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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

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Articles 841 - 870 of 1876

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Transport Analysis In Polymeric Liquids And Films: Investigations In Ionic Mobility Isolation Techniques And Permeability Control, Julia D. Warner Jan 2003

Transport Analysis In Polymeric Liquids And Films: Investigations In Ionic Mobility Isolation Techniques And Permeability Control, Julia D. Warner

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

An in situ measurement technique that isolates the mobility of charge carriers is described and analyzed. The technique allows significant improvement over conductivity measurements to monitor changes in the physical properties and state of a material as it cures. This is essential in systems where Ni, the number of charge carriers, cannot be assumed constant such as during cure of epoxies, urethanes and polyimides.;Currently, there is an assumption made in the literature that the number of charge carriers present in a curing material is constant when conductivity is used as an in situ measurement technique to monitor changes in mobility. …


Silica Supported Copper Complexes And Their Biomimetic Activities, Jun Wang Jan 2003

Silica Supported Copper Complexes And Their Biomimetic Activities, Jun Wang

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Mechanistic Studies On Chlorinated Polymeric Systems, Jing Zhang Jan 2003

Mechanistic Studies On Chlorinated Polymeric Systems, Jing Zhang

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Net Surface Flux Budget Over Tropical Oceans Estimated From The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (Trmm), Tai-Fang Fan Jan 2003

Net Surface Flux Budget Over Tropical Oceans Estimated From The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (Trmm), Tai-Fang Fan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Long Term Permanent Vegetation Plot Studies In The Matoaka Woods, Williamsburg, Virginia : Establishment And Initial Data Analysis Of Plots Established With The North Carolina Vegetation Survey Protocol, Resampling Of Single Circular Plots And A Comparison Of Results From North Carolina Vegetation Survey Protocol And Single Circular Plot Methods, Jacob Robert George Kribel Jan 2003

Long Term Permanent Vegetation Plot Studies In The Matoaka Woods, Williamsburg, Virginia : Establishment And Initial Data Analysis Of Plots Established With The North Carolina Vegetation Survey Protocol, Resampling Of Single Circular Plots And A Comparison Of Results From North Carolina Vegetation Survey Protocol And Single Circular Plot Methods, Jacob Robert George Kribel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Distribution, Abundance, And Home Range Of The Whip-Poor-Will (Caprimulgus Vociferus) In A Managed Forest Landscape, Michael Daniel Wilson Jan 2003

Distribution, Abundance, And Home Range Of The Whip-Poor-Will (Caprimulgus Vociferus) In A Managed Forest Landscape, Michael Daniel Wilson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Use Of Ponds And Lakes By Resident Canada Geese, Phillip D. West Jan 2003

Use Of Ponds And Lakes By Resident Canada Geese, Phillip D. West

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Software And Hardware Methods For Memory Access Latency Reduction On Ilp Processors, Zhao Zhang Jan 2002

Software And Hardware Methods For Memory Access Latency Reduction On Ilp Processors, Zhao Zhang

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

While microprocessors have doubled their speed every 18 months, performance improvement of memory systems has continued to lag behind. to address the speed gap between CPU and memory, a standard multi-level caching organization has been built for fast data accesses before the data have to be accessed in DRAM core. The existence of these caches in a computer system, such as L1, L2, L3, and DRAM row buffers, does not mean that data locality will be automatically exploited. The effective use of the memory hierarchy mainly depends on how data are allocated and how memory accesses are scheduled. In this …


Predicting Metal Interactions With A Novel Quantitative Ion Character -Activity Relationship (Qicar) Approach, David R. Ownby Jan 2002

Predicting Metal Interactions With A Novel Quantitative Ion Character -Activity Relationship (Qicar) Approach, David R. Ownby

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Environmental toxicologists adopted QSARs from pharmacology fairly early on to predict organic contaminant toxicity. In contrast, models relating metal ion characteristics to their bioactivity remain poorly explored and underutillized. Quantitative Ion Character-Activity Relationships (QICARs) have recently been developed to predict metal toxicity. The QICAR approach based on metal-ligand binding tendencies has been applied to a wide range of effects, species, and media on a single metal basis. In previous single metal studies, a softness parameter and the ; log of KOH ; were the ion qualities with the highest predictive value for toxicity. Here, QICAR modeling was brought a step …


