Digital Commons Network^™

The Welfare Of Sows Used For Breeding In The Pig Industry

Agribusiness Reports

The conditions afforded sows (adult female pigs) used for breeding on industrial pig production operations present a number of welfare problems. Sows are routinely confined in gestation and farrowing crates barely larger than their own bodies, where they are unable to turn around during their pregnancy and lactation periods, often in excess of 128 consecutive days. Behavioral abnormalities such as stereotypic bar-biting and aggression arise due to environmental deficiencies and restricted feeding regimens. Sows in large, industrial operations are also affected by a number of production-related diseases and suffer from higher mortality rates. A reevaluation of current confinement systems and …

The Impact Of Industrialized Animal Agriculture On World Hunger

Agribusiness Reports

Of the world’s nearly 6.8 billion humans, almost 1 billion people are malnourished. Feeding half the world’s grain crop to animals raised for meat, eggs, and milk instead of directly to humans is a significant waste of natural resources, including fossil fuels, water, and land. Raising animals for food is also a major contributor to global warming, which is expected to further worsen food security globally. To meet the daily nutritional needs of a rapidly expanding population, the world’s human community, particularly in Western countries, must reduce its reliance on animal products and shift to a more plant-based diet.

The Implications Of Farm Animal-Based Bioenergy Production

Agribusiness Reports

As the current and potential impacts of climate change become more evident and increasingly urgent, entities such as governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are seeking out non-fossil fuelbased sources of energy to mitigate those effects. In addition, many governments are investigating ways to promote their own domestic energy sources as a result of rising oil prices. Bioenergy—made from recently living organic matter, such as plants, agricultural waste and crop residue, meat processing wastes, or farmed animals’ fats and manure—has quickly become one of the fastest growing, and controversial, alternative energy sources. Globally, production of biofuels, generally used for transport, …

Ummra Info: Volume Xi, Number 3, University Of Minnesota, Morris Retirees' Association

UMMRA Info

This newsletter includes: a note from the UMMRA president, upcoming events, UMMRA mini-grants, an UMMRA web site, sad news, UMMRA contributors in Profile, bits and pieces, and an article titled "Memory tours of UMM: Dian and Andy Lopez."

2009 University Of Northern Iowa Panther Basketball Postseason Media Guide, University Of Northern Iowa

Athletics Media Guides

Contents:

--2008-09 Schedule/Results --1
--UNI Men's Basketball Game Notes --1
--2008-09 Missouri Valley Conference Standings --2
--Head Coach Ben Jacobson --3
--2008-09 MVC Award Winners --4
--Statistical Matchup --5
--UNI in MVC Stats/All Games --6
--UNI in MVC Stats/Conference Games --7
--UNI in NCAA Stats --8
--UNI Single-Season Records --9-10
--ESPN/USA Today Top 25 --11
--UNI MVC Tournament History --12
--UNI Postseason Tournament History --12
--2008-09 UNI Men's Basketball - UNI Combined Team Statistics - All Games --13
--UNI Combined Team Statistics - Conference Games --14
--2008-09 UNI Game-by-Game Stats --15
--2008-09 UNI Opponent Game-by-Game Stats --16
--UNI Team High/Low …

2009 University Of Northern Iowa Panther Track & Field Media Guide, University Of Northern Iowa

Athletics Media Guides

Contents:

--General Information --1
--Media Information --2
--The UNI Experience --3-16
--Coaching Staff --17-24
--Meet the Panthers --25-55
--Women's Bios --32-39
--Men's Bios --40-55
--Cross Country --56-60
--History --61-74
--Records --75-79
--NCAA Qualifying Standards --80

Engagement In Active Learning With Brazilian Adult Educators, John Henschke

Adult Education Faculty Works

Partners of the Americas was inspired by President John F. Kennedy, who in 1963 launched the Alliance for Progress, a program of government-to-government economic cooperation across the Western Hemisphere. At the same time, Kennedy also called for a parallel people-to-people initiative, one that would allow private citizens to work together for the good of the Americas. Today, it is a private, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization, enjoying the support of many individuals, international corporations, and foundations. Every US president since Kennedy has endorsed the Partners' program, as have government leaders throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. There are 60 'partnerships' that …

Field Guide To The Fishes Of Eastern Washington, Allan T. Scholz, Holly J. Mclellan, Judy Mcmillan, Larry Conboy, Michelle Kirkendall, Angela Davis, Eastern Washington University. Department Of Biology., Eastern Washington University. University Graphics., United States. Bureau Of Land Management.

Biology Faculty Publications

"This book was prepared through a grant from the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM)."

Solving Real-World Problems: Cal Poly Faculty And Student Research Leads To Practical Solutions, Matt Lazier

Cal Poly Magazine

No abstract provided.

