Digital Commons Network^™

Random Forests Applied As A Soil Spatial Predictive Model In Arid Utah, Alexander Knell Stum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Initial soil surveys are incomplete for large tracts of public land in the western USA. Digital soil mapping offers a quantitative approach as an alternative to traditional soil mapping. I sought to predict soil classes across an arid to semiarid watershed of western Utah by applying random forests (RF) and using environmental covariates derived from Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and digital elevation models (DEM). Random forests are similar to classification and regression trees (CART). However, RF is doubly random. Many (e.g., 500) weak trees are grown (trained) independently because each tree is trained with a new randomly …

Evapotranspiration Of Kentucky Bluegrass, Lynda L. Fenton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rapid population growth in arid regions of the western US is placing increased demand on water resources. Variability in precipitation and common occurrence of drought have promoted scrutiny of water use in urban lawns and gardens. However, few reliable measurements of water use of these landscapes exist. Quantifying the amount of water used vs. required by landscapes such as turfgrass would allow significant water conservation. Evapotranspiration (ET) is affected by biophysical factors such as: available energy, turbulent mixing, saturation deficit, soil water, and stomatal conductance. In order to simulate the water use by turfgrass, the relative importance of these processes …

Review Of Agriculture In History, 3 Volumes (R. Kent Rasmussen, Proj. Ed.; Salem Press, 2009), Sue Ann Gardner

UNL Libraries: Faculty Publications

Review of Agriculture in History, 3 volumes (R. Kent Rasmussen, proj. ed.; Salem Press, 2009).

Land Use In The Belgrade Lakes Region, Adrienne Bowles

Atlas of Maine

This map highlights land use in the Belgrade Lakes region in Kennebec County, Maine, including development in urbanized areas, agriculture, forestry, and road networks. The map also includes biotic land cover, such as conserved areas (e.g., forest cover, wetlands, etc.) as well as locations of major bodies of water.

Suitability Of Land For Agriculture In Tanzania, Taylor Tully, Megan Browning

Atlas of Maine

Agriculture is vital to the economy of Tanzania, providing many jobs and contributing to a large portion of the GDP. This project sought to answer the following question: What land is suitable for agriculture in Tanzania? We hypothesized that in addition to land currently in use for agriculture, there would exist additional land suitable for agriculture that had not yet been realized as such. We used logistic regression to created a model that predicted agricultural suitability across the country. We evaluated twenty variables and came up with nine predictors of agriculture that we included in our final model. The results …

User Motivation: Likability And Usability Of An Agricultural Web Site, Vishal Singh

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Web communications has become a critical component of mass communications and media today. Web sites must be user-friendly if they are to communicate effectively. This study examines the relationship between user motivation and the likability and usability of web sites. Web designers, stakeholders, and web site owners need to pay close attention to the likability and usability of a web site since these are key components of its credibility.

A key finding of this study indicates there is not a direct relationship between likability of a web site and its usability. Often, web designers and web site owners judge web …

Cellulosic Ethanol: The Benifits, Obstacles, And Implications For Nebraska, Cassidee Lin Thompson

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Abstract Ethanol is a biofuel that has unique capabilities to mitigate global climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously supporting rural economies and decreasing the United States’ dependence on foreign oil. Currently, the state of Nebraska depends on corn ethanol, which may be unsustainable. Cellulosic ethanol is a promising alternative but it is not without its problems, including high production costs and potential environmental damage. This thesis is an attempt to understand the benefits, downfalls, and processes of corn-based and cellulosic ethanol and the potential implications to Nebraska. This research should shed some light on the current obstacles …

An Artesian Well System In Beaver Crossing, Nebraska- It's Development And Demise, Mary Lanik

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

ABSTRACT

Nebraska has a veritable wealth of groundwater. The High Plains Aquifer underlies most of the state, and within its sand and gravel deposits, many interconnected aquifers provide fresh water for a variety of uses.

