Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Zinc Mining Contamination And Sedimentation Rates Of Historical Overbank Deposits, Honey Creek Watershed, Southwest Missouri, Jason L. Carlson

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Sediment-associated contaminants released by past mining activities in the Tri-State Lead and Zinc District in southwest Missouri pose a long-term risk to water quality. This study uses sedimentological and geochemical analyses to describe the relationships between mine contaminant dispersal and historical sedimentation patterns of the Honey Creek watershed ( 176 km2) which drains the Aurora Sub-district along the eastern boundary of the Tri-State District. This watershed has been subjected to an intense period of Pb-Zn mining that began in 1886, peaked in 1916, and ended by 1930. The objectives of this study are to: (1) determine the magnitude and distribution …

An Efficient Implementation Of The Transportation Problem, Alissa Michele Sustarsic

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The transportation problem is a special type of linear program in which the objective is to minimize the total cost of shipping a single commodity from a number of sources (m) to a number of destinations or sinks (n).

Because of the special structure of the transportation problem, a special algorithm can be designed to find an optimal solution efficiently. Due to the large amount of information in the problem, judicious storage and management of the data are essential requirements of any viable implementation of the transportation algorithm.

Using sparse matrix techniques to store the solution …

Robust I-Sample Analysis Of Means Type Randomization Tests For Variances, Anthony Joseph Bernard

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The advent of powerful computers has brought about the randomization technique for testing statistical hypotheses. Randomization tests are based on shuffles or rearrangements of the (combined) sample. Putting each of the I samples "in a bowl" forms the combined sample. Drawing samples "from the bowl" forms a shuffle. Shuffles can be made with or without replacement.

In this thesis, analysis of means type randomization tests will be presented to solve the homogeneity of variance problem. An advantage of these tests is that they allow the user to graphically present the results via a decision chart similar to a Shewhart control …

Adaptive User Models For The Design Of Intelligent User Interfaces, Lisa Martha Hunt

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to determine the effects over time of a dynamic system that adapts itself to a user's current state of expertise, in terms of the application domain, by constantly monitoring the user throughout use of the system, placing them in appropriate user models when this expertise has changed.

A dynamic system, named ER-by-Design version 2.0, is presented, consisting of an inference component, a help system, a help/assistance screen, and user models. The user models are responsible for adapting the system interface to the level of expertise of the user. The system monitors and analyzes a …

Stability Of Paleosinks And Karstic Carbonates In The Southern Fire Clay Mining District Of Missouri, Robert Weiser Dillon

Doctoral Dissertations

"The Southern Fire Clay District of Missouri was intensely mined during the late-1800’s to mid-1900’s for its valuable resource of high refractory clays deposited within Pennsylvanian sinkholes “paleosinks”. Mining operations have produced modifications in the Ozark aquifer, which in effect has possibly increased the instability of this paleokarst terrain and the potential of further environmental impacts to the land. Evidence supporting this hypothesis are: (1) A southerly shift in the regional groundwater divide relative to the topographic divide. This possibly is caused by the distribution of leaking clay pits, which suggests that the bedrock permeability or hydraulic conductivity has been …

Some Aspects Of The Adsorption Of A Lennard-Jones Gas On A Rough Surface, Douglas Henderson, Pawel Bryk, Stefan Sokolowski

Faculty Publications

We study the adsorption, including wetting, of a Lennard-Jones gas on a rough surface consisting of rough layer on a smooth substrate with which the gas interacts via a 9-3 potential. The rough layer is two molecular diameters thick and consists of a disordered quenched matrix of hard spheres. As well as interacting with the other matrix spheres by the hard-sphere potential, the matrix molecules interact with the gas molecules by the hard-sphere potential. Hence, on average, the degree to which the gas molecules can approach the substrate depends only on the density of the matrix layer. The density of …