2009-2010 - Graduate Catalog (Revised), Office Of The Registrar, East Tennessee State University

Graduate Academic Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Antifouling Character Of 'Active' Hybrid Xerogel Coatings With Sequestered Catalysts For The Activation Of Hydrogen Peroxide, Daniell M. Mcmaster, Stephanie M. Bennett, Ying Tang, John A. Finlay, Gregory L. Kowalke, Brian Nedved, Frank V. Bright, Maureen E. Callow, James A. Callow, Dean E. Wendt, Michael G. Hadfield, Michael R. Detty

Biological Sciences

Halide-permeable xerogel films prepared from sols containing 50 mol% aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)/50 mol% tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) or 10 mol% APTES/90 mol% TEOS and 0.015 M selenoxide or telluride catalyst in the sol gave reduced settlement of cypris larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite and larvae of the tubeworm Hydroides elegans in the presence of artificial seawater (ASW) and hydrogen peroxide (5-100 μM) relative to glass controls. Settlement of Ulva zoospores was lower on both the 50 mol% APTES/50 mol% TEOS and 10 mol% APTES/90 mol% TEOS xerogel formulations in comparison with glass controls with or without the added catalyst. The 50 mol% …

Predicted Fire Behavior And Societal Benefits In Three Eastern Sierra Nevada Vegetation Types, Christopher Dicus, Kenneth Delfino, David R. Weise

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

We investigated potential fire behavior and various societal benefits (air pollution removal, carbon sequestration, and carbon storage) provided by woodlands of pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla) and juniper (Juniperus californica), shrublands of Great Basin sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa), and recently burned annual grasslands near a wildland-urban interface (WUI) community in the high desert of the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Fire behavior simulations showed that shrublands had the greatest flame lengths under low wind conditions, and that pinyon-juniper woodlands had the greatest flame lengths when winds exceeded 25 km hr^{-1 …}

Food Availability And Parasite Infection Influence Mating Tactics In Guppies (Poecilia Reticulata), Gita R. Kolluru, Gregory F. Grether, Eric Dunlop, Sandra H. South

Biological Sciences

Despite the important effects of diet and parasite infection on male reproductive behavior, few studies have simultaneously addressed their influence on intrasexual selection (male–male competition). We examined the synergistic effects of 2 naturally varying environmental factors, lifetime food intake and infection, with the monogenean parasite Gyrodactylus turnbulli on the mating tactics and foraging behavior of male guppies (Poecilia reticulata). We allowed fish to interact directly with each other during observations and found that unparasitized males won more intermale contests, courted females more frequently, and received positive responses to courtship displays more frequently than males that had been infected. …

Exposure To Pesticides And Breast Cancer Revisited, Samantha Shapiro

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

Pesticide use raises a number of environmental health concerns for the general public as pesticides are commonly used to increase agricultural productivity and control invading insects, weeds, fungi and rodents (Jurewicz et al., 2006). Pesticides have been suspected to present danger to consumers and bystanders, as well as workers during the manufacturing and transporting process of these chemicals. This is a problem of great significance because if pesticides do play a role in the etiologies of breast cancer, many people are put at an increased risk in their daily lives by consuming and inhaling such toxins. Due to the fact …

Childhood Vaccination And Autism, Peggy K. Brinkman

International Journal of Global Health and Health Disparities

In March, 2008, parents of a girl in Georgia were ruled to be entitled to compensation because their daughter developed autistic symptoms after being vaccinated with childhood vaccines (Doheny, 2008). This ruling truly questions the necessity of vaccination for childhood diseases and puts the question in the mind of every parent as to if they should vaccinate their child or not. The purpose of this study is to review literature on the epidemiologic relationship between childhood vaccinations and the development of autism.

2009 Annual Governance Report On Faculty Activities, University Of Northern Iowa

Institutional Effectiveness & Planning Documents

Report of faculty activity broken down by rank

Creating Schools That Value Sexual Diversity, Elizabeth J. Meyer

School of Education Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Serpentine Geoecology Of Eastern North America: A Review, Nishanta Rajakaruna, Tanner B. Harris, Earl B. Alexander

Biological Sciences

Serpentine outcrops are model habitats for geoecological studies. While much attention has been paid to serpentine outcrops worldwide, the literature on eastern North American serpentine and associated biota is scant. This review examines the available literature, published and unpublished, on geoecological studies conducted on serpentine in eastern North America, from Newfoundland through Québec and New England south to Alabama. Most serpentine outcrops in the region have been mapped, but there have been few intensive mineralogical and pedological investigations. The limited soil analyses available suggest elevated levels of heavy metals such as Ni, near-neutral pH values, and Ca∶Mg ratios < 1, characteristic of serpentine soils worldwide. Botanical studies to date have largely focused on floristic surveys and the influence of fire exclusion and grazing on indigenous vegetation. To date, 751 taxa of vascular plants belonging to 92 families have been reported from serpentine outcrops in the region. Two taxa, Agalinis acuta …