Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

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 …

Radical P-Chains In L3(2)., Donald Dewayne Belcher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The McKay-Alperin-Dade Conjecture, which has not been finally verified, predicts the number of complex irreducible characters in various p-blocks of a finite group G as an alternating sum of the numbers of characters in related p-blocks of certain subgroups of G. The sub-groups involved are the normalizers of representatives of conjugacy classes of radical p-chains of G. For this reason, it is of interest to study radical p-chains. In this thesis, we examine the group L₃(2) and determine representatives of the conjugacy classes of radical p-subgroups and radical p-chains for …

Distribution List Maker Program With Inter-User Capabilities Between Universities And Colleges In The Tennessee Board Of Regents School System., Allan Richard Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

E-mail is an important tool for faculty and staff at the university, college, department, and instructor levels. E-mail is a useful medium in the academic setting for corresponding at all levels. Instructors e-mail students about assignments, lectures, and urgent information: for example, postponed classes and changes in the schedule. In addition e-mail is used to let potential students know about job opportunities. Other routine uses for e-mail include group communications within academic committees and groups of students collaborating on projects.

Most users of e-mail who send messages to multiple recipients enter each recipients e-mail address into the TO: field individually …

Explorations In The Classification Of Vertices As Good Or Bad., Eugenie Marie Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For a graph G, a set S is a dominating set if every vertex in V-S has a neighbor in S. A vertex contained in some minimum dominating set is called good; otherwise it is bad. A graph G has g(G) good vertices and b(G) bad vertices. The relationship between the order of G and g(G) assigns the graph to one of four classes.

Our results include a method of classifying caterpillars. Further, we develop realizability conditions for a graph G given a triple of nonnegative integers …

Late Maritime Woodland (Ceramic) And Paleoindian End Scrapers: Stone Tool Technology, Pamela J. Dickinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Archaeologists tend to view lithic assemblages from a predominately morphological perspective, stressing the importance of the fluted point as the defining characteristic of the Paleoindian culture period (ca. 10,000 years B.P.). In applying such a characteristic, Paleoindian sites have been identified throughout the Northeast. However, there are no identified Paleoindian sites in New Brunswick. It is possible that some sites are largely ignored or thought to lack a Paleoindian component if a fluted point is absent. If such sites are being overlooked, then the database may under represent the Paleoindian culture period. Spurred end scrapers commonly occur in known Paleoindian …

Deformation Studies Of Tungsten-Gold Contacts At The Nanometer Scale., Steven A. Smallwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The deformation behavior of atomically clean, nanometer sized tungsten / gold contacts was studied at room temperature in ultra-high vacuum. An instrument that combines atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and field ion microscopy (FIM) into a single experimental apparatus was designed, constructed, and calibrated. A cross-hair force sensor having a spring constant of - 442 N/m was developed and its motion was monitored during indentation experiments with a differential interferometer. Tungsten tips of controlled size (12.8 nm < tip radius < 2 1.6 nm) were first shaped and characterized using FIM and then indented into a Au (1 10) single crystal to depths ranging from 1.5 nrn to 18 nm using the force sensor. Continuum mechanics models were found to be valid in predicting elastic deformation during initial contact and plastic zone depths despite our small size regime. Multiple discrete yielding events lasting < 1.5 ms were observed during the plastic deformation regime; at the yield points a maximum value for the principal shear stress was measured to be 5 + 1 GPa. During tip withdrawal, "pop-out" events relating to material relaxation within the contact were observed. Adhesion between the tip and sample led to experimental signatures that suggest neck formation prior to the break of contact. STM images of indentation holes revealed various shapes that can be attributed to the (1 1 1 ) (1 10) crystallographic slip system in gold. FIM images of the tip after indentation showed no evidence of tip damage

Using Generalized Linear Models With A Mixed Random Component To Analyze Count Data, Jungah Jung

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many discrete response variables have counts as possible outcomes. Poisson regression has been recognized as an important tool for analyzing count data. This technique includes the simple Poisson generalized linear model and mixtures of independent Poisson models as special cases. Generalized linear models have been found useful in many statistical analysis. Count data analyzed under such models often exhibit overdispersion. In many practical circumstances the restriction that the mean and variance are equal is not realistic. Especially, when there is overdispersion in the data, a conditional negative binomial mixed model, given some random effects, could be an attractive alternative. This …

