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Ua35/4 2012-2013 Annual Report, Wku International Programs

WKU Administration Documents

2012-2013 report of WKU International Programs & Study Abroad & Global Learning.

What To Do With America's Nuclear Defense Waste: The Hanford Effect, Joseph A. Cohen

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Remapping Nature: Motherhood, Autonomy, And Anti-Mining Activism In Íntag, Ecuador, Ellicott K. Dandy

Honors Theses

This honors thesis explores the social changes that women engaged in anti-mining activism bring to a region in rural Ecuador. I discuss the ways in which they incorporate their activist techniques into everyday life, using their status as mothers to access public discourses of environmentalism, and ultimately rewrite gender roles locally. Framing the mining conflict as a catalyst for social change, I draw parallels between this movement and indigenous politics in Ecuador, propose new interpretations of the mestizo ethnic identity and assimilation in the Spanish Empire, and finally, make the case for a nature-centric cultural analysis in anthropology.

Fluctuations Of Sea Water Temperature Based On Nannofloral Changes During The Middle To Late Miocene, Adana Basin, Turkey, Manolya Sinaci

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Some nannoplankton species are sensitive to water temperatures. While Coccolithus pelagicus and Reticulofenestra gelida indicate cooler water conditions, the genera Discoaster and Sphenolithus and Calcidiscus leptoporus are indicative of warmer water environments. This paper focuses on relative fluctuation of sea water temperatures during the Middle and Late Miocene, emphasised by cold and warm nannofossil changes in abundance in 2 wells. At the A-1 well in the Middle Miocene, the total abundance of cooler water species is 45%, while that of the warmer species is 3%. During the Late Miocene, the total abundance for cooler water species decreases to 34%; in …

Comparative Analyses Of Past Population Dynamics Between Two Subterranean Zokor Species And The Response To Climate Changes, Lizhou Tang, Long Yu, Weidong Lu, Junjie Wang, Mei Ma, Xiaodong Shi, Jiangang Chen, Tongzuo Zhang

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences of 34 haplotypes from 114 individuals of Eospalax baileyi and GenBank data of 40 haplotypes from 121 individuals of Eospalax cansus were used to investigate if the Quaternary glaciations on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) influenced the distribution and colonisation of these 2 species, and if both species presented congruous past population dynamics. The phylogenetic tree indicated a valid status for the genera Eospalax and Myospalax, and an independent species status for E. baileyi and E. cansus. The demographical population history of E. baileyi showed that the effective population size remained stable between 1.00 and 0.50 …

Drill Hole Data For Coal Beds In The Powder River Basin, Montana And Wyoming, Jon E. Haacke, David C. Scott

United States Geological Survey: Publications

This report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) of the Powder River Basin (PRB) of Montana and Wyoming is part of the U.S. Coal Resources and Reserves Assessment Project. Essential to that project was the creation of a comprehensive drill hole database that was used for coal bed correlation and for coal resource and reserve assessments in the PRB. This drill hole database was assembled using data from the USGS National Coal Resources Data System, several other Federal and State agencies, and selected mining companies. Additionally, USGS personnel manually entered lithologic picks into the database from geophysical logs of coalbed …

Damage Detection And Analysis In Cfrps Using Acoustic Emission Technique, Travis Laron Whitlow

Dissertations

Real time monitoring of damage is an important aspect of life management of critical structures. Acoustic emission (AE) techniques allow for measurement and assessment of damage in real time. Acoustic emission parameters such as signal amplitude and duration were monitored during the loading sequences. Criteria that can indicate the onset of critical damage to the structure were developed. Tracking the damage as it happens gives a better analysis of the failure evolution that will allow for a more accurate determination of structural life. The main challenge is distinguishing between legitimate damage signals and "false positives" which are unrelated to damage …

What Is Known About Species Richness And Distribution On The Outer-Shelf South Texas Banks?, Harriet L. Nash, Sharon J. Furiness, John W. Tunnell Jr.

