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Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Reviewer: Karen Glumm
A Sociology of Mental Illness
Mark Tausig, Janet Michello, and Sree Subedi

Reviewer: Susan L. Schrader
Intersections: Readings in Sociology
Ralph B. McNeal, Jr., and Kathleen A. Tiemann, Eds.

Reviewer: Tracy B. Citeroni
White Saris and Sweet Mangoes: Aging, Gender, and Body in North India
Sarah Lamb

Reviewer: Michele Lee Chesser
Racist America: Roots, Current Realities, & Future Reparations
Joe R. Feagin

Reviewer: Annette Prosterman
Environmentalism Unbound: Exploring New Pathways for Change
Robert Gottlieb

Reviewer: Jack Niemonen
Tripping on the Color Line: Black-White Multiracial Families in a Racially Divided World
Heather M. Dalmage

Reviewer: Scott London
Colonizing …

Stepmothers' Preparation For Remarriage: Influence On Spouse And Stepchildren Relations, Cindi Penor Ceglian, Donald Arwood, Renee Oscarson, Jason Karsky

Great Plains Sociologist

Role theory suggests that preparation for one's role contributes to clearer guidelines and less ambiguity about role performance, which in turn contribute to unity and stability of family life (Cherlin, 1978). The purpose of this study was to examine if stepmothers preparation for remarriage (observation, reading, educational programs, or talking to their spouses) influenced their relationships with stepchildren and spouses. The results indicate that stepmothers who prepare for remarriage are more involved with their stepchildren, have higher levels of communication with the children's fathers regarding child rearing issues, and have positive relationships with their stepchildren.

Stepmother Self-Role Incongruency In The Newly Formed Family: An Analysis Of Stepmothers In The Great Plains, Jason L. Karsky, Donald E. Arwood, Cindi Penor Ceglian

Great Plains Sociologist

This study is a cross-sectional analysis of stepmothers from a Midwestern community in South Dakota. In this study, the relationships among six sets of variables are analyzed. The dependent variable is stepmother self-role incongruence index. The independent variables along with the strength of relationship in regards to stepmother self-role incongruence, are as follows; role ambiguity index (.393), anticipatory socialization index (-.203), wicked stepmother index (494), stepfamily/stepparent unfavorability index (.288), and a spousal disagreement index (.241). Hypothesis testing supported the hypotheses introduced in this study. Multiple regression analysis identified wicked stepmother beliefs as the best predictor of stepmother self-role incongruence (Beta …

Three Theories Of The Future Of The Great Plains, Scot A. Stradley

Great Plains Sociologist

The purpose of this paper is to present three theories of the future of the Great Plains. The theories consist of two extremes, based on the differences between supply and demand. Two of the three theories of the future of the Great Plains are supply side. One is a demand side theory. One or more of these theories can be found in public policy debates affecting the Plains.

Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Karen Heil Borchert, reviewer
Rural Woman Battering and the Justice System: An Ethnography
Neil Websdale

Jerome R. Rosonke, reviewer
The Hutterites: Lives and Images of a Communal People
Paul Cloke and Jo Little, editors

Elizabeth Evenson Williams, reviewer
The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado
Elliott West

Carol Cumber, reviewer
Capital Culture: Gender at Work in the City
Linda McDowell

Don Robertson, reviewer
Who Rules America? Power and Politics in the Year 2000
William Domhoff

Glenda Sehested, reviewer
Formations of Class and Gender: Becoming Respectable
Beverley Skeggs

Annette Prosterman, reviewer
White Men Falling: Race, Gender, and White …

The Not So Wonderful World Of Disney: An Exploratory Content Analysis Of Gender Themes In Disney Full Length Animated Feature Films, Beth Wiersma

Great Plains Sociologist

Research has focused on the gender messages portrayed in television programs, cartoons, advertisements, literature, picture books, and fairy tales. One venue not included in the research is the Disney full-length animated feature films. The initial research on which this article is based was an exploration of the themes of gender, violence and anthropomorphism in Disney films. Emergent themes include heterosexual couplings, family constellations, good versus evil, and villains. This article will cover only the gender themes. Five areas were used to code gender content which include: physical appearance, personality traits, in-home labor, out of home employment, and societal and familial …

The Impact Of Water Scarcity On The World's Future: An Analysis, Laura Colmenero

Great Plains Sociologist

The issue of water, or a lack of it, is predicted to have profound transformational effects on the world in the coming century. Robert Kaplan, Ann Baer, and Thomas Franklin Homer-Dixon provide us with common scenarios of this near future focusing on issues of conflict, control, manipulation, violence, and power. This article will review the scenarios presented by them and then present their findings within a sociological framework.

Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Diane Kayongo-Male, reviewer
Gendered Fields: Rural Women, Agriculture, and Environment
Carolyn Sachs

Henry B. Sirgo, reviewer
Green Culture: Environmental Rhetoric in Contemporary America
Carl G. Herndl and Stuart C. Brown

Janet Kelly Moen, reviewer
New Government for Rural America: Creating Intergovernmental Partnerships
Beryl A. Radin, Robert Aganoff, Ann O'M Bowman, C. Gregory Buntz, Steven Ott, Barbara S. Romzek, and Robert H. Wilson

Jon Flanagin, reviewer
Wanted Dead or Alive: The American Westin Popular Culture
Richard Aquila, editor

Laura Colmenero, reviewer
Contented Among Strangers: Rural German-Speaking Women and Their Families in the Nineteenth-Century Midwest
Linda Schelbitzki Pickle

Elizabeth Evenson Williams, reviewer …

Vaccinia Virus Arrests And Shifts The Cell Cycle, Caroline K. Martin, Jerzy Samolej, Annabel T. Olson, Cosetta Bertoli, Matthew S. Wiebe, Robertus A. M. De Bruin, Jason Mercer

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Modulation of the host cell cycle is a common strategy used by viruses to create a proreplicative environment. To facilitate viral genome replication, vaccinia virus (VACV) has been reported to alter cell cycle regulation and trigger the host cell DNA damage response. However, the cellular factors and viral effectors that mediate these changes remain unknown. Here, we set out to investigate the effect of VACV infection on cell proliferation and host cell cycle progression. Using a subset of VACV mutants, we characterise the stage of infection required for inhibition of cell proliferation and define the viral effectors required to dysregulate …

Study Of The Mechanical And Thermal Properties Of Refractory Mortars From Kaolin And Bentonite, Faten Gata, Enas Muhi Hadi

Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

In this paper, Mortar was prepared from medium alumina refractory grog, bricks crashed as a mean material to a particular size, and Iraqi raw (kaolin or bentonite) as binding materials. Refractory bricks were crushed, milled, then sieved to three particle sizes: fine as (1.18 >fine> 0) mm, medium as (2.36 > medium > 1.18) mm, crushed as (400 > coarse > 2.36) mm. Then these particle sizes were mixed with Iraqi raw kaolin or bentonite with selected ratios (10,15,20,30 and 40) %. Specimens were formed by the wetting method, then drying it at laboratory temperature for one day, followed by firing it at 1200 …

Map Kinases Differentially Bind And Phosphorylate Nos3 Via Two Unique Nos3 Sites, Xzaviar K. Solone, Amber L. Caldara, Brady Wells, Hao Qiao, Lydia R. Wade, John C. Salerno, Katy A. Helms, Katherine E. Smith, Jonathan L. Mcmurry, Carol A. Chrestensen

Faculty Articles

Nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) is a major vasoprotective enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of l-arginine to nitric oxide (NO) in response to a significant number of signaling pathways. Here, we provide evidence that NOS3 interactions with MAP kinases have physiological relevance. Binding interactions of NOS3 with c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK1_α1), p38α, and ERK2 were characterized using optical biosensing with full-length NOS3 and NOS3 specific peptides and phosphopeptides. Like p38α and ERK2, JNK1_α1 exhibited high-affinity binding to full-length NOS3 (K_D 15 nm). Rate constants exhibited fast-on, slow-off binding (k_on = 4106 m^{−1 …}

Dietary Patterns Are Associated With Improved Ovarian Reserve In Overweight And Obese Women: A Cross-Sectional Study Of The Lifestyle And Ovarian Reserve (Lore) Cohort, Ashley M Eskew, Bronwyn S Bedrick, Jorge E Chavarro, Joan K Riley, Emily S Jungheim

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence suggests that adherence to certain dietary patterns is associated with improved fecundity and reproductive outcomes in the general population and infertile couples assisted reproductive treatments. The objective of this study was to assess if dietary patterns are associated with ovarian reserve in reproductive age women without a history of infertility.

METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 185 women in the Lifestyle and Ovarian Reserve (LORe) cohort. Women aged 18-44 without a history of infertility were recruited from the local community at an academic medical center. Subjects completed validated food frequency and physical activity questionnaires to assess …

The Social Cerebellum: A Large-Scale Investigation Of Functional And Structural Specificity And Connectivity, Athanasia Metoki, Yin Wang, Ingrid R Olson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The cerebellum has been traditionally disregarded in relation to nonmotor functions, but recent findings indicate it may be involved in language, affective processing, and social functions. Mentalizing, or Theory of Mind (ToM), is the ability to infer mental states of others and this skill relies on a distributed network of brain regions. Here, we leveraged large-scale multimodal neuroimaging data to elucidate the structural and functional role of the cerebellum in mentalizing. We used functional activations to determine whether the cerebellum has a domain-general or domain-specific functional role, and effective connectivity and probabilistic tractography to map the cerebello-cerebral mentalizing network. We …

Current And Future Approaches To Classify Vuss In Lgmd-Related Genes, Chengcheng Li, Gabe Haller, Conrad C Weihl

Open Access Publications

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has revealed large numbers of genetic variants in LGMD-related genes, with most of them classified as variants of uncertain significance (VUSs). VUSs are genetic changes with unknown pathological impact and present a major challenge in genetic test interpretation and disease diagnosis. Understanding the phenotypic consequences of VUSs can provide clinical guidance regarding LGMD risk and therapy. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the subtypes of LGMD, disease diagnosis, current classification systems for investigating VUSs, and a potential deep mutational scanning approach to classify VUSs in LGMD-related genes.

The Role Of Improved Forages In Solving The Water Scarcity Issue Of 4 Billion People, S. Douxchamps, A. Notenbaert, J. A. Cardoso, M. Romero, M. Peters

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Global animal production requires about 2422 Gm³ of water per year. Most of this volume is used by cattle, with 30% used in the beef sector and another 19% in the dairy sector. At the same time, four billion people suffer from severe water scarcity, raising the flag on diverting an important part of the water globally to livestock production. Livestock-water interactions have therefore gained a prominent profile and fuelled discussions on the water footprint of livestock. A series of studies on the most important components of the livestock water footprint have shown that globally more than 90% of …

Spring Forage Stash Module To Prevent Forage Crisis On Uruguayan Livestock Systems: An Evaluation Based On Model Simulations, M. Pereira Machín, F. Dieguez Cameroni

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Uruguay, rangeland cattle production systems support national economy by beef exportation chain and economic inputs to the country. Soil hydric stress episodes results to forage crisis on grassland-based production systems, having high impact on its trajectory and leaving sequels at several farm levels mainly on rearing cattle systems in drought sensitive regions of the country. In that context, the proposal is to create a spring forage stash module, with a simple management rules as a mechanism to build stability to farms and to buffering drought impact. The concept is to differ spring forage (season with low variation coefficient on …

Species Richness Increased Yield Stability In Intensively Managed Grasslands Subjected To Experimental Drought, J. A. Finn, M. Suter, E. Haughey, D. Hofer, A. Lüscher

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Climate change is expected to cause an increase in the frequency and intensity of drought events. Over two years we investigated the effects of experimentally imposed drought on intensively managed grassland communities (5 m x 6 m plots) of varying richness (1, 2 and 4 species), and comprising four species (Lolium perenne L., Cichorium intybus L., Trifolium repens L., Trifolium pratense L.). In each year a summer drought period of nine weeks with complete exclusion of precipitation was simulated, inducing severe drought stress at Reckenholz (Zürich, Switzerland), and extreme drought stress at Wexford (Ireland). Mean yield and plot-to-plot variance …

Soil Nitrous Oxide (N2O) Emission From Integrated Soil Fertility Management In Maize (Zea Mays L.) Cropping Systems, R. Rogito, N. Karanja, L. Merbold, M. Necpalova, J. Six

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) has been recommended to address challenges of low soil fertility by incorporating locally available organic resources (ORs) together with inorganic nitrogen (N) fertilizers. Despite ISFM success in field trials, there is limited information on ORs contribution to atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations through N₂O emission. A short-term field study was conducted at two sites with different soil types; silt loam (Aludeka) and silty-clay soil (Sidada) to assess the influence of selected ORs on soil N₂O emissions. The ORs treatments included; Calliandra carothyrsus (CL), farmyard manure (FYM) and maize stover (MS) with (+N) …