The Chemical Mechanism Of A Brown-Rot Decay Mimtic System And Its Application In Paper Recycling Processes, Yuhui Qian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is aimed at improving our current knowledge of the non-enzymatic inecl~anisins involved in brown-rot decay, as well as the exploration of potential applications of a brown-rot mimetic model system in paper recycling processes. The study was divided into two parts. The first part focussed on the chemical mechanisms involved in chelation and reduction of iron by a low molecular weight chelator (isolated from the brown-rot fungus Gloeophyllz~m tmbeum) and its model compound 2,3- dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,3-DHBA). Chelation as well as free radical generation mediated by this system were studied by ESR measurement. The results indicate that the effects …

Toward An Ecological Culture: Sustainability, Post-Domination And Spirituality, Jovan Ristic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This essay presents an overview of an emergent culture of ecological consciousness and sensitivity for nature within and without humans. The inquiry pertains to the interdisciplinary field of human ecology. The essential methodological approach is eco-systemic, implying the basic interrelatedness of entities and their environment. The essay explores the interconnections at various levels of human-ecological interaction, analyzed from the perspective of the basic components of an ecological culture: sustainability - as an economy of metabolic exchange with the environment and inclusion into natural cycles of renewal; post-domination - as human relations based on individuals' responsibility for their social and natural …

The Status And Distribution Of The Topeka Shiner Notropis Topeka In Eastern South Dakota, Carmen M. Blausey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Topeka shiner Notropis topeka is a small (< 75 mm) minnow that inhabits prairie streams in several north central plains states. Once widespread and abundant throughout its historic range, the Topeka shiner is now found only in isolated populations. Because of an 80% reduction in occurrence throughout their range, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Topeka shiner as endangered in January 1999. At the time, limited information on habitat preferences and dist1ibution existed for this species in South Dakota. The objectives of this study were to measure local habitat features and water quality conditions at the reach scale at Topeka shiner study sites, create a model using these data to determine favorable habitat conditions, and identify fish species commonly associated with Topeka shiners. Fish and habitat data were collected at 61 tributary sites of the James, Vermillion, and Big Sioux rivers from June through September in 1999 and 2000. Sample sites in 1999 were based on historic Topeka shiner records in the South Dakota Natural Heritage Database. Sample sites in 2000 were based on a draft GIS model identifying potential Topeka shiner streams. Fish were collected with seines between block nets and standard procedures were used to measure physical and hydrological features of stream reaches. Cyprinids dominated the fish community for each river basin during both sample years. Insectivores and omnivores were the dominant trophic classes for each river basin for both sample years. Fish community associations for Topeka shiners were based on two stepwise logistic regression models: abundance of individual species at each site and presence or absence of individual species at each site. The abundance model indicated that Topeka shiners were most commonly associated with orangespotted sunfish Lepomis lutrenis and tadpole madtoms Noturns gyrinus. The presence/absence model showed that Topeka shiners were typically associated with red shiners Notropis lutrenis, tadpole madtoms Noturns gyrinus, black bullheads Ameiurus melas, and bigmouth shiners Notropis dorsalis. Habitat preferences were based on three stepwise logistic regression models: physical habitat water quality, and substrate composition at the reach scale. The physical habitat model indicated that Topeka shiners are associated with stream reaches that had low animal use, overhanging vegetation, stream bank vegetation comprised of sedges/rushes, low depositional zones, and run macrohabitat. The water quality model did not indicate any favorable or preferred conditions. The substrate model indicated that Topeka shiners are associated with stream reaches that had fine gravel or cobble substrates. The results of my study will lead to a better understanding of Topeka shiner distribution and habitat, and aid federal and state agencies in making management decisions that provide for protection and preservation of this species.

