A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the possibility of using shallow reservoirs containing aquatic plants to reduce excess nutrient levels of agricultural drainage effluent from organic soils. The reservoir systems consisted of three small reservoirs in series, containing separate stands of Eichhornia crassipes, Egeria densa and Typha sp., and a single large reservoir containing equal areas of all three aquatic plants. A control reservoir without plants was included. Drainage water from organic soils was pumped through each reservoir at 39.6 l/sec., 6 hours per day, 6 days per week. the major nutrients monitored in theses flow-through systems included nitrate-N, ammonium-N, total-N, ortho-P (soluble reactive phosphorus) and total-P. Temperature, pH, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide and turbidity were also monitored at the inflow and outflow of each reservoir system. Standing crop measurements and plant tissue analysis for nitrogen and phosphorus were conducted every 21 days. When a single large reservoir was used, effluent nitrate-N, ammonium-N, ortho-P and total-P concentrations decreased by 65%, 57.9%, 70.3% and 51% respectively, while organic-N concentrations increased by 7.2%. In the a series of small reservoirs the concentrations of nutrients decreased by 80%, 73%, 33%, 74%, and 70% for nitrate-N, ammonium-N organic-N, ortho-P and total-P respectively. The dissolved oxygen increased and turbidity was reduced in both reservoir systems. The bicarbonate and carbonate equilibrium in the series of reservoirs and control reservoir shifted to the carbonate sides as carbon dioxide was reduced. The carbon dioxide in the large reservoir remained at the same concentration throughout the study. The standing crop in both reservoir systems was similar with an average of 11.6 mt/ha grown in R-1 and 11.2 mt/ha grown in the series of reservoirs. The nitrogen retained during the study was 1017 kg/ha and 750 kg/ha in the series and the large reservoir respectively. Phosphorus retained in the series was 249 kg/ha while the large reservoir retained 211 kg/ha of phosphorus. The series of reservoirs was more effective in reducing the nutrient levels of the drainage effluent than the large single reservoir. The results obtained from this study indicated that reservoirs in series can be used to reduce excess nutrient levels of agricultural drainage waters. However, further studies are necessary to increase the efficiency of the system and to accelerate plant removal. The physical, chemical, and biological processes involved in removal of the nitrogen and phosphate should be optimized in future applications.

Folliculogenesis is a complex and dynamic process by which follicles grow and develop with the goal of releasing a fertilizable oocyte upon ovulation. At birth, most females have a large pool of follicles; however, this pool is naturally depleted over time until ovarian senescence occurs and ovulation ceases. Thus, the population of preantral follicles is an appealing target for studies focused on female fertility, with the hopes of extending female reproductive lifespan. The studies within this thesis characterize, for the first time in mares, the population and spatial distribution of preantral follicles within the ovary and provide preliminary results documenting the success of a novel ovarian tissue transplantation site. The results from these studies showed that the population of preantral follicles in the mare ovary is similar to that of other species and that these follicles cluster in the ovary, comparable to mice and women. Furthermore, effects of age were observed, with young mares showing (i) a higher preantral follicle population, (ii) increased preantral follicle density in portions and regions, (iii) increased follicular clustering, specifically in the lateral and dorsal area of the ovary, and (iv) more numbers of neighbors per follicle than old mares. Additionally, interesting effects of spatial distribution in the ovary were also observed, with morphologically abnormal follicles in the intermediary portion being closest to the ovarian geometric center and with a tendency for increased follicular clustering in the ventral region. Furthermore, preantral follicles with neighbors were more likely to be morphologically normal. Moreover, despite having increased odds of lacking neighbors, it was observed that morphologically normal activated follicles had a higher number of neighbors than normal resting follicles. Lastly, the novel subvulvar mucosa was comparable to the established intramuscular location for heterotopic ovarian tissue transplantation, producing similar findings for macroscopic graft appearance, follicular density, and percentages of developing/growing follicles. The findings from these studies provide vital advancements in scientific understanding of preantral folliculogenesis in the mare and build important foundations for continuing to study folliculogenesis and treatments for infertility using the mare as an animal model.

