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Forests And Farming: An Analysis Of Rural Livelihood Programs For Poverty Reduction In Eastern Zambia, Garrett Kenneth Olson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This paper investigates the effectiveness of Joint Forest Management (JFM) and agricultural programs at reducing rural poverty in Zambia. Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) programs in Africa have been aimed at improving livelihoods, creating tangible benefits, and increasing incomes from forests and forest products through the sustainable use and conservation of forest resources. Agricultural programs have often had similar goals regarding improved livelihoods, benefits, food security, and income generation for soil conservation and reduced forest conversion due to agricultural expansion. With increased rates of deforestation and forest conversion, Zambia is in need of effective measures for the sustainable utilization and …

Impacts Of Changing Water Temperatures On The Life Histories Of Two Invasive Ascidians In The Gulf Of Maine: Botryllus Schlosseri And Botrylloides Violaceus, Erica Westerman

Master's Theses and Capstones

The impact of temperature on organism life cycles has received great attention due to heightened awareness of global warming. Relative growth and reproductive development were monitored in two dominant ascidians from the Gulf of Maine to compare effects of rising temperatures on established ( Botryllus schlosseri) versus recently arrived (Botrylloides violaceus) species. Settlement panels were deployed at three sites with different temperature regimes (Damariscotta, ME, Newcastle, NH, and Salem, MA) during two growing seasons June 2005 to December 2006, and a recruitment study conducted May to December 2006. Both species had elongated breeding seasons in Salem, MA relative to the …

Transient Changes In Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity, Thermotolerance, And Heat Shock Protein Expression Following Brief, Hyperthermia In An In Vitro Model, Courtney Klein

Master's Theses and Capstones

Hyperthermia is being studied as a means of disrupting blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity. An in vitro BBB model was exposed to 10 s of 45, 48, or 51°C, or 5 s of 54°C, and TEER was used to assess integrity. Loss of BBB integrity increased as temperature increased (r = 0.88, P<0.0001). Thermotolerance was examined by applying a second hyperthermia to models 24 h afterward. Models demonstrated thermotolerance, indicated by less loss (P<0.001) of integrity compared to controls. The degree of thermotolerance increased as pre-conditioning temperature increased (r = 0.42, P<0.0001). Hsp27 and Hsp70 were analyzed by Western blot to examine their contribution to this thermotolerance. Hsp27 was not changed (P>0.10) by the pre-conditioning heat treatments. Hsp70 expression increased (P<0.05) in response to pre-conditioning for 5 s at 54°C. This thermotolerance cannot be explained by changes in Hsp27 (r = 0.17, P>0.10) and Hsp70 (r = -0.17, P>0.10).

Status, Distribution And Broad Scale Habitat Features Associated With Remnant Populations Of New England Cottontails (Sylvilagus Transitionalis ), Jeffrey P. Tash

Master's Theses and Capstones

Since 1960 the range occupied by New England cottontails (NEC, Sylvilagus transitionalis) in the northeastern United States has declined dramatically. Populations in some regions are known to be vulnerable to extirpation, but little was known about the status of populations in most areas. A range-wide survey of NEC was conducted from 2000 to 2004 to determine the current distribution and status of remnant populations. Because NEC are sympatric with eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) and snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) throughout much of their historic range, identity of resident lagomorphs was based on DNA either extracted from tissue of live-captures or from …

Developing A Kalman Filter Approach To Home Range Estimation: Applied To The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus), Daniel Badger

Master's Theses and Capstones

Accurate estimation of an animal's home range, or utilization distribution, is of great importance to understanding the animal's role in the ecosystem, and for effective population management. Current methods for home range estimation often do not incorporate uncertainty in the observations of monitored animals. Given days without observations, they also have the potential to omit migration corridors when describing important habitat. Here the Extended Kalman filter is modified to return daily predicted geolocations, creating a most probable estimation of the true path the observed animal followed. Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods were used to map the uncertainty in this path …

