Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Generalized Approach And Computer Tool For Quantitative Genetics Study, Jixiang Wu, Johnie N. Jenkins, Jack C. Mccarty

Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture

Quantitative genetics is one of the most important components to provide valuable genetic information for improving production and quality of plants and animals. The research history of quantitative genetics study could be traced back more than one hundred years. Since the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) methods were proposed by Fisher in 1925, several useful genetic models have been proposed and have been widely applied in both plant and animal quantitative genetics studies. Useful examples included various North Carolina (NC) and diallel cross mating designs. However, many genetic models derived from these mating designs are ANOVA method based, so there are …

Modeling Dna Methylation Tiling Array Data, Gayla Olbricht, Bruce A. Craig, R. W. Doerge

Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture

Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene function that occur without a change in DNA sequence. It has quickly emerged as an essential area for understanding inheritance and variation that cannot be explained by the DNA sequence alone. Epigenetic modifications have the potential to regulate gene expression and may play a role in diseases such as cancer. DNA methylation is a type of epigenetic modification that occurs when a methyl chemical group attaches to a cytosine base on the DNA molecule. To better understand this epigenetic mechanism, DNA methylation profiles can be constructed by identifying all locations of …

Characterizing Thermal Hysteresis In Body Temperature For A Heat Stressed Steer, F. Yang, A. M. Parkhurst, D. A. Spiers, J. B. Gaughan, T. L. Mader, G. L. Hahn

Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture

Studies have shown that exposure of animals to a high ambient temperature environment poses serious threats to their health, performance and productivity. Above a certain threshold an animal's body temperature (Tb) appears to be driven by the hot ambient temperature (Ta). For steers challenged by heat stress, the Tb-Ta relationship shows a dramatic increase in Tb per unit change of Ta and the dynamics of the Tb-Ta relationship follow a pattern which depends on whether Ta is increasing or decreasing. A delay becomes noticeable in a steer’s thermo-regulatory response to Ta when Ta is controlled to be sinusoidal in the …

Evaluating Pen-Day Interactions In Body Temperature Bilogistic Mixed Model For Handling Of Feedlot Heifers During Heat Stress, F. Yang, A. M. Parkhurst, T. M. Brown-Brandl, R. A. Eigenberg, J. A. Nienaber

Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture

Daily activities consume the energy of heifers, subsequently causing an elevation of body temperature, depending on the ambient conditions. A better understanding of the dynamics of body temperature (Tb) would be helpful when deciding how to process and handle heifers. It would also lead to specific recommendations on moving heifers under different ambient conditions, especially during the summer. In this study, a bilogistic mixed model is used to describe the dynamics of Tb during the moving event. Data was taken from heifers in pens located at different distances from the heifer work station on four separate summer days under hot …

Characterizing Foraging Patterns Among Cattle And Bonded And Non-Bonded Small Ruminants Using Spatial Point Process Techniques, D. M. Anderson, L. W. Murray, P. Sun, E. L. Fredrickson, R. E. Estell, V. B. Nakamatsu

Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture

This paper uses the technique of spatial point processes to describe the spatial patterns of freeranging cattle and small ruminants. Two mixed-species livestock groups were monitored while foraging on 410 ha of brush-infested Southern New Mexico rangeland during July and August 1988. The groups consisted of crossbred Bos taurus and Bos indicus beef cattle with white-faced sheep (Ovis aries) and mohair goats (Capra hircus). The bonded group consisted of small ruminants that had their behaviours modified through socialization with cattle to form a ‘flerd’ in which small ruminants consistently remained near cattle. Small ruminants in the non-bonded group had not …

Modeling Fish Length Distribution Using A Mixture Technique, Bahman Shafii, William J. Price, Charlie Holderman, Cathy Gidley, Paul J. Anders

Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture

In fisheries science, length and age are important aspects of fish life history. Length is a function of growth, which provides an integrated measure of the environmental and endogenous conditions, e.g. genetics, affecting individuals and populations. Length at age data can be used to assess quality and quantity of habitat, food availability, or the need for and influence of management activities. Statistical mixture techniques may be used as a means to effectively model fish length distribution. A three-component mixture model, based on normal variates, was employed to describe length distribution in mountain whitefish species. The resulting model provided parameter estimates …

Editor's Preface And Table Of Contents, Weixing Song

Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture

These proceedings contain papers presented in the twenty-second annual Kansas State University Conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture, held in Manhattan, Kansas, April 25 - April 27, 2010.

Default Rate On Auto Loans, Jessica Jones

Undergraduate Research Conference

In completing this model, we want to view a portfolio of loans at a bank and be able to predict the default rate on an auto loan. We also want to be able to look at an individual loan and predict the default probability taking into consideration interest rate, term, number of days late, times late, original loan amount, collateral value, LTV and credit score. The data will assist in forecasting default rates in future years and in projecting income and loss for a bank. We predict at the end of the model, credit score will be the main indicator …

War By Government: Which Systems Are Most Likely To Engage In Conflict?, Courtney Lemon

Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Multiple Regression Analysis: Sfa Professors' Salaries, Latonya Edmeade

Undergraduate Research Conference

There is always a certain curiosity and controversy surrounding professor’s salaries and whether they are overpaid or not paid enough. We have decided to try and untangle this wonder by creating a regression model in which the average person could easily understand while solving this lingering question. It is the average student’s opinion that professors make way too much compared to their daily tasks.

