Digital Commons Network^™

Kentucky Department Of Agriculture Hay Testing Program, Kim Field

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture offers a forage testing service which provides nutritional and energy value information. A Kentucky Department of Agriculture staff member will take sample(s) of hay and/or haylage at the farm and analyze them in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture Forage Laboratory located in Frankfort. Tested forages can mean higher profit, whether feeding cattle, horses, goats, sheep or other livestock. By knowing the nutritional and energy value, you can minimize your cost and maximize your production.

Effect Of Nutrition Changes On Foods Selected By Students In A Middle School-Based Diabetes Prevention Intervention Program: The Healthy Experience, Connie Mobley, Diane D. Stadler, Myrlene A. Staten, Laure El Ghormli, Bonnie Gillis, Jill Hartstein, Anna Maria Siega-Riz, Amy Virus, Healthy Study Group

GW Biostatistics Center

No abstract provided.

Where To Next? Alternative Career Options For Health-Related Fields, Brett Kingsley

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Temperature And Relative Humidity On The Development And Fecundity Of Chilo Partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), A. Tamiru, E. Getu, B. Jembere, T. Bruce

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The spotted stemborer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is one of the most important insect pests attacking maize and sorghum in Ethiopia. Recent studies have indicated that the pest is spreading to new locations where it was not reported before. In the current study, laboratory investigations were carried out to determine the combined effect of different levels of relative humidity and temperature regimes on the development and fecundity of C. partellus, as these physical factors are known to play an important role in the life cycle of insects and adaptability to local climate. Developmental time, longevity, potential fecundity and realized …

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2011, Nathan A. Slaton

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

The studies described within will allow producers to compare their practices with the university’s research efforts. Additionally, soil-test data and fertilizer sales are presented to allow comparisons among years, crops, and other areas within Arkansas.

Front Matter

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

Issue 1

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

A Global Assessment Of The Water Footprint Of Farm Animal Products, Mesfin Mekonnen, Arjen Y. Hoekstra

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

The increase in the consumption of animal products is likely to put further pressure on the world’s freshwater resources. This paper provides a comprehensive account of the water footprint of animal products, considering different production systems and feed composition per animal type and country. Nearly one-third of the total water footprint of agriculture in the world is related to the production of animal products. The water footprint of any animal product is larger than the water footprint of crop products with equivalent nutritional value. The average water footprint per calorie for beef is 20 times larger than for cereals and …

The Nucleus 2011-2012, Rosalie A. Richards

Science Education Center

No abstract provided.

Incorporating Quantitative Reasoning In Common Core Courses: Mathematics For The Ghost Map, John R. Jungck

Numeracy

How can mathematics be integrated into multi-section interdisciplinary courses to enhance thematic understandings and shared common readings? As an example, four forms of quantitative reasoning are used to understand and critique one such common reading: Steven Berlin Johnson’s "The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World" (Riverhead Books, 2006). Geometry, statistics, modeling, and networks are featured in this essay as the means of depicting, understanding, elaborating, and critiquing the public health issues raised in Johnson’s book. Specific pedagogical examples and resources are included to illustrate applications and …

Stable Coexpression Of Vitamin C Enhancing Genes For Improved Production Of A Recombinant Therapeutic Protein, Hil-12, In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Jessica Patricia Yactayo-Chang

Student Theses and Dissertations

Human interleukin-12 (hIL-12) has been studied as a potential therapeutic factor in the immune response against viral disease and cancer. Plants are a promising platform for the production of complex mammalian proteins, as they can produce large amounts of functional polypeptides free of animal pathogens, and protein production can be increased to agricultural scale in a relatively short period of time. The presence of vitamin C (ascorbic acid, AsA) has been reported to have a positive effect on recombinant protein recovery. In a previous study we have demonstrated the favorable impact of the exogenous addition of AsA on the accumulation …

The Bronx, Beavers And Birthrights: The Case For Urban Wildlife, Richard Day

Student Theses 2001-2013

The subject of animals’ rights has received a fair amount of attention over the years. Philosophers and activists alike have set out to ensure that animals in the wild and in other settings such as factory farms enjoy at least a bare minimum of rights and protections. While these are undoubtedly noble causes, they do leave a great deal to be desired. Almost always left out of these philosophical and moral debates are animals such as squirrels, pigeons, raccoons and the like – urban wildlife, if you will. Because of our constant exposure to them, or perhaps because they …

Not A Walk In The Park: Environmental Justice In New York City, Lindsey Grier

Student Theses 2001-2013

Where a person lives dictates how that person lives. The environment plays a unique and critically important role in the day-to-day behavior of individuals. It also impacts peoples’ health. And in an urban environment, the affect of a person’s surroundings is further intensified by density, traffic, and congestion. Health disparities and environmental hazards throughout New York City are functions of environmental justice.

