Wildlife management deals with problems concerning sustainable harvest, conservation of threatened species and adjustment of wildlife populations to levels acceptable to for instance forestry, agriculture, traffic and conservation interests. A detailed knowledge of the population is then required. It is therefore important to develop reliable and cost-efficient survey methods. The purpose of this study was to test the distance sampling method where objects are observed while walking along a line, as a way of counting deer pellet groups and to compare the results with ordinary plot surveys. The inventory speed for distance sampling increases with increasing amount of droppings/km2. The amount of droppings seems to have little or no effect on the inventory speed of the plot survey method. Therefore the plot survey method could be a better alternative than the distance sampling method when the densities of droppings are high and vice versa. When comparing the two methods estimates of animal densities with data (orally) from game managers based on other surveys and flying observations and estimations in the different areas, both methods showed too low density for red deer in Valinge. This indicates that the supplementary feeding seem to have an effect on the results of red deer density for both methods.

<p>Analyzing the ever-increasing data of unprecedented scale, dimensionality, diversity, and complexity poses considerable challenges to conventional approaches of statistical modeling. Bayesian nonparametrics constitute a promising research direction, in that such techniques can fit the data with a model that can grow with complexity to match the data. In this dissertation we consider nonparametric Bayesian modeling with completely random measures, a family of pure-jump stochastic processes with nonnegative increments. In particular, we study dictionary learning for sparse image representation using the beta process and the dependent hierarchical beta process, and we present the negative binomial process, a novel nonparametric Bayesian prior that unites the seemingly disjoint problems of count and mixture modeling. We show a wide variety of successful applications of our nonparametric Bayesian latent variable models to real problems in science and engineering, including count modeling, text analysis, image processing, compressive sensing, and computer vision.</p> / Dissertation

This thesis investigates the function of number marking in Persian, within the framework of principles and parameters (P&P), and its relationship to inflectional and derivational number marking. Following the assumption in Distributed Morphology that inflectional and derivational morphology are not distinct, the distribution and properties of number marking in Persian provide evidence for both inflectional and derivational number marking. Assuming the two parameters of number marking (Wiltschko, 2007, 2008), number marking as a functional head and number marking as a modifier, I propose that number marking in Persian is mainly inflectional while number functions as a functional head; moreover, I propose that number marking in Persian can be derivational while number functions as a modifier. This explains that number morphology in Persian is not split to either inflectional or derivational. Rather, following Booij’s (1993, 1995) claim that inflectional morphology can be used contextually as well as inherently, I propose that number morphology in Persian is inflectional while number is a functional head; however, it has inherent residues as a modifier. Considering the functions of inflectional plural morphology in Persian, I argue that the functional category Number Phrase (NumP) is projected in Persian, and number is generated in the head of this functional category. Besides, Persian is a classifier language in which classifiers are in complementary distribution with plural marking. Following Borer’s (2005) discussion of the complementary distribution of plural marking and classifiers in Armenian, I argue that the head of NumP in Persian is either occupied by the plural maker or by full/empty classifiers. Moreover, I show that the presence of bare singulars/plurals in certain syntactic positions in Persian is related to the projection/non-projection of NumP.

Currently, there is no standard protocol to identify students who are gifted in science. If students are identified as gifted early on in elementary school, teachers and parents can foster their interest, increasing the students’ knowledge, value, and affect as well as their willingness to re-engage science (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002; Gottfried & Gottfried, 1996; Häussler 1987; Neber & Schommer-Aikins, 2002; Osborne, 2003; Schunk, Pintrich, & Meece, 2008). In this study, a brief student identification form was developed for elementary school teachers to complete. The form was based on Hidi and Renninger’s (2006) four-phase model of interest development. The form was one piece of a more comprehensive identification protocol. Students in grades second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth from six Warren County elementary schools were asked to participate in this study. However, due to insufficient data, grades two and six were not used after collection. Few sixth grade teachers completed the forms and second graders did not take the ITBS. This study primarily focused on identifying students from underrepresented populations. These six schools, Cumberland Trace, Bristow, Lost River, Oakland, Richardsville, and North Warren, were chosen based on their larger population of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch.

This thesis investigates the function of number marking in Persian, within the framework of principles and parameters (P&P), and its relationship to inflectional and derivational number marking. Following the assumption in Distributed Morphology that inflectional and derivational morphology are not distinct, the distribution and properties of number marking in Persian provide evidence for both inflectional and derivational number marking. Assuming the two parameters of number marking (Wiltschko, 2007, 2008), number marking as a functional head and number marking as a modifier, I propose that number marking in Persian is mainly inflectional while number functions as a functional head; moreover, I propose that number marking in Persian can be derivational while number functions as a modifier. This explains that number morphology in Persian is not split to either inflectional or derivational. Rather, following Booij’s (1993, 1995) claim that inflectional morphology can be used contextually as well as inherently, I propose that number morphology in Persian is inflectional while number is a functional head; however, it has inherent residues as a modifier. Considering the functions of inflectional plural morphology in Persian, I argue that the functional category Number Phrase (NumP) is projected in Persian, and number is generated in the head of this functional category. Besides, Persian is a classifier language in which classifiers are in complementary distribution with plural marking. Following Borer’s (2005) discussion of the complementary distribution of plural marking and classifiers in Armenian, I argue that the head of NumP in Persian is either occupied by the plural maker or by full/empty classifiers. Moreover, I show that the presence of bare singulars/plurals in certain syntactic positions in Persian is related to the projection/non-projection of NumP.

