Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Long-term sampling'

In finance dynamic stochastic programming traditionally has been applied to institutional pension fund problems and more recently has become usable for more difficult individual wealth management problems. We develop several models to handle specific wealth management issues. We develop a US investment model with an exact tax basis and a rudimentary tax qualified portfolio. We show the ability to solve this model with up to 48 stages in 10 asset classes using an exact tax basis by approximating the solution employing information constraints. For fewer stages we show tractability of solving the full model with at least binary branching at every node of the scenario tree. We also introduce a mortgage model to investigate the effects of interest-only mortgages and their maturity. Modelling maturity selection as a binary decision variable, we find that the interest-only components of a mortgage are of interest when a borrower has a low income initially but expects it to grow. We do not consider the case of investors taking such mortgages to increase their leverage. It is noted that solutions may not be representative of all possibilities because the models reach an upper limit in terms of solvable problem sizes with currently available computing power. Expected value of perfect information (EVPI) calculation capabilities have been added to a modern solver. Given that aggregation is used to decrease solution times of such models we implement for the first time a disaggregator to allow calculation of EVPI subproblems without rereading the problem considered from disk. Aggregation is also found to increase solver speed applied to EVPI subproblems, especially after we reorder nodes. Sequential EVPI importance sampling is shown to be effective for the models introduced here and results improve drastically when mean matching of sampled scenarios is added. We successfully attempt to automate tuning for these algorithms by introducing percentile-based zero thresholds and adjusting these automatically when their current values are found to cause EVPI to fall.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries management (EAF) and Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) have been identified as possible alternatives to traditional linefish management measures, which have largely failed. Monitoring and assessment of fish communities on a long-term basis is necessary, and will provide a means to evaluate the effectiveness of such management measures. Therefore, standardised protocols and optimal sampling methods for long-term monitoring (LTM) and assessment of coastal fish communities are essential. This study aimed to identify suitable methods and develop a protocol for assessment of inshore reef fish communities. A suitable location for evaluation of proposed methods was identified in the warm temperate biogeographical region of South Africa, encompassing the well-established Tsitsikamma Coastal National Park MPA and an adjacent exploited area. Chrysoblephus laticeps (roman) was identified as an indicator species for the study, as it has been well-studied and is well represented in the area. Underwater visual census (UVC) and controlled fishing were identified as suitable methods. UVC transects were found to be superior to point counts, in terms of sampling efficiency, variability, bias and required sample size. An effort of two angler hours per fishing station was shown to provide low catch variability, while at the same time a representative catch and low overall cost and required time. The methods were incorporated in a proposed sampling protocol, and evaluated. The methods were able to detect known differences between protected and exploited communities. It is recommended that LTM within protected areas, for detection of natural change, be focused on community-level indicators, while LTM in exploited areas, aimed at detection of anthropogenic change, be focused on species-level indicators. The proposed protocol with standardised methods will allow for comparisons across a network of LTM sites and provide the opportunity for a broad-scale assessment of the effects of environmental variables on reef fish stocks. The protocol developed in this study has application in other biogeographical regions in South Africa, and other parts of the world. Shift in the focus of much marine research, in South Africa and elsewhere, to LTM, highlights the relevance and timeous nature of this study.

Sampling methods used for the assessment of exposure to volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in the workplace or for environmental studies are now limited to an upper integrative sampling time of 24 hours or less. Generally, these methods lack versatility and are difficult to use. A passive sampler that can extend sampling periods was developed as part of this research. This novel sampler relies on capillary tubes to restrict and control ambient air entry into an evacuated sample container.
