Digital Commons Network^™

The Valuation Of Agricultural Biotechnology: The Real Options Approach, Ian Marshall Flagg

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

This study develops a real options model of agbiotechnology and is applied to three genetically modified (GM) traits. Each trait is evaluated as growth options where technical or marketing milestones must be completed before management can exercise the option to invest further in trait development. The real options values are evaluated by employing a binomial tree which is simulated using distributions for random elements within stages of the growth option. Mean option values were negative for the discovery stage for fusarium-resistant wheat and for all but the regulatory submission stage for Roundup Ready wheat. The length of the regulatory submission …

Introduction To Special Section On Microcosms In Ice: The Biogeochemistry Of Cryoconite Holes, Andrew G. Fountain, Martyn Tranter

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cryoconite holes are small, water filled, cylindrical melt-holes on glacial ice surface. Cryoconite, 'cold dust,' refers to the thin layer of sediment at the hole bottom. The holes form from surficial sediment patches that absorbs more solar radiation than the surrounding ice and which preferentially melt into the glacier forming a cylindrical water-filled hole. These holes form on the ice-covered, as opposed to snow covered, parts of glaciers world-wide, wherever there is sufficient energy for melting. Biogeochemically, cryoconite holes are interesting because the sediment is inncoculated with biologic material, a fraction of which thrives in the cryoconite environment of near-freezing …

Plagioclase Populations And Zoning In Dacite Of The 2004–2005 Mount St. Helens Eruption: Constraints For Magma Origin And Dynamics, Martin J. Streck, Cindy A. Broderick, Carl R. Thornber, Michael A. Clynne, John S. Pallister

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigated plagioclase phenocrysts in dacite of the 2004–5 eruption of Mount St. Helens to gain insights into the magmatic processes of the current eruption, which is char­acterized by prolonged, nearly solid-state extrusion, low gas emission, and shallow seismicity. In addition, we investigated plagioclase of 1980–86 dacite.

Light and Nomarski microscopy were used to texturally characterize plagioclase crystals. Electron microprobe analy­ses measured their compositions. We systematically mapped and categorized all plagioclase phenocrysts in a preselected area according to the following criteria: (1) occurrence of zones of acicular orthopyroxene inclusions, (2) presence of dissolution surface(s), and (3) spatial association of 1 …

Factors Influencing Potato Production In North Dakota, Zoe Taryn Margaux Roberson Zetina

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

Spatial shifts and structural changes continue to occur in the United States agricultural industry. Researchers have documented that the potato industry has changed in response to demands of consumers, expectations of producers and improvements in research and development. The aim of this study was to provide empirical evidence that both institutional and infrastructural factors are important to potato production in North Dakota. Using secondary county-level potato production data for North Dakota, an empirical model was designed to estimate the direction and impact of growers' expectations of prices, yields and costs on their decision to produce potatoes. The results confirmed that …

Time-Varying Estimation Of Crop Insurance Program In Altering North Dakota Farm Economic Structure, Jane Amy Chow-Coleman

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

This study examines how federal farm policies, specifically crop Insurance, have affected the farm economic structure of North Dakota's agriculture sector. The system of derived input demand equations is estimated to quantify the changes in North Dakota farmers' input use when they purchase crop insurance. Further, the cumulative rolling regression technique is applied to capture the varying effects of the farm policies over time. Empirical results from the system of input demand functions indicate that there is no moral hazard since North Dakota farmers will increase fertilizer and pesticide use in the presence of crop insurance. Results also indicate that …

Examination Of North Dakota's Production, Cost, And Profit Functions: A Quantile Regression Analysis, Jacklin Beatriz Marroquin

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

This thesis estimates the production, cost, and profit functions for North Dakota agriculture using state-level input-output quantity and price data for the period 1960-2004. A Cobb-Douglas functional form with Hick-neutral technology change is used to measure the contribution of capital, land, labor, materials, energy, and chemical inputs quantities and output quantity using the primal production function; contribution of capital quantity, land quantity, output quantity, labor price, materials price, energy price, and chemical price to cost using the dual restricted cost function; and the contribution of capital quantity, land quantity, labor price, materials price, energy price, chemical price, output price to …

Logistic Strategies For An Herbaceous Crop Residue-Based Ethanol Production Industry : An Application To Northeastern North Dakota, Jason Enil Middleton

Agribusiness and Applied Economics

A mixed integer programming model is developed to determine a logistical design for maximizing rates of return to harvest, storage, transportation, and bioreflning of herbaceous crop residue for production of biofuels and feed for ruminant animals. The primary objective of this research is to identify the optimal location, scale, and number of pretreatment and biorefinery plants in northeastern North Dakota. The pretreatment and biorefinery plants are modeled under the assumption that they utilize recent technological advancement in AFEX and Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation, respectively. Potential feedstocks include wheat straw, barley straw, Durum straw, and com stover. Results indicate that the …

Locke On Consciousness, Angela M. Coventry, Uriah Kriegel

Philosophy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Locke’s theory of consciousness is often appropriated as a forerunner of present-day Higher-Order Perception (HOP) theories, but not much is said about it beyond that. We offer an interpretation of Locke’s account of consciousness that portrays it as crucially different from current-day HOP theory, both in detail and in spirit. In this paper, it is argued that there are good historical and philosophical reasons to attribute to Locke the view not that conscious states are accompanied by higher-order perceptions, but rather that conscious states constitute perceptions of themselves.