Investigation Of Cyanidin And Pelargonidin Contents In The Genus Fragaria L, Lise Bouchard Mahoney

Master's Theses and Capstones

Cultivated strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa ) fruit contain primarily pelargonidin and little cyanidin. The antioxidant potential of cyanidin is reportedly twice that of pelargonidin. A High Performance Liquid Chromatography method was developed to assay fruit anthocyanidin content in 87 Fragaria accessions, including wild diploids and octoploids, cultivars, and two segregating populations. A cyanidin to pelargonidin ratio (CPRatio) greater than one was found only in diploids Fragaria vesca ssp. americana (confirming a previous report), F. viridis, and F. iinumae, and in three wild octoploid accessions: all F. chiloensis. The highest cyanidin contents were found in diploid F. viridis and in F. …

Microbial And Nutritional Changes Of Wet Brewers Grains Inoculated With A Commercial Preservative, Susan P. Marston

Master's Theses and Capstones

Two experiments were conducted to compare the deterioration of wet brewers grains (WBG) treated with an enzyme and bacterial inoculant (Silo-King GPX, Agri-King Inc., Fulton, IL). Another experiment investigated ruminal DM and CP degradability of samples taken from experiment 1. Wet brewers grains were divided into separate piles upon delivery. Silo-King GPX was added to WBG at 0 kg/kg (control), 0.45 kg/900 kg WBG, and 0.9 kg/900 kg WBG, mixed for 5 min, and then stored in bins. Piles were left for 28 d to simulate farm storage practices. Samples (300 g) were taken every 2 d, 20.3 cm below …

Serum Igg Concentrations Of Neonatal Calves Fed Colostrum Replacer Supplemented With Lactoferrin, Erin C. Shea

Master's Theses and Capstones

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of various levels of lactoferrin supplementation in colostrum replacer fed as 1 or 2 doses on apparent efficiency of IgG absorption, serum IgG concentrations, and intestinal development in neonatal Holstein bull calves. Eighty-Holstein bull calves were assigned to a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement of treatments in a completely randomized block design. Bull calves were collected at two locations, Fairchild Teaching and Research Center at the University of New Hampshire (n = 48) and a commercial dairy (n = 32). All calves were fed colostrum replacer (CR) according to manufacturer's …

Impact Of Predation And Hunting On Eastern Cottontail Rabbits At Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, Kelly M. Boland

Master's Theses and Capstones

In areas that experience environmental seasonality, wildlife populations may undergo annual declines until the capacity of the environment is reached. The degree to which hunting may influence these populations depends on whether hunting mortality is additional to natural mortality (additive) or if natural mortality decreases as hunting increases (hunting is a compensatory mortality). To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS) initiated an examination of the current rabbit hunting program in 2004. Because of the lack of current information of rabbit hunting within CCNS, the primary objective of this study was to …

Intrafield Patterns Of Wildlife Damage To Corn And Soybeans In Northern Indiana, Travis L. Devault, James C. Beasley, Lee A. Humberg, Brian J. Macgowan, Mónica I. Retamosa, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Management programs aimed at reducing wildlife damage to row crops rely on information concerning the spatial nature of wildlife damage at local and landscape scales. In this study we explored spatial patterns of wildlife damage within individual corn and soybean fields by describing relationships between specific locations where wildlife damage was recorded and distances from such locations to various habitat types that presumably influenced animal abundance and movements in our study area. Using stratified random sampling, we conducted depredation surveys of 100 corn fields and 60 soybean fields from May through October both in 2003 and 2004 and recorded the …

Crop Diversification Leads To Diverse Bird Problems In Hawaiian Agriculture, Marni E. Koopman, William C. Pitt

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Over the last 20 years, Hawaii’s agriculture has shifted from a focus on sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) and pineapples (Ananas comosus) produced on large farms to a diverse array of products produced on a multitude of smaller farms. This dramatic shift in production, in addition to the introduction of many new avian species, has resulted in a concomitant change in the problems faced by agriculture. We surveyed farmers to determine the extent of bird damage to crops, the species responsible, the crops most vulnerable, and control methods employed. Bird problems varied by island, but cardinals ( …

