The purpose of this study was to compare vegetation systems among three artificially isolated wetlands on the west end of Galveston Island. Sample sites were identified as isolated wetlands and anthropogenic impact was observed. Wetland plant communities were identified through representative field studies using a modified quadrat method. Species composition, species diversity, evenness, cover and frequency were compared among the three sample sites. Salinity at all three sample sites remained at 0 ppt through June, July and August. Salinity increased to 10 ppt in both Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve and Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary in September. No change in salinity was recorded at Isla Del Sol. At Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve the majority of the soil composition included Mustang-Nass. Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary consisted of a Mustang fine sand complex while Isla Del Sol consisted of Mustang fine sand and Nass very fine sandy loam. Sampling at Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve produced 15 species. Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary added 7 new species while Isla Del sol added 6 new species for a total of 28 species within the three sites. The overall plant species’ richness of Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve and Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary remained low. A high frequency was observed in Sesbania drummondii and Cyperus odoratus at Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve. Sesbania drummondii retained the highest percent cover for the site. At Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary, Phragmites australis and Spartina patens demonstrated a high frequency as well as percent cover. Frequency was highest in Juncus roemerianus and Eleocharis geniculata at Isla Del Sol. Several plant species exhibited a high frequency while overall frequency was more evenly distributed in Isla Del Sol than the other sample sites. Percent cover was highest in Juncus roemerianus and Borrichia frutescens. Isla Del Sol had the highest species diversity and evenness of all three sample sites. Similarity in species composition was high with the coefficient for pair-wise comparisons in Isla Del Sol and Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve being the highest. The three sample sites shared 53% to 73% of their species. Isla Del Sol possessed 6 species that were absent from the other sample sites. Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary contained 4 unique species while Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve had only 3 unique species. Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary had the lowest index score at 10. Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve had the highest index score at 24 while Isla Del Sol followed close behind at 22. For the Anthropogenic Activity Index, Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve still retained the highest score at 14. Results for Isla Del Sol showed an index score of 13 while Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary scored only 7. The results of this study show that although Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary had lower levels of disturbance when compared to the other sample sites, it still experienced a lower species diversity. Isla Del Sol had the highest species diversity and evenness of the sites. Lafitte’s Cove Nature Preserve had the highest level of disturbance and maintained a low level of diversity as well. When comparing the results to historical data, a reduction in salt marsh plant species was observed. Species that are often associated with freshwater to brackish marsh wetlands have become more dominant in the sample sites.

Numerical simulations indicate that hydrocarbon migration and entrapment in stacked fault-bounded reservoirs are mainly affected by the following factors: charge time, faults, pressure and geological structures. The charge time for commercial hydrocarbon accumulation is much longer in oil-water systems than in oil-gas-water systems. Faults are classified into charging faults and 'back doors' faults other than charging faults in stacked fault-bounded reservoirs. The lower the displacement pressure of a fault, the higher its updip oil transportation ability. The downdip oil transportation ability of a fault is usually low and cannot cause commercial downdip oil accumulation. Back doors affect both hydrocarbon percent charge and hydrocarbon migration pathways. Updip back doors improve updip oil charge. The lower the displacement pressure of an updip back door, the more efficient the updip oil charge before 3,000 years. Back doors whose displacement pressure is equal to or higher than 28.76 psi are effective in sealing faults in oil-water systems. On the contrary, only sealing faults result in commercial gas accumulations in stacked fault-compartmentalized reservoirs. Otherwise gas is found over oil. Downdip back doors generally have few effects on downdip hydrocarbon charge. Geopressure enhances the updip oil transportation of a fault and improves the positive effects of updip back doors during updip oil charge. Geopressure and updip back doors result in more efficient updip oil charge. A physical barrier is not necessarily a barrier to oil migration with the aid of geopressure and updip back doors. The chance for hydrocarbon charge into reservoirs along growth faults is not equal. Any one of the above controlling factors can change the patterns of hydrocarbon charge and distribution in such complex geological structures. Generally, lower reservoirs and updip reservoirs are favored. Reservoirs along low-permeability charging faults may be bypassed. Gas can only charge the updip reservoirs. Both updip and downdip back doors can facilitate oil penetrating a barrier fault to charge reservoirs offset by the barrier fault. Interreservoir migration among stacked fault-compartmentalized reservoirs is an important mechanism for hydrocarbon accumulation and trap identification. The interreservoir migration is a very slow process, even though the displacement pressures of bounding faults may be very low.

No description available.