Apex: Cross-Platform Analysis Program For Exafs, Nicholas Dimakis, Grant Bunker

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We have developed version 1.0 of a freely available (including source code) suite of basic X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) data analysis programs for data reduction and single scattering analysis. This package is based on the University of Washington (UW/NRL) Fortran 77 programs that are available on the International XAFS Society (IXS) database, complemented by a graphical TCL/TK scripting language based user interface which runs virtually unchanged between platforms, using the native look and feel of the corresponding platform. The package has been tested on MacOS 8.1, Linux, IRIX, Windows95 and NT. Particular emphasis is placed on simplicity, reliability, and …

Rapid Single- And Multiple-Scattering Exafs Debye-Waller Factor Calculations On Active Sites Of Metalloproteins, Nicholas Dimakis, M-Ali Al-Akhras, Grant Bunker

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

This paper describes recent results using our approach to calculating self-consistently single (SS) and multiple-scattering (MS) Debye- Waller factors (DWF) on active sites of metalloproteins. The calculation of MS DWF, together with the Feff7 program allows us to simulate ab-initio EXAFS spectra for a given temperature systems with no adjustable parameters. In our latest report (Dimakis N., and Bunker G., 1998) we calculate, using density functional and semiempirical approaches, the SS and MS DWF for small molecules and compared them to Raman, infrared and EXAFS spectra. In this report calculation of DWFs is done for tetrahedral Zn imidazole, a complex …

Detecting An Association Between Gamma Ray And Gravitational Wave Bursts, Lee Samuel Finn, Soumya Mohanty, Joseph D. Romano

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

If γ-ray bursts (GRBs) are accompanied by gravitational wave bursts (GWBs) the correlated output of two gravitational wave detectors evaluated in the moments just prior to a GRB will differ from that evaluated at other times. We can test for this difference without prior knowledge of either the GWB wave form or the detector noise spectrum. With a model for the GRB source population and GWB spectrum we can put a limit on the in-band rms GWB signal amplitude. Laser-Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory I detector observations coincident with 1000 GRB observations could lead us to exclude with 95% confidence associated …

Critical Adsorption Near Edges, Andreas Hanke, M. Krech, F. Schlesener, S. Dietrich

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Symmetry breaking surface fields give rise to nontrivial and long-ranged order parameter profiles for critical systems such as fluids, alloys, or magnets confined to wedges. We discuss the properties of the corresponding universal scaling functions of the order parameter profile and the two-point correlation function, and determine the critical exponents η∥ and η⊥ for the so-called normal transition.

Nitrate Attenuation In A Narrow Non-Forested Riparian Buffer Zone In An Agricultural Watershed In Southern Ontario, Mark David Harris

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Riparian buffer zones are defined as strips of natural vegetation separating streams or lakes from surrounding upland landscapes. These zones may effectively reduce the nitrate-N load in shallow ground water draining intensively fertilized agricultural regions. Contemporary research has tended to focus on wide, forested riparian zones situated on poorly drained lowland sites. In addition, research has typically focused on the growing season, when the ecosystem is biologically active, with relatively day hydrological conditions. This field study monitored spatial and temporal patterns of nitrate-N in a comparatively narrow, non-forested buffer zone situated in an upland agricultural watershed in southern Ontario. Results …

Issues Surrounding The Valuation Of A Park: Applying Commission For National Parks And Protected Area Guidelines To Awenda Provincial Park, Ontario, Tatania E. Stroud

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The goals of this project are to apply and assess the applicability of the World Conservation Union (1 UCN) Commission for National Parks and Protected Area Guidelines for Economic Assessment of Protected Areas to Awenda Provincial Park, and to compare the results with existing studies on valuing protected areas. This project explores the value of tourism and recreation at Awenda Provincial Park, and the expression of the value of natural areas in economic terms through the application of the CNPPA Guidelines. This project is an initial inquiry into the applicability of the CNPPA guidelines, and is based on data from …

Regional Ecology Of The St. Elias Mountain Parks: A Synthesis With Management Implications (British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska), Ryan Kenneth Danby

