Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Developing A Hydrological Monitoring Program For Ponds In Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Using Water Isotope Tracers, Stephanie Roy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Northern lake-rich landscapes are vulnerable to increases in surface air temperatures and are changing in dynamic ways. Current meteorological records indicate that some of the greatest warming in the past century has occurred in the Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL). As the HBL is an extensive wetland consisting of hundreds of thousands of shallow lakes and ponds, it is difficult to anticipate the long-term implications that climate change will have on pond water balance. To develop and implement long-term monitoring of hydrological conditions, sampling of pond water isotope composition has occurred during the past six years in Wapusk National Park (WNP), …

Extensions And Applications Of Mean Length Mortality Estimators For Assessment Of Data-Limited Fisheries, Quang C. Huynh

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

For data-limited fisheries, length-based mortality estimators are attractive as alternatives to age-structured models due to the simpler data requirements and ease of use of the former. This dissertation develops new extensions of mean length-based mortality estimators and applies them to federally-managed stocks in the southeastern U.S. and U.S. Caribbean.

Chapter 1 presents a review of length-based methods from the literature. Common themes regarding the methodology, assumptions, and diagnostics in these length-based methods are discussed. In Chapter 2, a simulation study evaluates the performance of the length-converted catch curve (LCCC), Beverton-Holt equation (BHE), and Length Based-Spawner Potential Ratio (LB-SPR) over a …

Reconstructing Coastal Forest Retreat And Marsh Migration Response To Historical Sea Level Rise, Nathalie Schieder

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Climate change assessments predict that rates of relative sea level rise will increase in the future, leading to enhanced inundation of low-lying coastal regions and a 20 – 50 % decline in salt marsh area by 2100. Global sea level rise began accelerating in the late 19th to early 20th century, and local rates along the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast are twice as fast as global estimates. Frequent flooding and salt stress associated with sea level rise lead to coastal transgression, and the survival of ecosystems depends on their ability to migrate inland faster than they erode and submerge. Here, I …

Investigation Of Local Structures In Cation-Ordered Microwave Dielectric A Solid-State Nmr And First Principle Calculation Study, Rony Gustam Kalfarisi

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy has proven to be a powerful method to probe the local structure and dynamics of a system. In powdered solids, the nuclear spins experience various anisotropic interactions which depend on the molecular orientation. These anisotropic interactions make ssNMR very useful as they give a specific appearance to the resonance lines of the spectra. The position and shape of these resonance lines can be related to local structure and dynamics of the system under study. My research interest has focused around studying local structures and dynamics of quadrupolar nuclei in materials using ssNMR spectroscopy. Li …

Gis Data: Hanover County, Virginia Tidal Marsh Inventory, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Karen A. Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Stanhope, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Data

The 2017 Tidal Marsh Inventory update for Hanover County, Virginia was generated using on-screen digitizing techniques in the most recent version of ArcGIS® - ArcMap while viewing conditions observed in the most recent imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP). Dominant plant community types were primarily determined during field surveys from shallow-draft boats moving along the shoreline. Land-based surveys were performed in some locations. One shapefile is developed that portrays tidal marsh areas represented as polygons. A metadata file accompanies the shapefile to define attribute accuracy, data development, and any use restrictions that pertain to the data.

Gis Data: City Of Fredericksburg, Virginia Tidal Marsh Inventory, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Weiss, Carl H. Hershner

Data

The 2017 Tidal Marsh Inventory update for the City of Fredericksburg, Virginiawas generated using on-screen digitizing techniques in the most recent version of ArcGIS® - ArcMap while viewing conditions observed in the most recent imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP). Dominant plant community types were primarily determined during field surveys from shallow-draft boats moving along the shoreline. Land-based surveys were performed in some locations. One shapefile is developed that portrays tidal marsh areas represented as polygons. A metadata file accompanies the shapefile to define attribute accuracy, data development, and any use restrictions that pertain to the data.

