Digital Commons Network^™

Extending The Soil Moisture Data Record Of The U.S. Climate Reference Network (Uscrn) And Soil Climate Analysis Network (Scan), Ethan J. Coopersmith, Jesse E. Bell, Michael H. Cosh

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Soil moisture estimates are valuable for hydrologic modeling, drought prediction and management, climate change analysis, and agricultural decision support. However, in situ measurements of soil moisture have only become available within the past few decades with additional sensors being installed each year. Comparing newer in situ resources with older resources, previously required a period of crosscalibration, often requiring several years of data collection. One new technique to improve this issue is to develop a methodology to extend the in situ record backwards in time using a soil moisture model and ancillary available data sets. This study will extend the soil …

Undergraduate Range Management Exam: 1999-2014, Justin D. Derner, Jessica Crowder, Mae Smith, Tami Plechaty

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The Undergraduate Range Management Exam (URME) has been administered to undergraduate students at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management since 1983, with students demonstrating their higher order learning skills and synthesis knowledge of the art and science of rangeland management.

• The multiple-choice exam is composed of six subject categories:1) Range Ecology; 2) Grazing Management; 3) Range Improvements; 4) Range Regions; 5) Range Inventory and Analysis; and 6) Multiple-use Relationships on Rangelands.

• Topics of changing climate and weather variability (including extreme events), and the associated adaptive management strategies employed by land managers to reduce risk and …

The Importance Of Olfactory And Visual Cues In Developing Better Monitoring Tools For Sirex Noctilio (Hymenoptera: Siricidae), Mark A. Sarvary, Miriam F. Cooperband, Ann E. Hajek

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

1. To improve the monitoring of the invasive European woodwasp, both sexes of Sirex noctilio were studied in a walk-in wind tunnel.We evaluated three trap types: unbaited traps, traps baited with a three-component pheromone lure and traps baited with a commercial Sirex kairomone lure and ultraviolet light.

2. When no lure was present, the black intercept trap caught more females than the clear jar trap. The increase in pheromone concentration from 0.1 to 1mg increased the capture of females, and not males, in the black intercept panel trap. Both of these findings suggest that the visual cues provided by the …

Effects Of Refuges On The Evolution Of Resistance To Transgenic Corn By The Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera Leconte, Jennifer Deitloff, Mike W. Dunbar, David A. Ingber, Bruce E. Hibbard, Aaron J. Gassmann

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte is a major pest of corn and causes over a billion dollars of economic loss annually through yield reductions and management costs. Corn producing toxins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been developed to help manageD. v. virgifera.However, previous studies have demonstrated the ability of this species to evolve resistance to Bt toxins in both laboratory and field settings.

RESULTS: We used an experimental evolution approach to test the refuge strategies for delaying resistance of D. v. virgifera to corn producing Bt toxin Cry34/35Ab1. In the absence of refuges, D. v. virgifera developed resistance to …

College And Student Life Policies, Saint Mary's College Of California

Undergraduate Student Handbook (2010-2018)

No abstract provided.

Divergent Summers: Measuring The Effect-Size Of Summer Vacation On Reading And Mathematics Achievement Scores For Different Populations Of Maine Students, Brian I. Mazjanis Phd

All Student Scholarship

This quantitative study of summer learning for Maine students in grades three through grades eight analyzed changes in academic achievement level in mathematics and reading that occurred during the summer recess of 2009. The patterns of learning exposed in this study have meaningful implications for policymakers attempting to close the achievement gap.

Understanding Vulnerability In Alaska Fishing Communities: A Validation Methodology For Rapid Assessment Of Well-Being Indices, Conor M. Maguire

All Master's Theses

Social well-being indices measure how fishing communities are likely to be affected by social-ecological perturbations, and are a significant tool to identify the primary issues influencing communities’ sustained participation in fishing activities. In an attempt to further our understanding of how communities are affected by such perturbations, we have developed a rapid assessment methodology to test the external validity of a set of well-being indices that measure community vulnerability. This methodology informs how well such indices reflect the communities they represent by measuring elements of well-being through field observations, and comparing them to corresponding index components created from secondary data …

Applying Wetland Rating Systems To Assess Functions Of Depressional Wetlands Created By A Mass Wasting Feature, Table Mountain, Washington, Thomas S. Wachholder

