HEDONIC VALUATION OF PROXIMITY TO NATURAL AREAS AND FARMLAND IN DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA

Open space may provide a variety of environmental services, such as flood control, prevention of soil erosion, storage and recycling of wastes, and scenic views, which do not have traditional market values. This study assesses the value of these amenities in Dakota County, Minnesota, by estimating the marginal price of open space proximity to housing, with the hedonic property price method. Utilizing residential housing and open space data, a propertys structural, neighborhood, regional, and environmental characteristics are related to its sale price. Key environmental characteristics are distances between a property and particular types of natural areas and farmland. The marginal price of proximity to open space was estimated with three models that illustrate the relationship between open space proximity and property price. The estimation results suggest that Dakota County homeowners pay, ceteris paribus, a higher property price ($115) to live 100 feet closer to any type of open space. Upon categorization of open space into natural areas and farmland, an interesting distinction was discovered: homebuyers paid more ($111) to live 100 feet closer to natural areas and less (-$53) to live the same distance closer to farmland. Further classification of open space into public lands, forests, prairies, wetlands, and water bodies, yielded varying marginal prices for proximity to these features. Proximity to public lands and forests had a positive relationship with property price ($80 and $70 respectively), while the marginal price for proximity to farmland remained negative (-$66). Living marginally closer to prairies also had a negative association with property price (-$48), while nearness to wetlands and water did not have a statistically significant effect. These last three marginal prices are unreliable due to the presence of multicollinearity. Finally, splitting the observations into urban and rural-urban fringe zones showed regional distinctions in the relationship of open space proximity to property price. In urban areas, proximity to publicly owned natural spaces and forests yielded a positive marginal price ($127 and $62 respectively). In the rural-urban fringe, proximity to forests and water features yielded positive marginal prices ($91 and $66 respectively). While proximity to farmland, prairies and wetlands was considered undesirable in the urban zone (with marginal prices -$102, -$55, -$63), nearness to these same features in the rural-urban fringe has a statistically insignificant relationship to property price.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Reactivation of contraction in detergent-lysed teleost retinal cones.

Teleost retinal cones contract in the light and elongate in the dark. In the green sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus, the necklike myoid region of the cone contracts from as much as 120 micrometers (midnight dark-adapted) to 6 micrometers in fully light-adapted state. When dark-adapted fish are exposed to light (1.4 lux), cone myoids contract with a linear rate of 1.5 +/- 0.1 micrometers/min. We report here that detergent-lysed motile models of teleost retinal cones exhibit calcium- and ATP-dependent reactivated contraction, with morphology and rate comparable to that observed in vivo. For reactivation studies isolated dark-adapted retinas were lysed with nonionic detergent Brij-58 (0.1-1.0%). In reactivation medium containing 10(-5) M free calcium and 4 mM ATP, the lysed cones contracted with normal morphology at in vivo rates (1.4 +/- 1 micrometer/min). Little contraction was observed if ATP or detergent was deleted from the medium or if free calcium levels were less than 10(-8) M. Ultrastructural examination of cone models lysed with 1% Brij-58 revealed that, in spite of extensive extraction of the cytoplasmic matrix, cytoskeletal components (thin filaments, intermediate filaments, microtubules) were still present. Thus we have produced extensively extracted motile models of teleost retinal cones which undergo calcium- and ATP-dependent reactivated contraction with normal morphology at physiological rate

The Reproduction of Artists in Fred Chappell\u27s I Am One of You Forever

Fred Chappell’s I Am One of You Forever features three artists, in addition to Jess, the narrator and protagonist, who visit the Kirkman family home: Uncle Zeno, Uncle Runkin, and Aunt Sam. The novel takes place in the Appalachian mountains in the years leading up to the Second World War, and the characters are concerned with the outside world’s growing influence on their community. Uncle Zeno and Uncle Runkin represent artists who are unconcerned with their audience; they have no focus on the reception of their production, only the art itself. Aunt Samantha, however, has been very successful in the world away from home and her art is concerned with its reception, reproduction, and audience. Aunt Samantha represents the modern artist, one who has no choice but to think about a wide reception, whereas Runkin and Zeno are more old-fashioned craftsmen, only focused on what they’re doing, rather than with leaving a legacy. Additionally, Aunt Sam’s art is completed whereas Uncles Zeno and Runkin’s creations change and process throughout their lives. Uncle Zeno can never finish a story and Uncle Runkin has been working on his one coffin for years and has not been able to complete it. Additionally, the perspective of the narrator, another artist, conflicted with ideas of home and belonging, looking back twenty years into the past contributes to the finality and infinity of Appalachian art and influence