A mathematical model was derived by modifications to the Hagen-Poiseuille and ideal gas laws. This model defines the relationship between container volume and capillary geometry (length/internal diameter) required to provide selected sampling times. Based on theoretical considerations, simulations were performed to study the effects of dimensional parameters. From these results, capillaries having 0.05 and 0.10 mm internal diameters were selected according to their ability to reduce sampling flow rates and to increase sampling times. Different capillary lengths were tested on various sampler prototypes. It was found that a constant sampling flow rate was delivered when a maximum discharge rate was established under the influence of a pressure gradient between a vacuum and ambient pressure. Experimental flow rates from 0.018 to 2.6 ml/min were obtained and compared with model predictions. From this comparison, empirical relationships between capillary geometry and maximum discharge rate given by the pressure gradient were defined. Essentially, based on these empirical relationships, capillary sampling flow controller specifications can be calculated to offer extended integrated sampling periods. On this basis, sampler prototypes were configured for stationary sampling and personal sampling.
Studies, based on theory, have indicated that factors such as temperature, humidity and longitudinal molecular diffusion are not likely to influence the passive sampling process. Subsequent experiments confirmed that temperature changes should not significantly affect flow rates delivered by controllers, and that molecular diffusion does not have any impact on the representativeness of long-term samples. Recovery tests provided acceptable results demonstrating that selected capillaries do not contribute to adsorption that could seriously affect the validity of this sampling approach.
Field demonstration studies were performed with both stationary and personal sampler prototypes in the indoor and outdoor environments. The performance of the sampler compared favorably, and in some instances, exceeded that of accepted methodology. These novel samplers were more reliable, had greater versatility and principally, allowed sampling periods extending from hours to a month. These inherent qualities will assist industrial hygienists and environmentalists in the study of emission sources, pollutant concentrations, dispersion, migration and control measures. This novel sampler is presently the only device available for the effective study of episodic events of VOC emission.
Selected capillary geometries acting as a restriction to the entry of ambient air into evacuated sample container can provide a simple, versatile and reliable alternative for the collection of VOCs. This approach can contribute to a better understanding of VOC effects on human health and the environment.

For the construction of a wind farm, one needs to assess the wind resources of the considered site location. Using reference time series from numerical weather prediction models, global assimilation databases or observations close to the area considered, the on-site measured wind speeds and wind directions are corrected in order to represent the actual long-term wind conditions. This long-term correction (LTC) is in the typical case performed by making use of the linear regression within the Measure-Correlate-Predict (MCP) method. This method and two other methods, Sector-Bin (SB) and Synthetic Time Series (ST), respectively, are used for the determination of the uncertainties that are associated with LTC.The test area that has been chosen in this work, is located in the region of the North Sea, using 22 quality controlled meteorological (met) station observations from offshore or nearby shore locations in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The time series that has been used cover the eight year period from 2002 to 2009 and the year with the largest variability in the wind speeds, 2007, is used as the short-term measurement period. The long-term reference datasets that have been used are the Weather Research and Forecast model, based on both ECMWF Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) and National Centers for Environmental Prediction Final Analysis (NCEP/FNL), respectively and additional reference datasets of Modern Era Re-Analysis (MERRA) and QuikSCAT satellite observations. The long-term period for all of the reference datasets despite QuikSCAT, correspond to the one of stations observations. The QuikSCAT period of observations used cover the period from November 1st, 1999 until October 31st, 2009.The analysis is divided into three parts. Initially, the uncertainty connected to the corresponding reference dataset, when used in LTC method, is investigated. Thereafter the uncertainty due to the concurrent length of the on-site measurements and reference dataset is analyzed. Finally, the uncertainty is approached using a re-sampling method of the Non-Parametric Bootstrap. The uncertainty of the LTC method SB, for a fixed concurrent length of the datasets is assessed by this methodology, in an effort to create a generic model for the estimation of uncertainty in the predicted values for SB.The results show that LTC with WRF model datasets based on NCEP/FNL and ERA-Interim, respectively, is slightly different, but does not deviate considerably in comparison when comparing with met station observations. The results also suggest the use of MERRA reference dataset in connection with long-term correction methods. However, the datasets of QuikSCAT does not provide much information regarding the overall quality of long-term correction, and a different approach than using station coordinates for the withdrawal of QuikSCAT time series is preferred. Additionally, the LTC model of Sector-Bin is found to be robust against variation in the correlation coefficient between the concurrent datasets. For the uncertainty dependence of concurrent time, the results show that an on-site measurement period of one consistent year or more, gives the lowest uncertainties compared to measurements of shorter time. An additional observation is that the standard deviation of long-term corrected means decreases with concurrent time. Despite the efforts of using the re-sampling method of Non-Parametric Bootstrap the estimation of the uncertainties is not fully determined. However, it does give promising results that are suggested for investigation in further work.