All Master's Theses

The formation of wetlands in the Swauk Watershed has been primarily controlled by mass wasting events, which includes landslide activity. Landslide activity has been the primary influential process in shaping the landscape where wetland systems have formed on the surface of landslide deposits. The wetland sites used in this study, near the base of Table Mountain, were chosen because they inhabit the same ancient landslide, have the same underlying geology, and vary in aspect and elevation. The elevational gradient of the sites ranges from 1300 – 1600 m and the individual wetlands differ in terms of north- and south-facing aspects. …

Applying The Cacao Change Model To Promote Systemic Transformation In Stem, Anthony Marker, Patricia Pyke, Sarah Ritter, Karen Viskupic, Amy Moll, R. Eric Landrum, Tony Roark, Susan Shadle

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since its inception in the Middle Ages, the university classroom can be characterized by students gathered around a sage who imparts his or her knowledge. However, the effective classroom of today looks vastly different: First-year engineering students not only learn basic engineering principles, but are also guided to consider their own inner values and motivations as they design and build adaptive devices for people with disabilities; students in a large chemistry lecture work animatedly together in small groups on inquiry-based activities while an instructor and teaching assistants circulate and guide their learning; students learning differential equations practice explicit metacognitive skills …

Towards Dynamic Adaption Of User's Organisational Information Security Behaviour, Mutlaq Alotaibi, Steven Furnell, Nathan Clarke

Australian Information Security Management Conference

The weakest link in the field of information security that has been identified in the literature is the organisation’s employees. Information security policy compliance is one of the main challenges facing organisations today. Although implementing technical and procedural measures clearly helps to improve an organisation's information security, the human factor or the employees' compliance with these measures is the key to success. However, organisations are now having some issues regarding the extent of employee adherence to policy. The problem of employees being unaware or ignorant of their responsibilities in relation to information security is still an open issue. The proposed …

Timing Attack Detection On Bacnet Via A Machine Learning Approach, Michael N. Johnstone, Matthew Peacock, J I. Den Hartog

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Building Automation Systems (BAS), alternatively known as Building Management Systems (BMS), which centralise the management of building services, are often connected to corporate networks and are routinely accessed remotely for operational management and emergency purposes. The protocols used in BAS, in particular BACnet, were not designed with security as a primary requirement, thus the majority of systems operate with sub-standard or non-existent security implementations. As intrusion is thus likely easy to achieve, intrusion detection systems should be put in place to ensure they can be detected and mitigated. Existing intrusion detection systems typically deal only with known threats (signature-based approaches) …

Selection Of Penetration Testing Methodologies: A Comparison And Evaluation, Aleatha Shanley, Michael N. Johnstone

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Cyber security is fast becoming a strategic priority across both governments and private organisations. With technology abundantly available, and the unbridled growth in the size and complexity of information systems, cyber criminals have a multitude of targets. Therefore, cyber security assessments are becoming common practice as concerns about information security grow. Penetration testing is one strategy used to mitigate the risk of cyber-attack. Penetration testers attempt to compromise systems using the same tools and techniques as malicious attackers thus attempting to identify vulnerabilities before an attack occurs. This research details a gap analysis of the theoretical vs. the practical classification …

Evaluating Policy Layer Security Controls For Value Realisation In Secure Systems, Brian Cusack, Maher Al-Khazrajy

Australian Information Security Management Conference

A strategic question for any business is: What value do control frameworks give? The question concerns the costs associated with implementing and maintaining control frameworks compared with the benefits gained. Each control framework contains many controls that may or may not benefit a situation and this research is aimed at testing different selections and combinations of controls to forecast probable impacts on business outcomes. The scope of the research is limited to a representative set of security controls and the lesser question: What are the criteria for selecting the most effective and efficient security control configurations for best business value? …

Loyalty Cards And The Problem Of Captcha: 2nd Tier Security And Usability Issues For Senior Citizens, David M. Cook, Apoorv Kumar, Charwina Unmar-Satiah

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Information Security often works in antipathy to access and useability in communities of older citizens. Whilst security features are required to prevent the disclosure of information, some security tools have a deleterious effect upon users, resulting in insecure practices. Security becomes unfit for purpose where users prefer to abandon applications and online benefits in favour of non-digital authentication and verification requirements. For some, the ability to read letters and symbols from a distorted image is a decidedly more difficult task than for others, and the resulting level of security from CAPTCHA tests is not consistent from person to person. This …

