Alternating temperature (22°C / -1°C) pretreatments were effective for
increasing cold hardiness and recovery of cryopreserved meristems. Combining low
temperature pretreatment with abscisic acid (ABA) or sucrose treatments reduced the
time required for optimal cold hardiness of meristems. Desiccation tolerance was
directly correlated with increased cold hardiness and recovery of...
In an effort to understand the basis for sulfite detoxification in S. cerevisiae,
the functions of two genes were analyzed. SSU1, which encodes a plasma membrane
protein, was found to be required for efficient sulfite efflux. FZFl-4, a dominant
allele of a transcriptional activator of SSUl, was also found to...
Virus contamination in a potato breeding program can seriously
disrupt the variety development process. Experiments were conducted
from 1989 through 1993 to: evaluate the extent to which Potato
Leafroll Virus (PLRV) and Potato Virus Y (PVY) can invade a breeding
program, determine viral spread within hills and within individual
tubers,...
Oregon's watershed councils are local, non-regulatory, collaborative forums charged
with the recovery of endangered salmon and improving water quality under The Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. Private forest landowners, given their prominence is owning riparian areas, are central to success of these efforts. Using a statewide survey of watershed...
In a field study, seedlings of Arizona pine (Pinus arizonica Engeim.), Apache pine (P. engelmannii Cam), and Durango pine (P. durangensis Mart.) were planted in an one open area and in canopy gaps of four forested sites of a pine-oak forest in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the state of...
We developed and investigated machine learning methods that require
minimal preprocessing of the input data, use few training examples, run fast, and
still obtain high levels of accuracy.
Most approaches to designing machine learning programs are based on the
supervised learning paradigm – training examples are chosen randomly and given...
Most studies of plant disease epidemiology have focused on epidemics in host
populations composed of a single genotype. But crop plant diversity can be a useful
means of improving the deployment of resistance genes. In a series of experiments with wheat stripe rust and potato late blight, we studied factors...
Animals respond to stressful situations with increases in plasma levels of
glucocorticoid stress hormones. These hormones originate from the adrenal cortex
in response to stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
Glucocorticoids (corticosterone in reptiles) function to mobilize energy and
suppress unnecessary functions until the stress passes. Among these immediately
unnecessary functions...
Bistable properties have been reported in CdF₂ and CdTe systems doped with In and Ga. It is characteristic of these materials that the excited bistable state can be accessed by optical excitation.
In this work, pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in conjunction with illumination at low temperatures has been used...
One of the most powerful and life-changing events that can occur in the life of a family is
the death of a child. Researchers who have studied death and bereavement suggest that a
child's death has a dramatic impact on parents. However, little is known about the ways
in which...
While replacement of dietary saturated fat with unsaturated fat has been advocated
to reduce cardiovascular disease risk, diets high in polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFA) could increase low density lipoprotein (LDL) susceptibility to oxidation,
potentially contributing to the pathology of atherosclerosis. To assess in vivo lipid
peroxidation and susceptibility, of LDL...
This research investigates the role of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the life experiences of University Student-Athletes. This qualitative study employs a naturalistic and grounded paradigm in an effort to capture the essence of these experiences. Participants are four student-athletes from Oregon State University who play intercollegiate athletics in the Pac-10...
Geomorphic response to watershed disturbances commonly results in
alterations of landforms. Subsequent geomorphic recovery is dependent on the ability
of flows to entrain, transport, and organize inorganic and organic material on hillslopes
and in channels. This research analyzed changes in sediment production, channel
structure, and channel organization following disturbances in...
I radio-tagged 191 Hatch-Year (HY) and After-Hatch-Year (AHY) female northern pintails (Anas acuta) in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), California and studied their movements, habitat use and survival during August March, 1991-94.
Overall, 94.3% wintered in central California; the highest percentage left during
the 1991 drought. Tulare Basin and Mendota...
Silver interlayers between maraging steel base metal were examined to evaluate mechanisms leading to ductile failure in constrained thin metals. The constraint of the maraging steel base metal during uniaxial testing of constrained thin silver results in a large hydrostatic tension component, a small von Mises effective stress, and negligible...
A common perspective promoted by health care professionals is that exercise may help reduce symptoms and improve activities of daily living among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Yet, the effects of resistance exercise on power, functional mobility, and fatigue are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine...