On the other hand, many professors are always complaining that they are not paid enough with their advanced degree and work load, not to mention the option always hovers over their head of pursuing a different …

The Impact Of Academic Faculty On Campus Sustainability Initiatives, Aurali Dade

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

The focus of this poster is the role of academic faculty on campus sustainability initiatives at Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). The 4,000+ IHEs in the United States train future leaders and have a great deal of influence on the environment and attitude of communities in which they reside. Academic faculty has a sizable impact on governance and significant influence on students. They also may have a major role in campus sustainability initiatives, practices, and policies at IHEs. In order to address whether this is the case, a survey of academic faculty at accredited colleges and universities in the United …

Trends In Climate Change Education In Nevada's System Of Higher Education, Amy Northrup

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

This poster presents research into how climate change is taught in Nevada's colleges and universities. A completed inventory of the types of courses in different disciplines and at different institutions that relay information about climate change to students is discussed.

Assessing Invasive Plant Species As Threats In Mojave Desert Parks, Sara L. Mcpherson, Donovan J. Craig, Scott R. Abella

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

The invasion and persistence of exotic plant species threatens the natural features that national parks are designed to protect. For example, park managers have witnessed an increase in the frequency, extent and intensity of fires along with a reduction in native species richness and diversity. Many park managers are familiar with a suite of highly invasive plants, but lack a comprehensive and systematic way of prioritizing invasive plant species based on potential threats to the parks’ resources. We have entered into a collaborative project with the National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring program to develop an invasive plant early detection …

29 Years Of Vegetation Community Change Across Environmental Gradients In A Mojave Desert Mountain Range, Christopher L. Roberts, James S. Holland, Scott R. Abella

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

There is a great deal of uncertainty as to how biological communities respond to changes in land use and climate change, a situation particularly relevant in protected areas such as national parks that were designated to conserve specific biological features. Utilizing extant vegetation data sets with repeatable methodology can provide opportunities for insight into previous vegetation change and provide base line data for long-term monitoring projects useful for modeling vegetation community trajectories. We have relocated and resurveyed 106 sites from a vegetation community study initiated in 1979 in the Newberry Mountains, southern Nevada, within Lake Mead National Recreation Area managed …

Macrocyclic Pendant Arm Extension: An Application Of The Husigen 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Reaction, Cory Kline, Rebecca Roesner, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of Polyazamacrocycle Molecular Tweezers As A Host For Polyoxoanions, Marie Sutor, Ronald Grider, Rebecca Roesner, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

The Happy Marriage Between Laser And Supersonic Expansion, Timothy Zwier, M. G. Mellon Distinguished Professor Of Chemistry

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

M-Refinable Extensions Of Real Valued Functions, John Meuser, Tian-Xiao He, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Cadmium, Copper, Iron, And Zinc Concentrations In The Kidneys Of Grey Wolves (Canis Lupus) From Alaska, Idaho, Montana, And The Northwest Territories, Susan Blunck, Emily Jones, Kelly Petersen, Given Harper, Facutly Advisor, Jeffrey Frick, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

An Implementation Of A Path Planning Algorithm For A Robot, Maia Czwornog, Joshua Brown Kramer, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Improving Data Filtering With Aztec Group, Jesse Schaar, Thushara Perera, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Optimization And Analysis Of A Robotic Navigational Algorithm, Derek Carlson, Joshua Brown Kramer, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

The problem of robot navigation involves planning a path to move a robot from a start point to a known target point within an obstacle course. The efficiency of such an algorithm can be measured in several ways. For instance, Lumelsky and Stepanov measure the length of the path taken in terms of obstacle perimeters. Gabriely and Rimon compare their two-dimensional algorithm's efficiency to that of the optimal algorithm. Brown Kramer and Sabalka expand upon the work of Gabriely and Rimon to produce an algorithm for dimensions greater than two. The primary objective of this research was to implement improvements …

Synthesis Of A Thirty Member Macrocycle For Use In Host-Guest Chemistry, Keith A. Lehuta, Rebecca Roesner, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Discovery Laboratory To Observe And Quantify Protein Denaturation And Coagulation In Egg White Albumin, Elizabeth Ave Maria, Melinda Baur, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Electrochemical Etching Technique For Fabricating Tungsten Nanotips, Thomas Bersano, Bruno Deharak, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

The Synthesis Of A Cyclic Peptide Library For The Discovery Of Sickle-Cell Hemoglobin Ligands, Jeremy Henle, Brian Brennnan, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Electrochemical Assay Of Specific Biological Compounds Using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy, Thomas Marlow, Aaron Moore, Melinda Baur, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Imaging The Topography And Monitoring The Electrochemical Activity Of Biological Samples, Erica Woodall, Emma Dewalt, Faculty Advisor, Melinda Baur, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Complete 2010 Program

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Historicity And Ecological Restoration, Eric Desjardins

Research Day (Arts & Humanities, FIMS, and Education)

Traditional ecological restoration often relies on ideals of reversibility and balance of nature. I suggest that we should change these for a path-dependent view of natural processes. This conceptual shift also invites for philosophical and methodological revisions, such as favouring “futuristic” dynamic goals and alternative state models.