Cost Analysis of Potential North Dakota Subterminal Systems

The purpose of this study was to analyze the cost structures associated with subterminal facilities. An economic-engineering approach was used to determine the construction and operation costs of four different sizes of subterminal facilities operating at three different plant capacities. Profitability of subterminals was determined mainly by the volume of grain handled. If a subterminal marketed enough grain, it was able to incur both decreasing average fixed and average variable costs. The larger subterminals were found to be more profitable than the smaller facilities indicating the existence of economies of size in both the fixed and variable cost components. Profitability can be dramatically increased given the availability of internal financing for the construction cost and nondepreciable fixed costs. Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute Report No.44Marketing, Agribusiness,

Does Challenge by Choice Increase Participation?

Challenge by choice (CBC) has been regarded as a foundational principle for challenge ropes course programs. Although CBC is widely accepted as the primary mechanism for facilitating intended ropes course outcomes, especially a participant’s involvement, until recently it had remained an untested assumption. This study explored the role of CBC as it pertains to participants’ involvement in adventure activities. Using a general inductive data analysis approach, three themes emerged: instruction, atmosphere, and challenge. Whereas instruction positively influenced involvement, atmosphere and challenge had both positive and negative influences. Findings suggest that CBC might be necessary but not sufficient in explaining students’ involvement in adventure activities

Does settlement plate material matter? The influence of substrate type on fouling community development

Benthic community composition and ascidian abundance can differ dramatically between adjacent man-made and natural substrates. Although multiple factors, including light exposure, surface orientation, predation exposure, and habitat type, are known to contribute to these patterns, few studies have directly tested the influence of substrate identity on community development. We compared fouling communities on settlement plates composed of commonly occurring natural (granite) and artificial (concrete, high density polyethylene, and PVC) marine materials deployed from late May to mid November 2014 from a floating dock in Newcastle, NH. We sought to determine if observed patterns resulted from differential recruitment onto substrate materials or post-settlement survival and growth. To do this, half of the plates were cleaned during bi-weekly examinations, and half were left un-cleaned. Preliminary analyses indicate that community composition differs between substrate types. These results will help us understand how substrate features contribute to non-native species establishment and habitat dominance, and may inform decisions regarding material usage in marine construction. These findings also underline the importance of settlement substrate choice in scientific studies, as plate material may influence experimental conclusions

Facing the Future in St. Bernard Parish, Louisian: Planning and Development

St. Bernard Parish (Louisiana) has undergone a transition from rural, agrarian characteristics to that of a suburban, industrial based community. Its fragile environment has been substantially altered by man\u27s use. Planning and development strategies need to be devised to address the stress placed on the environment by these alterations, particularly dealing with coastal erosion, land loss and increased threat of tidal surge and flooding if development in the area is to continue. St. Bernard also faces a changing economy with the declines of its industrial based economy and employment base which requires that new forms of economic development are established to replace jobs those that have been lost. This thesis addresses these issues and proposes actions that could be taken to learn from the errors of the past to attempt to mitigate losses that have occurred by emphasizing planning and arranging priorities to create an agenda for the future which provides economic development and controlled growth within the bounds of Saint Bernard Parish\u27s environmental capacity

State Anxiety and High-Risk Developmental Influences on Laboratory-Provoked Aggression

Recent literature has identified a subtype of anxious people who appear to be at risk for aggression as opposed to inhibited and withdrawn as might otherwise be predicted among anxious individuals. While physical aggression is not typically associated with anxiousness, the current study examined the effect of both state and trait anxiety and other development factors on laboratory-provoked aggression in males. Participants (N = 56) were randomly assigned to anxiety induction and control groups. An attempts was made to induce anxiety using a videotapes speech procedure. Several self-report measures were completed to gather developmental information such as history of aggressiveness, childhood abuse, exposure to domestic violence, executive functioning skills, and trait aggression. State anxiety was measured using heart rate and self-report measures, and aggressiveness was measured using the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP), which required participants to compete and administer shock to a fictitious opponent. Consistent with hypotheses, increased provocation was successful in increasing the level of shock participants administered to fictitious opponents in a reaction time competitive task. State and Trait Anxiety were not found to have a significant impact on the level of aggressiveness observed in the laboratory experiment. Executive functioning, history of violent experiences, and trait aggression were not found to effect the aggressiveness of these laboratory participants. Implications for the impact of provocation and a range of personal attributes on aggressiveness were discussed

The Evolving Takings Doctrine: The Supreme Court Poses a Challenge for Coastal Zone Management

There is an increasingly powerful and vocal group coalescing in society today, sometimes described as anti-environmentalists or Property Firsters, who feel that the government has exceeded its authority in interfering with individual rights for the purpose of protecting natural resources. Regardless of any personal convictions regarding this often emotionally-charged issue, people involved in coastal management and planning should be aware of the changes in legal doctrines which have come about as a result of property first challenges to regulatory or zoning statutes. These challenges have been pursued successfully in the courts by characterizing state and local land use ordinances as a taking of private property under the Fifth Amendment, so it is vital for coastal managers to have the clearest possible understanding of the basis of the challenges: the takings doctrine. Instead of focusing solely on the often subtle and convoluted legal points of the takings decisions, this paper will provide an analysis of the issue as it affects coastal management regulatory and zoning efforts

Utilization of ERTS-1 data to monitor and classify eutrophication of inland lakes

A technique is being developed for use of ERTS in estimating and monitoring trophic levels of inland lakes. Preliminary findings are that Michigan lakes and ponds of one acre or more are resolvable in bands 5, 6 and 7 of NASA MSS imagery under fair conditions (haze and 70% cloud cover). In processed imagery (CCT) smaller features, including water color patterns, are evident within some lakes of 40 acres or more. Image distortion of lake size, shape, orientation, etc. is minimal; discrimination of lakes and ponds from various wetlands is good. Subsequent ERTS and aircraft imagery will be correlated with detailed ground truth of water color and quality in eutrophic test lakes

Field Work Reflections: Journeys in Knowing and Not-Knowing

In this paper, I retrace my interest in narrative forms of inquiry. I begin by revisiting a series of research projects that I conducted early in my career, describing some of my own dissatisfactions with the methods I used at the time. I move on to a detailed reexamination of my first piece of narrative research, completed during my PhD. In that project I used a narrative pointed psychosocial method in an attempt to develop new knowledge in the field of drugs, ‘race’ and ethnicity. In the final section, I consider what I have learned from this approach in terms of knowing and not-knowing and how I have used this experience to explore different approaches to narrative inquiry. I finish by drawing out some lessons I have learned from these different studies, which I hope might be of relevance to other social work researchers