Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Deer Guards And Bump Gates For Excluding White-Tailed Deer From Fenced Resources, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Nathan Seward, Michael J. Lavelle, Justin W. Fischer, Gregory Phillips

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) causing damage is a reoccurring theme in the realm of wildlife damage management, especially regarding human safety, disease transmission, and agricultural losses. Fences often are the only reliable long-term nonlethal means of controlling deer damage. The efficacy of fences, however, relies on their weakest link: human-operated gates. Although not overly time-consuming, the act of closing a gate appears to be a burden to individuals, resulting in open-access to an otherwise protected resource. We examined the efficacy of 2 alternatives to traditional gates to evaluate their potential to be used for excluding or containing deer. …

Translocation Of Nine-Banded Armadillos, Daniel J. Gammons, Michael Mengak, L. Michael Conner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

During the last 150 years, nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) have increased their range and abundance in the southeastern United States. When foraging, armadillos cause damage to agricultural crops as, as well as cause structural damage to driveways and foundations. Homeowners frequently use translocation to reduce local armadillo abundance. Despite its popularity with the general public, however, the appropriateness of nuisance wildlife translocation presents concerns for biologists. Our objective was to address some of these concerns by examining survival and movements of translocated armadillos. We translocated 12 armadillos (9 male, 3 female) equipped with radio-transmitters and compared their survival …

Movements And Dive Patterns Of A Rehabilitated Risso’S Dolphin, Grampus Griseus, In The Gulf Of Mexico And Atlantic Ocean, Randall Wells, Charles Manire, Lynne Byrd, David Smith, Janet Gannon, Deborah Fauquier, Keith Mullin

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) occur throughout the world in tropical and temperate waters. The best estimates of abundance for Risso’s dolphins are 1,589 (CV = 0.27) for the northern Gulf of Mexico and 20,479 (CV = 0.59) for the U.S. Atlantic Ocean (Waring et al. 2006). G. griseus is the fourth most abundant cetacean species in the oceanic waters of the northern Gulf and is found in all seasons (Mullin et al. 1994, 2004; Maze-Foley and Mullin 2006).
Risso’s dolphins typically can be found over the continental shelf edge and the upper continental slope, where sea surface temperatures …

A Summer With The Large Hadron Collider: The Search For Fundamental Physics, Austin Purves

Inquiry Journal 2009

No abstract provided.

Oceanic Transform Fault Seismicity Earthquakes Of A Different Kind, Margaret S. Boettcher, Jeffrey Mcguire, Thomas Jordan

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

High-Resolution Seafloor Mapping And An Assessment Of The Effectiveness Of The Western Gulf Of Maine Closure Area (Wgomca), Raymond E. Grizzle, Mashkoor A. Malik, Larry G. Ward

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

Computational Simulation Of Strain Localization: From Theory To Implementation, Shouxin Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

Strain localization in the form of shear bands or slip surfaces has widely been observed in most engineering materials, such as metals, concrete, rocks, and soils. Concurrent with the appearance of localized deformation is the loss of overall load-carrying capacity of the material body. Because the deformation localization is an important precursor of material failure, computational modeling of the onset and growth of the localization is indispensable for the understanding of the complete mechanical response and post-peak behavior of materials and structures. Simulation results can also be used to judge the failure mechanisms of materials and structures so that the …

Chasing Μ, Joseph P. Cannon

Doctoral Dissertations

Conducting and semiconducting, π-conjugated polymers are promising materials for micro- and nano-optoelectronic applications because of their widely tunable physical, electrical, and optical properties. These polymers have been used to fabricate a number of electronic devices including field-effect transistors, light-emitting diodes, and photovoltaic cells. However, widespread commercial application of these devices has yet to be realized, due in part to poor electronic transport characteristics and device degradation.

