Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Sturnus Vulgaris (Linnaeus)

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

European starlings are among the most successful of North American invaders. They are common throughout the United States and thrive in disturbed areas such as around farm lands and in suburban areas, where seasonally they form huge flocks (Burleigh, 1958; Kaufman, 1996). They are also common in coastal areas near salt water (Imhof, 1962) and have been reported to roost in large numbers in marshes (Forbush, 1955). They tend to be rare in undisturbed areas (Kaufman, 1996). They form large flocks, especially in the winter, and are frequently observed in association with blackbirds and grackles (Sprunt, 1954).

Capsicum Oleoresin: Development Of An In-Soil Repellent For Pocket Gophers, Ray T. Sterner, Stephen A. Shumacke, Stanley E. Gaddis, Jean B. Bourassa

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A pre- and post-monitoring study was conducted of the potential use of capsicum oleoresin as an in-soil repellent for northern pocket gophers (Thomomys talpoides). Pocket gophers were captured in irrigated alfalfa (Medicago sativa L), affixed with radio transmitters, and monitored daily for location. Six plots (4.87 × 4.87m) each were randomly assigned to capsicum oleoresin and soybean oil treatments; these were set up based upon the centers of initial core areas of gophers. Mean (±SD) volumes of capsicum oleoresin and water and soybean oil and water mixtures (10 + 90 by volume) dispensed onto plots equaled 178.5 (±4.7) and 175.7 …

Computational And Esr Studies Of Electron Attachment To Decafluorocyclopentane, Octafluorocyclobutane, And Hexafluorocyclopropane: Electron Affinities Of The Molecules And The Structures Of Their Stable Negative Ions As Determined From ¹³C And 19f Hyperfine Coupling Constants, Adel M. Elsohly, Gregory S. Tschumper, Richard A. Crocombe, Jih Tzong Wang, Ffrancon Williams

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-resolution ESR spectra of the ground-state negative ions of hexafluoro cyclopropane (c-C3F6.-), octafluorocyclobutane (c-C4F8.-), and decafluorocyclopentane (c-C5F10.-) are reported and their isotropic 19F hyperfine coupling constants (hfcc) of 198.6 ± 0.4 G, 147.6 ± 0.4 G, and 117.9 ± 0.4 G, respectively, are in inverse ratio to the total number of fluorine atoms per anion. Together with the small value of 5.2 ± 0.4 G determined for the isotropic 13C hfcc of c-C4F8.-, these results indicate that in each case the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) is delocalized over the equivalent fluorine's and possesses a nodal plane through the carbon …

Temperature Dependence Of The Training Effect In A Co/Coo Exchange-Bias Layer, Christian Binek, Xi He, Srinivas Polisetty

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

The temperature dependence of the training effect is studied in a Co/CoO exchange-bias bilayer and a phenomenological theory is presented. After field cooling the sample to below its blocking temperature, the absolute value of the exchange-bias field decreases when cycling the heterostructure through consecutive hysteresis loops. This decrease is known as the training effect and is studied in the temperature range 5 < =T < =120 K. An implicit sequence, which has been recently derived using the Landau-Khalatnikov approach of relaxation, fits the respective data set for each individual temperature. The underlying discretized dynamic equation involves an expansion of the free energy in powers of the interface magnetization of the antiferromagnetic pinning layer. The particular structure of the free energy with a leading fourth-order term is derived in a mean-field approach. The explicit temperature dependence of the leading expansion coefficient explains the temperature dependence of the training effect. The analytic approach is confirmed by the result of a best fit, which condenses the data from more than 50 measured hysteresis loops.

