Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Magmatic Enclaves And Evidence For Magma Mixing In The Oak Point Granite, Deer Isle, Maine, Usa, Ben Johnston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Coastal Maine Magmatic Province (CMMP) consists of over 100 post tectonic plutons with ages varying from Silurian to Carboniferous. Predominately, plutons are either felsic or mafic with little intermediate material. Several plutons within the CMMP show evidence for direct interaction of contemporaneous mafic and felsic magmas. These are classified as Mafic and Silicic Layered Intrusions (MASLI), a specific group of plutons with characteristics indicative of mafic magma replenishment into silicic magma chambers. While the Maine coast contains several MASLI type plutons, other plutons in the CMMP contain less definitive, more cryptic evidence that suggests interaction of mafic and silicic …

Relationships Between Oceanographic Satellite Data And Alexandrium Distributions In The Gulf Of Maine, Remy Martin Luerssen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An examination is made of the qualitative and quantitative relationships between satellite derived sea-surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll patterns and the distribution of Alexandrium, the toxic dinoflagellate species responsible for HABs in the GOM. Daily images coincident with five ECOHAB survey cruises in 1998 and 2000 are composited over each cruise period to create mean patterns for each sample period. Contours of surface Alexandrium cell concentrations are superimposed on the images as well as images showing the strength and location of SST frontal zones to examine qualitative relationships. Results indicate that high concentrations of Alexandrium are located primarily in the …

Effects Of An Increasing Harbor Seal Population On Changes In Sites Used For Pupping, Nikolina Guldager

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aerial survey data from 198 1 to 1997 of an increasing harbor seal (Phoca vitulina concolor) population in Penobscot and Blue Hill bays, Maine, were used to evaluate spatial and temporal patterns of use of pupping sites by mother-pup pairs. Pupping sites refer to haul-out sites where pups were observed during surveys, and are assumed to be used consistently from birth to weaning. Sites with pups were spatially clustered to remove spatial auto-correlation, reduce temporal variability and provide biologically cohesive and independent sample units. Spatial, temporal and habitat analyses were completed for 2 spatial scales: individual sites and …

Modeling Intersections Of Geospatial Lifelines, Ramaswam Hariharan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modeling moving objects involves spatio-temporal reasoning. The continuous movements of objects in space-time captured as discrete samples form geospatial lifelines. Existing lifeline models can represent the movement of objects between samples from most likely location to all possible locations. This thesis builds on a model called lifeline bead and necklace that captures all the possible locations of moving objects. Beads are 3-dimensional representations of an object's movements and a series of beads form a necklace. The extent of finding the possible locations is constrained by the speed of movement of the objects. Intersections of lifelines occur when two or more …

Evolution Of Sprague Neck Bar, Machias Bay, Maine, Rebecca A. Nestor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sprague Neck Bar is a recurved barrier spit located in Machias Bay, Maine. Principle geomorphic features associated with Sprague Neck Bar include bedrock, coastal bluffs, till in grounding line (the Pond Ridge Moraine) and washboard moraines, mudflats, sand and gravel beaches, and a salt marsh. Sprague Neck Bar is attached to the western end of the Pond Ridge Moraine (Sprague Neck) and extends northward toward the head of Machias Bay for 845 meters before the system recurves to the southeast for 232 meters. The recurve system forms a broad tidal flat with evidence for northward and eastward migration of the …

Variables Influencing Nest Success Of Eastern Wild Turkeys In Connecticut: Nesting Habitat, Home Range-Scale Fragmentation, And Nest Attentiveness, Shelley M. Spohr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nest success is the most important demographic parameter influencing rates of population change of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo si1vestris) and many variables operating at multiple spatial and temporal scales may influence whether a nest is successful. Most studies of nest success and survival of turkeys have occurred in forested or agricultural landscapes; variables influencing nest success have not been studied in suburban landscapes. My objectives were to: 1 ) quantify survival and reproductive parameters of eastern wild turkey hens in the suburban environment of southeastern Connecticut and compare results to studies conducted in other northeastern states; 2) …

Anthropogenic Influences And Meteorological Effects: How They Are Changing The Sand Beaches In Southern Maine, Heather W. Heinze

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although sand beaches in southern Maine comprise only a small segment of the coastline, they are economically important to the state. From September 1999-March 2001, volunteers made monthly topographic profiles along nine beaches in southern Maine to monitor changes. The volunteers used the Emery Method of beach profiling to take simultaneous measurements at spring low tide. The beaches are significantly different with respect to physiography, incident wave energy and direction, available sediment supply and extent of development. An average of the profiles for each category demonstrates that the undeveloped beaches experienced regular seasonal fluctuations and a consistent berm elevation from …

Gametogenic Cycles Of Marine Mussels, Mytilus Edulis And Mytilus Trossulus, In Cobscook Bay, Maine, Aaron P. Maloy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mytilus edulis species complex includes three smooth-shelled blue mussels, M. edulis (Linnaeus 1 75 8), M trossulus (Gould 1 850), and M galloprovincialis (Lamarck 18 19). When any two of theses species occur sympatrically, hybridization and backcrossing of hybrid and parental genotypes is evident. Despite introgression of genes between taxa their genetic integrity is maintained. To test the hypothesis that a temporal variation in species-specific spawning times is the mechanism limiting hybridization and maintaining genetic integrity in a M edulis and M. trossulus hybrid zone in eastern Maine, mussels were sampled on monthly to semi-monthly intervals throughout 2000 from …

