Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Characterization Of Tetraethyl Orthosilicate-Based Dynamic Hydrogels For Use As Reversible 3-D Cell Culture Matrices, Krisitan Stipe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Facies Architecture And Controls On Reservoir Behavior In The Turonian Wall Creek Member Of The Frontier Formation, Powder River Basin, Wyoming, Nathan M. La Fontaine

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Inter-well heterogeneities influencing fluid migration in deltaic reservoirs are controlled by lateral lithofacies changes and vertical complexities such as low permeability thin-beds. Subsurface tools often cannot predict the spatial and stratigraphic organization of these architectural elements, nor their influence on effective reservoir properties and connectivity. This study integrates sedimentological, stratigraphic, and fluid simulation data to 1) document the facies architecture and depositional evolution of the Turonian Wall Creek Member (WCM) of the Frontier Formation, and 2) quantify the role of multi-scale stratigraphic heterogeneity on reservoir behavior. Upscaled permeability properties derived from fluid simulation of nested, small-scale facies models condition the …

Home Is Where The Food Is: Causes And Consequences Of Partial Migration In Elk, Kristin Jennifer Barker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Migratory and non-migratory ungulates often coexist in partially migratory populations, but the mechanisms that drive and maintain different migratory behaviors within the same herd are poorly understood. In western North America, increasing numbers of elk (Cervus canadensis) reside on low-elevation winter range year-round. These residents can cause issues associated with crop damage, potential for disease transmission to livestock, and reduced effectiveness of harvest management strategies. Because migrants transfer nutrients, alter carnivore distributions, and structure vegetative communities across seasonal ranges, reductions in migratory behavior raise ecological as well as management-related concerns. This work investigated the factors affecting migratory behavior …

Impacts Of Vegetation Growth On Reach-Scale Flood Hydraulics In A Sand-Bed River And The Implications For Vegetation-Morphology Coevolution, Samuel Box

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Vegetation affects river morphology via plant effects on the flow field, sediment transport and deposition, and substrate erodibility. Changes in the flow field caused by above-ground biomass mediate geomorphic response to flooding and habitat suitability for vegetation growth. Using numerical hydraulic models that incorporate drag due to spatially heterogeneous vegetation, I quantify how changes in the antecedent characteristics of woody vegetation in the active channel lead to changes in local bed shear stress, reach-average bed shear stress, and the vegetative component of reach-average total shear stress. Flood hydraulics in turn affect channel morphology and vegetation, providing a feedback mechanism by …

A Decade Of Governing The Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (Bcca): Community Involvement And Landscape Connectivity Through Public Private Partnerships, Alexander A. Barton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In recent decades, non-governmental organizations have acquired and established community forests and conservation areas in the U.S. However, there have been few empirical studies on their governance. This study focuses on the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (BCCA) in the Blackfoot watershed of Montana, created in 2005. The BCCA is a 41,000 acre mosaic of private, state, and federal lands, including 5,600 acres known as the “Core” located near Ovando mountain and owned by the Blackfoot Challenge, a local watershed organization and leader in grassroots conservation. This research examined the definitions, activities and lessons learned over the past decade with regard …

Watered Down: The Challenges Of Managing Water Resources In Montana, Beau E. Baker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Like much of the American West, Montana sits in the cross hairs of climate change. State drought resiliency projects and cooperative watershed management are on the rise in the face of decreased snowpack, early runoff, precipitation variability and lower seasonal stream flows. Population growth, land use practices, recreation and tourism all contribute to pressures on state water supplies.

