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Defects in software systems directly impact a product’s quality and overall customer satisfaction. Assessing defective code for the purpose of locating vulnerable areas and improving software quality and reliability is important for sustained software development efforts. Over the years, various techniques have been used to determine the likelihood that code fragments contain defects, such as identifying code smells, but these techniques have drawbacks. There is a need for better approaches. This thesis assesses software defects using nano-patterns by demonstrating that certain categories of nano-patterns are more defect-prone than others. We studied three open source systems from the Apache Software Foundation and found that ObjectCreator, FieldReader, TypeManipulator, Looping, Exceptions, LocalReader, and LocalWriter nano-patters are more defect-prone than others. Apart from assessing software defects, we expect this new finding will contribute to further research on other applications of nano-patterns and improve coding practices.

Photoidentification surveys of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were conducted from December of 2002 through December of 2003 in Chocolate Bay, Texas, and the adjacent Gulf of Mexico area. The research represented the continuation of an ongoing study of the dolphins of this area. Behavioral sampling was carried out on a small resident community of dolphins that seasonally reside in Chocolate Bay, as well as on dolphins found along the gulf coastline. Resident dolphins had a daily behavioral pattern, with peaks of foraging activity in the morning, traveling at midday, and socializing in late afternoon. Gulf dolphins had small mean group sizes of 3.4 and were primarily observed foraging and traveling, with little socializing. When resident and gulf dolphins interacted, the mean group size increased to 12 and the proportion of social behavior increased. Association indices demonstrated no long-lasting associations among adult male dolphins, while strong associations existed between several females. Females revealed two patterns of association; they were either members of a female band with other mother-calf pairs, or were solitary with no strong affiliations with any dolphins other than their calf. Males seemed to disperse upon maturation, which maintained the community size of approximately 35 animals. Behavioral evidence indicates the resident community is matrilinealy related and composed largely of adult females and their offspring. A few adult males remain resident, while most young males disperse from the community and may rove among the gulf population. Although mating probably occurs between resident and gulf dolphins, sources of both maternity and paternity for residents need to be determined, and further behavioral work needs to be carried out to support this hypothesis.

Photoidentification surveys of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were conducted from December of 2002 through December of 2003 in Chocolate Bay, Texas, and the adjacent Gulf of Mexico area. The research represented the continuation of an ongoing study of the dolphins of this area. Behavioral sampling was carried out on a small resident community of dolphins that seasonally reside in Chocolate Bay, as well as on dolphins found along the gulf coastline. Resident dolphins had a daily behavioral pattern, with peaks of foraging activity in the morning, traveling at midday, and socializing in late afternoon. Gulf dolphins had small mean group sizes of 3.4 and were primarily observed foraging and traveling, with little socializing. When resident and gulf dolphins interacted, the mean group size increased to 12 and the proportion of social behavior increased. Association indices demonstrated no long-lasting associations among adult male dolphins, while strong associations existed between several females. Females revealed two patterns of association; they were either members of a female band with other mother-calf pairs, or were solitary with no strong affiliations with any dolphins other than their calf. Males seemed to disperse upon maturation, which maintained the community size of approximately 35 animals. Behavioral evidence indicates the resident community is matrilinealy related and composed largely of adult females and their offspring. A few adult males remain resident, while most young males disperse from the community and may rove among the gulf population. Although mating probably occurs between resident and gulf dolphins, sources of both maternity and paternity for residents need to be determined, and further behavioral work needs to be carried out to support this hypothesis.