The Formal Structure Of Patent Law And The Limits Of Enablement, Jeffrey A. Lefstin

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Emperor Has No Clothes: Eu's Cyprus Challenge, Birol A. Yeşilada, Ahmet Sozen

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the words of the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, “membership of [politically divided] Cyprus in the European Union coupled with Turkey’s membership aspirations has seriously complicated future peace negotiations on the island.” (Hürriyet, June 16, 2006). This is a rather harsh assessment of EU’s Cyprus policy given the fact that membership in the Union would most likely create the optimal conditions for peace and stability between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Yet, EU membership of one side at the expense of the other community, seem to have created more obstacles for peace. This paper provides a critical analysis …

Education And The Age Profile Of Literacy Into Adulthood, Elizabeth Cascio, Damon Clark, Nora Gordon

Dartmouth Scholarship

American teenagers perform considerably worse on international assessments of achievement than do teenagers in other high-income countries. This observation has been a source of great concern since the first international tests were administered in the 1960s. But does this skill gap persist into adulthood? We examine this question using the first international assessment of adult literacy, conducted in the 1990s. We find that, consistent with other assessments of the school-age population, U.S. teenagers perform relatively poorly, ranking behind teenagers in the twelve other rich countries surveyed. However, by their late twenties, Americans compare much more favorably to their counterparts abroad: …

The Warps Survey. Vii. The Warps‐Ii Cluster Catalog, Donald J. Horner, Eric S. Perlman, Harald Ebeling, Laurence Jones, Caleb A. Scharf, Gary Wegner, Matthew Malkan, Ben Maughan

Dartmouth Scholarship

We present the galaxy cluster catalog from the second, larger phase of the Wide Angle ROSAT Pointed Survey (WARPS), an X-ray selected survey for high-redshift galaxy clusters. WARPS is among the largest deep X-ray cluster surveys and is being used to study the properties and evolution of galaxy clusters. The WARPS-II sample contains 125 clusters serendipitously detected in a survey of 301 ROSAT PSPC pointed observations and covers a sky area of 56.7 deg². Of these 125 clusters, 53 have not been previously reported in the literature. We have nearly complete spectroscopic follow-up of the clusters, which range …

Spectral Tomography With Diffuse Near-Infrared Light: Inclusion Of Broadband Frequency Domain Spectral Data, Jia Wang, Scott C. Davis, Subhadra Srinivasan, Shudong Jiang

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Emergence Of Networks In Distance-Constrained Trade, Kumar Venkat, Wayne W. Wakeland

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Long-distance trade has been rapidly increasing in recent years. As traders from around the world exchange goods, they form networks with traders as nodes and transactions as links. We use an agent-based model of a simple artificial economy to examine the emergence of trade networks when the distance between traders matters. Distance can become an issue if fuel for transportation becomes expensive or if greenhouse gas emissions from transportation become a major concern. We model the distance constraint as a transaction cost proportional to the amount of goods traded and the distance that those goods must be transported. We find …

Epistemological Pluralism: Reorganizing Interdisciplinary Research, Thaddeus R. Miller, Timothy D. Baird, Caitlin M. Littlefield, Gary Kofinas, F. Stuart Chapin Iii, Charles L. Redman

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite progress in interdisciplinary research, difficulties remain. In this paper, we argue that scholars, educators, and practitioners need to critically rethink the ways in which interdisciplinary research and training are conducted. We present epistemological pluralism as an approach for conducting innovative, collaborative research and study. Epistemological pluralism recognizes that, in any given research context, there may be several valuable ways of knowing, and that accommodating this plurality can lead to more successful integrated study. This approach is particularly useful in the study and management of social–ecological systems. Through resilience theory's adaptive cycle, we demonstrate how a focus on epistemological pluralism …

First Results From Ideal 2-D Mhd Reconstruction: Magnetopause Reconnection Event Seen By Cluster, W. L. Teh, B. U. O. Sonnerup

