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2009

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Articles 5161 - 5190 of 7615

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Effect Of Wavelet Families On Watermarking, Evelyn Brannock, Michael Weeks, Robert W. Harrison Jan 2009

The Effect Of Wavelet Families On Watermarking, Evelyn Brannock, Michael Weeks, Robert W. Harrison

Computer Science Faculty Publications

With the advance of technologies such as the Internet, Wi-Fi Internet availability and mobile access, it is becoming harder than ever to safeguard intellectual property in a digital form. Digital watermarking is a steganographic technique that is used to protect creative content. Copyrighted work can be accessed from many different computing platforms; the same image can exist on a handheld personal digital assistant, as well as a laptop and desktop server computer. For those who want to pirate, it is simple to copy, modify and redistribute digital media. Because this impacts business profits adversely, this is a highly researched field …


Slc30a3 (Znt3) Oligomerization By Dityrosine Bonds Regulates Its Subcellular Localization And Metal Transport Capacity, Gloria Salazar, Juan M. Falcon-Perez, Robert W. Harrison, Victor Faundez Jan 2009

Slc30a3 (Znt3) Oligomerization By Dityrosine Bonds Regulates Its Subcellular Localization And Metal Transport Capacity, Gloria Salazar, Juan M. Falcon-Perez, Robert W. Harrison, Victor Faundez

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Non-covalent and covalent homo-oligomerization of membrane proteins regulates their subcellular localization and function. Here, we described a novel oligomerization mechanism affecting solute carrier family 30 member 3/zinc transporter 3 (SLC30A3/ZnT3). Oligomerization was mediated by intermolecular covalent dityrosine bonds. Using mutagenized ZnT3 expressed in PC12 cells, we identified two critical tyrosine residues necessary for dityrosine-mediated ZnT3 oligomerization. ZnT3 carrying the Y372F mutation prevented ZnT3 oligomerization, decreased ZnT3 targeting to synaptic-like microvesicles (SLMVs), and decreased resistance to zinc toxicity. Strikingly, ZnT3 harboring the Y357F mutation behaved as a ‘‘gain-of-function’’ mutant as it displayed increased ZnT3 oligomerization, targeting to SLMVs, and increased resistance …


Teachers Reflecting Differently: Deconstructing The Discursive Teacher/Student Binary, David W. Stinson, Ginny C. Powell Jan 2009

Teachers Reflecting Differently: Deconstructing The Discursive Teacher/Student Binary, David W. Stinson, Ginny C. Powell

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

This session explores the ways that practicing teachers came to reflect differently regarding the discursive teacher/student binary during a graduate-level course entitled “Mathematics Education within the Postmodern.” Using Dewey’s concept of reflective thinking, as well as Foucault’s discourse and Derrida’s deconstruction, we show how the course provided new suggestions for the students as they continued their journey of becoming teachers. Through interweaving comments written by the students with concepts borrowed from postmodern philosophers and theorists, we illustrate how the teachers began to understand that teachers and students might indeed be described differently in the postmodern.


The Proliferation Of Theoretical Paradigms Quandary: How One Novice Researcher Used Eclecticism As A Solution, David W. Stinson Jan 2009

The Proliferation Of Theoretical Paradigms Quandary: How One Novice Researcher Used Eclecticism As A Solution, David W. Stinson

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Faculty Publications

When a doctoral student plans to conduct qualitative education research, the aspect of the dissertation that often becomes problematic is determining which theoretical paradigm(s) might frame the study. In this article, the author discusses how he resolved the quandary through eclecticism. The author begins by describing briefly the purpose of his dissertation study, providing a justification for eclecticism in the selection of theories. He follows with a description of the three theories— poststructural theory, critical race theory, and critical theory—that framed his study and discusses briefly the methodology employed. The author concludes with a discussion of likely objections of his …


Zpc Matrices And Zero Cycles, Marina Arav, Frank Hall, Zhongshan Li, Bhaskara Rao Jan 2009

Zpc Matrices And Zero Cycles, Marina Arav, Frank Hall, Zhongshan Li, Bhaskara Rao