Surface mucus of a freshwater fish, Alburnus alburnus (bleak), caught from Lake Mogan, situated in south of Ankara, was collected in different seasons. The total cultivable bacteria were enumerated by spread plate method on nine different media. Bacteria were isolated based on colony morphologies and pigmentation. A total of sixty bacterial isolates obtained. The mucus-dwelling bacteria were first tested for resistance against ampicillin and kanamycin / then streptomycin and chloramphenicol were added to the experimental set up. The resistance levels of isolates were determined in terms of four antibiotics by tube dilution method. About 90% of the isolates were resistant to chloramphenicol, about 84% to kanamycin, about 88% to streptomycin and about 98% to ampicillin. These high levels of antibiotic resistance are rather interesting from a standpoint that the lake has no record of antibiotics exposure of any sort. The plasmid isolations were carried out to determine if the multiple antibiotic resistance could be attributed to plasmids for starting assumption. But we found no direct relationship between the presence of plasmids and multiple antibiotic resistance. Our study indicated that multiple antibiotic resistance at high levels is among the current phenotypes of the fish mucus-dwelling bacterial populations in Lake Mogan.

ABSTRACT AVIAN COMMUNITY PATTERNS IN THE LESSER CAUCASUS (NORTHEASTERN TURKEY) ATKIN GEN&Ccedil / OgLU, G&uuml / lden M. Sc., Department of Biological Sciences Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. C. Can Bilgin December 2007, 78 pages Species composition, diversity and species-habitat relations are widely used to describe communities. This study aimed to document diversity, composition and habitat relations of avian communities of the Turkish Lesser Caucasus by using point counts and multivariate analyses. 2845 individuals of 101 bird species were observed at 215 stations located in the study area. Point counts were revealed to be a useful method for terrestrial birds, especially passerines. Species richness and diversity changed significantly within parts of the study area and one particular sub-region was found to be considerably more diverse than the other three. Division of the Lesser Caucasus region into sub-ecoregions may not be justified using bird assemblages since habitat parameters, especially the presence of woody vegetation, seemed to be a better predictor of species composition than geographical proximity. Documented bird and habitat associations provide valuable information on the factors which affect bird occurrence or abundance. Baseline data provided by this study will help detect and understand changes in bird populations in the future. Keywords: avian community, species composition, species diversity, point count method, bird-habitat relationship

The mucus-dwelling bacteria previously isolated from the surface of a freshwater fish species (Alburnus alburnus from Lake Mogan, Ankara), were studied to discover their cobalt resistance. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined for a total of thirty six bacterial isolates. The results of the resistance studies led us to design experiments on adaptation to cobalt and subsequent memory retention. Three selected isolates were exposed to an inhibitory cobalt concentration as a mixed culture and individually. The delayed formation of colonies along with competitive exclusion of one of the isolates in the mixed culture were recorded. The delay for colony formation was followed up for liquid culture conditions. After some of our isolates acclimated to cobalt and started to exhibit constant time of growth period, it is assumed that they were adapted. We regarded adaptation as a result of memory formation. Next, we did a further study to find out how long this memory could be retained via serial multiple passages in cobalt free medium. We expressed our observations quantitatively by measuring the growth by using spectrophotometer and by performing viable counts. Interestingly, where there was a high CFU, the photometric values were very low. We interpreted the finding such that the presence of cobalt above tolerance limits were causing size reduction in the cells. So that their presence was underestimated by optic devices in visible range. Our study hinted that freshwater bacteria was adapting cobalt in a memory based mechanism and able to retain this memory for some time.

<p>Wildlife management deals with problems concerning sustainable harvest, conservation of threatened species and adjustment of wildlife populations to levels acceptable to for instance forestry, agriculture, traffic and conservation interests. A detailed knowledge of the population is then required. It is therefore important to develop reliable and cost-efficient survey methods.</p><p>The purpose of this study was to test the distance sampling method where objects are observed while walking along a line, as a way of counting deer pellet groups and to compare the results with ordinary plot surveys.</p><p>The inventory speed for distance sampling increases with increasing amount of droppings/km2. The amount of droppings seems to have little or no effect on the inventory speed of the plot survey method. Therefore the plot survey method could be a better alternative than the distance sampling method when the densities of droppings are high and vice versa.</p><p>When comparing the two methods estimates of animal densities with data (orally) from game managers based on other surveys and flying observations and estimations in the different areas, both methods showed too low density for red deer in Valinge. This indicates that the supplementary feeding seem to have an effect on the results of red deer density for both methods.</p>

<p>I denna rapport predikteras livslängden, med avseende på utmattning, för en hjullastarskopa. Två av de mest kritiska svetsarna utvärderas enligt IIW:s (International Institute of Welding) rekommendationer genom nominella spänningsmetoden, hot spot-metoden och effective notch-metoden. Beräkningarna utförs med hjälp av finita elementmetoden. Genom att utföra töjningsmätningar på hjullastarskopan i drift erhålls spänningsdiagram. Dessa uppmätta spänningsdiagram analyseras med rain-flow count-metoden. Med ett antaget samband mellan rain-flow count-histogrammet och de beräknade spänningarna i svets och givarposition, konverteras rain-flow count-histogrammet till att gälla svetsen. Livslängsberäkningarna baseras på de konverterade rain-flow count-histogrammen.</p>