Spawn: Service Provision In Ad-Hoc Wireless Networks, Radu Handorean, Gruia-Catalin Roman, Rohan Sen, Gregory Hackmann, Christopher Gill

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

The increasing ubiquity of wireless mobile computing platforms has opened up the potential for unprecedented levels of communication, coordination and collaboration among mobile computing devices, most of which will occur in an ad hoc, on-demand manner. This paper describes SPAWN, a middleware supporting service provision in ad-hoc wireless networks. The aim of SPAWN is to provide the software resources on mobile devices that facilitate electronic collaboration. This is achieved by applying the principles of service oriented computing (SOC), an emerging paradigm that has seen success in wired settings. SPAWN is an adaptation and extension of the Jini model of SOC …

Cloud-To-Ground Lightning Production In Strongly Forced, Low-Instability Convective Lines Associated With Damaging Wind, Matthew S. Van Den Broeke, David M. Schultz, Robert H. Johns, Jeffry S. Evans, John E. Hales

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

During 9–11 November 1998 and 9–10 March 2002, two similar convective lines moved across the central and eastern United States. Both convective lines initiated over the southern plains along strong surface-based cold fronts in moderately unstable environments. Both lines were initially associated with cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning, as detected by the National Lightning Detection Network, and both events met the criteria to be classified as derechos, producing swaths of widespread damaging wind. After moving into areas of marginal, if any, instability over the upper Midwest, CG lightning production ceased or nearly ceased, although the damaging winds continued. The 9 March 2002 …

How Does Information Technology Effect Development? Integrating Theory And Practice Into A Process Model, Sajda Qureshi

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The concept of development suggests that countries and regions grow to become self-sustaining partners in what is being called the global economy. In more recent years this concept has been synonymous with the emergence of an “information society” whose wheels are oiled by information sharing and the application of knowledge. Some international agencies even propose that information and communications technologies enable development to be achieved more effectively and efficiently. While success stories abound, there is a recognition that not all investments in information technology bring about growth or economic development. So the question remains: how does information technology effect development? …

Analyses Of High Resolution Hyperspectral Imagery For Characterization Of Ponderosa Pine Woodlands, Cullen R. Robbins

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Bessey Unit of the Nebraska National Forest is a planted ponderosa pine forest located in the Nebraska Sand Hills. Planted in the early 20th Century, it provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of ponderosa pine establishment on the surrounding grassland ecosystem and the effects of increasing pine density on the forest ecosystem. It has been hypothesized that there are key levels of canopy cover at which shifts in ecosystem function occur. The goal of this research was to use remotely sensed data to develop a reliable method for estimating canopy cover. More specifically, canopy cover was estimated …

Factors Affecting Songbird Nest Survival And Brood Parasitism In The Rainwater Basin Region Of Nebraska, Max Post Van Der Burg

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Lanthanide Separation Using Rate-Controlled Solvent Extraction, Joey Edwin Dickson

Doctoral Dissertations

Solvent extractions of many of the lanthanide ions in both single ion and mixed ion environments have been carried out. These cations were first complexed with an aqueous complexing agent and were extracted with DEHPA (di-2 ethylhexylphosphoric acid) in an organic phase (kerosene). The experiments were designed to measure the rates of extraction in the hope that separation factors might be enhanced under non-equilibrium conditions. The complexing agents tried include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), tetraethylenepentamine (tetraen), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), and diethylenetriamine (dien). These represent a hexadentate, pentadentate, tetradentate, and tridentate agent respectively. EDTA was determined to give the best results for …

C3/C4 Variations In High Salt Marsh Sediments: An Application Of Compound Specific Isotopic Analysis Of Lipid Biomarkers To Late Holocene Paleoclimatic Research, Benjamin Ryan Tanner

Doctoral Dissertations

Chapter 1

Bulk carbon isotopes were previously used as a tool to differentiate between C3 and C4 plant communities in ancient salt-marsh deposits (Chmura and Aharon 1995). However, the bulk carbon values reflect organic matter contributions not only from salt-marsh plants, but also from algal bacterial inputs, as well as allochtonous terrestrial organic matter. The introduction of gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometery (GC-IRMS) allows for the separation of algal vs. higher plant contributions to the sediment pool. In the present study, this technique is applied to a core and modern plant samples collected from two Maine salt-marshes. We sampled 10 …

Shell Model Monte Carlo Method In The Pn-Formalism, Cem Ozen

Doctoral Dissertations

We report on the development of a new shell-model Monte Carlo algorithm, which uses the proton-neutron formalism. Shell model Monte Carlo methods, within the isospin formulation, have been successfully used in large-scale shell-model calculations. Motivation for this work is to extend the feasibility of these methods to shell model studies involving non-identical proton and neutron valence spaces. We show the viability of the new approach with some test results. Finally, we use a realistic effective nucleon-nucleon interaction in the model space described by (1p_1/2, 0g_9/2) proton and (1d_5/2, 2s_{1/2 …}