Phyllotaxis, namely the arrangement of phylla (leaves, florets, etc.) has intrigued natural scientists for over four hundred years. Statistics show that about 90\% of the spiral patterns has their numbers of spirals belonging to two consecutive members of the regular Fibonacci sequence. (Fibonacci(-like) sequences refer to any sequences constructed with the addition rule $a_{j+2}=a_{j}+a_{j+1}$, while the regular Fibonacci sequence refers to the particular sequences 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,...) Historical research on pattern formation on plants, tracing back to as early as four hundred years ago, was mostly geometry based. Current studies focus on the activities on the cellular level and study initiation of primordia (the initial undifferentiated form of phylla) as a morphogenesis process cued by some signal. The nature of the signal and the mechanisms governing the distribution of the signal are still under investigation. The two top candidates are the biochemical hormone auxin distribution and the mechanical stresses in the plant surface (tunica). We built a model which takes into consideration the interactions between these mechanisms. In addition, this dissertation explores both analytically and numerically the conditions for the Fibonacci-like patterns to continuously evolve (i.e. as the mean radius of the generative annulus changes over time, the numbers of spirals in the pattern increase or decreases along the same Fibonacci-like sequence), as well as for different types of pattern transitions to occur. The essential condition for the Fibonacci patterns to continuously evolve is that the patterns are formed annulus by annulus on a circular domain and the pattern-forming mechanism is dominated by a quadratic nonlinearity. The predominance of the regular Fibonacci pattern is determined by the pattern transitions at early stages of meristem growth. Furthermore, Fibonacci patterns have self-similar structures across different radii, and there exists a one-to-one mapping between any two Fibonacci-like patterns. The possibility of unifying the previous theory of optimal packing on phyllotaxis and the solutions of current mechanistic partial differential equations is discussed.

Scientists and land managers often focus on the Southeastern Plains and Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States when considering the ecology, restoration, and management of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris P. Mill.) communities and ecosystems. However, the range of this foundation tree species and its associated communities and ecosystems also extend into the Piedmont and Montane Uplands: the Piedmont of Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina and Virginia; the Ridge and Valley of Alabama and Georgia; and the Southwestern Appalachians of Alabama. The composition, structure, and dynamics of Piedmont and Montane Uplands longleaf pine communities have been understudied compared to their Southeastern Plains and Coastal Plain counterparts, and knowledge is based on historical accounts and a handful of studies at site-specific scales. The biogeography and ecology of Piedmont and Montane Uplands longleaf pine communities differ significantly from those in the Southeastern Plains and Coastal Plain. My research combines geospatial and ecological approaches to provide insights on current composition, structure, and dynamics of longleaf pine communities in the Southeastern Plains, Piedmont, and Ridge and Valley at multiple scales and highlights differences and similarities with communities in the Coastal Plain. The Piedmont and Montane Uplands longleaf pine communities showed high variation in canopy tree diversity compared to those in the Coastal Plain. Longleaf pine was sometimes the only canopy tree, while in other communities longleaf pine was one constituent in a mixed oak-pine canopy. My study showed that longleaf pine communities were not just restricted to south-facing slopes as previously thought, but were found on northwestern-facing slopes as well. Analysis of tree rings across my study sites showed that as longleaf pine approaches its northern range margin in the Piedmont and Montane Uplands, its radial growth is restricted by minimum temperature especially at longleaf pine's elevational, latitudinal, and longitudinal extremes; at all sties radial growth was influenced by drought and precipitation. At the local scale, I found that an Alabama Piedmont longleaf pine community showed a diameter-class distribution typical of an old-growth site but contrary to current knowledge, diameter was not a good indicator of age. / Ph. D.

This thesis examines the effects of transportation network changes, settlement pattern changes, population density and terrain characteristics upon cemetery siting. Due to the practically inviolate legal status of cemeteries, they provide a window to the past. Geographic Information Systems technology was used to analyze geophysical attributes of the cemetery sites. As transportation modes changed and improved, the distances from decedent's residences to burial sites increased. Also, cemetery upkeep is somewhat related to ease of accessibility, but other factors enter into this relationship. Personal interviews suggest that family"ties to the land" have an effect upon cemetery utilization and maintenance in rural southern West Virginia. Early cemeteries were sited in river and creek bottoms. More recently sited cemeteries are located at higher elevations. / Master of Science

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