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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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- Memory (4)
- Stress (Physiology) (4)
- Autism spectrum disorders (3)
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- Inter-male aggression (2)
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- Obesity (2)
- Prefrontal cortex (2)
- Pregnancy (2)
- Progesterone (2)
- Rats (2)
- Rats as laboratory animals (2)
- Stress (Psychology) (2)
Articles 1 - 30 of 36
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Evaluation Of Aquatic Plant Survey Methods For Efficacy In Invasive Species Detection, Izaac Cooper
Evaluation Of Aquatic Plant Survey Methods For Efficacy In Invasive Species Detection, Izaac Cooper
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Aquatic invasive plants can often be ecologically devastating to ecosystems where they are introduced. This devastation has been widely apparent in the United States, including many locations in New York State over many decades, following anthropogenic transport of species from their native ranges. Due to the difficulty involved in eradicating these plants once they have become fully established, there is keen interest in strategies for early detection to assist with prevention and monitoring to mitigate future management costs. Invasive species detection research aims to find methods for detecting new invaders more effectively. I evaluated three detection methods for their effectiveness …
Neural Correlates And Neuroanatomy Of Juvenile And Adult Contextual Fear Memory Retention, Natalie Odynocki
Neural Correlates And Neuroanatomy Of Juvenile And Adult Contextual Fear Memory Retention, Natalie Odynocki
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
AbstractFear is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that allows an organism to discern potential harm and act accordingly by engaging in defensive behaviors. While fear is an adaptive response, dysregulation of fear by means of a traumatic event can lead to psychiatric conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Animal research using rodents in Pavlovian context fear conditioning experiments allows for the ability to study the underlying neural circuitry of threat-appropriate and aberrant fear learning and memory that may contribute to PTSD. However, despite reports that women are more than two times more likely to develop PTSD compared to men, the …
The Evolution Of Sex Differences In Mandrills (Mandrillus Sphinx): Micro- And Macroevolution, Jerred Klint Schafer
The Evolution Of Sex Differences In Mandrills (Mandrillus Sphinx): Micro- And Macroevolution, Jerred Klint Schafer
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Primates show diverse patterns of adaptive color and body size dimorphism produced by inter- and intrasexual selection. However, the specific microevolutionary processes that produce variation in secondary sexual characteristics remain largely unexplored in primates. Furthermore, sexual conflict theory predicts that female and male secondary sexual traits can coevolve in an antagonistic manner and promote speciation. This dissertation explores the microevolution of secondary sexual characteristics in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) and the macroevolution of these characters in anthropoid primates. I address the microevolution of mandrill facial coloration and body mass by estimating the heritability, phenotypic selection, and genetic evolution of these traits …
Using Machine Learning To Predict Super-Utilizers Of Healthcare Services, Kevin Paul Buchan Jr.
Using Machine Learning To Predict Super-Utilizers Of Healthcare Services, Kevin Paul Buchan Jr.
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
In this dissertation, I aim to forecast high utilizers of emergency care and inpatient Medicare services (i.e., healthcare visits). Through a literature review, I demonstrate that accurate and reliable prediction of these future high utilizers will not only reduce healthcare costs but will also improve the overall quality of healthcare for patients. By identifying this population at risk before manifestation, I propose that there is still time to reverse undesirable healthcare trajectories (i.e., individuals whose clinical risk increases an excessive healthcare and treatment burden) through timely attention and proper care coordination. My dissertation culminates in the delivery of state-of-the-art predictive …
Intergenerational Embodiment Of Stress : How The Broader Sociocultural Environment Can Shape Child Growth And Development, Elizabeth A. Holdsworth
Intergenerational Embodiment Of Stress : How The Broader Sociocultural Environment Can Shape Child Growth And Development, Elizabeth A. Holdsworth
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Childhood growth has been a means of identifying systemic, material inequalities within populations. The plasticity of growth is responsive to multiple environmental factors, most notably adequate nutrition, but also psychosocial stress. Psychosocial stress can be a function of the social and political economic ecology, reinforcing power hierarchies within societies. This dissertation proposes that childhood growth can also reflect inequality in the distribution of psychosocial stress exposure through mothers’ feelings of a chronically stressful environment conveyed through maternal-infant interactions.
