Entire DC Network | Open Access Articles | Digital Commons Network™

Simultaneous Assessment Of Co2 Sensitivity In The Respiratory Network And Its Neurons, Mitchell D. Reed

2012 Research Day Posters

No abstract provided.

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Body Size Change In Alaskan Red Squirrels Over Decadal Timescales, Catherine E. Rubin

2012 Research Day Posters

No abstract provided.

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Rural Telemedicine In Alaska: A Look At Healthcare Through Telecommunications, Ethan Stephens

2012 Research Day Posters

•An average town in the United States will have a basic medical facility capable of treating its patients. If not, there is roadway access to a capable facility. •In Rural Alaska however, there is no way to drive to the nearest hospital. These communities are not connected to the major road system and the only way to reach a hospital is by air transport. •Although many villages have access to hub communities that maintain a clinic, the clinic may not have the capabilities to treat certain ailments and many villages have no access to a medical facility. •Providing adequate medical …

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Identifying Raphé Respiratory Chemosensory Amplifiers In Situ., Hannah Tallan

2012 Research Day Posters

Activity of CO2–stimulated rat medullary raphé RCA interneurons is mediated by intra-network inputs from serotonergic and GABAergic neurons.

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The Sun Star ( April 17th, 2012), N/A N/A

Sun Star

No abstract provided.

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Communicating Uaf's Return On Investment In The Computational Sciences, Anne Bartholomew

2012 Research Day Posters

Using graphic design and statistics to analyze and present complex fiscal information in an easily understood format, my research focuses on mastering the dynamic process of communicating scientifi c information. Required for this process is the ability to evaluate the specifi c needs of an organization, to gather requirements, criteria and constraints of the information to be communicated, and to develop expertise using the Excel, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign software applications. This poster will demonstrate the application of this process using various techniques to visually demonstrate fi scal information to inform and educate University Leadership about resource use at …

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Developing A Long-Term Monitoring Protocol For Assessing Freshwater Contaminants For The National Park Service In Southeast Alaska, Mattie Bly

2012 Research Day Posters

We are developing a long-term monitoring protocol for the National Park Service (NPS) through a collaboration with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and University of Alaska Southeast (UAS). The goal is to monitor the status and trends of freshwater contaminants in the NPS Southeast Alaska Network (SEAN). The protocol will enable long term monitoring of selected chemical, and biological elements that represent the overall health or condition of park resources, the effects of stressors, and elements with important human values. The primary objective for the first phase of this multi-year project is preparing a draft protocol which articulates and …

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Climatology Of Mosquito Activity Within Summer Ranges Of North Slope Caribou Herds In Alaska, Archana Bali

2012 Research Day Posters

No abstract provided.

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Rabies On The Last Frontier: A Phylogeographical Look At Red (Vulpus Vulpus) And Arctic (Vulpus Lagopus) Fox With Respect To Mitochondrial Dna And The Spatial Diffusion Of Rabies, Christopher J. Clement

2012 Research Day Posters

Vulpus vulpus and Vulpus lagopus are terrestrial animals that live in Alaska. They are also common carriers of the rabies virus. It has been determined that there are three different clades of rabies in Alaska being vectored by these two species of fox, but it is not clear why there are no endemic rabies in the Interior. We are interested in the migration patterns of Vulpus vulpus and Vulpus lagopus, the spread and maintenance of the rabies virus as a function of climate warming. We hypothesize that there is some element, whether biological or geographical, that restricts the virus from …

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Using Multiple Regression Models To Understand The Influence Of Geologic History, Topography, Island Size, Isolation And Dispersability On Plant Community Assemblage In The Western Aleutian Islands, Monte Daniel Garroutte

