematical Modeling And Analysis Of Epidemiological And Chemical Systems, Calistus N. Ngonghala Aug 2011

Mathematical Modeling And Analysis Of Epidemiological And Chemical Systems, Calistus N. Ngonghala

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation focuses on three interdisciplinary areas of applied mathematics, mathematical biology/epidemiology, economic epidemiology and mathematical physics, interconnected by the concepts and applications of dynamical systems.;In mathematical biology/epidemiology, a new deterministic SIS modeling framework for the dynamics of malaria transmission in which the malaria vector population is accounted for at each of its developmental stages is proposed. Rigorous qualitative and quantitative techniques are applied to acquire insights into the dynamics of the model and to identify and study two epidemiological threshold parameters reals* and R0 that characterize disease transmission and prevalence, and that can be used for disease control. It …

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Relationships Among Fish Assemblages, Hydroperiods, Drought, And American Alligators Within Palustrine Wetlands Of The Blackjack Peninsula, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, Darrin M. Welchert Aug 2011

Relationships Among Fish Assemblages, Hydroperiods, Drought, And American Alligators Within Palustrine Wetlands Of The Blackjack Peninsula, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, Darrin M. Welchert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The following thesis contains two chapters. In Chapter 1, I have reviewed and summarized literature pertaining to fishes and habitats of palustrine wetlands, the influence of hydroperiods on wetland fishes, the impacts of drought on wetland fishes, the importance of American alligators as ecological engineers of fish habitats within wetlands, and fish sampling within wetland habitats. Chapter 2 is a manuscript representing my thesis research. In this study, primary focus is placed on how fish diversity and how fish abundances of palustrine wetlands are influenced by drought conditions within the Blackjack Peninsula of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern …

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Effects Of Resveratrol Supplementation On Glycemic Response And Oxidant Status In Moderately Exercised Mature Quarter Horse Geldings, Jennie L. Zambito Aug 2011

Effects Of Resveratrol Supplementation On Glycemic Response And Oxidant Status In Moderately Exercised Mature Quarter Horse Geldings, Jennie L. Zambito

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Resveratrol, a naturally occurring phytocompound is known to exert numerous health benefits including improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, along with decreased tissue damage due to reactive oxygen species (ROS). This compound is incorporated in a multitude of supplements targeted to performance horses, yet no research in an athletic equine model has been completed to date. Therefore, this study was performed to test the hypothesis that resveratrol supplementation would improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, while reducing oxidant damage in an exercising model. Six, healthy, fit aged (10.5+/-1.5yr, ~500kg) Quarter Horse geldings were assigned to three treatment groups in a …

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Evaluating The Effects Of Morrow's Honeysuckle Control On Vertebrate And Vegetation Assemblages, And Small Mammal Foraging Ecology At Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Charnee Lee Rose Aug 2011

Evaluating The Effects Of Morrow's Honeysuckle Control On Vertebrate And Vegetation Assemblages, And Small Mammal Foraging Ecology At Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Charnee Lee Rose

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Exotic, Japanese bush honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.; Caprifoliaceae) are tied to a variety of impacts on wildlife and ecosystems. Morrow's honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) has become a persistent invader in eastern North America. We organized a restoration initiative at Fort Necessity National Battlefield (FONE), Pennsylvania, USA from 2004--2010. Concurrently, we studied the consumption of Morrow's honeysuckle fruits by small mammals from October--November 2009 and July--August 2010, and determined habitat variables that affected visitation rate to foraging stations. Areas of FONE were invaded by Morrow's honeysuckle after the land had been cleared for agriculture, and routine mowing ceased in the mid-1980s. Our restoration …

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Edaphic And Land Use Influences On Central Appalachian Fens, Sarah Deacon Aug 2011

Edaphic And Land Use Influences On Central Appalachian Fens, Sarah Deacon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Local and landscape-scale factors influence peatland floristic assemblages. Our goal in this paper was to assess the interactions between wetland vegetation communities, edaphic factors, and surrounding land cover in central Appalachian peatlands. Specifically we quantified plant community dynamics in relation to edaphic factors and land cover and identified species level responses to human altered landscapes. Cluster analysis on vegetation data identified 3 vegetation groups; an emergent floristic assemblage, a shrub dominated group, and a group with mixed shrub and emergent vegetation. We found that wetlands with emergent vegetation cover were more often associated with natural land cover, higher pH and …