För att bygga en vindkraftspark är man i behov av att kartlägga vindresurserna i det aktuella området. Med hjälp av tidsserier från numeriska vädermodeller (NWP), globala assimileringsdatabaser och intilliggande observationer korrigeras de uppmätta vindhastigheterna och vindriktningarna för att motsvara långtidsvärdena av vindförhållandena. Dessa långtidskorrigeringsmetoder (LTC) genomförs generellt sett med hjälp av linjär regression i Mät-korrelera-predikera-metoden (MCP). Denna metod, och två andra metoder, Sektor-bin (SB) och Syntetiska tidsserier (ST), används i denna rapport för att utreda de osäkerheter som är knutna till långtidskorrigering.Det testområde som är valt för analys i denna rapport omfattas av Nordsjöregionen, med 22 meteorologiska väderobservationsstationer i Danmark, Norge och Sverige. Dessa stationer är till största del belägna till havs eller vid kusten. Tidsserierna som används täcker åttaårsperioden från 2002 till 2009, där det året med högst variabilitet i uppmätt vindhastighet, år 2007, används som den korta mätperiod som blir föremål för långtidskorrigeringen. De långa referensdataseten som använts är väderprediktionsmodellen WRF ( Weather Research and Forecast Model), baserad både på data från NCEP/FNL (National Centers for Environmental Prediciton Final Analysis) och ERA-Interim (ECMWF Interim Re-analysis). Dessutom används även data från MERRA (Modern Era Re-Analysis) och satellitobservationer från QuikSCAT. Långtidsperioden för alla dataset utom QuikSCAT omfattar samma period som observationsstationerna. QuikSCAT-datat som använts omfattar perioden 1 november 1999 till 31 oktober 2009.Analysen är indelad i tre delar. Inledningsvis behandlas osäkerheten som är kopplad till referensdatans ingående i långtidskorrigeringsmetoderna. Därefter analyseras osäkerhetens beroende av längden på den samtidiga datan i referens- och observationsdataseten. Slutligen utreds osäkerheten med hjälp av en icke-parametrisk metod, en s.k. Bootstrap: Osäkerheten i SB-metoden för en fast samtidig längd av tidsserierna från observationer och referensdatat uppskattas genom att skapa en generell modell som estimerar osäkerheten i estimatet.Resultatet visar att skillnaden när man använder WRF-modellen baserad både på NCEP/FNL och ERA-Interim i långtidskorrigeringen är marginell och avviker inte markant i förhållande till stationsobservationerna. Resultatet pekar också på att MERRA-datat kan användas som långtidsreferensdataset i långtidsdkorrigeringsmetoderna. Däremot ger inte QuikSCAT-datasetet tillräckligt med information för att avgöra om det går att använda i långtidskorrigeringsmetoderna. Därför föreslås ett annat tillvägagångssätt än stationsspecifika koordinater vid val av koordinater lämpliga för långtidskorrigering. Ytterligare ett resultat vid analys av långtidskorrigeringsmetoden SB, visar att metoden är robust mot variation i korrelationskoefficienten.Rörande osäkerhetens beroende av längden på samtidig data visar resultaten att en sammanhängande mätperiod på ett år eller mer ger den lägsta osäkerheten i årsmedelvindsestimatet, i förhållande till mätningar av kortare slag. Man kan även se att standardavvikelsen av de långtidskorrigerade medelvärdena avtar med längden på det samtidiga datat. Den implementerade ickeparametriska metoden Bootstrap, som innefattar sampling med återläggning, kan inte estimera osäkerheten till fullo. Däremot ger den lovande resultat som föreslås för vidare arbete.

