Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) are narrow oblong bivalves that can be found in sandy habitats along the western coast of the United States, from Alaska (Aleutian Islands) to southern California (Pismo Beach). In Washington state, the razor clam fishery has been documented to be an important contributor to the...
Streams and rivers play a critical role in global carbon (C) cycling by processing, storing, and transporting C. Headwater streams which make up more than 95% of the length of streams and rivers worldwide have disproportionate influence on fluvial C dynamics. The hyporheic zone (HZ) of headwater streams is a...
Tocopherols are plant secondary metabolites that are known collectively as
vitamin E. Tocopherol compounds act as potent antioxidants by quenching free
radicals and protecting fatty acids from oxidative damage. In humans (in vivo)
tocopherols protect membrane lipids from breaking down, while in oils (in vitro)
tocopherols protect fatty acids from...
Fiber flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) production in the Willamette Valley ended in
Oregon around 1957 before newly developed technology and fiber cultivars were
available. The purpose of this research was to explore the use of modern methods and
new cultivars.
Field studies were conducted to evaluate cultivars and optimum cultural...
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common DNA polymorphisms in plant and animal genomes. SNPs were identified in the allele sequences of up to 12 sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) genotypes for a genome-wide sample of 81 loci originally mapped using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers. The RFLP loci...
Microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are highthroughput sequence based DNA markers that have been exploited as tools for measuring genetic distance and diversity in evolutionary studies, protection of intellectual property, genetic resource conservation management, cultivar identification and molecular breeding of crop plants. We isolated and sequenced 1095 clones from...
Two labelled arginines, DL-[2,3,3,-²H₃]arginine, 8,
and DL-[ ¹³C, 2-¹⁵N]arginine, 9, were synthesized. These
were fed to cultures of Streptomyces griseochromogenes in
order to probe the mechanism of the apparent arginine-2,3-
aminomutase reaction occurring in biosynthesis of blasticidin
S, 1. In previous studies of the enzymes lysine-2,3-
aminomutase and tyrosine-2,3-aminomutase different...
Medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are important industrial feedstocks for
soaps, detergents and surfactants. Interspecific lines derived from Cuphea lanceolata
and Cup hea viscosissima are being domesticated as a temperate source of MCFAs.
These species also serve as model organisms for understanding the biosynthesis of
MCFAs in seeds. Various markers...
Making quality and winterhardiness in barley are "ultimate" phenotypes composed of
component, quantitatively inherited traits. A 69-point genome map of the seven chromosomes of
barley was used, in conjunction with multi-environment phenotypes for grain yield and malting
quality, to determine the chromosome locations of quantitative trait loci (QTLs). A combined...
Habitat restoration projects are vital for recovering ecosystems, but they can be expensive. One way to help justify the price tag is to value the economic benefits provided by the restored habitat. The issue is that many ecosystem services and the flow of benefits they produce are complex, requiring careful...
Resistance to acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS)-inhibiting herbicides has been reported in over 90 weedy species, including wild sunflower biotypes, since the herbicides were developed in 1982. The AHAS gene family in sunflower, consisting of three paralogs AHAS1 , AHAS2, and AHAS3, has been targeted for inducing herbicide resistance. A polymorphism identified...
Two tributaries of the south fork of the Burnt River, near Unity Oregon were studied
during the summers of 2000 and 2001 to determine water heating and cooling
patterns. Hourly temperature data were recorded for air, water, and soil parameters
at four elevations 150m apart on Barney and Stevens Creeks....
Thin foil samples of special nuclear materials (SNMs) were irradiated for 60s using a Mark TRIGA II reactor, and their associated gamma emissions were recorded with a count time of 60s following irradiation. A rapid pneumatic transfer system was used to irradiate the samples in front of beam port #4....
Many parts of the West are experiencing substantial growth pressures that have increased the demand for water. These new demands come at a time when most of the water in the West has been fully appropriated by traditional uses such as agriculture, mining, and industry. Some attempts are being made...
In the social context, distinct worldviews provide multiple, subjective, durable and conflicting views of natural resource situations. This research analyzes worldviews that shape people's perceptions, understandings and evaluations of forests and forestry in order to examine conflict associated with forestry issues. Differences in local residents' views of wildland fires and...
Data from the GARP Atlantic Tropical Experiment (GATE) was analysed in an exploratory manner to discover the characteristics of mesoscale organization of convection and it's relationship to large-scale wind profiles. Automated methods were developed to identify the convective cells and their linear organization. These automated methods use a median high-pass...
Financial stress in agriculture has been a concern over the past
century. Agrarian values and "love of the land" seem to yield public
conclusions for the support of the industry. Much of this support is
in the interest of preserving a viable food producing sector in an
volatile world climate....
Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) offer a great deal of potential through their near-theoretical strength, potentially high toughness and unique forming and molding traits. However, there are still a number of outstanding issues that bar their widespread use. This thesis describes the investigation of three research questions each designed to further...
Natural uranium samples were irradiated in-core for 7 seconds using the pneumatic rabbit system within the TRIGA Mark II Reactor at Oregon State University, and then used to generate a gamma-ray spectrum with a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The irradiated sample was simulated in Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP), a...
The neutron flux-energy spectral characterization of a Thermo Fisher MP320 deuterium-tritium neutron generator was performed for two shielding configurations, one with substantial moderator between the source and the sample and one without such moderator. The STAYSL PNNL spectral adjustment code was utilized in conjunction with MCNP modelled reference spectra and...
