Low-tech habitat restoration techniques, including Stage 0 treatments, are increasingly applied but often lack robust evaluation of their effects. In 2018, one kilometer of the South Fork McKenzie (SFMK) River, OR was modified to the Stage 0 condition for the benefit of ESA-listed Chinook by raising the incised channel to...
This thesis examines the origins and outcomes of Operation Paperclip, a program the U.S. government operated in the years immediately following WWII to recruit former Nazi doctors, scientists, and technicians, and capitalize on their research experience. As part of this operation, the U.S. welcomed two doctors who had conducted medical...
Once abundant in their native range, Pacific salmon species (Oncorhynchus spp.) were widely distributed across the northern Pacific Rim from South Korea and Japan to the Sacramento River in California. Remaining populations are subject to population-level threats, including pathogens. The freshwater parasitic copepod Salmincola californiensis is associated with the reduced...
Melanocytes are dendritic, pigment-producing cells located in the skin and are responsible for its protection against the deleterious effects of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), which include DNA damage and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS). They do so by synthesizing photoprotective melanin pigments and distributing them to adjacent skin cells (e.g.,...
Deep learning is becoming the latest trend in sensitive applications, such as healthcare, criminal justice, and finance. As these new applications emerge, adversaries are circumventing them.
Further, there have been concerns about the possibility of bias and discrimination in predictive applications.
In order to address these issues, we propose an...
Fundamental objectives in the field of conservation biology involve understanding the processes that influence small and declining populations and applying that knowledge to develop appropriate monitoring strategies and targeted management and conservation actions. Critical first steps in determining the relative role of factors that drive population declines involves estimation of...
Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an insect of global concern that causes serious damage to soft-skinned fruits. D. suzukii is widespread in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia and is listed as an invasive pest with strict quarantine protocols governing import and export. Given the damage caused by D....
The dissertation focuses on the engineering of light-matter interaction using plasmonic nanoparticles and metamaterials to achieve enhanced luminescence and based on which to improve the performance of biosensing and light-emitting technologies. We designed and fabricated a spectrum of nanostructures to exhibit particular dispersion relations capable of controlling the spontaneous emission...