Digital Commons Network^™

Spatial Cluster Detection For Censored Outcome Data, Andrea J. Cook, Diane Gold, Yi Li

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Conditional Likelihood Methods For Haplotype-Based Association Analysis Using Matched Case-Control Data, Jinbo Chen, Carmen Rodriguez

UPenn Biostatistics Working Papers

Genetic epidemiologists routinely assess disease susceptibility in relation to haplotypes, i.e., combinations of alleles on a single chromosome. We study statistical methods for inferring haplotype-related disease risk using SNP genotype data from matched case-control studies, where controls are individually matched to cases on some selected factors. Assuming a logistic regression model for haplotype-disease association, we propose two conditional likelihood approaches that address the issue that haplotypes cannot be inferred with certainty from SNP genotype data (phase ambiquity). One approach is based on the likelihood of disease status conditioned on the total number of cases, genotypes, and other covariates within each …

Inventory And Monitoring Of Aquatic Bird Species On Lakes Mead And Mohave 2004 - 2006, Joseph Barnes

Wildlife Monitoring

This project was completed as part of a task agreements awarded by the National Park Service (NPS), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME), to the Public Lands Institute (PLI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). This final report was completed under a task agreement ending on September 30, 2006, and was completed in support of an NPS project funded by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (PLMA) to inventory and monitor shoreline and near-shore natural resources on Lakes Mead and Mohave (DOI 2005). This report details inventory and monitoring efforts on shoreline and aquatic bird species between …

Newly Identified Vitamin K-Producing Bacteria Isolated From The Neonatal Faecal Flora, Gordon Cooke, John Behan, Mary Costello

Articles

Fat-soluble vitamin K is an essential component of the blood clotting process. Menaquinones are the naturally occurring form of vitamin K identified in bacteria. Lipid extracts were made from three bacteria originally isolated from the human neonatal gut and identified as Enterobacter agglomerans, Serratia marcescens and Enterococcus faecium. Following preparative thin layer chromatography (TLC), the lipid extracts were subjected to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Peak analysis of the LC-MS data showed that the three bacteria produce various forms of menaquinone.

Estimation In Semiparametric Transition Measurement Error Models For Longitudinal Data, Wenqin Pan, Donglin Zeng, Xihong Lin

Harvard University Biostatistics Working Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Boiga Irregularis+ (Reptile)

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

This night-loving and tree-loving, brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) is so secretive in its nature that it is frequently concealed on container ships and in aircraft cargo. It probably arrived on Guam after World War II in a cargo ship. Now the wetlands, coastlands and forests of Guam are bereft of nine out of twelve native bird species (and two out of eleven native lizards) due to the snakes voracious appetite. The brown tree snake is not a fussy feeder, stimulating the very real fear that it might drive yet more species to extinction.

Sus Scrofa (Mammal)

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

Pigs are large omnivorous mammals with powerful bodies and coarse hairy coats. Their thick necks, wedge-shaped heads and mobile snouts are used in feeding to uproot the ground and find prey or plant material. Ecological characteristics of feral pig activity, group size and home range size should be considered in any management strategy aimed to control pig numbers or reduce their negative impact. Feral pig activity varies between different habitats and climates. High activity has been reported to occur in early morning and late afternoon in tropical climates (Diong 1982). However, in India pigs have been reported to feed nocturnally …

Polyaniline And Its Derivatives For Environmental Analysis., Atogho Jude Abia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electrooxidation has been used to deposit thin film polyaniline as well as its derivative - thin film poly (ortho-phenylenediamine) (POPD) and poly (meta-phenylenediamine) (PMPD) on carbon electrodes, which are subsequently used to monitor the environmental heavy metal ions (Hg²⁺, Pb²⁺ ,Cd²⁺) through a rather unusual "blocking" of anodic stripping for these metals. Using Hg²⁺ as a model, its cyclic voltammogram for a modified glassy carbon electrode with the resultant polymer shows an enhanced cathodic peak that increases linearly with the analyte ion concentration. POPD also exhibits unique selective detection for organic species. Acetaminophen and …