Cockpit Task Management (CTM) is the initiation, monitoring, prioritization, execution, and termination of multiple, concurrent tasks by night crews. The primary research question posed in the current research is what factors affect task prioritization on the modern day, commercial flight deck. The conventional CTM literature was reviewed as an introduction...
Marker information in the new oilseed crop, meadowfoam, is limited. Molecular markers to facilitate meadowfoam breeding and cultivar improvement are not available. The knowledge of genetic relationships among recent germplasm is not known. The objectives of this study were (i) to gain an understanding of genetic diversity and relationship patterns...
This dissertation approaches the problem of how to design process
measurements by identifying process attributes which are common to all product
development processes. By classifying the generic attributes of a product
development process and their relationships, a framework is established which
gives definition and context to individual measurements. At the...
In spite of their importance in many systems, liquid surfaces have been
explored at the microscopic level to a much lesser extent than solids. Most surface
analysis must take place in vacuum, a major drawback for liquids. The technique of
time-of-flight scattering and recoil spectrometry (TOF-SARS) has been applied to...
Carbon and energy fluxes were measured with the eddy covariance technique
above two semi-arid ecosystems, ponderosa pine and juniper/sagebrush, located in
central Oregon. The two ecosystems have low LAI and a very open canopy structure.
The energy closure was ~70-80% at both ecosystems, equivalent to an imbalance of
150-250 W...
Two approaches to improving wood treatability include the modification of pressure
schedules during conventional liquid treatments and the use of supercritical fluids (SCFs). In
both of these techniques, pressure differences are important for transporting materials into
wood. The level of pressure and its change during SCF treatments are also important...
Coproporphyrinogen III oxidase (CPX) is an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis
of tetrapyrroles, catalyzing the oxidative decarboxylation of coproporphyrinogen III to
protoporphyrinogen IX. In bacteria and yeast this enzyme is cytosolic, in animals it is
mitochondrial, and in each it functions to produce heme. However, in all plants
investigated, the...
Determination of the source and fate of natural (higher plant lipids, marine
lipids, etc.) and anthropogenically (e.g., petroleum, coal emissions) derived
hydrocarbons and oxygenated compounds in the environment was accomplished
using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
to characterize or identify molecular biomarkers to be utilized as tracers....
Current dietary recommendations have placed increasing emphasis on dietary fat
as an important element to decrease risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although total
fat and the fatty acid composition of diets influence the risk of CVD, the optimal amounts
of different fatty acids are not well defined, especially if n-6...
We identified and evaluated a phytoseiid predator as a biological control agent of multiple spider mites pests that occur in ornamental nurseries. When comparing species, Neoseiulus fallacis (Garman) had a wider prey range than Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt), a higher probability of overwintering than Neoseiulus califomicus McGregor and was equally or...
A qualitative research approach composed of three strategies was employed to systematically examine the politics of natural resource collaboration. First, using the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds as a case study, the behavioral assumptions of natural resource policy instruments enabling collaboration were uncovered and analyzed. Three key assumptions emerge:...
Numerous investigative reports have cited the problems of inefficient food aid distribution by various international disaster relief agencies. These problems not only deprive the disaster victims of life giving support, but can also discourage potential sources of contributions. Lack of a feedback process has been attributed as a cause of...
Two topics concerning statistical sampling of initiative petitions are considered in this dissertation. The first concerns statistical estimation of the number of distinct valid signatures in a petition, and the second evaluates the statistical decision rule used by Oregon for determining certification of state initiative and referendum petitions.
In several...
Fusion reactions with radioactive neutron-rich projectiles have been the subject of much recent theoretical and experimental interest. Predictions of enhancement of the cross section due to the use of a neutron-rich projectile may have implications for synthesis of heavy nuclei. In this work, the fusion-fission excitation functions were measured for...
The influence of large-scale processes on natural communities has become one of the central issues of modern ecology. I combined field and laboratory studies to investigate the effects of variation in coastal upwelling on rocky intertidal communities along the central Oregon coast. I examined whether the growth of intertidal barnacles...
My objectives were to: 1) develop a point count technique for estimating relative
abundance of band-tailed pigeons (Columbafasciata monilis), 2) determine the
availability, distribution, and interspersion of mineral sites, and nesting and foraging cover in relation to abundance of band-tailed pigeons in west-central Oregon, and 3) test the hypothesis that...