Impact of Teat Order on Feed Consumption in Swine from Birth to Nursery

A relationship between teat order and feed consumption has been assumed in pigs, but no study has looked at this exact relationship. Pigs were observed shortly after birth to be in either a cranial, middle, or caudal teat positon. Growth performance data and active and total plasma ghrelin concentrations were analyzed at birth, weaning, and at the end of the nursery stage of production to see if a relationship with teat order was present. Overall, no effect of teat order was found on average daily gain, average daily feed intake, gain-to-feed ratio, or body weight among pigs from each section of the udder. Differences did occur during certain stages of nursery, which can be of economic importance to producers. No difference was seen in active or total ghrelin levels or the active-to-total ghrelin ratio in relation to teat order, although there were differences in active and total ghrelin concentrations among the sampling days. Further research should be carried out to investigate what factors would contribute to this data contradicting previous inferences about the relationship of teat order and feed consumption in pigs

CLASSIFICATION IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM: A PROJECT TO DECREASE DETENTION IN THE FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF MONTANA

The research project was funded by a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) through the Montana Board of Crime Control. The award amount was $5,000 which included equipment purchases and a research component. The grant was from 3-2-87 through 8-29-87. The equipment component was a computer and software packages to aid the Fourth Judicial District Youth Court in record keeping and to automate the instrument chosen as a result of the research to insure ready access by the juvenile probation officers. The purpose of the research component was to evaluate, choose, and implement a risk and a needs instrument that would aid juvenile probation officers in their case management and planning. Another purpose was to provide objective criteria for supervision decisions, partially eliminating the discretion found at all levels of the juvenile justice system. A primary goal of the OJJDP is to remove juveniles from detention in adult facilities and to find alternatives to detention, along with a focus on prevention. Properly tested instruments work towards the goal of prevention by classifying youth according to their supervision and intervention needs. Various risk and needs assessments were reviewed and a selection was made for the project. After pretesting the instruments, modifications were made appropriate to the district under study. While the data were being gathered, the instruments were applied to past cases, including a random sample and specific cases in which detention occurred, to determine if use of the instruments would have predicted the detention outcome. While the findings regarding the use of the instruments for detention prevention are inconclusive without further research, definite benefits and uses were apparent. Juvenile detention in general and specifically in Montana, classification in the criminal justice system, and the juvenile classification system chosen for the project, as developed by the National Institute of Corrections, are presented and discussed

Correlation Between Teacher Mindset and Perceptions Regarding Coaching, Feedback, And Improved Instructional Practice

The daily demands placed upon teachers are seemingly endless. Yet, it is the teacher’s skills that are the most important factor in influencing student achievement (Dalton, 1998; National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 2002; National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future, 1996; Ripley, 2010; Stronge, 2007). The topic of coaching has become increasingly common in the field of education as a way to help teachers be effective. Coaches need to support all teachers, regardless of the type of mindset held by the teacher. The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the correlation between teacher mindset and perceptions regarding coaching, feedback, and improved instructional practice. The overarching question for this research study was aimed at discovering if the mindset of teachers influenced their perceptions of the coaching and feedback process: “Does the mindset of teachers influence their perception regarding the coaching and feedback process?” There were nine questions guiding this research. Data was gathered through a paper and pencil survey during the spring of 2015. A total of 68 respondents returned completed surveys. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, Pearson’s r, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey’s Post hoc Test. The results found that leaders and coaches had a slightly greater mean in both mindset and perceptions than classroom teachers. Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference in perceptions towards the coaching and feedback process among those currently in leadership positions. Among classroom teachers, there was a correlation between perceptions towards the coaching and feedback process based on years of experience. Further exploration in the area of mindset and issues involving coaching is needed. Both mindset and perceptions about coaching have the ability to impact student achievement. Implications for further research are discussed