Maiden Voyage (a novel)

Maiden Voyage is an adventure story. It didn’t start out that way, but that’s what it has become. The story follows a young woman who stumbles onto her father’s secrets. Alexandra feels trapped in an 18th century English settlement on Nassau. Under her father’s protection, Alexandra is expected to marry and remain on the island. When she discovers a letter in her father’s office naming her as an “asset” she finds herself asking who her father really is. Who is the business associate who comes every month? Why does he really want her married to Lord Dewhurst? When her best friend, Andrew O’Hare, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, reveals he is leaving the island forever, Alexandra decides to search for answers on her own. She incurs the wrath of her father and his violent associate, John Ellond, and finds herself boxed in by expectations, responsibilities, and family secrets. Unwilling to live as any man’s asset, Alexandra chooses to leave the shackles of Nassau and her childhood home. Disguised as a boy she boards the only safe vessel leaving port – Andrew’s ship, The HMS Saint George, a Fourth-Rate Ship-of-the-Line

Prevalence, Diversity, and Management of Goss’s Leaf Blight (Clavibacter nebraskensis) in North Dakota

Goss’s wilt and leaf blight (GWLB) (Clavibacter nebraskensis) is a yield-limiting disease of corn (Zea mays L.). Research conducted in other corn growing states have indicated yield losses as severe as 60% on susceptible hybrids. In 2011, the disease was first reported in southcentral North Dakota (ND). Concurrently, corn production was increasing in ND due to favorable grain prices. With increased production, there was concern about disease prevalence and the impact of GWLB on corn yields in the state. In order to determine which corn diseases are present in ND, and to gain a better understanding of the C. nebraskensis population in ND and its impact on corn yield, three studies were conducted. Prior to 2014, no formal corn foliar disease survey had been documented in ND, thus the first objective was to document the prevalence of foliar diseases of corn in ND. Results indicate that four diseases are common in ND; common rust, common smut, northern corn leaf blight, and GWLB. One corn disease is of economic concern in ND; GWLB. The objectives of the second study were to evaluate phenotypic and genotypic differences among isolates of the ND C. nebraskensis population. Results indicate significant differences in the amount of disease caused and the rate of disease progression by the isolates. Genetic differences among isolates also exist, but both phenotypic and genotypic differences appear to be random with no association to isolate origin. The objective of the third study was to evaluate yield loss due to GWLB based on infection timing and hybrid resistance. Results indicated that infection by C. nebraskensis at vegetative growth stages caused yield loss in excess of 40% on the susceptible hybrid, while infection at silking resulted in losses around 2%. Regardless of infection timing, yield loss on the resistant hybrid did not exceed 11%. The impacts of these studies will be to direct research efforts to economically important diseases (GWLB) and to strengthen GWLB management recommendations for ND corn growers.North Dakota Corn Utilization Counci

A Contingency in the Rosetta Reaction Control System: Alternative Cruise Trajectory Strategies to Cope with Degraded Delta-V Resources

Since August 2006 a pressure transducer of the Rosetta Reaction Control System (RCS) shows anomalous telemetries indicating a possible leak in a pressurant line. The future operation mode of the RCS may be affected by this problem, resulting in performance degradation. The current propellant budget and its future evolution are evaluated to show the possible states w.r.t. the required mission delta-V. Alternative cruise trajectory strategies are analyzed, providing delta-V savings, to compensate for the expected performance loss of the RCS

Consumer Horticulture Benefits Housing and Residential Areas

Horticulture and plants can be a benefit to those who live in housing and residential areas by: • Providing aesthetically pleasing and valuable landscapes that increase property value • Providing landscape plants that improve the physical conditions and improve energy efficiency • Improving the quality of life in residential neighborhood

Implementing the 40 Gallon Challenge to Increase Water Conservation

The 40 Gallon Challenge is an easy-to-use, comprehensive indoor and outdoor water conservation educational tool. It can be used nationwide and easily incorporated into existing educational programs. Promotional materials and pledge cards are available on the 40 Gallon Challenge website and can be modified by educators. The website displays data related to the impacts of the educational tool nationwide, statewide, and countywide. As of the writing of this article, 10,395 people had read the indoor and outdoor water conservation practices and pledged to save approximately 1.8 million gal of water per day (645 million gal per year)

Safety Pays for Hispanic Employees, Company Owners, and Extension Professionals Active in Urban Agriculture Industries

The landscape industry and other urban agriculture industries are dangerous, and many of the workers in these industries are Hispanic. The financial, emotional, and social costs of workplace injuries are substantial. Extension personnel, business owners, and all workers benefit when safety trainings are held in Spanish. The impact, benefits, and ease of conducting safety trainings in Spanish for Hispanic workers in urban agriculture industries are discussed

Datenreport: Die Vereinigung der beiden deutschen Staaten

Die Verfasser geben einen Überblick über die Bedeutung der Wiedervereinigung beider deutschen Staaten für die westdeutsche Bevölkerung sowie hierzu geäußerte Einstellungen im Spiegel von Meinungsumfragen der Jahre 1948 bis 1989. Herangezogen werden Ergebnisse aus Berichten früher amerikanischer Untersuchungen sowie Studien aus den maschinenlesbaren Datenbeständen des Zentralarchivs für empirische Sozialforschung in Köln. Es wird deutlich, daß die Beurteilung von Vereinigungschancen einerseits und Einstellung zur Wiedervereinigung andererseits eine beträchtliche Diskrepanz aufweisen. Während die positive Einstellung zur Wiedervereinigung auf hohem Niveau konstant bleibt, werden die Chancen hierzu in den fünfziger und sechziger Jahren zunehmend negativ beurteilt. Dieser Trend kehrt sich erst mit der neuen Politik der UdSSR unter Gorbatschow um. (WZ