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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Cover - Table Of Contents Apr 2005

Cover - Table Of Contents

Major Themes in Economics

No abstract provided.


Introduction, Ken Mccormick Apr 2005

Introduction, Ken Mccormick

Major Themes in Economics

No abstract provided.


The Economics Of Mandatory Biotech Food Labeling In The United States, William J. Gongol Apr 2005

The Economics Of Mandatory Biotech Food Labeling In The United States, William J. Gongol

Major Themes in Economics

Almost every developed nation in the world except the United States mandates the labeling of genetically modified foods. Upon examining the costs and benefits of mandatory labeling, it appears that this may not be the most efficient solution to deal with varied consumer preferences. The United States government should instead focus on increased scientific research to deal with the externalities of biotechnology.


The Effect Of A Loser-Pays Rule On The Decisions Of An American Litigant, Jaime Leigh Loos Apr 2005

The Effect Of A Loser-Pays Rule On The Decisions Of An American Litigant, Jaime Leigh Loos

Major Themes in Economics

Decisions made by litigants are often not beneficial to society. A rule governing fee allocation in tort cases should encourage meritorious suits and discourage frivolous suits. America is one of the only countries in the world that does not use a loser-pays rule to assign legal costs. Employing a loser-pays rule could make the legal system more efficient and more equitable. The effect of a loser-pays rule is analyzed with economic theory and empirical evidence. Possible limitations of the rule are also considered. A carefully applied system of loser-pays may positively affect the U.S. legal system.


The Impact Of Computers And Globalization On U.S. Wage Inequality, Jana Kerkvliet Apr 2005

The Impact Of Computers And Globalization On U.S. Wage Inequality, Jana Kerkvliet

Major Themes in Economics

The late 1970s and early 1980s was a time of rising wage inequality in the United States, particularly between skilled and unskilled workers. During this time, there was also a dramatic increase in on-the-job computer use. Many economists blamed the increase in computer use for the increase in wage inequality in the United States. That view became known as the skill-biased technological change hypothesis. But there are problems with the hypothesis in nearly every dimension of wage inequality in the U.S. labor market. A better explanation for the increase in wage inequality is the globalization of the U.S. economy.


Terrorism And Multinational Corporations: International Business Deals With The Costs Of Geopolitical Conflict, John J. Mazzarella Apr 2005

Terrorism And Multinational Corporations: International Business Deals With The Costs Of Geopolitical Conflict, John J. Mazzarella

Major Themes in Economics

Long before U.S. Armed Forces were committed to the Global War on Terrorism, multinational corporations were habitually the targets of extremist organizations. The threat of global terrorism has a negative effect on international business and commerce. This paper explores the most significant costs of terrorism on international business and evaluates methods for minimizing the negative economic impact of global terrorism.


The Efficient Markets Hypothesis Dethroned, Jed Ellerbroek Apr 2005

The Efficient Markets Hypothesis Dethroned, Jed Ellerbroek

Major Themes in Economics

Impending changes in social security as well as in corporate and government policies are making individuals more responsible for their retirement savings. As a result, knowledge of investing concepts and financial markets is more important than ever before. The efficient markets hypothesis, the dominant financial markets theory, is described and analyzed. In doing so assumptions are questioned and the three forms of market efficiency are evaluated in quantitative and qualitative fashion to determine whether the efficient markets hypothesis is an accurate view of financial markets. This paper concludes that the efficient markets hypothesis does not accurately describe U.S. stock market …


Summer Soil Temperatures On Algific Talus Slopes In Northeast Iowa, Tom R. Cottrell, Kyle S. Strode Jan 2005

Summer Soil Temperatures On Algific Talus Slopes In Northeast Iowa, Tom R. Cottrell, Kyle S. Strode

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Soil temperatures at 15 cm depth were recorded on a single occasion at multiple grid points on two algific talus slopes during the summer of 1999. To represent and compare soil temperatures over a wider area, soil temperatures were measured (less intensively) at five other algific slopes and three non-algific forested slopes. Algific slopes appear to have greater variation in soil temperatures than non-algific sites. Spatial variation in algific slope soil temperatures ranged from 4-25°C. During the 10 day sample period temporal variation in air temperature at a nearby weather station had a similar range. Isotherm plots reveal a heterogeneous …


Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors Jan 2005

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.


Front Matter Jan 2005

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.


Hydrogeology Of Hanging Bog State Preserve: The Role Of Hillside Seeps In Draining The Iowan Surface, William L. Niemann Jan 2005

Hydrogeology Of Hanging Bog State Preserve: The Role Of Hillside Seeps In Draining The Iowan Surface, William L. Niemann

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Along the margin of the Cedar River Valley, groundwater discharges from eroded and weathered glacial materials of the Iowan Surface to modern alluvial deposits of the valley floor. Hanging Bog State Preserve, located along this topographic, geologic, and hydrologic boundary, represents one such groundwater discharge location, in the form of a perennial hillside seep. Based on detailed monitoring of surface water and groundwater levels within the preserve for a one-year period, it is shown that a significant quantity of groundwater, collected from a disproportionately large recharge area, is funneled to the valley wall at this site and subsequently carried to …


Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors Jan 2005

Editorial Board & Iowa Academy Of Science Officers And Directors

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.


Back Cover Jan 2005

Back Cover

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.