Parks make up approximately 14 percent of the New York City. Their placement is both practical and symbolic. Environmental justice issues are deeply embedded in park access, and these issues are especially evident in an urban setting such …

Phosphorus In Phoenix: A Budget And Spatial Representation Of Phosphorus In An Urban Ecosystem, Genevieve S. Metson, Rebecca L. Hale, David M. Iwaniec, Elizabeth M. Cook, Jessica R. Corman, Christopher S. Galletti, Daniel L. Childers

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

As urban environments dominate the landscape, we need to examine how limiting nutrients such as phosphorus (P) cycle in these novel ecosystems. Sustainable management of P resources is necessary to ensure global food security and to minimize freshwater pollution. We used a spatially explicit budget to quantify the pools and fluxes of P in the Greater Phoenix Area in Arizona, USA, using the boundaries of the Central Arizona– Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research site. Inputs were dominated by direct imports of food and fertilizer for local agriculture, while most outputs were small, including water, crops, and material destined for recycling. Internally, …

Dynamics Of Predation, Alison N.P. Stevens

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

2012 Interior Least Tern And Piping Plover Monitoring, Research, Management, And Outreach Report For The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Mary Bomberger Brown, Joel G. Jorgensen, Lauren R. Dinan

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This document reports on our monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities during the past 12 months (2012). We prepared it to inform our partners, cooperating agencies, funding sources, and other interested parties of our activities and to provide a preliminary summary of our results.

The Lower Platte River and its major tributaries provide important nesting habitat for two state and federally protected bird species, the Interior Least Tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos) and Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership (TPCP), based at the University of Nebraska-School of Natural Resources, and the Nongame Bird …

Utility Of Improvised Video-Camera Collars For Collecting Contact Data From White-Tailed Deer: Possibilities In Disease Transmission Studies, Michael J. Lavelle, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Aaron M. Hildreth, Tyler A. Campbell, David B. Long, David G. Hewitt, Jeff Beringer, K. C. Vercauteren

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Rapidly evolving electronic technology enables wildlife researchers to collect previously unobtainable data. To explore possibilities of using deer-borne cameras (DBCs) to collect behavioral data from an animal’s point of view, we constructed DBCs and deployed them on 26 adult male whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) within a closed population (405-ha fenced area) in southern Texas just prior to the breeding season during autumn 2010. Our DBCs consisted of global positioning system collars with attached motion-activated trail cameras. We obtained 21,474 video clips from 17 functional DBCs over a period of 14 days. Individual-based data are invaluable in disease and …

An Alternative Method Using Digital Cameras For Continuous Monitoring Of Crop Status, Toshihiro Sakamoto, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Anthony L. Nguy-Robertson, Timothy J. Arkebauer, Brian D. Wardlow, Andrew E. Suyker, Shashi B. Verma, Michio Shibayama

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Crop physiological and phenological status is an important factor that characterizes crop yield as well as carbon exchange between the atmosphere and the terrestrial biosphere in agroecosystems. It is difficult to establish high frequency observations of crop status in multiple locations using conventional approaches such as agronomical sampling and also remote sensing techniques that use spectral radiometers because of the labor intensive work required for field surveys and the high cost of radiometers designed for scientific use. This study explored the potential utility of an inexpensive camera observation system called crop phenology recording system (CPRS) as an alternative approach for …

Groundwater Quality And Its Health Impact: An Assessment Of Dental Fluorosis In Rural Inhabitants Of The Main Ethiopian Rift, Tewodros Rango, Julia Kravchenko, Behailu Atlaw, Peter G. Mccornick, Marc Jeuland, Brittany Merola, Avner Vengosh

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

This study aims to assess the link between fluoride content in groundwater and its impact on dental health in rural communities of the Ethiopian Rift. A total of 148 water samples were collected from two drainage basins within the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). In the Ziway-Shala basin in particular, wells had high fluoride levels (mean: 9.4 ± 10.5 mg/L; range: 1.1 to 68 mg/L), with 48 of 50 exceeding the WHO drinking water guideline limit of 1.5 mg/L. Total average daily intake of fluoride from drinking groundwater (calculated per weight unit) was also found to be six times higher than …

Food Security And Smallholder Coffee Production: Current Issues And Future Directions, Martha Caswell, V. Ernesto Méndez,, Christopher M. Bacon

Environmental Studies and Sciences

In recent years, there has been growing discussion within the specialty coffee industry about the preva- lence of seasonal food insecurity in coffee growing communities. The idea that coffee producers lack re- sources to feed themselves and their families flies in the face of Fair Trade and other sustainable coffee ini- tiatives, which were designed to ensure a viable livelihood and improved conditions for small-scale coffee farmers around the world. Though these certifications represent an important step toward delivering better prices to farmers, they are inadequate tools to stand alone against the formidable and entrenched barriers faced by this population. …

Orange Matters, Tom Raynor, Jay Cox, Eileen T. Jevis, Christine Yackel, Susan Parks

Syracuse University Magazine

No abstract provided.

Livestock Foraging Behavior In Response To Sequence And Interactions Among Alkaloids, Tannins, And Saponins, Tiffany L. Jensen

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

No abstract provided.

