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This dissertation describes arthropod responses to and effects on decay processes in ponderosa pine, a dominant forest canopy tree in northern California. We used both descriptive and experimental field techniques to establish how arthropod assemblages depend on and are important to the disintegration of woody structures in forests of this type. The first study used pitfall traps placed within and on the outsides of fallen, large old ponderosa pine trees to establish the effects of microenvironments created during tree death. We studied the internal and external structures of fallen trees as well as the forest floor in canopy gaps and in the surrounding undisturbed forest. Five trees were surveyed, representing a decay sequence from newly dead and with distinct canopy gap, to well-decayed with recovering canopy. Arthropod assemblages were distinct among the different microenvironments, but were less so with increasing tree/gap age. Differences between tree and soil faunae decreased with increasing decay, as did the differences between gap and non-gap catches from the forest floor. The second study used experimental exclusion techniques to examine how longitudinal (bark beetle) and transverse (woodboring) insect colonists could influence rates of mass loss and carbon respiration from young, dead ponderosa pine. We found that both groups enhanced the prevalence of staining fungi in the sapwood, which in turn was negatively related to the degree of structural failure in the sapwood, associated with decay fungi. Carbon respiration was positively related to sapwood structural failure and we believe that the two insect groups act in concert to suppress wood decomposition in this system. This is contrary to prevailing wisdom among forest practitioners who have suspected that decay and insect activity are positively correlated, but in agreement with laboratory studies showing antagonism between stain and decay fungi. Lastly, we observed that neither forest harvesting nor fire had strong effects on the development of exemplar taxa from decay communities in ponderosa pine two years post-treatment. Though time since treatment did affect all functional groups inside of logs, only undisturbed old-growth treatments showed a reduced variability in composition, leading us to suspect effects to emerge at longer time intervals. / Graduation date: 2004

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wyoming, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Dec. 4, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

In an upland forest in the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA), Ontario, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in precipitation increased with passage through a forest canopy, as throughfall and stemflow. A maximum mean concentration of 67 mg/l occurred in the forest floor, which decreased to 11 mg/l in the B horizon, as DOC was sequestered in the soil. High DOC concentrations were measured in an ephemeral stream draining the upland, as a result of saturated overland flow, and the leaching of litter and woody material. / Porewater DOC concentrations decreased with depth in two bogs. The porewater DOC was comprised primarily of acidic fractions (70 to 87%), with a predominance of hydrophobic acids. The bogs were significant sources of DOC, exporting between 17.2 and 29.4 g DOC/m$ sp2$ over the study period. In 1993, a bog was flooded simulating the creation of a hydroelectric reservoir, and resulting in significant increases in porewater DOC concentrations at the surface. A maximum surface concentration of 223 mg/l was measured in late September. The flooding of the bog also resulted in significant increases in DOC concentrations in the draining waters, with the outflow of the watershed increasing from a mean of 20.5 mg/l in 1992, to 14.7 mg/l in 1993.

The Arctic environment is changing rapidly. The purposes of this study were: (1) to predict the possible changes of diet composition and the subsequent changes in nutrient intakes as a result of environmental changes; (2) to explore the possibility of minimizing the contaminant exposure while maintaining the energy and nutrient intakes using liner modeling. It was found that a decrease of 10% or 50% of caribou or ringed seal will result in decreases for many key nutrients such as protein, zinc, and iron. It is theoretically feasible to minimize each contaminant intake while maintaining energy and nutrients at the levels of the CINE dietary survey in 2000 for Inuit in the Inuvialuit, Kitikmeot, and Kivalliq regions. However, it is theoretically infeasible for Inuit in the Labrador and Baffin regions under other hypothetical conditions. The modeling results would be useful for Inuit to make informed food choice decisions.

The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical understanding of the relationship between empathy, cross-community contact, and religiosity and the impact on forgiveness for Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. Based on the existing literature, three distinct guiding questions emerged: 1) "How are members from the Catholic and Protestant communities conceptualizing and defining forgiveness?", 2) "What role does religion and religiosity play in the conceptualization and process of forgiving members of the Protestant or Catholic communities?" and 3) "How does contact with members of the Catholic or Protestant community impact forgiveness and empathy?"Using a snowball sampling method, 17 participants ages 19-30 were identified and interviewed for 60-90 minutes. A modified grounded theory design was used to guide data collection and analysis, resulting in several main themes. The main themes that emerged from this study included a deeper understanding of forgiveness and the peace process from the perspective of participants, glimpses into the influences on their likeliness to forgive, and insight into the impact of cross-community contact. Forgiveness was universally valued by all participants, although this importance was balanced with concerns related to the interrelationships between politics, the peace process, justice, and the definition of forgiveness.Forgiveness was primarily defined by participants as the right of the individual, and as a means to interrupt a cycle of revenge. Among these responses to this topic, there was uncertainty about whether forgiveness could take place without an apology, and even greater confusion about whether forgiveness and justice could exist side-by-side. In addition, cross-community contact also seemed to influence the development of empathy and forgiveness between Catholics and Protestants. These findings were discussed in relation to Allport's (1954) contact hypothesis and Dixon et al.'s (2005) recent critique of the contact literature. In general, these results appeared to be consistent with previous literature on forgiveness, the contact hypothesis, and collective guilt assignment. There was evidence to indicate that contact was a necessary, but not sufficient condition for forgiveness. Limitations for the study and implications for practice and research are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