A Hybrid Feature Selection For Network Intrusion Detection Systems: Central Points, Nour Moustafa, Jill Slay

Australian Information Warfare and Security Conference

Network intrusion detection systems are an active area of research to identify threats that face computer networks. Network packets comprise of high dimensions which require huge effort to be examined effectively. As these dimensions contain some irrelevant features, they cause a high False Alarm Rate (FAR). In this paper, we propose a hybrid method as a feature selection, based on the central points of attribute values and an Association Rule Mining algorithm to decrease the FAR. This algorithm is designed to be implemented in a short processing time, due to its dependency on the central points of feature values with …

Is The Internet The Main Medium Of Transmitting Terrorism?, Hatem El Zein

Australian Information Warfare and Security Conference

The influx of virtual media platforms has allowed extremists and terrorists to transmit their messages to wider audiences without passing through a gatekeeper or being a subject to editorial policies existed in traditional media outlets. Thus, extremists and terrorists exploit virtual media platforms to report their actions; propagate their ideologies and ultimately to boost their objectives, because these mediums enabled them to have control over time and space. As a result, some governments work to deprive extremists and terrorists from this 'oxygen' through monitoring the cyberspace to block the suspected virtual media platforms. The reactions of some governments to face …

The Effects Of Global Change Upon United States Air Quality, Rodrigo Gonzalez-Abraham, Serena H. Chung, Jeremy C. Avise, Brian Lamb, Eric P. Salathé Jr., Christopher G. Nolte, Dan Loughlin, Alex Guenther, Christine Wiedinmyer, Tiffany Duhl, Yang Zhang, David G. Streets

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

To understand more fully the effects of global changes on ambient concentrations of ozone and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) in the United States (US), we conducted a comprehensive modeling effort to evaluate explicitly the effects of changes in climate, biogenic emissions, land use and global/regional anthropogenic emissions on ozone and PM_2.5 concentrations and composition. Results from the ECHAM5 global climate model driven with the A1B emission scenario from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were downscaled using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to provide regional meteorological fields. We …

A Conceptual Framework For Estimating The Impact Of Climatic Uncertainty And Shocks On Land Use, Food Production, And Poverty In The Philippines, Caesar Cororaton, Arlene Inocencio, Anna Bella Siriban-Manalang, Marites Tiongco

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Wide variations in climatic conditions from prolonged dry season to frequent occurrence of super typhoons have significant impact on the Philippines, especially on rural poor households which depend heavily on agriculture and food production for subsistence and income. This paper provides a research framework that can be used to understand the dynamics between climate change and agriculture. The framework incorporates the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity, as well as the effects of agricultural activities and land use on climate change through the emission of greenhouse gasses. The framework uses three simulation models to analyse the impact of climate …

Biophysical Vulnerability Impact Assessment Of Climate Change On Aquaculture Sector Development In Sarawak, Malaysia, Rosita Hamdan, Fatimah Kari, Azmah Othman

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This study is an assessment of the impact of climate change on the biophysical vulnerability of aquaculture production in Sarawak. The relationship between change in risk factors with the total aquaculture production and farmer’s income is identified. It utilizes data from the survey done on 249 aquaculture farmers in Sarawak, as well as secondary data gathered from various government reports. The multiple linear regressions results verify that the mean minimum temperature has a positive significant effect on freshwater ponds, while relative humidity has a negative significant effect on brackish water ponds. The total aquaculture area has a positive significant effect …

Trade Policy Implications On Food Security In Rice And Maize In Kenya And The Philippines, Chris Simon Sitienei Kipkorir, Marites Khanser

DLSU Business & Economics Review

The research is a study on trade policy implications on food security in rice and maize in Kenya and the Philippines. It covers, globalization as embodied by the East African Community and ASEAN region, trade and agricultural trade policies, agricultural development and factors of production regarding rice and maize. The purpose of the study is to determine implication of trade and trade policy model on food security, state of production and consumption on rice and maize. We also try to determine if there is no significant correlation between the factors of production concerning rice and maize. The study is a …

Public Interest In The Digital Age: Towards A 21st Century Spectrum Policy, John H. Cook

Colorado Technology Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Moore's Law, Metcalfe's Law, And The Theory Of Optimal Interoperability, Christopher S. Yoo

Colorado Technology Law Journal

No abstract provided.