Determination Of Cholesterol In Foods By Flow Injection Analysis With Perroxyoxalate Chemiluminescence., Abisake Feleke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cholesterol is an important biological molecule with many important functions. However, high serum cholesterol is a health hazard. Thus analysis of cholesterol is important and many analytical techniques have been developed. The objectives of the proposed research are to develop an economical, rapid method for the determination of total cholesterol with good selectivity and enhanced sensitivity. For evaluation of proposed flow injection analysis with peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (FIA-POCL) method, figures of merit such as accuracy, precision, and linear dynamic range will be assessed. The proposed procedure was then applied to the determination of total cholesterol in foods. The procedure was linear …

Ferritin: Mechanistic Studies And Electron Transfer Properties, Bo Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Ferritins are ubiquitous iron storage proteins in living systems. Although much is known about the iron deposition process in ferritin and a mechanism has been developed, several important issues still remain unknown. One lingering question is the less than stoichiometric quantities of hydrogen peroxide detected in previous studies on animal ferritins. Extensive experimental data on identifying the species in competition for peroxide equivalents point to a surprising conclusion that H2O2 generated in the ferroxidase reaction is consumed by amine buffers that are commonly employed in in vitro ferritin studies, while non-nitrogen containing buffers, such as acetate, phosphate, and carbonate, do …

Sustainability With Globalization: An Unsustainable Proposition, Daniel B. Reader

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Globalization is recognized as a world-encompassing phenomenon, even as its benefits are debated. Sustainability, the capacity to maintain high standards of living through generations, is at stake. This paper examines the problems of sustainability with globalization from several perspectives. High statistical correlation between indices of globalization and environmental degradation (r2 = 0.977, p < .001) is found using multi-dimensional scaling software. The socially destabilizing, culture flattening effects of globalization are examined, and the terms ‘nationalism’ and ‘terrorism’ are defined. On the basis of its medial position among the indices of both globalization and environmental degradation, Chile is explored in a case study of the interaction. Conclusions regarding Chile’s vulnerabilities are reached, and the country’s environmental, social, and economic ‘weak spots’ are identified. The ethical positions of globalization and sustainability are considered, and the conclusion that there is very little that can be done to alter the nature of the interaction is drawn. It is suggested that globalization minimizes the prospects of success in efforts toward sustainability by maximizing vulnerabilities among sustainability’s components.

Geoexpert - An Expert System Based Framework For Data Quality In Spatial Databases, Aditya Kumar

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Usage of very large sets of historical spatial data in knowledge discovery process became a common trend, and in order to obtain better results from this knowledge discovery process the data should be of high quality. In this thesis we proposed a framework 'GeoExpert' for data quality assessment and cleansing tool for spatial data that integrates the spatial data visualization and analysis capabilities of the ARCGIS, the reason and inference capability of an expert system. In this thesis we implemented the proposed framework both stand-alone and web versions using ArcGIS Engine and ArcGIS Server, respectively. We used JESS expert system …

Some Preservation Techniques For (Deep Water) Coral Samples For Subsequent Molecular Studies: A Special Supplement From Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Jose V. Lopez

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Reports

Around the time that the thirteen original Atlantic colonies were fighting for independence from Britain, there existed little agreement among naturalists as to the nature of corals. Were they inanimate (stones), plants, animals, or intermediate between the latter two (zoophytes)? This diversity of definition and opinions undoubtedly produced considerable confusion and disagreement among naturalists interested in such things. The symbiotic nature of algal cells in the tissues of some corals was also not well understood. It was not until the Darwinian period in the nineteenth century that little doubt remained, and therefore it was generally agreed, that corals were actually …

Physico-Chemical And Grain Cooking Characteristics Of Selected Rice Cultivars Grown In Morogoro, N.B. Shayo, P. Mamiro, C. N. M. Nyaruhucha, T. Mamboleo