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Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy (Atr-Ir) As An In Situ Technique For Dissolution Studies, Abe S. Kassis Aug 2011

Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy (Atr-Ir) As An In Situ Technique For Dissolution Studies, Abe S. Kassis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

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Enablers And Constraints In Achieving Integration In A Teacher Preparation Program, Craig Deed, Peter Cox, Vaughan Prain Aug 2011

Enablers And Constraints In Achieving Integration In A Teacher Preparation Program, Craig Deed, Peter Cox, Vaughan Prain

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

There is broad consensus that effective teacher preparation programs should enable pre-service teachers to integrate learning experiences at university and school. However, as noted in many reviews and studies, achieving this integration remains a significant challenge. In this study we aimed to identify factors that influence developmental coherence in pre-service teachers’ learning in the first eight weeks of a one-year preparation program, entailing university-based and school-based experiences. The pre-service teachers were expected to integrate learning in both contexts as preparation for their first five-week practicum. Our study aimed to identify their judgements of the value of various components of the …

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An Assessment Of Cwa Section 303(D) Prioritization Of Impaired Water Bodies In Illinois, Daniel Jablonski Aug 2011

An Assessment Of Cwa Section 303(D) Prioritization Of Impaired Water Bodies In Illinois, Daniel Jablonski

Theses

Water quality has been an issue of concern since the settlement of man and continues to be of great concern today in many locations around the world. In the United States, to address the issues of water pollution, the U.S. Congress passed the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972. This study examines the implementation and prioritization of impaired water bodies listed on the Illinois CWA section 303(d) list between 1992 and 2004. This study used the Delphi survey method to obtain opinions from water quality/management experts that reside in the state of Illinois. The goal of this study was to …

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Married And Cohabiting Men's Extra-Dyadic Relationships In Sub-Saharan Africa: Assessing Two Health Behavior Models, Jared L. Ulschmid Aug 2011

Married And Cohabiting Men's Extra-Dyadic Relationships In Sub-Saharan Africa: Assessing Two Health Behavior Models, Jared L. Ulschmid

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

Sixty percent of all individuals with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. HIV is primarily transmitted through sexual activity; having multiple congruent sexual partners is one significant source of HIV transmission in sub-Saharan African. Men are primarily the individuals to go outside of a relationship because of various social and cultural influences. The purpose of this study is to examine married and cohabiting men’s extra-dyadic affairs. Two models were used to examine men’s extra-dyadic behavior: The Health Belief Model (HBM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). These models can show if beliefs, attitudes, and norms about HIV/AIDS and the risks of …

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Effects Of Transitional Goal-Setting And Programming On The Number Of Children In Foster Care Who Will Meet The High School Graduation Requirement., Kim Smith Aug 2011

Effects Of Transitional Goal-Setting And Programming On The Number Of Children In Foster Care Who Will Meet The High School Graduation Requirement., Kim Smith

Education Doctoral

Annually, seven billion dollars is spent on the care of foster children. Yet, many foster children drop out of high school, become homeless, incarcerated, and welfare recipients. Most foster children ― age out‖ of foster care lacking survival skills. At age 21 foster children are no longer eligible for foster-care. Roughly 46% of the foster-care population become dropouts. Through the theoretical lens, this study investigated children‘s foster - care experience regarding meeting the high school graduation requirement. Using qualitative methods, interviews were conducted on foster children who successfully graduated from high school and attend college. They provided insight into the …

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The Effects Of Teacher Personality Characteristics And Formal Training On Students’ Reporting Bullying In The Middle School, Kristin E. Talleyrand Aug 2011

The Effects Of Teacher Personality Characteristics And Formal Training On Students’ Reporting Bullying In The Middle School, Kristin E. Talleyrand

Education Doctoral

Bullying is a widespread and serious issue for students in the United States. Many students who are bullied do not report it to a teacher or other staff member. This correlational research study investigated four questions: (a) Is there a relationship between the first choice of a staff member to whom a student would report bullying incidents and that staff member's personality characteristics, as assessed by the MyersBriggs Type Indicator, (b) Is there a relationship between the certificated staff member identified least frequently to whom a student would report bullying incidents and that staff member's personality characteristics, as assessed by …