Grading The General Chemistry Laboratory: A Constructivist Approach., Barbara Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Constructivist theories of learning posit that instructors cannot transfer their knowledge to students; students must actively construct their own understanding. The Inter-Chem-Net project uses technology and instrumentation to provide an individualized experience within the large general laboratory course, effectively establishing a constructivist methodology. A grading rubric was developed to communicate course expectations and provide an easy and reliable method of evaluating student work in the general chemistry laboratory. The grading rubric separates the learning outcomes into a checklist of skills associated with each particular grade. This checklist provides detailed feedback for individualized choices of experiments, a key component of the …

Asynchronous Validity Resolution In Sequentially Consistent Shared Virtual Memory, Jonathan Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Shared Virtual Memory (SVM) is an effort to provide a mechanism for a distributed system, such as a cluster, to execute shared memory parallel programs. Unfortunately, SVM has performance problems due to its underlying distributed architecture. Recent developments have increased performance of SVM by reducing communication. Unfortunately this performance gain was only possible by increasing programming complexity and by restricting the types of programs allowed to execute in the system. Validity resolution is the process of resolving the validity of a memory object such as a page. Current SVM systems use synchronous or deferred validity resolution techniques in which user …

Optical Studies Of Layered Inorganic Solids: A Novel Phase Transition And Energy Transfer Studies., Christie L. Larochelle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The optical properties of a group of dicyanoargentates(1) and dicyanoaurates( 1) have been studied. The samples include K2Na[Ag(CN)2I3, Tb[Ag(CN)2]3, Tb[Au(CN)2I3 and a series of compounds of the form Tb,Lal-,[Ag(CN)2]3 with x=0.001, 0.01 and 0.1. Additionally, a novel type of silver-gold mixed- metal sample (L~[A~,Au~-,(CN)~]~ with x=0.9 and 0.5) was synthesized and characterized. The compound K2Na[Ag(CN)2I3 has earlier been shown to exhibit a phenomenon known as luminescence thermochromism, whereby only one emission band is present at very low temperatures and very high temperatures, but a second, lower energy band is also present at intermediate temperatures. This prompted further investigation to explain …

Reliability Studies Of The Skew Normal Distribution, Nicole Dawn Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has been observed in various practical applications that data do not conform to the normal distribution, which is symmetric with no skewness. The skew normal distribution proposed by Azzalini(1985) is appropriate for the analysis of data which is unimodal but exhibits some skewness. The skew normal distribution includes the normal distribution as a special case where the skewness parameter is zero. In this thesis, we study the structural properties of the skew normal distribution, with an emphasis on the reliability properties of the model. More specifically, we obtain the failure rate, the mean residual life function, and the reliability …

Identities For The Multiple Polylogarithm Using The Shuffle Operation, Ji Hoon Ryoo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the beginning of my research, I understood the shuffle operation and iterated integrals to make a new proof-method (called a combinatorial method). As a first work, I proved an combinatorial identity 2 using a combinatorial method. While proving it, I got four identities and showed that one of them is equal to an analytic identity 1 which is found at the paper [2] written by David M. Bradley and Doug Bowman. Furthermore, I derived an formula involving nested harmonic sums. Using Maple (a mathematical software), I found a new combinatorial identity 3 and derived two formulas: One is related …

Lithic Analysis Of Chipped Stone Artifacts Recovered From Quebrada Jaguay, Peru, Benjamin R. Tanner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quebrada Jaguay, a Terminal Pleistocene to Early Holocene archaeological site in Southern Peru, is recognized as one of the few sites in the Americas that features evidence of a Paleoindian maritime adaptation. Faunal remains from this multicomponent shell midden include shellfish, fish, crustaceans, and shorebirds. Lithic remains recovered from the site over the course of two field seasons (1996 and 1999) provide information about the technology of the site's inhabitants and afford comparisons with other contemporary sites. These lithic materials provide answers to questions dealing with lithic procurement and production strategies and questions about relationships with other groups along the …

Local And Systemic Controls On Fish And Fish Habitat In South Dakota Rivers And Streams: Implications For Management, Craig L. Milewski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Assessments of the health of rivers and streams in prairie environments would improve if the role of systemic patterns and processes among geologic-climatic settings in controlling physical habitat and fish communities were better defined. My research approach was based on a premise that assessments of the health of rivers and streams in prairie environments would benefit from studies that 1) examine the moderating effects of systemic patterns and processes by comparing physical habitat continua and fish communities among geologic-climatic settings, 2) determine the relative influence of locally interacting variables (e .g., channel shape and riparian vegetation) and systemic processes in …