2012 Research Day Posters

Island groups are often subject to habitat filters and dissimilar dispersal sources, and as a result may reflect dissimilar plant assemblages between islands. Though the Aleutian Islands have likely acted as a route for plant dispersal across the North Pacific, many continental endemics have colonized the islands but have not dispersed over the chain as a whole (Talbot, 1994). Typically, North American endemic plant species represent an increasing proportion of the flora with closer proximity to the Alaskan mainland, while Asian endemics increase in proportion towards Kamchatka (Lindroth, 1961). Using plant species occurrence data across the Western Aleutian Islands, we …

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Phylogenetic Identification Of Petroleum-Degrading Bacteria In Alaska Willow Soils, Catherine Glover

2012 Research Day Posters

• Certain plant species may promote growth and activity of pollutant- degrading microbes in the rhizosphere. • Naphthalene is an aromatic component of petroleum fuels, which are common soil contaminants in Alaska. • Willows are known to produce and release salicylate, an intermediate in the naphthalene degradation pathway that induces the expression of microbial naphthalene degradation genes. • A previous pot study (McFarlin et al. in prep) tested the ability of Salix alaxensis (Alaskan willow) to rhizo-remediate diesel-contaminated soil. • Willow growth treatments significantly decreased the concentration of diesel range organics in soil and increased the number of cultured diesel-degrading …

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An Interdisciplinary Sustainability Evaluation Of The Skate Fishery In The Gulf Of Alaska, Thomas Farrugia

2012 Research Day Posters

Skates are in growing demand worldwide, and the 2008 U.S. landings of skates was estimated at 65 million pounds, worth $11 million. However, many Atlantic Ocean skate stocks are collapsing. Alaska has relatively healthy skate stocks and there is increasing economic pressure to develop directed fisheries for them. Presently, the most frequently landed and exported skates in the Gulf of Alaska are the big (Raja binoculata) and longnose skates (R. rhina). These species are long-lived, possess slow growth rates and mature late in life, making them vulnerable to overfishing. A small experimental directed state fishery for big and longnose skates …

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Isotopic Dietary Analysis And Molecular Sex Identification Of Adults And Juveniles From Medieval Great Moravia, Carrin M. Halffman

2012 Research Day Posters

Like many complex agricultural societies, medieval European society was strongly patriarchal, with men favored in terms of property rights, political status, and household authority. However, it is unclear whether male dominance in medieval society was manifested in unequal access to food resources between the sexes. In this pilot study, we examine the pattern of sex-related differences in diet through biomolecular analyses of skeletal remains from Kostelisko, a suburban area within the early medieval Great Moravian site of Mikulčice. Mikulčice was a prominent center of Great Moravia, an early Slavic state that existed in the 9th and early 10th centuries AD, …

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Team-Based Learning In An Information Literacy Course, Trudi E. Jacobson

Communications in Information Literacy

The author implemented team-based learning (TBL) in a credit-bearing information literacy course that meets a general education requirement at the University at Albany. TBL is a highly structured teaching method that includes a number of components not found in more traditional use of teams in the classroom. It required substantive changes in the course, which were notably repaid by the impact on student preparedness and engagement. The main elements of team-based learning are explained in the setting of this course.

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Biology And Nursing Students' Perceptions Of A Web-Based Information Literacy Tutorial, Sharon Weiner, Nancy Pelaez, Karen Chang, John Weiner

Communications in Information Literacy

This study assessed student perceptions about an online information literacy tutorial, CORE (Comprehensive Online Research Education, to plan for the next generation of tutorials. The CORE tutorial includes seven modules: "Planning Your Project," "Topic Exploration," "Types of Information," "Search Tools," "Search Strategies," "Evaluating Sources," and "Copyright, Plagiarism, and Citing Sources." First-year students in biology and nursing courses responded to a survey after they completed the CORE modules. The students liked learning through an online tutorial. They thought that the tutorial could be improved with shorter modules and the addition of video and audio content. Few students reported learning important information …

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Epizootic Of Beak Deformities In Alaska: Investigation Of An Emerging Avian Disease, Caroline Van Hemert