Drosophila Melanogaster Selection For Survival Of Bacillus Cereus Infection: Life History Trait Indirect Responses, Junjie Ma, Andrew K. Benson, Stephen D. Kachman, Zhen Hu, Lawrence G. Harshman

Department of Statistics: Faculty Publications

To study evolved resistance/tolerance in an insect model, we carried out an experimental evolution study using D. melanogaster and the opportunistic pathogen B. cereus as the agent of selection. The selected lines evolved a 3.0- to 3.3-log increase in the concentration of spores required for 50% mortality after 18–24 generations of selection. In the absence of any treatment, selected lines evolved an increase in egg production and delayed development time. The latter response could be interpreted as a cost of evolution. Alternatively, delayed development might have been a target of selection resulting in increased adult fat body function including production …

Producing Edible Landscapes In Seattle's Urban Forest, Rebecca J. Mclain, Melissa R. Poe, Patrick T. Hurley, Joyce Lecompte, Marla R. Emery

Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Over the next decades, green infrastructure initiatives such as tree planting campaigns, and ecological restoration will dramatically change the species composition, species distribution and structure of urban forests across the United States. These impending changes are accompanied by a demand for urban public spaces where people can engage in practices such as gleaning, gardening, and livestock production. This article analyzes the institutional framework that undergirds efforts in Seattle, Washington to normalize the production and use of edible landscapes. We focus attention on the role of grassroots fruit gleaning groups and highlight their bridging function between Seattle's agriculture and forestry policy …

Ua12/13 2012 Sustainability Report [Western Kentucky University], Christian Ryan-Downing, Wku Office Of Sustainability

Sustainability Publications and Resources

The Office of Sustainability has occupied the house at 503 Regents for approximately four months. The space is used to house the Big Red Bikes mechanic shop and program, and other programs and activities. Eight students work in the Office of Sustainability in various roles including bike mechanic, student assistant, four PowerSave Interns, a student “handy-man” who works on various physical improvements, and a student that is completing his Honors Thesis on the project.

Much of the past four months have been spent setting up the bike shop, painting, installation of walkway and way finding sign, and otherwise improving the …

Going Green At New York-Presbyterian: Hospitals As Sustainable Businesses, Samantha Allegro

Student Theses 2001-2013

Throughout the past two decades, the reality of environmental degradation has come to the forefront. The health of the environment is most definitely deteriorating. Scientists and scholars have provided and continue to provide growing evidence of environmental problems associated with issues such as climate change, water scarcity, natural resource depletion, energy use, altered landscapes and species loss. It is certain that the creation and escalation of these environmental problems has been heavily influenced by human activity.

Focusing on knowledge in the areas of natural science, public health, and sustainable
business, this paper will address environmentally harmful human activity associated with …

Ua56/1 Fact Book, Wku Institutional Research

WKU Administration Documents

Statistical and demographic profile of WKU.

Mechanisms Of Success: Plant-Herbivore Interactions And The Invasion Of Non-Native Lonicera Species In North America, Deah Lieurance

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Invasion by non-native species is a complicated process and many hypotheses have been proposed to explain how invasive plant species are often poor competitors in their native range, but dominant in their novel range including the enemy release and novel weapons hypotheses. Additionally, many invasive species are characterized as being tolerant and/or resistant to both damage and limitations in abiotic resources. These hypotheses are based on plant-plant, plant-microbial, and plant-herbivore interactions in the invaders novel range and are not mutually exclusive. The genus Lonicera (Caprifoliaceae) includes approximately 200 species worldwide, with 18 native and 16 introduced species in North America. …

The Social Dimensions Of Sustainability And Change In Diversified Farming Systems, Christopher M. Bacon, Christy Getz, Sibella Kraus, Maywa Montenegro, Kaelin Holland

Environmental Studies and Sciences

Agricultural systems are embedded in wider social-ecological processes that must be considered in any complete discussion of sustainable agriculture. Just as climatic profiles will influence the future viability of crops, institutions, i.e., governance agreements, rural household and community norms, local associations, markets, and agricultural ministries, to name but a few, create the conditions that foster sustainable food systems. Because discussions of agricultural sustainability often overlook the full range of social dimensions, we propose a dual focus on a broad set of criteria, i.e., human health, labor, democratic participation, resiliency, biological and cultural diversity, equity, and ethics, to assess social outcomes, …

Chronic Kidney Disease: Vitamin D Treatment Regimens And Novel Assay Development For Kidney And Cardiovascular Function Biomarkers, Joe M. El-Khoury

ETD Archive

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is highly prevalent in the US population and has high incidence of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. A known complication of CKD is secondary hyperparathyroidism that is caused by bone and mineral imbalances, including vitamin D deficiency. Supplementation of CKD patients with vitamin D is based on guidelines issued by the Kidney Disease Quality Outcomes Initiative (K/DOQI), which recommend administration of vitamin D2 in variable doses depending on the severity of vitamin D deficiency. Retrospective and pilot studies have shown that vitamin D2 was not as effective as vitamin D3 in treating vitamin D deficiency. In Chapter …