Busted by the bite

Large herbivores are charismatic species known to engineer ecosystems through a variety of effects. Conflicts can sometimes arise when these effects are undesirable. However, without detailed knowledge on herbivore selectivity for landscapes, patches and plants, these positive and negative effects remain difficult to predict. Such species and sex-specific selectivity have inherent evolutionary and ecological mechanisms. In order to study such mechanisms it is important to study the partitioning of resources at multiple scales. Most studies have looked at large-scale resource partitioning (such as movement patterns) but fewer study the fine-scale levels of selectivity such as the individual bites taken by herbivores. This level of detail is, however, important because it is essentially the direct mechanism through which ecosystem effects are manifested. Specifically for the browsing herbivore guild, such fine-scale studies have largely been impractical due to forested habitats which limit direct observation of behaviors. DNA-based diagnostics are becoming more and more popular within ecology as they provide vital data to answer certain questions. In this thesis I developed two versions of a method to differentiate between five species of large herbivore browsers using trace amounts of environmental DNA left at browsed twigs. The first version uses a traditional amplification method for identifying the species of browsers and the second uses an advanced and more sensitive method for identifying the species and sex of browsers. Using environmental DNA, I determined species-specific browsing patterns across three studies. I found overall that traditional methods for attributing browsing at the species level tend to be misleading. In one study I show that although one species may be blamed for forest plantation damages, DNA evidence showed a partitioning between three herbivore species. I also document the partitioning of plant parts among different sized ungulates and show that overlap in browsing heights and bite diameters is much larger than previously assumed. In another study I experimentally verified the selectivities of free-ranging herbivores for three species of trees. This thesis thus not only develops new molecular ecological tools but also provides new insights into resource partitioning and hence the ecosystem effects of herbivores

High-Stakes Testing and Student Achievement: Problems for the No Child Left Behind Act

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), standardized test scores are the indicator used to hold schools and school districts accountable for student achievement. Each state is responsible for constructing an accountability system, attaching consequences -- or stakes -- for student performance. The theory of action implied by this accountability program is that the pressure of high-stakes testing will increase student achievement. But this study finds that pressure created by high-stakes testing has had almost no important influence on student academic performance

Supersymmetry on Jacobstahl lattices

It is shown that the construction of Yang and Fendley (2004 {\it J. Phys. A: Math.Gen. {\bf 37}} 8937) to obtainsupersymmetric systems, leads not to the open XXZ chain with anisotropy $\Delta =-{1/2}$ but to systems having dimensions given by Jacobstahl sequences.For each system the ground state is unique. The continuum limit of the spectra of the Jacobstahl systems coincide, up to degeneracies, with that of the $U_q(sl(2))$ invariant XXZ chain for $q=\exp(i\pi/3)$. The relation between the Jacobstahl systems and the open XXZ chain is explained.Comment: 6 pages, 0 figure

Boundary operators in the O(n) and RSOS matrix models

We study the new boundary condition of the O(n) model proposed by Jacobsen and Saleur using the matrix model. The spectrum of boundary operators and their conformal weights are obtained by solving the loop equations. Using the diagrammatic expansion of the matrix model as well as the loop equations, we make an explicit correspondence between the new boundary condition of the O(n) model and the "alternating height" boundary conditions in RSOS model.Comment: 29 pages, 4 figures; version to appear in JHE

Boundary changing operators in the O(n) matrix model

We continue the study of boundary operators in the dense O(n) model on the random lattice. The conformal dimension of boundary operators inserted between two JS boundaries of different weight is derived from the matrix model description. Our results are in agreement with the regular lattice findings. A connection is made between the loop equations in the continuum limit and the shift relations of boundary Liouville 3-points functions obtained from Boundary Ground Ring approach.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures, Introduction and Conclusion improve

Radiation effects on silicon third quarterly progress report, dec. 1, 1964 - feb. 28, 1965

Radiation effect on silicon - introduction rates of vacancy-phosphorus defect and divacancy in p-type material for solar cell applicatio

Health, Climate Change and Sustainability: A systematic Review and Thematic Analysis of the Literature

Background: Evidence of climate change and its impact continues to be accumulated, and it is argued that the consequences of climate change are likely to result in an increased demand on health services. It has been claimed that climate change presents new challenges for health services and that strategies should be adopted to address these challenges. Aim: The aim of this systematic review was to map published literature on health, climate change and sustainability by categorising papers according to their focus on effects, strategy and actions, and to provide a thematic analysis of their content. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted via a range of healthcare related databases i.e. Pubmed, Medline, CINAHL, AMED, ASSIA, IBSS and ISI Web of Knowledge. Searches focussed upon papers published in English between 1998 and 2008. Retrieved papers were studied by the authors in order to inform the thematic analysis of their content. Results: A total of 114 publications were retrieved, of which 36 met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. These 36 publications were categorised and are discussed according to their focus on: effects/impacts, strategy/policy, action/examples. Conclusions: A number of papers report the potential health effects of climate change while others report policies and strategies to tackle these effects. However there is an urgent need to identify and report on the implementation of strategies to mitigate and adapt to these challenges and to publish real examples of actions. Actions that are taken need to be evidence/policy based, and implementations monitored, evaluated and published

Structure of the two-boundary XXZ model with non-diagonal boundary terms

We study the integrable XXZ model with general non-diagonal boundary terms at both ends. The Hamiltonian is considered in terms of a two boundary extension of the Temperley-Lieb algebra. We use a basis that diagonalizes a conserved charge in the one-boundary case. The action of the second boundary generator on this space is computed. For the L-site chain and generic values of the parameters we have an irreducible space of dimension 2^L. However at certain critical points there exists a smaller irreducible subspace that is invariant under the action of all the bulk and boundary generators. These are precisely the points at which Bethe Ansatz equations have been formulated. We compute the dimension of the invariant subspace at each critical point and show that it agrees with the splitting of eigenvalues, found numerically, between the two Bethe Ansatz equations.Comment: 9 pages Latex. Minor correction

Water quality management decisions in Colorado

Submitted to Office of Water Resources Research, U.S. Department of the Interior.Includes bibliographical references.OWRR project no. A-10-COLO

Variant translocation with a deletion of derivative (9q) in a case of Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph +) essential thrombocythemia (ET), a variant of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) with a poor prognosis

Patients presenting with thrombocytosis require thorough clinical and laboratory evaluation to determine whether they suffer from essential thrombocythemia or another myeloproliferative disorder. This distinction becomes increasingly relevant as targeted agents become available to treat specific myeloproliferative diseases. Cytogenetic testing plays a major role in this analysis. This study presents a patient with Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) thrombocytosis and a cryptic der(9q)t(5;9)t(9;22) not found by conventional cytogenetics, whose disease progressed within 2 years to typical myeloblastic crisis of CML. It discusses the entity of Ph + ET, the utility of molecular cytogenetic testing in the diagnosis of this unusual disease entity and the importance of cytogenetic testing in the prognosis of ET