Gulf and Caribbean Research

The outer-shelf South Texas Banks, also known as the snapper banks, are known by fishermen to be excellent fishing grounds. However, few scientific studies have been conducted to describe the ecology of these uncommon but distinctive habitats. This paper describes results of a literature review and an assessment to determine what is known about the biota of the South Texas Banks and to assist in developing renewed interest and focus on these topographic highs. The outer-shelf South Texas Banks include relict coralgal reefs and relict barrier islands, and we also include data for a nearshore site, which is geographically and …

Tectonosedimentary Development And Palaeoenvironmental Changes In The Acıgöl Shallow-Perennial Playa-Lake Basin, Sw Anatolia, Turkey, Cahi̇t Helvaci, Mehmet Ci̇hat Alçi̇çek, İbrahi̇m Gündoğan, Ünsal Gemi̇ci̇

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The late Cenozoic extensional deformation formed several NE-trending fluvio-lacustrine basins in SW Anatolia, filled by alluvial, fluvial and lacustrine deposits. Among them, the Acıgöl basin , is notable for its tectono-sedimentary development of a prominent shallow-perennial playa-lake setting. The basin initially subsided to receive coarse-clastic alluvial deposits, merging into fluvial systems and central shallow lakes. Subsequent basin deepening with significant sediment supply from surrounding basement horsts caused gradual shrinkage of the relatively small shallow lakes, due to renewed progradation of alluvial fans and they eventually dried out completely. The sedimentation pattern and palaeoenvironmental changes record a constant tectonic, sedimentation, climatic …

Microfacies Correlation Analysis Of The Oligocene-Miocene Asmari Formation, In The Central Part Of The Rag-E-Safid Anticlinal Oil Field, Zagros Basin, South-West Iran, Mahnaz Amirshahkarami

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Oligocene-Miocene Asmari Formation was deposited in a carbonate ramp setting at the margin of the Zagros Basin in south-western Iran. The subsurface sedimentary successions of the Asmari Formation have been studied using cores from the Rag-e-Safid oil field, in order to determinate their microfacies and sedimentary palaeoenvironments. Based on texture analysis and faunal assemblages, 10 microfacies types have been recognised and interpreted. They indicate different depositional settings: open marine, oolitic and bioclastic shoal, lagoon, tidal flat and beach. The microfacies have been interpreted as indicative of the inner and middle ramp. In accordance with the temporal and spatial correlation …

Paleoseismologic Evidence For Holocene Activity On The Pinto Mountain Fault, Twentynine Palms, California, Ana Maria Cadena

All Master's Theses

Excavations across the Pinto Mountain fault in Twentynine Palms, California exposed faulted strata across a 32-m wide zone. Trench wall exposures revealed clear evidence for five ground-rupturing events during the Holocene, and two additional events in the late Pleistocene. Optically stimulated luminescence ages from alluvial sediments suggest that the most recent event occurred between 1.7-2.9 ka B.P. and the penultimate event between 2.7-4.2 ka B.P.. Prior to the penultimate event, there were five ground-rupturing earthquakes on the eastern Pinto Mountain fault between 3.5-13.6 ka B.P.. The average recurrence interval since 13.3-13.6 ka B.P. is 1510-1680 years, and 1200-1500 years in …

Geophysical Expression Of The Northern Part Of The Mono-Inyo Volcanic Chain, Mono Basin, California, Amanda Mcdonell

Master's Theses

The Mono Domes are located at the northernmost end of the Mono-Inyo volcanic chain just north of the Long Valley Caldera and include more than 30 overlapping domes and coulees that follow an arcuate trend. A shallow basement high, possibly bounded by a fault, as suggested by potential-field models of data collected in Mono Basin, California, may have influenced the geometry and location of the Mono Domes. Over 320 new gravity stations and approximately 297 line-km of ground magnetic data were collected during the summer of 2010 to investigate the subsurface structure of the Mono Basin. Regional gravity data were …

Palaeoecological Analysis Of The Decline In Stromatolite Abundance During The Ordovician Period, Noran Mhm El-Sherif