Nanostructuring of conjugated polymers by various methods has demonstrated marked improvements in molecular ordering and electronic transport. In this research, nanoscale, tubular structures of semiconducting polymers fabricated by template wetting nanofabrication procedures are explored. …

Discrete Nondeterministic Modeling Of Biochemical Networks, John R. Jack

Doctoral Dissertations

The ideas expressed in this work pertain to biochemical modeling. We explore our technique, the Nondeterministic Waiting Time algorithm, for modeling molecular signaling cascades. The algorithm is presented with pseudocode along with an explanation of its implementation. The entire source code can be found in the Appendices. This algorithm builds on earlier work from the lab of Dr. Andrei Nun, the advisor for this dissertation. We discuss several important extensions including: (i) a heap with special maintenance functions for sorting reaction waiting times, (ii) a nondeterministic component for handling reaction competition, and (iii) a memory enhancement allowing slower reactions to …

Role Of Elastic Projectile-Electron Scattering In Double Ionization Of Helium By Fast Proton Impact, Michael Schulz, M. F. Ciappina, T. Kirchner, Daniel Fischer, R. Moshammer, J. D. Ullrich

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present a systematic study of atomic four-body fragmentation dynamics. To this end we have measured a variety of multiple differential double ionization cross sections for 6 MeV p⁺He collisions. The data are compared to a first-order calculation with correlated electrons and to a simulation representing a second-order process, with some experimental results seemingly in favor of the first, others in agreement with the second approach. This apparent conflict can be resolved by accounting for elastic scattering between the projectile and one electron already promoted to the continuum through electron-electron correlation in the first-order process.

Is It Windy Enough For You? The Potential For Wind Energy To Generate Electricity, Income, And Energy Security In Rural East-Central Nebraska, Roy M. Zach

Student Work

Citizens living in the Columbus, Nebraska area once met all of their local electric power needs via the Columbus and Monroe hydropower facilities. Today, this area imports significant quantities of electricity via high voltage power transmission lines, thereby creating dependencies on areas far away. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential for wind power within this area of Nebraska—in order to generate electricity, income, and energy security at a more local level. A thorough analysis of the local wind resource, and its comparison to the local electric power demand, demonstrates the economic feasibility of producing electricity from …

Comparative Ecology And Conservation Status Of Procambarus (Pennides) Gibbus And Procambarus (Pennides) Versutus In Marion County, Georgia, Joann Chadwick

Theses and Dissertations

Two crayfish species, whose conservation status was of concern, Procambarus (Pennides) gibbus Hobbs and Procambarus (Pennides) versutus Hagen, and one relatively common crayfish, Procambarus (Pennides) spiculifer LeConte were studied at nine creek sites in Marion County, Georgia. Major objectives of the yearlong study were to 1) compare the habitats of these species, looking for environmental differences that might account for their isolated distributions within the county and 2) assess the current conservation status of P. gibbus and P. versutus. Each study site was characterized by a one-time assessment of floodplain width, stream width, water velocity, stream depth and assessment of …

Numerical Simulations Of Snake Dissipative Solitons In Complex Cubic-Quintic Ginzburg-Landau Equation, S.C. Mancas, Harihar Khanal

Publications

Numerical simulations of the complex cubic-quintic Ginzburg-Landau equation (CCQGLE), a canonical equation governing the weakly nonlinear behavior of dissipative systems in a wide variety of disciplines, reveal five entirely novel classes of pulse or solitary waves solutions, viz. pulsating, creeping, snaking, erupting, and chaotical solitons. Here, we develop a theoretical framework for analyzing the full spatio-temporal structure of one class of dissipative solution (snaking soliton) of the CCQGLE using the variational approximation technique and the dynamical systems theory. The qualitative behavior of the snaking soliton is investigated using the numerical simulations of (a) the full nonlinear complex partial differential equation …

Spatiotemporal Structure Of Pulsating Solitons In The Cubic-Quintic Ginzburg-Landau Equation: A Novel Variational Formulation, S.C. Mancas, S. Roy Choudhury