Biological Sciences

The sudden appearance of morphological abnormalities in a wild population is often associated with underlying ecological disturbances, including those related to introduction of new pathogens or pollutants. An epizootic of beak deformities recently documented among Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and other resident bird species in Alaska has raised concern about underlying causes. This dissertation describes results from several recent studies of what we have termed "avian keratin disorder." The primary objectives of the research were to characterize the physiology and pathology of beak deformities and to address specific ecological questions related to this emerging avian disease. In a study of …

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Salmonid Phenology, Microevolution, And Genetic Diversity In A Warming Alaskan Stream, Ryan P. Kovach

Biological Sciences

Climate change is a formidable challenge for fish and wildlife conservation because it will directly influence the ecology and evolution of wild populations. Though climate-induced temporal trends in phenological events are common in many populations, there remains considerable uncertainty in the patterns, mechanisms, and consequences of phenological shifts. To address this, and clarify how climate change has impacted salmonid migration timing and microevolution in a warming (0.34�C per decade) Alaskan stream, long-term demographic and genetic data were used to answer these questions: how has migration timing changed in multiple salmonid species; what sources of variation influence migration timing; are changes …

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Multispecies Age-Structured Assessment Modeling As A Tool Of Fisheries Management In The Gulf Of Alaska, Kray F. Van Kirk

Fisheries

A multispecies age-structured assessment model (MSASA) for the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) is developed to examine the effects of integrating predation mortality into stock assessment efforts. Age-specific predation mortality is modeled as a flexible function of predator and prey abundances, constructed from species-preference and size-preference parameters and fitted to stomach-content data. Modeled species include arrowtooth flounder ( Atheresthes stomias), Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and Steller sea lion ( Eumatopias jubatus). Recruitment, residual natural mortality, full-recruitment fishing mortality, and fishery/survey selectivities are estimated for pollock, cod, and flounder; abundances for apex predators sea …

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Red King Crab Hatchery Culture And Ecological Requirements: Applications For Stock Enhancement, Benjamin J. Daly

Fisheries

The ecologically and commercially important red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) is depleted throughout much of the North Pacific and thought to be recruitment limited, making it an appropriate candidate for stock enhancement efforts. This research addresses bottlenecks associated with hatchery production and lays the groundwork for developing release strategies. I investigated effects of diet, stocking density, and size grading on survival, growth, and shell coloration of recently-settled juvenile red king crabs in large-scale hatchery experiments. I also conducted laboratory experiments with fish predators to determine if red king crab predator responses could be enhanced with experience. Finally, I tethered hatchery-cultured …

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Population Genetics And Mixed Stock Analysis Of Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus Keta) With Molecular Genetics, Michael R. Garvin

Fisheries

Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) are important for subsistence and commercial harvest in Alaska. Variability of returns to western Alaskan drainages that caused economic hardship for stakeholders has led to speculation about reasons, which may include both anthropogenic and environmental causes in the marine environment. Mixed stock analysis (MSA) compares genetic information from an individual caught at sea to a reference baseline of genotypes to assign it to its population of origin. Application of genetic baselines requires several complex steps that can introduce bias. The bias may reduce the accuracy of MSA and result in overly-optimistic evaluations of baselines. Moreover, some …

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Variability In Population Trends, Life History Characteristics, And Milk Composition Of Northern Fur Seals In Alaska, Alison Banks Hayden

Marine Biology

The northern fur seal population on the Pribilof Islands has been declining since the 1960s and is now less than 30% of its former size. Chapter 1 examines factors that might cause a population to decrease to such an extent and concludes that only nutritional limitation caused by climate change or commercial fisheries, predation by killer whales, or a combination of factors that includes conditions in the North Pacific during the winter were possible explanations. Chapter 2 reports the seasonal patterns in proximate composition of fur seal milk between St. Paul Island (one of the Pribilof Islands) and Bogoslof Island …

