Digital Commons Network^™

Stress Response Of Working African Elephants To Transportation And Safari Adventures, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Tarryne Burke, Gus Van Dyk, Rob Slotow, Brian E. Washburn, Rami J. Woods

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

African elephants (Loxodonta africana) are intensively managed in southern Africa and are routinely translocated between reserves. Domesticated elephants are used for elephant-back safaris and interactions with guests. Understanding how elephants respond to such activities is critical because of welfare issues associated with both humans and elephants. We investigated the stress response (i.e., fecal glucocorticoid metabolite secretion [FGM]) of working elephants in Letsatsing Game Reserve, South Africa, over 1 year to evaluate their response to transportation and ecotourism activities. We used free-ranging elephants in adjacent Pilanesburg National Park as controls. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites were greatest prior to and during …

The Colby Echo (2007-05-18), Colby College

The Colby Echo

Published by the students of Colby College since 1877, The Colby Echo is the weekly, editorially independent student-run newspaper of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Published monthly, 1877-1886; semi-monthly, 1886-1897; and weekly, during the academic year, 1898-present.

Comparative Patterns Of Predation By Cougars And Recolonizing Wolves In Montana’S Madison Range, Todd C. Atwood, Eric M. Gese, Kyran E. Kunkel

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Numerous studies have documented how prey may use antipredator strategies to reduce the risk of predation from a single predator. However, when a recolonizing predator enters an already complex predator–prey system, specific antipredator behaviors may conflict and avoidance of one predator may enhance vulnerability to another. We studied the patterns of prey selection by recolonizing wolves (Canis lupus) and cougars (Puma concolor) in response to prey resource selection in the northern Madison Range, Montana, USA. Elk (Cervus elaphus) were the primary prey for wolves, and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) were the primary …

Mirrormirror, Alfred Podesta

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In the work I am presenting for my thesis exhibition I have culled the rich fantasies and experiences of my childhood and re-contextualized specific bits of those through the filters of adulthood, experience and education. The central work in this exhibition is a series of sculptures titled Self-Portrait as Bunnies. In each of these works I present adult-sized and adult-featured versions of myself in child-like poses. This thesis will primarily be involved in examining this series and will do so in two ways. First by introducing the works -- what they are, how they are made, the evolution of ideas …

Toward The Synthesis Of Cay-1, An Antifungal Steroidal Saponin, Katharine Bowdy

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Invasive fungal infections are prevalent and often deadly in immunocompromised patients. There continues to be a pressing need for the development of novel antifungal compounds since there are currently only 13 compounds licensed for the treatment of invasive fungal infections and antibiotic-resistant strains have been emerging. CAY-1 is an antifungal steroidal saponin which was isolated from the fruit of the cayenne pepper plant in 0.1% yield. In Vitro studies of CAY-1 have shown it to be an effective antifungal agent against sixteen pathogenic fungal strains and it showed no cytotoxicity toward mammalian cells up to 100 ìg/mL. The development of …

The Relationship Between Alexithymia, Wellness, And Substance Dependence, Benjamin J. Warner

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between alexithymia, wellness, and substance dependence. Exploration of the relationship between alexithymia, emotional development, and wellness is largely absent in the literature, as is the use of wellness orientation in substance dependence treatment. This study was constructed from two samples, substance dependent clients in residential treatment in New Orleans, LA, and Austin, TX, and undergraduates from the University of New Orleans and the University of Texas at Austin. The total sample size for the study was n = 200. Each participant was administered the TAS-20 and the WEL. Four groups of n = 50 were …

Simulation Of Combustion And Thermal-Flow Inside A Petroleum Coke Rotary Calcining Kiln, Zexuan Zhang

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Calcined coke is the best material for making carbon anodes for smelting of alumina to aluminum. Calcining is an energy intensive industry and a significant amount of heat is wasted in the calcining process. Efficiently managing this energy resource is tied to the profit margin and survivability of a calcining plant. 3-D computational models are developed using FLUENT to simulate the calcining process inside the long slender kiln. Simplified models are employed to simulate the moving petocke bed with a uniform distribution of moisture evaporation, devolatilization, and coke fines entrainment rate with a conjugate radiation-convection-conduction calculation. The results show the …

Western Nebraska Health Information Exchange Network Public Health Reporting- Schematics And Matrix, The University Of Nebraska Public Policy Center

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

This report documents the flow of health information for public health reporting specifically from the perspective of Western Nebraska providers and organizations.