Meta-Analysis And Modeling Of Benthic Oxygen And Nutrient Fluxes, Tyler Christensen Jan 2002

Meta-Analysis And Modeling Of Benthic Oxygen And Nutrient Fluxes, Tyler Christensen

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


First-Principles Calculations Of Piezoelectricity And Polarization Rotation In Lead Zirconate Titanate, Zhigang Wu Jan 2002

First-Principles Calculations Of Piezoelectricity And Polarization Rotation In Lead Zirconate Titanate, Zhigang Wu

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Recent experimental and theoretical work indicates that polarization rotation via a monoclinic phase at the morphotropic phase boundary in PZT is responsible for its large piezoelectric response. We performed Linearized augmented plane wave with the local orbital extension (LAPW+LO) method within local density approximation (LDA) on B-site [001]1:1 ordered Pb(Zr 0.5Ti0.5)O3 (PZT 50/50). We use a tetragonal super-cell and constrain it with monoclinic Cm space group. Atomic forces following the formulation of Yu et al. are calculated, and the conjugate gradient method is implemented to optimize the internal coordinates. Both the tetragonal (P4mm) and monoclinic (Cm) phases are reproduced, when …


Development Of A Watershed And Stream-Reach Spawning Habitat Model For River Herring Alosa Pseudoharengus And Alosa Aestivalis, Rebecca A. Boger Jan 2002

Development Of A Watershed And Stream-Reach Spawning Habitat Model For River Herring Alosa Pseudoharengus And Alosa Aestivalis, Rebecca A. Boger

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This research develops a model to identify indicators of potential suitable spawning habitat for river herring, Alosa pseudoharengus and A. aestivalis, using watershed and stream-reach metrics. The results of icthyoplankton samples collected from thirty-four streams feeding into the Rappahannock River below the Embree Dam at Fredericksburg indicate where river herring spawning occurred. Watershed and stream-reach metrics were either measured in the field or derived from digital data in a GIS. Benthic macroinvertebrate analysis was used to compare habitat quality among sites. Streams were classified as either absence or presence of herring eggs or larvae based on the results of the …


Estuarine Suspended Aggregate Dynamics And Characteristics, David C. Fugate Jan 2002

Estuarine Suspended Aggregate Dynamics And Characteristics, David C. Fugate

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The research presented in this study is motivated by the need to improve prediction of sediment transport in estuaries. A novel application of the Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) in the lower Chesapeake Bay is shown to estimate in-situ particle fall velocity at a single point without affecting the ambient turbulence. Acoustic backscatter from the ADV proved to be the best estimator of mass concentrations due to its apparent insensitivity to the size or density of muddy aggregates. Fall velocities are estimated analytically from a balance of settling and diffusive flux gradients using two methods, one employing Reynolds concentration flux, and …


Organism -Sediment Interactions: The Role Of Seabed Dynamics In Structuring The Mesohaline York River Macrobenthic Community, Elizabeth K. Hinchey Jan 2002

Organism -Sediment Interactions: The Role Of Seabed Dynamics In Structuring The Mesohaline York River Macrobenthic Community, Elizabeth K. Hinchey

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Estuaries are dynamic physical environments. The stability of the sediment-water interface is influenced by sources and rates of sediment delivery and physical reworking of sediments by currents, tides, waves and biology, but effects of disruption of this interface on benthic biology are poorly resolved. For this study, I investigated effects of prevalent gradients in seabed disturbance processes and associated seabed characteristics on estuarine benthic community structure and function in the mesohaline York River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, USA. I used a variety of approaches to characterize the seabed, including sediment grain size, sediment water content, maximum depth of 7Be, …


The Ortho To Para Transition In Muonic Molecular Hydrogen, Jessica Higgins Deseret Clark Jan 2002

The Ortho To Para Transition In Muonic Molecular Hydrogen, Jessica Higgins Deseret Clark

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

A precise measurement of the induced weak pseudoscalar coupling constant of the proton, gp, is of interest as a basic test of chiral symmetry breaking. This is the least well-known weak form factor of the nucleon. Muon capture experiments [Jonkmans et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 77(1996)4512] have been used to measure gp. However, the interpretation of these muon capture experiments requires knowledge of the relative population of the muonic atomic and molecular states for muons in liquid hydrogen. In particular, lambda op, the transition rate between the ortho- and para-molecular states of the pmup molecule, needs to be known with …