Intergenerational Continuity Of The Family Farm: Influence Of Parental Aspirations And Expectations For Their Children, Tonya R. Haigh, Ronald G. Stover, Mary Kay Helling

Great Plains Sociologist

The decline in the number of young people entering the farming occupation was investigated. Specifically, whether parents are encouraging their children to farm, and the links between encouragement and parental experience on the farm were explored. In-depth interviews with adult junior members of farming families were conducted regarding their experiences with farming, their attitudes about farming, and their goals for their own children. Results give preliminary support for the hypothesis that parental aspirations and expectations for their children are linked to parents' experiences and attitudes towards farming.

A Facial Congenital Anomaly In A Mature Male White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), Travis Cunningham, Al Mead

Georgia Journal of Science

Congenital anomalies are rarely documented in wild ungulates. This study describes a congenital facial malformation in a mature male white-tailed deer harvested in central Georgia in 2020. The skull displays a mediolateral deflection of the rostrum, and the mandibles display similar deflection with posterior rotation at the mandibular symphysis, a maxillofacial malformation commonly called wry face. Based on physical examination and radiographic imagery, there were no signs of neoplasia or healed bone trauma on the skull or jaws, suggesting a congenital origin for the deformity. Studies of domestic horses displaying wry face conclude that the malformation arises from fetal mispositioning …

Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Thomas C. Langham
Contemporary Rural Systems in Transition
edited by Ian R. Bowler

Carol J. Cumber
Information and Organization
Arthur L. Stinchcombe

Donna J. Hess
Analyzing Qualitative Data
edited by Alan Bryman and Robert G. Burgess

Stewart E. Kelly
Consciousness Reconsidered
Owen Flanagan

Stephen R. Shorb
Vocabularies of Public Life: Empirical Essays in Symbolic Structure
edited by Robert Wuthnow

Texas Sabine Swanjord
The Lenses of Gender: Transforming the Debate on Sexual Inequality
Sandra Lipsitz Bem

Mary Warner
Rabbis, Lawyers, Immigrants, Thieves: Exploring Women's Roles
Rita J. Simon

Diane Kayongo-Male
World Changes in Divorce Patterns
William Goode

Kathleen A. Tiemann
Constructing …

The Relationship Of Marriage Type To Fertility: The Case Of Ghana, Robert W. Y. Klomegah

Great Plains Sociologist

The study investigates the influence of marriage type (monogamous and polygynous marriages) on the fertility of married women in Ghana using a sample of 1797.wives from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) data (1988). Regression analysis indicates that when marital age, marital duration, and length of postpartum abstinence are controlled for, there is no statistically significant relationship between marriage type and fertility. The most important determinants of differential fertility by marriage type, from the Ghanaian sample, appears to be marital age, marital duration, and abstinence.

Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Geoffrey Grant
The Poverty Debate: Politics and the Poor in America
C. Emory Burton

Stewart E. Kelly
Beyond Individualism
Jack Crittenden

Thomas C. Langham
Rural Communities: Legacy and Change
Cornelia Butler Flora, Jan L. Flora, Jacqueline D. Spears, and Louis E. Swanson

Patricia Ann Wasely Lomire
Next of Kin: An International Reader on Changing Families
Lorne Tepperman and Susannah J. Wilson (eds.)

B. Diane Miller
The Human Difference: Animals, Computers, and the Necessity of Social Science
Alan Wolfe

Janet Kelly Moen
The Cultures of Work Organizations
Harrison M. Trice and Janice M. Beyer

George Nielson
Emergent Issues in Education: Comparative …

Animal Rights, Government Regulations, And Rural Economies: An Examination Of Factors Contributing To The Economic Future Of Rural Communities, Dana C. De Witt

Great Plains Sociologist

The purpose of this paper is to examine the increased role animal-rights organizations play in shaping attitudes and regulations that impact the long term viability of rural economies. The animal-rights movement is comprised of a highly diversified, often secretive, loosely linked network of groups. This creates a certain amount of difficulty in describing "first hand" the attitudes, values, and goals of these groups. A variety of animal production and other animal based industries were examined in terms of their contribution to rural, as well as state, economies. Secondary data analysis was performed on several sociological, animal rights, hunting and trapping, …