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) will monitor ground beetle populations across a network of broadly distributed sites because beetles are prevalent in food webs, are sensitive to abiotic factors, and have an established role as indicator species of habitat and climatic shifts. We describe the design of ground beetle population sampling in the context of NEON's long-term, continentalscale monitoring program, emphasizing the sampling design, priorities, and collection methods. Freely available NEON ground beetle data and associated field and laboratory samples will increase scientific understanding of how biological communities are responding to land-use and climate change.

Termites are considered to be major ecosystem engineers in tropical and sub-tropical environments, and fire in savanna systems is regarded as a major and necessary disturbance for the maintenance of biodiversity. However, most fire ecology studies have focused on vegetation dynamics with little attention given to other taxa, especially invertebrates. This thesis has addressed several aspects of savanna termite ecology. First, based on a review of studies examining the relationship between fire ecology and termites, I found that few broad conclusions can be made based on the published literature. Hence little is known on the interactions between termites and ecological processes such as fire. Leading on from this, several recommendations are provided in the thesis for future research to improve ecological understanding of savannas and the dynamics that structure these systems. Second, savanna termite responses to long-term burning regimes were investigated across four distinct savanna types along a rainfall gradient in South Africa using comprehensive sampling protocols. This was achieved using experimental burning plots which have been in place in the Kruger National Park (KNP) since 1954 as well as sites in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Termite communities were found to differ significantly between these savannas with higher diversity at Pretoriuskop, a mesic savanna but not the wettest. Termite diversity was lowest at the most arid site (Mopani) but certain feeding groups peaked at Satara, a savanna with intermediate rainfall. Differences between these savannas are attributed to broad underlying changes in net primary productivity, temperature and soil type, with the role of mammalian herbivores also being considered. Seasonality was also examined and it was found that termite activity peaks in the wet and transitional seasons and is significantly lower in the dry season. Considering different fire regimes, termites, in general, were found to be highly resistant to burning, but assemblage composition was affected, this being more pronounced at the mesic savanna where fire has more effect on vegetation. These assemblage changes are linked to changes in vegetation structure caused by fire. Finally, termite ecology is often constrained by sampling difficulties and a lack of sampling protocols in savannas. A comparison of two often used sampling methods, baiting and active searching, was conducted across the savanna types studied. The efficiency of sampling method varied along the rainfall gradient and a single method was not the best for all savanna types. In mesic savannas, active searching (an often neglected sampling method in savannas) was most effective at sampling termite diversity while baiting was more effective in arid savannas, although this method is biased toward wood-feeding termites from feeding group II. Baiting also provides a better measure of termite activity than active searching. I demonstrate that termite communities differ significantly with savanna habitat and their responses to long-term burning regimes differ between these habitat types. Although termite communities were found to be quite resistant to burning, the degree of resistance differed with savanna type and management policies in protected areas and elsewhere need to take this into account when formulating conservation policies. Similarly, sampling methods differ in their efficiency at different sites which needs to be considered when designing sampling protocols in order to accurately reflect the biodiversity present.
Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010.
Zoology and Entomology
unrestricted

There is increasing public concern about the health of our environment and the burden placed on it by the way the world uses its natural resources. This requires decisions be made about the best manner to care for these resources. To make these decisions, long term ecological monitoring efforts are necessary as they provide decision makers with accurate information concerning the status of measures in time. The planning of such efforts is a study of decision making in itself. This thesis has considered ways in which those responsible for the planning of long term ecological monitoring surveys can go about this process. To start, the concept of a Decision Support System (DSS) is explored. This provides a framework under which a number of alternative decisions may be considered and the best one chosen to solve a problem. We then move on to model based methods for survey design, using the DSS concept to varying degrees. This involves specifying a model for data analysis and then designing a sampling scheme to best estimate parameters of interest under this model. One such method is to consider the power of a linear regression to detect changes in a variable over time (Gerrodette 1987). This is explored and extended upon, but it was found that some assumptions underlying the procedure may be violated in practice. In an attempt to rectify such violations a Bayesian spatiotemporal model was developed and applied to a real data set from the Queensland Department of Natural Resources (QDNR). Three approaches that use the output of this model to help design future schemes are then discussed. The first being a survey sampling approach similar to the power analysis approach already explored. The second is a simulation method, in which a hypothetical data set is sampled and modelled in an effort to select the best procedure for the decision to be made. The final approach is Bayesian survey design which closely follows the ideas of Bayesian experimental design (Chaloner & Verdinelli 1995). The aim of this approach is to select a plan that maximises a utility function which assigns a value of worth to various decisions outcomes. In this way, the decision-theoretic principles of a DSS are satisfied. This may be the best manner to proceed with the planning of a future survey design, however it is a mathematically and numerically challenging exercise.