One of the most spectacular examples of this resource is the artesian well. Beaver Crossing, Nebraska was once home to one of the most prolific artesian systems in the state before its demise. Founded in the 1880’s, Beaver Crossing soon became known for its many artesian wells, that provided leisure activities and supported profitable business ventures such as small farming, ice production and aquiculture. Eventually …

Under The Dome - Spring 2010, Mckissick Museum--University Of South Carolina

Under the Dome, McKissick Museum Newsletter

Contents:

Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art.....p. 1
Celebrating Culture and Creativity.....p. 2
Spring in the Garden.....p. 2
McKissick Welcomes New Council Members.....p. 2
Museum Management Certificate.....p. 3
Celebrate Nature with McKissick Museum.....p. 3
What's Happening in Folk Art.....p. 3
Order Now! Decorating the Modern Home.....p. 4
Exhibits.....p. 4

Internship Report - Secondary Program Of Agricultural Education, Nicholas J. Dreesmann

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship report includes validation documents required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The documents are used during the review process conducted by subject matter experts from the California Department of Education. The internship included the development of the outdoor laboratory facility to accommodate horticultural instruction and student projects, and upgrading the agricultural mechanics facilities with new welding booths and equipment.

Ewan, Avory Early, 1884-1937 (Sc 2427), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2427. Letter from A. Early Ewan, Warren County, Kentucky county agriculture extension agent, to members of the Warren County Corn-Hog Production Control Association relating information about contracts to limit production of the commodities mentioned.

The Future Of Southern Agriculture, Gregory Keith Bartley Jr.

Gregory Keith Bartley Jr.

The increasing demand for the supply of energy in the south heavily impacts the allocation of water for use in agriculture. With such a high percentage of the south's freshwater going towards energy production, little can make its way into food, feed, and fiber. Because the need for this exponential energy production in the south is currently greater than its agricultural importance, southern farmers are left to endure heavy irrigation restrictions. The solution to this problem can manifest itself in one of two ways. Southern states can either implement strategies that can reduce plant water consumption without reducing yield, or …

Interview With Bernard Smith, Full Of Life Farms, 2010 (Audio), Bernard Smith

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Bernard Smith by Kyle Dykstra on February 28th, 2010.

The interview index is available for download.

Colorado River Water: Mexico's Perspective On The Ongoing Negotiations, Mario López Pérez

US-Mexico Negotiations on Improved Colorado River Management: An Update (February 19)

Presenter: Mario López, Engineering and Technical Standards Manager, National Water Commission of México

53 slides

Slides: Water For Oil (Shale)?, Bart Miller

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Bart Miller, Water Program Director, Western Resource Advocates

10 slides

Sky-Field: A Vertical Farming Solution For Urban New York, Justin White

Architecture Theses

Farming has not changed significantly in thousands of years. We still go about blanketing the ground with acres and acres of crops far away from the people who eat it. “We now have to talk and bring the green movement into our food supply. We will find a place in NY to do this,” states Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President. The concept is to design a vertical farm tower which will feed thousands of local residents, allowing them cheaper, organic, disease-free crops. The supply structure of the agricultural industry needs a big change. It is no longer becoming economical due …

Youth Unemployment Challenges In Mining Areas Of Ghana, Paul Sarfo-Mensah, M.K. Adjaloo, P. Donkor

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

Ghana, like the rest of West Africa is experiencing tremendous human migration both internally and across international boundaries. Rural-urban migration has assumed uncontrollable dimensions in the sub-region and the social consequences have become major development challenge. In Ghana the mining communities have been at the receiving end for some time now. This study on the Obuasi Municipal Assembly (OMA) in the Ashanti region of Ghana explores the tremendous socioeconomic changes, especially demographic patterns as a result of the inflows of migrants into the Obuasi Township and its catchment area in search of non existing jobs especially in mining. A major …

Aspects Of The Reproduction Of An Invasive Crab, Hemigrapsus Sanguineus, In Northern And Southern New England, Emily F. Gamelin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Populations of the invasive shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus , were studied in northern and southern New England to determine if crabs differ in reproductive behavior or characteristics between these regions. Additionally, effects of temperature on reproductive activity were quantified through laboratory experimentation.

