Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Description And Evaluation Of The United States Coastal Pelagic Longline Fishery Interactions With Target And Non-Target Species In The Western North Atlantic, David. Kerstetter

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Eighty-five monitored sets were used to investigate the interactions of pelagic fishes with commercial pelagic longline gear in the western North Atlantic during the fall mixed species fishery north of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and the spring swordfish fishery in the southern Gulf of Mexico and northern Caribbean Sea. This dissertation incorporates four components: (1) direct analyses of longline gear behavior using small time-depth recorders, (2) comparisons of catch rates and mortality of all species caught on size 16/0 non-offset circle and size 9/0 straight-shank J-style hooks, including analyses of time-of-capture utilizing electronic hook time recorders, (3) an evaluation of …

Simulation Of Turbidity Maximums In The York River, Virginia, Jae-Il Kwon

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Two of the most important processes in cohesive sediment transport, erosion rate and settling velocity, were the focus of this study. Settling velocities were estimated by the Owen tube method and the acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) method. A novel erosion model, namely a constant erosion rate model, was implemented in a three-dimensional hydrodynamic eutrophication model (HEM-3D) to simulate the turbidity maximums in the York River system, Virginia. Two one-month periods of model simulations were conducted to mimic typical dry (November--December, 2001) and wet (March--April, 2002) seasons. In order to have enough data to verify the model, four slack water surveys …

Application Of Survival Analysis Methods To Pulsed Exposures: Exposure Duration, Latent Mortality, Recovery Time, And The Underlying Theory Of Survival Distribution Models, Yuan Zhao

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Ecotoxicologists adopted median lethal concentration (LC50) methods from mammalian toxicology. This conventional LC50 approach has shortcomings. Fixing the exposure duration and selecting the 50% mortality level result in loss of ecologically relevant information generated at all other times. It also ignores latent mortality that can manifest after exposure ends. as a result, it cannot adequately predict pulsed exposure effects in which concentration, duration, and frequency of pulses change through time. The underlying theory of the dose-response models used to calculate LC50 values, stochastic versus individual effective dose (IED) theory, has not been tested rigorously either. In this study, the effects …

Techniques Of Data Prefetching, Replication, And Consistency In The Internet, Xin Chen

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Internet has become a major infrastructure for information sharing in our daily life, and indispensable to critical and large applications in industry, government, business, and education. Internet bandwidth (or the network speed to transfer data) has been dramatically increased, however, the latency time (or the delay to physically access data) has been reduced in a much slower pace. The rich bandwidth and lagging latency can be effectively coped with in Internet systems by three data management techniques: caching, replication, and prefetching. The focus of this dissertation is to address the latency problem in Internet by utilizing the rich bandwidth and …

Vibrational Lifetimes Of Hydrogen And Oxygen Defects In Semiconductors, Baozhou Sun

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Characterization of defect and impurity reactions, dissociation, and migration in semiconductors requires a detailed understanding of the rates and pathways of vibrational energy flow and of the coupling mechanisms between local modes and the phonon bath of the host material. Information on the inelastic microscopic interaction can be obtained by measuring the lifetime of local vibrational modes. This dissertation presents lifetime measurements of hydrogen and oxygen defects in semiconductors by means of time-resolved infrared pump-probe spectroscopy.;First, we measured the vibrational lifetime of H- and D-related bending modes in Si and other semiconductors. Time-resolved pump-probe and linewidth measurements reveal that the …

Monte Carlo Simulations Of Ferroelectric Crystal Growth And Molecular Electronic Structure Of Atoms And Molecules, Malliga Suewattana

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In this thesis, we explore two stochastic techniques to study properties of materials in realistic systems. Specifically, the kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method is utilized to study the crystal growth process of ferroelectric materials and the quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) approach is used to investigate the ground state properties of atoms and molecules.;In the growth simulations, we study the growth rates and chemical ordering of ferroelectric alloys using an electrostatic model with long-range Coulomb interactions. Crystal growth is characterized by thermodynamic processes involving adsorption and evaporation, with solid-on-solid restrictions and excluding diffusion. A KMC algorithm is formulated to simulate this …