Gis Data: The County Of Chesterfield And The Cities Of Colonial Heights, Petersburg, And Richmond,Virginia Shoreline Management Model, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Data

The Shoreline Management Model is a GIS spatial model that determines appropriate shoreline best management practices using available spatial data and decision tree logic. Available shoreline conditions used in the model include the presence or absence of tidal marshes, beaches, and forested riparian buffers, bank vegetation cover, bank height, wave exposure (fetch), nearshore water depth, and proximity of coastal development to the shoreline. The model output for shoreline best management practices is displayed in the locality Comprehensive Map Viewer. One GIS shapefile is developed that describes two arcs or lines representing practices in the upland area and practices at the …

Computational Studies Of Strongly Correlated Quantum Matter, Hao Shi

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The study of strongly correlated quantum many-body systems is an outstanding challenge. Highly accurate results are needed for the understanding of practical and fundamental problems in condensed-matter physics, high energy physics, material science, quantum chemistry and so on. Our familiar mean-field or perturbative methods tend to be ineffective. Numerical simulations provide a promising approach for studying such systems. The fundamental difficulty of numerical simulation is that the dimension of the Hilbert space needed to describe interacting systems increases exponentially with the system size. Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods are one of the best approaches to tackle the problem of enormous …

Workload Prediction For Efficient Performance Isolation And System Reliability, Ji Xue

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

In large-scaled and distributed systems, like multi-tier storage systems and cloud data centers, resource sharing among workloads brings multiple benefits while introducing many performance challenges. The key to effective workload multiplexing is accurate workload prediction. This thesis focuses on how to capture the salient characteristics of the real-world workloads to develop workload prediction methods and to drive scheduling and resource allocation policies, in order to achieve efficient and in-time resource isolation among applications. For a multi-tier storage system, high-priority user work is often multiplexed with low-priority background work. This brings the challenge of how to strike a balance between maintaining …

Ecosystem Services Of Restored Oyster Reefs In A Chesapeake Bay Tributary: Abundance And Foraging Of Estuarine Fishes, Bruce William Pfirrmann

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Oyster reef restoration may enhance the production of ecologically or economically important fish species, an ecosystem service, by providing refuge and foraging habitat. Predicting the effects of oyster habitat restoration on fisheries production in Chesapeake Bay requires a better understanding of fish habitat use, trophic dynamics, and the processes leading to production on a habitat-scale. The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the influence of restored subtidal oyster reefs on the abundance and foraging patterns of mobile estuarine fishes. Specifically, I compared the 1) abundance, 2) stomach fullness, 3) diet composition, and 4) daily consumption rate of fishes collected …

Impact Of Climate Variation And Human Adaptation On The Physical Transport Processes And Water Exchange In Chesapeake Bay, Jiabi Du

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The efficiencies of water exchanges in both vertical and horizontal directions reflect the overall impact of various physical processes and serve as important indicators of physical control over a variety of ecological and biogeochemical processes. The vertical exchange between surface layers and bottom layers of a waterbody has proved to exert great control over the hypoxic condition, while the horizontal exchange between an estuary and coastal ocean determines the flushing capacity of the estuary and the retention rate of riverine materials. Various processes, such as tidal flushing, tidal mixing, gravitational circulation, and lateral circulation, can affect water exchange. Therefore, water …

Investigating The Charge-Transfer Dynamics Of Single-Molecule Sensitizers, Jenna Tan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) can reduce the cost of photovoltaic electricity generation to meet global energy needs. Optimizing DSSC efficiency requires a detailed understanding of the underlying charge transfer processes at the dye-semiconductor interface. By modifying the sensitizer structure, we gain insight into these charge transfer mechanisms. In this thesis, two hydroxyanthraquinone dyes are compared to investigate the impact of structure on charge-transfer and photobleaching dynamics. A combination of ensemble-averaged and single-molecule spectroscopy approaches are used to interpret the underlying ET kinetics.