Tsitsikamma National Park (TNP) possesses the oldest (established 1954), and one of the largest (350 km2) ‘no-take’ marine protected areas (MPA) in South Africa. A long-term monitoring (LTM) programme to observe the subtidal reef fishes in the TNP MPA was established in 2007. To date, 243 angling replicates have been completed, and a total of 2,751 fish belonging to 41 different species have been caught and released. In an era of unprecedented global biodiversity loss, data that can be used to monitor ecosystems and gauge changes in biodiversity through time are essential. This thesis aims to improve the methodological and statistical processes currently available for LTM of subtidal reef fish by providing an evaluation of the TNP MPA LTM programme. Angling data revealed definitive spatial structuring, in the form of spatial autocorrelation, and a shift in viewing spatial dependency as a statistical obstacle to a source of ecological information created a new avenue of data inference. Species-specific distribution maps identified localized habitat as the main predictor variable for species abundance, emphasizing the need for accurate a priori bathymetric information for subtidal monitoring. ‘Random forest’ analyses confirmed spatial variables are more important than temporal variables in predicting species abundance. The effectiveness of Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GAMMs) to account for spatial autocorrelation was highlighted, and evidence that disregarding spatial dependencies in temporal analyses can produce erroneous results was illustrated in the case of dageraad (Chrysoblephus cristiceps). Correlograms indicated that the current sampling strategy produced spatially redundant data and the sampling unit size (150 m2) could be doubled to optimize sampling. Temporal analyses demonstrated that after 50 years of ‘no take’ protection the TNP MPA ichthyofauna exhibits a high level of stability. Species-specific size structure was also found to be highly stable. Dageraad was the only species to exhibit a definitive temporal trend in their size structure, which was attributed to recruitment variation and the possibility that large individuals may migrate out of the study area. The inadequacy of angling as a method for monitoring a broad spectrum of the fish species was highlighted, particularly due to its selectivity towards large predators. As a result, a new sampling technique known as Stereo Baited Remote Underwater Videos (stereo-BRUVs) was introduced to the LTM programme in 2013. Stereo-BRUVs enabled sampling of 2640 fish belonging to 52 different species, from 57 samples collected in less than two years. A comparison of the sampling methods concluded that, compared to angling, stereo-BRUVs provide a superior technique that can survey a significantly larger proportion of the ichthyofauna with minimal length-selectivity biases. In addition, stereo-BRUVs possess a higher statistical power to detect changes in population abundance. However, a potential bias in the form of ‘hyperstability’ in sites with unusually high fish densities was identified as a possible flaw when using stereo-BRUVs. In an attempt to provide a more rigorous method evaluation, simulation testing was employed to assess the ability of angling and stereo-BRUVs to accurately describe a decreasing population. The advantage of this approach is that the simulated population abundances are known, so that each sampling method can be tested in terms of how well it tracks known abundance trends. The study established that stereo- BRUVs provided more accurate data when describing a distinct population decline of roman (Chrysoblephus laticeps) over 10- and 20-year periods. In addition, spawner-biomass was found to be a more accurate population estimate than relative abundance estimates (CPUE and MaxN) due to the inclusion of population size structure information, highlighting the importance of length-frequency data. The study illustrated that an evaluation framework that utilizes simulation testing has the potential to optimize LTM sampling procedures by addressing a number of methodological questions. This includes developing a procedure that aligns data collected from different sampling methods by applying correction factors, thus ensuring LTM programmes are able to adapt sampling strategies without losing data continuity.