Nazirites are a well-documented phenomenon within the context of the Hebrew Bible. The bulk of research has focused mainly on the role of Samson as a life long Nazirite, but little has been done concerning the role of women within the context of the Nazirite Vow. The goal of this paper will be to examine the role of women within the Nazirite Vow, as well as examining the constraints that might arise when one takes into account the purity laws. The Nazirite Vow is the only vow within the Bible that explicitly mentions the inclusion of women. The question I am interested in addressing is, are there circumstances that might exclude the woman? The idea behind the Nazirite vow is that one is consecrating oneself to YHWH, or setting oneself apart. If one were setting oneself apart then these rules that they would have to follow would not supersede the purity laws. I would suggest that beyond the regular constraints, avoiding dead bodies, grape products, and cutting ones hair, one would still be responsible to keep the purity laws. Therefore, when one takes an issue like menstruation into account, this severely limits the amount of time a woman has to complete the Nazirite Vow. As I will detail in this paper, this leads to the conclusion that if the vow lasted for more than thirty days the only women who would be able to complete the Nazirite Vow successfully would be pregnant women or a woman who is postmenopausal. This could suggest a certain amount of restriction regarding the woman's ability to perform this vow and may suggest why the inclusion of women is made explicit within the context of Numbers 6. Furthermore, this could suggest that fertility might be an aspect of the Nazirite Vow. / Religion

The objectives of this study were to assess growth and reproductive performance of boars fed a diet supplemented with organic selenium (Se). Crossbred boars received one of three treatments: I. basal diet with no supplemental Se, II. basal diet supplemented with 0.3 ppm organic Se (Sel-Plex), and, III. basal diet supplemented with 0.3 ppm sodium selenite. Nursery (n = 13 pens/treatment) boar performance was not affected (P > 0.1) by diet and only grow-finish (n = 11 pens/treatment) G:F was greater (P < 0.06) for Sel-Plex (0.378) compared with selenite (0.368) or control (0.363) boars. At 15-mo of age semen was collected from boars (n = 10/treatment) over 5-d. Semen quality declined over time, but the negative impact day had on sperm motility was less pronounced with Sel-Plex boars. Effects of treatment x day were detected for progressively motile (P = 0.02) and rapidly moving (P = 0.03) spermatozoa, sperm path velocity (VAP; P = 0.05), and average velocity (VSL; P = 0.05). At 17-mo of age, semen was collected from boars (n = 10/treatment), extended and stored over 10-d. Although semen quality decreased over time, sperm from Sel-Plex boars resisted the negative effects of day on sperm motility and pH. Effects of treatment x day were detected for percent motile spermatozoa (P < 0.01), static spermatozoa (P < 0.01), VAP (P = 0.06), amplitude of head displacement (ALH; P = 0.02), straightness (P = 0.01), and pH (P < 0.01). At 23-mo of age, semen was collected (day 0) from boars (n = 6/treatment), extended, stored and evaluated at d 1 and 8 using in vitro fertilization. Dietary Se treatment failed to affect (P < 0.05) in vitro fertilizing rates of boars. In summary, dietary supplementation with Sel-Plex enhanced G:F in grow/finish boars. Dietary Sel-Plex supplementation may decrease the effects that stressors, such as intensive semen collection or semen storage, have on boar sperm characteristics such as sperm motility. The mechanisms for these responses remain to be elucidated. / Ph. D.

The objective of two studies was to manipulate the essential fatty acid content of turkey semen by enhancing the dietary levels of either n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) or n-6 PUFA and determine the effect on fertility. In 1999 (Trial 1), and again in 2000 (Trial 2), Large White tom turkeys, 37 weeks of age, were fed one of three diets substituted with chicken fat, soybean oil, or menhaden fish oil. Chicken fat provided the industry's standard ratio of n-6 to n-3, soybean oil provided a greater ratio of n-6 to n-3, and fish oil provided a lower ratio of n-6 to n-3. Contemporary hens were inseminated weekly with semen collected from each group of toms. The effects of dietary lipids on tom body weights, fertility, motility, perivitelline layer sperm penetration percent, and live vs. dead sperm were analyzed. Whereas body weight increased linearly from 31 to 56 weeks of age (WOA), there was no effect of dietary treatment. As measured by the Accudenz® procedure, there were differences in sperm motility due to dietary treatment during 48 and 51 WOA during Trial 1. During Trial 2, sperm motility differences were observed at 53 WOA with the soybean oil-treated toms having the largest absorbance reading and the chicken fat-treated toms having the largest absorbance reading during 56 WOA. The live vs. dead sperm cells during Trial 1 revealed differences among the toms prior to treatment and post treatment. No dietary effects on percent live vs. dead sperm cells were observed during Trial 2. Once per mo, eggs were collected for a one-week period to analyze for sperm penetration of the perivitelline layer. In Trial 1, sperm from toms fed chicken fat produced more penetrations (holes) during 36, 48, and 52 WOA. In Trial 2, sperm penetration values were lower for toms fed fish oil during 42, 47, and 51 WOA. Whereas there were significant differences in fertility, hatch of total eggs, and hatch of fertile eggs among treatments in Trial 1, a bacterial contamination on the farm during weeks seven through fourteen may have contributed to these findings. No significant differences due to treatment were found in these parameters during the second study. The fatty acid analysis of spermatozoa collected at the conclusion of Trial 2 revealed significant differences in total n-3 and total n-6 content, leading to significant differences in the ratio of total n-6 to total n-3. The mixed results indicated the fertilizing ability of domesticated turkey spermatozoa may not be affected by the n-6 to n-3 ratio in the diet of the tom. / Master of Science

