Arthropod communities in pear are conceptualized as hierarchically
organized systems in which several levels of organization or subsystems
can be recognized between the species population level and the community
as a whole. An individual tree is taken to be the community habitat with
arthropod subcommunities developing on leaf, fruit and...
The focus of this thesis is to design, characterize, and apply novel computational methods and molecular systems to interrogate heterogeneous human gut microbiome-related phenomena. In Chapter 2, I design, implement, and characterize a method for embedding co-occurrence patterns derived from massive 16s amplicon datasets. I use this method to 1....
Microscopic organisms inhabit virtually every niche on this planet, where they perform functions vital to all life on earth. Accordingly, humans host a complex community of microorganisms (i.e. the gut microbiome) that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract and modulate host physiology. Insight into the specific mechanisms through which gut microbes influence...
This dissertation consists of two articles to be submitted for publication. The first,
a literature review, makes visible common influences on science teaching self-efficacy
beliefs and also points to potentially invisible validation concerns regarding the
instrument used. The second investigates the participants' invisible science teaching self-efficacy
beliefs and, through the...
Freeze/thaw cycles are numerous in agricultural soils of the Pacific Northwest. Potential loss of soil by erosion is high whenever a soil thaws from the surface creating a saturated soil overlying an impermeable frozen layer. Field studies were conducted to investigate the effect of surface residue on soil freezing. Residue...
Agricultural and companion animals are integral to our way of life as they provide us with nourishment, financial resources, transportation, and companionship. However, pets, managed animals in the agricultural industry, as well as wild populations of food animals are all subject to health and mortality risks. The gut microbiome is...
Because of the fuel crisis and problems associated with thermal
pollution there is new impetus and urgency for developing more
efficient energy conversion systems for power generation. A preliminary
analysis was undertaken to determine the potential of staged
Rankine cycle systems for substantially higher efficiency. It was
necessary to optimize...
Studies of anisotropic and isotropic Raman line shape yield information about the rotational motion (rotational correlation function) and non-reorientational (vibrational) lifetimes. The rotational motion of carbon disulfide has been studied previously by the techniques of Raman spectroscopy (6, 43), Rayleigh scattering (43, 46) and direct measurement (47). This work was...
This analysis is the study of Oregon's wildlife resources from
the period prior to white settlement up to the present time, including
critical projections, based on present trends and expected conditions
for both human and wildlife populations in the state up to the year 2010.
Prior to white settlement Oregon...
Gaseous transport through soil in the presence of soil
microorganisms has been investigated. More recently, modeling of
gaseous transport in the unsaturated zone has been investigated.
However, the problem of mathematical model of oxygen and carbon
dioxide transport through soil, as affected by the climatic
conditions, the transport of soil...
The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable
instrument to measure the organizational climate of the community
college as perceived by community college administrators, faculty, and
classified staff.
There were three phases in this study. The first was to develop a
pool of test items based...
Forest soils with low bulk densities are often considered less
susceptible to compaction than soils with higher bulk densities. The
objective of this study was to determine if soil strength controlled the
compression of soils with low bulk density. Four soils were selected
for this evaluation. Three of these were...
Experiments were conducted to study the effect of pore size
distribution on the diffusion of 2, 4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (carbon-
14) through water saturated porous media. Eight size fractions of
glass beads were used representing the porous media. It was found
that as the average particle radius, and hence pore radius,...
Temperature and water potential effects on the growth,
transpiration, total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) content, and
nutrient uptake of sudangrass (Sorghum vulgare var. piper) were
investigated in laboratory experiments. The effect of nitrogen supply
on the growth and nutrient uptake at constant soil water potential was
also investigated in this study....
The purpose of this study was to determine if
students' school-related attitudes are significantly
affected by teacher classroom discipline management based
upon concepts contained in Judicious Discipline: A Constitutional
Perspective for School Rules (Gathercoal, 1986).
The data relative to student school-related attitudes
of elementary, middle, and high school students toward...
All mammals host communities of commensal microbes in and on their bodies. Recent technological advances, combined with experimental studies in laboratory animals, are beginning to reveal the ubiquitous links between the gut microbiome and host disease, metabolism, immunity, and numerous other host functions. A new challenge of microbiome research is...