A Mathematical Investigation Of The Drivers Of Lyme Disease Ecology At Two Ecologically Contrasting Sites, Malia Joy Carpio

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Lyme disease is an emerging tick-borne disease of increasing concern in the United States. In order to create and to implement effective public health interventions for Lyme disease, there must be a better understanding of the factors driving pathogen transmission.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objectives of this study were to determine how presence/absence of “super-spreaders” and observed differences between two ecologically contrasting sites influence Borrelia burgdorferi transmission.

METHODS: A next generation matrix R0 model was parameterized with field data from an island site (Block Island, Rhode Island) and a mainland site (Connecticut) in order to generate R0 estimates. A local …

A Friendly Introduction To Mathematical Logic, Christopher C. Leary, Lars Kristiansen

Geneseo Authors

At the intersection of mathematics, computer science, and philosophy, mathematical logic examines the power and limitations of formal mathematical thinking. In this expansion of Leary’s user-friendly 1st edition, readers with no previous study in the field are introduced to the basics of model theory, proof theory, and computability theory. The text is designed to be used either in an upper division undergraduate classroom, or for self study. Updating the 1st Edition’s treatment of languages, structures, and deductions, leading to rigorous proofs of Gödel’s First and Second Incompleteness Theorems, the expanded 2nd Edition includes a new introduction to incompleteness through computability …

Bayesian Spatial Modeling Of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Transmission In The United States, Samantha Emanuele

Public Health Theses

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common virus infecting the respiratory system and can cause severe disease in vulnerable populations. It has been shown that the RSV epidemic in the United States is seasonal, peaking in late fall in Florida and a few months later in the upper Midwest. Although a seasonal trend has been described, it is still unclear if there are any spatial trends between states. For this paper, RSV laboratory data from the continental United States was used to model the transmission dynamics of RSV in each state. We conducted an explanatory analysis to investigate the presence …

The Pura Belpré Award And The Portrayal Of Disability, Zoe Houser

Honors Program Theses

The Pura Belpré Award is one of the lesser known literary awards. Because other literary awards have been around longer and received a large amount of attention, there has been much research done over the other literary awards, including how the award books portray disabled characters within their pages. However, there is a lack of research about the portrayal of disability in books that have been awarded or honored by the Pura Belpré Award.

This paper will address the question of how many Pura Belpré Award winning books include prominent characters with disabilities and if they are portrayed positively or …

Investigating Educational Quality At One Comprehensive University, Blake Thurston Findley

Honors Program Theses

President Obama has called for increased access to higher education and simultaneously wants greater educational quality from our colleges and universities. Comprehensive universities in particular, due to their high enrollment of underserved populations, need to ensure they are providing the highest quality education possible. The current study investigated educational quality at a comprehensive university by examining research-supported behaviors related to educational quality as well as perceptions of educational quality of faculty and students. The study found that faculty play a tremendous role in comprehensive universities, yet are underappreciated by their administration. Additionally, comprehensive universities are trying to be everything to …

The Ugly Duckling: Insights Into Ancient Maya Commerce And Industry From Pottery Petrography, James Aimers, Elizabeth Haussner, Dori Farthing

Anthropology

No abstract provided.

Reconstructing Neuronal Connectivity From Calcium Imaging Data Using Generalized Transfer Entropy, Jina Li

Public Health Theses

The reconstruction of neuronal connectivity is a very interesting and important topic in neuroscience as it helps with understanding neuronal circuit and function. With the advancement of calcium fluorescence imaging technique, we can now observe the dynamical activity of hundreds of neurons in vivo in one setting, which provides a foundation for inferring connectivity within a community or network. Poor signal-to-noise ratio and low frame rate with respect to neurons’ actual firing rate are challenges that come with calcium imaging data. Here we review several methods that can be applied to calcium imaging data, without the direct need for converting …

General Anesthesia: A Literature Review - Induction, Mechanism, Agents, And Effects, Sylvie Yaacoub

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.