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Let H be an m x n real matrix and let Zi be the set of column indices of the zero entries of row i of H. Then the conditions |Zk ∩(Uk-1 i=1 Zi)| ≤ 1 for all k (2 ≤ km) are called the (row) Zero Position Conditions (ZPCs). If H satisfies the ZPC, then H is said to be a (row) ZPC matrix. If HT satisfies the ZPC, then H is said to be a column ZPC matrix. The real matrix H is said to …


Ham Sandwich With Mayo: A Stronger Conclusion To The Classical Ham Sandwich Theorem, John H. Elton, Theodore P. Hill Jan 2009

Ham Sandwich With Mayo: A Stronger Conclusion To The Classical Ham Sandwich Theorem, John H. Elton, Theodore P. Hill

Research Scholars in Residence

The conclusion of the classical ham sandwich theorem of Banach and Steinhaus may be strengthened: there always exists a common bisecting hyperplane that touches each of the sets, that is, intersects the closure of each set. Hence, if the knife is smeared with mayonnaise, a cut can always be made so that it will not only simultaneously bisect each of the ingredients, but it will also spread mayonnaise on each. A discrete analog of this theorem says that n finite nonempty sets in n-dimensional Euclidean space can always be simultaneously bisected by a single hyperplane that contains at least one …


Design And Fabrication Of Space Variant Micro Optical Elements, Pradeep Srinivasan Jan 2009

Design And Fabrication Of Space Variant Micro Optical Elements, Pradeep Srinivasan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A wide range of applications currently utilize conventional optical elements to individually transform the phase, polarization, and spectral transmission/reflection of the incident radiation to realize the desired system level function. The material properties and the feasibility of fabrication primarily impact the device and system functionality that can be realized. With the advancement in micro/nano patterning, growth, deposition and etching technology, devices with novel and multiplexed optical functionalities have become feasible. As a result, it has become possible to engineer the device response in the near and far field by controlling the phase, polarization or spectral response at the micro scale. …


Search And Delivery Techniques In Peer-To-Peer Networks, Tai Do Jan 2009

Search And Delivery Techniques In Peer-To-Peer Networks, Tai Do

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The presence of millions of interconnected personal computing devices has given rise to a new class of decentralized networking applications, which are loosely labeled as peer-to-peer (P2P) applications. These P2P applications leverage resources such as processing cycles, storage, content, and network bandwidth available to the user devices, which are also known as peers. A number of current systems - SETI@home, Napster, BitTorrent, and Pastry - are examples of these emerging P2P systems. To fully realize the potential of the peer-to-peer technology, there is a need to define and provide a set of core competencies, serving as the basic services upon …


Attacks On Difficult Instances Of Graph Isomorphism: Sequential And Parallel Algorithms, Greg Tener Jan 2009

Attacks On Difficult Instances Of Graph Isomorphism: Sequential And Parallel Algorithms, Greg Tener

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The graph isomorphism problem has received a great deal of attention on both theoretical and practical fronts. However, a polynomial algorithm for the problem has yet to be found. Even so, the best of the existing algorithms perform well in practice; so well that it is challenging to find hard instances for them. The most efficient algorithms, for determining if a pair of graphs are isomorphic, are based on the individualization-refinement paradigm, pioneered by Brendan McKay in 1981 with his algorithm nauty. Nauty and various improved descendants of nauty, such as bliss and saucy, solve the graph isomorphism problem by …


Stochastic Dynamical Systems In Infinite Dimensions, Salah-Eldin A. Mohammed Jan 2009

Stochastic Dynamical Systems In Infinite Dimensions, Salah-Eldin A. Mohammed

Articles and Preprints

We study the local behavior of infinite-dimensional stochastic semiflows near hyperbolic equilibria. The semiflows are generated by stochastic differential systems with finite memory, stochastic evolution equations and semilinear stochastic partial differential equations.


