The solution structure determination of DNA molecules has been an important part of structural biology. NMR solution structures are a complement to structures solved via X-ray crystallography; the two methods are the only ways of obtaining three dimensional coordinates of macromolecules. Because of the nature of the molecule, the solution...
Sediment deposit ages inferred from radiocarbon dating of stream bank material were used to estimate residence times of valley-floor deposits in headwater valleys of the Oregon Coast Range, USA. Inherited ages of radiocarbon-dated material, i.e., time between carbon fixation in wood and its incorporation in a sediment deposit, can result...
In this work we consider a mathematical and computational model for biofilm growth and nutrient utilization. In particular, we are interested in a model appropriate at a scale of interface. The model is a system of two coupled nonlinear diffusion--reaction partial differential equations (PDEs). One of these PDEs is subject...
This dissertation is composed of three essays regarding the finite sample properties of estimators
for nonparametric models.
In the first essay we investigate the finite sample performances of four estimators for additive
nonparametric regression models - the backfitting B-estimator, the marginal integration M-estimator
and two versions of a two stage...
Vortical structures are the driving mechanism of transition to turbulence in porous media requiring adequately resolved observations along with analysis of the scale and energy of flow within the pores. Of specific interest is to understand the vortex dynamics, energy, and turbulent mixing and transport properties in the scale of...
Two indigenous species of burrowing shrimp inhabit and often dominate the intertidal zone of estuaries along the US West Coast, the ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, and the blue mud shrimp, Upogebia pugettensis. Both species are considered ecosystem engineers and play a role in maintaining estuarine health and ecosystem function. They...
To date, the use of oceanographic data in fisheries management has been limited by the scarcity and the difficulty of accessing complete oceanographic datasets. Consequently, fish stocks are managed with limited knowledge about the habitat where fish live and incomplete understanding of what oceanographic conditions affect their populations. With the...
Methane is a product of biogeochemical processes which respond to changes in climate. The history of atmospheric methane is recorded by ice cores providing insight into past changes in these biogeochemical processes. This dissertation is comprised of three studies which focus on centennial- and millenial-scale variability of methane from ice...