Field evaluation of frozen-thawed stallion semen has been limited to tests such as post-thaw motility and morphology that are not only subjective but also evaluate only a small population of cells. Flow cytometry has provided a quick, repeatable, objective method of evaluating a large number of cells, including spermatozoa. Two experiments were designed to first validate the use of several flow cytometric tests on frozen-thawed stallion semen and then determine a model that may best explain variation in fertility. Comparing samples that were live and freeze-killed validated the flow cytometric tests. In experiment one, six ejaculates were collected from each of three stallions. The semen from each ejaculate was centrifuged and frozen in 0.5 ml polyvinyl chloride straws. Two straws from each ejaculate were thawed and evaluated. Semen was evaluated for post-thaw motility, morphology, mitochondrial activity using Rhodamine 123 (R123), plasma membrane integrity using propidium iodide (PI) and ethidium monoazide (EMA), and chromatin structure using the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA). Data was recorded as percentages for all but the SCSA for both experiment one and two. The extent of chromatin denaturation was calculated using the SCSA and the alpha-t population [at = red/(red +green) fluorescence]. From the alpha-t population, statistics were calculated such mean (Xat), standard deviation (SDat), percentage of cells outside (COMPat) the main alpha-t population and the mean green fluorescence (mean green) of the population. Results from experiment one demonstrated that all flow cytometric tests except EMA were able to distinguish between live and freeze-killed samples (p < 0.0001). Also the stallion accounted for most of the variation in samples when compared to ejaculate and straw within an ejaculate. Therefore two straws could be chosen at random from a stallion and evaluated in experiment two. In experiment two, twenty-nine stallions were evaluated using the same tests as experiment one excluding EMA. Fertility data was obtained from the 1998 or 1999 breeding season. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the best-fit model to predict overall pregnancy rate. SCSA and R123-PI assays accounted for the largest amount of variation in fertility (R² = 0.65, p < 0.0004). Within SCSA and the R123/PI assays Xat and PI staining had the highest contribution to this variation in fertility (R² = 0.11, R² = 0.47) respectively. The best-fit model for predicting fertility included the assay combination listed above and the interactions between SDat and mean green staining as well as R123 and mean green staining. Post-thaw motility and morphology did not account for significant variation in fertility (p = 0.22, p = 0.46) respectively. Based on this project post-thaw motility and morphology are poor predictors of fertility in frozen-thawed stallion semen. However, through the addition of SCSA and R123-PI to the routine evaluation of frozen-thawed stallion semen time and money may be saved in advance by identifying those stallions with poor post-thaw fertility. / Master of Science

Almost everything that we do involves a choice. In recent years there has been a growing interest in the development and application of quantitative statistical methods to study choices made by individuals with the purpose of gaining a better understanding of how choices are made and also to predict future choice responses. In many fields, the choices made by individuals will determine the effectiveness of policy. Understanding what drives people's choices and how these choices may change is critical for developing successful policy. Discrete choice modeling provides an analytical framework with which to analyze and predict how people's choices are influenced by their personal characteristics and by the different attributes of the alternatives available to them. In an ideal situation we would build discrete choice models using information from choices that people are observed to make, i.e., revealed preference (RP) information. From these data we can quantify the influence of particular variables in the real choice context; for example, how important is price in the decision to travel by train? There are, however, potential problems with these data. There might not be enough variation of the explanatory attributes; for example little price variation across alternatives. Furthermore, several attributes might be highly correlated e.g. price and quality. But the most important of all is the fact that it is not possible to observe choices for alternatives that do not yet exist; for example new programs and technologies. In cases where the data limits the information provided by real choices it may be appropriate to collect stated preference (SP) data, which is information on preferences provided from hypothetical choice situations. This dissertation provides several applications of discrete choice modeling using both raveled preferences and stated preference. Unlike the last two chapters which deal with the revealed preference, the first Chapter, uses stated preference data. This Chapter evaluates the impact of several attributes of monetary incentives on the decision of patients to participate in a new weight loss program. Since this program does not exist yet, revealed preference data were not available and stated preference data were collected. The attributes of interest in this study include magnitude, timing and form of payment. The goal is to see what level and what combination of these attributes provides greater impact on the reach of the program. We also account for preference heterogeneity by using a random parameter framework. Chapter 2 discusses another application of discrete choice models in event history models (also called survival analysis). In these type of models, the main goal is to use the history of happening an event to learn more about the effect of different factors on the probability of occurrence. The event of interest in our case is the birth. We use the birth history of rural women and try to model their decision to give birth over time. The ultimate goal is to evaluate the effect of health clinics and family planning program on this decision. The final Chapter considers the application of discrete choice modeling in an electoral framework. The 2005 presidential election in Iran is used to model the decisions of Iranian voters. Using this revealed preference data we try to learn more about the main factors evolved in both participation and in the candidate selection. / Ph. D.