Impact Of Climate Change Variables On Nutrient Cycling By Marine Microorganisms In The Southern California Bight And Ross Sea, Antarctica, Jenna Lee Spackeen

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Ocean environments are being impacted by climate warming, elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels, and shifting nutrient sources and sinks. It is essential to quantify the sensitivity of microorganisms to these effects of global change because they form the base of the marine food web and are an integral component of nutrient cycling on the planet. their role in photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and transfer of organic matter into higher trophic levels or to the deep ocean via the biological pump render microorganisms key in ecosystem structure and function and in regulating the global climate. The goal of this dissertation research was …

Investigating The Role Of The Written Curriculum On Lesson Planning For First-Year Elementary Mathematics Teachers, Anna Kron

Honors Program Theses

While studies have previously explored aspects of lesson planning from the perspective of experienced teachers, there is a lack of research investigating how this process is different for brand new educators. The researcher, a preservice elementary teacher studying at the University of Northern Iowa, wanted to learn more about the available resources and how she would utilize them when planning for mathematics instruction in her first elementary classroom. At the completion of this project, the researcher hoped to have a better understanding of the process first-year elementary teachers experience when transforming written textbook materials into a mathematics lesson plan. The …

A Study Of Sediment Accretion Dynamics In Mature And Restored Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands In The James River Watershed Using Surface Elevation Tables And Marker Horizons, Ronaldo Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

Sediment accretion and elevation change in tidal forests, and the corresponding ability of these wetlands to keep pace with sea-level rise (SLR), represent data gaps in our understanding of wetland sustainability. Surface Elevation Tables and marker horizons were installed in three mature tidal forests and a restored tidal marsh, allowing us to measure elevation change, accretion, and subsidence. Additionally, we measured predictor variables to test for their significance in explaining accretion and elevation change rates. Mean accretion at our sites was 11.67 +/- 3.01 mm yr^-1 and mean elevation change was -20.22 +/- 8.10 mm yr^-1, suggesting …

Adversarial Decision Making In Counterterrorism Applications, Dogucan Mazicioglu

Theses and Dissertations

Our main objective is to improve decision making in counterterrorism applications by implementing expected utility for prescriptive decision making and prospect theory for descriptive modeling. The areas that we aim to improve are behavioral modeling of adversaries with multi objectives in counterterrorism applications and incorporating risk attitudes of decision makers to risk matrices in assessing risk within an adversarial counterterrorism framework. Traditionally, counterterrorism applications have been approached on a single attribute basis. We utilize a multi-attribute prospect theory approach to more realistically model the attacker’s behavior, while using expected utility theory to prescribe the appropriate actions to the defender. We …

Soil Erosion Risk Factors And The Impacts Of Diversification On Organic Strawberry Farms Along California’S Central Coast, Kay Sterner

Pomona Senior Theses

Soil erosion is a major issue that threatens to undermine our current system of agriculture. Due to the fact that this system is in turn the number one cause of erosion, agricultural practices in the United States need to be rethought. This study explores how traditional ideas of erosion risks are related to observed erosion on organic strawberry farms along California’s Central Coast. In addition, diversified farming systems are addressed as a possible solution for the current unsustainability of our farming practices. The data from this research suggest that diversity of crops on farms could be linked to less soil …

The Effects Of Disturbance And Species Specific Interactions On Diversity In An Agent Based Forest Simulation, Matthew E. Mills

Theses and Dissertations

In ecology literature, there is much data which suggests that conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) and abiotic disturbances increase biodiversity in forests. This thesis elucidates the notion that not only do these two forces increase diversity, but they may also interact with one another in order to achieve higher levels of biodiversity. Abiotic disturbances, like fires and hurricanes, can indirectly impact conspecific effects because when these forces remove individuals from the landscape, the role of the conspecific effects will change. The interaction of these two factors in biodiversity are explored in an agent based forest simulation through a resource surface. …

Smart Home Energy Management: An Analysis Of A Novel Dynamic Pricing And Demand Response Aware Control Algorithm For Households With Distributed Renewable Energy Generation And Storage, Jamal Abushnaf