Dartmouth Scholarship

We have applied a new reconstruction method (Sonnerup and Teh, 2008), based on the ideal single-fluid MHD equations in a steady-state, two-dimensional geometry, to a reconnection event observed by the Cluster-3 (C3) space- craft on 5 July 2001, 06:23 UT, at the dawn-side Northern- Hemisphere magnetopause. The event has been previously studied by use of Grad-Shafranov (GS) reconstruction, per- formed in the deHoffmann-Teller frame, and using the as- sumption that the flow effects were either negligible or the flow was aligned with the magnetic field. Our new method allows the reconstruction to be performed in the frame of reference moving …

A Darwinist View Of The Living Constitution, Scott Dodson

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Utilization Of Revoicing Based On Learners‘ Thinking In An Inquiry-Oriented Differential Equations Class, Oh Kwon Nam, Mi Kyung Ju, Chris Rasmussen, Karen A. Marrongelle, Jae Hee Park, Kyoung Hee Cho, Jung Sook Park, Jee Hyun Park

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Researchers of mathematics education are increasingly interested in a teacher's discursive moves, which refer to deliberate actions taken by a teacher to participate in or influence debate and discussion in the mathematics classroom. This study explored one teacher's discursive moves in an undergraduate inquiry-oriented mathematics class. The data for this study come from four class sessions in which students investigated initial value problems as represented by the phase portrait of a system of differential equations. Through the analysis and a review of the literature, we identified four categories of a teacher's discursive moves: revoicing, questioning/requesting, telling, and managing. This report …

The Effect Of Particles On Creep Rate And Microstructures Of Granular Ice, Min Song, Ian Baker, David M. Cole

Dartmouth Scholarship

The microstructures of particle-free granular freshwater ice and ice containing 1 wt.% of 50 ± 10 mm uniformly distributed particles were investigated before and after compressive creep to ∼10% strain with stresses of 1.45 MPa at −10°C and 0.4 MPa at −5°C. Creep rates of particle-containing ice were always higher than those of particle-free ice. For an initial stress of 1.45 MPa at −10°C, dynamic recrystallization occurred with new grains nucleating and growing along grain boundaries for both sets of specimens, and the ice with particles showed a higher nucleation rate. Under creep with an initial stress of 0.4 MPa …

The Science Of Persuasion In Recent Discourse On T.R. Malthus: An Exercise In The Analysis Of Rhetoric In Economics, Laila Winner

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Of all the dour portraits lining the august halls of Economics, it is that of Thomas Robert Malthus which seems perhaps to scowl the most grimly. Describing an approach or policy as Malthusian in everyday conversation conjures a host of disturbing images, bare fields and squalling babies chief among them. Such allusions provoke even stronger reactions within the discipline Malthus helped to found, ranging from Keynes's fervent championship to the sneering dismissal of Samuelson. Neither the more famous Smith nor Ricardo nor even Marx can claim to have gained in their lives what the comparatively less prolific Reverend did with …

Crossing Borders, Building Bridges, Gayle Y. Thieman

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article is derived from the presidential address delivered at the NCSS Annual Meeting in San Diego on November 30, 2007.

Through collaboration and involvement, we can meet the five critical challenges facing social studies educators today.

Invasive Predator, Bythotrephes, Has Varied Effects On Ecosystem Function In Freshwater Lakes, Angela L. Strecker, Shelley E. Arnott

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bythotrephes longimanus is an invertebrate predator that has invaded the North American Great Lakes and a number of inland lakes, where it preys on crustacean zooplankton. We examined the effect of Bythotrephes on two measures of ecosystem function during a four month observational study of freshwater lakes on the boreal shield. Bythotrephes-invaded lakes had significantly lower epilimnetic zooplankton abundance and production compared to reference lakes. On average, Bythotrephes consumed 34% ofzooplankton production when it was present in lakes. There was some evidence of changes in the timing of zooplankton production, as well as shifts to cooler, less productive habitats, which …

Superior Adaptation To Drought In Rubus Armeniacus (Himalayan Blackberry) In Northwest Oregon, J. Alan Yeakley, Joshua S. Caplan

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite the status Rubus armeniacus (Himalayan blackberry) has as one of the most prolific and damaging plant invaders in the Pacific Northwest, we know little about the role of water relations in its success. The information available on invasive blackberry water relations (Fotelli et al. 2001; McDowell and Turner 2002) suggests that an ability to avoid water stress has been critically important to their proliferation in regions with Mediterranean climates (Amor et al. 1998). We had two objectives regarding the role of water relations in the invasive success of R. armeniacus:

Objective 1. Determine if R. armeniacus is better adapted …

Differential Effects Of Understory And Overstory Gaps On Tree Regeneration, Brian Beckage, Brian D. Kloeppel, J. Alan Yeakley, Sharon F. Taylor, David C. Coleman