Montana is faced with the arrival of invasive species that threaten the ecological health of its lakes, rivers and streams. State budget constraints and depressed agency capacity are hurting our ability to fend off these threats. There’s a lack of public education …

Meat Reimagined: The Ethics Of Cultured Meat, Valan Anthos

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this paper I explore a relatively new technology that is being developed to try and solve some of the major issues with modern animal agriculture called cultured meat. I cover the short history of this technology and where it is at currently before addressing two different ways of evaluating the ethics of cultured meat. Responding to much of the praise for cultured meat based on consequentialist ethics, I lay out reasons for skepticism and how some of these estimates might be overblown due to those people advocating for it being situated in the ideology of ecomodernism. I argue that …

An Inter-Watershed Comparison Study Of Bedrock Controls On Shallow Subsurface Flow And Streamflow Response, Robert Livesay

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Bedrock controls on watershed response have been actively studied in recent years, however, most conclusions are based on surface water analysis leaving unresolved questions about the nature of bedrock flow paths and ultimately their control on watershed response. In this study, we investigated bedrock controls on watershed response by simultaneously monitoring the hydrology of two adjacent watersheds underlain by dissimilar geologic formations (monzonite vs. meta-sandstone) and by characterizing subsurface conditions through bedrock drilling and fracture mapping. We hypothesized, when soils saturate, the underlying bedrock geology may influence the partitioning of shallow subsurface flow (SSF) between soil and bedrock flow paths, …

Using Multiple Environmental Tracers To Investigate The Relative Role Of Soil And Deep Groundwater In Stream Water Generation For A Snow-Dominated Headwater Catchment, Isabellah V. Von Trapp

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this study, seasonal fluctuation of environmental tracers in stream flow, soil water, and deep bedrock groundwater were used to constrain the role of deep bedrock groundwater in streamflow generation for a mountainous headwater catchment. Synoptic measurements of stream discharge, ²²²Rn, specific conductivity and major ion concentrations were measured throughout the water year over a 5 km reach of Cap Wallace Creek in the Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Montana, U.S.A. with the intention of understanding groundwater – surface water interactions across spatial and temporal scales. Stage measurements were continually recorded at seven stilling well locations along the reach. Discharge measurements …

40 Years On The International Flathead: An Assessment Of Transboundary River Governance, Jedd Sankar-Gorton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Global population growth, climate change, and industrialization, are putting extreme pressures on worldwide freshwater supplies (Cosens 2010). Of the global freshwater supplies, transboundary water sources play a crucial role in sustaining populations. Over 40% of humans on Earth rely on a transboundary river or lake for access to water, and 90% of the world’s population lives in countries that share bodies of water with at least one other country (UN 2008). Taken together, the motivations for improving governance of transboundary water systems have never been stronger. To meet the challenges associated with transboundary water governance, researchers working at multiple scales …

Estimating Groundwater Inflow And Age Characteristics In An Alluvial Aquifer Along The Little Wind River, Wyoming, Derek Goble

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

We synoptically sampled a 2 km gaining reach of the Little Wind River in central Wyoming for ²²²Rn, CFCs and SF₆ to determine the distributed volumes and locations of discharge and estimate alluvial groundwater age characteristics. ²²²Rn was sampled in the stream, shallow in-stream piezometers and nearby alluvial groundwater wells to determine the volume and spatial distribution of groundwater discharge to the river. Age tracers, CFC and SF_6, sampled in the stream, shallow in-stream piezometers and in alluvial groundwater wells were then used to determine whether in-stream samples are capable of constraining the residence time distribution …

The Development Of A Simplified Alkalinity Titration Analyzer, Reba Van Beusekom

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Alkalinity is the acid neutralizing capacity for water, meaning alkalinity measures how sensitive an aquatic system is to acidic inputs. Currently, there are various measuring systems for alkalinity available including chemical test kits, potentiometric techniques, and colorimetric methods. Commercially available products lack the ease of use combined with precision and accuracy desired for on-line process and environmental monitoring. The goal of this project is to develop a simplified alkalinity titration analyzer, called the easyTMT, to measure alkalinity with precision and accuracy comparable to the best conventional methods. The system, under development, uses the Tracer Monitored Titration (TMT) technique. TMT …

Understanding The Food Water Nexus: Characterizing The Impact Of Climatological Anomalies On Agrosystems, Patrick M. Wurster Jr.