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

A stromatolite is a laminated benthic microbial deposit. Its uniqueness arises from being present since the Precambrian to the present. Stromatolites recorded a peak time during the Mesoproterozoic, subsequently they witnessed abrupt rises and falls in abundance with the steepest decline in the Ordovician period, from which it never recovered from. There is no consensus yet regarding the reasons behind the decline of stromatolites. Thus the decline of these microbial deposits remains an enigma. Additionally, a literature gap exists regarding the reasons that specifically led to the Ordovician decline. Accordingly, the focus of this literature-based MSc. thesis is to find …

Alluvial Fans In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys: A Proxy For Melting Along Terrestrial Margins Of The East Antarctic Ice Sheet, Felix Zamora

Environmental and Conservation Sciences

Surface melting along Antarctic ice sheet margins is the most poorly understood input in models of future sea level rise. Alluvial fans in the McMurdo Dry Valleys originate from meltwater produced from high-elevation glaciers and snowbanks along these margins but many show no evidence for recent melting. These fans could serve as a record of past melting along terrestrial ice sheet margins, which would help quantify inputs to sea-level rise.To describe how melting has taken place in the past, five representative fans were examined. Fans are composed of thin, planar-bedded gravelly sands deposited by sheetflooding. Geospatial analsysis suggests the distance …

A Structural Analysis Of The El Kasr Structure In The Western Desert Of Egypt, Trevor Charles Ellis

Masters Theses

"The El Kasr structure was studied in order to investigate the origins and evolution of the enigmatic Desert Eyes structures of the Western Desert due to its accessibility and uniqueness among the structures. The El Kasr structure, an elongate structural basin with low limb dips, is unique among the "Desert Eyes" structures in that it: 1) occurs in isolation in otherwise horizontal sedimentary rock, 2) the long dimension of the basin is oriented NNW, 3) it is closely spatially associated with the less common NNW fault zones, and 4) is composite in nature. The structure was investigated using remote sensing …

Wolf Creek Dam: A Case Study Of Foundation Remediation For Dams Built On Karst Foundations, Kyla Justene Erich

Masters Theses

"Wolf Creek Dam was completed in 1952 as a 5,736-foot long and 258-foot high combination embankment-concrete gravity dam. Its storage capacity of 6 million acre feet makes it the ninth largest reservoir in the nation. The dam was built on a heavily karstified limestone foundation and began exhibiting signs of excess foundation seepage in late 1967. This led to extensive corrective work in the 1970s beneath the earthen core of the embankment to reduce underseepage. In 2006 an independent assessment by the Dam Safety Action Classification (DSAC) Peer Review Panel recommended that Wolf Creek Dam exhibited "Urgent and Compelling" foundation …

Intrusive Dike Complexes, Cumulate Cores, And The Extrusive Growth Of Hawaiian Volcanoes, Ashton F. Flinders, Garrett Ito, Michael O. Garcia, John M. Sinton, Jim Kauahikaua, Brian Taylor

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The Hawaiian Islands are the most geologically studied hot‐spot islands in the world yet surprisingly, the only large‐scale compilation of marine and land gravity data is more than 45 years old. Early surveys served as reconnaissance studies only, and detailed analyses of the crustal‐density structure have been limited. Here we present a new chain‐wide gravity compilation that incorporates historical island surveys, recently published work on the islands of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i, and Ni‘ihau, and >122,000 km of newly compiled marine gravity data. Positive residual gravity anomalies reflect dense intrusive bodies, allowing us to locate current and former volcanic centers, major rift …

Application Of Various Remote Sensing And Aerial Photography Data Sets To Resolve Surface Structure In Areas Of Poor Exposure: Examples From Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia And Katalla Area, Alaska Usa, Sarah Natalie Heinlein

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For many years now remote sensing data sets and application techniques of these various data have been routinely used in geological studies. Some of these studies are as basic as using Google Earth applications for general reconnaissance to more sophisticated methods for energy exploration or development of active tectonic models for a region. This dissertation presents data from two study areas within the northern pacific region utilizing a number of remote sensing and aerial photography data: 1) Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, and 2) Katalla area of southern Alaska, USA. The Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia study evaluates surface geomorphology which includes the morphology …