Conserver les espèces pollinisatrices est un enjeu majeur, notamment en milieu agricole où elles sont indispensables à la pollinisation de différentes cultures. Ici, nous avons décidé de caractériser ces espèces et leurs ressources florales dans une plaine céréalière intensive, à travers l’utilisation de plusieurs années de données acquises grâce à plusieurs protocoles d’échantillonnage. Cette plaine se caractérise par une forte dynamique spatio-temporelle, résultant des floraisons massives mais brèves des cultures oléagineuses. Nous avons recensé sur cette plaine près d’un tiers des espèces d’abeilles trouvées en France, dont certaines sont rares, et avons cherché à mieux comprendre leur écologie afin d’aider au maintien de cette diversité. Les abeilles co-occurrent avec d’autres pollinisateurs (papillons, syrphes) qui sont pour certains peu étudiés dans la littérature : une analyse de la niche alimentaire de l’ensemble de ces pollinisateurs a permis de mieux comprendre leur partage des ressources. La floraison du tournesol, contrairement à celle du colza, conduit à un faible recouvrement de niche entre pollinisateurs mais crée des réseaux d’interaction peu équilibrés où la quasi-totalité des liens de la fleur de culture s’établissent avec une seule espèce pollinisatrice, l’abeille domestique. À l’inverse, lors de la floraison du colza, l’abeille domestique et la fleur de colza possèdent chacune de nombreux partenaires d’interaction et sont des espèces clés maintenant une forte stabilité du réseau. Établir une dichotomie entre ces cultures à floraison massive – trop souvent considérées de manière monolithique – semble judicieux pour les recherches futures
The conservation of pollinators is a major issue, especially in farmlands where they are essential for pollinating different crops. Here, we have decided to characterize these species and their floral resources in an intensive agricultural plain, using several years of data acquired thanks to several sampling protocols. This plain is characterized by a strong spatio-temporal dynamic, resulting from the massive but brief flowering of oleaginous plants crops. In this study site, we have sampled nearly a third of the bee species already found in France, some of them being rare, and have sought to better understand their ecology in order to help to maintain this species diversity. Bees co-occur with other pollinators (butterflies, hoverflies), among which some are little studied in previous literature: an analysis of the food habits of all of these pollinators has enabled to better understand their sharing of floral resources. The sunflower flowering, unlike that of oilseed rape, leads to a low niche overlap between pollinators but creates unbalanced interaction networks where almost all the links of the crop flower are established with a single pollinator species, the honeybee. Conversely, during oilseed rape flowering, the honeybee and the oilseed rape flower each have many interaction partners and are key species, maintaining a strong network stability. Introduce a dichotomy between these both mass-flowering crops – too often considered as monolithic – seems a wise advice for future research

碩士
國立成功大學
環境醫學研究所
96
Conventional samplers are often criticized for limited application in conducting long-term monitoring of viable bioaerosols. In this study, a newly equipment, using the porous foam coated with liquid medium as a collection subtract to maintain the viability of collected microbial particles, was developed. Our particle generation system within a constructed exposure chamber was considered stable with a coefficient of variation (CV) for number concentrations being only 6-11 % over 8 hr nebulization process, compared to previous research (CV =15 % over 2 hr). The overall physical collection efficiency of this instrument for Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli decreased while sampling time prolong to 8 hr (average 70-45 % for both species), yet, the result was better than that of the past study (best at 40%). The modified biological recovery rate (mBR), decreased while test sampling time prolong to 8 hr, respectively. Yet, we found that the mBR for stress-sensitive species, E. coli (3.9 %), was similar with other studies while the sampling interval set within 2 hr (4 %) and the mBR for robust species, B. subtilis (60-53 %), was better than that of other study (32 %). Furthermore, the other sampling performance factor, colony survival rate (CS), ranged from 67 % to 15 % for B. subtilis; 53 % to 0.1 % for E. coli, respectively. The CS obtained in this study (67-48 % for B. subtilis; 53-34 % for E. coli) showed a far better rate as compared with other studies (15%) while sampling for 1-4 hr. Besides, the results from the side-by-side sampling instrument performance comparison test represented that this foam-based sampler showed a better relative survival rate than the reference sampler - BioSampler over 2 h and 4 h sampling period. In the future work, some aspect of this sampler need to be further tested, eventually, after this equipment is well development, the data about long-term exposure to viable bioaeorsols and the further relationship between human health could be conducted.