Modifications Of Spacetime And Particle Physics Beyond The Standard Model, Justin M. Conroy

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In this dissertation we consider spacetime modifications that result in new physics beyond the standard model. We investigate various collider implications of a particular Lorentz-conserving formulation of QED in which spacetime coordinates are noncommuting. We also consider collider implications of Universal Extra Dimensions. Specifically, we address the possible formation of bound states involving the first quark KK-modes, i.e. KK-quarkonium. In addition, we consider the use of boundary conditions in extra dimensions to break gauge symmetries in unified theories. These boundary conditions can be related to a boundary Higgs sector that decouples from the theory. This technique of "Higgsless" symmetry breaking …

Development Of The Maryland Shoreline Inventory Methods And Guidelines For Cecil County - Gis Data, Marcia Berman, Harry Berquist, Sharon Killeen, Karinna Nunez, Karen Reay, Tamia Rudnicky, Daniel E. Schatt, David Weiss

Data

The Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has generated Shoreline Situation Reports (SSRs) for coastal localities in the state of Maryland. This effort compliments a parallel effort in Virginia by the same group. SSRs were developed by VIMS in the 1970s for Virginia and have been the foundation for shoreline management planning in Tidewater Virginia ever since. CCRM has developed new protocols for collecting, disseminating, and reporting data relevant to shoreline management issues using state of the art mapping and remote sensing techniques. New SSRs are being generated on a county by …

Development Of The Maryland Shoreline Inventory Methods And Guidelines For Harford County - Gis Data, Marcia Berman, Harry Berquist, Sharon Killeen, Karinna Nunez, Karen Reay, Tamia Rudnicky, Daniel E. Schatt, David Weiss

Data

The Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has generated Shoreline Situation Reports (SSRs) for coastal localities in the state of Maryland. This effort compliments a parallel effort in Virginia by the same group. SSRs were developed by VIMS in the 1970s for Virginia and have been the foundation for shoreline management planning in Tidewater Virginia ever since. CCRM has developed new protocols for collecting, disseminating, and reporting data relevant to shoreline management issues using state of the art mapping and remote sensing techniques. New SSRs are being generated on a county by …

Characteristics Of Vesicomyid Clams And Their Environment At The Blake Ridge Cold Seep, Taylor Perrine Heyl

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Salinity And Nitrogen On The Distribution And Growth Of Phragmites Australis Along The Rappahannock River, Carmen Rebekah Packett

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Hydrogen-Rich Polyimide Materials For Radiation Shielding, Sha Yang

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Markov Chain Modeling For Multi-Server Clusters, Zhili Hua

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Data Broadcast Scheduling: Models, Algorithms, And Analysis, Aaron Thomas Hawkins

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Inherent in the field of data broadcasting is a communication problem in which a server is to transmit a subset of data items in response to requests received from clients. The intent of the server is to optimize metrics quantifying the quality of service the system provides. This method of data dissemination has proved to be an efficient means of delivering information in asymmetric environments demanding massive scalability. of critical importance in such a system is the algorithm used by the server to construct a schedule of item broadcasts.;Due to the real-time nature of this problem, performances of heuristics designed …

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies Of Relaxor Ferroelectrics, William J. Brouwer

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This work is devoted to the study of local order in the ferroelectric PbSc1/2Ta1/2O3 (PST) and relaxor ferroelectric solid solutions (1-x)PbSC2/3W1/3O3-(x)PbTiO 3 (PSW-PT), (1x)PbSC2/3W1/3O3-(x)PbZrO 3 (PSW-PZ). Novel Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SS-NMR) experiments, including Multiple Quantum MAS (MQMAS) and Double Quantum Filtered Satellite Transition (DQF-STMAS), have been performed on these materials. A gamma function model is proposed for the distribution of quadrupole coupling constants, based on the Poissonian nature of atomic displacements. Moments for distributions may be subsequently extracted through agreement between experimental spectra and simulations implemented in novel programs. Simple crystal compound scandium oxide …