Behavioral, Endocrine, And Neural Responses To Stress In Postpartum And Nulliparous Rats : Potential Mechanisms Of Postpartum Stress Resilience, Joanna Medina
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Major depressive disorder is one of the most pervasive psychiatric illnesses in the United States. Women are at greater risk for developing depression, particularly during their childbearing years. Approximately 17% of new mothers develop postpartum depression within 4 weeks after parturition. The risk for postpartum depression is even greater in women who do not breastfeed or stop breastfeeding early. Major depressive disorder and postpartum depression share the same symptomology and common etiological bases. Dysregulated stress responses, dopamine activity, and neuroinflammation are recognized mechanisms for depression. The transition to motherhood encompasses physiological and behavioral adaptations in the brain essential for ensuring …
Using Systems Archetypes And Generic Structures To Support Water Resource Management Studies : The Case Of Cropping Pattern Change In New Mexico State, Babak Bahaddin
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
A wide range of managerial problems are similar in nature, and yet they continuously appear in different forms and in different geographical locations. Compared to other sciences, it seems that in the field of management, managers have a hard time facing these similar problems. Part of this issues is caused by the extreme complexity of the systems and another part is caused by the lack of a universal language with which managers can communicate their lessons. This dissertation offers a set of tools that have been previously manufactured in systems science, and more specifically in System Dynamics.
Effect Of Draxin Manipulation On Btbr Mouse Brain And Behavior, Adam Blau
Effect Of Draxin Manipulation On Btbr Mouse Brain And Behavior, Adam Blau
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is known for distinct behavioral phenotypes such as a preference for repetitive activities and difficulty in socialization. However, little is known about what might cause ASD. Current evidence implicates genetics as playing a substantial role in ASD. Mouse models, such as BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) inbred mice, are an invaluable resource for ASD research, as they allow the investigation of both genetics and behavior in parallel. BTBR mice are of interest due to their reduced hippocampal commissure (HC) and absent corpus callosum (CC), along with increased exploratory activity, decreased anxiety, reduced sociability, and increased repetitive self-grooming …
The Effects Of Parental Factors And Personal Attributes On Birth Control Use Under The Genetic Influences Of 5-Httlpr Among Adolescents, Hyun-Jin Cho
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The purpose of this study was (a) to examine relationships between parental influences and personal attributes on birth control use and (b) to identify genetic influences on such relationships by comparing the frequencies of common genetic variants—short allele vs. long allele—in 5-HTTLPR among adolescents (N = 5,852). Data from the Wave 1 and Wave 4 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used to examine the birth control use of adolescents who were in 7th through 12th grade in 1994–1995. Multi-group Structural Equation Modeling analyses were used to identify the relationship among factors. Results did not find significant …
The Role Of Progesterone Receptor In The Developing Medial Preoptic Nucleus, Diana Lalitsasivimol
The Role Of Progesterone Receptor In The Developing Medial Preoptic Nucleus, Diana Lalitsasivimol
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Numerous neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric diseases have a distinct sex bias in
The Role Of Progesterone Receptor In The Development Of The Mesocortical Serotonergic Pathway, Allyssa Phillips
The Role Of Progesterone Receptor In The Development Of The Mesocortical Serotonergic Pathway, Allyssa Phillips
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The mesocortical serotonergic pathway, consisting of serotonergic fibers projecting from the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) to the prefrontal cortex (PFC), regulates higher order executive functions and complex cognitive behaviors. Disruptions in this pathway lead to dysfunction in behavior and have been linked to several clinical disorders, including anxiety and ADHD. While this pathway continues to change throughout the lifespan, it is during early development that this pathway undergoes a rapid period of maturation, with the greatest rate of fiber innervation and synaptogenesis occurring in the mesocortical serotonergic pathway at this time. The development of a properly functioning circuit is directed …
Characterization Of A Novel, Stress-Responsive Sexually Dimorphic Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor 1 (Crfr1) Nucleus In The Rostral Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus Of The Mouse, Zachary Julius Rosinger
Characterization Of A Novel, Stress-Responsive Sexually Dimorphic Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor 1 (Crfr1) Nucleus In The Rostral Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus Of The Mouse, Zachary Julius Rosinger
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Within the United States, women are at double the risk of men to develop a stress-related mood disorder (e.g., anxiety or depression) during their reproductive years (Kornstein et al., 2000; Kessler et al., 2005). Many factors contribute to the potential sex difference in such disorders, including gonadal hormones (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis; HPG) and how they interact with the stress response system, or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signals through binding the GS-coupled receptor, CRF receptor 1 (CRFR1), and activity between CRF/CRFR1 regulates the hormonal and behavioral stress response (Chen et al., 1993; Bale and Vale, 2004; Heinrichs et al., 1995; …