This Master’s research program was undertaken as part of the Hakai Ancient Landscapes Archaeology Project in Heiltsuk and Wuikinuxv Territories on the Central Pacific Coast of British Columbia (BC), Canada. The project tested the utility of applying vibracore technology to sample a shell midden site on Hecate Island on the BC Central Coast. This revealed that the earliest archaeological occupation began approximately 6,000 years ago, continuing into the 16th Century AD. Analysis using 21 radiocarbon dates from six core samples shows the site was repeatedly occupied and accumulated consistently throughout the tested area and extended to a depth of 544 cm depth below surface. Sampled sediments were utilized to evaluate evidence of fisheries resource management through time with reference to the nearby, intensively-studied archaeological site Namu (ElSx-1). Zooarchaeological results show the herring (Clupea pallasii), salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), rockfish (Sebastes spp.) and greenling (Hexagrammos spp.) were fished persistently and in similar abundances through the occupation of the site. Overall results for vertebrate fauna reveal the total number of specimens is 19,173 and the total number of identified specimens is 6,566. Results also show a consistent harvest of certain shellfish taxa (e.g., mussel and barnacle), however shellfish weight per litre increases through time. When comparing the relative abundance of herring and salmon through time at Namu and EjTa-13, results show that salmon at Namu was more abundant than at EjTa-13. This is likely due to the productivity of salmon in the Namu River adjacent to the site. Alternatively, herring remains were represented similarly between sites indicating the resource was equally desirable at EjTa-13 and Namu. Surprisingly, a large number of very small artifacts of various materials were also recovered (an estimated 550 artifacts per cubic metre of cultural sediments), which indicates that the field and laboratory methods used are especially conducive to the recovery of small items. These results show a persistent and sustainable local fishery through six millennia until the contact period.
Graduate
2018-12-15

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Mercury (Hg) has proven to be a risk to the public, mainly through the consumption of fish. Because of this, many fish consumption advisories have been issued in Indiana. Although much is known about the global cycle of mercury, little is known about how local and regional emission sources of mercury impact local and regional mercury cycling. This study’s objective was to determine the scope of mercury concentration in central Indiana by using a broad grid of soil mercury measurements. Sampling was designed to capture the net retained mercury content in soils, and to determine whether spatial patterns in exist in soil mercury contents that could be related to emission sources of mercury and post-emission transport patterns from wind. Results from this study revealed significant differences in mercury concentrations for soils in central Indiana. The core of the study area, concentrated in the urban area of Indianapolis, exhibited soil mercury contents that were 20 times higher than values in the outskirts of the study area. The spatial pattern resembled a bulls-eye shape centered on Indianapolis, and with comparison to the reported Hg emission from local sources, including a coal-fired power plant, indicates a strong regional deposition signal linked to those emission sources but marked by wind-driven transport to the northeast. This effect of local emission sources resulting in local deposition indicates that limiting mercury emissions will have a net beneficial impact on local environmental quality and human health.