Forage Adaptability Trials For Forage And Seed Production In Bolivia; Effect Of 5 Herbicides On 7 Native Utah Forbs, Joshua C. Voss

Theses and Dissertations

The harsh environmental and poor economic conditions of the Bolivian Altiplano require intervention to assist many of those that live there to become economically self-sufficient. We attempted to find introduced dry season reserve forage grasses that could produce enough biomass to be useful as feed for livestock, and that could also produce enough seed to distribute to farmers. While some of the grasses produced reasonable amounts of biomass, none produced seed in quantities that would be even close to being economically viable. The most likely cause of this is that the timing of resources that the grasses need to flower …

Laplante V. Winkowitsch, 05-Ap-08 (Blkft. Tr. Ct. App., Oct. 10, 2006), Blackfeet Appellate Court

Court Decisions

In the Blackfeet Tribal Court of Appeals, the Court considering a dispute over the pasturing of cattle longer than the original contract terms. While the original two-month contract was in writing, both parties agree that a verbal contract, with terms, covered the next two months. Cattle was lost and Defendant countersued for the loss of cattle. On Appeal, the Court determined that the lower court judge should have recused himself because he briefly represented the plaintiff in this matter before becoming judge. The Findings of fact were not supported by substantial credible evidence, and the pro se plaintiff, who did …

Green And Blue Lasers Are Ineffectivefor Dispersing Deer At Night, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Jason M. Gilsdorf, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Paul B. Fioranelli, John A. Wilson, Scott Barras

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Over-abundant populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) create agriculturaland human health and safety issues. The increased economic damage associated with locally overabundant deer populations accentuates the need for efficient techniques to mitigate the losses. Although red lasers can be an efficient tool for reducing damage caused by birds, they are not effective for deer because deer cannot detect wavelengths in the red portion of the spectrum. No research has been conducted to determine if lasers of lower wavelengths could function as frightening devices for deer. We evaluated agreen laser (534nm, 120mW)and 2 models of blue lasers (473nm, 5 mW and …

Intercultural Communication Needs Of Mississippi Agricultural Students, Employers, And Hispanic Workers, Rosa Elena Vozzo

Theses and Dissertations

As the inclusion of Hispanic labor in the Mississippi workforce increses, it is necessary to prepare our students to communicate with these workers. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitude toward Spanish speakers, their culture, and the study of Spanish among agricultural students at Mississippi State University. The study also sought to discover cultural differences that could affect communication between American managers and the Hispanic workforce.The Friedman (1997) questionnaire was administered to 204 students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Additionally, open interviews were conducted with 10 participants: four Mexican Hispanci workers, two community leaders, …

Bridging The Design-Use Gap For Dss In Environmental Policy And Practice., K. B. Matthews, M. G. Hutchins, G. Hill

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Drawing on the literature of agricultural decision support systems (DSS) and experience in developing tools for policy support and evaluation, this paper argues that while in the main such tools have failed to live up to expectations it may be that the expectations were unrealistic. The design-use gap of DSS for environmental management is partially the inevitable cycle of expectations (unbelief-euphoria-disappointment and maturity or abandonment) experienced by any innovation. The environmental problems facing land managers and society are dauntingly complex. Yet more or better quality information does not inevitably lead to better management. Many of the issues that face land-use …

Bridging The Design-Use Gap For Dss In Environmental Policy And Practice., K. B. Matthews, M. G. Hutchins, G. Hill

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Drawing on the literature of agricultural decision support systems (DSS) and experience in developing tools for policy support and evaluation, this paper argues that while in the main such tools have failed to live up to expectations it may be that the expectations were unrealistic. The design-use gap of DSS for environmental management is partially the inevitable cycle of expectations (unbelief-euphoria-disappointment and maturity or abandonment) experienced by any innovation. The environmental problems facing land managers and society are dauntingly complex. Yet more or better quality information does not inevitably lead to better management. Many of the issues that face land-use …

