Air compressor systems are inefficient energy transfer devices even under the best of conditions, at full load. When only part load is required, efficiency drops further. This thesis attempts to improve part load efficiency of twin rotor screw air compressors in three ways.
First, a guidebook was written to help...
In deciduous species, water exits stems mainly through leaf traces
attached to the outer growth ring and yet we know that water ascends
throughout the entire cross-section of the sapwood. There is an increasing
amount of information on sap flow and sapwood hydraulic properties from
separate studies, but little information...
This dissertation has two objectives. The first objective is to determine where best to situate the study of mentoring (i.e. the 'making of scientists') on the landscape of the history of science and science studies. This task is accomplished by establishing mentoring studies as a link between the robust body...
Tropical instability waves (TIWs) are prominent seasonal features in both the equatorial Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This work quantifies their role in modulating the distributions of nutrients and phytoplankton biomass. Using an eight year record of biannual ship observations along the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoy array, cruise sections crossing...
This dissertation focuses on the importance of pelagic subsidies in the Northeast Pacific to rocky shore community regulation. My results document the patterns of pelagic subsidy supply, determine if those subsidies are correlated with community structure, and examine if community regulation differs between areas of high- and low-subsidies. Understanding how...
Poor air quality can result in reduced productivity and higher absenteeism in students, fatigue, eye, nose and throat irritation and reduced comfort. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that 2 million education employees work in areas with poor indoor air quality.
The measurement of carbon dioxide often is...
The inherent and apparent optical properties of different ocean regimes are the basis for all optical remote sensing of the ocean. Ecological information derived from remote sensors therefore relies on having a detailed understanding of how particulate backscattering and absorption contribute to the bulk optical signal. The absorption
characteristics of...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between three teacher development experiences and early career agriculture teachers' efficacy. Additionally this study sought to define the relationship between five teacher efficacy constructs and career commitment among early career agriculture teachers in five western states. A census of all...
Transformation is a major bottleneck for genetic engineering and gene editing in forest tree species. This includes most genotypes of Populus and Eucalyptus, which are some of the world’s most widely-cultivated genera of plantation forest trees. To provide new tools for transformation, I tested the transcription factor-protein chimera consisting of...
Coastal hazards are the result of numerous physical processes cumulatively causing water levels to flood and erode the land. The waves, storm surges, tides, and run-off contributing to elevated water levels are each the product of chaotic and random weather patterns. These stochastic weather patterns dissipate energy in Earth's climate...