The Polar regions are considered to be particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change. Although there is evidence for warming in the Antarctic during the last century, few long-term ecological monitoring programmes have been initiated in this region. Zooplankton have been demonstrated to be excellent environmental indicators and in 1991 a Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey was established in the Southern Ocean south of Australia for monitoring purposes. Using data collected between October 2001 and March 2002 this thesis aimed to provide baseline data for the Southern Ocean CPR survey, and the first high resolution (— 5 nm), ocean-basin scale sampling of zooplankton communities south of Australia. As a primary step the sampling characteristics of the CPR were investigated by direct comparison of depth integrated NORPAC net samples with CPR samples (average depth — 10.5 m). Data were collected on a repeat transect along 140°E, between November and December 2001. Species richness and Shannon-Weaver diversity increased, while dominance decreased with depth. The CPR under-represented components of the zooplankton community relative to NORPAC samples from the equivalent depth zone (0-20 m), particularly fast moving and soft bodied taxa, however, both of these surface sample groups were characterised by high densities of Oithona similis and appendicularia. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the CPR effectively identified the location of the biogeographic boundary represented by the Southern Sub-Antarctic Front (SAF-S). After calibration of the CPR, two major components of natural ecosystem variability were investigated: spatial and temporal. The fine-scale horizontal structure of zooplankton communities was quantified from an 1170 nm transect along 140°E, conducted between 25 February and 3 March 2002. Six distinct zooplankton communities were identified, characterised by sharp boundaries which were strongly correlated with oceanographic fronts, demonstrating both the biogeographic importance of fronts and the sensitivity of zooplankton to their physical environment. The high degree of community complexity south of Australia reflected the regions unique oceanographic structure, characterised by multiple branches of the Sub-Antarctic Front, Polar Front, and Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front. Zooplankton communities were also influenced by phytoplankton community structure and mesoscale processes (e.g. eddy shedding, cross-frontal advection). The seasonal component of temporal variability was investigated for two distinct regions, the SIZ and the Sub-Antarctic / Polar Frontal Zone (SAZ / PFZ). Six transects were completed in the SIZ between November and March along 140°E, where the SIZ is characteristically narrow. Zooplankton densities were low before ice melt (22-28 November transect). Peak densities (1963 ind.m-3) were recorded on the 10-15 January transect, dominated by small copepods, large calanoid copepodites (C1-3), Rhincalanus gigas, foraminiferans, pteropods and appendicularians. The densities of these "Peak Community" taxa decreased through February and March. Conversely, the densities of > C4 copepodite Calanoides acutus, Calanus propinquus and C. simillimus, Salpa thompsoni (salps) and Euphausia superba (krill) increased through the season, and these taxa had become important community components by March. Six transects were completed in the SAZ / PFZ at monthly intervals between October and March. Community structure was dominated by a small group of taxa throughout the season, including foraminiferans, Oithona spp., appendicularians, Calanus simillimus, Rhincalanus gigas, Ctenocalanus citer, Clausocalanus spp., pteropods and chaetognaths. Salps were an important component north of the SF-N throughout the season. Unlike the SIZ no seasonal shift in community structure was evident in the SAZ / PFZ. Peak densities to the north and south of the northern Sub-Antarctic Front were recorded in February and March respectively indicating a poleward lag in seasonal development. The CPR was demonstrated to be an extremely effective sampling apparatus in the Southern Ocean. The high resolution spatial and seasonal data collected during this study gave unique insights into Southern Ocean zooplankton ecology, and provided a base against which future variability, both inter-annual and long-term, can be measured.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
A move toward care of residents in nursing homes where they are respected and heard is finally emerging. Common strategies used in nursing homes to improve quality of care for residents are integration of person-centered care and assessing care using satisfaction surveys. Although approaches of integrating person-centered care and satisfaction surveys have been valuable in improving nursing home quality, strategies of care that include things that matter from residents’ perspectives while living in nursing homes need investigation. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe things that residents age 65 and older state matter to them while living in the long-term care sections of nursing homes. A qualitative mode of inquiry using purposeful sampling led to a natural unfolding of data that revealed things that mattered to residents. Content analysis was used to reduce the data in a manner that kept the data close to the context yet moved the data toward new ideas about including things that mattered to residents in nursing care. The findings revealed residents’ positive and negative experiences and addressed the question: How can nurses manage residents’ positive and negative aspects of care in nursing homes? This study substantiated the importance of developing nursing care strategies derived from residents’ descriptions of care. Finding ways to promote nurses’ investment in attitudes about a person-centered care philosophy is essential for successful person-centered care implementation. Enhancing nurses’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes with an investment in person centeredness will be more likely to put nurses in a position to role-model care that is person-centered from residents’ perspectives.