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Variability In The Circulation, Temperature, And Salinity Fields Of The Eastern Bering Sea Shelf In Response To Atomospheric Forcing, Seth Lombard Danielson

Marine Biology

Although the Bering Sea shelf plays a critical role in mediating the global climate and supports one of the world's largest fisheries, fundamental questions remain about the role of advection on its salt, fresh water, heat and nutrient budgets. I quantify seasonal and inter-annual variability in the temperature, salinity and circulation fields. Shipboard survey temperature and salinity data from summer's end reveal that advection affects the inter-annual variability of fresh water and heat content: heat content anomalies are set by along-shelf summer Ekman transport anomalies whereas fresh water content anomalies are determined by wind direction anomalies averaged over the previous …

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Assessing River Ice Breakup Date, Coastal Tundra Vegetation And Climate Divisions In The Context Of Alaska Climate Variability, Peter A. Bieniek

Atmospheric Sciences

In Alaska, there exists a substantial knowledge gap of key climate drivers and filling these gaps is vital since life and the economy are inexorably linked with climate in the state. This thesis identifies and investigates three topics that advance the understanding of Alaska climate variability: the role of large-scale climate in Interior river ice breakup, the link between climate and arctic tundra vegetation, and climate divisions based on objective methods. River ice breakup in the Yukon-Kuskoswim watershed is occurring earlier by 1.3 days decade-1 1948-2008 and displays large year-to-year variability. April-May Interior Alaska air temperatures are the best predictor …

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The Negative Effects Of Tourism On National Parks In The United States, Lauren Finnessey

Honors Theses - Providence Campus

Tourism is one of the largest industries worldwide, and travelers commonly visit national parks because of the peaceful scenery they offer. While tourists love to see these natural environments in their undisturbed states, they are often times adding to the degradation of these parks. Tourists can harm the environment in many ways, and may be unaware of what they are doing. Many visitors are there to see the beauty in nature and are focusing on enjoying themselves and not what they are leaving behind. Actions such as trampling vegetation and parking in areas that are not designated for parking can …

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Investigation Of Kinesin-1-Maspardin Interaction: Potential Link Among Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias, Savannah D. Brookins

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

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Geochemistry Of The Late Devonian 'Punctata' Event In The Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Maciej Grzegorz Sliwinski

Geosciences

Carbonate deposits straddling the Early-Middle Frasnian (Late Devonian) transitional interval at the isolated Miette carbonate platform in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin were studied geochemically to better understand the paleoceanographic changes that had taken place regionally during the global 'punctata Event' Earth-system perturbation, characterized by the short-term (<0.5 M.y.) yet wide-spread eutrophication of epeiric environments and the deposition of organic carbon-rich facies. This event occurred while the evolution of terrestrial forests entered a rapid, near exponential phase of diversification and expansion, thus altering nutrient-cycling between the terrestrial and marine realms through a transient increase in the intensity of pedogenic weathering. I've attempted a reconstruction of the chemostratigraphic variance of (1) bioproductivity, paleoredox and detrital elemental proxies, of (2) isotopic records (delta13C (carb & org); delta15Norg), and of (3) related parameters, including TOC, magnetic susceptibility (MS) and the abundance and mineralogy of acid-insoluble carbonate residues, and interpreted these within the context of regional sequence stratigraphy and paleogeography against the background of global geobiological events. Analytical methods and standards were developed for measuring low (<10 ppm) concentrations of crucial proxies in carbonates (down to 1-2 ppm) by WD-XRF, and were verified by a diversity of statistical tests and analyses. Evaluation of chemostatigraphic trends revealed that eutrophication and geochemical anomalies associate strongly with a 3rd-order transgression (IIc1) and increased detrital input in the lower punctata Zone. Factor analyses were thus applied to constrain the influence of 1) siliciclastic input vs. 2) the development of benthic anoxia (explaining 55 and 35% of total variance, respectively) on trace element excursions, but also to 3) assess the extent to which MS records within the stratigraphy track the clastic input. Mineralogical controls on MS variance were determined by XRD analyses of acid-insoluble limestone residues, and a multivariate linear regression model was found to account for 97.7 % of total variance as a function of variable admixing of illite, pyrite, quartz and feldspars, in turn variably diluted by the total carbonate content.