Population Characteristics And Sampling Methods Of Catfish For The James And Big Sioux Rivers, John E. Aterburn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Concerns about the sustainability of catfish populations that produce large fish have increased because of abundant media images of large catfish and improvements in specialized fishing equipment. This study will help biologists address these concerns by providing important information about the channel catfish lctalurus punctarus and flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris populations of the James and Big Sioux rivers and by assessing the effectiveness of various gears used to sample catfish. I compared the number of channel catfish and flathead catfish caught on trotlines by riverine habitat type, hook type, and bait type along with electrofishing and different hoop net combinations. …

Utility Of Walleyes And Saugeyes As Secondary Predators In Small South Dakota Impoundments, Mark J. Ermer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Walleye Stizostedion vitreum and saugeye (walleye x sauger S. canadense) fingerlings were concurrently stocked at equal densities into five small impoundments in 1997, 1988, and 1999 to evaluate relative survival, growth and their ability to restructure existing panfish communities. Prior to stocking, fish were differentially marked on the right or left side with freeze brands or with 700 ppm oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) to allow accurate identification of each fish as a walleye (fry mark) or a saugeye (fingerling mark). Spring and fall night electrofishing was used to sample the stocked percids, as well as potential competing species such as largemouth …

Measures Of Denitrification In Selected South Dakota Semi-Permanent Prairie Pothole Wetlands, Beverly S. Klein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wetlands are an integral part of agricultural systems in the prairie pothole regions of the North Central United States and Canadian Provinces. Little research has been done on denitrification in prairie potholes, and a better understanding of their denitrifying capability could aide in optimizing management practices near pothole areas. Most probable number (MPN) and denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA or Phase I) assays were conducted. Most probable number (MPN) measures were used to give an estimate of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (DNRA) and denitrifying populations present in the wetlands. This study involved 3 selected semi-permanent prairie pothole wetlands near Madison, …

Invertebrate Egg And Plant Seed Banks In Natural, Restored, And Drained Wetlands In The Prairie Pothole Region (Usa) And Potential Effects Of Sedimentation On Recolonization Of Hydrophytes And Aquatic Invertebrates, Robert Andrew Gleason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sediment is the major pollutant of wetlands, lakes, rivers, and estuaries in the United States and it poses unique threats to wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). Sediment may impact the success of wetland restorations because burial of invertebrate and plant propagules may impact hatching and germination success, and hence, may hamper successional changes throughout interannual climate cycles. Sedimentation also reduces the pool depth and volume, further exacerbating the recovery of hydrophyte communities in restored wetlands. I evaluated the potential impacts of sedimentation on prairie wetlands from several perspectives. First, I evaluated the effects of sedimentation on loss of …

Redox Studies On The Anti-Rheumatoid Arthritis Gold Drugs: Auranofin And Solganol, Ahmed A. Mohamed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The oxidative behavior of Auranofin, 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-1-thio-β-D-glucopyranosato-S(triethylphosphine)gold(I), was investigated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 0.1 M Bu₄NBF₄/CH₂Cl₂ and 0.1 M Bu₄NPF₆/CH₂Cl₂ solutions using Pt working and auxiliary electrodes and a Ag/AgCl reference. CV studies at scan rates from 50-2,000mVs^-1 and Auranofin concentrations between 1 and 4mM, show two irreversible oxidation processes occurring at +1.1 V and +1.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl. Treatment of Auranofrn with the one electron oxidizing agent [Cp₂Fe]PF₆ gave a μ-thiolato digold cluster, [(Et₃PAu)₂(μ-SR)]₂^{2+ …}

Development Of Realistic Simulations Of The Interactions Between Stars And The Interstellar Medium In Disk Galaxies, Thomas M. Zeltwanger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

fWe have developed GALAXY, a two dimensional, self-consistent N-body plus hydro-dynamic computer program to model and study the behavior of disk galaxies like our Milky Way. Our goal is to better understand how such galaxies maintain their spiral structure for billions of years.