Use Of Remote Sensing To Identify Essential Habitat For Aeschynomene Virginica (L) Bsp, A Threatened Tidal Freshwater Wetland Plant, Elizabeth M. Mountz Jan 2002

Use Of Remote Sensing To Identify Essential Habitat For Aeschynomene Virginica (L) Bsp, A Threatened Tidal Freshwater Wetland Plant, Elizabeth M. Mountz

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Fusion And Integration Of Virtual Sensors, Thomas F. Litant Jan 2002

The Fusion And Integration Of Virtual Sensors, Thomas F. Litant

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

There are numerous sensors from which to choose when designing a mobile robot: ultrasonic, infrared, radar, or laser range finders, video, collision detectors, or beacon based systems such as the Global Positioning System. In order to meet the need for reliability, accuracy, and fault tolerance, mobile robot designers often place multiple sensors on the same platform, or combine sensor data from multiple platforms. The combination of the data from multiple sensors to improve reliability, accuracy, and fault tolerance is termed Sensor Fusion.;The types of robotic sensors are as varied as the properties of the environment that need to be sensed. …


Preparation And Characterization Of Polyimide/Organoclay Nanocomposites, Donavon Mark Delozier Jan 2002

Preparation And Characterization Of Polyimide/Organoclay Nanocomposites, Donavon Mark Delozier

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The purpose of this research was to prepare nanocomposite materials comprised of exfoliated clay particles in a polyimide matrix. Poly(amide acid)/organoclay solutions and polyimide/organoclay films were prepared and the clay dispersion was characterized by visual inspection, XRD, and TEM. Mechanical measurements and certain thermal characterization measurements were also obtained. The research began by attempting to repeat the procedures set forth in the literature. Most of the polyimide/organoclay nanocomposites were being prepared by mixing prepared poly(amide acid) solutions with organoclay solutions. This simple mixing technology was used in the preparation of various polyimide/organoclay hybrid formulations. In-situ polymerization, which involved performing the …


Oyster Reef Restoration In Virginia: Broodstock Addition & Nutrient Exchanges, Laurie Ann Sorabella Jan 2002

Oyster Reef Restoration In Virginia: Broodstock Addition & Nutrient Exchanges, Laurie Ann Sorabella

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Ring Diameter And Closed Area Scallop Fisheries: The Performance Of A Dredge With 4" Rings In The Atlantic Sea Scallop (Placopecten Magellanicus) Fishery, In The Context Of An Area Rotation Management Scheme, Kevin D. Goff Jan 2002

Ring Diameter And Closed Area Scallop Fisheries: The Performance Of A Dredge With 4" Rings In The Atlantic Sea Scallop (Placopecten Magellanicus) Fishery, In The Context Of An Area Rotation Management Scheme, Kevin D. Goff

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Comparisons Of Community Structure Between Seep And Vent Mussel-Beds, Mary Parker Turnipseed Jan 2002

Comparisons Of Community Structure Between Seep And Vent Mussel-Beds, Mary Parker Turnipseed

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Development Of A Technique To Isolate Measurement Of Ionic Mobility, Jie Guo Jan 2002

Development Of A Technique To Isolate Measurement Of Ionic Mobility, Jie Guo

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Effects Of Urbanization And Land Use On Pah Accumulation In Wetland Sediments, Kimani L. Kimbrough Jan 2002

Effects Of Urbanization And Land Use On Pah Accumulation In Wetland Sediments, Kimani L. Kimbrough

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The relationship between wetland polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations and adjacent land use was assessed using surface sediments, sediment cores and global information systems (GIS) in the Elizabeth River, Virginia, an urbanized subestuary of the Chesapeake Bay. Wetlands adjacent to parking lots and petroleum industrial sites exhibited the highest PAH concentrations of all land uses in surfaces sediment and historically. Automobile and coal are the dominant sources of PAHs in wetland sediments historically as determined by relative concentration, fingerprinting and source specific compounds. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) test used to compare sixteen surface sediment sites based on land use …


Organic Matter Cycling In The York River Estuary, Virginia: An Analysis Of Potential Sources And Sinks, Leigh Mccallister Jan 2002

Organic Matter Cycling In The York River Estuary, Virginia: An Analysis Of Potential Sources And Sinks, Leigh Mccallister

