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The primary focus of this study was to produce temporal and spatial information needed to assist in the management of 'Āhihi Kīna'u Natural Area Reserve System (NARS). The research goals included quantifying temporal changes in inshore biological communities resulting from shoreline access closure, and characterizing spatial patterns of coral and crustose coralline algae (CCA) using a spatial statistical approach. Resultant temporal change in a location known as the Montipora Pond showed decreased live coral and increased dead coral during this study. Spatial structure and local clustering of CCA cover existed, but it was negligible for coral. CCA cover was better estimated by a spatial correlation model. Coral cover exhibited no autocorrelation, but weak spatial dependence on covariates. The spatial statistical approach should be considered in future studies. New temporal and spatial information produced during this study comprises a valuable baseline that will support future preservation and management decisions.

Phase shifts have occurred on tropical reefs throughout the world. In Hawaii, phase shifts have been attributed to eutrophication, herbivore reduction, and alien algae. The first study from this dissertation examines the environmental relationships of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD), a likely source of anthropogenic nutrients to Hawaii‟s reefs. The second study analyzes the relative and simultaneous effects of nutrient enrichment and reduced herbivory on algal succession in contrast to control conditions. The third study assesses the potential of indigenous herbivorous fish to control alien algae. The fine scale salinity profiles in the first study established differences between the average salinity values of three sample events, and correlations between SGD and low tide and, SGD and depth. Water quality samples displayed correlations with SGD and concentrations of numerous chemical constituents. Nitrate from water quality samples at Waiopae were up to 3.8 times greater than samples from upland wells suggesting that anthropogenic sources of nitrate are intruding the aquifer. This study exemplifies the dynamics of SGD and nutrient intrusion. Results from the second study in Kealakekua Bay show that the effects of nutrient enrichment were minor, herbivore reduction were considerable, and nutrient enrichment combined with herbivore reduction were major in governing algal biomass and cover. Coralline crustose algae dominated surfaces under control and nutrient enrichment. In herbivore reduction treatments turf algae dominated. Nutrient enrichment had a greater effect at one site, and herbivore reduction had a greater effect at another site, demonstrating that a single solution may not be equally effective for all Hawaiian reefs. Feeding assays from the third study documented that two herbivorous fish species were potential biological control agents for managing alien algae. These fish can achieve different objectives in an effort to manage alien algae. Acanthurus triostegus is suited to control attached populations, Kyphosus vaigiensis is crucial in reducing dispersal by fragments. Results from this dissertation show that nutrient concentrations enter the near shore environment quite rapidly on Hawaii. With sustainable land use practices and increasing herbivore pressure by enhancing select herbivore species, we can improve the resilience of Hawaiian reefs and minimize the possibility of phase shifts.

The neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid, applied in soil to grape seedlings in a series of doses, was tested on two major vectors of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa in California: Homalodisca vitripennis (glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and Graphocephala atropunctata (blue-green sharpshooter (BGSS), Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) for effects on longevity, possible repellency, and flight ability. The insecticide greatly reduced feeding of both insects at doses where mortality was not significantly different from untreated control insects. Imidacloprid did not affect the ratio of insects on the plant to that of off the plant, and G. atropunctata were found on the leaves rather than on the stems, whereas H. vitripennis was more frequently found on the stems. However, insecticide treatment reduced the rate of both G. atropunctata and H. vitripennis present on the stems. Sublethal doses did not reduce flight ability markedly and did not measurably reduce transmission of X. fastidiosa to grape beyond reductions in transmission ascribable to vector mortality.

The Financial Loan Evaluation System (FLES) is based on a DOS operation system program to evaluate industrial manufacturers' financial situations. The FLES utilizes an artificial neural network (backpropagation) and evaluates the firm's financial loan proposal, based primarily on the financial ratio analysis method. Since the system is able to learn from past evaluation examples, it performs somewhat like an experienced human expert. Thus, unlike other expert system applications, the FLES allows a user to rebuild the system with less development time and cost when conditions and/or rules have changed. In this thesis, FLES is trained by fifty loan evaluation examples. In the training examples, the inputs and target outputs are required to build a backpropagation network. The input data include financial ratios and finance-related information, while the output is a percentage of the proposed loan amount granted. The desired outputs are generated by the constant pair-wise comparison method because they are not provided by library sources as are the financial ratios. The constant pair-wise comparison method determines what decision making criteria are the most and the least important by calculating for each a numerical weight. The FLES shows adequate responses in more than 75% of the loan evaluations when it is evaluated with fifty new examples. FLES is relatively easy to use and is capable of providing an answer to a user in approximately 30 to 60 minutes.