Developmental Changes In The Activation And Structure Of The Contextual Fear Neural Circuit From Infancy To Adulthood, Anthony John Santarelli
Developmental Changes In The Activation And Structure Of The Contextual Fear Neural Circuit From Infancy To Adulthood, Anthony John Santarelli
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The contextual fear circuit, centered on the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA), is comprised of projections from the hippocampal formation and prefrontal cortex, and mediates an animals ability to learn and predict associations between the environment and biologically relevant stimuli. While the function and structure of this circuit has been well characterized in adult species, relatively little is known about its development as an animal transitions from infancy to adulthood. Recent evidence has begun to suggest that infants, juveniles, and adolescents may show remarkable heterogeneity in the behavioral, activational, and structural properties of the circuit. In this thesis, I …
Three Methodological Innovations In Race And Ethnicity Research, Jeffrey Napierala
Three Methodological Innovations In Race And Ethnicity Research, Jeffrey Napierala
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
This dissertation examines topics related to racial and ethnic diversity through three essays. Each essay takes a new perspective on a current issue in the literature and utilizes a unique statistical methodology to address that issue. The first essay uses the Monte Carlo Simulation Method to develop a measure of segregation for the ACS and uses it to assess whether the ACS is useful for measuring segregation in places with different sizes. The second essay considers whether a relatively unexplored factor, genetics, is correlated with migration. This perspective broadens our understanding of why migration occurs and is perpetuated over time. …
Clinical Information Extraction From Unstructured Free-Texts, Mingzhe Tao
Clinical Information Extraction From Unstructured Free-Texts, Mingzhe Tao
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Information extraction (IE) is a fundamental component of natural language processing (NLP) that provides a deeper understanding of the texts. In the clinical domain, documents prepared by medical experts (e.g., discharge summaries, drug labels, medical history records) contain a significant amount of clinically-relevant information that is crucial to the overall well-being of patients. Unfortunately, in many cases, clinically-relevant information is presented in an unstructured format, predominantly consisting of free-texts, making it inaccessible to computerized methods. Automatic extraction of this information can improve accessibility. However, the presence of synonymous expressions, medical acronyms, misspellings, negated phrases, and ambiguous terminologies make automatic extraction …
An Investigation Of Implicit And Explicit Memory In The Survival Memory Paradigm, Allison M. Wilck
An Investigation Of Implicit And Explicit Memory In The Survival Memory Paradigm, Allison M. Wilck
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Robust support has been found for a survival processing effect on memory when information is encoded for its fitness-relevance (Nairne, Thompson, & Pandeirada, 2007). However, support for this effect has been limited to forms of memory that require intentional, explicit retrieval processes. Thus far, the literature has failed to identify the effect in implicit, automatic memory using conceptual and perceptual production tasks (McBride, Thomas, & Zimmerman, 2013; Tse & Altarriba, 2010). In the current study, an alternative implicit memory test that employs different memory processes was employed in a further attempt to examine the survival processing effect in implicit memory. …
The Effects Of Pre-Pregnancy Tobacco Use On Food Cravings And Weight Gain In Pregnancy, Lauren E. Blau
The Effects Of Pre-Pregnancy Tobacco Use On Food Cravings And Weight Gain In Pregnancy, Lauren E. Blau
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Smoking cessation is associated with greater frequency of food cravings, even when controlling for body mass index. Recent studies have indicated similarities between obese women and women who smoke tobacco in mood states and food craving frequency. This is consistent with the common substrate hypothesis, which postulates that shared neural pathways mediate craving across multiple domains, and could explain why it is common for women attempting to quit smoking to gain weight. Smoking cessation prior to pregnancy is strongly encouraged due to the adverse effects of tobacco use on the developing fetus. Studies have shown that women who quit smoking …
A "Default Option" While Online Grocery Shopping To Enhance Nutrition Within A Food Insecure Population, Jaime Ashley Coffino
A "Default Option" While Online Grocery Shopping To Enhance Nutrition Within A Food Insecure Population, Jaime Ashley Coffino
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
There is a need for sustainable interventions that improve diet-related health within the food insecure community. We examined if use of a “default” prefilled online grocery shopping cart, compared to nutrition education, would result in the purchase of healthier food items. Fifty participants (M age = 46.4 ± 12.46 years; M body mass index = 28.59 ± 6.48 kg/m2; 74.0% male) were randomized to: (1) read a brochure containing nutrition information (n = 23) or (2) be presented with a “default” prefilled online shopping cart containing groceries that meet nutritional guidelines to which they could freely make changes before completing …
