Digital Commons Network^™

Energy Restriction During Development In Breeding Gilts: An Economic Analysis, Justin Cech

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Swine production has become a low-margin business. As costs of production have increased, producers are continuing to increase efficiency in market pig production and gilt development. Restricting energy intake during gilt development could have a positive impact on a producer’s bottom line, but few studies have economically analyzed production differences caused by energy restriction. This study utilized gilt development and market pig production data from biological studies that included a 2x2 factorial arrangement of half-sibling maternal lines (LWxLR and L45X) entering two gilt development programs. In one program, gilts were fed on an ad libitum basis. In the other, gilts …

A Test Of The Area Of Refuge Hypothesis In Indo-Pacific Marine Biogeography, Jonnell C. Sanciangco

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Many hypotheses have been proposed to explain the marine biogeographic patterns of species richness of the Indo-Pacific. One of these hypotheses suggests that available habitat area is the main predictor of species richness. This is the basis for the area of refuge hypothesis that attempts to explain the global maxima of species richness found in the Coral Triangle, the area encompassing mostly the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia. This species-area effect also has habitat heterogeneity as a potential component. The purpose of this study is to test the effects of habitat availability predictors, such as shallow water area and coastline length …

Automated Isolation Of Translational Efficiency Bias That Resists The Confounding Effect Of Gc(At)-Content, Douglas W. Raiford, Dan E. Krane, Travis E. Doom, Michael L. Raymer

Kno.e.sis Publications

Genomic sequencing projects are an abundant source of information for biological studies ranging from the molecular to the ecological in scale; however, much of the information present may yet be hidden from casual analysis. One such information domain, trends in codon usage, can provide a wealth of information about an organism's genes and their expression. Degeneracy in the genetic code allows more than one triplet codon to code for the same amino acid, and usage of these codons is often biased such that one or more of these synonymous codons is preferred. Detection of this bias is an important tool …

Local And Traditional Knowledge And The Historical Ecology Of Pacific Herring In Alaska, Thomas F. Thornton, Madonna L. Moss, Virginia L. Butler, Jamie Hebert, Fritz Funk

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The article focuses on the historical ecology of the Pacific herring, a marine food web resource, in the Gulf of Alaska. It states the hearing conducted by the Alaska Legislature's House special committee on fisheries on the status and management of herring in Southeast Alaska during which Tlingit fisherman Clarence Jackson of Kake notes the disappearance of herring in his lifetime. Information on herring ecology based from Native and non-Native individuals from Southeast communities and archaeological site reports reveal that non-Natives in Southeast Alaska have exploited herring with the development of a herring reduction plant. It underscores the need for …

Physics And Astronomy Collection Development Policy, Virginia A. Baldwin

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Collection Development Policies

The Department of Physics and Astronomy offers the B.A. and B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The department offers a Physics degree with an astronomy option and Physics faculty will continue to teach Astronomy classes. The graduate program in Astronomy is being phased out and there is currently no Physics Education program. The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln offers graduate education leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Physics. The Department has a flexible program of graduate study to accommodate students with a wide variety of goals and backgrounds.

Philosophy Collection Development Policy, Kathleen Johnson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Collection Development Policies

The philosophy collection supports the teaching, research, and service activities of the entire university community. Its primary audience is the faculty and students of the Department of Philosophy in the College of Arts & Sciences. Its primary focus is support for the undergraduate and graduate curricula for philosophy. Research needs of faculty and students are supplemented through Interlibrary Loan. Although the collection also benefits other citizens of the state of Nebraska, materials are not purchased with them in mind. While the collection focuses on works classified in Library of Congress call numbers B, BC-BD, BH, and BJ, research support is …

Agronomy & Horticulture Collection Development Policy, Elaine Maytag Nowick

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Collection Development Policies

The Agronomy & Horticulture Collection supports the RESEARCH, graduate, and undergraduate education mission of the department. It also provides information resources for related groups in the university such as Cooperative Extension, RESEARCH & Extension Centers, the Statewide Arboretum, and the Water Center. The Department is also supported by materials in other subject areas such as Plant Pathology, Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Statistics.