It is well established in the literature that children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are more likely to be physically inactive, have unhealthy weight, and report lower perceptions of self-worth than typically developing (TD) children. Physical inactivity, overweight/obesity and low self-worth are important risk factors for many physical and psychological health conditions. The interrelationships among these factors, however, have yet to be explored in children with DCD. There is limited information on change in body composition measures and self-worth over time in children with DCD, the effect of physical activity (PA) on body composition, and whether the combined negative influence of having both DCD and obesity result in poorer conceptions of self-worth. In this dissertation, I present a series of studies that explore the connections among these factors using longitudinal, population-based data on a large cohort of children with and without poor motor coordination. The first study, presented in Chapter 2, describes the results of change in BMI and waist circumference (WC) in children with probable DCD (pDCD) and TD children over a five-year time period, and the effects of sex and PA on this relationship. Chapter 3 describes the results of the relationship between body fat, pDCD, and PA after addressing the measurement- related limitations of the study reported in Chapter 2. Chapter 4 describes the results of self-worth in children with pDCD and overweight/obesity, only pDCD, only overweight/obesity, and the control group at baseline as well as change over time. Collectively, the results show that children with pDCD have a consistently higher BMI, WC, and body fat than TD children. BMI and WC increases over time in children with pDCD; specifically boys with pDCD show a much accelerated increase in these measures. Scores of body composition measures increase with decrease in self-reported and objectively measured PA, but participation in PA does not explain why children with pDCD are more likely to have excess weight gain. Finally, children with both pDCD and overweight/obesity and children with either of these conditions alone report lower self- worth than the control group, and the change in self-worth between groups remains constant over time. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No description available.

A major challenge faced by project managers is balancing the variables of scope, cost, and schedule. Changes in scope usually result in cost/schedule overruns. Variance in either or both of them creates disorder (typically increases) in the estimated or projected time and cost. Therefore, controlling cost and schedule are two of the most critical aspects of a construction project. This research uses two already existing management theories, specifically Management by Means (MBM) and Management by Results (MBR), and analyzes a case where these two theories are combined with the goal of improving construction practices. This research compares an eight month schedule in a construction project and relates Percentage of Planned activities Completed (PPC) with projected and actual draw (cash) calls. The research analyzes the question of how lean construction PPC captures variance in cost. The research method is based on a literature review, data collection, case study and data interpretation to answer the hypothesis that improvement in PPC over a particular month has a positive correlation with difference between cash calls. Because this research is limited to a time frame of 8 months in a single project, it is not statistically significant. However, this research serves to create a model template or pilot study for a larger study.

Denna studie undersöker inköpen av offentlig konst i fyra kommuner (Botkyrka, Haninge, Järfälla och Solna) i Stockholms län under åren 2009-2011. Målet med undersökningen har varit att jämföra kommunernas inköp och att utifrån resultaten ställa frågan om hur den offentliga konstens praktik och placering förstås i kommunerna. Undersökningen har också ställt frågor om hur denna praktik ser ut i jämförelse med samtida diskussioner om hur offentlig konst kan och skall förstås. En kortare introduktion till enprocentregeln och hur den använts i Stockholms kommuner ges också i denna uppsats. Studien omfattar totalt 199 verk från dessa fyra kommuner inköpt under 2009-2011 och innehåller allt från textilcollage, grafisk konst som litografier och bronsskulpturer till verk som innehåller ”mänsklig aktivitet”. Som resultaten kom att visa så köpte kommunerna mer löskonst, i mer traditionell stil som målningar och litografier. Endast en kommun av de fyra hade köpt in konst som liknade den som förekommer i dagens diskussioner om offentlig konst. / This study examines the purchases of public art in four municipalities (Botkyrka, Haninge, Järfälla and Solna) in Stockholm County during the years 2009-2011. The objective of the study was to compare the municipalities' procurement and raise questions on the practice and position of public in these municipalities. The objective was also to compare these results with contemporary art debates on how public art can be understood today. This essay also gives a short introduction and history to the “one percent rule” and how it has been used, particularly in Stockholm County. The study includes a total of 199 pieces of art from these four municipalities purchased under 2009-2011. The purchased works of art consists of everything from textile collages, graphic art like lithography and bronze sculptures to art containing "human activity". The results of this study showed that these municipalities mainly bought more traditional art in the form of paintings and lithography, than “solid” art like sculptures. Only one of the municipalities had invested in art that reminded of the type of art that is discussed in today’s press.