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Growth Of Western Alaska And Asian Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus Keta) In Relationship To Climatic Factors And Inter- And Intraspecific Competition, Beverly Ann Agler

Fisheries

Ocean climate shifts and interspecific interactions with Russian pink salmon and Asian chum salmon are all believed to influence the growth of chum salmon in the North Pacific Ocean. Stepwise generalized least squares regression and Mantel's tests were used to examine factors influencing mean annual growth from adult scales collected during 1962-2008. First-year scale growth was affected by warmer regional temperatures, the North Pacific Index (NH), and reduced ice cover. Significant negative effects of Asian chum salmon abundance were found on third-year growth of five of six age 0.3 populations and three of four age 0.4 populations examined, indicating intraspecific …

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The Influence Of Estuarine Habitats On Expression On Life History Characteristics Of Coho Salmon Smolts In South-Central Alaska, Tammy D. Hoem Neher

Fisheries

Expression of traits that lead to life history diversity in salmonids may provide population-level resilience and stability in dynamic environments. I examined habitat use and variability in life history trait expression in juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch occupying two contrasting estuary environments in south-central Alaska. My goal was two-fold: first, to determine if salmon were using estuaries as rearing environments and were therefore potentially vulnerable to selection pressures within; and second, to compare traits of salmon that reared in contrasting estuary environments to explore the potential for differential trait expression related to estuary size and habitat complexity differences. Juvenile coho …

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Ocean Wilderness In Theory And Practice, Bradley W. Barr

Fisheries

Wilderness preservation has been an important focus of resource conservation since the dwindling number of wild places was perceived by some as losing a valued part of our collective natural and cultural heritage. While wilderness preservation efforts have been almost entirely focused on the land, recently there has been growing interest in "ocean wilderness." However, implementation has been constrained by the lack of a common vision of how "wilderness" is applied to the ocean, and how such areas should be managed and preserved. The purpose of this work was to identify and evaluate potential definitions of ocean wilderness and the …

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Tuftsin Promotes An Anti-Inflammatory Switch And Attenuates Symptoms In Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, Wu Muzhou, Julien Nissen, Emily Chen, Stella Tsirka

Department of Pharmacology Faculty Publications

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating autoimmune disease mediated by infiltration of T cells into the central nervous system after compromise of the blood-brain barrier. We have previously shown that administration of tuftsin, a macrophage/microglial activator, dramatically improves the clinical course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a well-established animal model for MS. Tuftsin administration correlates with upregulation of the immunosuppressive Helper-2 Tcell (Th2) cytokine transcription factor GATA-3. We now show that tuftsin-mediated microglial activation results in shifting microglia to an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Moreover, the T cell phenotype is shifted towards immunoprotection after exposure to tuftsin-treated activated microglia; specifically, downregulation of …

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Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Simultaneous Assessment Of Co2 Sensitivity In The Respiratory Network And Its Neurons, Mitchell D. Reed

2012 Research Day Posters

Body Size Change In Alaskan Red Squirrels Over Decadal Timescales, Catherine E. Rubin

2012 Research Day Posters

Rural Telemedicine In Alaska: A Look At Healthcare Through Telecommunications, Ethan Stephens

2012 Research Day Posters

Identifying Raphé Respiratory Chemosensory Amplifiers In Situ., Hannah Tallan

2012 Research Day Posters

The Sun Star ( April 17th, 2012), N/A N/A

Sun Star

Communicating Uaf's Return On Investment In The Computational Sciences, Anne Bartholomew