Spartan Daily September 15, 2009, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily (School of Journalism and Mass Communications)

Volume 133, Issue 10

Application Of Electrified Fladry To Decrease Risk Of Livestock Depredation By Wolves (Canis Lupus), Nathan J. Lance

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wolf (Canis lupus) predation on livestock can cause economic and emotional hardships for livestock producers, complicating the balance of wolf conservation with other human interests. New management tools that decrease risk of predation may offer additional flexibility or efficiency for both livestock producers and management agencies. I examined 1) the efficacy of electrified fladry compared to fladry at protecting a food source from wolves in captivity, 2) the efficacy of electrified fladry for reducing wolf use of pastures and preventing depredations, and 3) the applicability of electrified-fladry. In captivity I tested the reaction from 15 groups (46 wolves) …

Historical Changes In The Occurrence And Distribution Of Freshwater Mussels In Kansas, Robert T. Angelo, M. Steve Cringan, Eva Hays, Clint A. Goodrich, Edwin J. Miller, Mark A. Vanscoyoc, Bryan R. Simmons

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

The surface waters of eastern and central Kansas once supported an impressive variety of native freshwater mussels, but a widespread decline in species richness accompanied the urban, industrial, and agricultural development of this region. Statewide mussel surveys implemented during the past two decades have shed new light on the scope and severity of this decline. Of the 48 mussel species originally known from Kansas, six are now extirpated, one lacks reproductively viable populations (i.e., faces imminent extirpation), and 38 others have suffered evident range reductions or a widespread thinning of former populations. Soil erosion and stream siltation, other forms of …

Cortisol Response Of Non-Suicidal Self-Injurers Versus Non-Self-Injurers Exposed To A Social Rejection Laboratory Stressor, Patrick L. Kerr

Theses and Dissertations

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSI) represents a growing area of concern in a variety of clinical settings, yet remains a poorly understood phenomenon. An influx of research on the functions of NSI over the past decade has suggested a biopsychosocial emotional regulation model of this behavior. This model proposes that self-injurers engage in NSI to reduce negative emotions, and presupposes that self-injurers are characterized by emotional dysregulation. The present study evaluated the biological component of this model by assessing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPAA) functioning in a group of self-injurers(n=26) and non-injuring healthy controls (n=28). HPAA functioning was assessed via measuring salivary cortisol levels …

Aristotle's Difficult Relationship With Modern Economic Theory, Spencer J. Pack

Economics Faculty Publications

This paper reviews Aristotle's problematic relationship with modern economic theory. It argues that in terms of value and income distribution theory, Aristotle should probably be seen as a precursor to neither classical nor neoclassical economic thought. Indeed, there are strong arguments to be made that Aristotle's views are completely at odds with all modern economic theory, since, among other things, he was not necessarily concerned with flexible market prices, opposed the use of money to acquire more money, and did not think that the unintended consequences of human activity were generally beneficial. The paper argues however, that this interpretation goes …

Estimates For Worldwide Laboratory Animal Use In 2005, Katy Taylor, Nicky Gordon, Gill Langley, Wendy Higgins

Laboratory Experiments Collection

Animal experimentation continues to generate public and political concern worldwide. Relatively few countries collate and publish animal use statistics, yet this is a first and essential step toward public accountability and an informed debate, as well as being important for effective policy-making and regulation. The implementation of the Three Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement of animal experiments) should be expected to result in a decline in animal use, but without regular, accurate statistics, this cannot be monitored. Recent estimates of worldwide annual laboratory animal use are imprecise and unsubstantiated, ranging from 28–100 million. We collated data for 37 countries that …