The schematics attempt to outline the steps of different reporting processes. The steps are depicted by basic flowchart shapes and icons. A box with special comments and a key with icons are displayed in the lower right corner of each schematic.

Mustang Daily, May 17, 2007

Cal Poly Student Newspaper

Student newspaper of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Hello, Dolly!, Otterbein University Theatre And Dance Department

2006-2007 Season

Hello, Dolly! is a musical filled with charisma and with heart. Matchmaker Dolly Levi is a widow, a matchmaker, and also a professional meddler --but everything changes when she decides that the next match she needs to make is to find someone for herself. Set in New York City at the turn of the century, Hello-Dolly! is boisterous and charming from start to finish. https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/1313/hello-dolly

Nutritional Quality Of Large Round Bale Silage As Affected By Compaction, Color Of Wrap, Or Preservative In Southcentral Alaska, Charlotte L. Lussier

Plant, Animal and Soil Sciences

Large round bale silage (LRBS), fermented hay, baled at 45-65% moisture content might be a better product than air-dried hay for farmers and ranchers in Southcentral Alaska. Variable weather and sometimes unfavorable conditions for drying hay to the required 18% moisture content makes high quality hay production unpredictable. Our study was designed to determine what practices might produce the highest nutritional quality LRBS. Treatments included using black and white plastic bale wrap, two different baler compaction levels, and application of a buffered propionic acid preservative. The study used four different forage fields over a two year period. Three fields were …

The Child Soldier Experience In Uzodinma Iweala's "Beasts Of No Nation", Nicole Gurley

English

Uzodinma Iweala's Beasts of No Nation plays an integral role in raising awareness of the child soldier epidemic. It portrays this global issue through the eyes of Agu, the child narrator. This thesis attempts to understand the extent to which Agu's experiences with the rebel group as well as his participation in war affect him. Agu struggles to maintain his identity during his exposure to and forced involvement in rape, thievery, and murder. His age leaves him particularly vulnerable to the ravages of war, and although Agu succeeds in maintaining some of his identity, he is eventually alienated from himself …

Funding Issues Associated With Schooling In Alaska And Ghana, Harry Donkor

Education

This thesis provides a comparative analysis of the educational funding systems in Ghana and Alaska. The issues discussed in this thesis include the equitable and adequate distribution of funding for the educational needs of the various school districts in both countries. This study will focus on three areas : (1) Review of the history and foundation of education in the Alaska, and Ghana ; (2) Study of education funding for K-12 education in Alaska and Ghana; (3) Making a determination on whether educational funding in Alaska and Ghana is sufficient to meet the funding needs of K-12 schools. In this …

Daily Eastern News: May 17, 2007, Eastern Illinois University

May

No abstract provided.

You're Grounded!

News Releases

No abstract provided.

Whence These Farmers?: El Pantano Bioarchaeology And The Advent Of Agriculture In West Mexico, Nicholas S. Corduan

Anthropology

This masters thesis in dental anthropology and bioarchaeology examines discrete, non-metric dental data collected from skeletal remains of a Middle Formative era Mexican population at EI Pantano. This site is situated in Jalisco, West Mexico, and represents one of the earliest archaeological examples of transitional agriculture for this area. Materials recovered from the burials suggest that the yet-undiscovered settlement whose people used the cemetery had complex interactions with diverse Mexican groups, including the OImec-linked site of Tlatilco in the Valley of Mexico, and also with groups as far away as Guatemala and the Andes mountains. Phenetic analysis of dental morphology …

Producing Fresh Herbs For Fairbanks Restaurants: A Market Survey, Jacquelyn Denise Goss

Senior Theses

Buyers and producers were surveyed to estimate the demand for fresh culinary herbs among chefs at local Fairbanks restaurants. When thirteen chefs were interviewed, twelve restaurants were found to purchase fresh herbs, primarily basil, parsley, and cilantro. During the summer, the restaurants combined purchased 68 pounds of fresh herbs per week, with 56 percent procured from local growers. Sixty-two percent of the chefs expressed a preference for locally grown products, including herbs. Local producers felt they were able to meet the demand for restaurant herbs and could accommodate additional clients. Many chefs, on the other hand, wished that tomatoes, vegetables, …