Consequences Of Developmental Lead (Pb2+) Exposure On Reproductive Strategies In Drosophila, Elizabeth Kathleen Peterson
Consequences Of Developmental Lead (Pb2+) Exposure On Reproductive Strategies In Drosophila, Elizabeth Kathleen Peterson
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Anthropogenic lead (Pb) pollution is ubiquitous in the environment and a risk factor for both human and wildlife health. Pb exposure has the potential to alter reproductive strategies with respect to mate choice and reproductive output. This could be especially deleterious if these changes disrupt adaptive behavioral and reproductive life history strategies. Therefore, the overall aim of this body of work was to examine the consequences of developmental Pb exposure on reproductive strategies, using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system. In all experiments, D. melanogaster were reared from egg stage to adulthood in either control or leaded medium and were …
Reduced Conscious Recollection And Its Detection In Three Performance Validity Tests : A Dual Task Interference Investigation, Graham Michael Silk-Eglit
Reduced Conscious Recollection And Its Detection In Three Performance Validity Tests : A Dual Task Interference Investigation, Graham Michael Silk-Eglit
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Performance validity is an essential component of neuropsychological assessment. Research suggests that examinees with specific neurological conditions cannot successfully complete certain performance validity tests (PVTs). However, very little basic research has explored the information processing underlying performance on PVTs that might explain why these examinees fail certain PVTs. The current study used a dual task interference paradigm to isolate the impact of reducing conscious recollection on the performance of three PVTs, the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM), Victoria Symptom Validity Test (VSVT), and Word Memory Test (WMT). One-hundred-and-twenty-six non-clinical undergraduate research participants were administered these three PVTs as part of …
What's In A Kiss? : The Role Of Kissing In Romantic Relationships, Kristina N. Spaulding
What's In A Kiss? : The Role Of Kissing In Romantic Relationships, Kristina N. Spaulding
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
A strong understanding of the role of kissing has important theoretical implications; however little research has been done on kissing in romantic relationships. This study aimed to examine the role of kissing in (a) mate assessment, (b) initiating arousal and (c) maintenance of an emotional bond. Data were collected by surveying college students at a public university in the northeast. The first survey (n = 121) examined the memory of the first kiss compared to other sexual “firsts” as well as the relationship between the first kiss and relationship outcome. Memories of the first kiss were weaker than memories of …
Human Feeding Biomechanics : Intraspecific Variation And Evolution, Justin Ledogar
Human Feeding Biomechanics : Intraspecific Variation And Evolution, Justin Ledogar
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
This study examines feeding biomechanics in modern human crania and those of extinct early members of the human lineage in order to better understand the selective pressures that influenced human craniofacial evolution. Specifically, this study uses finite element analysis to examine: 1) human feeding performance, in terms bite force production and craniofacial strength; 2) intraspecific variation in human feeding biomechanics; 3) feeding biomechanics in fossil hominins, including Australopithecus sediba and Homo habilis, species that are potentially at the root of modern human lineage, and 4) the functional role of purported facial buttresses.
Landowner Knowledge And Opinions Of Invasive Species And Their Management Surrounding A Suburban Nature Preserve, Christina Mclaughlin
Landowner Knowledge And Opinions Of Invasive Species And Their Management Surrounding A Suburban Nature Preserve, Christina Mclaughlin
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Invasive species are a growing human-caused threat to biodiversity around the globe as they are moved both accidentally and intentionally through trade routes. The human component of conservation management is especially critical in invasive species, as human awareness is key to preventing and rapidly responding to new introductions. Yet the social component of management is poorly studied, even as outreach efforts continue to grow in an effort to gain public support. This study attempts to understand public knowledge and opinions toward invasive species and their management through an online survey of neighboring landowners to a suburban nature preserve, the Albany …
When Is Hacking Ethical?, Sharif Rezazadehsaber
When Is Hacking Ethical?, Sharif Rezazadehsaber
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
This thesis examines situations in which computer hacking might be considered ethical. It addresses fundamental questions regarding the motivation and consequences of ethical hacking. The paper is organized into three sections. The first section discusses the history of hackers, classifies them according to their motivational background. The second part of the paper comprehensively describes the features of the ethical or “white hat” hacker group, and explores the positive and negative behaviors of ethical hackers in relation to their ethical principles. In the final section of the paper, I discuss hacktivist groups, their unique ideologies, and the risks they face, including …
Mediation Of Recurrent Hypoglycemia's Physiological And Behavioral Effects In The Hippocampus By Glucocorticoids, Danielle Osborne