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Engaging Parents Of 8th Grade Students In Parent/Teacher Bidirectional Communication, Waveline Bennett-Conroy Aug 2011

Engaging Parents Of 8th Grade Students In Parent/Teacher Bidirectional Communication, Waveline Bennett-Conroy

Education Doctoral

The study purpose was to develop and evaluate a low-cost school-based intervention to increase parent s’ involvement in their children’s education . Although parent involvement is associated with increased student educational achievement, many children who most need effective parent involvement support do not receive it. In Phase 1 of the study, 17 parents of 8 th grade students in a low-income, immigrant, minority school district were interviewed to conduct a qualitative assessment of factors for lack of effective parent involvement and to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the planned intervention. In Phase 2 of the study, 192 students in …

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Immunoregulation Of Liver Regeneration By The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor: Role Of Lymphocytes And Interferon-Gamma, Christopher John Horras Aug 2011

Immunoregulation Of Liver Regeneration By The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor: Role Of Lymphocytes And Interferon-Gamma, Christopher John Horras

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a persistent environmental contaminant that elicits toxicity by activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. The toxic effects associated with TCDD exposure include immunotoxicity and dysregulated cell cycle control, although the mechanisms are poorly understood. A previous report indicates that exposure to TCDD suppresses hepatocyte proliferation in a mouse model of liver regeneration induced by 70% partial hepatectomy (PH). Based on reports that liver regeneration is negatively regulated by interferon (IFN)-γ produced by activated natural killer (NK) cells, along with the well-established immunotoxic effects of TCDD in other model systems, we hypothesized that TCDD treatment attenuates liver …

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Validity Of A Functional Obstacle Course As A Tool To Screen For Fall Risks In Older Adults, Daniel Gragert Aug 2011

Validity Of A Functional Obstacle Course As A Tool To Screen For Fall Risks In Older Adults, Daniel Gragert

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: There is currently no specific instrument or test to diagnose fall risks in older adults. A functional obstacle designed and based on current research and the components of falls has the potential to be an effective method of diagnosing fall risks in older adults. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the construct validity and reliability of the Modified Functional Obstacle Course (MFOC) and to examine the instrument’s intra-obstacle measurement parameters. METHODS: Participants (N = 63) performed a single series of three common fall risk assessments: Activity Specific Balance Confidence Scale; Dynamic Gait …

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Land Cover And Topographic Effects On Cavity-Nesting Owl Occurrence And The Role Of Species Interactions In Structuring Cavity-Nesting Owl Communities, Micah Noel Scholer Aug 2011

Land Cover And Topographic Effects On Cavity-Nesting Owl Occurrence And The Role Of Species Interactions In Structuring Cavity-Nesting Owl Communities, Micah Noel Scholer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Relatively little is known about the distribution, abundance, and population trends of many species of owls. Frequently, studies that describe owl distributions are accomplished by modeling characteristics of the habitat such as land cover and topographic features. However, the potential to model owl distributions as a function of species interactions has been largely unexplored. I investigated how habitat characteristics as well as species interactions shape owl distributions in the Western United States. Using occurrence data collected between 2009 and 2010 in the Boise National Forest, Idaho, I developed species distribution models for Flammulated Owls (Otus flammeolus) and Northern …

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Phylogeography Of A Vanishing North American Songbird: The Painted Bunting (Passerina Ciris), Connie Ann Herr Aug 2011

Phylogeography Of A Vanishing North American Songbird: The Painted Bunting (Passerina Ciris), Connie Ann Herr

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Studies of genetic variation within and between species can provide insights into their evolutionary history as well as important information for conserving biodiversity. An understanding of population processes can assist in the conservation of biodiversity by contrasting current versus historical patterns, and the processes that have generated these patterns. Genetic differentiation often coincides with significant geological or climatic changes that have shaped the sizes and locations of the species geographic range and altered the connectivity between populations over time. Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses can also provide a statistical framework for the investigation of how human processes such as habitat …

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Redefining Security In Sub-Saharan Africa, Winta Sintayehu Gebremariam Aug 2011