Publications

Comprehensive numerical simulations (reviewed in Dissipative Solitons, Akhmediev and Ankiewicz (Eds.), Springer, Berlin, 2005) of pulse solutions of the cubic–quintic Ginzburg–Landau Equation (CGLE), a canonical equation governing the weakly nonlinear behavior of dissipative systems in a wide variety of disciplines, reveal various intriguing and entirely novel classes of solutions. In particular, there are five new classes of pulse or solitary waves solutions, viz. pulsating, creeping, snake, erupting, and chaotic solitons. In contrast to the regular solitary waves investigated in numerous integrable and non-integrable systems over the last three decades, these dissipative solitons are not stationary in time. Rather, they are …

Variation Of Benzyl Anions In Mgal-Layered Double Hydroxides: Fire And Thermal Properties In Pmma, Calistor Nyambo, Dan Chen, Shengpei Shu, Charles A. Wilkie

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Magnesium aluminum layered double hydroxides (MgAl-LDHs) intercalated with a range of benzyl anions were prepared using the coprecipitation method. The benzyl anions differ in functionality (i.e. carboxylate, sulfonate, and phosphonate) and presence or absence of an amino substituent. Various methods for preparing LDHs (i.e. ion exchange, coprecipitation and rehydration of the calcined LDH methods) have been compared with the MgAl-benzene phosphonate and their effect on fire and thermal properties was studied. After characterization, the MgAl-LDHs were melt-blended with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) at loadings of 3 and 10% by weight to prepare composites. Characterization of the LDHs and the PMMA composites …

The Role Of The Trivalent Metal In An Ldh: Synthesis, Characterization And Fire Properties Of Thermally Stable Pmma/Ldh Systems, Charles Manzi-Nshuti, Dongyan Wang, Jeanne Hossenlopp, Charles A. Wilkie

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

Two layered double hydroxides (LDHs), calcium aluminum undecenoate (Ca₃Al) and calcium iron undecenoate (Ca₃Fe), have been prepared by the co-precipitation method. XRD analysis of these LDHs reveals that they are layered materials and FT-IR and TGA confirmed the presence of the undecenoate anions in the material produced. The PMMA composites were prepared by bulk polymerization and the samples were characterized by XRD, TEM, TGA and cone calorimetry. Both additives greatly enhance the thermal stability of PMMA, while the calcium aluminum LDH gives better results when the fire properties were examined using the cone calorimeter.

Structure And Mechanism Of Copper- And Nickel-Substituted Analogues Of Metallo-Β-Lactamase L1, Zhenxin Hu, Lauren J. Spadafora, Christine E. Hajdin, Brian Bennett, Michael W. Crowder

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

In an effort to further probe metal binding to metallo-β-lactamase L1 (mβl L1), Cu- (Cu-L1) and Ni-substituted (Ni-L1) L1 were prepared and characterized by kinetic and spectroscopic studies. Cu-L1 bound 1.7 equiv of Cu and small amounts of Zn(II) and Fe. The EPR spectrum of Cu-L1 exhibited two overlapping, axial signals, indicative of type 2 sites with distinct affinities for Cu(II). Both signals indicated multiple nitrogen ligands. Despite the expected proximity of the Cu(II) ions, however, only indirect evidence was found for spin−spin coupling. Cu-L1 exhibited higher k_cat (96 s⁻¹) and K_m (224 μM) values, as …

Describing Fuzzy Sets Using A New Concept: Fuzzify Functor, Kexin Wei, Zhaoxia Wang, Quan Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper proposed a fuzzify functor as an extension of the concept of fuzzy sets. The fuzzify functor and the first-order operated fuzzy set are defined. From the theory analysis, it can be observed that when the fuzzify functor acts on a simple crisp set, we get the first order fuzzy set or type-1 fuzzy set. By operating the fuzzify functor on fuzzy sets, we get the higher order fuzzy sets or higher type fuzzy sets and their membership functions. Using the fuzzify functor we can exactly describe the type-1 fuzzy sets, type-2 fuzzy sets and higher type or higher …

