Weather and Growing Season Summary

Precipitation for 2011 was less than the longterm climate average. Early in the year, precipitation lagged behind normal, but then tracked close to the normal accumulation rate from mid-April through mid-August. After that time, precipitation amounts greatly lagged behind normal, and the year ended almost 7 in. behind the long-term average. (Figure 1). Overall, 2011 will be remembered for good moisture early, but ending the season with almost no rainfall

Soybean Yield Response to Rhizobium Inoculation on Converted Grass Pasture

Much of the soybean plant\u27s nitrogen requirement is supplied through nitrogen fixation when atmospheric nitrogen is converted into a usable form for the plant. Nitrogen fixation is critical for producing higher yield in soybean. For nitrogen fixation to occur, nitrogen-fixing bacteria (genus Rhizobium) need to be present in the soil. If soils do not already contain a high population of Rhizobium, these bacteria can be added either as a liquid or granular peat inoculant, or as a peat-based powder. The different forms can be seed applied or used in-furrow

Shot noise measurements in NS junctions and the semiclassical theory

We present a new analysis of shot noise measurements in normal metal-superconductor (NS) junctions [X. Jehl et al., Nature 405, 50 (2000)], based on a recent semiclassical theory. The first calculations at zero temperature assuming quantum coherence predicted shot noise in NS contacts to be doubled with respect to normal contacts. The semiclassical approach gives the first opportunity to compare data and theory quantitatively at finite voltage and temperature. The doubling of shot noise is predicted up to the superconducting gap, as already observed, confirming that phase coherence is not necessary. An excellent agreement is also found above the gap where the noise follows the normal case.Comment: 2 pages, revtex, 2 eps figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Evaluating the Application of Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation Technique to Stabilize Expansive Soils

Expansive soils, also known as swell-shrink soils have been a problem for civil infrastructures including roads and foundations from ancient times. The use of chemical additives such as cement and lime to stabilize expansive soils is a common practice among geotechnical engineers, especially for lightly loaded structures. However, several occurrences of subgrade failures have been observed after stabilizing with chemical additives. Hence, engineers are in search of sustainable stabilization alternatives. Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is gaining attention as an environmentally friendly soil improvement technique. Several researchers have successfully tested its feasibility in mitigating liquefaction-induced problems in sandy soils. In this research, the authors are evaluating its effectiveness in stabilizing expansive soils. For this purpose two natural expansive soils with high and low plasticity properties were subjected to MICP treatments. The soil samples were first augmented with bacterium Sporosarcina Pasteurii and then treated with Calcium Chloride and Urea. Variables such as microbial concentrations and curing times were studied in this research. Geotechnical testing including Atterberg limits and unconfined compression strength were performed to evaluate the efficacy of MICP treatments. Preliminary results indicate that there is a reduction in plasticity and swelling characteristics of the soils and increase in the unconfined compression strength

Energy-resolved electron-spin dynamics at surfaces of p-doped GaAs

Electron-spin relaxation at different surfaces of p-doped GaAs is investigated by means of spin, time and energy resolved 2-photon photoemission. These results are contrasted with bulk results obtained by time-resolved Faraday rotation measurements as well as calculations of the Bir-Aronov-Pikus spin-flip mechanism. Due to the reduced hole density in the band bending region at the (100) surface the spin-relaxation time increases over two orders of magnitude towards lower energies. At the flat-band (011) surface a constant spin relaxation time in agreement with our measurements and calculations for bulk GaAs is obtained.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Protocol study: Sexual and reproductive health knowledge, information-seeking behaviour and attitudes among Saudi women: A questionnaire survey of university students

Copyright © 2014 Farih et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Background - Sexual and reproductive health (SRH), a basic right for women worldwide, is infrequently researched in countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). No empirical studies of SRH among Saudi women exist. This protocol describes a study to explore the SRH knowledge, information-seeking behaviour and attitudes of Saudi female university students. Methods/Design - This study will administer a questionnaire survey to female students at 13 universities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was developed following a literature search to identify relevant content, with psychometrically tested tools used when available. The content layout and the wording and order of the questions were designed to minimize the risk of bias. The questionnaire has been translated into Arabic and piloted in preparation for administration to the study sample. Ethical approval for the study has been granted (reference no. QMREC2012/54). After questionnaire administration, the data will be collated, analysed and reported anonymously. The findings will be published in compliance with reporting guidelines for survey research. Discussion - This study will be the first to provide fundamental information concerning Saudi females university students SRH knowledge and information needs.King Abdullah Scholarship Program, Saudi Arabi

An exploratory cluster randomised trial of a university halls of residence based social norms marketing campaign to reduce alcohol consumption among 1st year students

<p>Aims: This exploratory trial examines the feasibility of implementing a social norms marketing campaign to reduce student drinking in universities in Wales, and evaluating it using cluster randomised trial methodology.</p> <p>Methods: Fifty residence halls in 4 universities in Wales were randomly assigned to intervention or control arms. Web and paper surveys were distributed to students within these halls (n = 3800), assessing exposure/contamination, recall of and evaluative responses to intervention messages, perceived drinking norms and personal drinking behaviour. Measures included the Drinking Norms Rating Form, the Daily Drinking Questionnaire and AUDIT-C.</p> <p>Results: A response rate of 15% (n = 554) was achieved, varying substantially between sites. Intervention posters were seen by 80% and 43% of students in intervention and control halls respectively, with most remaining materials seen by a minority in both groups. Intervention messages were rated as credible and relevant by little more than half of students, though fewer felt they would influence their behaviour, with lighter drinkers more likely to perceive messages as credible. No differences in perceived norms were observed between intervention and control groups. Students reporting having seen intervention materials reported lower descriptive and injunctive norms than those who did not.</p> <p>Conclusions: Attention is needed to enhancing exposure, credibility and perceived relevance of intervention messages, particularly among heavier drinkers, before definitive evaluation can be recommended. A definitive evaluation would need to consider how it would achieve sufficient response rates, whilst hall-level cluster randomisation appears subject to a significant degree of contamination.</p&gt

Distorted Reality: A Commentary on DiMarco et al. (2022) and the Question of Male Sexual Victimization

Our commentary responds to claims made by DiMarco and colleagues in an article published in this journal that the majority of victims of rape are men and that 80% of those who rape men are women. Although we strongly believe that studying male sexual victimization is a highly important research and policy endeavour, we have concerns with the approach taken by DiMarco and colleagues to discuss these incidents. Specifically, we critique their paper by addressing the definitions of rape used by the authors, questioning their interpretation of national victim surveys, evaluating their analysis of the underreporting of male rape, and highlighting the heteronormative framework they use to outline the landscape of male sexual victimization. With this commentary, we call for a holistic, nuanced, and balanced study of male sexual victimization that recognizes the reality of both female-on-male and male-on-male violence, the experiences of survivors, and multi-layered barriers that male victims often encounter