The population of dusky Canada geese (Branta canadensis occidentalis; hereafter, dusky geese) nesting on the western Copper River Delta (CRD) in south- central Alaska has been in decline since the late 1970s. In an effort to alleviate mammalian predation, increase nest success, and avoid a listing under the U.S. Endangered...
This thesis considers one of the classical problems in the actuarial mathematics literature, the decay of the probability of ruin in the collective risk model. The
claim number process N(t) is assumed to be a renewal process, the resulting model
being referred as the Sparre Andersen risk model. The inter-claim...
In This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and several of his short stories, F. Scott Fitzgerald questions the importance of wealth as a factor in supporting happiness and fostering the American Dream on an individual basis. With these texts, Fitzgerald acknowledges that wealth is a factor and, simultaneously, a...
Wildfire is a largely terrestrial perturbation broadly recognized as an agent of disturbance and ecological change in forested biomes. Effects of post-fire conditions on biotic components of aquatic systems have been less well-documented, although hypothetically, the two are strongly connected. In fact, the influence of wildfire may be most profound...
The longshore variability of the coastal response to hurricanes may be examined within the framework of a storm-impact scaling model that compares spatially-variable beach morphology and fluid forcing. The relative elevations of dune height and storm-induced water levels are used to define three impact regimes (swash, collision, and overwash), within...
In recent years, there has been renewed interest in black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.) breeding. This has been spurred by an increase in black raspberry consumption due to studies that have shown them to be particularly high in anthocyanin content indicating high levels of antioxidants. Present cultivars are ill adapted...
The emerging field of nanotechnology strictly requires the micro-scaling of the available separation technology and the design of novel devices for separations of molecules of interest. The separation of proteins and nanoparticles is challenging due to their relatively large size, non-specific adherence to surfaces and instability in many solvents.
This...
Vegetation provides food for many insects, and many insects serve as food for bats. We investigated the linkages among these three trophic levels in riparian areas throughout the Oregon Coast Range by examining the influence of vegetation cover, composition, and structure on the activity of nocturnal insects and bats, the...
Warming of the terrestrial biosphere due to the anthropogenic addition of carbon dioxide to the earth’s atmosphere is becoming a major focus of scientific inquiry. Predictions of the extent of this warming are hampered by uncertainty in the ability of the earth’s ecosystems to counteract this effect by sequestering carbon...
Giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) and humans in the Lower Yasuní Basin (Ecuador) have similar food and space requirements: they consume comparable arrays of fish species, and they use similar aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Resource partitioning could facilitate coexistence by allowing each species exclusive access to some resources.
My research examines...