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Home energy management systems (HEMS) technology can provide a smart and efficient way of optimising energy usage in residential buildings. One of the main goals of the Smart Grid is to achieve Demand Response (DR) by increasing end users’ participation in decision making and increasing the level of awareness that will lead them to manage their energy consumption in an efficient way. This research presents an intelligent HEMS algorithm that manages and controls a range of household appliances with different demand response (DR) limits in an automated way without requiring consumer intervention. In addition, a novel Multiple Users and Load …

A Sound Idea: An Investigation Into Accessible Video Game Design For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing, Luke James Brook

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A widely accepted, and incorrect, assumption towards hearing accessibility in video games is that deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) users are those who encounter the least barriers and are generally well catered for. Rapid advancement in video game technology has seen video game sound evolve from simple blips generated by internal circuitry to fully realised digital audio used to convey critical information. To accommodate the DHH, this information needs to be conveyed in an alternative manner. However, evidence suggests existing accessible design solutions for the DHH lack specificity and are insufficient. Thus, the inability to hear, or hear well, …

Ecology Of Savanna Ecosystems In Indonesia, Sutomo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Tropical savannas in South East Asia are important yet understudied ecosystems. In fact, the description of savanna is limited in the Indonesian Archipelago, a region which, based on climate alone, would be expected to have mostly forest. In this thesis, I compared and contrasted the vegetation characteristics of four savannas in the wetter part of the Indonesian archipelago (Java – Bali – Lombok) to understand how fire and grazing influence their dynamics, and searched for evidence of savanna origins, maintenance, invasion by exotic/woody species and possible ecosystem transitions. Vegetation surveys, remote sensing techniques and statistical models were used to spatially …

Catastrophic Landscape Modification From Massive Landslide Tsunamis: An Example From Taan Fiord, Alaska, Colin Bloom

All Master's Theses

The October 17^th 2015 Taan landslide and tsunami generated a high runup of 192 m, nearly an order of magnitude greater than most previously surveyed tsunamis. Extensive modifications observed and documented on several low gradient fan deltas within the fiord make Taan Fiord an excellent laboratory for characterizing geomorphic signatures of a high runup tsunami event. Although interest in this topic is high, most prior post-tsunami surveys are from earthquake-generated tsunamis with relatively low runup, thus the geomorphic signatures of high runup tsunamis or their potential for preservation are uncharacterized. Additionally, clear modifications described during post-tsunami surveys are typically …

Isotope Investigation Of Nitrate In Soils And Agricultural Drain Waters Of The Lower Yakima Valley, Washington, Dallin Jensen

All Master's Theses

Nitrate in the groundwater of the Lower Yakima Valley, Washington has long been known to frequently exceed the EPA maximum contaminant level standard for potable water (10 mg/L), adversely impacting communities with disadvantaged socio-economic status. In this research, nitrogen and oxygen isotopic signatures were determined for nitrate soil leachates and irrigation return flow collected in the Lower Yakima Valley, Washington and compared to previous isotopic studies of nitrate in Central Washington. δ¹⁵N, δ¹⁸O and Δ¹⁷O values are used to constrain sources of to groundwater. Isotope signatures for nitrate from soil leachate largely overlapped with …

Post-Wildfire Black Carbon Deposition On The Snowpack In The Cascade Range, Washington State: Temporal And Spatial Variability With Implications For Accelerated Melt, Ted Uecker

All Master's Theses

Wildfires in the seasonal snow zone affect both snow accumulation and ablation patterns by decreasing forest canopy and depositing light absorbing impurities (LAI) on the snowpack. LAI such as black carbon (BC), burned woody debris, and dust reduce snow albedo (reflectance), accelerate melt, and affect the timing and availability of water resources. Charred trees in post-wildfire forests provide a significant source of BC that is deposited on the snowpack for years following a wildfire, and this effect varies with burn conditions and forest structure. Snow samples were gathered from five sites of varying burn age (0.7, 2.7, 3.8, and 9.8 …

Investigation Of Host-Sensitized Luminescence Of Trivalent Lanthanide Doped Yttrium Phosphate Using Vuv Spectroscopy, Zachary Way

All Master's Theses

Host-sensitized luminescence of yttrium phosphate doped with trivalent lanthanide elements prepared via two synthetic approaches was studied using VUV spectroscopy. A correlation between an unusually intense 150 nm excitation intensity and the ground state energy level of select trivalent lanthanide elements was proposed. Using spectroscopy, the host-to-activator transfer efficiencies of YPO₄:Ln³⁺ (Ln³⁺ = Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺) were evaluated for two synthetic approaches. Electron-hole pair trapping efficiencies and S_loss values were calculated using published kinetic models.