Water Privatization Trends In The United States: Human Rights, National Security, And Public Stewardship, Craig Anthony (Tony) Arnold

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Research Report No. 189 - Results Of A 2007 Survey Of The Swan River Region For Four Introduced Marine Species, Justin I. Mcdonald, Fred E. Wells

Fisheries research reports

A survey of the Swan River region for four non-indigenous marine species was conducted in 2007: the European shore crab Carcinus maenas, the Asian bag mussel Musculista senhousia, the European fan worm Sabella spallanzanii, and the scallop Scaeochlamys livida. The first three of these species are global in their distribution and on the ‘top-ten world’s worst invaders listing; the last species is introduced from the eastern states of Australia.

In this survey divers on SCUBA examined 43 sites for each of the listed species. Despite previous records of Carcinus maenas and Musculista senhousia in this region …

Epr Of Cu2+ Prion Protein Constructs At 2 Ghz Using The G⊥ Region To Characterize Nitrogen Ligation, James S. Hyde, Brian Bennett, Eric D. Walter, Glenn L. Millhauser, Jason Walter Sidabras, William E. Antholine

Physics Faculty Research and Publications

A double octarepeat prion protein construct, which has two histidines, mixed with copper sulfate in a 3:2 molar ratio provides at most three imidazole ligands to each copper ion to form a square-planar Cu²⁺ complex. This work is concerned with identification of the fourth ligand. A new (to our knowledge) electron paramagnetic resonance method based on analysis of the intense features of the electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum in the g_⊥ region at 2 GHz is introduced to distinguish between three and four nitrogen ligands. The methodology was established by studies of a model system consisting of histidine imidazole …

Rayleigh-Lidar Determinations Of The Vertical Wavelength Of Mesospheric Gravity Wave, Joe R. Slansky, Durga N. Kafle, Vincent B. Wickwar

Posters

Atmospheric structures have been observed in the Rayleigh lidar data acquired between 1993 and 2004 at Utah State University (USU). The observations pertain to the density and temperature in the mesosphere between 45 and 90 km altitude. The structures referred to arise from monochromatic Atmospheric Gravity Waves (AGWs). Previous analysis of these data have searched for and found a spectrum with a peak in the vertical wavelength 12–16 km. It has been suggested by other researchers using other types of data that there may be another peak in the spectrum at shorter wavelengths. For this study the lidar data were …

Rayleigh-Lidar Observations Of Mesospheric Instabilities, Gabriel C. Taylor, Durga N. Kafle, Vincent B. Wickwar

Posters

From 1993 to 2004 the Utah State University Rayleigh lidar, known as the USU green laser, collected 900 nights of data from the mesosphere (45-90 km). From these observations profiles of relative neutral densities and absolute temperatures were derived. Usually, the atmosphere is horizontally stratified with a balance between gravitational and pressure forces. When this balance is perturbed, it leads to the generation of buoyancy or “gravity” waves. An example of these is clear air turbulence, which can have dramatic effects on airplanes. As these waves propagate upward, the decrease in atmospheric density and conservation of energy combine to give …

Large-Scale Assembly Of Periodic Nanostructures With Metastable Square Lattices, Chih-Hung Sun, Wei-Lun Min, Nicholas C. Linn, Peng Jiang, Bin Jiang

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article reports a simple and scalable spin-coating technique for assembling non-close-packed colloidal crystals with metastable square lattices over wafer-scale areas. The authors observe the alternate formation of hexagonal and square diffraction patterns when the thickness of the colloidal crystals is gradually reduced during spin coating. No prepatterned templates are needed to induce the formation of the resulting metastable crystals with square arrangement. This bottom-up technology also enables the large-scale production of a variety of squarely ordered nanostructures that are consistent with the industry-standard rectilinear coordinate system for simplified addressing and circuit interconnection. Broadband moth-eye antireflection gratings with square lattices …