Charting The Late Cretaceous Seas: Mosasaur Richness And Morphological Diversification, Marcus R. Ross Jan 2009

Charting The Late Cretaceous Seas: Mosasaur Richness And Morphological Diversification, Marcus R. Ross

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Abundant, readily identifiable, and biostratigraphically resolved specimens make mosasaurs ideal candidates to test fluxes in generic richness and morphological trends among marine vertebrates during the late Cretaceous. More than 1800 globally distributed mosasaur specimens are allocated to fifteen substage-level stratigraphically correlated assemblages. These data are quantitatively analyzed to illuminate trends within the group. Following their first appearance in the Cenomanian, mosasaurs experienced a significant radiation in the Coniacian and Santonian. Richness levels continued increasing into the Maastrichtian while mosasaurs incrementally exploited new predatory niches recognized via accumulation of novel dental morphologies. Their extinction at the end of the Cretaceous occurred …


Hubble Space Telescope Discovery Of A Z = 3.9 Multiply Imaged Galaxy Behind The Complex Cluster Lens Warps J1415.1+36 At Z = 1.026, Xiaosheng Huang, T Morokuma, Hk Fakhouri, G Aldering, R Amanullah, K Barbary, M Brodwin, Nv Connolly, Ks Dawson, M Doi, L Faccioli, V Fadeyev, As Fruchter, G Goldhaber, Md Gladders, Jf Hennawi, Y Ihara, Mj Jee, M Kowalski, K Konishi, C Lidman, J Meyers, La Moustakas, S Perlmutter, D Rubin, Dj Schlegel, Al Spadafora, N Suzuki, N Takanashi, N Yasuda Jan 2009

Hubble Space Telescope Discovery Of A Z = 3.9 Multiply Imaged Galaxy Behind The Complex Cluster Lens Warps J1415.1+36 At Z = 1.026, Xiaosheng Huang, T Morokuma, Hk Fakhouri, G Aldering, R Amanullah, K Barbary, M Brodwin, Nv Connolly, Ks Dawson, M Doi, L Faccioli, V Fadeyev, As Fruchter, G Goldhaber, Md Gladders, Jf Hennawi, Y Ihara, Mj Jee, M Kowalski, K Konishi, C Lidman, J Meyers, La Moustakas, S Perlmutter, D Rubin, Dj Schlegel, Al Spadafora, N Suzuki, N Takanashi, N Yasuda

Physics and Astronomy

We report the discovery of a multiply lensed Ly Alpha (Lya) emitter at z = 3.90 behind the massive galaxy cluster WARPS J1415.1+3612 at z = 1.026. Images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope(HST) using ACS reveal a complex lensing system that produces a prominent, highly magnified arc and a triplet of smaller arcs grouped tightly around a spectroscopically confirmed cluster member. Spectroscopic observations using FOCAS on Subaru confirm strong Lya emission in the source galaxy and provide redshifts for more than 21 cluster members, from which we obtain a velocity dispersion of 807+/-185 km/s. Assuming a singular isothermal sphere …


Contribution Of A Portable Air Plasma Torch To Rapid Blood Coagulation As A Method Of Preventing Bleeding, Kuo S. P., O. Tarasenko, J. Chang, S. Popović, C. Y. Chen, H. W. Fan, A. Scott, M. Lahiani, P. Alusta, J. D. Drake, Milka Nikolic Jan 2009

Contribution Of A Portable Air Plasma Torch To Rapid Blood Coagulation As A Method Of Preventing Bleeding, Kuo S. P., O. Tarasenko, J. Chang, S. Popović, C. Y. Chen, H. W. Fan, A. Scott, M. Lahiani, P. Alusta, J. D. Drake, Milka Nikolic

Physics and Astronomy

The effectiveness and mechanism of a low temperature air plasma torch in clotting blood are explored. Both blood droplets and smeared blood samples were used in the tests. The treated droplet samples reveal how blood clotting depends on the distance at which the torch operated, and for how long the droplets have been exposed to the torch. Microscopy and cell count of smeared blood samples shed light on dependencies of erythrocyte and platelet counts on torch distance and exposure time. With an increase of torch distance, the platelet count of treated blood samples increases but is less than that of …


Gathering Leadership Momentum Across Great Distances: Creating An Online Community Of Practice, Erin L. Davis, Danielle Theiss-White Jan 2009

Gathering Leadership Momentum Across Great Distances: Creating An Online Community Of Practice, Erin L. Davis, Danielle Theiss-White

Erin Davis

At the 2007 Mountain Plains Library Association Leadership (MPLA) Institute, held in New Mexico, USA, eight academic librarians formed an online multi-state, multigenerational community of practice. MPLA is a twelve-state library association within the United States. Using Google Groups™, the members formed an online environment called the MPLA Community of Practice for continuing development of the leadership skills presented at the Institute. These early-career librarians represent diverse educational backgrounds and work in libraries serving varied populations with differing disciplinary emphases.