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The St. Elias region of North America occupies portions of British Columbia, Alaska, and the Yukon Territory and comprises a network of public lands and protected areas managed by a variety of agencies. This thesis characterizes and analyzes the broad- scale, or regional, ecology of these lands and provides an assessment of the implications this has for ecosystem-based management—particularly as it relates to intergovernmental cooperation. A multi-stage, map-based, multidisciplinary process is used to synthesize information on the region’s physical, biological, and institutional environments. The fields of conservation biology and landscape ecology provide theoretical foundations for analysis. The ecological synthesis and …

Natural Disturbance And Land Cover Patterns In A Mountainous, Sub-Arctic Environment (Yukon), A. Bruce Wurtele

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The dynamics of landscape pattern and disturbance were studied in the ‘green belt’ area of Kluane National Park, Yukon. White spruce montane forests and various sub-alpine and alpine vegetation communities dominate the study area, adjoining the Kluane Ranges of the St. Elias Mountains. Combining theory on landscape structure and function, the relationships of disturbance regimes and landscape pattern are examined. The landscape mosaic was mapped from classification of multispectral Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery. Landscape pattern was measured using quantitative indices of patch, class, and landscape attributes. Natural disturbance regimes, important to land cover development in the region, include fire, insect …

Assessment Of Capacity For Water Resource Management: A Case Study Of A Small Watershed In Nepal, Bhanu Raja Neupane

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Use of local knowledge, increased public participation, and capacity building – singly or in combination – are identified as major strategies to enhance sustainable and integrated management of water. Recently, capacity assessment has been recognized as one of the most effective means to operationalize these strategies in the context of water resource management However, the contemporary literature shows local-level capacity assessment as one of the least explored areas. The literature shows that capacity assessment still lacks conceptual clarity and an implementable framework. Efforts are being made in this direction, but very few focus below the national level. Many such efforts …

Quantitation Of Pyrethrum Residues In Brown Tree Snakes, John J. Johnston, Carol A. Furcolow, Stephanie A. Volz, Richard E. Mauldin, Thomas M. Primus, Peter J. Savarie, Joe E. Brooks

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A reversed-phase solid-phase extraction–gas chromatography (SPE–GC)–electron capture detection method is developed to quantitate individual rethrin residues in pyrethrum-exposed brown tree snakes. Aliquots (6 g) of homogenized snake tissue are extracted with 10 mL acetonitrile. The rethrins are recovered from the acetonitrile extract and concentrated using C₈ SPE. The rethrins are eluted from the SPE column with pentane, evaporated to near dryness, and reconstituted to 1 mL with 1-propanol. Individual rethrins are quantitated using GC analysis of the 1-propanol solution. Method limits of detection for rethrins range from 0.63 to 6.51 ng/g. The mean recovery for all rethrins is 70.8% …

Changes In Early Winter Abundance Of Four Gull (Larus) Species On Western Lake Erie, 1951-1995, Laura A. Tyson, Richard A. Dolbeer, Jerrod L. Belant

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many gulls (Larus spp.) that nest on and north of the Great Lakes concentrate along the south shore of western Lake Erie in early winter. Monitoring population trends of these gulls is important because of increasing conflicts between gulls and humans. We used data from four Christmas Bird Count locations to examine population trends of four gull species on western Lake Erie during nine 5-year periods, 1951-1995. Overall, ring-billed gulls (Z. delawarensis} were the dominant species (59% of gulls counted) followed by herring (Z. argentatus, 20%), Bonaparte's (Z. Philadelphia, 18%) and great blackbacked (Z. marinus, 0.2%) gulls. Ring-billed gulls displayed …

Pre-Baiting For Increased Acceptance Of Zinc Phosphide Baits By Voles: An Assessment Technique, Ray Sterner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