Iron And Carbon Limitation Of Prokaryotic Growth In The Ocean, Jacques L. Oliver

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Studies were undertaken to examine the roles of iron and carbon in modulating prokaryotic growth in the ocean. The context of the first study was an open-open iron fertilization experiment in the high nutrient, low chlorophyll (HNLC) regime in the Southern Ocean. The context of the second study was the oligotrophic, iron-replete, and organic carbon-limited northwest Sargasso Sea. Experimental sea water cultures were amended with an iron chelator, desferrioxamine B (DFOB), and other nutrients to examine the effects of iron and carbon limitation on growth. In the first study prokaryotic abundance, carbon production, and growth rate increased in response to …

Factory: A N Object-Oriented Parallel Programming Substrate For Deep Multiprocessors, Scott Arthur Schneider

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program Annual Report 2004 (And 2003 Update), John A. Lucy, C.M. Bain Iii

Reports

The Virginia Game Fish Tagging Program (VGFTP), initiated in 1995, coordinates tagging and a tagrecapture fish database generated through contributed efforts of a dedicated corps of trained marine anglers. Through 2003-2004, the program’s database includes over 78,000 records of tag-released fish and approximately 7,800 recapture records of tagged fish.

Center For Coastal Resources Management Annual Report 2004, Center For Coastal Resources Management

Reports

No abstract provided.

Algorithms For Computing The Distributions Of Sums Of Discrete Random Variables, D. L. Evans, Lawrence Leemis

Arts & Sciences Articles

We present algorithms for computing the probability density function of the sum of two independent discrete random variables, along with an implementation of the algorithm in a computer algebra system. Some examples illustrate the utility of this algorithm.

Chemical And Toxicological Characterization Of The Upper York River, Virginia The Mattaponi And Pamunkey Rivers, Morris H. Roberts Jr., Mark Richards, Peter F. Delisle

Reports

This study describes the most extensive effort to characterize the chemistry, toxicology and community of the sediments of the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers. This was accomplished using a study design modified to expand the number of stations occupied by reducing the cost of analyses by compositing replicate samples collected from each study site rather than performing toxicity tests on these samples individually. In previous studies, the variability in field replicate samples was equivalent to the variability in laboratory replicates. This design has long been used to analyze samples for various chemical contaminants as a cost savings endeavor. More ....

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia : Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 2004-2008 Annual Report 1 September 2003 - 31 August 2004, Philip W. Sadler, John M. Hoenig, Robert E. Harris, Bonnie G. Holliman

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Marone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 August 2003 through 31 August 2004. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2004 spring spawning run, estimates of annual survival based on annual spring tagging, and the results of the fall 2003 directed mortality study that is a collaborative effort with the Maryland Department ofNatural Resources. The information contained in this report is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is used to implement a coordinated management plan for striped …

The Value Of Created Dunes To Address Coastal Hazards In Chesapeake Bay: Hurricane Isabel Impacts, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Travis R. Comer

Reports

Perhaps the most important function of a created dune, from some perspectives, is coastal protection. Since the initiation of this subtask within the overall Chesapeake Bay Dune Monitoring and Management Analysis project, Hurricane Isabel impacted the coastal plain of Virginia and significantly altered almost all Bay shorelines to one degree or another. This is particularly true of shorelines facing north, east, and south since the winds shifted as the storm passed. The original task scope has changed slightly as a result of Isabel’s passage since it was such a significant storm event and provided an opportunity to show how dunes …