Alaska's State-Funded Agricultural Projects And Policy - Have They Been A Success?, Darcy Denton Davies

Senior Theses

In the 1970s and 1980s the state of Alaska invested millions of dollars to develop a large-scale agricultural industry. The Delta Barley Project and the Point MacKenzie Dairy Project were created to show that large-scale agriculture was possible in Alaska. This study looks at the major events and policy decisions that occurred and determines how the outcome of the demonstration projects was affected. An extensive literature review was conducted, focusing on state documents; key persons were also interviewed. The projects did not accomplish their original goals for a number of economic and politic reasons. The positive aspects of development are …

Structure Of Nearshore Fish Assemblages In Relation To Varying Levels Of Habitat Complexity, Joel A. Markis

Marine Biology

Complex kelp and rocky habitats can be beneficial to fishes, however, their use of these habitats is poorly understood in northern latitudes. This study examined nearshore kelp habitats to examine the potential effects of kelp density and substrate topography on nearshore fish communities in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Fish were collected from multiple sand, understory kelp, and understory and canopy kelp sites, along with kelp and substrate complexity measurements. Standard Monitoring Units for the Recruitment of Fish (SMURFs), light traps, shrimp pots, and SCUBA visual surveys were all employed in these collections. Relative fish abundance and community composition varied temporally in …

Observer, Central Washington University

Student Newspaper

Student newspaper for Central Washington University for May 17, 2007

Patterns Of Behavioral Entrainment In Mice, Kelly J. Hochstetler

Biological Sciences

The experiments described in this Dissertation were designed to assess the process by which the master circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) can be entrained by normocaloric scheduled feeding. Mouse lines that differ in some circadian rhythm characteristics and features of the SCN were used in these experiments. The initial experiment showed that the lines differ in the percentage of individuals that entrained to scheduled feeding. In mice that entrained to scheduled feeding, both wheel-running activity and the molecular clock in the SCN were synchronized to the time of food provision. The molecular clock in the SCN remained in …

Development And Control Of A Remotely Accessible Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulator (Hils) For Puma 560, Trivikram Srinivas Singaraju

Engineering

In this thesis a novel Hardware-In-the-Loop-Simulator (HILS) system is developed for the real-time simulation of the PUMA 560 robot arm. The developed HILS structure is different from those used in the literature, as it involves the emulation of both the actuation and load effects of the actual system with use of Permanent Magnet DC (PMDC) motor and Direct-Drive motor (DDM) and not just by computer simulations as is common in the literature. A HILS system typically utilizes hardware with different hardware ratings and time constants than the actual manipulator, and yet is required to replicate the output of the actual …

Estimating Movement With A Spatially-Explicit Stock Assessment Model Of Eastern Bering Sea Walleye Pollock, Theragra Chalcogramma, Sara Elizabeth Miller

Fisheries

The standard Eastern Bering Sea (EBS) walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) stock assessment model has no spatial dimension. To advance the understanding of EBS walleye pollock movements and spatial structure on finer temporal and spatial scales, a spatially explicit migration model of EBS walleye pollock was developed. However, there are no estimates of movement rates for this population. Using standard sample size formulae in a Petersen-type experiment, we showed that only a moderate mark-recapture program [minimum number of tags for ages-1 + was 9,475 (all sectors included) and 20,924 (only catcher-vessel shoreside sector included)] is needed to estimate abundance. Given these …

Design And Implementation Of Novel Radar Modulations For The Superdarn Radar At Kodiak Island, Alaska, Mrinal S. Balaji

Engineering

The Kodiak SuperDARN (Super Dual Auroral Radar Network), located on Kodiak Island, Alaska, is a coherent-backscatter radar sensitive to Bragg scatter from ionospheric irregularities. SuperDARN transmitters send out a sequence of seven pulses that aid in the formation of complex autocorrelation functions (ACFs). These ACFs allow for estimating the power, velocity and the spectral widths of the scattering plasma waves. However, the multipulse sequence used currently has some characteristics that are not ideal for the intended purpose. In addition, the analysis technique for estimating the properties of the ACF assumes that there is only a single velocity component present in …

