The dynein molecule is a peculiar motor protein recognized for its unique stepping behavior. Sometimes it steps forwards. Other times it steps backwards. It has even been observed to occasionally shuffle by beginning a step with the same domain many times in row. These motions make dynein an interesting object...
Managers reduce piñon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees that are encroaching on sagebrush (Artemisia spp.)
communities to lower fuel loads and increase cover of desirable understory species. All plant species in these communities
depend on soil water held at >-1.5 MPa matric potential in the upper 0.3 m...
In response to the recent expansion of piñon and juniper woodlands into sagebrush-steppe communities in the northern Great Basin region, numerous conifer-removal projects have been implemented, primarily to release understory vegetation at sites having a wide range of environmental conditions. Responses to these treatments have varied from successful restoration of...
Current paradigm suggests that spatial and temporal competition for resources limit an exotic invader, cheatgrass (Bromus
tectorum L.), which once established, alters fire regimes and can result in annual grass dominance in sagebrush steppe.
Prescribed fire and fire surrogate treatments (mowing, tebuthiuron, and imazapic) are used to reduce woody fuels...
I focus on addressing knowledge gaps relating to management of cryptogams in Oregon's public lands in Pseudotsuga menziesii-Tsuga heterophylla forests on the west side of the Cascade Range and dryland steppe in the Cascade Range's rainshadow.
While a great deal of research has illustrated the importance of late-successional forests for...
The Brain Research through Advanced Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) initiative seeks to understand how ensembles of neurons create neural networks. The initiative has spurred the pursuit of developing novel experimental tools for investigating how individual neurons propagate electrical signals (action potentials) to produce ensemble behavior. Classical techniques to measure the internal...
Physics problems that require integration, such as finding the center of mass of an object or finding the electric field from a continuous distribution of charge, are one type of problem that is difficult for introductory physics students to solve. These problems require students to define a coordinate system in...
Invasion and dominance of exotic grasses and increased fire frequency threaten native ecosystems worldwide. In the Great Basin region of the western United States, woody and herbaceous fuel treatments are implemented to decrease the effects of wildfire and increase sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to exotic...
Piñon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees are reduced to restore native vegetation and avoid severe fires where they have expanded into sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) communities. However, what phase of tree infilling should treatments target to retain desirable understory cover and avoid weed dominance? Prescribed fire and tree...
In sagebrush ecosystems invasion of annual exotics and expansion of piñon (Pinus monophylla Torr. and Frem.) and juniper
(Juniperus occidentalis Hook., J. osteosperma [Torr.] Little) are altering fire regimes and resulting in large-scale ecosystem
transformations. Management treatments aim to increase resilience to disturbance and enhance resistance to invasive species by...