The group meets monthly with each member preparing and facilitating online discussions, complete with personal assessments, topical readings, and questions. …


A Comparison And Validation Of Four Aquatic Macrophyte-Based Lake Assessment Techniques, John Brittenham Jan 2009

A Comparison And Validation Of Four Aquatic Macrophyte-Based Lake Assessment Techniques, John Brittenham

Master of Environmental Science (MES) Theses

Lake macrophyte assemblages in northeast Indiana were examined to compare the ability of four aquatic macrophyte-based lake assessment techniques to detect lake quality using two independent measures of human disturbance and one measure of water quality. Study objectives were to test the relationship of the four lake assessment techniques to the three measures of human disturbance or water quality, test the relationship of the four lake assessment techniques to each other, and to determine which lake assessment technique was the most time and resource efficient. Lake vegetation was sampled using two techniques. The first was a rake-based, stratified, random sampling …


The Planet, 2009, Winter, Emily A. Linroth, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University Jan 2009

The Planet, 2009, Winter, Emily A. Linroth, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.


Reinterpreting No Free Lunch, Jonathan E. Rowe, Michael D. Vose, Alden H. Wright Jan 2009

Reinterpreting No Free Lunch, Jonathan E. Rowe, Michael D. Vose, Alden H. Wright

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Since it’s inception, the “No Free Lunch theorem” has concerned the application of symmetry results rather than the symmetries themselves. In our view, the conflation of result and application obscures the simplicity, generality, and power of the symmetries involved. This paper separates result from application, focusing on and clarifying the nature of underlying symmetries. The result is a general set-theoretic version of NFL which speaks to symmetries when arbitrary domains and co-domains are involved. Although our framework is deterministic, we note situations where our deterministic set-theoretic results speak nevertheless to stochastic algorithms.


Synthesis And Spectroscopic Analysis Of Therapeutic Ru(Ii) Complexes, Samar Moqadasi, Laura Perdisatt, Christine O'Connor, Luke O'Neill Jan 2009

Synthesis And Spectroscopic Analysis Of Therapeutic Ru(Ii) Complexes, Samar Moqadasi, Laura Perdisatt, Christine O'Connor, Luke O'Neill

Conference Papers

The aim of this study is to synthesise and characterise new ligands based on a 1,10-Phenanthroline-5,6-dione backbone and their respective Ru(II) complexes; Ru(bpy)2mfmp, Ru(bpy)2fmp and Ru(bpy)2NO2-mp as shown in figure 1.The synthesis of the ligands will be discussed and a variety of Ru(II) complexes. A brief insight of the electronic and NMR spectroscopy will be presented along with preliminary photochemical results such as extinction coefficients, quantum yields and luminescence lifetimes. Ruthenium complexes have well established synthetic and photochemical properties.1The objective of this work is to synthesise Ru(II) complexes for the applications of potential therapeutics. In order to establish their uses …


Specific Heat Measurements On Strongly Correlated Electron Systems, Vijayalakshmi Varadarajan Jan 2009

Specific Heat Measurements On Strongly Correlated Electron Systems, Vijayalakshmi Varadarajan

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Studies on strongly correlated electron systems over decades have allowed physicists to discover unusual properties such as spin density waves, ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic states with unusual ordering of spins and orbitals, and Mott insulating states, to name a few.

