Aphthona spp. flea beetles were released in the Little Missouri National Grasslands (LMNG) in western North Dakota in 1999 to control leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.). The changes in soil seed bank composition and leafy spurge density were evaluated on two ecological sites five (2004) and ten years (2009) after Aphthona spp. release to monitor the effectiveness of the insects on weed control and associated change in plant communities. In 2009, leafy spurge stem density averaged 2 and 9 stems m-2 in the loamy overflow and loamy sites, respectively, compared to 110 and 78 stems m-2, respectively, in 1999 and 7 and 10 stems m-2, respectively, in 2004. Leafy spurge constituted nearly 67% of the loamy overflow seed bank in 1999 compared to 17% in 2004 and 2% in 2009. In the loamy seedbank, the weed represented nearly 70% in 1999 compared to approximately 11% in 2004 and 15% in 2009. As leafy spurge was reduced, native species diversity and seed count increased ten years following Aphthona spp. release. High-seral species represented 17% of the loamy overflow seedbank in 2009, an increase from 5% in 1999. However, Kentucky bluegrass, a non-target weedy species, increased over 250% in the loamy overflow seedbank from 2004 to 2009. The reestablishment of native plant species has often been slow in areas where leafy spurge was controlled using Aphthona spp. A bioassay was completed to evaluate native grass establishment when grown in soil from Aphthona spp. release and non-release sites throughout North Dakota. Native grass production was not affected when grown in soil collected from established Aphthona spp. sites (1.5 g per pot) compared to soil without insects (1.6 g per pot). The cause of reduced native grass production in sites with Aphthono spp. previously observed is unknown but may have been due to a chemical inhibition caused by the insects within the soil that no longer exists. The native warm-season switchgrass (Ponicum virgotum L.) may be an alternative to corn for efficient biofuel production; however, control of cool-season grassy weeds has been a problem in switchgrass production. Various herbicides were evaluated for smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) and quackgrass [Elymus repens (L.) Gould] control in an established switchgrass stand near Streeter, ND and a weed-infested field in Fargo, ND. Switchgrass yield was higher than the control 14 mo after treatment (MAT) when aminocyclopyrachlor or sulfometuron were applied early in the growing season, but no treatment provided satisfactory long-term grassy weed control. Herbicides were reevaluated at increased rates for smooth bromegrass or quackgrass control in Fargo. Sulfometuron provided 99% smooth bromegrass control when applied at 280 g ha-1 in the fall but injured other grass and forb species as well. Sulfometuron would likely be injurious to switchgrass and could not be used for biofuel production. Aminocyclopyrachlor did not injure other grass species but only reduced smooth bromegrass control by 76% when applied at 280 g ha-1 in the fall. No treatment provided satisfactory long-term quackgrass control.

Wind energy is quickly becoming a critical technology for providing Americans with renewable energy, and rapid construction of wind facilities may have impacts on both wildlife and human communities. Understanding both the social and ecological issues related to wind energy development could provide a framework for effectively meeting human energy needs while conserving species biodiversity. In this research I looked at two aspects of wind energy development: public attitudes toward wind energy development and wind facility impacts on local bat populations. These papers present aspects of wind energy development that have been the subject of increasing study. This preliminary research is intended to demonstrate the responsibility we have to making well-informed decisions as we continue to expand wind energy development. Additionally, I hope to generate interest in interdisciplinary study as a means to broaden the scope of research by making use of the diverse tools available within different disciplines.

Background: Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine in humans, with no known cause. Johne's disease is a chronic intestinal disease of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium suhspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), and has some features similar to Crohn's disease. Although MAP has been purported to play an etiologic role in Crohn's disease, this causal link is still under debate. Objective: The overall aim of this project is to analyze MAP strains from different hosts (cattle, sheep and humans) and regions in North Dakota by biochemical and epidemiological methods, in order to better understand the pathogenesis and epidemiology of MAP strains and the relationship between MAP and Crohn's disease. The specific aims of this research are the following: Aim 1. Investigate the epidemiological evidence for MAP as a cause of Crohn's disease. Aim 2. Conduct a comparative causality study to investigate whether MAP or other enteric pathogens cause Crohn's disease. Aim 3. Evaluate the occurrence of MAP infections in cattle in North Dakota, 1995-2005. Aim 4. Analyze MAP strains from symptomatic and asymptomatic cattle. Aim 5. Investigate the biochemical variations of rapid and slow growing MAP strains. Aim 6. Evaluate MAP strains from low shedders and high shedders. Methods: MAP isolates were analyzed by biochemical methods of gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. In addition, extensive literature review was performed to (1) determine the epidemiologic causal link between MAP and Crohn' s disease and (2) determine whether MAP or other enteric pathogens cause Crohn's disease. Results: Results from our study indicated the availablity of epidemiologic evidence supporting the causal role of MAP in Crohn's disease. It was also demonstrated that MAP is the most implicated organism in the etiology of Crohn's disease when compared to other infectious agents. Investigation of the occurrence of MAP infection in North Dakota showed an increase in number of MAP cases reported, with seasonal trends. Biochemical typing of MAP strains from symptomatic and asymptomatic cattle indicated that the symptoms status of isolates was significantly associated with mass spectra patterns and shedder status (p < 0.05). However, the association between symptoms status and HPLC and GC patterns was not significant (p > 0.05). Investigation of biochemical variations of rapid and slow growing MAP strains showed associations between the biochemical variability of MAP strains and their growth rate and presence of symptoms in the source cattle. Evaluation of MAP strains of different shedding characteristics by univariate logistic regression revealed that the shedder status of isolates was significantly associated with growth rate of isolates, symptom status, and source regions, but not with mass spectra patterns of isolates. Conclusion: Overall, this study strengthens the theories of strain sharing, intraspecies and interspecies transmission, and supports an association between MAP and Crohn's disease. In addition, the understanding of the biochemical variation among MAP isolates will help in the future design of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines for Johne's and Crohn's diseases. / North Dakota State University. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1924. / Vita. Published also as Studies in history, economics and public law, ed. by the Faculty of Political Science of Columbia University, vol. 114, no. 1; whole no. 254.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1973. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 200).