Hawaiian Forest Birds: The Past, Present And Future Status Of An Endangered Avifauna, Dennis A. Lapointe, Carter T. Atkinson, Paul C. Banko, Richard J. Camp, P. Marcos Gorresen, James D. Jacobi, Thane K. Pratt, Michael D. Samuel

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The Hawaiian forest birds are among the most endangered avifauna of the world. Entire bird groups have disappeared from the Hawaiian Islands, and of the more than fifty, historically-known species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, only 17 remain. Due to the extreme geographical isolation, few birds colonized the Hawaiian Islands but, released from direct competition, predation, and disease, these founders flourished and evolved amid the heterogeneous geography of the archipelago. This process of colonization and speciation is best characterized by the honeycreepers; the largest radiation of endemic forest birds in the Hawaiian Islands, or for that matter, birds on any oceanic archipelago. …

Carbon Capture And Storage Policy In China, Yan Gu

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This paper examines the current state of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage technology (CCUS) in China as well as the related climate change policy, laws, and initiatives that might be used to encourage the large-scale deployment of carbon sequestration in China. The paper is organized in six sections. Section I examines the overall status of CCUS development in China, including CCUS research activities and demonstration project deployment. Section II discusses the broader environment of national climate change policies issued by the State Council (namely the Central People’s Government) and how it accommodates CCUS development policy. Section III reviews China’s technology …

Geomechanics And Elastic Anisotropy Of The Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, Mehdi Ostadhassan

Theses and Dissertations

Many of the earth’s rocks exhibit anisotropic characteristics. Anisotropy is particularly common in many sedimentary rocks, such as shales. Anisotropy is defined as the spatial alignment of mineral grains, layers, fractures and stresses which causes elastic wave velocity and other elastic properties to vary with direction. There are two types of anisotropy: intrinsic and stress-induced. Intrinsic anisotropy is caused by beddings, microstructures or aligned fractures formed during deposition. Stress-induced anisotropy is caused by strain associated with external stresses. Intrinsic anisotropy originates in the absence of external stresses, while stress-induced anisotropy results from tectonic and overburden stresses. The style of earth …

Chapter 5 Biotic Interactions And Temporal Patterns Forlandslide Ecology, Lawrence R. Walker, Aaron B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. Landslide succession is the sequential replacement of plant communities following landslide creation. It is affected by biotic interactions and abiotic conditions and occurs in the intervals between recurrent erosion events.

2. Plant species can facilitate or inhibit landslide succession by direct species interactions or indirectly by the alteration of resources including light levels, soil stability, soil moisture, or soil nutrients. Species replacements may also occur due to differences in the life histories of landslide colonizers.

3. Herbivores, pathogens, and non-native species influence landslide succession and contribute to the variety of successional trajectories found on landslides, potentially with long-term consequences. …

A Proposed Change To Sudanese Government Mining Investment Policies Intended To Attract Foreign Mining Investment And Development, Osman G. Abdelgadir

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Evolution Of The Calcareous Nannofossil Genus Biscutum In The Mid- To Upper Cretaceous North American Mid-Latitudes, Bobbi J. Brace

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The calcareous nannofossil genus Biscutum is ubiquitous in mid to Upper Cretaceous pelagic sediments and is an important paleoceanographic proxy for surface water fertility. Most work on the evolution of Biscutum has been conducted on high latitude sections or Lower Cretaceous or Jurassic sediments, leaving a gap in the understanding of Biscutum evolution in mid-latitudes during the mid to Late Cretaceous. This study documents the evolution of Biscutum during the mid to Late Cretaceous in a mid-latitude composite section from North America. Six new species of Biscutum are presented herein, in addition to an emended Biscutum constans species concept. An …

Exploring The Surface Liquid And Lake Regions Of Titan With Laboratory Experimentation And Cassini Spacecraft Data, Felix Casimir Wasiak

