Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Influence Of Wind Generators On Grassland-Breeding Birds, Douglas H. Johnson, Jill A. Shaffer

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

As the Nation strives for energy independence, interest in renewable energy sources intensifies. Wind energy is one such source, and North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana are ranked among the top five states for wind potential by the Department of Energy. The Missouri Coteau is especially rich in wind energy potential. With its hilly topography and rocky soils, the Coteau also contains large tracts of unplowed grasslands and undrained wetlands. Accordingly, the Coteau is a prime area for nesting waterfowl and other grassland birds, many of which have suffered marked population declines in recent decades. To help maintain breeding populations …

Estimating Water Storage Capacity Of Existing And Potentially Restorable Wetland Depressions In A Subbasin Of The Red River Of The North, Robert A. Gleason, Brian A. Tangen, Murray K. Laubhan, Kevin E. Kermes, Ned H. Euliss Jr.

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Concern over flooding along rivers in the Prairie Pothole Region has stimulated interest in developing spatially distributed hydrologic models to simulate the effects of wet¬land water storage on peak river flows. Such models require spatial data on the storage volume and interception area of existing and restorable wetlands in the watershed of interest. In most cases, information on these model inputs is lacking because resolution of existing topographic maps is inadequate to estimate volume and areas of existing and restorable wetlands. Consequently, most studies have relied on wetland area to volume or interception area relationships to estimate wetland basin storage …

Testing Global Positioning System Telemetry To Study Wolf Predation On Deer Fawns, Dominic Demma, Shannon Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

We conducted a pilot study to test the usefulness of Global Positioning System (GPS) collars for investigating wolf (Canis lupus) predation on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns. Using GPS collars with short location-attempt intervals on 5 wolves and 5 deer during summers 2002–2004 in northeastern Minnesota, USA, demonstrated how this approach could provide new insights into wolf hunting behavior of fawns. For example, a wolf traveled ≥1.5–3.0 km and spent 20–22 hours in the immediate vicinity of known fawn kill sites and ≥0.7 km and 8.3 hours at scavenging sites. Wolf travel paths indicated that wolves …

Femur-Marrow Fat Of White-Tailed Deer Fawns Killed By Wolves, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

I present marrow fat (MF) data from a large sample of white-tailed deer fawns killed by wolves and a sample of fawns that died by accident in a single area, and I use these data to explore the extent that poor nutritional condition may have predisposed fawns to wolf predation. Percent MF of 110 5–10-month-old white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns killed by wolves (Canis lupus) from November through April 1984–2002 in northeastern Minnesota, USA, was lower than MF for 23 fawns killed by accidents in the same area and period. The MF of both male and …

A Proposed Ethogram Of Large-Carnivore Predatory Behavior, Exemplified By The Wolf, Daniel Macnulty, L. David Mech, Douglas Smith

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Although predatory behavior is traditionally described by a basic ethogram composed of 3 phases (search, pursue, and capture), behavioral studies of large terrestrial carnivores generally use the concept of a ‘‘hunt’’ to classify and measure foraging. This approach is problematic because there is no consensus on what behaviors constitute a hunt. We therefore examined how the basic ethogram could be used as a common framework for classifying large carnivore behavior. We used >2,150 h of observed wolf (Canis lupus) behavior in Yellowstone National Park, including 517 and 134 encounters with elk (Cervus elaphus) and American bison …

Interleukin-6 And Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Values In Elk Neonates, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, Craig R. Johnson, Michael P. Murtaugh, L. David Mech, P. J. White

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Serological indicators of general condition would be helpful for monitoring or assessing ungulate wildlife. Toward that end, we report the 1st reference values for 2 cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), in neonatal elk (Cervus elaphus). We obtained blood samples from 140 calves ≤ 6 days old in Yellowstone National Park during summer 2003–2005. IL-6 values ranged from 0 to 1.21 pg/ml with a median of 0.03 pg/ml. TNF-α values ranged from 0 to 225.43 pg/ml with a median of 1.85 pg/ml. IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations were not significant predictors of elk calf survival through 21 …