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Climate variability at global and regional scales is escalating with increased atmospheric carbon and is expected to magnify the intensity and duration of meteorological extremes, especially droughts. From the many environmental stresses that diminish crop production (e.g., soil salinity, frost, soil erosion) drought is one of the most prevalent. This study focuses on the sensitivity of three key crops produced in the northwestern United States to climatological anomalies, while controlling for attribution using anomalies in price. The study differs from similar studies in that we focus on variability in production which captures both yield (tonnes/ha) and cropping area (ha), as …

Quantifying Effects Of Using Thermally Thin Fuel Approximations On Modelling Fire Propagation In Woody Fuels, David Blasen, Jesse Johnson, William Jolly, Russell Parsons

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this paper, we quantify the effects of the thermally thin fuel approximations commonly made in numerical models that eliminate temperature gradients within a heated object. This assumption is known to affect the modeled ignition and burn behavior, but there is little research on its impact, particularly in larger fuels or in numerical models including moisture and chemical decomposition of fuels.

We begin by comparing modeled to observed ignition times and burn rates. To constrain variability in the material properties of wood and focus on variability caused by fuels assumed to be thermally thin, we conduct experiments using thermogravimetric analysis …

Evaluation Of Autonomously Measured Alkalinity, Ph, And Pco2 Variability On A Coral Reef, Brittany Peterson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Currently, our understanding of alkalinity (A_T) variability in highly dynamic environments such as coral reefs is limited by the dearth of A_T measurements. In order to better characterize these environments, high temporal resolution A_T data are needed. This work employed the newly developed Submersible Autonomous Moored Instrument for Alkalinity (SAMI-alk), a fully autonomous in situ A_T analyzer, to study seawater A_T variability. The main goals of this research were to evaluate the utility of combining the SAMI-alk data with currently available in situ measurements of pH and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (p …

Insights Into The Proterozoic To Cretaceous Evolution Of The Western Clearwater Metamorphic Core Complex, Northern Idaho, Through Petrologic And Geochronologic Analysis, Nora Dwyer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Clearwater metamorphic core complex (CMCC) in northern Idaho contains a rare exposure of the contact of the basal section of the Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup with underlying Paleoproterozoic basement. Prior to this study, this contact had not been well documented. In addition, the rocks within the CMCC preserve a complex history of metamorphism, including both Mesoproterozoic and Cretaceous-Eocene regional events. Detrital zircon analysis of five coarsely recrystallized, clean quartzite samples at this contact reveal a bimodal age distribution with peaks at around 1800 - 1900 Ma and 2650 Ma. Several grains are younger than 1700 Ma, with the youngest being …

Mountain Pine Beetle Induced Changes To Lodgepole Pine Forest Stand Dynamics At Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Ben G. O'Connor

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

An Interdisciplinary Approach To The Target Elucidation Of Novel Antibiotic 31g12, Larissa A. Walker

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterial pathogen responsible for nosocomial and community-acquired infections that can quickly acquire antibiotic resistance. We have identified a novel triazole antimicrobial 31G12 based on the natural product core of nonactin isolated from the fermentation of Streptomyces griseus, that is active against many Gram-positive bacteria as well as antibiotic resistant methicillin-resistant S. aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus. The synthesis and characterization indicate that 31G12 exists as a mixture of two rotamers at room temperature and displays bacteriostatic activity against S. aureus with moderate mammalian cell toxicity. We have currently identified potential protein targets of 31G12 in …

Effect Of Neuromodulation Of Short-Term Plasticity On Information Processing In Hippocampal Interneuron Synapses, Elham Bayat Mokhtari

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Neurons convey information about the complex dynamic environment in the form of signals. Computational neuroscience provides a theoretical foundation toward enhancing our understanding of nervous system. The aim of this dissertation is to present techniques to study the brain and how it processes information in particular neurons in hippocampus.