In security markets, the stock price movements are closely linked to the market information. For example, the subprime mortgage triggered a global financial crisis in 2007. Drops occurred in virtually every stock market in the world. After the Federal Reserve took several steps to address the crisis, the stock markets have been gradually stable. Reaction of the traders to the arrival information results in different patterns of the stock price movements. Thus pattern matching is an important subject in future movement prediction, rule discovery and computer aided diagnosis. In this research, we propose a pattern matching procedure to seize the similar stock price movements of two listed companies during one day. First, the algorithm of searching the longest common subsequence is introduced to sieve out the time intervals where the two listed companies have the same integrated volatility levels and price rise/drop trends. Next we transform the raw price data in the found matching time periods to the Bollinger Band Percent data, then use the power spectrum to extract low frequency components. Adjusted Pearson chi-squared tests are performed to analyze the similarity of the price movement patterns in these periods. We perform the study by simulation investigation first, then apply the procedure to empirical analysis of high frequency transaction data of NYSE.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 112 pages. / Thesis (M.S.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The Florida Keys Coral Reef Monitoring Project (CRMP) began video transect sampling in 1996 and has continuously monitored 107 Florida Keys stations through 2002. The video was downward pointing and produced images from which planar projection data were calculated to determine percent cover of living benthic organisms. An absence of data assessing correlation between octocoral percent cover and octocoral abundance motivated a study to compare octocoral percent cover with abundance data acquired from the same video transects. The methods employed to extract octocoral abundance data from videotape were validated. Temporal changes in octocoral abundance, size and taxonomic group were determined by examination of video transects of 28 randomly selected stations from 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2002. Size classes were defined as [10cm, 10-40cm, ]40cm (short, medium and tall respectively). / ABSTRACT: Taxonomic groups were Gorgonia ventalina and "other octocorals" in three size classes, and Scleraxonia. An in situ study assessed the accuracy of video-derived counts. Average densities of G. ventalina and Scleraxonia were consistently about one colony/m2. Other octocoral as a group averaged 7-9 colonies/m2. When summarized by height, short and tall averaged about 1-2 colonies/m2, while colonies between 10 and 40 cm in height consistently averaged about 6 colonies/m2. Hurricane Georges, in September 1998, impacted the octocoral assemblage. Abundance declined most at stations near the storm center and stations in shallower water. Storm impact was related to octocoral height. Tall octocorals were removed more frequently than medium, short and encrusting forms. A dramatic increase of short individuals in 2002 is indicative of successful post-hurricane recruitment. By 2002, octocoral abundance had recovered to pre-hurricane levels. / ABSTRACT: This study demonstrated that abundance data can reliably be derived from archived video data, reinforcing the value of standardized video data archives. Octocoral abundance and octocoral percent cover are not strongly correlated because tall individuals disproportionately influence percent cover estimates. Nevertheless, trends in octocoral percent cover are reliable indicators of the trends in octocoral abundance. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This study analyzed trends in access and success of students admitted through the Top 10% admissions policy. The study employs a comparative analysis between public universities from the Borderland region and the two top-tier public universities in Texas. This Texas admissions policy provides students in the top 10% of their graduating high school class admission to any state 4-year public university. Therefore, this policy implies that being a top 10% student equates to being college ready for any public university in Texas, regardless of selectivity or top tier status. Research on the Texas Top 10% policy has focused on its success in improving diversity and student performance at the two top-tier public universities in Texas, The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. However, enrollment disparity continues at these elite institutions between Whites, Latina/os and Blacks. Additionally, the Texas Borderland region is an intersection of large Latina/o demographics; distance from top-tier institutions; and great disparities in economic development, health, and education. Combining the aforementioned conditions, we know little about the access and success of Borderland top 10% students, particularly in comparing the two public top tier universities in Texas to the alternative choice of their local Borderland university. This study used mixed methods to compare the trends in access and success of Borderland students admitted under the Top 10% admissions policy at Borderland universities and at top-tier public universities, and additionally controlled for student characteristics in explaining student persistence and graduation. The quantitative analysis used student-level descriptive and inferential statistics with data facilitated by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The qualitative section of this dissertation used focus-group interviews with 36 students at 5 Borderland universities and 1 top-tier university to explain their success. This study applies Bourdieu's theoretical framework of social and cultural capitals and habitus to interpret the findings. Results indicated student differentiation between institutions in access, success, and explanations. Ethnicity, gender, family income, and college generation status influence differences in enrollment between institutions, in which all together influenced differences in graduation and persistence. On the other hand, the interviews revealed that personal effort and institutional resources also explained differences in student success. This study provides implications for further research and policy considerations. / text