A carefully calibrated primitive-equation model from 41°N to 48°N is used to study the poleward undercurrent off the US west coast. Chapter 2 describes poleward flow over the slope from Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives. The model is robust, in the sense of several characteristics being qualitatively consistent with observational and...
The mathematical and physical connections between three different ways of quantifying linear predictability in geophysical fluid systems are studied in a series of analytical and numerical models. Normal modes, as they are traditionally formulated in the instabilities theories of geophysical fluid dynamics, characterize the asymptotic development of disturbances to stationary...
The long-term evolution of Gaussian eddies is studied in an equivalent barotropic model using both linear and nonlinear quasi-geostrophic theory in an attempt to understand westward propagating satellite altimetry tracked mesoscale eddies. By examining both individual eddies and a large basin seeded with eddies, it is shown that long term...
Nitrosomonas europaea (ATCC19718) participates in the biological removal of nitrogen from wastewater by oxidizing ammonia to nitrite, the first step in nitrification. This bacterium is sensitive to heavy metals (Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Hg²⁺) and cyanide, compounds commonly encountered in wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, we characterized physiological and transcriptional responses...
Photobiological hydrogen production from live cells of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 encapsulated in silica gel was investigated. Hydrogen is a dense energy carrier with potential to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, provided a renewable and sustainable means of production can be achieved. Under certain conditions, Synechocystis sp. PCC...
The thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus was examined for the ability to sequester CO₂ while producing hydrogen (H₂), polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), lipids, and glycogen. H₂ was produced at a maximum rate of 188 nmol H₂ mg Chl a⁻¹ hr⁻¹. Hydrogen production occurred in the presence of methyl viologen but the cells were...
This study examined the role of acid- sensing ion channels (ASICs) in interneuron synaptic modulation. ASICS are ultra fine discriminators of acidic conditions in the neuronal microenvironment. Each ASIC subunit isoform has innate, subtly different electrophysiological properties and tissue distributions. Structurally, ASICs may form homo- or heteromeric channels, yielding combinatorial...
For data following a balanced mixed Anova model, the standard Anova method typically leads to exact F tests of the usual hypotheses about fixed effects. However, for most unbalanced designs with most hypotheses, the Anova method does not produce exact tests, and approximate methods are needed. One approach to approximate...
Counselor education programs traditionally have student counselors role-play therapy sessions to enhance skills in rapport building, aligning with a theoretical orientation, and other essential communication skills. Students, however, are often left to determine their own choice of words when engaging in these practice sessions, and consequently, experience uncertainty regarding how...
To understand the processes that lead to the formation of the oceanic crust, one must know the composition and the depth at which primary melts originate. Towards this end, this dissertation focuses on plagioclase-hosted melt inclusions from plagioclase ultraphyric basalts (PUBs). Plagioclase is usually considered to be the second phase,...
This thesis considers the problem of estimating the linear
parameters of generalized linear models (GLM), especially binomial
and Poisson regression models, when the explanatory variable is
subject to measurement error. In this situation, the dependence of
the response variable on the observed explanatory variable cannot
typically be modeled as a...
The purpose of this research was to examine factors associated
with the social climate of single-sex and coeducational residence
halls, fraternities, sororities, and cooperatives on the Oregon State
University campus.
The primary sources of data for this study were student
responses to the ten subscales of the URES Form R,...
Biological plant invasions are diminishing the ecological integrity and function of ecosystems worldwide. A primary example of this is in the Great Basin of the United States, where invasive annual grasses, like cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae L. Nevski), are dominating many sagebrush-steppe ecosystems. In these invaded...
Many methods in use today for the isolation, purification, and
identification of the staphylococcal enterotoxins involve lengthy
steps with significant loss of enterotoxin, are subject to interference
from contaminating sample components, and lack sufficient specificity.
Culture extracts of enterotoxin producing Staphylococcus
aureus strains (enterotoxins A-E), crude enterotoxin preparations
(enterotoxins A-E),...
Photobiological hydrogen production -- the use of photosynthesis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen -- presents an opportunity for efficient and large-scale solar biofuel development. One of the major challenges in this area is competition for reductant between the hydrogen-evolving hydrogenase enzyme and other metabolic pathways. In this work...
Successful ecosystem restoration requires an understanding of the ecological processes directing succession. One of the challenges in the semi-arid grasslands of western United States is replacement of native species by invasive annual grasses. Solutions to this problem require identifying and manipulating ecological processes that direct succession to favor desired vegetation....
Three broadly interrelated problems of critical significance to the proper interpretation of melt inclusion (MI) data are addressed in this thesis. The first issue, the petrogenesis of anorthitic plagioclase phenocrysts in MORB lavas, has relevance due to the presence of numerous MI in many high-An feldspars. This problem was addressed...
The purpose of this study was to examine the
relationship between parental attitudes and student
attitudes toward the consumption of alcoholic beverages,
between parental attitudes toward the consumption of
alcoholic beverages and the reasons students drink alcoholic
beverages, and between parental attitudes toward the
consumption of alcoholic beverages and the...