The Effects Of Temperature On The Survival, Growth And Development Of Larvae Of Two Blue Mussel Species (Mytilus Edulis And Mytilus Trossulus), Susan Hayhurst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Factors affecting the distribution of Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus in the Gulf of Maine are of great interest because of the blue mussel's economic and ecological importance. Genetic surveys of blue mussel populations indicate that eastern Maine represents the southern distributional limit for M. trossulus but that M. edulis is common throughout the Gulf of Maine. Because hydrographic features in the Gulf of Maine confound temperature variation and larval dispersal patterns, the relative importance of these potential range-limiting mechanisms cannot be ascertained from the distribution of adult mussels. Given that larvae are more vulnerable than adults to temperature extremes, …

The Role Of Water Motion In Algal Reproduction, Richard Gordon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Environmental conditions, such as water motion, can influence fertilization success and spore dispersal in marine algae. Previous studies on fucoid algae showed that gamete release is restricted to, or enhanced by, periods of low water motion. Few other algal taxa have been investigated, however, including species with an alternation of generations. I investigated gamete and spore release in the macroalgae Alaria esculenta and Ulva lactuca, as well as in the diatom Pseudo-nitachia multiseries to determine if water motion is inhibitory or stimulates propagule production and release. I used orbital shakers to simulate water motion; these were interspersed with stationary platforms …

Hazardous Materials Transportation Flow Survey: An Evaluation Of Hazardous Materials Transported In Washington County., Daniel John O'Brien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the transportation of hazardous materials through Washington County, Tennessee. This study incorporates federal, state, and local data in assessing current transportation trends. Data gathering activities included local chemical inventories, hazardous materials transportation flow surveys, hazardous materials rail transportation trends, and hazardous materials incident data.

All data were compiled and then analyzed to identify hazardous materials transportation trends in Washington County, Tennessee. This information is pertinent to emergency planners for the preparation of hazardous materials transportation incidents. The data gathered further revealed the need for this type of study to identify changing trends in the transportation of hazardous …

Image Compression By Wavelet Transform., Panrong Xiao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital images are widely used in computer applications. Uncompressed digital images require considerable storage capacity and transmission bandwidth. Efficient image compression solutions are becoming more critical with the recent growth of data intensive, multimedia-based web applications.

This thesis studies image compression with wavelet transforms. As a necessary background, the basic concepts of graphical image storage and currently used compression algorithms are discussed. The mathematical properties of several types of wavelets, including Haar, Daubechies, and biorthogonal spline wavelets are covered and the Enbedded Zerotree Wavelet (EZW) coding algorithm is introduced. The last part of the thesis analyzes the compression results to …

A Meta-Analysis And Risk Assessment Of Heavy Metal Uptake In Common Garden Vegetables., Trent David Lecoultre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Peer reviewed literature was searched to identify research pertaining to the uptake of heavy metals (As, Cd, Pb and Zn) by vegetables (cabbage, carrot, lettuce, and radish). The objectives of this research were to 1) determine the relationship between heavy metal concentrations in the soil and heavy metal concentrations in vegetables, and 2) determine the level of risk associated with exposure to heavy metals through ingestion of contaminated vegetables. Highly variable estimates and biologically implausible regression equations resulted from this meta-analysis. Exposure to arsenic through the ingestion of lettuce grown on contaminated soil significantly increases cancer risk, especially in children. …

Life Annuities Under Random Rates Of Interest., Lesley J. Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We begin by examining the accumulated value functions of some annuities-certain. We then investigate the accumulated value of these annuities where the interest is a random variable under some restrictions. Calculations are derived for the expected value and the variance of these accumulated values and present values. In particular we will examine an annuity-due of k yearly payments of 1. Then we will consider an increasing annuity-due of k yearly payments of 1, 2, ⋯ , k. And finally, we examine a decreasing annuity-due of k yearly payments of n, n - 1, ⋯ , n - k …

Synthesis Of Nano-Structured Monoclinic W03 Particles, Zhixiang Lu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research is: 1) to develop synthetic methods for generating nanosized particles of monoclinic W0₃ (m-W0₃) and 2) to use the high surface area of the nano-sized material in infrared spectroscopic studies of the reactions of gaseous molecules with the particulate surface. Two methods of making nano-structured monoclinic tungsten trioxide (m-W0₃) particles are investigated. In one method, the sol formation occurs in the presence of a solution containing chelating agents and in a second approach, the sol formation occurs in a water-in oil emulsion. Commercial m-W0₃ particles are approximately 1 micron …

Monitoring Dioxin Levels In Maine Rivers With Semipermeable Membrane Devices, Heather A. Shoven