Land value appreciation and its relation to three
interchanges on Interstate 5 were studied. Lots within a
two mile (3.2 km.) radius and in existence in 1965 and 1975
were included. The interchanges were selected on the basis
of form, setting, type of crossroad, and distance from urban
areas. Lots...
Population attributes, behavior, and activity patterns of
Nuttall's cottontails (Sylvilagus nuttallii) inhabiting a
juniper-sagebrush scabland community in central Oregon were studied
between June 1980 and August 1981. Cottontails were trapped, marked
for individual recognition, and released at their sites of capture.
Data collected by periodic trapping and censusing of cottontails...
The collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia beginning 40 million years ago
produced the Himalayan orogenic belt, the largest continental collision belt active today. The foreland fold-and-thrust belt in northern Pakistan consists of the Salt Range-Potwar Plateau area. In this region the distance from the Main Boundary Thrust(MBT) to...
An attempt is made to determine whether
or not property value appreciation on land adjacent to an
expanding urban center is related to distance from the
city and to identify the temporal variation in this relationship.
The results of simple linear regression strongly
suggest that property value appreciation and distance...
Air temperatures and soil temperatures at the surface, two inches,
and four inches under a grass cover were recorded over a 93 day period.
These data were used along with other temperature data from bare soil
in the construction of three sets of models for the prediction of
maximum and...
Since the passage of the mining and mineral leasing
laws, a considerable amount of the public domain has been
excluded from mineral exploration and development. It has been
estimated that as much as fifty-three and sixty-four percent
of the public lands have been withdrawn from the jurisdiction
of the mining...
The design and construction of a chemiluminescence
photometer is described. The design is based on a discrete
sample system which has a number of advantages over
the previously described flow cell system and centrifugal
analyzer. The advantages include simple and inexpensive
equipment, small sample size, versatile electronic readout
system, and...
Mount Shasta, the southernmost stratovolcano in the Cascade Range (41.4°N) has
frequently produced lahars of various magnitudes during the last 10,000 yr. These include
large flows of eruptive origin, reaching more than 40km from the summit, and studies have
shown that at least 70 debris flows of noneruptive origin have...
Shell-boring polychaetes pose economic risks for oyster aquaculture industries as they reduce the aesthetic quality of oyster products by creating unsightly mud-filled blisters on the inside of the shell. Recently there has been a reported uptick in infested oysters on commercial farms along the west coast of the US, which...
A model of the Oregon State TRIGA reactor was developed in Serpent 2 by translating a previously accepted MCNP model. Both models were verified and validated via comparison of each model and data gathered from the core start-up. Reactivity bias in each code was determined. Using the rod drop method,...
Silvicultural canopy gaps are emerging as an alternative management tool to accelerate development of complex forest structure in young, even-aged forests of the Pacific Northwest. I investigated patterns of nitrogen (N) availability along transects through 0.1 and 0.4 ha silvicultural gaps in three 50-70 year old Douglas-fir forests of western...
The Neutron radiography facility (NRF) at Oregon State University (OSU) has been modified to begin working on the non-destructive evaluation of concrete materials to study the early stages of shrinkage, cracking, and water transport of concrete during the curing process.
The objective of this work is to investigate the efficiency...
This study examines the long-term role of interference on stand development of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) and red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) planted mixtures in the Central Cascades of Oregon, USA. The two species are common associates in naturally regenerated and planted conifer stands in the Pacific Northwest. Due...
Epigenetic mechanisms are important for control of plant development, and may play a particularly important role in trees given their long life cycles and distinctive and stable tissue types. To help understand the role of epigenetics in tree development, we produced transgenic poplars with reduced activity of the DDM1 genes,...
The objective of this work was to determine and optimize the resolution of a neutron sensitive Multi-Channel Plate (MCP) detector in order to determine its capabilities in radiography and tomography. The Oregon State University, Neutron Radiography Facility added an MCP Detector in 2012 in order to analyze these capabilities. The...
This thesis evaluates dose rates from the TRIGA® reactor by comparing ion chamber measured exposure rates to exposure rates calculated from MCNP5 model data. The first step evaluates the energy distribution required to match ion chamber exposure rates from measurements taken at 1 foot increments above the reactor core. Next,...
On New Year's Eve 1993, there was little indication
that popular President Carlos Salinas de Gortari was about
to take a monumental fall. Mexico was in the midst of
unprecedented prosperity. The world's oldest ruling
political party, Mexico's PRI, enjoyed substantial support.
Allegations of corruption within an authoritarian regime
were...
Differences in primary production and periphyton and macroinvertebrate
biomass between pairs of constrained (valley floor width of less than twice the active
channel width) and unconstrained reaches were investigated in Elk River and four
tributaries in southwest Oregon. In August 1991, macroinvertebrates were sampled
from individual cobbles, and rocks were...
The role of insect herbivores in the nutrient cycling dynamics of forest ecosystems remains poorly understood. Although past research in herbivory has focused primarily on the deleterious effects that insects can have on tree growth and mortality, the overall effects of herbivory are more complex. Herbivores have the potential to...
Radiotelemetry was used to study the seasonal movements and habitat use of adult westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi in Roberts
Creek and Rail Creek, headwater tributaries of the John Day River, Oregon,
from September 2000 to December 2001. The objectives were to (1)
describe adult cutthroat trout life history...
Electron capture negative ion mass spectroscopy (ECNIMS) has been
performed on environmental chemicals and explosives. A trochoidal electron
monochromator interfaced to a gas chromatograph and a quadrupole mass
spectrometer allows compounds to be studied by this method. The method employed
here differs from standard ECNIMS in that no reagent gas...