We begin with a brief review of the history of neuroscience and biological background of basic neurons. To appreciate the importance of information theory, familiarity with the information theoretic basics is required, these basics are presented in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3, we use information theory to estimate the amount of …

Large-Scale Photovoltaic Solar Implementation: Montanan Stakeholder Opportunities And Challenges, Erika Mickelson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Large-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar projects were operationalized in the 1990s resulting in a plethora of studies focusing on environmental, economic, technological, and policy studies. Minimal research investigates the similarities and differences between conveners using PV solar technology. This case study evaluates stakeholder perceptions regarding project management, project design, and external factors influencing the success of large-scale PV solar projects convened by a qualifying facility, regional utility company, and electric co-operative in Montana. Respondents revealed concepts were similar across conveners; yet, emphasized unique implications for each convener. The results indicated the importance for all conveners to incorporate marketing strategies, local interests …

The Effects Of Ocean Acidification And Reduced Oxygen On The Behavior And Physiology Of Juvenile Rockfish, Corianna H. Flannery

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

As climate change progresses, the frequency and duration of upwelling events that bring low pH, low dissolved oxygen (DO) water to nearshore habitats are expected to increase. In addition, long-term global changes in ocean pH and DO are expected to occur within the next few decades to centuries. Locally, there have been documented reductions in near-shore pH along with the expansion of oxygen minimum zones within the California Current System. However, very few studies have investigated the potential interactive effect of these stressors on temperate reef fish. For this thesis, two sets of laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the …

Persistence Of Stream Restoration With Large Wood, Redwood National And State Parks, California, Diedra L. Rodriguez

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The conservation and recovery of anadromous salmonids (Oncorhynchus sp.) depend on stream restoration and protection of freshwater habitats. In-stream large wood dictates channel morphology, increases retention of terrestrial inputs such as organic matter, nutrients and sediment, and enhances the quality of fish habitat. Historic land use/land cover changes have resulted in aquatic systems devoid of large wood. Restoration by placement of large wood jams is intended to restore physical and biological processes. An important question for scientists and restoration managers, in addition to the initial effectiveness of restoration, is the persistence and fate of large wood installations. In this …

Low Income Housing Energy Efficiency Improvement Program For The Yurok Tribe Of Northern California, Keivan Branson

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Housing on the Yurok reservation in California is a major concern for the local Tribal Government. This report details a study of the energy situation for housing of the Yurok Tribe to provide a framework for implementing housing energy efficiency to benefit low-income members of the Tribal community residing in substandard housing. The report briefly details the history of the reservation as it pertains to the current housing situation, as well as the authors personal context of living for 16 years in the reservation town of Klamath, CA. The analysis draws on information obtained from mixed methods, including information collected …

Birefringence Microscopy With Magnetic-Field Aligned Multiferroic Janus Nanofibers, Yu-Chun Yeh

Theses and Dissertations

Multiferroic Janus nanofibers consisting of barium titanate (BaT iO3) and cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) have the magnetoelectric effect between piezoelectric and magnetostrictive phases. By applying an external magnetic field on Janus nanofibers,the dipole moment in piezoelectric phase would be formed and produce the electric field. Since poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) polymer has anisotropic property, the birefringence can be induced by the electric field. We generalize the magnetic field birefringence quadratic equation and coupling constant for PVK polymer with Janus nanofibers. Birefringence microscopy is used to observe the PVK birefringence under an external magnetic field from 0 to 2500 Oe. The numerical results show …

Neutrosophic Multi-Criteria Decision Making, Florentin Smarandache, Jun Ye, Yanhui Guo

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The notion of a neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCI-number is considered in the first article (“Neutrosophic Quadruple BCK/BCI-Algebras”, by Young Bae Jun, Seok-Zun Song, Florentin Smarandache, and Hashem Bordbar), and a neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCI-algebra, which consists of neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCI-numbers, is constructed. Several properties are investigated, and a (positive implicative) ideal in a neutrosophic quadruple BCK-algebra and a closed ideal in a neutrosophic quadruple BCI-algebra are studied. Given subsets A and B of a BCK/BCI-algebra, the set NQ(A,B), which consists of neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCInumbers with a condition, is established. Conditions for the set NQ(A,B) to be a (positive implicative) ideal of a …