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) currently monitors river dioxin levels through the sampling and destructive analysis of fish. Recent state law mandates that by December 31, 2002, the dioxin concentrations in fish downstream of a bleached Kraft pulp and paper mill are not to exceed the concentrations in fish upstream of the mill (38 M.R.S.A. §420-A). The objective of this thesis project was to develop an alternate method for determining Kraft mill compliance to this Dioxin law. This new method that uses semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) circumvents many of the concerns generated by the upstream-downstream fish test. An …

Can A Little Ice Age Climate Signal Be Detected In The Southern Alps Of New Zealand?, Jessica L. Black

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a late Holocene interval of climate cooling registered in the North Atlantic region by expansion of alpine glaciers and sea ice (Grove, 1988). Here the LIA includes an early phase from about AD 1280 to AD 1390, along with a main phase from about AD 1556 to AD 1860, followed by warming and ice retreat (Holzhauser and Zumbiihl, 1999a). It has recently been demonstrated from records of North Atlantic ice-rafted debris that the LIA is the latest cooling episode in a pervasive 1500-year cycle of the climate system that may lie at the heart …

Synthesis And Use Of Chiral Surfactants., Xiaoye Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has been previously shown that micelles formed from surfactants with chiral head groups serve to induce a chiral reaction medium, leading to enhanced enantioselectivities in the reaction products. This utilization of chiral surfactants will offer an economical alternative to traditional chial solvents while simultaneously reducing organic waste. We have successfully dimethlated S-leucinol in an 85% yield, and have synthesized a hydrocarbon-based surfactant with this molecule as a head group. We have also formed polymeric surfactants that have polydimethylsiloxane as the hydrophobic portion with the (S)-dimethylleucinol as a head group. Tests of the solubility of these surfactants have been conducted. …

Theoretical Study On The Mechanism Of Removing Nitrogen Oxides Using Isocyanic Acid., Taraneh Nowroozi-Isfahani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mechanism of RAPRENO_x reactions - RAPid REduction of Nitrogen Oxides using Isocyanic acid - proposed by Robert A. Perry¹ in an attempt to help control the emission of nitrogen oxides pollutant into the atmosphere, has been re-investigated theoretically. The study of reaction mechanisms was carried out using Chemist software². All mathematically possible elementary steps have been evaluated and the chemically reasonable ones have been considered to propose new sets of reaction mechanisms. Density Functional Theory (B3LYP/6-31 G**) calculations using Gaussian 98³ were made in order to study the relative energies of all species and …

Investigation Of Perceptions Of Environmental Management Systems And Its Perceived Importance In A Corporation Undergoing Iso 14001 Certification., Charlette Michelle Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The International Organization of Standardization (ISO) has created a series of voluntary standards (ISO 14000) which promote waste reduction and improve businesses’ environmental management. ISO 14001 is the Environmental Management System portion of ISO 14000 requiring employee awareness and involvement. The Robert Bosch Corporation is undergoing ISO 14001 certification.

In this study, a 23-question survey was used to evaluate Bosch employees’ awareness of ISO 14000 and their support of a waste reduction program at four plants (Johnson City, TN; Sumter, South Carolina; Ashland, Ohio; and South Bend, Indiana). Employees surveyed were not yet familiar with ISO 14000 and that their …

Using Software Engineering Metrics In Ap Modularization., Kwaku Owusu-Tieku

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Significant amount of work has been done in software engineering in terms of reuse. With the use of object-orientation and design patterns that support the development of reusable modules, it appears that the development and reuse of software modules in creating new systems is becoming more and more common. The software engineering world, however has taken reuse more seriously than database; more research and improvement in reuse has been made in software engineering than in database. This paper investigates how software engineering metrics can be applied in the development of reusable database modules. This research provides a model for predicting …

The Response Of First And Second Order Streams To Urban Land-Use In Maine, U.S.A., Chandler Morse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of streams draining 20 catchments in Maine, U.S.A were compared to determine the influence of increasing urban intensity on stream ecosystem structure. The catchments had varying levels of urban land-use (percentage of the total impervious area within the catchment) ranging from 1-31%. Stream habitat quality, stability, and water quality consistently decreased as the proportion of impervious surface area increased within the catchment. .Indices based on stream benthic macroinvertebrate communities showed even stronger declines as a function of increasing impervious area in the study catchments. Streams draining catchments with levels of impervious surfaces <6% had higher levels of both total and Ephemeroptera + Plecoptera + Trichoptera (EPT) taxonomic richness. With increased levels of urban intensity, benthic macroinvertebrate communities in streams were characterized by decreased numbers of sensitive taxa. Taxa considered to be moderately sensitive to anthropogenic stress (e.g. Acerpenna (Ephemeroptera), Paracapnia …

Capturing Feedback In Complex Marine Ecosystems: Two Models, Teresa R. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marine systems are complex and highly variable. Feedback is required to learn in and manage these systems. Unfortunately, feedback in complex marine systems is difficult to capture and ambiguous. Feedback is a function of system structure. Conventional fisheries management simplifies this structure by focusing on individual species. It assumes that variability in populations is due solely to changes in the adult population (i.e., that a stock-recruitment relationship exists) and all necessary feedback is available by simply observing the size of the adult population. Unfortunately, this approach does not consider the environment of the species and most marine stocks show poor …