Defining Space Use And Movements Of Canada Lynx With Global Positioning System Telemetry, Christopher Burdett, Ron Moen, Gerald J. Niemi, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Space use and movements of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) are difficult to study with very-high-frequency radiocollars. We deployed global positioning system (GPS) collars on 11 lynx in Minnesota to study their seasonal space-use patterns. We estimated home ranges with minimum-convex-polygon and fixed-kernel methods and estimated core areas with area/probability curves. Fixed-kernel home ranges of males (range = 29–522 km²) were significantly larger than those of females (range = 5–95 km²) annually and during the denning season. Some male lynx increased movements during March, the month most influenced by breeding activity. Lynx core areas were …

Department Of Economics Newsletter, V14, Winter 2007, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Economics.

Department of Economics Newsletter

Inside This Issue:
--A Message From The Department Head
--Scholarship News
--Thomas Amlie Economics Scholarship
--Scholarship News
--Alumni News
--Alumni Contribution Lights Display Case
--Alumni-in-Residence
--Reflections by Lisa Dreyer
--Video Game Economics
--Lawrence M. Jepson International Economics Essay Contest
--Life at the University of Chicago
--The Russia Trip-2007
--Research & Publication
--Textbook Supporting Materials
--Textbook Selection
--Faculty Notes...As They Report It!
--From Our Emeritus Faculty
--Barb Mardis Retires
--The Economics Club
--Comments from Professor Jepsen
--An Economist Builds a House
--Highlights From the Center for Economic Education
--UNI Economics Department
--RAGBRAI 2007

The Preventive Paradigm And The Perils Of Ad Hoc Balancing, Jules Lobel

Articles

This article addresses the claim that times of crisis require jettisoning legal rules in favor of ad hoc balancing. Part I demonstrates that the coercive preventive measures adopted by the Bush administration in carrying out the War on Terror discarded clear legal rules in favor of ad hoc balancing and relied on suspicions rather than objective evidence. Part II examines the claims of prevention paradigm supporters that ad hoc balancing is necessary in the new post-911 era in order to reach decisions that correctly weigh the values of liberty and peace versus national security. This article argues that discarding the …

Psychology Of Fighting, Randy Borum

Mental Health Law & Policy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Changes In Bmi Among First Semester College Students, Rachel L. Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The transition to college has been identified as a critical period for weight gain; however, only a limited number of studies have examined this phenomenon. The college setting may promote weight gain, thus the purpose of the present study was to quantify changes in BMI in first year students during their first semester of college and to understand factors associated with weight gain, such as eating behaviors, physical activity, and body shape ideals. Significant changes in weight were detected between Time 1 and 2 with a mean weight gain of 1.24 kg. The majority of participants (73.1 %) gained weight …

The Effect Of Child Characteristics And Environmental Demands On Parenting Across Intact And Divorced Families: An Exploratory View, Jennifer L. Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations

Minimal attention has been directed toward learning how children may influence parenting practices and styles within a divorce setting, and - more significantly - how children may influence the co-parenting practices and behaviors of divorced parents. The roles of child temperament, parenting, and their reciprocal interaction werereviewed as they relate to the development of externalizing and internalizing problems in childhood. Literature regarding the impact of divorce on the parent-child relationship was also discussed. A cluster analytic approach was utilized in order to identify three groups of individuals with internalizing, externalizing, and adaptive characteristics. Parenting features were then evaluated across both …

Proceedings Of The 4th Acl-Sigsem Workshop On Prepositions At Acl-2007., Fintan Costello, John D. Kelleher, Martin Volk

Conference papers

This volume contains the papers presented at the Fourth ACL-SIGSEM Workshop on Prepositions. This workshop is endorsed by the ACL Special Interest Group on Semantics (ACL-SIGSEM), and is hosted in conjunction with ACL 2007, taking place on 28th June, 2007 in Prague, the Czech Republic.

Assessing Teaching And Learning With Digital Collections, Stephanie Davis-Kahl

Scholarly Publications

This document is part of a successful grant proposal to assess the teaching and learning potential of one of Ames Library's digital collections, the Swahili Expressive Arts collection.