In this thesis, the focus will be on the specific heat property of these materials exhibiting novel electronic ground states in the presence and absence of a field. The purpose of these measurements is to characterize the phase transitions into these states and the low energy excitations in these states. From measurements at the phase transitions, one can learn about the …


The Problem Of Time In Quantum Mechanics, Crisol J. Escobedo Jan 2009

The Problem Of Time In Quantum Mechanics, Crisol J. Escobedo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of my Thesis is to gain a better understanding of the nature of time and the problems associated with time. For example, I aim to explore the problem associated with the energy-time uncertainty relation due to the lack of a universal operator for time. Using Jan Hilgevoord's work, I will explore the idea that if a measure of time is to be obtained in quantum mechanics, then time has to be a property of physical systems that can only be measured in relation to other systems. As such, time cannot be independent of physical systems. This implies that …


The Influence Of Fallback Foods On Great Ape Tooth Enamel, Paul J. Constantino, Peter W. Lucas, James J.-W. Lee, Brian R. Lawn Jan 2009

The Influence Of Fallback Foods On Great Ape Tooth Enamel, Paul J. Constantino, Peter W. Lucas, James J.-W. Lee, Brian R. Lawn

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Lucas and colleagues recently proposed a model based on fracture and deformation concepts to describe how mammalian tooth enamel may be adapted to the mechanical demands of diet (Lucas et al.: Bioessays 30[2008] 374-385). Here we review the applicability of that model by examining existing data on the food mechanical properties and enamel morphology of great apes (Pan, Pongo, and Gorilla). Particular attention is paid to whether the consumption of fallback foods is likely to play a key role in influencing great ape enamel morphology. Our results suggest that this is indeed the case. We also consider the implications of …


Scwds Briefs: Volume 24, Number 4 (January 2009), Gary L. Doster , Editor, Scwds Briefs, Michael J. Yabsley Jan 2009

Scwds Briefs: Volume 24, Number 4 (January 2009), Gary L. Doster , Editor, Scwds Briefs, Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Table of Contents:

HD in 2007: A Year to Remember

Ecology of AIV in Shorebirds

New USDA Brucellosis Proposal

TWS Seeks Comments on Draft Lead Policy

Unusual Eagle Death

New SCWDS Grad Students

Tennessee Director Retiring

3rd International CWD Symposium

Another SCWDS Student Award


Upper Cumberland River Basin In Kentucky, Daniel I. Carey Jan 2009

Upper Cumberland River Basin In Kentucky, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

The Upper Cumberland River Basin covers over 7,300 square miles, 5,180 in Kentucky and 2,130 in Tennessee. All or parts of 20 Kentucky counties lie in the basin. The basin contains nearly 15,100 miles of streams, 10,430 in Kentucky and 4,640 in Tennessee. From the headwaters of Looney Creek in Harlan County, 4,100 feet above sea level, and the Poor Fork in Letcher County, runoff flows down the Upper Cumberland River west to an elevation of 460 feet at the Kentucky-Tennessee line. The river and its tributaries are a blessing and a bane: They provide for recreation, drinking water, and …


Self-Assembly Of Magnetic Ni Nanoparticles Into 1d Arrays With Antiferromagnetic Order, Valery Bliznyuk, Srikanth Singamaneni, Sarbeswar Sahoo, Srinivas Polisetty, Xi He, Christian Binek Jan 2009

Self-Assembly Of Magnetic Ni Nanoparticles Into 1d Arrays With Antiferromagnetic Order, Valery Bliznyuk, Srikanth Singamaneni, Sarbeswar Sahoo, Srinivas Polisetty, Xi He, Christian Binek

Christian Binek Publications

In this paper, we report on the magnetic properties of isolated nanoparticles and interacting nanochains formed by the self-assembly of Ni nanoparticles. The magnetic properties were studied using superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). We demonstrate that single-domain Ni nanoparticles spontaneously form one-dimensional (1D) chains under the influence of an external magnetic field. Furthermore, such magnetic field-driven self-assembly in conjunction with surface templating produces regular arrays of 1D nanochains with antiferromagnetic intra-chain order. The antiferromagnetic order, which is in striking contrast to what is found for non-interacting nanoparticle assemblies within the chains, can be evidenced …


From Captivity To The Wild And Back: An Attempt To Release Keiko The Killer Whale, M. Simon, M. B. Hanson, L. Murrey, J. Tougaard, F. Ugarte Jan 2009

