Structures in Real Theory Application: A Study in Feasible Epistemology

This thesis considers the following problem: What methods should the epistemology of science use to gain insight into the structure and behaviour of scientific knowledge and method in actual scientific practice? After arguing that the elucidation of epistemological and methodological phenomena in science requires a method that is rooted in formal methods, I consider two alternative methods for epistemology of science. One approach is the classical approaches of the syntactic and semantic views of theories. I show that typical approaches of this sort are inadequate and inaccurate in their representation of scientific knowledge by showing how they fail to account for and misrepresent important epistemological structure and behaviour in science. The other method for epistemology of science I consider is modeled on the methods used to construct valid models of natural phenomena in applied mathematics. This new epistemological method is itself a modeling method that is developed through the detailed consideration of two main examples of theory application in science: double pendulum systems and the modeling of near-Earth objects to compute probability of future Earth impact. I show that not only does this new method accurately represent actual methods used to apply theories in applied mathematics, it also reveals interesting structural and behavioural patterns in the application process and gives insight into what underlies the stability of methods of application. I therefore conclude that for epistemology of science to develop fully as a scientific discipline it must use methods from applied mathematics, not only methods from pure mathematics and metamathematics as traditional formal epistemology of science has done

Diversity indices applied in desert grassland communities of Otero Mesa, New Mexico

To describe plant community (alpha) diversity on rangelands, managers are confronted with a variety of commonly used indices. The choice, performance, and interpretations of these indices are often not clear. Biodiversity indices were computed for a variety of plant communities in a desert grassland of southern New Mexico. Data consisted of reported importance values, range transect data for both grazed and ungrazed pastures, and search-and-find data specifically addressed to plant community diversity. Occurrence of threatened and endangered plants was considered by a weighting procedure. Performance of each diversity index was evaluated by ranking plant communities from low to high and comparing the rankings yielded by the various indices. Data based upon importance or dominance that omit plant species of lesser importance or dominance should not be the basis of comparisons for alpha diversity. Communities described by range transect data ranked differently depending upon the index used. The most practical measure of plant species diversity may be the number of species found by search-and-find procedures

Effects of Precooling on Recreationally Active Individuals During Loaded Carriage Foot Marches in Heated Conditions

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Predictive Validity of Critical Power and Functional Threshold Power for Mountain Bike Race Performance.

Miller, M., Witmer, C., Moir, G., Davis, S., East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA Purpose: This study tested the predictive validity of critical power (CP) and functional threshold power (FTP) for mountain bike cross-country (MTB) race performance. Methods: Five well-trained MTB athletes (mean ± s: age: 31.4 ± 9.3 years; mass: 70.8 ± 9.5kg; VO2max: 63.8 ± 7.0 ml/kg/min) volunteered for this study. Participants’ FTP was measured during a ramped cycle ergometer test to exhaustion and was indicated as the point at which blood lactate reached 4.0 mmol/L. This test also served to measure the gas exchange threshold and VO2peak for CPtesting. CP was tested during a 3-minute all-out test on a cycle ergometer against a fixed resistance. MTB performance measures were gathered from a USA Cycling sanctioned MTB race and reduced to mean lap time over four laps of 7.5 km each. Linear regression was used to assess the prediction of MTB performance using either FTP or CP. Results: This study shows that CP can predict MTB better than FTP (R2=0.943 versus R2=0.784). CP can also predict MTB with less error than FTP (39.413 s versus 76.526 s). Conclusion: Coaches and athletes can use this information to gauge ability and prescribe training for MTB athletes

Nutrient management on the Lincoln University dairy farm: "nutrient budgeting for efficient production"

Nutrient management plays an important role in any dairy farming system. Soil fertility status and fertiliser inputs are key drivers of pasture and animal production, whilst fertiliser represents a significant annual cost to the farm. At the same time, intensive agricultural systems also face the challenge of minimising or reducing nutrient loss in order to maintain environmental quality. Therefore 'best practice' may involve nutrient management in terms of balancing production, economic, environmental and efficiency goals. With ever increasing regulation and compliance requirements for the New Zealand farmer, best practice nutrient management will play an increasingly important role in achieving long term sustainability of the farming system. This paper gives an overview of the use of nutrient budgeting as a method of effective and efficient on-farm nutrient management. The paper will focus on nutrient management on the Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF), including soil fertility monitoring and targets, the decision making process and the use of the nutrient budget output. Aspects of environmental research on the LUDF will also be discussed, including the quantification of nitrogen (N) losses, and results from research into nitrogen loss mitigation technology (eco-n nitrification inhibitor)