Special Issue: Neutrosophic Information Theory And Applications, Florentin Smarandache, Jun Ye

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Neutrosophiclogic,symboliclogic,set,probability,statistics,etc.,are,respectively,generalizations of fuzzy and intuitionistic fuzzy logic and set, classical and imprecise probability, classical statistics, and so on. Neutrosophic logic, symbol logic, and set are gaining significant attention in solving many real-life problems that involve uncertainty, impreciseness, vagueness, incompleteness, inconsistency, and indeterminacy. A number of new neutrosophic theories have been proposed and have been applied in computational intelligence, multiple-attribute decision making, image processing, medical diagnosis, fault diagnosis, optimization design, etc. This Special Issue gathers original research papers that report on the state of the art, as well as on recent advancements in neutrosophic information theory in soft computing, artificial intelligence, …

A Sketch Of Consciousness Space Beyond Freudian Mental Model And Implications To Socio-Economics Modeling And Integrative Cancer Therapy, Florentin Smarandache, Victor Christianto

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In this paper, we give an outline of an ongoing study to go beyond Freudian mental archetypal model. First, we discuss the essence of numerous problems that we suffer in our sophisticated and modernized society. Then we discuss possibility to reintroduce spirit into human consciousness. While we are aware that much remain to be done and we admit that this is only a sketch, we hope that this paper will start a fresh approach of research towards more realistic nonlinear consciousness model with wide ranging implications to socio-economic modeling and also integrative cancer therapy. At the last section we also …

Special Issue : Neutrosophic Multi-Criteria Decision Making, Florentin Smarandache, Jun Ye, Yan Hui Guo

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

The notion of a neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCI-number is considered in the first article (“Neutrosophic Quadruple BCK/BCI-Algebras”, by Young Bae Jun, Seok-Zun Song, Florentin Smarandache, and Hashem Bordbar), and a neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCI-algebra, which consists of neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCI-numbers, is constructed. Several properties are investigated, and a (positive implicative) ideal in a neutrosophic quadruple BCK-algebra and a closed ideal in a neutrosophic quadruple BCI-algebra are studied. Given subsets A and B of a BCK/BCI-algebra, the set NQ(A,B), which consists of neutrosophic quadruple BCK/BCInumbers with a condition, is established. Conditions for the set NQ(A,B) to be a (positive implicative) ideal of a …

Some Aggregation Operators For Bipolar-Valued Hesitant Fuzzy Information, Florentin Smarandache, Tahir Mahmood, Kifayat Ullah, Qaisar Khan

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In this article we define some aggregation operators for bipolar-valued hesitant fuzzy sets. These operations include bipolar-valued hesitant fuzzy ordered weighted averaging (BPVHFOWA) operator, bipolar-valued hesitant fuzzy ordered weighted geometric (BPVHFOWG) operator and their generalized forms. We also define hybrid aggregation operators and their generalized forms and solved a decision-making problem on these operation.

Special Issue: Algebraic Structures Of Neutrosophic Triplets, Neutrosophic Duplets, Or Neutrosophic Multisets, Vol. I, Florentin Smarandache, Xiaohong Zhang, Mumtaz Ali

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Neutrosophy (1995) is a new branch of philosophy that studies triads of the form (, , ), where is an entity (i.e., element, concept, idea, theory, logical proposition, etc.), is the opposite of , while is the neutral (or indeterminate) between them, i.e., neither nor [1]. Based on neutrosophy, the neutrosophic triplets were founded; they have a similar form: (x, neut(x), anti(x), that satisfy some axioms, for each element x in a given set [2–4]. This book contains the successful invited submissions [5–56] to a special issue of Symmetry, reporting on state-of-the-art and recent advancements of neutrosophic triplets, neutrosophic …