Tanzania Journal of Science

A study was carried out at Sokoine University of Agriculture to characterize the local rice varieties grown in Morogoro Region basing on their physical-chemical characteristics and cooking quality parameters. Five cultivars of rice were analyzed and these included Kaling'anaula, Kihogo Red, Salama M17, Supa and Salama. The samples were collected from Crop museum, SUA. The chemical analysis was done to determine the proximate composition, gelatinization temperature and gel consistency as main determinants of cooking quality, sensory evaluation tests was done as determinants for consumer acceptance. The proximate composition results indicated protein content values between 7.94 and 9.46%, ash content between …

Sheep Updates 2006 - Part 4, K. G. Geenty, A. A. Swan, A. J. Smith, J. L. Smith, Chris Oldham, R. G. Woodgate, R. A. Love, E. Dobbe, H. M. Hoult, J. Pearson, S. Hill, A. Van Burgel, R. B. Besier, R. Warburton, L. Mathwin, D. Rogers, E. Crossley, Allan Herbert, P. Nichols, Tony Albertsen, Darryl Mcclements, Graeme Martin, Penny Hawken, Caroline Vinoles, Beth Paganoni, Dominique Blanche

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors:

MANAGEMENT

1. Wool and meat traits in Merino flocks in different regions, K.G. Geenty, A.A. Swan, A.J. Smith, J.L. Smith, Sheep CRC and CSIRO Livestock Industries, Armidale

2. Fat score or Condition score? - It all depends on what you want to do! Chris Oldham, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia

3. Sheep worm control - the latest for Western Australia, RG Woodgate, RA Love, E Dobbe, HM Hoult, J Pearson, S Hill, A van Burgel and RB Besier, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia

PASTURES

4. Rethinking pasture production …

Changing Maine, 1960-2010: Teaching Guide, Richard Barringer, New England Environmental Finance Center

Maine History & Policy Development

Unlike forty years ago, none of us is now certain what the future holds for Maine – except that it will be different. Maine has been transformed by the events of the recent decades. We have come into a new world, a new time – a new historical era, if you will. This new era, like previous eras in Maine history, will require of us new ways of thinking, new ways of understanding, new ways of organizing ourselves as a community of people, if the values and culture we share and cherish are to endure and flourish.

Water, Development, And State Security In South Asia: Scenarios For China And India, Ray Chandrasekara, John M. Polimeni

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Conflict over water resources is rare and has not occurred for thousands of years. However, the dynamics in South Asia are changing so rapidly that a conflict in the not-so-near future may be unavoidable. Water shortages could have the nonlinear effects of food shortages, political instability, migration problems, and diminished economic growth. All of these factors, caused by water shortages, could be a driver of conflict in the region, causing territorial disputes. Global instability would be sure to follow as both the U.S., attempting to protect their national security interests, and China, reacting as the regional power, tries to intervene. …

Interspecies Comparison Of Pentosidine Accumulation And Its Correlation With Age In Birds, Jesse A. Fallon, Robert L. Cochrane, Brian Dorr, Hillar Klandorf

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Recent studies suggest that a linear correlation exists between the age of individual birds and accumulation of the advanced glycation endproduct pentosidine (Ps). We compared Ps accumulation in skin tissue of Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus). Skin samples were taken from the breasts of 52 Ruffed Grouse of known ages ranging from a few days to 10 years. Skin was cleaned of feathers and adipose tissue, acid hydrolyzed, and measured for collagen content via hydroxyproline spectrophotometric assay. Pentosidine concentrations were determined using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Fluorescent detection (excitation: 310 nm, emission: …

Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Volume 12, Spring/Summer 2006

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Canada’s Inter-agency Wild Bird Influenza Survey—Results from 2005
Devil’s Lake Pathogen Surveys
Wildlife Health Alert—Adenoviral Hemorrhagic Disease Updates
First Charitable Donation
Download your newsletter from our Website

Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Volume 12-1, Spring & Summer 2006

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Canada’s Inter-agency Wild Bird Influenza Survey—Results from 2005
Devil’s Lake Pathogen Surveys
Wildlife Health Alert—Adenoviral Hemorrhagic Disease of Deer
Anticoagulant Rodenticide Toxicity in Birds
Salmonellosis Returns to the Maritime Provinces’ Passerine Bird Populations
Skin Disease in Canada Geese
Escherichia albertii in Songbirds on Prince Edward Island
Illegal Shooting of Raptorial Birds in the Province of Quebec from 1986 to 2004
Nocardiosis in a Juvenile Hooded Seal (Cystophora cristata)
Autopsy of the Beluga Whales Necropsy Program: Two Decades of Data
Schistosomiasis-related Mortality in Ring-billed Gulls
Common Toxicological Problems of Ontario Wildlife
Fenthion Poisoning in Black-billed Magpies (Pica pica)
Demodecosis in a …

Bufo Marinus (Amphibian)

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

B. marinus is a heavily built toad with short legs. It can grow upto 15 cm long sometimes. Fingers lack webbing, but the toes are heavily webbed. Adults have a rough, warty skin, colored tan, brown or dark brown, dull green or black. The tympanum is distinct, about one half to two thirds the size of the eye. Venom glands are widely distributed around the surface of the skin, but can also be aggregated together to form large parotoid glands, found on each shoulder. these glands are able to ooze venom. (Gautherot, 2000) Eggs are laid in long strands. Tadpoles …

The Environmental Impact Of Dietary Choice And Agriculture In California, Harold J. Marlow Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Food demand influences agricultural production. Modern agricultural practices have resulted in polluted soil, air and water, eroded soil, dependence on imported oil, and loss of biodiversity. The goal of this research is to investigate the environmental impact of pesticide and fertilizer application, water consumption, and energy used to produce commodities for a vegetarian and non vegetarian diet in California. The working assumption is that greater number and amount of inputs are associated with greater environmental impact. The literature supports this notion. To accomplish this goal, dietary preferences were quantified using the Adventist Health Study and state agricultural data were collected …

Low Birth Weight, Very Low Birth Weight And Infant Mortality In San Bernardino County : A Secondary Analysis Of Maternal Factors, Rebecca D. Nanyonjo

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Purpose: National and state infant mortality rates have slowly declined over the last several years. Despite this reduction, San Bernardino County still has one of the highest infant mortality rates in California and racial disparities between Black and White infants not only persist but continue to widen. These disparities remain at the forefront of concern. Healthy People 2010 target objectives have yet to be reached, while national and state proposed plans have supported the statement that a community's largest health problem is initiated by its infant mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate maternal factors through use of …

The Role Of Chromatic And Achromatic Signals For Fruit Detection By Birds, H. Martin Schaefer, Douglas J. Levey, Veronica Shaefer, Michael L. Avery

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fruit color changes during ripening are typically viewed as an adaptation to increase signal efficacy to seed dispersers. Plants can increase signal efficacy by enhancing chromatic (wavelength related) and/or achromatic (intensity related) contrasts between fruit and background. To assess how these contrasts determine the detectability of fruit signals, we conducted 2 experiments with free-flying crows (Corvus ossifragus) under semi-natural conditions in a 2025 m2 aviary. Crows searched first for artificial red and black fruits and detected red fruits from a larger distance. Because artificial red fruits had higher chromatic and lower achromatic contrasts against foliage than artificial black …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, Number 2, June 2006, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

The Prairie Naturalist (June 2006) Volume 38, Issue 2, full issue.

Feeding Habitats of Spring-Migrating Blackbirds in East-central South Dakota, by Richard S. Sawin, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier, and H. Jeffrey Homan, pages 73-84.