The Beginning Of The End For Chimpanzee Experiments?, Andrew Knight

Experimentation Collection

The advanced sensory, psychological and social abilities of chimpanzees confer upon them a profound ability to suffer when born into unnatural captive environments, or captured from the wild – as many older research chimpanzees once were – and when subsequently subjected to confinement, social disruption, and involuntary participation in potentially harmful biomedical research. Justifications for such research depend primarily on the important contributions advocates claim it has made toward medical advancements. However, a recent large-scale systematic review indicates that invasive chimpanzee experiments rarely provide benefits in excess of their profound animal welfare, bioethical and financial costs. The approval of large …

2008 March, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for March of 2008.

Amphiod Densities And Indices Of Wetland Quality Across The Upper-Midwest, Usa, Michael J. Anteau, Alan D. Afton

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Nutritional, behavioral, and diet data for lesser scaup (Aythya affinis [Eyton, 1838]) indicates that there has been a decrease in amphipod (Gammarus lacustris [G. O. Sars, 1863] and Hyalella azteca [Saussure, 1858]) density and wetland quality throughout the upper-Midwest, USA. Accordingly, we estimated densities of Gammarus and Hyalella in six eco-physiographic regions of Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota; 356 randomly selected semi-permanent and permanent wetlands were sampled during springs 2004 and 2005. We also examined indices of wetland quality (e.g., turbidity, fish communities, aquatic vegetation) among regions in a random subset of these wetlands (n = 267). Gammarus …

Study Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Urban Men In Pakistan: Identifying The Bridging Population, Ali M. Mir, Laura Reichenbach, Abdul Wajid, Mumraiz Khan

Reproductive Health

Pakistan currently has low levels of HIV infection, however the country is considered at high potential risk for an HIV epidemic. In major cities there are large concentrations of individuals whose behaviors make them extremely vulnerable to the rapid spread of HIV and of classical sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including male and female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and injecting drug users. HIV can spread to the general population through individuals who have contact with both high-risk groups and the general heterosexual population (the “bridging population”). Identifying the bridging population and bridging behaviors among urban men and …

Animal Minds, Cognitive Ethology, And Ethics, Colin Allen, Marc Bekoff

Sentience Collection

Our goal in this paper is to provide enough of an account of the origins of cognitive ethology and the controversy surrounding it to help ethicists to gauge for themselves how to balance skepticism and credulity about animal minds when communicating with scientists. We believe that ethicists’ arguments would benefit from better understanding of the historical roots of ongoing controversies. It is not appropriate to treat some widely reported results in animal cognition as if their interpretations are a matter of scientific consensus. It is especially important to understand why loose references to ‘‘cognitive ethology’’ by philosophers can signal ignorance …

Cocoa Farming In Ghana: Emic Experience, Etic Interpretation, Francis Danquah, Stephen K. Miller

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper develops the tension between emic and etic analysis, recounting the experience of life on a cocoa farm in Ghana, from the perspective of an urban youth with familial connections to the rural community. The dual perspective of living in the city along with frequent visits to and summer sojourns on the farm provided an “outsider’s” perceptions of the rural culture. Yet even these dual emic perspectives were insufficient to bring recognition of the underlying economic realities of cocoa bean production that depended partly on migrant labor. That etic insight came later in the United Kingdom, when studying similar …

Slides: A Case Study Of The Roan Plateau Area, Mary Viviano

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: Mary Viviano, EnCana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc.

14 slides

Information Literacy At Augustana: A Programmatic Approach, Nancy E. Goebel, Paul J. Neff

Communications in Information Literacy

Information literacy programs, and the factors that influence their development and structure, can vary significantly from institution to institution. Credit-bearing discipline-specific information literacy courses are a rare and valuable component of an undergraduate educational experience and form the basis of Augustana's information literacy program. This article provides an overview of the development, implementation, successes, and drawbacks of the credit-bearing discipline-specific information literacy courses at the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta (Camrose, Alberta, Canada). Additional program components including Augustana's annual information literacy workshop, information literacy awards, information literacy DVD, and marketing/branding, are discussed.