Redefining Security In Sub-Saharan Africa, Winta Sintayehu Gebremariam

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

New and challenging threats to humans are currently on the rise. These threats to human well being have been neglected and ignored within the traditional conception of security. Security studies have mainly focused on traditional threats, mostly military and political. Although still important, this perspective lacks the ability to address nontraditional threats that are killing and injuring millions each year. Each year, millions die of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, hunger, and water related diseases among others. Although these threats are widespread throughout the world, Sub-Saharan Africa bears the brunt of these threats. This thesis proposes an ecological approach …

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A Role For Mir-296 In The Regulation Of Lipoapoptosis By Targeting Puma., Sophie C. Cazanave, Justin L. Mott, Nafisa A. Elmi, Steven F. Bronk, Howard C. Masuoka, Michael R. Charlton, Gregory J. Gores Aug 2011

A Role For Mir-296 In The Regulation Of Lipoapoptosis By Targeting Puma., Sophie C. Cazanave, Justin L. Mott, Nafisa A. Elmi, Steven F. Bronk, Howard C. Masuoka, Michael R. Charlton, Gregory J. Gores

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Saturated free fatty acids (FFA) induce hepatocyte lipoapoptosis, a key mediator of liver injury in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Lipoapoptosis involves the upregulation of the BH3-only protein PUMA, a potent pro-apoptotic protein. Given that dysregulation of hepatic microRNA expression has been observed in NAFLD, we examined the role of miRNA in regulating PUMA expression during lipotoxicity. By in silico analysis, we identified two putative binding sites for miR-296-5p within the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of PUMA mRNA. Enforced miR-296-5p levels efficiently reduced PUMA protein expression in Huh-7 cells, while antagonism of miR-296-5p function increased PUMA cellular levels. Reporter gene …

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Fragipan Influence On Hydropedological Properties Of Benchmark Soilscapes In West Virginia, John F. Beck Aug 2011

Fragipan Influence On Hydropedological Properties Of Benchmark Soilscapes In West Virginia, John F. Beck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Soil wetness and the interactions between soil and water influence the potential uses of soil and must be considered when making decisions regarding soil use and management. The strategic placement of hydrologic monitoring instrumentation on a benchmark soilscape is critical toward providing the users of soil information with reliable predictability of water movement at the soil-water interface.;A hydropedologically significant study site that satisfies the benchmark soilscape criteria as defined by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) was selected for this research. Because of the high cost of performing investigations and research, benchmark soils are targeted and the information gleaned from …

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Gender Classification From Facial Images, Cunjian Chen Aug 2011

Gender Classification From Facial Images, Cunjian Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gender classification based on facial images has received increased attention in the computer vision community. In this work, a comprehensive evaluation of state-of-the-art gender classification methods is carried out on publicly available databases and extended to reallife face images, where face detection and face normalization are essential for the success of the system. Next, the possibility of predicting gender from face images acquired in the near-infrared spectrum (NIR) is explored. In this regard, the following two questions are addressed: (a) Can gender be predicted from NIR face images; and (b) Can a gender predictor learned using visible (VIS) images operate …

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Clinician Detection Of Depression In Late Life, Jeffrey J. Gregg Aug 2011

Clinician Detection Of Depression In Late Life, Jeffrey J. Gregg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Depression in late life is associated with decreased cognitive functioning, increased social and functional impairment, and overall increased mortality. Because of these negative health implications, the accurate assessment of late-life depression is a critical public health issue. Prior research has consistently demonstrated that older adults typically seek and receive mental health services from general medical settings instead of mental health specialty clinics. Unfortunately, many studies have shown that primary care physicians often fail to recognize depression. In addition, older adults are less likely than younger adults to endorse symptoms of sadness or dysphoria. Those with cognitive impairment are also less …

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Outcrop Lithostratigraphy And Petrophysics Of The Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale In West Virginia And Adjacent States, Margaret E. Walker-Milani Aug 2011

Outcrop Lithostratigraphy And Petrophysics Of The Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale In West Virginia And Adjacent States, Margaret E. Walker-Milani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A stratigraphic study of 15 partial outcrops of the Marcellus Shale in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland has identified six distinct lithofacies. These include grey calcareous shale (Facies 1), limestone (Facies 2), black calcareous shale (Facies 3), black non-calcareous shale (Facies 4), grey non-calcareous shale (Facies 5) and K-bentonite (Facies 6). Packages of these facies have been organized into six vertically stacked units (A-F). Deposition of the facies resulted from the rise and fall of relative sea level, which in turn shifted the location of the thermocline and affected the amount of terrigenous sediment distributed from the eastern source. Facies …