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The surface liquids and lake regions of Titan are studied utilizing three unique techniques, the results of which are reported in this dissertation. The development of a facility to simulate the surface conditions of Titan, and to conduct experiments on samples within that facility, brings an understanding of Titan's surface not possible through observation and modeling alone. The properties of this facility are presented, including conceptual methodology, design, implementation, performance, and experimental results. The facility, the main component of which is a simulation chamber, allows for Titan temperatures of 90 - 94 K and a 1.5 bar N2 atmosphere. The …

The Surface Distribution Of Oil Spills, The Environmental Status Of The Visoka Oilfield, Its Rehabilitation Ways: Case Study, Nevton Kodhelaj, Aida Bode, Piro Zoga, Nevina Koja, Esmeralda Zeqo, Dulian Zeqiraj

UBT International Conference

Visoka oilfield was explored in 1963 through the well G-622. In this oilfield had been drilled more than 170 production wells. Through all this years of its exploitation, mainly because of the outdated technology, the environmental pollution reached really dramatic values. The pollution extends on the Visoka village, affecting so the life for the entire community. The oil spills, the gas emissions and the formation water affected and polluted and ―k illed‖ the Gjanica River, its delta and the Adriatic coast in the Semani beach. Due to the technology and the completely wrong policies, used in the past, the wells …

Discriminant Analysis Of Xrf Data From Sandstones Of Like Facies And Appearance: A Method For Identifying A Regional Unconformity, Paleotopography,And Diagenetic Histories, Stephen Paul Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

The placement of an unconformable surface within a stratal succession affects the interpreted thickness of units and sequences in contact with that surface. Unit thickness influences the interpretation of basin subsidence, paleotopography, diagenesis, and depositional style. Accurate placement of an unconformity results in true formational thicknesses for formations associated with that unconformity. True thicknesses aid in producing more precise surface to subsurface correlations, isopach maps, and paleogeographic maps. An unconformity may be difficult to identify in the stratal succession due to similar rocks above and below the unconformity and the presence of multiple candidate surfaces. Using statistical discriminant analysis of …

Small-Scale Mapping Of Indeterminate Arborescent Acroporid Coral (Acropora Cervicornis) Patches, Brian K. Walker, E. A. Larson, Alison L. Moulding, David S. Gilliam

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Western Atlantic populations of the staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis have drastically declined over the past few decades. Hence, interest in its ecology and spatial extent has increased. Acroporid corals with indeterminate arborescent growth like A.cervicornis primarily reproduce asexually by fragmentation, which can lead to extensive monotypic patches. Since fragmentation is a major component in indeterminate acroporid reproduction, these patches may expand or move over time. Periodic perimeter mapping facilitates comparison of patch areas to determine movement or expansion. A repeatable, low-cost method using a differential GPS carried by a snorkeler was employed to map the perimeter of A.cervicornis …

Layer Parallel Shortening: A Mechanism Used To Determine The Sequence Of Deformation Of The Little Water Syncline In The Tendoy Mountains, Southwestern Montana., Kera Ann Judy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The Little Water syncline is a complex structural feature within the Tendoy thrust sheet which formed during two temporally overlapping deformational episodes during the Late Cretaceous. The NNW-trending Four Eyes Canyon thrust and the structurally lower Tendoy thrust are associated with NE-SW-shortening related to the Cordilleran (Sevier-style) fold-thrust belt. The Tendoy thrust forms the structural front of the Cordilleran fold-thrust belt in southwestern Montana and its detached, NNW-trending overturned limb (of the Little Water syncline) was over-ridden by the Four Eyes Canyon thrust. Earlier research primarily used stratigraphic evidence coupled with geometric interpretations to suggest that: 1) clasts found in …

Rhyme Or Reason:That Is The Question?, Jim Roche

Articles

Noting that “the aesthetic should not be limited merely to the way things look” the organisers of this conference sought “in part to address the discursive limitation in architecture and related subjects by broadening the aesthetic discourse beyond questions relating to purely visual phenomena in order to include those derived from all facets of human experience”.

So where does etchics come in? Well, the introductory brochure noted that most philosophical trained aestheticians will say that “the aesthetic is everything” hinting perhaps of the necessity for a more haptic experience of architecture. It also drew on Wittgenstein’s quote that “ethics and …