From Captivity To The Wild And Back: An Attempt To Release Keiko The Killer Whale, M. Simon, M. B. Hanson, L. Murrey, J. Tougaard, F. Ugarte

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

A number of cetaceans have been released into the wild, with research or the improved welfare of the individuals in question as the main goal. In a few cases, releases have been monitored with methods such as telemetry or photo-identification (Gales andWaples 1993, Veit et al. 1997,Wells et al. 1998, Reynolds et al. 2000). As a rule, the animals released successfully into the wild had been captive for relatively short periods of time (e.g., 2 yr, Wells et al. 1998), were held in sea pens rather than concrete tanks, and some were released in the company of conspecifics (Veit et …


Knowledge Management And Organizational Learning, William R. King, Sajda Qureshi, Mehruz Kamal, Peter Keen Jan 2009

Knowledge Management And Organizational Learning, William R. King, Sajda Qureshi, Mehruz Kamal, Peter Keen

Faculty Books and Monographs

Editor: William R. King

Chapter, Knowledge Networking to Overcome the Digital Divide, co-authored by Sajda Qureshi, UNO faculty member.

As organizations become increasingly extended across global boundaries, their reliance on information and communication technologies (ICTs) to support their processes increases. The use of ICTs to activate dispersed knowledge within complex webs of human networks can enable the gap between the information rich and information poor to be overcome. This paper develops a new concept called knowledge networking and investigates how this process enables the digital divide to be overcome. Following a phenomenological analysis of knowledge networking using a selection of …


The Freshwater Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) Of The Channelized Missouri River, Ellet Hoke Jan 2009

The Freshwater Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) Of The Channelized Missouri River, Ellet Hoke

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The lower Missouri River has historically been viewed as a fauna! barrier for unionids due to high sediment load. However this survey of the lower (channelized) Missouri River documented the presence of 14 unionid species and the exotic Corbicula fluminea (Muller, 1774). Unionids are present in stable substrates sheltered from the effects of the river's strong currents. Analysis of early literature on the Missouri River suggests reports of an absence of unionids were not based upon thorough fieldwork, and the most commonly cited rationale for their reported absence, the high sediment load in the river, is not convincing. Pre-1938 unionid …


Table Of Contents (Back Cover) Jan 2009

Table Of Contents (Back Cover)

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.


Anthropogenic Scarring Of Western Gray Whales (Eschrichtius Robustus), Amanda Bradford, David Weller, Yulia Ivaschenko, Alexander Burdin, Robert L. Brownell Jr. Jan 2009

Anthropogenic Scarring Of Western Gray Whales (Eschrichtius Robustus), Amanda Bradford, David Weller, Yulia Ivaschenko, Alexander Burdin, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Western gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) are critically endangered and anthropogenic threats, such as entanglement in fishing gear and collisions with vessels, may be acting to limit recovery of the population. Thus, examining the magnitude of such anthropogenic interactions using a scar-based approach is warranted. A multi-year (1995–2005) photo-identification study of western gray whales on their feeding ground off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, has resulted in a large data set of digital and film images of 150 individuals. These images were reviewed and scored for anthropogenic scarring by recording the presence of visible scars resulting from fishing gear entanglement …


Diet Of Pygmy Sperm Whales (Kogia Breviceps) In The Hawaiian Archipelago, Kristi West, William Walker, Robin Baird, Whitney White, Gregg Levine, Eric Brown, David Schofield Jan 2009

Diet Of Pygmy Sperm Whales (Kogia Breviceps) In The Hawaiian Archipelago, Kristi West, William Walker, Robin Baird, Whitney White, Gregg Levine, Eric Brown, David Schofield

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The biology and ecology of the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) is poorly understood among odontocetes (McAlpine 2002). In Hawaiian waters, pygmy sperm whales are the second most frequently recorded stranded cetacean species, with 35 strandings documented between 1963 and 2008 (Shallenberger 1981, Nitta 1987, Maldini et al. 2005, NMFS database). Despite the high frequency of strandings, sightings of this species in Hawaiian waters are rare (Baird 2005). Given the low number of sightings, examination of stranded animals provides virtually the only means to study the biology and ecology of pygmy sperm whales in the area.