Methane derived authigenic carbonate (MDAC) precipitation occurs within marine sediments as a byproduct of the microbial anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). While these carbonates form in chemical and isotopic equilibrium with the fluids from which they precipitate, burial diagenesis and recrystallization can overprint these signals. Plane polarized light (PPL) and...
The marine environment is under increasing pressure from human activities worldwide, particularly in coastal waters, creating a need to better understand fine-scale distributions of highly mobile species that occur in the area, as they are frequently most threatened. Harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) occur frequently in Oregon’s nearshore habitat, but due...
Species conservation depends on robust population assessment. Data on population abundance, distribution, and connectivity are critical for effective management, especially as baseline information for newly documented populations. I describe a pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) population in New Zealand waters with year-round presence that overlaps with industrial activities. This...
Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) used to exist along coastlines throughout much of the North Pacific Ocean. During the Maritime Fur Trade, sea otters were extirpated from much of their historic range, including Oregon. There is renewed interest in reintroducing sea otters to Oregon. Managers seek improved understanding of the potential...
This thesis examines notions of social unintelligibility produced within queer spaces in two primary texts: Justin Torres' We the Animals and Mario Bellatín's Beauty Salon. Chapter One discusses the racial and queer marginalization of the unnamed narrator and explores his turn towards an "animal language" in his moment of exposure...
The validation and potential use of mathematical models to estimate the
shelf-life of refrigerated food exposed to temperature abuse and basing such
estimations on microbial growth was analyzed. Combined heat transfer, microbial
growth models, and non-parametric statistical procedures formed a computer-based
predictive tool to assess shelf-life and estimate the accuracy...
Edible coatings controlling preservative migration from
surface to food bulk could inhibit surface microbial growth
which is often the main cause of spoilage for many food
products. In this project we focused our attention upon
methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and chitosan as
the structural component for such edible films. These films...
The use of edible coatings in combination with antimicrobial
agents enhances the microbial stability of foods. In this study we
evaluated the potassium sorbate and sorbic acid permeability of an
edible methylcellulose (MC) - palmitic acid (PA) film with a MC:PA
ratio of 3:1.
Permeability cell measurements were used to...
Citizen science work has built the foundation of much of our knowledge on regional-scale large cetacean spatial patterns through historical whaling data. Historical whaling data on sperm whales was used as an example to show the type of ecological questions large-scale, long-term citizen science datasets can address. Results from the...
Spores of foodborne pathogens such as Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus are widely distributed in nature. Presence of those spores in food products, particularly C. botulinum spores in vacuum packed, ready-to-eat low-acid products, is a great safety concern. The research here described is a first effort towards understanding...
A commercially important polyelectrolyte, xanthan, was chosen for
a systematic analysis of the relationship between molecular
conformation and surface properties. In the first study the effects
of ionic strength, xanthan concentration and temperature on the
xanthan molecular conformation were investigated by potentiometric
titration. The effects of the same factors and...
Equipment and procedures for the rapid measurement of the water vapor
permeability of polymer films and food coatings has been evaluated. The
method uses an electronic sensor to measure the concentration increase in
water vapor diffusing through a film into a chamber of known volume. Air of
known humidity is...
Quantitative procedures were developed to determine the effect of variability in the model parameters required for the estimation of microbial shelflife and thermal processing time. Monte Carlo simulations combined with these predictive models were implemented in Microsoft Excel™. In the first study,
predictive models were used for shelf-life predictions based...
Understanding prey quality and prey selection by predators is critical for management efforts aimed at identification and protection of essential habitats and prey. Marine predators must make daily foraging choices in a heterogenous and dynamic environment in order to meet the high energetic demands of migration, reproduction and foraging. With...