During a product-performance test of 2% zinc phosphide (Zn₃P₂) steam-rolled-oat groats (11.2 kg ha^-1) to control voles (Microtus spp) in alfalfa (Medicago sativa), randomly located, brushed-dirt plots were used to assess broadcast distribution and remova/acceptance of placebo particles. Results showed that the Spyker® Model-75 Spreaders were calibrated adequately, with placebo baits broadcast uniformly onto plots [x ± SD = 3.5 (±2.7) groats 930 cmp^-1]. Acceptance of the placebos by voles increased rapidly - 28% and 60% by 24h and 48h post-broadcast, respectively. Analyses of variance confirmed the uniformity (non-significance) …

Capsicum-Laden Soils Decrease Contact Time By Northern Pocket Gophers, Ray T. Sterner, Kelly Hollenbeck, Stephen Shumake

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fossorial rodents damage lawns/water impoundments/ crops. We conducted a two-choice, parametric-type study to determine the effects of capsicum-oleoresin/soil mixtures (0.00, 0.75, 1.50, and 2.25%) upon soil-contact, soil-digging, and pelage-grooming behaviors in northern pocket gophers (Thomomys talpoides). In 3 alternate-day (1-h/day) exposures to ≥1.50% capsicum-oleoresin soil mixtures, gophers decreased mean soil contact time by 46% relative to placebo-exposed animals. Grooming time yielded a concentration x trial interaction that showed intense grooming by capsicum-exposed animals during trial 1, with "convergence" of times to near those of the "placebos" (0.00% capsicum oleoresin) by trial 3. The significant decrease in grooming activity …

Impact Of Snowfall On The Utah Preventive Aerial Hunting Program, Kimberly K . Wagner, Michael R. Conover

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Aerial hunting is one of the tools used by wildlife managers to reduce predation by coyotes (Canis latrans) on livestock and wildlife (Guthery and Beasom 1977, Sterner and Schumake 1978, Stout 1982. Smith et al. 1986). In research conducted by Wagner and Conover (1999), areas with preventive aerial hunting had fewer confirmed and estimated lamb losses to coyote predation and required significantly fewer hours of additional corrective predation management than areas without aerial hunting. Aerial hunting is perceived to be especially valuable for large areas and areas with rough terrain and limited access (United States Department of the …

Effective Of Preventive Coyote Hunting On Sheep Losses To Coyote Predation, Kimberly Wagner, Michael Conover

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Aerial hunting is commonly used by agriculture agencies in the Intermountain West to reduce coyote (Canis latrans) predation on domestic sheep. We assessed the effect of aerial hunting of coyotes on sheep losses to coyotes, and the need for corrective predation management (hours of work, device nights) on the same pastures when sheep arrived for the subsequent summer grazing season (3-6 months after aerial hunting). Comparisons were made between paired pastures with (treated) and without (untreated) winter aerial hunting from helicopters. Average (x ± SE) pasture size was 45.2 ± 14.1 km² (n = 21) for treated …

Use Of Netted Cage Traps For Capturing White-Tailed Deer, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Jeff Beringer, Scott E. Hygnstrom

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The safe and humane live capture of deer may be an important component of management and research projects. Growing populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in both urban and agricultural settings often conflict with local human interests and present challenges to natural resource managers. Netted cage traps can be an important tool when managing deer populations where traditional control methods may not be appropriate or acceptable. Netted cage traps can also be used by researchers to acquire deer for marking, measurements, or other non-lethal purposes. We discuss the design of netted cage traps, trapping techniques, and the handling …

Nightly And Seasonal Movements Of Boiga Irregularis On Guam, Mark Tobin, Robert Sugihara, Patricia Pochop, Michael Linnell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis, BTS), inadvertently introduced to the island of Guam shortly after World War II, have had catastrophic effects on the native fauna of this U.S. territory. We used radio-telemetry to monitor daytime refugia and nightly movements of 60 BTS (30 during each of two seasonal periods) to determine the extent of nightly, weekly, and monthly movements. Eighty-three percent of subadult daytime sightings were in trees, compared to only 49% of adult daytime sightings. Most measures of movement did not vary with seasonal period, sex, or age class. BTS moved an average of 64 m …