Number of broods per season increased with temperature, but the seasonal total was limited to three broods in laboratory experiments. Broods experienced limited success at the lowest temperature, 10°C. The reproductive season was longer at lower latitudes, and females at this site had smaller average ovigerous size. Patterns of ovigery varied between the regions, suggesting the production of …

A Feasibility Study: Forest Carbon Stocks And Stock Change Of The White Mountain National Forest, Erica Jane Cate

Master's Theses and Capstones

Interest has heightened for forest managers to account for the impacts of management activities on forest carbon sequestration. This study was designed to assess the feasibility of developing estimates of WMNF forest carbon based on the available information. The yield curves, inventory data and resulting carbon projections were dependent on a number of assumptions and subject to various sources of error and bias. Thus, they should not be relied on as definitive estimates and forecasts, or used as a basis for policy recommendations. Under the specific approaches used in this study, forest carbon stocks appear to be accumulating in the …

Landscape Genetics Of The New England Cottontail: Effects Of Habitat Fragmentation On Population Genetic Structure And Dispersal, Lindsey E. Fenderson

Master's Theses and Capstones

The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is a species of conservation concern. Population recovery will require knowledge of genetic structure and dispersal patterns. To this end, I used microsatellite loci to assess genetic structure at two spatial scales: across the entire range (broadscale) and within the northernmost population (finescale).

Range-wide, cottontails are separated into five distinct populations. There was little evidence of gene flow among populations and they have experienced extensive genetic drift. Several populations had comparatively reduced genetic diversity.

Intensive fine-scale surveys revealed four genetically differentiated populations. Interstate-95 is a dispersal barrier, though other major roads did not impact …

An Evaluation Of Supplemental Food To Increase Winter Survival Of Cottontail Rabbits, Toni Weidman

Master's Theses and Capstones

The New England cottontail is currently endangered throughout much of its range. The cause of this decline has been habitat loss that has facilitated intense predation. Cottontails living on small patches have high mortality rates due to lack of quality cover and browse and high predation pressure. The goal of this study was to determine if provisioning supplemental food during the winter could increase cottontail survival rates by reducing risky foraging behavior in poor habitat that exposes the rabbits to predators. Among fed rabbits the survival rate (70%) was substantially greater than the survival rate for unfed rabbits (32%). A …

Conversations With Gatekeepers: An Exploratory Study Of Agricultural Publication Editors' Decisions To Publish Risk Coverage, Katie M. Abrams, Courtney A. Meyers

Journal of Applied Communications

The United States’ agriculture industry is impacted by numerous financial, human, legal, and production risks. These risks are frequently reported in mass media and agricultural publications. Farmers often use agricultural magazines to help them make production decisions and learn about new technology, which both involve some element of risk. Gatekeeping is the process of determining what information is included in media coverage in which editors serve as gatekeepers and make decisions regarding what topics to report. The purpose of this study was to discover how agricultural publication editors, in their role as gatekeepers, make decisions regarding coverage of risk related …

The Economic Outlook For Kentucky Agriculture In 2010, Kenneth H. Burdine, Sara Williamson

Kentucky Agricultural Economic Outlook

No abstract provided.

The Public Health Impacts Of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations On Local Communities, Michael Greger, Gowri Koneswaran

Environment Collection

Large-scale farm animal production facilities, also known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), release a significant amount of contaminants into the air and water. Adverse health effects related to exposure to these contaminants among CAFO workers have been welldocumented; however, less is known about their impact on the health of residents in nearby communities. Epidemiological research in this area suggests that neighboring residents are at increased risk of developing neurobehavioral symptoms and respiratory illnesses, including asthma. Additional research is needed to better understand community-scale exposures and health outcomes related to the management practices and emissions of CAFOs.