Mediation Of Recurrent Hypoglycemia's Physiological And Behavioral Effects In The Hippocampus By Glucocorticoids, Danielle Osborne
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Recurrent hypoglycemia (RH) occurs with the over administration of insulin resulting in severe hypoglycemia on a repetitive basis. This occurs most commonly among Type I Diabetics who rely on exogenous insulin replacement for management of their disease; however it is becoming increasingly common among Type II Diabetics. Although cognitive deficits are reported during hypoglycemia, the period following restoration of euglycemia has been denoted by improved hippocampally-mediated short-term and working memory in humans and rodents, respectively. RH is also associated with an altered glucocorticoid secretion profile in response to hypoglycemia. In vitro and in vivo approaches were utilized with the goal …
Time Will Tell : Temporal Reasoning In Clinical Narratives And Beyond, Weiyi Sun
Time Will Tell : Temporal Reasoning In Clinical Narratives And Beyond, Weiyi Sun
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Temporal reasoning in natural language refers to the extraction and understanding of time-related information conveyed in free text. A clinical narrative temporal reasoning component can enable a spectrum of medical natural language processing (NLP) applications that directly improve patient care documentation efficiency, accessibility and accountability. This dissertation contributes in three subtasks under temporal reasoning: temporal annotation, temporal expression extraction and temporal relation inferences. The temporal annotation work described in the dissertation produced one of the first publicly available clinical narratives. We published one of the first sets of temporal
The Role Of Igf-Ii In Memory Enhancement : Implications For Autism Spectrum Disorders, Amy S. Kohtz
The Role Of Igf-Ii In Memory Enhancement : Implications For Autism Spectrum Disorders, Amy S. Kohtz
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Cognitive and memory impairments significantly affect multiple domains in life and play major roles in disease. Identifying critical mechanisms and factors that mediate memory consolidation and enhancement may represent an important approach for increasing cognition in normal adults and preventing or treating cognitive impairments. The expression of the C/EBP- target gene insulin-like growth factor 2, (IGF-II) is required for memory consolidation; furthermore, IGF-II administration during memory consolidation produces memory enhancement, increased memory persistence and prevents forgetting. In this thesis, I investigated the therapeutic potential of IGF-II to promote memory consolidation when administered systemically. In addition, I investigated one particularly interesting …
The Role Of Progestogen Neurosteroids In Behaviors Relevant For Autism Spectrum Disorders, Danielle Christine Llaneza
The Role Of Progestogen Neurosteroids In Behaviors Relevant For Autism Spectrum Disorders, Danielle Christine Llaneza
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects children across the U.S. and is characterized by deficits in social communication and restrictive/repetitive behaviors, for which few therapeutic interventions have been successful. Steroid hormones, such as progesterone (P4) and its metabolite, 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one (3α,5α-THP), can exert neuroprotective effects, influence synaptic morphology, mediate behavioral outcomes, and influence stress-responding. In this thesis, the behaviors and baseline levels of the stress hormone, corticosterone, P4, and 3α,5α-THP are investigated in BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) mice, a proposed ASD model. It was hypothesized that BTBR mice would show abnormalities in behaviors and in levels of steroids and neuroendocrine factors. Results …
Developmental Adaptation Hypothesis : Aerobic Capacity, Submaximal Arterial Saturation And Pulmonary Volumes In Peruvian Quechua Natives, Melisa Kiyamu Tsuchiya
Developmental Adaptation Hypothesis : Aerobic Capacity, Submaximal Arterial Saturation And Pulmonary Volumes In Peruvian Quechua Natives, Melisa Kiyamu Tsuchiya
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The Quechua populations have inhabited the Andes for hundreds of generations. The ability to thrive in this hostile environment, leading an active and healthy life has generated research questions about the special phenotype of Andean highlanders compared to their sea-level counterparts, such as their higher pulmonary volumes and their outstanding work capacity in spite of the challenge of oxygen transport and delivery in hypoxia. In high altitude natives, there have been two main explanations for the origins of the aforementioned traits: genetic adaptation through natural selection and developmental adaptation through the exposure to hypoxia during growth.
Stewards Of The Land : Demonstrations Of Agricultural Authenticity In Columbia County, Ny, Jaclyn Rose Bruntfield
Stewards Of The Land : Demonstrations Of Agricultural Authenticity In Columbia County, Ny, Jaclyn Rose Bruntfield
Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)
The origins of food in the U.S. have come under close public scrutiny in recent years. An increasing number of farmers markets, certified organic products, and Community Supported Agriculture programs indicate that Americans are seeking out alternatives to the mainstream food system. The industrialization of food production in the post-World War II era, while providing larger amounts of inexpensive food than ever before, has arguably compromised people's relationships with food. While farming was once a common way of life in the U.S., today only one percent of Americans identify farming as their primary occupation.