A study of the phyletic relationships among five species of
tragopans and an outgroup, the Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus), was
conducted from 1987 to 1991. Biochemical, behavioral, and external
morphologic characteristics were compared. A cladistic approach was
used to compare the behavioral, biochemical, and external morphologic
data collectively, as different...
The ecology of female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and their
broods was studied during 1988-90 on Lower Klamath National Wildlife
Refuge, California. Survival of 127 radio-marked ducklings from 64
broods was 0.18 to 10 days of life, and 0.37 and 0.34 to fledging for
1988, 1989, and 1990, respectively. For the...
This thesis will discuss two critical components of a digital system -- domino logic styles and flip-flops. In today's microprocessors, both domino logic and flip-flops are essential to high-performance and low-power design. Two new domino logic styles are presented and analyzed, Double Edge Triggered (DET) and Double Data Rate (DDR)...
In high-frequency circuit design, performance is often limited by the quality of the passive components available for a particular process. Specifically, spiral inductors can be a major bottle-neck for Voltage-Controlled Oscillators (VCOs), Low-Noise Amplifiers (LNAs), mixers, etc. For designers to correctly optimize a circuit using a spiral inductor, several frequency-domain...
The atmospheric radiative transfer model MOCARAT was developed and is presented in this thesis. MOCARAT employs a Monte Carlo Technique for the accurate modeling of band radiances and reflectances in an atmospheric system with a ruffled ocean surface as a lower boundary. The atmospheric radiative transfer is modeled with consideration...
Multi-stage delta-sigma (ΔΣ) architectures, commonly known as MASH, are the preferred choice for analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) used in broadband communication applications, where high-resolution (above 14 bits) and high-bandwidth (several MHz) performances are required. Current state-of-the-art designs are capable of as much as 5-MS/s output data rates with 90-dB SNR. However,...
It is well known that the mitochondrial genome has a much higher spontaneous mutation rate than the nuclear genome. mtDNA mutations have been identified in association with many diseases and aging. mtDNA replication continues throughout the cell cycle, even in post-mitotic cells. Therefore, a constant supply of nucleotides is required...
Low reproductive success has been typical of high elevation populations of the Hawaiian goose (Branta sandvicensis) or nēnē. Researchers identified predation and inadequate nutrition as limiting factors. Reproductive success remained low in most years despite on-going predator control programs. I used a supplemental feeding program over two breeding seasons in...
My thesis explored the effects of and potential mediating mechanisms for an important environmental stressor, ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation. UVB radiation has negative effects on organisms in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. I used meta-analysis to quantify the effects of UVB radiation on a diversity of aquatic organisms (Chapter 2). UVB...