Synthesis And Applications Of Monolithic Hplc Columns, Chengdu Liang

Doctoral Dissertations

Silica and carbon monolithic columns were synthesized and modified for liquid chromatography applications. Column configurations and cladding techniques were investigated in detail. Three novel approaches have been developed for the synthesis of bimodal porous rods. Out of these three methods, gel-casting was adopted for the synthesis of silica monoliths with ordered mesopores and uniform macropores; the use of colloidal templates and dual phase separation has been successfully implemented for the synthesis of carbon monoliths with well-controlled meso- and macro- porosities. The formation of mesopores in carbon materials has been further studied in the microphase separation of block copolymers. Electrochemical modification …

Tungsten Alkyl Alkylidyne And Bis(Alkylidene) Complexes. Their Unusual Inter-Conversion And Reactions With Phosphines, Dioxygen And Water, Laurel Anne Morton

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the unique chemistry of d0 alkylidyne and bis (alkylidene) complexes with β-silicon atoms. The goals of this dissertation research were to prepare and characterize these new d0 transition metal complexes, to study their reactivities including thermodynamics and kinetics of the inter-conversion between the alkylidyne and bis(alkylidene) complexes, and to explore the mechanism of the reactions of O2 or water with d0 alkylidyne complexes.

A summary of the research in this dissertation is provided in Chapter 1.Chapter 2 reports the study of an unusual exchange between new alkyl alkylidyne and bis(alkylidene) complexes …

Geochemical Investigations Of Ordinary Chondrites, Shergottites, And Hawaiian Basalts, Valerie Slater Reynolds

Doctoral Dissertations

Part I: Quantifying peak temperatures achieved during metamorphism is critical for understanding the thermal histories of ordinary chondrite parent asteroids. I performed two-pyroxene geothermometry, using QUILF95, on the same Type 6 chondrites for which peak temperatures were estimated using the plagioclase geothermometer. Pyroxenes record a narrow, overlapping range of temperatures in H6 (865-926°C), L6 (812-934°C), and LL6 (874-945°C) chondrites. Lower plagioclase temperature estimates may not reflect peak metamorphic temperatures because chondrule glass probably recrystallized to plagioclase prior to reaching the metamorphic peak. The average temperature for H, L, and LL chondrites (~900°C) is at least 50°C lower than peak temperatures …

Analysis Of Martian Parental Melts And Thermal Infrared Studies Of Putative Paleolake Basins On Mars, Karen Renée Stockstill

Doctoral Dissertations

Both martian meteorites and remote sensing data allow us to study the geologic history of Mars. Martian meteorites can reveal information regarding partial melting of the Mars mantle and the surface processes that affected the meteorite following eruption (weathering, impact ejection, etc.). Remote sensing data can be used to investigate the local-, regional- or global-scale surface of Mars in terms of composition and geomorphology. A well-rounded approach is necessary to address fundamental questions regarding the geologic history of Mars.

We studied melt inclusions in augite of the martian meteorite Nakhla to better understand the magma that produced this rock. This …

The Middle Ordovician Tellico-Sevier Syncline: A Stratigraphic, Structural And Paleoseimic Investigation., Stephen Christopher Whisner

Doctoral Dissertations

Analyses of remote-sensing satellite data, aerial photography, radar images, and digital elevation models, and detailed (1:24,000-scale) geologic mapping of bedrock and surficial deposits were conducted in a portion of the southeastern Tennessee. This area contains the southern portion of the Tellico-Sevier Alleghanian syncline and the highest concentration of modern earthquakes as well as two major rivers with unconsolidated floodplain and terrace deposits that would be most susceptible to disruption by earthquakes. Cambrian to Mississippian age rocks occurs in the syncline. The majority of detailed mapping was conducted in Middle Ordovician Chickamauga Group rocks.