This research was undertaken to identify variables
that accounted for major changes in academic performance
between high school and college. Differences between
predicted and actual college GPA were used to classify
students as gainers or decliners among a group of
sophomores and a group of seniors at a medium-sized
research...
The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether sex-role
identification differences among college students were related to place
of residence, and if so, whether certain factors affect these
differences. Six hypotheses were developed. The study sought to
ascertain if sex-role identification is related to certain dimensions of
peer association...
The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether
certain variables have significant bearing on the education of adult
undergraduate students. During the 1970's Pace (1977) and Shaver
(1978) suggested that the "quality of effort" that college and
university students invest in their own learning and development is a
key...
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between career development and locus of control as
they relate to barriers encountered in career development.
The sample included 144 students in the engineering
program at Oregon State University. The Rotter Internal-
External Scale and the Career Development Inventory (Form...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between moral development and year in school, gender, and personality type for university undergraduates. Moral development was measured by the Defining Issues Test (DIT) and personality was assessed using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The sample consisted of 320 freshmen,...
The purpose of this research, expressed in two coequal parts,
was: to establish a forecast of developments and an articulation of
policy options vis-a-vis postsecondary student consumerism; and to
determine if interest groups of experts differed significantly in
their evaluations of the aforementioned developments and policy
options.
The Delphi technique...
Prior to eruption at mid-ocean ridges, melts must travel through >6 km of crust from their origin in the mantle. The final composition of the melts is dependent on both the melting conditions and magmatic processes within the crust. While mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glasses are commonly used to infer...
An experimental study was made of the average and turbulent
wind characteristics of the flow over a model of a coastal headland.
The scale of the model was 300:1, corresponding to a prototype size
of 500 m.
The data for validation of the model study was obtained from
instruments mounted...
Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is a mold-produced toxin which has been shown
to be a potent hepatocarcinogen in many animal species. Of the
species studied thus far, rainbow trout have proven to be the most
sensitive. Experiments were conducted to investigate various aspects
of AFB₁ metabolism in this species, including in...
Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) and yellow starthistle (Centaurea
soistitialis L.) have invaded over 3 million ha of grasslands in the western U.S.
Future management will require an understanding of the conditions,
mechanisms, and processes which control species dominance, community
dynamics, and desirable plant establishment in these alien dominated annual
rangelands....
A linearized model with two vertical modes has been developed to understand observed characteristics of monthly variability in the Equatorial Pacific from TOPEX/POSEIDON measurements of Sea Surface Height (SSH). The 2-mode model is obtained from an equatorial beta plane model that has been linearized about a geostrophically balanced mean flow...
At its peak, Oregon produced 21 percent of the nation's
total commercial strawberry production. However, since
1971, Oregon's share of strawberry production has been
declining steadily. In fact, for the last three years
strawberry production in Oregon constitutes only 8 percent
of the nation's total production, which is the lowest...
Purpose: Model-based dose calculation algorithms (MBDCAs) have become clinically available within the past several years in commercially available brachytherapy planning systems. This work investigates the application of a 510(k) approved MBDCA Acuros™ BV and establishes a reproducible method of validation. The research is broken into three primary research goals. The...
Contamination events at Oak Creek, which runs through Oregon State University Research lands, prompted investigations into alternate transport mechanisms for moving liquid effluent from OSU Diary lands to Oak Creek. Magnetometer surveys conducted at the Diary identified magnetic signatures spatially associated with sub-surface locations of drain tiles, a 12-inch pipe,...
The response of three-dimensional frames subjected to an arbitrary
dynamic force is studied. The method of mode superposition
is used to obtain the frame response solution. Two different modeling
systems are used to idealize the frame. These are the "discrete
mass system" and the "continuous mass system." For an example...
Not all experiences in physical activity, exercise, and sport are positive. Losing, getting injured, making a mistake, and not measuring up can all elicit a variety of highly negative emotions, including shame. To make matters worse, individuals often cope with shame in maladaptive ways––magnifying, suppressing, or ignoring the experience––which can...
The High Temperature Lattice Test Reactor (HTLTR) at Richland,
Washington, operates at temperatures up to 1000°C. Its low nuclear
power requires a 384 kilowatt electrical heating system, that is
divided into four circuits, to attain the high temperatures in the
ten-foot cube of moderating graphite. This thesis describes the
design...
Three viruses were isolated from dahlias using a modification of
Yarwood's leaf-disc method of inoculation. Two of these isolates have
been reported previously in dahlias. In addition, a fourth virus was
isolated using a liquid-nitrogen transmission technique.
Dahlia virus isolate 1 possessed host range and thermal inactivation
properties similar to...
This thesis advocates the use of maximum likelihood analysis for generalized
regression models with measurement error in a single explanatory variable. This will be
done first by presenting a computational algorithm and the numerical details for carrying
out this algorithm on a wide variety of models. The computational methods will...
An inelastic scattering experiment was done in which 17-MeV
protons from the Oregon State University cyclotron were scattered
from ¹⁴N
and ¹⁵N gas targets. Angular distributions are shown for
the ground, 6.32-, 7.56-, 8.31-, and 8.57 -MeV states and the 5.3- and
7.2-MeV unresolved doublets of ¹⁵N, and for the...