The purpose of this investigation was to explore how differences in an elementary mathematics teacher's subject matter knowledge structure impact classroom teaching and student learning. The study included two phases. Phase 1 focused on the selection of a single case. An open-ended questionnaire and interview were used to identify the...
Random processes are monitored over space and time by a network of stations distributed across a spatial region. Researchers have developed several analysis techniques to model the random process. Some of them require assumptions on the spatio-temporal variability of the process. An alternative method to analyze spatio-temporal data that does...
The objective of this study was to compare the effects on eating behavior,
lipids, lipoproteins, lipid peroxidation, and glycemic control in women with type 2
diabetes of a high-monounsaturated fat diet (HM) compared to a high-carbohydrate
diet (HC).
In an outpatient feeding study, ten hypertriglyceridemic postmenopausal type
2 diabetic women...
In the first experiment, estradiol production was measured in cultured embryos collected on Days 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 post-mating. Estradiol was detected in Day 7 embryos and production increased approximately 50-fold (P<0.05) in medium recovered from Day 13 compared to Day 11 embryos and was greatest (P<0.05) from...
This study compared recidivism rates of adult male completers and non-completers
of correctional education programs in ABE/GED/high school, vocational, and
college transfer programs over a five-year period. A total of 1382 releasees was
studied for the five years following their release. Recidivism was the dependent
variable. Recidivism was defined as...
The goal of this thesis is the identification and synthesis of high-luminance,
primary color alternating-current thin-film electroluminescent (ACTFEL) devices.
Special attention is paid to the synthesis of primary color green ACTFEL devices because
of the lack of an adequate primary green ACTFEL phosphor and the dominance
of green wavelengths in...
The immune system has been identified as a very sensitive target for the toxic effects of 2,3,7,S-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Exposure to TCDD has been shown to disrupt the generation of both cell-mediated and humoral T cell-dependent immunity in laboratory animals; however, the mechanism remains unknown. In this dissertation, the hypothesis is...
There has long been discussion on whether or not there are gender differences in
different academic areas, particularly mathematics. One fact that most researchers agree
on is that fewer females than males take upper-level mathematics courses beginning in
adolescence and continuing through college. As a result, many females severely restrict...
The first goal of this study was to evaluate the roles of different intracellular
proteolytic systems in accelerated skeletal muscle protein degradation. Total,
myofibrillar and non-myofibrillar proteolysis were determined in cultured L8/CID
muscle cells. Calpain proteolysis was assessed by over-expressed calpastatin inhibitory
domain (CD). Lysosomal proteolysis was determined in the...
The dissertation introduces community-based adaptive watershed management (CAWM) as a holistic conservation framework. The CAWM
framework integrates social and ecological suitability to achieve conservation outcomes. The core theoretical concepts consist of adaptive management, adoption-diffusion,
symbolic interactionism, community-based conservation, spatial analysis and watershed management. The CAWM framework is applied to the...
Polyhalogenated benzenes have been analyzed by standard electron capture
chemical ionization mass spectrometry (ECCI/MS), and electron monochromator mass
spectrometer (EM/MS) systems. The EM/MS experiments distinguished electronegative
compounds (especially isomers) by transient negative ions (TNIs) of the same mass but
differing energies and/or the formation of distinct TNIs of different masses...
Environmental contamination along roadways with lead from processed
petroleum and automotive residues has been reported. Toxicity to the herbivores grazing these areas has not been well studied. Comparison of lead concentrations adjacent to roads in Kuwait and in Oregon, USA was studied. Soil samples were taken from three sites at...
The current study was a content analysis of court opinions on grandparent
visitation rights using the method of grounded theory. The research questions
addressed in this study were: (a) On what bases were grandparents granted legal
standing to petition for visitation with their grandchildren? (b) What was the legal
reasoning...
Sampling theorems provide exact interpolation formulas for bandlimited
functions. They play a fundamental role in signal processing. A function is called
bandlimited if its Fourier transform vanishes outside a compact set. A generalized
sampling theorem in the framework of locally compact Abelian groups is presented.
Sampling sets are finite unions...