The program utilizes two independent gravitating N-body components. One simulates the collision-less star particles in the galaxy, and the other simulates colliding clouds. A gravitating hydrodynamic code simulates the interstellar medium. Additionally, a static spherical halo and a central black hole interact gravitationally with the other components of the model galaxy. All components interact with each other …

Image-Based Change Detection Using An Integrated Spatiotemporal Gazetteer, Georgios Mountrakis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses image-based change detection. Motivation was provided by the lack of algorithms that incorporate in their solution diverse types of pre-existing and complementary information and have the ability to interact with a spatiotemporal environment. The main differentiation with our approach is that we develop our algorithm within an integrated spatiotemporal environment and we make use of all change evidence that might exist within that environment. In addition, a change resolution model is developed that will distinguish meaningful changes based on user requirements. A model for change is proposed that establishes a general framework for the incorporation of image …

Performance Of Bootstrap Confidence Intervals For L-Moments And Ratios Of L-Moments., Suzanne Glass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

L-moments are defined as linear combinations of expected values of order statistics of a variable.(Hosking 1990) L-moments are estimated from samples using functions of weighted means of order statistics. The advantages of L-moments over classical moments are: able to characterize a wider range of distributions; L-moments are more robust to the presence of outliers in the data when estimated from a sample; and L-moments are less subject to bias in estimation and approximate their asymptotic normal distribution more closely.

Hosking (1990) obtained an asymptotic result specifying the sample L-moments have a multivariate normal distribution as n approaches infinity. The standard …

A Study Of Disk Performance Optimization., Richard Scott Gray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Response time is one of the most important performance measures associated with a typical multi-user system. Response time, in turn, is bounded by the performance of the input/output (I/O) subsystem. Other than the end user and some external peripherals, the slowest component of the I/O subsystem is the disk drive.

One standard strategy for improving I/O subsystem performance uses high-performance hardware like Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) drives to improve overall response time. SCSI hardware, unfortunately, is often too expensive to use in low-end multi-user systems. The low-end multi-user systems commonly use inexpensive Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) disk drives to …

Vertices In Total Dominating Sets., Robert Elmer Dautermann Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fricke, Haynes, Hedetniemi, Hedetniemi, and Laskar introduced the following concept. For a graph G = (V,E), let rho denote a property of interest concerning sets of vertices. A vertex u is rho-good if u is contained in a {minimum, maximum} rho-set in G and rho-bad if u is not contained in a rho-set. Let g denote the number of rho-good vertices and b denote the number of rho-bad vertices. A graph G is called rho-excellent if every vertex in V is rho-good, rho-commendable if g > b > 0, rho-fair if g = b, and …

Mode Vertices And Mode Graphs., Jobriath Scott Kauffman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The eccentricity of a vertex, v, of a connected graph, G, is the distance to a furthest vertex from v. A mode vertex of a connected graph, G, is a vertex whose eccentricity occurs as often in the eccentricity sequence of G as the eccentricity of any other vertex. The mode of a graph, G, is the subgraph induced by the mode vertices of G. A mode graph is a connected graph for which each vertex is a mode vertex. Note that mode graphs are a generalization of self-centered graphs. This paper presents some …

Statistical Power Analysis Of Dissertations Completed By Students Majoring In Educational Leadership At Tennessee Universities, Heping Deng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to estimate the level of statistical power demonstrated in recent dissertations in the field of educational leadership. Power tables provided in Cohen's (1988) Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences were used to determine the power of the statistical tests conducted in dissertations selected from five universities in Tennessee. The meta-analytic approach was used to summarize and synthesize the findings. The population of this study consisted of all dissertations successfully defended by doctoral students majoring in educational leadership/administration at East Tennessee State University, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Tennessee State University, the University …

Using Raster Sketches For Digital Image Retrieval, James Carswell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses the problem of content-based image retrieval using queries on image-object shape, completely in the raster domain. It focuses on the particularities of image databases encountered in typical topographic applications and presents the development of an environment for visual information management that enables such queries. The query consists of a user-provided raster sketch of the shape of an imaged object. The objective of the search is to retrieve images that contain an object sufficiently similar to the one specified in the query. The new contribution of this work combines the design of a comprehensive digital image database on-line …