University Honors Program Senior Project.
Many times the study of the behavior of an algorithm can be inhibited by the inability to actually see exactly what the algorithm does. Static diagrams and verbal descriptions are often not enough to provide real insight into the behavior of an algorithm. It would...
Leaves of healthy strawberry plants were inoculated with either vinclozolin-sensitive or vinclozolin-resistant isolates of Botrytis cinerea at one of three concentrations: 5x104, 1x105, and 5x105 conidia/ml. One week following inoculation, representative leaves were harvested and cut into 9mm2 leaf pieces. Some pieces were immediately plated onto selective Botrytis medium while...
Lamprey eel harvesting has systematically and periodically occurred along the Siletz River and its tributaries for as many as hundreds, or thousands, or tens of thousands of years that human families and lamprey eel populations have coexisted in the Siletz Valley ecosystem. Historical, cultural, and biological information for the twentieth...
Separation and isolation of organic analytes from environmental matrices such as soils,
water, plant, or animal tissue has traditionally involved the use of liquid solvent extractions.
Solvent-based extraction methods are often time-consuming, difficult to automate, and use
expensive solvents that generate hazardous waste and working conditions. The need for a...
Rapid and accurate analytical methods are needed to assess the impacts of agricultural chemicals on soil and water resources. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was evaluated as an alternative method to conventional liquid-liquid extraction for the quantitative analysis of the herbicide DCPA and its metabolites in ground waters. Strong anion exchange (SAX)...
The curriculum of technical degrees at higher education institutions in the United States needs to continuously adapt to ever changing technologies. One way to accomplish this is to adopt a more dynamic approach that separates the practical and theoretical components of the university education, and where the student concentrates on...
Contamination of water sources due to the use of agricultural chemicals can be minimized through understanding the transport relationships for organic chemicals in soil environments. In this study we evaluated seven non-hazardous dyes that have properties which were consistent with application as surrogates to organic agro-chemicals to assess mobility through...
Surfactants, or surface active agents, are the active ingredients in detergents used for
domestic cleaning applications, such as dish washing and laundering. They are effective cleaning
agents by concentrating at interfacial regions, lowering the surface tension of water, and forming
micelles that solubilize oils (West, 1992). Surfactants are amphiphilic, because...
Squash varieties of Golden Delicious and Squash Hybrid NK 530 were grown in disk-till, strip-till, and no-till conservation tillage systems following a cover crop of'Monida' oats (Avena sativa L.) and common vetch (Vicia sativa L.). Tillage systems were evaluated for effects on squash emergence and yield, weed density and biomass,...
As in other species, it is possible that a homozygous red leafed (= redleaf) hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) tree would have brighter red coloration than a heterozygote and thus be more desirable as an ornamental. However, 'Fusco Rubra' and `Rode Zeller' both carry incompatibility allele S6 (thus cross-incompatible) and are...
Nitrosomonas europaea is an autotrophic ammonia-oxidizer that has been found to cometabolize various halogenated hydrocarbons. This ability to cometabolize various compounds (many of which are considered contaminants) has caused N. europaea to be considered a potential bioremediational organism. However, ifN. europaea is to be used for bioremediation purposes, it will...
The purpose of this study is to develop an analytical framework for identifying and evaluating conditions that precipitate currency devaluation like those experienced by Mexico in 1994. This study develops a framework of financial and macroenvironmental indicators that point to potential currency devaluation in the future. Some of these indicators...
This report examines the feasibility of using the bivalve Corbicula flumina as a biomarker for environmental contaminants in the Willamette River. Compounds such as DDT, dioxins, furans, and PCBs persist in the environment, pose health related concerns, and due to their lipophilic nature accumulate in biological organisms. The success of...
This study examined the management situation for the Columbiaroot-knot nematode (Meloidogyne chitwoodi) in potato, using an approach with systems thinking and interactive meetings. The focus of current research for control of this nematode was evaluated. Control practices include crop rotation, and this study also evaluated popcorn cultivars for their potential...
Much interest has recently been shown in using fecal samples to monitor
hormone concentrations in free-roaming animal populations. This process is noninvasive
and, therefore, provides easy sample collection and assures no stress-related,
physiological responses that might alter the hormonal data. Concerns have been
expressed, however, that the hormone concentrations detected...
Using a spectrometer and photomultiplier tube, I measured the electromagnetic radiation transmittance properties of three types of tissue-- ventral skin, cardiac muscle, and liver tissue--in the red-sided garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis between the wavelengths of 450 and 850 nanometers (nm). Control readings were taken using a 10⁻² neutral density...