The Moths Of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge: A Preliminary Assessment, Michelle N. Lewis, Renae M. Steichen, Keith S. Summerville Jan 2005

The Moths Of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge: A Preliminary Assessment, Michelle N. Lewis, Renae M. Steichen, Keith S. Summerville

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

North American prairie systems are believed to have supported substantial insect biodiversity. Loss of prairie and oak savanna habitats, however, has been severe in many Midwestern states, including Iowa. An unanswered question facing land managers interested in restoring tallgrass prairies to the Iowan landscape is the degree to which restored habitats contain native insect species that are dependent upon prairie habitat. This study reports data from a preliminary survey of the moths of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, a 2,292-ha prairie and oak savanna restoration site in central Iowa. We identified and cataloged a total of 426 species of moths …


Cover - Table Of Contents Jan 2005

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.


Letter To The Editor - Conservation Of Freshwater Mussels In Iowa, K. Elizabeth Poole Jan 2005

Letter To The Editor - Conservation Of Freshwater Mussels In Iowa, K. Elizabeth Poole

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Freshwater mussels occur in a variety of aquatic ecosystems worldwide but nowhere is mussel species richness as high as is reported in North America. With nearly 300 recorded species in the U.S., mussels are key components of freshwater biodiversity playing a vital role in benthic communities. Ecologically important in biological processing and nutrient cycling, mussels are also an important food item for a variety of mammals including mink, otter, and raccoon. In addition to ecological importance, freshwater mussels have been economically important in the production of cultured pearls.


Discordant Harmonies In Fingernail Clam Populations (Musculium Transversum) Of Mississippi River Backwater Lakes, Jim Eckblad Jan 2005

Discordant Harmonies In Fingernail Clam Populations (Musculium Transversum) Of Mississippi River Backwater Lakes, Jim Eckblad

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The populations of Musculium transversum from 8 backwater lakes have been studied over a 29-year period based upon over 440 grab samples. These lakes in Navigation Pool 9 of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) range in size from 2 to 255 hectare surface area, mean depths from 0.2 to 0.9 meters, with mean water exchange times from 0.5 to almost 57 hours. Samples from the 1989-91 period suggested summer Muscu!ium populations had declined to about 9 percent of their mid-1970 levels. Deterministic models have attempted to explain this decline. More recent sampling suggests a substantial recovery of Musculium populations (mid-summer …


Index For The Journal Of The Iowa Academy Of Science Volume 112 Jan 2005

Index For The Journal Of The Iowa Academy Of Science Volume 112

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.


Cover - Table Of Contents Jan 2005

Cover - Table Of Contents

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.


Iowa's Sand Prairie State Preserves: Anomalous Grain-Size Distributions And Optically Stimulated Luminescence (Osl) Dates, Steven H. Emerman, Brian R. Depew, Lisa K. Anderson Jan 2005

Iowa's Sand Prairie State Preserves: Anomalous Grain-Size Distributions And Optically Stimulated Luminescence (Osl) Dates, Steven H. Emerman, Brian R. Depew, Lisa K. Anderson

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Grain-size distributions and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates were obtained for the sand from Iowa's five sand prairie state preserves, which are Behren's Ponds and Woodland, Cedar Hills Sand Prairie, Kish-Ke-Kosh Prairie, Marietta Sand Prairie and Rock Island. OSL dates ranged from the late Pleistocene (15,560 years B.P.) to the very late Holocene (as recent as 590 years B.P.), indicating that the late Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs in Iowa have seen multiple episodes of aridity, which is consistent with results from the Nebraska Sand Hills and eolian sand stringers in southeastern Minnesota. The grain-size distributions were anomalous in that, compared …


Threatened By Industry, Saved By Science: Mussel Propagation At The Fairport Biological Laboratory, James Pritchard Jan 2005

Threatened By Industry, Saved By Science: Mussel Propagation At The Fairport Biological Laboratory, James Pritchard

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

During the 1890s, people on the Mississippi River exploited mussel populations to support a thriving button industry. Within a brief time, they noticed significant declines in mussel populations, and called on the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries to save the resource. This paper discusses mussel propagation studies, techniques, and activities carried on in association with the Fairport Biological Laboratory (Iowa) from about 1908 to 1932. While scientists developed sophisticated techniques and had success in mussel propagation, changing habitat conditions in the river (caused mainly by pollution and dam construction) meant limited success in rescuing mussel stocks, while the introduction of plastic …


Aspects Of An Interior Stream Clam Midden From 1915 At Quasqueton, Buchanan County Iowa, Dennis W. Schlicht Jan 2005

Aspects Of An Interior Stream Clam Midden From 1915 At Quasqueton, Buchanan County Iowa, Dennis W. Schlicht

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

During clam surveys on the Wapsipinicon River in 1991 buried clams were observed in a bank of the river at Quasqueton, Buchanan County, Iowa. An interview with the landowner revealed that the clams were from a 1915 local clamming operation. Excavation and examination of many of the clams reveal interesting differences in species composition and size, when compared to more recent specimens from the river. Observations on the midden were recorded, species determinations were made and measurements were taken. Comparisons are made to two other modern surface surveys on the river. Differences were observed in both species composition and shell …


The Unionid Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) Of Missouri River Floodplain Ditches In Fremont County Southwestern Iowa And Atchison And Holt Counties Northwestern Missouri, Ellet Hoke Jan 2005

The Unionid Mussels (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) Of Missouri River Floodplain Ditches In Fremont County Southwestern Iowa And Atchison And Holt Counties Northwestern Missouri, Ellet Hoke

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

A survey of ditches in the Missouri River floodplain in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri resulted in the recovery of nine unionid mollusk species. The floodplain ditches may provide valuable habitat for mussels in a region that has suffered a tremendous decrease in productive aquatic habitats over the past sixty-eight years. Additional survey activity is needed to determine the complete inventory of unionid mollusks in the area.


Front Matter Jan 2005

Front Matter

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.


Back Cover Jan 2005

Back Cover

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

No abstract provided.