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Development Of An Artificial Neural Network To Predict In-Use Engine Emissions, Melissa L. Morris Aug 2011

Development Of An Artificial Neural Network To Predict In-Use Engine Emissions, Melissa L. Morris

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A method to predict in-use diesel engine emissions is developed based on engine dynamometer and in-use data acquired at the West Virginia University Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines, and Emissions. (WVU CAFEE). The model accounts for the effects of road grade on generated emissions; a need for this model is evident in literature. Current modeling methods do not account for the effects of road grade, and have been shown to under-predict NOx by as much as 57%. It is determined through present research and a review of relevant literature that an artificial neural network (ANN) was the most applicable modeling …

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B. R. Wells Rice Research Studies 2010, R. J. Norman, K. A. K. Moldenhauer Aug 2011

B. R. Wells Rice Research Studies 2010, R. J. Norman, K. A. K. Moldenhauer

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The 2010 Rice Research Verification Program ( RRVP) was conducted on twenty-two commercial rice fields across the state. Counties rarticirating in the program included Arkansas, Ashley, Chicot, Clark, Clay, Cross, Desha, Drew, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lonoke, Mississippi, Phillips, Poinsett (2 fields), Prairie, Randolph, St. Francis, and White for a total of 1456 acres. Grain yield in the 2010 RRVP averaged 167 bu/acre ranging from 113 to 215 bu/acre. The 2010 RRVP average yield was 25 bu/acre greater than the estimated Arkansas state average of 142 bu/acre. The highest yielding field was in Clay County with a grain yield …

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Ornamentation, Behavior, And Maternal Effects In The Female Northern Cardinal, Caitlin Winters Aug 2011

Ornamentation, Behavior, And Maternal Effects In The Female Northern Cardinal, Caitlin Winters

Master's Theses

This study seeks to understand the relationship between ornamentation, maternal effects, and behavior in the female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Female birds possess ornaments that indicate a number of important known aspects of quality and are usually costly to maintain. However, the extent to which female specific traits, such as maternal effects, are indicated is less clear. It is predicted by the Good Parent Hypothesis that this information should be displayed through intraspecific signal communication. Specifically, androgens and carotenoids are of interest in this study because both are linked to ornamentation, and are also important egg components that …

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Suffix Structures And Circular Pattern Problems, Jie Lin Aug 2011

Suffix Structures And Circular Pattern Problems, Jie Lin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The suffix tree is a data structure used to represent all the suffixes in a string. However, a major problem with the suffix tree is its practical space requirement. In this dissertation, we propose an efficient data structure -- the virtual suffix tree (VST) -- which requires less space than other recently proposed data structures for suffix trees and suffix arrays. On average, the space requirement (including that for suffix arrays and suffix links) is 13.8n bytes for the regular VST, and 12.05n bytes in its compact form, where n is the length of the sequence.;Markov models are very popular …

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Unconsidered Activity, Craft Expertise And Reflective Practice In Teaching, Peter Kelly Aug 2011

Unconsidered Activity, Craft Expertise And Reflective Practice In Teaching, Peter Kelly

Plymouth Institute of Education

No abstract provided.

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Sage-Grouse Habitat In Utah. A Guide For Landowners And Managers, Todd A. Black Aug 2011

Sage-Grouse Habitat In Utah. A Guide For Landowners And Managers, Todd A. Black

All Current Publications

This publication addressing sage-grouse habitat in Utah noting that the loss and fragmentation of sagebrush landscapes in the West have caused the decline of sage-grouse populations.

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Beneficial True Bugs: Damsel Bugs, Ricardo Ramirez, Ron Patterson Aug 2011

Beneficial True Bugs: Damsel Bugs, Ricardo Ramirez, Ron Patterson

All Current Publications

Predatory insects can provide natural pest control by eating unwanted pests. This beneficial service is known as biological control. Predatory insects are one factor that maintains pest populations at non-damaging levels. By conserving and encouraging predatory insect populations, plants can be protected from pest attack and excessive damage.

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