Gis Data: Hanover County, Virginia Shoreline Management Model, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie G. Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Data

The Shoreline Management Model is a GIS spatial model that determines appropriate shoreline best management practices using available spatial data and decision tree logic. Available shoreline conditions used in the model include the presence or absence of tidal marshes, beaches, and forested riparian buffers, bank vegetation cover, bank height, wave exposure (fetch), nearshore water depth, and proximity of coastal development to the shoreline. The model output for shoreline best management practices is displayed in the locality Comprehensive Map Viewer. One GIS shapefile is developed that describes two arcs or lines representing practices in the upland area and practices at the …

Pathways And Supply Of Dissolved Iron In The Amundsen Sea (Antarctica), P. St-Laurent, P. L. Yager, R. M. Sherrell, S. E. Stammerjohn, M. S. Dinniman

CCPO Publications

Numerous coastal polynyas fringe the Antarctic continent and strongly influence the productivity of Antarctic shelf systems. Of the 46 Antarctic coastal polynyas documented in a recent study, the Amundsen Sea Polynya (ASP) stands out as having the highest net primary production per unit area. Incubation experiments suggest that this productivity is partly controlled by the availability of dissolved iron (dFe).As a first step toward understanding the iron supply of the ASP, we introduce four plausible sources of dFe and simulate their steady spatial distribution using conservative numerical tracers. The modeled distributions replicate important features from observations including dFe maxima at …

Understanding Community Character As A Socio-Ecological Framework To Enhance Local-Scale Adaptation: An Interdisciplinary Case Study From Rural Northwest Connecticut, Joanna Wozniak-Brown

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Around the world, municipalities are facing new challenges, not the least of which is climate change. This is especially true for rural communities that, for a variety of reasons, will be disproportionately affected by the climatic changes and accompanying policies or programs.

This dissertation, written in manuscript-style, integrates climate change and social-ecological scholarship to address the unique character of rural communities, to communicate the complexity of rural identity through the term "rural character"; and to empower rural communities to incorporate adaptation strategies into their daily municipal operations and planning.

Specifically, this dissertation seeks to answer the following questions: What is …

Hanover County, Virginia - Shoreline Inventory Report: Methods And Guidelines, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Reports

The 2017 Inventory for Hanover County was generated using on-screen, digitizing techniques in ArcGIS® -ArcMap v10.4.1while viewing conditions observed in Bing high resolution oblique imagery, Google Earth, and 2013 imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP).Four GIS shapefiles are developed.The first describes land use and bank conditions (Hanover _lubc_2017). The second portrays the presence of beaches (Hanover _beaches_2017). The third reports shoreline structures that are described as arcs or lines(e.g. riprap)(Hanover _sstru_2017). The final shapefile includes all structures that are represented as points(e.g. piers)(Hanover _astru_2017).The metadata file accompanies the shapefiles and defines attribute accuracy, data development, and any use …

King George County, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Report: Methods And Guidelines, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Karen Duhring, Kallie Brown, Jessica Hendricks, Kory Angstadt, David Weiss, Carl Hershner

Reports

Disclaimer:

The Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) provides these data with the understanding that they are not guaranteed to be correct or complete, and conclusions drawn from the data set are the sole responsibility of the user. Every attempt has been made to ensure that these data and the documentation are reliable and accurate. CCRM, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), and the Commonwealth of Virginia assume no liability for any damages caused by inaccuracies in the data or documentation; and make no warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or utility of this information, nor …