An Ounce Of Different Is Worth A Pound Of Same: Sustaining Rich Collections By Adapting What We Know & Learning Skills We Need, Karen Schmidt

Scholarly Publications

Following on a survey of TAMU library faculty about their work in collection development, this presentation formed the basis for discussion about skills we have and skills we need to assure that our research collections remaiin vital.

Development And Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Community Norms Of Child Neglect Scale, Rebecca Goodvin, David R. Johnson, Sam A. Hardy, Michelle Graef, Jeff M. Chambers

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

This article describes the development of the Community Norms of Child Neglect Scale (CNCNS), a new measure of perceptions of child neglect, for use in community samples. The CNCNS differentiates among four subtypes of neglect (failure to provide for basic needs, lack of supervision, emotional neglect, and educational neglect). Scenarios ranging in seriousness for each subtype were presented to a large community sample (N = 3,809). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a four-factor model provided a better fit to the data than did a model specifying only one overall neglect factor, suggesting this sample distinguished among the four subtypes of …

Regional Dynamics Of Grassland Change In The Western Great Plains, Mark A. Drummond

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

This paper examines the contemporary land-cover changes in two western Great Plains ecoregions between 1973 and 2000. Agriculture and other land uses can have a substantial effect on grassland cover that varies regionally depending on the primary driving forces of change. In order to better understand change, the rates, types, and causes of land conversion were examined for 1973, 1980, 1986, 1992, and 2000 using Landsat satellite data and a statistical sampling strategy. The overall estimated rate of land-cover change between 1973 and 2000 was 7.4% in the Northwestern Great Plains and 11.5% in the Western High Plains. Trends in …

Foreword For Vol. 17 No.2, James W. Merchant, Rex Honey

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Geographers have contributed much to the rich literature that defines the natural and human dimensions ofthe Great Plains. The emphasis that geographers place upon illuminating the spatial components of environmental, societal, economic, and cultural issues has often afforded them a unique perspective on important questions confronting the region. Moreover, geographers have sought to improve our understanding of the complex interrelationships between Great Plains landscapes and their human occupants. These foci of geography have, in recent years, given rise to research on topics such as the drivers and effects of land use and land cover change, rural depopulation and evolving settlement …

Review Of Lethal Injection: Capital Punishment In Texas During The Modern Era, Nicole Casarez

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Texas has a notorious reputation as the death-penalty capital of America. The sheer number of Texas executions since 1976 has created a statistical pool that Jon Sorenson and Rochy Pilgrim use in Lethal Injection to address four major factual (as opposed to moral) issues surrounding the death penalty: (1) Does it deter would-be murderers from killing? (2) Does it prevent probable future acts of violence by those sentenced to death? (3) Is it applied to the most deserving defendants? (4) Is it imposed fairly and cost-effectively? These are certainly the right questions, and, for the most part, the authors do …

The Shop-Locally Discourse In Jefferson County Kansas, Gina K. Thornburg

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Inhabitants in the villages of Jefferson County, Kansas, respond to socioeconomic changes in a variety of ways. Empirical research conducted in 2004 revealed multiple discourses that constituted such responses. The shop-locally discourse emerged in structured interviews, newspaper articles, and newspaper advertisements as an emblem of socioeconomic empowerment. Discourse was analyzed within its context and interpreted to provide some insight into residents' responses to change. The discourse revealed not only nostalgia for formerly vibrant commercial districts but also the importance of economic vitality to social life. Shopping locally today, however, will not restore yesteryear's social milieu. The proximity of midsize cities …

Review Of Buffalo Nation: American Indian Efforts To Restore The Bison., James H. Shaw

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

Ken Zontek presents a thoroughly researched and generally well-written account of the underappreciated role played by American Indians in the conservation and restoration of American bison. He notes that of the five foundation herds that in the. 1870s became the principal gene pool for today's Plains bison, three of them were established by people of American Indian descent.