Climate Change Impacts On Water Demand And Salinity In California's Irrigated Agriculture, Gerrit Schoups, Edwin P. Maurer, Jan Hopmans

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering

This paper examines potential regional-scale impacts of climate change on sustainability of irrigated agriculture, focusing on the western San Joaquin Valley in California. We consider potential changes in irrigation water demand and supply, and quantify impacts on the hydrologic system, soil and groundwater salinity with associated crop yield reductions. Our analysis is based on archived output from General Circulation Model (GCM) climate projections through 2100, which were downscaled to the 1,400 km2 study area. We account for uncertainty in GCM climate projections by considering two different GCM's, each using three greenhouse gas emission scenarios. Significant uncertainty in projected precipitation creates …

Updated Life History And Population Structure Assessment Of Spiny Dogfish, Squalus Acanthias, In The Gulf Of Maine, Walter Bubley

Doctoral Dissertations

Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) are considered to be the most abundant shark species in the Western North Atlantic, but recently there was a decline in biomass estimates following a nearly ten-fold increase in fishery landings. Because fishing pressure has been shown to affect population dynamics in targeted species, an update of previous life history parameters is warranted to effectively manage the population. Although updated and accurate life history parameters are important, it is crucial that these parameters are applied to the correct populations, especially when there is evidence of population structuring in the Western Atlantic. This comprehensive study addressed the …

Spatial Management Of Groundfish Resources In The Gulf Of Maine And Georges Bank, Jamie Marie Cournane

Doctoral Dissertations

In the marine environment, studies suggest that overfishing suppresses sustainability and resilience in fish populations. In the 1990s, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implemented five large year-round fishery closures in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. These closures are partially protected marine protected areas (MPAs) restricting commercial fishing with bottom-tending gears. To date, evaluation of their performance has focused on the productivity of individual species.

This research aims to understand if fish biodiversity changed after implementation of the five large fisheries closures. Here, a variety of datasets and statistical approaches are used.

Modern patterns constructed from NMFS bottom-trawl …

Somatic Condition, Growth And Distribution Of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus) In The Gulf Of Maine, Walter J. Golet

Doctoral Dissertations

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), a highly migratory apex predator, utilize temperate feeding grounds to place their tissues into positive lipid balance following reproduction and subsequent migration to northern latitudes. Commercial fishermen target Atlantic bluefin tuna between June and October, but landings have declined 70% from 2004-2009 suggesting adult bluefin tuna may no longer be utilizing the Gulf of Maine as a foraging ground. A series of linear and additive models fitted to multiple fishery dependent datasets identified significant declines in the somatic condition of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine. Significant changes in the somatic condition of …

Effects Of Changes In Agriculture And Abundance Of Snow Geese On Carrying Capacity Of Sandhill Cranes During Spring, Aaron T. Pearse, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) in Nebraska is a key spring staging area for approximately 80% of the midcontinent population of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis). Evidence that cranes currently are acquiring fat less efficiently than in the past along with a large increase in use of the CPRVby snow geese (Chen caerulescens) led us to evaluate waste-corn availability and index spatial and temporal variation in abundance of sandhill cranes and waterfowl using the CPRV. We also developed a predictive model to assess impact of changes in availability of corn under past, present, and potential future conditions. Predicted …

Nutrient Based Subsidy (Nbs) & Support Systems For Ecological Fertilization In Indian Agriculture, Srijit Mishra, Gopikrishna Sr

Srijit Mishra

The intensive agriculture model was introduced in India in the 1960s as part of the Green Revolution. This brought in a package which included massive irrigation projects, new high yielding input responsive varieties and chemical fertilizers. Initially, it did increase production. But now, the food production is stagnating and one has been observing diminishing returns and falling dividends, especially in the agriculture intensiveareas of the country.

The chemical and synthetic fertilizers, particularly Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK), are highly subsidized. The amount of subsidy on this has grown exponentially during the last three decades from a mere Rs. 60 crore …