Water demand has increased exponentially since 2007 in western North Dakota. This increase can largely be traced to the advancement of technology in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) which has led to one of the largest oil booms in the country. Along with the recent oil boom, water depots have expanded and played a significant role in providing water for fracking. Using decentralized agent-based modeling (ABM) to model water allocation among water depots, a scenario analysis obtains results for four scenarios. Policy suggestions, based on the scenario analysis, include allowing greater access to LSMR water sources and restricting SW and GW use for the oil industry to reduce water scarcity in the Bakken. These results support allowing greater access to LSMR water sources for the oil industry as desired by the North Dakota State Water Commission (SWC), and other elected officials in the past decade.

This study used county-level yields and panel data (1950-2006) to explain the Impact of climate change and weather variability on North Dakota agriculture by estimating the effect of variation in temperature and precipitation on the yields of four major crops: com, durum, soybeans and wheat. In addition to yields, the study examined Impacts of climate change on crop gross revenues per acre for all 53 counties in North Dakota. An econometric model was developed to infer statistical relationships between weather variability and crop yields. Fixed and random effects models were employed to estimate the impacts of climate variables (temperature and precipitation) on crop yields. The Hausman test statistics was applied to test the preferred panel estimation approach: fixed versus random effects. Using mean values of precipitation and degree days for all counties, we calculated percentage changes in estimated crop yields for six climate change scenarios. The historical price data for the four crops (com, soybeans, spring wheat and durum) were used to generate per acre gross returns under the six weather-change scenarios in order to provide preliminary evidence about the effects of precipitation and temperature changes on farmer returns for the four crops.

The transportation of anhydrous ammonia, which is classified as a hazardous material, poses risk to the transporter, surrounding communities, and the environment. The commercial transportation of anhydrous ammonia is highly regulated, while the private transport is not subject to the same degree of mandates. Given the regulatory policies, the current locations of licensed dealers of anhydrous ammonia within North Dakota may be leading to a scenario where a private transporter has an incentive to disobey these policies and thereby expose him/herself, the surrounding communities, and the environment to unnecessary risk. Three stylized counties were constructed to represent the attributes of the eastern, central, and western counties of North Dakota. Attributes included transportation infrastructure, population distribution, and crop composition. Mathematical programming techniques were then utilized to determine the number and optimal location of licensed dealers of anhydrous ammonia within these counties. The results were then compared and contrasted with the current locations of licensed dealers throughout North Dakota to determine if the regulatory policies are sufficient in that they are not encouraging unsafe actions of the transporters and thereby endangering the transporters, surrounding communities, and the environment. The results indicated that the current regulatory structure associated with the transportation of anhydrous ammonia is sufficient to limit incidents.

There is a pattern of growth throughout agribusiness in North Dakota in which agricultural products ranging from commodities to machinery have all seen growth since 2000. Exports have contributed to most of this production increase. Agribusinesses across North Dakota are exporting to many areas of the world. With the help of the North Dakota Trade Organization (NDTO) many companies have developed trading relationships with clients in other nations. The purpose of this research is to measure the value of NDTO export promotion on North Dakota agribusiness [through the use of marketing, export programs, and counseling]. If the data supports the use of the NDTO, firms may be encouraged to use the services provided by the NDTO when export issues arise. This thesis uses a Tobit left censored model to bring the data together to produce empirical results which can be associated with the NDTO and its impact on a firm's total exports. Firm-level export promotion was found to be insignificant. However, small and medium firms were shown to benefit from the use of the NDTO through an average increase in 2008 export revenue of about $16,095 and $269,317, respectively. Furthermore, this is a $6.44 and a $107.73 return on dollar investment for small and medium firms investing in the services of the NDTO, respectively.