Shark Bay Prawn And Scallop Fisheries. Draft Review Report, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Management Papers

In recent times, the Department of Fisheries has received representations from both sectors about the ongoing interaction of the fisheries and their respective management settings. As a result, a decision was made to comprehensively review the fisheries, taking into account matters of fishery sustainability and gear interactions, together with industry economics and market considerations. The review has also addressed research requirements to ensure an appropriate scientific basis for decision-making into the future.

Childhood Among The Etruscans: Mortuary Programs At Tarquinia As Indicators Of The Transition To Adult Status, Marshall Joseph Becker

Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Deficits In Social Skills And Feeding Behaviors Associated With Adults Diagnosed With Autistic Disorder Living In An Institutionalized Setting, Cindy Terlonge Graham

LSU Master's Theses

Autistic disorder, a syndrome beginning in infancy and persisting into adulthood, has captured the attention of researchers and clinicians alike. Although this disorder has been studied since the mid-1940s, there is a lack of literature addressing certain adaptive skills in adults with autism. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in social and feeding skills between individuals with and without autistic disorder. Given the importance of acquiring these skills to facilitate proper adjustment and decrease potential health risks, better understanding of these behaviors in persons with autism is warranted. Participants comprised three separate groups: an autism group, …

Review Article: The Archaeology Of Infancy And Childhood: Integrating And Expanding Research Into The Past, Marshall Joseph Becker

Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Penalized Splines For Longitudinal Data With An Application In Aids Studies, Hua Liang, Yuanhui Xiao

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

A penalized spline approximation is proposed in considering nonparametric regression for longitudinal data. Standard linear mixed-effects modeling can be applied for the estimation. It is relatively simple, efficiently computed, and robust to the smooth parameters selection, which are often encountered when local polynomial and smoothing spline techniques are used to analyze longitudinal data set. The method is extended to time-varying coefficient mixed-effects models. The proposed methods are applied to data from an AIDS clinical study. Biological interpretations and clinical implications are discussed. Simulation studies are done to illustrate the proposed methods.

Fat Teen Trouble: A Sociological Perspective Of Obesity In Adolescents, Katherine Malnor

Sociology Honors Projects

While many studies have sought to isolate some of the causes and possible solutions to the growing problem of childhood obesity in the United States, researchers have given scant attention to the influence of social factors on obesity. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health, this study examines if social factors can explain adolescent obesity. Models predicting obesity as measured by body-mass-index found that different factors were associated with obesity for males and females, but had poor overall predictive power. Separate analysis of parents’ subjective assessment of adolescent obesity found different influences and no association with objective …

The Creativity And Aging Study: The Impact Of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs On Older Adults, Gene D. Cohen, The Center On Aging, Health & Humanities, The George Washington University (Gw)

National Collaborative on Aging Faculty Publications

Executive Summary

In 2001, the National Endowment for the Arts developed a cooperative agreement with The George Washington University to conduct a multisite national study with the aim of measuring the impact of professionally conducted community based cultural programs on the general health, mental health, and social activities of older persons, age 65 and older. Referred to as the Creativity and Aging Study, the project’s formal title is “The Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on Older Adults”. No previous study of this nature using an experimental design and a control group had been carried out. The study takes place …

Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Within The Central Nucleus Of The Amygdala Mediates Enhanced Ethanol Self-Administration In Ethanol-Dependent Rats During Withdrawal., Laura O'Dell

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

Self-Injury: An Analysis Of The Behavior, Causes, And Effective Treatments, Lindsey Huyser

Honors Program Theses

Society has also become obsessed with the quest for a perfect body (Lader & Conterio, 1998). Often, this causes great damage for the self-esteem of women because they are pressured to live up to these high expectations. Self-injury is a way to make women feel better. There has been a rise in women working outside of the home as well, making latchkey children a normal occurrence. Children are often home by themselves when they return from school in today's world, which leaves them with nobody to talk to when problems arise. Self-injury can become a way to heal these issues.