Lactating Holstein cows were assigned to clinical groups (CG; retained placenta, RP, n=20; uterine infection, UI, n=22; control, C, n=18) and given GnRH (200ug,im) or saline (T) on d 15 postpartum, to evaluate reproductive tract involution, uterine discharge, bacterial population and inflammation, ovarian activity, reproductive efficiency and plasma progesterone, glucose, and urea. Reproductive tract involution was not affected by CG or T and was complete by 40 d postpartum (DPP). Purulent vaginal discharge was found in UI, but improved over DPP. C, UI and RP had plasma progesterone concentrations > 1 ng/ml at 21, 27 and 29 DPP, respectively. Prolonged luteal phases resulted when UI was treated with GnRH. RP plasma urea was 20, 16.5 and 21.5 mg/100ml on 15, 35 and 50 DPP. UI had 16.3, 14.7 and 16.8 mg/100 ml on 15, 35 and 50 DPP. C and had 12.2, 14.3 and 12.8 mg urea/100ml on 15, 30 and 50 DPP. Plasma glucose ranged from 63 to 61.2 mg/100 ml between d 15 and 50. C. pyogenes and E. coli incidences were 53 and 22, 35 and 37, and 12 and 41% for RP, UI and C, respectively. Neutrophils were found in 58% of GnRH treated cows. Diffuse lymphocytes occurred in RP, 54%; UI, 40.5% and in C, only 5.4%. Days open were 134, 117 and 97 and services per conception were 2.5, 1.7 and 1.6 for RP, UI and C, respectively. RP and UI had increased time to plasma progesterone elevation, increased plasma urea concentration and increased days open. GnRH did not beneficially affect reproductive efficiency. / M.S.

What impact do family policies have on women's ability to have a family and participate in the labor market? Drawing on two cases, Japan and Sweden, I will identify different patterns of family policies' impact on fertility rates and women's participation in the labor market. Comparing the countries of Japan and Sweden, I ask how family policies influence choices about family and work life. Within this context, I will highlight the similarities we can find in both countries. Japan and Sweden are both industrialized nations with highly- developed economic structures and people enjoy high living standards. In both countries, we can also find similar elements of family policy. The three types of policies I study, (child allowances, parental leave legislation, as well as the establishment and expansion of childcare institutions) exist in both countries. At the same time, Japan and Sweden differ in the historical patterns of family roles reflected in each country's family policy framework. Due to these particular differences, the two countries show different outcomes concerning fertility rates and women's labor market participation. In my paper, I will closely examine the relationship between the existing circumstances and women's decisions in this context. / Master of Arts

Biochar amendment to agricultural soils has been promoted for use in agricultural systems, both to mitigate global warming by increasing long-term soil carbon (C) sequestration and to enhance soil fertility and crop productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a single biochar application from peanut shell (Arachis hypogea L.) and mixed pine (Pinus spp.) wood to a Typic Hapludults in Blacksburg (VA, USA) and from peanut shell and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) wood to a tropical, sandy, salt-affected soil in Ndoff (Fatick, Senegal) at 0, 10, and 20 Mg ha⁻¹ on soil chemical properties, inorganic nitrogen supply, and pearl millet production responses under field conditions for two growing seasons (2014 and 2015). Biochar application to temperate soils (Blacksburg) significantly increased total soil carbon, nitrogen, and plant available potassium in both years. In addition, pearl millet yields significant increased (53%) at the 20 Mg ha⁻¹ rate of peanut shell biochar in 2014 but did not persist in year 2. Beneficial effects largely appeared due to nutrient additions. Biochar treatment to tropical, sandy, salt-affected soils (Ndoff) had no effect on soil chemical properties. These results suggest that biochar application could improve soil fertility and crop productivity in temperate soils but had limited effects on tropical, sandy, salt-stressed soils in this study. The disparate results between these two field studies could be explained by differences in soil properties and climate, biomass feedstock, pyrolysis processes, and biochar handling, as well as experimental set-up. / Master of Science