Identifying forces that affect population dynamics can allow us to better understand the distribution and abundance of animals. Both top-down and bottom-up factors can significantly influence animal populations. Mason bees (members of the genus Osmia; Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) are important pollinators for agricultural systems and are vulnerable to exploitation by brood parasites, such as kleptoparasitic wasps. High levels of nesting density have the potential to increase rates of brood parasitism by attracting larger numbers of parasites to areas with aggregations of nests. I conducted a field study in subalpine meadows at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado, USA, to assess whether mason bees suffer increased brood parasitism as the size of nesting aggregations increases. Mason bees were allowed to nest in artificial nest boxes and establish natural variations in numbers of nesting individuals within nest boxes. Nest cells constructed by bees were then checked for the presence of kleptoparasite larvae shortly after they were completed. Overall, nest cells constructed in blocks containing multiple active bees were significantly more likely to be oviposited in by brood parasites compared to cells constructed in blocks with fewer active nesting bees. This suggests that gathering in large aggregations for nesting can negatively affect populations of mason bees, given the high levels of brood parasitism observed in areas of high nesting density. In addition, the last nest cell in mason bee nests was significantly more likely to be parasitized than inner cells, suggesting bees may be abandoning nests that are parasitized, representing a potential defensive response of bees to brood parasitism. These results have implications for the management of mason bees as agricultural pollinators, as cultivating them in large groups could reduce their survival.

This thesis was concerned with work in preparation for the commissioning of the TRIUMF cyclotron magnet. The experiments were centred around a 1/10 scale model of the cyclotron magnet. Computer calculation and model measurements were made of a model combination magnet. Extraction fields of the cyclotron were measured and the stripping foil locus determined. The interaction of the cyclotron magnet and the combination magnet was determined. A 1/10 scale model Triple Hall Probe was constructed and precisely calibrated. Its performance was tested and surveys made in the model. Finally the characteristics of the trim coils to be used in the cyclotron were measured. / Science, Faculty of / Physics and Astronomy, Department of / Graduate

This report examines some of the work that has been done in preparing for the shimming and subsequent trimming involved in commissioning the TRIUMF magnet. A series of experiments was done to determine the exact changes in the average field and in the focusing properties resulting when different sizes of shims were placed at various positions on the pole piece. The components of the focusing changes were broken down, using a linear approximation, so as to examine the factors causing them. In order to facilitate shimming, a computer program was developed which used this data to predict the amount of steel to be placed at each position on the magnet pole piece in order to give the best improvement to both the average field and the focusing. This program was tested on a 10:1 model and found to reduce errors in the average field to 20% of the original after two iterations, at the same time improving the focusing, although it tended to break down at significant spiral angels when large corrections were required. The cause for this breakdown was indicated and an improvement procedure recommended. Finally, a series of experiments, using a computer program, were made to determine the trim coil capacities that would be needed. It was found that these capacities were significantly lower than had previously been expected. / Science, Faculty of / Physics and Astronomy, Department of / Graduate

This thesis is an examination of the work of William Mason, an eighteenth-century poet who, though highly regarded in his own time, is little known in ours. The thesis seeks to revalidate Mason as a poet worthy of attention in the twenty-first century. The Introduction contextualises Mason, both socially and culturally. Emphasis is given to the importance of Whig politics in his life and works, and to the influence upon him from an early age of the philosophy of John Locke. Attention is also drawn to Mason’s ability as an innovative adaptor of ancient genres, the importance to him of Milton’s verse, and the relevance of his ‘public’ poetry to modern Britain. The first part of Chapter One provides an overview of Mason’s poetic trajectory, from his popularity in the eighteenth century to his decline in the nineteenth. The general loss of interest in eighteenth-century poetry, and its revival in the twentieth, is considered. In the second part of the chapter, Mason’s youthful poetic claim to be the literary and moral descendant of Milton and Pope is examined in the context of his early monody, and its innovative purpose and style. Attention is drawn to the intertextuality that informs much of the poetry discussed in this thesis. The treatment of the Pindaric ode in the hands of earlier poets, and Mason’s far more authentic one, are subsequently discussed. Examples are given which illustrate Mason’s successful treatment of the genre, and of his concern with the preoccupations of the age. In Chapter Two Mason’s georgic, The English Garden, is examined. Consideration is given to Mason’s choice of Miltonic form, to the poet’s employment of his subject, gardening, as a representation of the state of the nation, and to the poet’s personal involvement in the verse in a variety of manifestations. His success in matching subject to form is demonstrated. Mason’s correspondence with Walpole concerning the American war, his collaboration with William Burgh, and his use of prose as well as poetry for political purposes, are discussed. Chapter Three provides a brief account of the attitudes to satire from the late seventeenth century to Pope’s death, and goes on to look at Mason’s own satire. His satires are discussed in the context of his political and literary relationships with Walpole, Gray, Pope and Churchill, and his concern with the issue of slavery is foregrounded. The individual satires are examined, and examples explored of Mason’s novel and varying employment of the genre in the service of his Whig viewpoint. The Conclusion draws together the points made in the body of the text, and claims a place for Mason amongst the eighteenth-century poets rediscovered by recent scholarship.

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Insulating the exterior wall of an historic property can have the benefits of increasing thermal comfort for occupants as well as reducing energy use for heating and cooling. Concerns expressed by preservationists that insulation can lead to the degradation of the building structure or its historic fabric. Using the Park Inn Hotel, an early twentieth century commercial property designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the application, feasibility, ramifications and potential benefits of applying insulation to the exterior wall was studied. Analysis for insulation includes evaluation of the historic characteristics, construction of the exterior wall, heat loss calculations, and how moisture will be transported through the wall. It was found that the key to determining if the exterior wall of a historic building can be insulated successfully without damage to the historic characteristics of the building or to the building itself, is in understanding how the building was designed and how it deals with moisture. With a thorough understanding of these elements, one can ascertain if insulating the exterior wall of his/her historic building is appropriate. / Department of Architecture

Thesis (Ph. D.)--George Peabody College for Teachers, 1962. / "Supplementary list of published addresses on sacred music in chronological order." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 574-599).

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of History, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-48).

A consistent theme in author Bobbie Ann Mason's short story collection Shiloh and Other Stories is a break from the traditional religious customs of the U.S. South. As children become adults and move away and as marriages crumble, characters' Christian faith fades, entering their minds only frustrated disillusion. Through their scathing, sarcastic quips and references, Mason's characters exhibit distaste for the traditional attitude toward Christianity in the South. Therefore, Mason's stories deconstruct not only the notion of Christianity's role in the South, but that of the communal strength of family. Using Martyn Bone's definition of "postsouthern" literature in his book The Postsouthern Sense of Place in Contemporary Fiction as literature that shatters previous preconceptions of the South, this research seeks to show how Mason's work fits into this burgeoning literary realm although unmentioned in Bone's book.