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

A study of the organic matter (OM) sources and biogeochemical and physicochemical sinks was undertaken in the York River estuary, Virginia. The reactivity of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was enhanced from ∼25--68% by the combined effects of exposure to natural sunlight and bacterial decomposition. In contrast, sunlight exposure decreased the bioreactivity of DOC in the higher salinity lower York by a factor of five. The combined effects of photochemical and bacterial processing were found to modify both the bioavailability and metabolic fate of OM (e.g. respiration vs. biomass). Stable isotopic (delta13C, delta15N) and radiocarbon (Delta14C) values of bacterial nucleic acids …


Genetic Stock Structure Of The Sailfish, Istiophorus Platypterus, Based On Nuclear And Mitochondrial Dna, Jan Renee Mcdowell Jan 2002

Genetic Stock Structure Of The Sailfish, Istiophorus Platypterus, Based On Nuclear And Mitochondrial Dna, Jan Renee Mcdowell

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The results of life history studies involving the sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus, from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans were reviewed. Results of studies agree on several aspects of sailfish biology; sailfish exhibit opportunistic feeding behavior, follow the 28??C isotherm, spawn in summer mature at approximately age 3, and are the least migratory of the billfishes. However, results are in conflict concerning sex ratio and whether sailfish are single or multiple spawners. Although many researchers have reported that sailfish are sexually dimorphic, their fragile otoliths make them difficult to age, aging studies have not been validated, and sexual dimorphism has not …


Fate Of Organic Compounds Associated With Extractable And Bound Phases Of Estuarine Sediments Deposited Under Varying Depositional Regimes, Krisa Murray Arzayus Jan 2002

Fate Of Organic Compounds Associated With Extractable And Bound Phases Of Estuarine Sediments Deposited Under Varying Depositional Regimes, Krisa Murray Arzayus

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Surficial sediments and sediment cores were collected from two distinct depositional regimes of the York River subestuary of Chesapeake Bay to document seasonal inputs, spatial variability, and longer-term (>40 years) fate of total organic carbon (TOC), lipid biomarker compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These regimes included biological mixing in the lower York and episodic mixing at the mid river site. Compounds were selected to represent a range of chemical reactivities, biological and anthropogenic sources, and modes of entry to the environment. The depositional environments were characterized with a suite of analytical tools: x-radiographs, Eh, 210Pb and 137Cs, total …


Effects Of Habitat Fragmentation On The Utilization Of Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) By Mobile Epifauna And Macrofauna, Scott R. Marion Jan 2002

Effects Of Habitat Fragmentation On The Utilization Of Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) By Mobile Epifauna And Macrofauna, Scott R. Marion

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The threat to biodiversity posed by increasing rates of anthropogenic habitat fragmentation necessitates an understanding of the consequences of spatial pattern for natural communities. Reduction of patch size, loss of habitat, changes in the quantity and proportion of habitat edge, and reduced connectivity among habitats can all shape ecological processes and faunal behavior. Seagrass habitats provide a natural model system for examining spatial inf1uences on marine fauna, but separating the effects of habitat structure, environmental conditions, and spatial pattern is difficult because shoot density, percent cover, and hydrodynamic regime often co-vary with patch size. This study used experimentally manipulated seagrass …


Comparison Of The Fate Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Two Coastal Systems: Hog Island Bay, Va (Usa) And Plum Island Sound, Ma (Usa), Tami L. Lunsford Jan 2002

Comparison Of The Fate Of Dissolved Organic Matter In Two Coastal Systems: Hog Island Bay, Va (Usa) And Plum Island Sound, Ma (Usa), Tami L. Lunsford

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


The Development Of A Water Quality Model In Baltimore Harbor, Back River, And The Adjacent Upper Chesapeake Bay, Hui Liu Jan 2002

The Development Of A Water Quality Model In Baltimore Harbor, Back River, And The Adjacent Upper Chesapeake Bay, Hui Liu

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Distribution, Fluxes, And Bacterial Utilization Of Different Molecular Weight Fractions Of Dissolved Organic Matter In The York River Estuary, Carol J. Pollard Jan 2002

Distribution, Fluxes, And Bacterial Utilization Of Different Molecular Weight Fractions Of Dissolved Organic Matter In The York River Estuary, Carol J. Pollard

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.