Earthquakes occur in the East Tennessee seismic …

Synthesis Of A C-Linked Methyl Β-Disaccharide As A Building Block Of Hyaluronic Acid Oligosaccharide Mimetics, Kpakpo Ambroise Akue

Doctoral Dissertations

Hyaluronic acid is a viscous high MW polysaccharide that is synthesized in the plasma membrane. It is found in the connective tissue space, in the synovial fluid of movable joints and in the vitreous humor of the eye. Its chemical structure is composed of a repeating disaccharide unit in which D-glucuronic acid is linked to the 3-position of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. It appears to play an important role in the metastasis of cancer cells since cancer cell’s CD44 receptors adhere to it and migrate to host cells. Our goal was to synthesize small HA-oligosaccharides that would behave as CD44 metastasis receptor antagonists. …

Understanding And Controlling The Molecular Level Processes Involved In The Development Of Latent Fingerprints Using The Cyanoacrylate Fuming Method, Stephen Paul Wargacki

Doctoral Dissertations

The cyanoacrylate fuming method (CFM) is the standard method for forensic investigators to develop latent fingerprints from nonporous substrates. Variations in the effectiveness of the technique and the quality of the ethylcyanoacrylate (ECA) polymer impression formed during the development process have lead researchers to investigate the fundamental reactions between the print residue and the developing vapor. Identification of the active initiating species in the residue is an essential first step to understanding the development process. The fingerprint residue is composed primarily of water and eccrine salts, of which, water is generally accepted as the active initiator. However, initiation by water …

Automatic Source Attribution Of Text: A Neural Networks Approach, Foaad Khosmood, Franz J. Kurfess

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Recent advances in automatic authorship attribution have been promising. Relatively new techniques such as N-gram analysis have shown important improvements in accuracy [2]. Much of the work in this area does remain in the realm of statistics best suited for human assistance rather than autonomous attribution [6]. While there have been attempts at using neural networks in the area in the past, they have been extremely limited and problem-specific [7]. This paper addresses the latter points by demonstrating a practical and truly autonomous attribution process using neural networks. Furthermore, we use a word-frequency classification technique to demonstrate the feasibility of …

Searching Multi-Hierarchical Xml Documents: The Case Of Fragmentation, Alex Dekhtyar, Ionut E. Iacob, Srikanth Methuku

Computer Science and Software Engineering

To properly encode properties of textual documents using XML, multiple markup hierarchies must be used, often leading to conflicting markup in encodings. Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Guidelines [1] recognize this problem and suggest a number of ways to incorporate multiple hierarchies in a single well-formed XML document. In this paper, we present a framework for processing XPath queries over multi-hierarchical XML documents represented using fragmentation, one of the TEI-suggested techniques. We define the semantics of XPath over DOM trees of fragmented XML, extend the path expression language to cover overlap in markup, and describe FragXPath, our implementation of the proposed …

Goods Movement Security: An Information Technology Problem, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This paper discusses the security problems associated with the movement of goods across international in-land borders and at ocean ports. The author proposes an information technology solution approach that is based on the profiling of international shipments. The collection of data describing the end-to-end movement of a shipment from the initial acquisition transactions, throughout the various transshipment stages, to the final delivery, allows intelligent software to assist customs and homeland security officials to determine the risks associated with the shipment long before it reaches the inspection point. The technical basis and architecture of the SecureOrigins™ software system is described. Designed …

The Clearance Of Protein-Bound Solutes By Hemofiltration And Hemodiafiltration, Timothy W. Meyer, Jason L. Walther, Maria Enrica Pagtalunan, Andres W. Martinez, Ali Torkamani, Patrick D. Fong, Natalie S. Recht, Channing R. Robertson, Thomas H. Hostetter

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Background. Hemofiltration in the form of continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) is increasingly used to treat acute renal failure. Compared to hemodialysis, hemofiltration provides high clearances for large solutes but its effect on protein-bound solutes has been largely ignored.