2012 Research Day Posters

Developing A Long-Term Monitoring Protocol For Assessing Freshwater Contaminants For The National Park Service In Southeast Alaska, Mattie Bly

2012 Research Day Posters

Climatology Of Mosquito Activity Within Summer Ranges Of North Slope Caribou Herds In Alaska, Archana Bali

2012 Research Day Posters

Rabies On The Last Frontier: A Phylogeographical Look At Red (Vulpus Vulpus) And Arctic (Vulpus Lagopus) Fox With Respect To Mitochondrial Dna And The Spatial Diffusion Of Rabies, Christopher J. Clement

2012 Research Day Posters

Using Multiple Regression Models To Understand The Influence Of Geologic History, Topography, Island Size, Isolation And Dispersability On Plant Community Assemblage In The Western Aleutian Islands, Monte Daniel Garroutte

2012 Research Day Posters

Phylogenetic Identification Of Petroleum-Degrading Bacteria In Alaska Willow Soils, Catherine Glover

2012 Research Day Posters

An Interdisciplinary Sustainability Evaluation Of The Skate Fishery In The Gulf Of Alaska, Thomas Farrugia

2012 Research Day Posters

Isotopic Dietary Analysis And Molecular Sex Identification Of Adults And Juveniles From Medieval Great Moravia, Carrin M. Halffman

2012 Research Day Posters

Team-Based Learning In An Information Literacy Course, Trudi E. Jacobson

Communications in Information Literacy

Biology And Nursing Students' Perceptions Of A Web-Based Information Literacy Tutorial, Sharon Weiner, Nancy Pelaez, Karen Chang, John Weiner

Communications in Information Literacy

Epizootic Of Beak Deformities In Alaska: Investigation Of An Emerging Avian Disease, Caroline Van Hemert

Biological Sciences

Salmonid Phenology, Microevolution, And Genetic Diversity In A Warming Alaskan Stream, Ryan P. Kovach

Biological Sciences

Multispecies Age-Structured Assessment Modeling As A Tool Of Fisheries Management In The Gulf Of Alaska, Kray F. Van Kirk

Fisheries

Red King Crab Hatchery Culture And Ecological Requirements: Applications For Stock Enhancement, Benjamin J. Daly

Fisheries

Population Genetics And Mixed Stock Analysis Of Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus Keta) With Molecular Genetics, Michael R. Garvin

Fisheries

Variability In Population Trends, Life History Characteristics, And Milk Composition Of Northern Fur Seals In Alaska, Alison Banks Hayden

Marine Biology

Variability In The Circulation, Temperature, And Salinity Fields Of The Eastern Bering Sea Shelf In Response To Atomospheric Forcing, Seth Lombard Danielson

Marine Biology

Assessing River Ice Breakup Date, Coastal Tundra Vegetation And Climate Divisions In The Context Of Alaska Climate Variability, Peter A. Bieniek

Atmospheric Sciences

The Negative Effects Of Tourism On National Parks In The United States, Lauren Finnessey

Honors Theses - Providence Campus

Investigation Of Kinesin-1-Maspardin Interaction: Potential Link Among Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias, Savannah D. Brookins

Honors Theses

Geochemistry Of The Late Devonian 'Punctata' Event In The Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Maciej Grzegorz Sliwinski

Geosciences

Growth Of Western Alaska And Asian Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus Keta) In Relationship To Climatic Factors And Inter- And Intraspecific Competition, Beverly Ann Agler

Fisheries

The Influence Of Estuarine Habitats On Expression On Life History Characteristics Of Coho Salmon Smolts In South-Central Alaska, Tammy D. Hoem Neher

Fisheries

Ocean Wilderness In Theory And Practice, Bradley W. Barr

Fisheries

Tuftsin Promotes An Anti-Inflammatory Switch And Attenuates Symptoms In Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, Wu Muzhou, Julien Nissen, Emily Chen, Stella Tsirka

Department of Pharmacology Faculty Publications