Sustainable Portland: Implementation Series 2, New England Environmental Finance Center

Climate Change

The Portland Municipal Climate Change Working Group prepared a report in March 2008 that outlined several recommendations as a commitment by the City to address greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) produced during daily municipal operations. The Municipal Climate Action Plan was written in partnership with Clean Air – Cool Planet and Portland officials, and acknowledges under Recommendation #2 that an employee energy efficiency program would provide significant positive impact on the City’s reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Best practices from three cities show that focus on the greening of City Hall is critical in developing a program that promotes partnerships, community …

The Efficacy Of Climate Change Projects In Samoa: Evaluating Community-Based Adaptation Initiatives, Marisa Chock

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the efficacy of community-based climate change adaptation projects in Samoa, comparing evaluations conducted by agencies responsible for the projects to the opinions of the community involved. Specific projects with community-centered missions and methods are compared across different environmental agencies in Samoa, including the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The research examines how closely the implementation of each project matches its initial goals, how the success of implementation and community involvement is measured by the agency and whether evaluative tools were used …

The Transition Movement In Australia: An Analysis Of The Progress, Challenges, And Future Of Transition Initiatives, Mia Goldwasser

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The threats of climate change and peak oil have roots in our society’s dependence on the availability of cheap fossil fuels for its function and design. In order to both decrease greenhouse gas emissions and significantly lower the demand on fossil fuels, our settlements –built when oil was cheap and abundant- must ‘relocalize’, or develop the systems which will enable the local production of food, energy, materials, employment, and goods. The Transition Movement has developed as a grassroots, community-based response to these challenges, grounded in the belief that a higher quality of life has the opportunity to emerge from a …

Green Dharma: Clearing The Pollution Of Our Minds To Save The Environment, Richard Dale Jenkinson Iv

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper seeks to examine the relationship in Mongolia between Buddhism and the environment, as well as the condition of that relationship, the environmental work being done out of the motivation of Buddhist beliefs, and how to improve the environmental condition through Buddhism. Great understanding of this topic was obtained through interviews with Buddhist monks, of both Mongolian and Western origins and from both urban Ulaanbaatar and the rural countryside of Mongolia. Perhaps some of the greatest understanding came from simple everyday observations and interactions with the Buddhist community. Concrete textual information came from reading endless Buddhist sutras, scholarly books, …

A Green Endeavor; The Role Of Bryant University’S Faculty On An Environmentally Responsible Campus, Justine M. Boucher

Honors Projects in Science and Technology

This thesis researches and analyzes Bryant University faculty practices and motivations with regards to consumption and recycling paper. The project incorporated survey instrumentation to gather quantitative data on which to base conclusions. In addition, paper usage was directly observed, along with analysis of faculty feedback to an online survey. A marketing campaign addressed faculty practices and encouraged faculty reduction of paper. Results show that paper recycling in the targeted faculty suite increased slightly in the short-term following the marketing campaign, either through heightened awareness or seasonal office disposal; however, measurement over a greater span of time with sustained marketing might …

Behind Your Beach Vacation: A Review And Evaluation Of Eias As A Legal Framework To Regulate The Environmental Impacts Of Tourism In Zanzibar, Mahima Sukhdev, Ayelet Singer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and related legislation in Zanzibar were examined, and their implementation by hotels in the coastal villages of Nungwi, Kiwengwa and Uroa were studied. Interviews were conducted with relevant government agencies and legal documents were examined in order to understand the current framework within which hotels operate. Hotels in the study area both with and without EIAs were questioned about their environmental and social impacts. The environmental management plans of those hotels with EIAs were considered in light of their current practices in order to gage the effectiveness of the EIA process in regulating the environmental impacts …