The Nature Of Genetic Engineering And The Uses And Potential Abuses Of Biotechnology, Seth J. Matton

Honors Scholar Theses

Over the past decade the topic of genetic engineering has been has been readily debated in the media, but often these debates consist of political rhetoric and fail to offer objective information on the methods and the potential benefits to human health and their environment. In truth, humans have been manipulating the genomes of organisms for thousands of years, and it has been an evolution of scientific knowledge that has led to the more precise methods of genetic engineering. This paper discusses how scientists utilize natural processes to alter the genetic constituents of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, benefits to …

Agenda: Climate Change And The Future Of The American West: Exploring The Legal And Policy Dimensions, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

Sponsors: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; BP America; Holland & Hart; Patrick, Miller & Krope, P.C.; The Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Rocky Mountain Natural Resource Center of the National Wildlife Federation, Western Water Assessment.

Exploring the legal and political dimensions that climate change will bring to the American West will be the focus of the CU-Boulder Natural Resources Law Center's 27th Annual Summer Conference.

Titled "Climate Change and the Future of the American West: Exploring the Legal and Policy Dimensions," the conference will be held June 7-9 at the Fleming Law Building on the University of Colorado at …

Project Title: Sustainable Adaptations To Drought And Climate Variability In Agricultural Production Systems Across Nebraska, Cody L. Knutson, Michael J. Hayes, Robert K. Hitchcock, Jeffrey Peake, Martin Kleinschmit

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

Drought is a normal part of Nebraska’s climate. It is also the leading cause of monetary disaster loss in the United States. FEMA (1995) has estimated that U.S. drought losses average $6-8 billion dollars per year. A majority of these losses are incurred in the agricultural sector. Nebraska’s losses alone topped $1.2 billion in 2002 (AP 2003).

To enhance viable operations in this variable climate, many Nebraska farmers and ranchers have begun making the transition to agricultural practices that fall into the realm of sustainable agriculture. Sustainability has been increasingly stressed as essential for creating more resilient systems and reducing …

Why Intensive Agriculturalists Have Higher Fertility: A Household Energy Budget Approach, James L. Boone, Karen L. Kramer

Anthropology Faculty & Staff Publications

It is widely held that human population growth rates began to increase markedly after the Pleistocene/Holocene transition largely as a consequence of the adoption of agriculture and sedentism. A common explanation for this increase in growth rates has been that circumstances associated with food production and/or the accompanying decrease in mobility allowed for higher fertility rates, but over the past decade a number of empirical studies and simulation analyses have revealed that the relationship between mode of subsistence and fertility is more complex than had previously been realized.

Livestock And Dairy Producers' Knowledge Of Quality Assurance Issues, Andrea L. Flanagan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of knowledge and use of quality assurance practices by dairy and beef producers in West Virginia and to determine if differences in the level of use existed between D/BQA certified producers and non-certified producers. The population consisted of 125 West Virginia dairy producers identified on a Health Department list of regulated dairy farms within the state and 2,720 West Virginia beef producers from a database comprised of WV BQA certified producers and the South Branch and Buckhannon Stockyards mailing lists. A random sample of 92 dairy producers and 340 beef …

Abstracts Of Papers, 84th Annual Meeting Of The Virginia Academy Of Science

Virginia Journal of Science

Full abstracts of papers for the 84th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 25-26, 2006, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA

Soil Stable Carbon Isoptope Analysis Of Landscape Features At Aguateca, Guatemala, David R. Wright

Theses and Dissertations

The ancient Maya of the Classic period (1700-1050 B.P.) relied on maize agriculture to support their populations. The agricultural systems they employed to produce that maize varied in form and degree of intensity, with more productive forms of agriculture needed in the Late Classic period (1350-1050 B.P.) to sustain the peaking population. It is likely that the ancient systems of production agriculture contributed to environmental degradation that in turn contributed to the pressures that culminated in the collapse of the civilization. In this study, stable carbon isotope ratios contained in the soil organic matter were used to further investigate ancient …

G06-1634 Stevia, Georgia Jones

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The leaves of one species of stevia plants have naturally occurring sweetness. This 2006 NebGuide discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using stevia, also known as sweet leaf, as a sugar substitute.