Phylogenetic And Phylogeographic Insights Into The Origin Of Madagascar's Shrews, Anna Kristine Ferry

Biological Sciences

Madagascar is a biodiversity 'hotspot' about 400 km off the southeast coast of Africa. All the mammals on Madagascar have diversified from within one of four ancestral lineages (Goodman and Benstead, 2005). This is remarkable because Madagascar separated 100 million years before the divergence of most mammalian orders (Krause, 2003). With the arrival of humans on Madagascar several new species were introduced (Duplantier and Duchemin, 2003), including one or possibly two introduced species of shrews (family Soricidae) Suncus murinus and Suncus madagascariensis. Although once believed to be a subspecies of the Old World S. etruscus, Suncus madagascariensis is currently believed …

Effects Of Bear Viewers And Photographers On Brown Bears (Ursus Arctos) At Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park And Preserve, Howard Blair French

Biological Sciences

We investigated the effects of bear viewing and photography on brown bears (Ursus arctos) that used open habitats at Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park and Preserve (KNPP), Alaska. We also investigated how bear use of the area varied with season, human presence, and time of day. We found that the mean number of bears present varied significantly with season, time of day, and human presence. There were significantly more bears present before the salmon season than during the salmon season; bear numbers increased significantly during the day, and there were significantly more bears when humans were present. Humans at varying …

The Role Of Serotonergic (5-Ht) Neuromodulation In Respiratory Chemosensitivity, Deborah M. Fieldman

Biological Sciences

Breathing must be regulated to maintain appropriate levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Breathing may be influenced by serotonergic (5-HT) neurons, sensitive to CO₂, which activate the brain's respiratory network. However, this role of 5-HT neurons as CO₂-sensitive chemoreceptors in unanesthetized animals is unclear. This study used an unanesthetized in situ perfused rat brainstem preparation to test the hypothesis that 5-HT neurons contribute to CO₂ ventilatory responses. Changes in phrenic nerve discharge patterns were monitored as gas-saturated solutions supplying the preparation were switched from 5%C0₂ to 7%C0₂ (balance 0₂). The importance of 5-HT neurons was identified by comparing responses before …

Summer Ecology Of The Teshekpuk Caribou Herd, Lincoln Scott Parrett

Biological Sciences

The summer range of the Teshekpuk Caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) Herd is currently undergoing the initial stages of petroleum exploration and development. Pre-development baseline information is necessary to interpret post-development distribution and habitat selection of caribou and to develop mitigation measures. We estimated bi-weekly distributions, diet and habitat selection by caribou during the summers, 2002-2004, based on aerial relocations of 21-49 radio-collared females. Little or no habitat selection was detected when comparing used locations to habitat available within bi-weekly utilization distributions. Habitat selection was much stronger when comparing bi-weekly utilization distributions to the remaining area of summer use. At the …

Stress Physiology In Breeding Seabirds: Coping With A Variable Food Supply, Michael T. Shultz

Biological Sciences

Recent life-history models predict that long-lived seabirds, breeding in variable food environments, should exhibit flexible reproductive effort. However, these models assume that food availability fluctuates unpredictably and birds are unable to match reproductive output perfectly to food abundance. However, the degree to which predictable changes in food availability versus stochastic ones influence reproductive performance of seabirds is unknown. In this study we examined the role of food abundance prior to egg-laying versus food abundance during chick rearing for determining reproductive output of two species of high latitude nesting seabird; the Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and Common Murre (Uria aalge). We …

Population Ecology Of Pacific Common Eiders On The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, Heather M. Wilson

Biological Sciences

Knowledge of ecological factors that influence birth, death, immigration, and emigration provide insight into natural selection and population dynamics. Populations of Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) in western Alaska declined by 50-90% from 1957 to 1992 and then stabilized at reduced numbers from the early 1990's to the present. This study investigates the primary underlying processes affecting population dynamics of Pacific common eiders, with the goals of understanding factors that may have led to the observed decline and subsequent stabilization, and providing tools from which conservation, management, and recommendations for future research can be …