Repellents To Reduce Cable Gnawing By Northern Pocket Gophers, Stephen A. Shumake, Ray T. Sterner, Stanley E. Gaddis

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

There is a continuing need to develop improved repellent formulations to protect buried cable installations from damage by problem wildlife. We evaluated 2.0% mass/mass levels of capsaicin and denatonium benzoate in a polybutene carrier material (Indopol®) and an aboveground, rodent-deer plastic mesh barrier (Vexar®) for reducing gnawing by northern pocket gophers (Thomomys talpoides) on communications cable (RG-8U). When treatments were applied as surface coatings, neither capsaicin nor denatonium samples were lower (P > 0.05) in measnres of cable damage compared to control (Indopol® alone) or samples treated with Vexar® plastic mesh. When the test was repeated with a new …

Ontogenetic Shifts In Canion Attractiveness To Brown Tree Snakes (Boiga Irregularis), John A. Shivik, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) is a nocturnal, primarily arboreal, rear-fanged colubrid native to parts of Australasia (Savidge, 1987; Greene, 1989). Throughout their range, brown tree snakes eat a variety of prey including lizards, rats, and birds (Greene, 1989; Shine, 1991; Rodda, 1992; Rodda et al., in press). Brown tree snakes on Guam have a wide diet consisting mainly of lizards and lizard eggs, but a variety of other items were found in snake stomachs, including odd items such as cooked spareribs (Savidge, 1988). Savidge (1988) noted an ontogenetic shift in Guam brown tree snake diets; small …

Intelligent Support Of Gait Analysis, Kathy A. Johnson, Sheldon R. Simon, Philip J. Smith, Jack W. Smith

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Predicting The Risk Of Obesity Using A Bayesian Network, Christopher C. Bunn, Min Du, Keyi Niu, Todd R. Johnson, Walker S. Poston, John P. Foreyt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Agwest Revegetation Monitoring Activity: Evaluation 1999, Caroline Hatherly

All other publications

During May 1999, an evaluation on the Agriculture Western Australia (AGWEST) Revegetation Monitoring Activity was undertaken. The evaluation was designed to track how the Land Conservation District Committees (LCDCs) in the Peel Harvey Catchment utilised the AGWEST Revegetation Monitoring Activity, and to determine if AGWEST's objectives of the project were being met It also gave the community a chance to provide feedback on their experiences with the Monitoring Activity, and suggest future changes

The survey concluded that the AGWEST Revegetation Monitoring Activity was used by LCDCs as a valuable tool for recording, monitoring and planning landcare projects. However, the process …

In-Situ Measurement Of Denitrification In The Elk Valley Aquifer, Allen Schlag

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater serves more than half of North Dakota's population as a drinking water source. Nitrate (NO₃¯) is a common groundwater contaminant associated with fertilizers, septic systems and livestock waste in shallow unconfined aquifers. As a suspected carcinogen and cause of potentially lethal methemoglobinemia in infants, the natural attenuation of NO₃¯ by denitrification can be an important process in keeping groundwater as a reliable source of clean drinking water for North Dakota. Organic carbon is often considered the most important electron donor for the chemical reduction of NO₃¯ into harmless nitrogen gas. However, several studies have shown that inorganic electron donors …

The Use Of Bauxite Residue As A Soil Amendment In The Peel -Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment - Environmental Monitoring Report August 1999, Mark Rivers

Natural resources published reports

The Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment is located immediately south of Perth in Western Australia and covers approximately 190,000 ha. It extends from Forrestdale in the north to Harvey in the south, and west from the Darling Scarp to Mandurah on the coast. The boundary of the catchment, as illustrated in Figure 1, represents the area which has been approved by the DEP for the broadscale application of Alkaloam as a soil amendment. (This figure also indicates features and regions of importance in this project).

The region experiences a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters with most …