Methods. Standard clinical systems were used to remove test solutes from a reservoir containing artificial plasma. Clearances of the protein-bound solutes phenol red (C_PR) and indican (C_IN) were compared to clearances of urea (C_UREA) during hemofiltration and hemodiafiltration. A mathematical model was developed to predict clearances from values for plasma flow Q_p, …

Habits Of Magnetosome Crystals In Coccoid Magnetotactic Bacteria, Ulysses Lins, Martha R. Mccartney, Marcos Farina, Richard B. Frankel, Peter R. Buseck

Physics

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron holography were used to study the habits of exceptionally large magnetite crystals in coccoid magnetotactic bacteria. In addition to the crystal habits, the crystallographic positioning of successive crystals in the magnetosome chain appears to be under strict biological control.

Sedimentation, Hydrology, And Bottomland Hardwood Forest Succession In Altered And Unaltered Tributaries Of The Hatchie River, Tn, Aaron R. Pierce

Doctoral Dissertations

Hydrologic and sedimentation processes are critical in determining floodplain site conditions and the distribution of bottomland hardwood (BLH) forest communities (Hodges 1997). Channelization of streams associated with BLH wetlands has occurred extensively throughout the southeastern United States, altering the hydrologic and sedimentation processes that sustain these systems. In western Tennessee, channelization and past land-use practices have resulted in drastic geomorphic and hydrologic changes including excessive sand deposition on floodplains, and in extreme cases, the formation of valley plugs and shoals.

Our understanding of the processes associated with valley plugs and shoals, their rates and variability, and their impacts on BLH …

Management Of The Proposed South Coast Trawl Fishery. A Discussion Paper., Department Of Fisheries.

Fisheries management papers

In late 1987, the Minister approved a development plan for the South Coast Inshore Trawl Fishery (Fisheries Management Paper No. 13) and made a number of notices regulating trawling activities in the Recherche Archipelago. Fishing Boat Licences were subsequently ‘endorsed’ by reference to those notices. The development plan was declared to be for a period ending 31 December 1989, subject to extension for a further year if necessary. Despite the considerable interest in the fishery during 1986 to 1989, fishing results demonstrated that the economic returns were marginal and a number of operators withdrew from participation in the fishery (at …

A Five-Year Management Strategy For Recreational Fishing In The Pilbara/Kimberley. The Minister For Fisheries' Decisions In Response To The Final Report Of The Pilbara Kimberley Recreational Fishing Working Group, Jon Ford (Minister For Fisheries; The Kimberley, Pilbara And Gascoyne)

Fisheries management papers

The regional review for the Pilbara/Kimberley Region is now complete and I would like to thank all members of the review working group for their efforts in what has been a challenging task. I would also like to thank those members of the community who attended public meetings and made submissions on the draft discussion paper. After careful consideration of the Pilbara/Kimberley Recreational Fishing Working Group’s recommendations and the wide range of issues raised in submissions, I have made my decisions in respect to the future management arrangements for recreational fishing in Pilbara/Kimberley Region. I believe the new management arrangements, …

Summer 2005, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Thomson Scattering And Ponderomotive Intermodulation Within Standing Laser Beat Waves In Plasma, Scott Sepke, Y.Y. Lau, James Paul Holloway, Donald P. Umstadter

Donald Umstadter Publications

Electrons in a standing electromagnetic wave—an optical lattice—tend to oscillate due to the quiver and ponderomotive potentials. For sufficiently intense laser fields (lλ²≤5×10¹⁷ W cm^-2 µm²) and in plasmas with sufficiently low electron densities (n≤10¹⁸ cm^-3), these oscillations can occur faster than the plasma can respond. This paper shows that these oscillations result in Thomson scattering of light at both the laser and ponderomotive bounce frequencies and their harmonics as well as at mixtures of these frequencies. We term this mixing ponderomotive intermodulation. Here, the case of counterpropagating …

Self-Organization Of Spatial Solitons, Martin Centurion, Ye Pu, Demetri Psaltis

Martin Centurion Publications

We present experimental results on the transverse modulation instability of an elliptical beam propagating in a bulk nonlinear Kerr medium, and the formation and self-organization of spatial solitons. We have observed the emergence of order, self organization and a transition to an unstable state. Order emerges through the formation of spatial solitons in a periodic array. If the initial period of the array is unstable the solitons will tend to self-organize into a larger (more stable) period. Finally the system transitions to a disordered state where most of the solitons disappear and the beam profile becomes unstable to small changes …