The Southern Family Farm As Endangered Species: Possibilities For Survival In Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer, Suzanne W. Jones

English Faculty Publications

At the same time some southern studies scholars are positioning the U.S. South in a larger cultural, historic, and economic region that encompasses the Caribbean and Latin America, some southern environmentalist writers, such as long-time essayist and novelist Wendell Berry and activist-turned-memoirist Janisse Ray, are finding a pressing need to focus on smaller bioregions and the locatedness of the human subject. These writers believe that agribusiness and consumer ignorance are driving small farmers out of business and that clear-cutting timber and farming practices dependent on chemicals are threatening local ecosystems. Best-selling novelist Barbara Kingsolver has joined their ranks. With her …

Gonadal Histology And Reproductive Steroidogenesis Of Anurans Exposed To Potential Endocrine Disrupting Contaminants, Emily May La Fiandra

Doctoral Dissertations

The prevalence of malformed amphibians and the association of high incidences of malformation with the presence of environmental contaminants have raised questions about the effects of environmental contaminants on the development of larval amphibians. The potential endocrine disrupting effects of pesticides suggest that the reproductive and developmental abnormalities observed in larval anurans may be due at least in part to impacts on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. The present studies investigate the effects of exposure to environmental contaminants including DDT and atrazine on the development, gonadal histology and reproductive steroidogenesis of larval anurans.

As previous monitoring at Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge …

Patterns And Process During The Diversification Of The Cichlid Fishes In Lake Malawi, Africa, Michael R. Kidd

Doctoral Dissertations

The 500-1000 cichlid species endemic to Lake Malawi constitute one of the most rapid and extensive radiations of vertebrates ever discovered. The objective of this dissertation was to test the assumptions and predictions of several recently published models of cichlid speciation. First, a novel assay of female choice was used to evaluate the role of visual cues during conspecific recognition. The results of this experiment demonstrate that females are able to identify conspecific mates using only visual cues. Second, the assumptions of a recent model of speciation via intrasexual selection were tested by comparing aggressive behavior during territorial contests among …

An Evaluation Of The Effect Of Terrain Normalization On Classification Accuracy Of Landsat Etm+ Imagery, Jesse B. Bishop

Master's Theses and Capstones

More than 60% of land in New Zealand has been converted from native forests to residential areas, agriculture, or forest plantations. Settlers brought many species of plants and animals to New Zealand. Many native species were unable to protect themselves from these new predators, causing numerous extinctions. In light of this rapid decline in biodiversity, the New Zealand government has attempted to mitigate the destruction of endemic flora and fauna through both new environmental policies and intensive land management. Land management techniques include the restoration of developed land and the protection of remaining areas of native forest. Monitoring of restoration …

The Expression Of Heat Shock Protein 70, Heat Shock Protein 90 And Heat Shock Factor 1 Within The Bovine Midcycle Corpus Luteum After Stimulation With Temperature In Vitro And Pgf2alpha In Vitro And In Vivo, Melissa N. Kopka

Master's Theses and Capstones

Environmental and biological stressors affect cellular function. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones that safeguard cells against these stressors by protecting endogenous proteins from degradation. Heat shock factors (HSF) are their transcriptional regulators. In the present study, we evaluated whether heat (Experiment 1) or prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha; Experiments 2 and 3) induces the expression of HSP 70, HSP 90 and HSF1 in the bovine corpus luteum (CL). In summary, in vitro heat treatment elicited a later response in luteal cells by increasing HSP 70 expression at 24 hrs, while in vivo PGF2alpha treatment leads to an earlier response by …