Draft Woody Depression Wetland Hgm Model For The Coastal Plain Of Virginia, Kirk J. Havens, David O'Brien, David Stanhope, Kory Angstadt, Tamia Rudnicky, Daniel Schatt, Gene M. Silberhorn, Carl Hershner

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Virginia Wetlands Report Vol. 19, No. 3, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Virginia Wetlands Reports

• Banknesting Birds: Belted Kingfisher, Bank Swallow, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow; Or, Eroding Banks, They’re Not All Bad Julie Bradshaw
• Online Tools Now Available for Coastal Managers. Marcia Berman
• VIMS Upgrades Shoreline Advisory Reports. Karen Duhring

Temporal Variability Of Delta C-14, Delta C-13, And C/N In Sinking Particulate Organic Matter At A Deep Time Series Station In The Northeast Pacific Ocean, J Hwang, Erm Druffel, S Griffin, Kl Smith, Rj Baldwin, Je Bauer

VIMS Articles

A 6-year time series of Delta(14) C, delta(13) C, and C/N measurements in deep sinking particulate organic matter ( POM) is presented for an abyssal site, Station M in the northeast Pacific Ocean. The Delta(14)C values revealed that sinking POM at 3450 m depth ( 650 m above bottom) contained old carbon despite its presumed short transit time in the water column. The isotopic and chemical properties of the sinking POM varied with time and appear to be controlled by more than one major process. In 1993, 1994, and late 1996, isotopic signatures and C/N molar ratios indicate negligible or …

Analysis Of Chaos-Induced Pulse Trains In The Ionization Of Hydrogen, K. A. Mitchell, J. P. Handley, B. Tighe, A. Flower, John B. Delos

Arts & Sciences Articles

We examine excitation (by a short laser pulse) of a hydrogen atom in parallel electric and magnetic fields, from an initial tightly bound state to a state above the classical ionization threshold. We predict that the atom ionizes by emitting a train of electron pulses. This prediction is based on the classical dynamics of electron escape. In particular, the pulse train is due to classical chaos, which occurs for nonvanishing magnetic field. We connect the structure of the pulse train to fractal structure in the escape dynamics, and discuss several issues of experimental interest, with a particular emphasis on understanding …

The Crest, Fall 2004, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Table of Contents:

• NOAA Opens Chesapeake Bay Office in Virginia at VIMS
• Team discovers probable cause of croaker deaths
• Researchers test and refine storm-surge models
• Dye helps predict potential dispersal of non-native oyster larvae
• Researchers release juvenile blue crabs
• Annual wetlands workshop explores Isabel's impacts
• Fellows earn berth at EPA Conference
• Reay and Priest share Spirit award
• Schaffner briefs U.S. Congress
• VIMS student develops educational board game
• VIMS hosts release of Fisheries Ecosystem plan
• Researchers study ocean's "internal weather"
• VIMS mourns passing of Andrews
• News Briefs

Accomack County Dune Inventory, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Donna A. Milligan, Lyle M. Varnell, George R. Thomas, Walter L. Priest, Linda M. Meneghini, Thomas A. Barnard, Christine A. Wilcox

Reports

Accomack County is located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia (Figure 1). Only dune sites on Chesapeake Bay were analyzed. A total of 33 dune sites were identified along Accomack’s shoreline (Figure 2). It is the intent of this publication to provide the user with information on the status of dunes in Accomack County. This information comes from research performed in 1999 and 2000 which was presented in a report entitled “Chesapeake Bay Dune Systems: Evolution and Status (Hardaway et al., 2001). Although somewhat dated, the information provides a short historical perspective of the state of each site at the …

A Cheseapeake Bibliography, William J. Hargis Jr, Shirley O. Sterling

Reports

A partial listing of books, special publications, articles and scholarly papers relevant to the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin, the Chesapeake region, the Chesapeake Bay itself, and its tributaries which are useful in developing an understanding of their archaeological, biological, chemical, geographical, geological and physical features and of their pasts and histories (including human occupations and use before and since European settlement).