Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2005. / Supervisor: Denys deCatanzaro. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 136-175)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Ecology and Evolution, March 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-155).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2008. / Principal faculty advisor: Douglas W. Tallamy, Dept. of Entomology & Wildlife Ecology. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 186-205). Also available on the World Wide Web.

A UAV swarm is simulated using Horizon Simulation Framework. The asset utilized for the swarm agent is a simplified model of the MQ-1 Predator, a large fixed-wing aircraft. The simulated swarm utilizes a decentralized cooperative control approach to command the assets through the use of digital pheromones and a pheromone map. Each vehicle operates at steady-state flight conditions of 36 m/s with an altitude of 1,800 m, and utilize an LQR set-point controller to maneuver through the pheromone map. All pheromone and aircraft related models are written in Python to expand the HSF scripting capability and include airborne scenarios. The simulation study focuses in the variation of three parameters in the repelling pheromone model. The first two are the update and deposit parameters with values of 2, 10, and 18. The third is the threshold parameter with values of 1e-02, 1e-10, and 1e-18. The lower parameter values provide more time-on-target while the higher parameters allow the swarm to search the surrounding area by only visiting the grid-space once.

Normal male dwarf African clawed frogs, Hymenochirus sp., possess bilateral, sexually dimorphic, subcutaneous breeding glands just posterior to the forelimbs. Previous studies have shown these glands release pheromones that attract conspecific females. This thesis shows the pheromones also stimulate the reproductive system of conspecific females. Females exposed to normal males prior to mating then allowed to mate with the normal males released a higher number of eggs than females who were not exposed to normal males prior to mating. Microscopic examination of ovarian tissue revealed that females exposed to normal males also produced more highly-developed oocytes than did females not exposed to normal males. These results suggest male Hymenochirus use pheromones not only to attract potential mates, but to increase female receptivity and readiness to mate. Evolutionarily, these pheromonal effects would likely benefit males by increasing their chances of breeding, increasing the number of eggs released by their mates, and thus the number of offspring in the next generation.

No description available.

The goal of this research was to improve the understanding of the dynamics of male gypsy moth-pheromone trap interactions and the ecological factors that influence moth capture in pheromone traps. Defoliation, the most obvious expression of high density gypsy moth populations, may have a significant influence on gypsy moth population dynamics. This research focused on the use of defoliation and defoliation related processes to study moth capture in pheromone traps. Male moth wing length was found to decrease substantially only when defoliation exceeded a threshold level of ca. 40%, resulting in moths with either large or small wings. Moth wing length, determined from moths captured in intensively monitored traps, was found to accurately estimate whether or not defoliation exceeded ca. 40% in the vicinity of the trap. However, for traps serviced less intensively, male wing length provided a poor estimate of defoliation. Larval development (using degree-days as a physiological measure of time) in sixteen plots was not altered as a result of varying levels of defoliation, but pupal phenology was significantly influenced by the level of defoliation . Despite distinct differences in pupal phenology, there were no differences in male moth capture over time in pheromone traps attributable to defoliation. A broad relationship between the number of moths captured and egg mass density was developed. The spatial and temporal characteristics of gypsy moth populations were examined using a combination of field studies and defoliation maps. This information, in conjunction with data on wing length and the relationship between moths per trap and egg mass density, was used to develop an algorithm to interpret moth capture in pheromone traps to monitor gypsy moth populations. / Ph. D.