Anserine and carnosine are water-soluble dipeptides that have antioxidant
properties and are found in the skeletal muscle of mammals and fishes. These
dipeptides are removed through the washing process in surimi production. The
objective of this research was to determine the concentration of anserine and
carnosine in surimi wash water...
Poplar Bark Storage Proteins (BSP) are important in storing nitrogen (N)
recovered from autumn-senescent leaves, and supply N for spring growth. Plants of
Populus tremula x P. alba were transformed with a poplar BSP antisense cDNA
fused to a double 35S promoter. Regenerated lines were screened for reduced BSP
accumulation...
This study consists of three parts: 1) Part A: Limiting Height Evaluation for
Composite Wall Tests, 2) Part B: Mid-Span Deflection Evaluation for Composite Wall
Tests, and 3) Part C: Nominal Axial Strength Evaluation for Wall-Braced Wall Stud
Columns.
The purpose of Part A is to develop experimentally-based limiting heights...
The purpose of this study was to discern unpredicted, non-linear patterns that may emerge in complex instructional systems design projects. A secondary purpose was to determine how existing models could be redesigned to accommodate emerging factors. The following questions focused the inquiry:
1. In what ways does the actual ISD...
Despite many investigations genotype by environment interaction remains
one of the least understood factors in plant improvement. Understanding genotypic
differences responsible for such interactions could assist in making more informed
breeding decisions. The components of yield being less complex than grain yield
per se may be useful for selection to...
Two examples of Pacific rim plate boundary deformation are presented. In the first
part of the thesis crustal models are derived for the northwestern part of the Vizcaino
block in California using marine seismic and gravity data collected by the Mendocino
Triple Junction Seismic Experiment. A northwest-southeast trending kink in...
Physical-biological interactions in the Southern Ocean were investigated using remote sensing data from several different satellite sensors. Satellite sea surface temperature data were used to study the dynamics of the Antarctic Polar Front (PF). Satellite ocean color data were used to estimate surface chlorophyll concentrations and their relation to various...
Current reforms emphasize the development of scientific literacy as the
principal goal of science education. The nature of science is considered a critical
component of scientific literacy and is assumed to be an important factor in decision
making on science and technology based issues. However, little research exists that
delineates...
The occurrence and timing of residential care of patients with dementia is
impacted by several care recipient and caregiver variables. Previous research has
shown a strong relationship among residential placement and marital status,
cognitive decline, deterioration in functional abilities, and presence of behavior
problems in the care recipient. Research on...
The application of information theory and digital signal processing techniques to digital
communication has resulted in robust methods for reliable high speed data transmission
over noisy channels environments. Among these methods, multicarrier systems have
become a viable solution for exploiting maximum spectral efficiency over both wideband
highly dispersive static and...
Water right marketing and transfers represent a resource reallocation
strategy that has received considerable attention in the American West owing to
nearly full appropriation of water in the region. Several western states permit
transfers between different uses and places of use thus allowing water to move to
higher-value economic activities....
The overall objective of the study is to measure changes in agricultural production and water use patterns under various water supply and allocation mechanisms. The methodology nests an economic model of on-farm decisions in a basin-wide hydrologic model. The economic model forecasts the use of applied water, technology and crop...
A new CAD-oriented methodology for the full-wave broadband characterization of coupled microstrip structures for RF/microwave and high-speed digital circuits is presented. The characterization methodology is based on the finite difference time domain (FDTD) technique combined with a systematic extraction procedure using the normal mode approach and multiport network concepts. The...
The study was conducted to evaluate the use and perceived effectiveness of occupational safety and health consultative services among Oregon corporations. The three types of consultative services examined: workers' compensation insurance; private; and Oregon Occupational Safety and Health. The research examined if corporations, categorized by corporation size, within the four...
Mixed models have been widely used to model data from experiments which have fixed and random
factors. Often there is interest in the estimation of fixed effects and variance components. The likelihood
procedure is a general technique that has been applied to such problems. This procedure can be
computationally difficult,...
Dinosaurs represent one of the most successful evolutionary radiations of terrestrial vertebrates, with a myriad of forms that dominated the terrestrial environment for over 180 million years. Despite the fact that dinosaurs are the focus of extensive popular and scholarly investigation, relatively little is actually known of their biology. The...