Glycomics Project Overview, Satya S. Sahoo

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

Schema-Driven Relationship Extraction From Unstructured Text, Cartic Ramakrishnan

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

Beyond Sawsdl - A Game Plan For Broader Adoption Of Semantic Web Services, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

After a flurry of research activities led by the OWL-S, WSMO, SWSF, and WSDL-S groups, we now have taken the first concrete steps toward building a Semantic Web Services (SWS) based solution, in the form of a W3C candidate recommendation SAWSDL [http://www.w3.org/2002/ws/sawsdl/], associated tools and use cases, and initial applications [1]. Where do we go from here? Researchers among us may be fully convinced of the importance and benefit of adding semantics to Web services and impatient to see their research translated into technologies and adapted for real use. However, I believe we may need to be patient and do …

Sa-Rest: Semantically Interoperable And Easier-To-Use Services And Mashups, Amit P. Sheth, Karthik Gomadam, Jonathan Lathem

Kno.e.sis Publications

Services based on the representational state transfer (REST) paradigm, a lightweight implementation of a service-oriented architecture, have found even greater success than their heavyweight siblings, which are based on the Web Services Description Language (WSDL.) and SOAP. By using XML-based messaging, RESTful services can bring together discrete data from different services to create meaningful data sets; mashups such as these are extremely popular today.

From “Glycosyltransferase” To “Congenital Muscular Dystrophy”: Integrating Knowledge From Ncbi Entrez Gene And The Gene Ontology, Satya S. Sahoo, Kelly Zeng, Olivier Bodenreider, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

Entrez Gene (EG), Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) and the Gene Ontology (GO) are three complementary knowledge resources that can be used to correlate genomic data with disease information. However, bridging between genotype and phenotype through these resources currently requires manual effort or the development of customized software. In this paper, we argue that integrating EG and GO provides a robust and flexible solution to this problem. We demonstrate how the Resource Description Framework (RDF) developed for the Semantic Web can be used to represent and integrate these resources and enable seamless access to them as a unified resource. …

Survey Of Current Sensor Network Data Management Frameworks, Cory Henson, Satya S. Sahoo

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

What, Where And When: Supporting Semantic, Spatial And Temporal Queries In A Dbms, Matthew Perry, Amit P. Sheth, Farshad Hakimpour, Prateek Jain

Kno.e.sis Publications

Spatial and temporal data are critical components in many applications. This is especially true in analytical domains such as national security and criminal investigation. The outcome of the analytical process in these applications often hinges on uncovering and analyzing complex relationships between disparate people, places and events. Fundamentally new query operators based on the graph structure of Semantic Web data models, such as semantic associations, are proving useful in these applications. However, these analysis mechanisms are primarily intended for thematic relationships. We describe a framework built around the RDF metadata model for analysis of thematic, spatial and temporal relationships between …

Death Of Journalists Creates Void: Black Trailblazers Boyd And Bradley Leave Behind Many Great Lessons, Carla Kimbrough

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Faculty Publications

November 2006 marked the deaths of two journalistic giants whose careers should teach us much about journalism and diversity. I speak of Gerald Boyd, former managing editor of The New York Times, and Ed Bradley, correspondent with CBS News magazine show "60 Minutes." Boyd, 56, and Bradley, 65, died within days of each other.

In the Times' obituary, Boyd was recognized for his leadership roles in work that garnered the newspaper nine Pulitzer Prizes. The topics: the first World Trade Center bombing; children of poverty; the complexities of race relations in the United States; and the aftermath of the Sept. …

Finding A Path To Recovery: Residential Facilities For Minor Victims Of Domestic Sex Trafficking, Heather J. Clawson, Lisa Goldblatt Grace

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

This is the first in a series of Issue Briefs produced under a contract with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), to conduct a study of HHS programs serving human trafficking victims. Funded in fall 2006, the purpose of this 12-month exploratory project is to develop information on how HHS programs are currently addressing the needs of victims of human trafficking, including domestic victims, with a priority focus on domestic youth. This project also consists of reviewing relevant literature, and identifying barriers and promising practices for addressing the …