Biochar is a highly porous, carbon-rich residue produced by thermochemical conversion (pyrolysis) of plant biomass and carbonaceous organic materials under oxygen-controlled conditions. Chars produced by this process tend to have high ion-exchange capacities and, when added to soil, increase retention of water and nutrients and improve soil aggregation, porosity, and...
Steep slope timber harvesting often falls under scrutiny of labor, safety, and operational challenges, but is beginning to advance past these barriers through substantial technological progression. Across previous decades, large advancements of technology have occurred in ground-based timber harvesting systems, giving mechanized options to every phase of timber harvesting. These...
This thesis is an IRB-exempt oral history focused on the non-profit Corvallis Multicultural Literacy Center (CMLC) in Corvallis, Oregon. The CMLC, formerly on 9th Street, was known to many community members as the Yellow House. The Yellow House was a dedicated community-based space where people of all cultures could come...
Ecological impacts of climate change in the Pacific Northwest may hinge on acclimation to drier summers, highlighting the importance of plant physiological studies in forests. Evaluating dominant forest plant species under old-growth and managed forest conditions is similarly important as timber harvest might change microclimates and alter drought effects on...
This dissertation presents an analysis of transportable biomass conversion facility design to evaluate the conceptual and economic viability of a mobile and modular biomass conversion supply chain in the Pacific Northwest, USA. The main goal of this work is to develop a decision support system to more effectively and sustainably...
Growing awareness and concern within society over the use of and reliance on fossil fuels has stimulated research efforts in identifying, developing, and selecting alternative energy sources and energy technologies. Bioenergy represents a promising replacement for conventional energy, due to reduced environmental impacts and broad applicability. Sustainable energy challenges, however,...
Spider wasps had long been proposed to originate in the mid-Cretaceous based on the Burmese amber fossil Bryopompilus interfector Engel and Grimaldi, 2006. We performed a morphological examination of this fossil and determined it does not belong to Pompilidae or any other described hymenopteran family. Instead, we place it in...
The use of fossil fuels and their related impact on the environment and global warming have encouraged societies to pursue more sustainable and renewable alternatives, e.g., forest-based bio-oil. Thus, a vital need to decrease the level of greenhouse gas emissions and the tendency of nations to reduce their dependency on...
Introduction: The health benefits of physical activity are well established in older adults with arthritis. Despite these benefits, many older adults with arthritis are not active enough to maintain health; therefore, increasing physical activity in adults with arthritis is a public health priority. The purpose of this study was to...
A topic of concern for feminists, film critics, media researchers, and film scholars
alike who believe in a causal connection between film violence and real life violence have
found an enemy in the slasher film. Critics of slasher films, a subgenre of horror, often
charge these films are uniquely violent...