"You Best Read It To Me My Dear": Methodological Issues With Marginally Literate Subjects, Donna L. Davis

Great Plains Sociologist

An analysis of case examples from a study of women's experience of menopause in a New found land fishing village, demonstrates the problems inherent in using questionnaires among marginally literate or illiterate populations. Evidence demonstrates that not only are the questions misunderstood by the respondents but also that questionnaires by themselves may inadvertently generate their own peculiar form of native menopause lore. Special consideration is given to describing the methodological problems of anthropological fieldwork in a small community.

Response Of Soil Respiration To Precipitation Variation In Alfalfa Grassland On The Western Loess Plateau: Hysteresis And Diel Q10, H. K. Chu, H. Ni, J. Y. Ma, Yuying Shen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Soil respiration (Rs) plays an important role in the terrestrial carbon cycle, but how precipitation variation affects Rs in alfalfa grassland is poorly understood. To explore the effects of precipitation variation on Rs, this experiment was conducted by using rainfall shelters to simulate 30% precipitation reduction (P-30), normal precipitation (CK) and 30% precipitation increase (P+30) for an alfalfa (Medicago sativa) grassland in the Qingyang city, Gansu province, China. Rs was measured continuously using an automated soil respiration system (model LI-8100A with an LI-8150 multiplexer, LI-COR, Nebraska, USA) during the overwintering preparation period of alfalfa. The results showed that …

Soil Carbon Accumulation Under Perennial Forage Grasses In The Southern Highlands Of Tanzania, S. S. Nyawira, P. Birthe, M. J. Korir, B. Nzogela, A. O. Notenbaert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Land degradation caused by the loss of SOC in continuously cultivated agricultural systems is a major problem in many sub-Saharan Africa countries. The integration on perennial forage grasses in cropping systems has the potential to enhance SOC sequestration. The main objective of this study is to compare soil organic carbon (SOC) under perennial forages with SOC under annual food crops, specifically maize (Zea mays). A survey was conducted in Njombe district in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania to identity farmers with planted forages that are more than five years old and with neighbouring maize plots. Survey results identified …

Perennial Forage Grasses Response To Deficit Irrigation As An Alternative For Water-Limited Conditions Of Southern Chile, Rafael López-Olivari, Fernando Ortega-Klose

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Perennial grasses are an important pasture forage source for the animal production industry around the world. However, the lack of available water limits the use and efficiency of the water resource for maximizing the forage yield. Furthermore, the highest perennial grasses production is obtained in southern Chile, where the frequency and intensity of the rainfalls has been significantly diminished in the main growing period. Thus, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the responses of forage yield (FY) and irrigation water use efficiency (I_WUE) under different levels of water stress on perennial grasses sown …

Quantification Of Methane Emissions From Indoor-Fed Fogera Dairy Cows Using Laser Methane Detector, N. Kobayashi, F. Hou, A. Tsunekawa, Tianhai Yan, F. Tegegne, A. Tassew, Y. Mekuriaw, S. Mekuriaw, B. Hunegnaw, W. Mekonnen, T. Ichinohe

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Portable laser methane detectors (LMDs) may be an economical means of estimating CH₄ emissions from ruminants. Here, we validated an LMD-based approach and then used that approach to evaluate CH₄ emissions from indigenous dairy cows in a dryland area of Ethiopia. First, we validated our LMD-based approach in Simmental crossbred beef cattle (n = 2) housed in respiration chambers and fed either a high- or low-concentrate diet. We found that the exhaled air CH₄ concentrations measured by LMD were linearly correlated with the CH₄ emissions determined by infrared-absorption-based gas analyzer (r² = 0.55). …

Institute For Public Policy National Poll - January 2022, Institute For Public Policy

Public Policy Poll Results

The Sacred Heart University Institute for Public Policy leveraged a quantitative research approach to address the following areas of investigation:

• Thoughts and beliefs regarding the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot
• Sentiments surrounding the U.S. Supreme Court
• Understanding of, and beliefs around, Critical Race Theory
• Sentiments and habits around charitable contributions
• Thoughts on school policies regarding transgender students
• Demographic profiles of respondents