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Gaps in the forest canopy can increase the diversity of tree regeneration. Understory shrubs also compete with tree seedlings for limited resources and may depress tree recruitment. We compared effects of shrub removal and canopy windthrow gaps on seedling recruitment and understory resource levels. Shrub removal, with the canopy left intact, was associated with increased levels of understory light and soil moisture and coincided with increased species richness and diversity of tree regeneration compared to both control plots and canopy gaps. Canopy windthrow gaps, however, resulted in a more than 500 fold increase in soil nitrate concentrations, and seedling growth …

Engaging Recreational Fishers In Management And Conservation: Global Case Studies, Elise F. Granek, Elizabeth M.P. Madin, M. A. Brown, Will F. Figueira, Darren S. Cameron, Zeb Hogan, Gerry Kristianson, Pierre De Villiers, Jack E. Williams, John R. Post, S. Zahn, R. Arlinghaus

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Globally, the number of recreational fishers is sizeable and increasing in many countries. Associated with this trend is the potential for negative impacts on fish stocks through exploitation or management measures such as stocking and introduction of non-native fishes. Nevertheless, recreational fishers can be instrumental in successful fisheries conservation through active involvement in, or initiation of, conservation projects to reduce both direct and external stressors contributing to fishery declines. Understanding fishers’ concerns for sustained access to the resource and developing methods for their meaningful participation can have positive impacts on conservation efforts. We examined a suite of case studies that …

Rapid Assessment Of 2008-2012 Highway Development Projects In Region 6: Threats And Opportunities To Terrestrial Wildlife Resources, Sandra L. Jacobson, Catherine E. De Rivera, Kathleen Armstrong, Rebecca Aaby, Nadia Jones

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Summaries of Highway Development Projects in Region 6 National Forests.

This document contains a summary of higher complexity projects selected for their interest to line officers and resource managers. These projects represent not only the current Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) projects but also a sample of the types of projects that will be on future STIPs. Thus, readers are urged to glance at the tracking tools and narratives for all forests to gain a quick glimpse of the types of projects potentially facing each forest. The summary has extracted brief information on project locations and types, the program year …

Nutrient Uptake By Intact And Disturbed Roots Of Loblolly Pine Seedlings, Melissa S. Lucash, Ruth D. Yanai, J. Devereux Joslin

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most measurements of nutrient uptake use either hydroponic systems or soil-grown roots that have been disturbed by excavation. The first objective of this study was to test how root excavation affects nitrate uptake. Rates of NO3− uptake by mycorrhizal loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) seedlings were measured in intact sand-filled columns, hydroponics, and disturbed sand-filled columns. Total nitrate uptake in intact sand-filled columns was higher than in disturbed columns, indicating that disturbance lowers uptake. Transferring plants from the sand-filled columns to hydroponics had little effect on NO3− uptake beyond delaying uptake for an hour. The second objective of this study …

Refactoring Tools: Fitness For Purpose, Emerson Murphy-Hill, Andrew P. Black

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Refactoring tools can improve the speed and accuracy with which we create and maintain software -- but only if they are used. In practice, tools are not used as much as they could be: this seems to be because sometimes they do not align with the refactoring tactic preferred by the majority of programmers, a tactic we call floss refactoring. We propose five principles that characterize successful floss refactoring tools -- principles that can help programmers to choose the most appropriate refactoring tools and also help toolsmiths to design tools that fit the programmer's purpose.

The Impact Of The Caernarvon Diversion On Above- And Belowground Marsh Biomass In The Breton Sound Estuary After Hurricane Katrina, Matthew Korbel Moerschbaecher

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this project was to monitor the recovery of marsh vegetation following Hurricane Katrina in the Breton Sound estuary, which is directly influenced by the Caernarvon freshwater diversion. From March 2006 until October 2007, we measured above- and belowground biomass, soil porewater nutrients (NOx, NH4, and PO4), porewater salinity, porewater sulfide concentrations, and soil redox potential bimonthly at duplicate Near (N), Intermediate (M), and Far (F) sites (with respect to the diversion), as well as at a Reference (C) site. End of season live (EOSL) below and above ground biomass was measured at 26 separate stations where vegetation …

Monte Carlo Modeling Of Spatial Coherence: Free-Space Diffraction, Donald D. Duncan, David G. Fischer, Scott A. Prahl

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present a Monte Carlo method for propagating partially coherent fields through complex deterministic optical systems. A Gaussian copula is used to synthesize a random source with an arbitrary spatial coherence function. Physical optics and Monte Carlo predictions of the first- and second-order statistics of the field are shown for coherent and partially coherent sources for free-space propagation, imaging using a binary Fresnel zone plate, and propagation through a limiting aperture. Excellent agreement between the physical optics and Monte Carlo predictions is demonstrated in all cases. Convergence criteria are presented for judging the quality of the Monte Carlo predictions.