Proteolytic degradation of fish flesh occurring at elevated temperatures is the
primary limitation for the commercial utilization of arrowtooth flounder (ATF).
Characterization of the autolytic activity of ATF muscle incubated at various pHs
and temperatures indicated the involvement of heat-activated proteinases active at
acidic and alkaline pHs. Further characterization of...
The purpose of this study was to produce data and information that inform California
Community College decision-makers of: (a) extent of variance in California's associate
degree definitions and graduation requirements, and (b) perceptions of curricular leaders
regarding the variances. Associate degree definitions and graduation requirements were
compiled and analyzed from...
Knowledge about vegetation patterns and ecological processes in unmanaged, late-successional
watersheds is needed to provide a foundation for forest management strategies
aimed at conserving native biodiversity. I examined influences of environmental variability
and disturbance history on forest structure and composition in the Cummins Creek
Wilderness, located on the central Oregon...
The objective of this research was to improve our understanding of how
changes in the environment affect ecological processes. Change detection is often
confounded by the large variation found in ecological data due to the difficulty of
finding replicates in nature. Intertidal communities were chosen for studies of biophysical
interactions...
This paper examines the probability that a random polynomial of specific degree over a field has a specific number of distinct roots in that field. Probabilities are found for random quadratic polynomials with respect to various probability measures on the real numbers and p-adic numbers. In the process, some properties...
The lower Columbia River (LCR) riparian zone is rich in habitat diversity. However, the natural beauty and species diversity along the river have increasingly become affected by human activity. This study quantifies the areal extent and degree of wetlands change and associated causes along the LCR over the past 44...
This dissertation presents the continued study of a
non-iterative decision feedback (DF) receiver/decoder
design and its application to cellular communications or
wireless local loop systems based on the IS-95(-A)
standard of the Telecommunications Industry Association
and also Personal Communications Services systems based on
the American National Standards Institute standard J-STD-...
A novel type of model substrates, i.e. immobilized p-aminophenyl-β-D-cellooligosaccharides,
was developed and used in the study of exocellulases. The
two major cellobiohydrolases from Trichoderma reesei, CBH I and CBH II were
used as representative enzymes. p-Aminophenyl derivatives of cellobiose (PAPG₂),
cellotriose (PAPG₃), and cellotetraose (PAPG₄) were synthesized from the reaction...
In addition to the well-characterized genomic mechanism of steroid action that uses
intracellular receptors, steroid hormones also signal through nongenomic processes
that use membrane receptors. A membrane receptor for corticosterone (CORT) has
been described in brains of the roughskin newt (Taricha granulosa). This receptor is
believed to be a G-protein...
Ten female survivors of physically assaultive domestic violence were
interviewed three times each in a feminist, qualitative study designed to access
their perceptions about their children's experiences in domestic violence. All
participants had children living with them at the time of the abuse and were one
to five years out...
Although the public schools have spent billions of dollars on computer
technology, only a few teachers are integrating them into their teaching. The
purpose of this study was to determine barriers to the integration of computers into
teaching and potential teaching strategies to encourage integration. Teachers (N=122) from 14 elementary...
Previous studies have found that smoking may have a negative effect on
vitamin B-6 indices and have demonstrated a possible association between smoking
and depressed plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP) concentration. Individuals with
plasma PLP values below the adequate level of 30 nmoles/L might benefit from
consumption of vitamin B-6 supplements, but...
A large amount of research has been conducted that establishes that students
of all ages hold conceptions about a variety of science topics that are not in line
with accepted scientific beliefs. These preconceptions have been identified in a
variety of ways in research situations; this study focused on how...
This thesis presents a study of applications and techniques for molecular dynamics simulations. Three studies are presented that are intended to improve our ability to simulate larger systems more realistically. A comparison study of two- and three-body potential models for liquid and amorphous Si0₂ is presented. The structural, vibrational, and...
This study was unique in that it focused on the rural elderly of both Black and White ethnicity's, explored differences between groups by comparing use and knowledge of health services, and controlled for gender, income, educational attainment, health status, age, and health beliefs - the independent variables of the study....
The ability to interpret graphical information is a prime concern in physics as
graphs are widely used to give quick summaries of data sets, for pattern recognition, and for analysis of information. While visual graphs have been developed so that their content can be readily and concisely discerned, there is...