Brood Break-up and Juvenile Dispersal of Lesser Prairie-chicken in Kansas, by James C. Pitman , Brent E. Jamison, Christian A. Hagen, Robert J. Robel, and Roger D. Applegate, pages 74-99.

Population Biology of Pumpkinseed in Enemy Swim Lake, South Dakota, by Eric J. Weimer and Michael L. Brown, pages 101-111.

Reproductive Development in the Sicklefin Chub in the Missouri and Lower Yellowstone Rivers, by …

The Effect Of Temperature And Humidity On The Bionomics Of Six African Egg Parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae), A. Kalyebi, W. A. Overholt, F. Schulthess, J. M. Mueke, S. Sithanantham

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The life table statistics of six native Kenyan species/strains of Trichogramma and Trichogrammatoidea were established using a factitious host Corcyra cephalonica, Stainton (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), at eight different temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 28, 30, 32 and 35°C) and two humidity levels (40-50 and 70-80%). The objective was to select insects with superior attributes for augmentative release against lepidopteran pests in horticultural crops. Both temperature and humidity affected developmental time and life table parameters of the parasitoids but temperature played a more critical role. Developmental time was inversely related to temperature. The intrinsic and finite rates of increase increased with temperature …

Evaluation Of Registered Pesticides As Repellents For Reducing Blackbird (Icteridae) Damage To Sunflower, G. M. Linz, H.J. Homan, A.A. Slowik, L.B. Penry

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Chemical feeding repellents applied to ripening sunflower might help reduce blackbird (Icteridae) damage, which is a chronic agricultural problem from seed formation to harvest. However, costs are high to develop and register new repellents for agricultural use. In 2003 and 2004, we evaluated feeding repellency of 8 pesticides registered by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in sunflower. Caged red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were fed unshelled sunflower seeds treated with the following pesticides: 5 pyrethroid insecticides, an organochlorine, an organophosphorus, and a fungicide. Compared to untreated reference groups, feeding rates were reduced for 4 of the 5 pyrethroid …

Multiple Imputation In The Presence Of Outliers, Michael Elliott

The University of Michigan Department of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

We consider the problem of obtaining population-based inference in the presence of missing data and outliers in the context of estimating obesity prevalence and body-mass index (BMI) measures from the Healthy For Life Study. Identifying multiple outliers in a multivariate setting is problematic because of problems such as masking, in which groups of outliers inflate the covariance matrix in a fashion that prevents their identification when included, and swamping, in which outliers skew covariances in a fashion that make non-outling observations appear to be outliers. We develop a latent class model that assumes each observation belongs to one of $K$ …

A Comparison Of The Imapct Of Environmental Stressors On Blood Parameters Of Captive Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina), Maura Allard

Senior Honors Projects

Little research has been established in determining blood chemistry values for harbor seals in Alaska. It has been suggested that various environmental factors can influence the blood chemistry values due to temperature, day length, precipitation, constraint and diet amongst other variables. Currently there are no guidelines for veterinarians and rehabilitators to refer to when analyzing blood chemistry values for sick animals. The hope for this research is that it will aide in establishing guidelines for specific circumstances due to environmental stressors. It is hoped that in the future, this study will be used to create values for which veterinarians can …

A Preliminary Benthic Invertebrate Study Of Jun Jaegyu Volcano : An Undersea Volcano In Antarctic Sound, Antarctica, Gina QuiñOnes

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Jun Jaegyu volcano, an Antarctic submarine volcano, was dredged in May 2004 for sediment and marine macroinvertebrates. The objectives of this study were to examine the benthic assemblages and biodiversity present on the newly discovered volcano. The volcano is located on the continental shelf of the northeastern Antarctic Peninsula, where recent changes in surface temperature and ice shelf stability have been observed. This volcano was swath-mapped during cruise 01 -07 of the Research Vessel-Ice Breaker Nathaniel B. Palmer. The volcano was studied using a SCUD video camera and a dredge along the flanks and crest. Results indicate a seafloor surface …