This Thesis is concerned with the development of a strategic model for assisting with the implementation of Best Value into policing in Northern Ireland. Best Value is a legislative requirement for public sector organisations that is primarily concerned with improving the efficiency and effectiveness of policing; thereby improving the overall quality of service provided to the community. This study approaches the issue of Best Value implementation from the perspective of organisational culture. It seeks to assess the impact of organisational culture on the implementation of Best Value and to provide senior managers within PSNI with a strategic model to assist with full and effective implementation. The thesis opens with an examination of the history of policing in Northern Ireland and relates the development of the organisational culture of the service to the influence of the lengthy period of conflict and violence known as 'The Troubles' that made up the external environment in which police officers delivered a service to the community. The background and rationale of Best Value are explored, and through a detailed review of literature, the main operating principles of Best Value are identified. It is through the use of the Best Value principles that the current organisational culture of the PSNI was examined through a research strategy that had a balanced approach of qualitative and quantitative methods. The analysis of the data gleaned from the research identified a significant level of negativity towards Best Value. This was such that if strategic measures were not developed to assist with implementation, this would have led to potential improvements in service delivery and benefits for the Northern Ireland community being lost. Having examined the organisational culture of PSNI with regard to Best Value the study concludes that there is a need for a strategy to be used that effectively manages the influences of the organisational culture. The proposed strategy addresses issues that will directly impact the organisational culture, and provides a series of practical Constructs that can be introduced by PSNI. The strategy provides an effective framework to enable effective Best Value implementation.

Theses (MS .)--Marshall University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains vii, 66 p. including illustrations and map. Bibliography: p. 23-26.

This thesis outlines the evolution and roles of the political fronts in Northern Ireland and their potential for attaining political change. It will assess the impact of a number of selected 'variables', both 'internal' and 'external', on the utility (or lack of utility) of these fronts. The variables that have been selected for consideration are: 1) Ideology, structure and leadership, 2) The notion of violence as a habit, 3) Popular support, 4) State response and 5) Other factors and events in the External Environment. Alexander George's 'structured, focused, comparison' methodology will be employed and the selected cases are the Irish Republican Army, the Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force. Although all of the 'variables' have had a significant impact the thesis argues that the greatest motivation behind the use of Simi Fein has been the desire to mobilise or tap perceived existing support. In the case of the loyalist political fronts the domestic external environment, specifically the perception that the loyalist working classes had been manipulated by 'respectable' unionist politicians, was the most important factor behind their greater use. Paradoxically, it is unionist culture (such as its 'law abiding' nature and division of labour ethos) that has presented the most significant obstacle to their utility. The thesis will then assess whether or not political fronts represent moderation towards the use of violence on the part of the groups. It will suggest that they have in the loyalist cases. Although the following argues that political fronts are very much part of the 'terrorist machinery' as the political voices and propaganda outlets for terrorist groups, and that it is a misconception to view them as the 'moderate half of a movement, the thesis will contend that Sinn Fein has also ultimately come to represent moderation towards the use of violence. The conclusion will then suggest that the selected variables be tested in other examples and, assuming that Sinn Fein has come to represent moderation towards the use of violence, will then attempt to draw some lessons from the case of the IRA and its political front that might be considered when studying other cases.

xvi, 136 p. : ill. (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation discusses the contribution of deep-seated landslides and earthflows to the morphology, erosion, and evolution of mountainous landscapes, focusing on the northern California Coast Ranges. In active landscapes, channel incision is necessary to create relief but also increases stresses in adjacent hillslopes, ultimately leading to slope failure. While conceptually simple, the spatial relationships between channel incision and landsliding have not been well quantified. Along the South Fork Eel River, I mapped the distribution of deep-seated landslides using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) derived maps. Landslide density increases in regions subject to late Pleistocene-Holocene channel incision and particularly in response to lateral incision at the apex of meander bends. Wavelet analysis of channel sinuosity reveals hillslopes are most sensitive to meander wavelengths of 1.5 km. Argillaceous lithology generates abundant earthflow activity along the main stem Eel River, yet spatial and temporal patterns of earthflow movement are poorly understood. I undertook a detailed study of the Kekawaka Earthflow using LiDAR, meteoric 10 Be in soil, orthorectified historical aerial photographs, and field surveys. Inventories of 10 Be in soil pits increase systematically downslope, indicate an average movement rate of 2.1 ± 1.3 m/a over the past 150 years, and establish a minimum earthflow age of 1700 years. The Kekawaka earthflow has a systematic history of movement, both spatially, with greatest movement in the narrow transport zone, and temporally, as velocities peaked in the 1960's and have slowed since 1981. I used LiDAR and aerial photographs to map earthflow movement and calculate sediment flux across 226 km 2 of the main stem Eel River. From 1944-2006, 7.3% of the study area was active, and earthflows account for an erosion rate of 0.53 ± 0.04 mm/a, over half the regional average sediment yield. Velocity time series on 17 earthflows suggest temporal earthflow behavior is influenced by decadal-scale changes in precipitation, temperature, and river discharge, although local topographic factors can overwhelm this climatic signal. When active, earthflows erode an order of magnitude faster than surrounding terrain; however, source supply limitations appear to govern long- term earthflow evolution. This dissertation includes previously published coauthored material. / Committee in charge: Joshua Roering, Chairperson, Geological Sciences; Ilya Bindeman, Member, Geological Sciences; Dean Livelybrooks, Member, Physics; Ray Weldon, Member, Geological Sciences; W. Andrew Marcus, Outside Member, Geography