ALERT: FARMERS NEED TO SIGN UP FOR ACRE!

Corn, soybean and wheat producers are facing serious financial challenges. And it is even worse for livestock producers, most of who are also crop producers and are therefore eligible for ACRE. Crops are behind in maturity, some areas of the state need rain, product prices have fallen substantially, and USDA Counter Cyclical payments do not start until $2.35 on corn,$5.36 soybeans and $3.40 on wheat. Chances of prices that low are around 10-15%, but at that point ACRE payments would be much, much bigger. Many producers do not understand ACRE and the benefits available; most of the reasons given for not participating are invalid.Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management,

Developing Global Educators and Intercultural Competence Through an International Teaching Practicum in Kenya

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the extent and nature of changes in personal and professional behaviors, values, and attitudes of 46 Canadian teacher candidates who participated in a three week teaching practicum in Kenya. All participants completed a pre and post practicum Global-Mindedness Survey (Hett, 1993), participated in interviews, and engaged in personal and public reflections. Our results suggest that the Kenyan practicum significantly increased the teacher candidates’ global-mindedness and intercultural competence. The teacher candidates’ teaching practice was positively affected as reflected in their increased commitment to build community, improved skills in teaching English language learners, their ability to globalize the curriculum, and their confidence in the realization that they were their own greatest teaching resource. We theorize planned transformative learning opportunities during the cultural immersion of international practicums can greatly enhance the intercultural competence of teachers in today’s diverse classrooms

Late Planting Decisions with Crop Insurance: Decision Guidelines for Michigan Farmers in Spring 2011

Michigan has had unusually wet planting conditions in 2011, leading to substantial acreage that has not been planted at this late date. Farmers who purchased crop insurance have many options available to them. This paper addresses the major crop insurance decisions that farmers will face during the next 30 days.crop insurance, prevented planting, risk management, farm management, corn returns, soybean returns, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Risk and Uncertainty,

New academics’ experiences of induction to teaching: an Activity Theory approach

In this article we present findings of a research project investigating the experiences of new academics in the process of becoming effective teachers, using an Activity Theory framework (Engestrom, 2001 ). The research was undertaken in a post-92 university that has shifted from teaching and professional development to prioritise a new emphasis on research. However, all academics have a dual responsibility for teaching and research. The project brought us together as education developers who were involved in the induction of academics into teaching across six departments. We shared a common aim in trying to understand the issues faced by new academics in their various disciplines and departments, in order to improve their induction experience and provide an enhanced CPD offer

Radioactive liquid waste treatment facility

The Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility (RLWTF) at Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W) in Idaho provides improved treatment for low-level aqueous waste compared to conventional systems. A unique, patented evaporated system is used in the RLWTF. SHADE (shielded hot air drum evaporator, US Patent No. 4,305,780) is a low-cost disposable unit constructed from standard components and is self-shielded. The results of testing and recent operations indicate that evaporation rates of 2 to 6 gph (8 to 23 L/h) can be achieved with a single unit housed in a standard 30-gal (114-L) drum container. The operating experience has confirmed the design evaporation rate of 60,000 gal (227,000 L) per year, using six SHADE's. 2 references, 2 figures, 2 tables

Seasonality of flooding in Scottish rivers

The study considers the seasonal distribution of non-tidal peak flows on a large number of rivers draining varied catchments across Scotland and Northumberland. Peaks over threshold (POT) flood series from 156 gauging stations are used, and are subject to two quality control measures. Firstly, threshold values are standardised to give 45 peaks over a ten year period and secondly, records are adjusted to compensate for non-stationarity in the sampled data. The database assembled consists of 3458 station-years of record. A comprehensive description of the seasonal patterns found is presented, based on these quality-controlled data and utilising a number of methods of characterisation. Directional statistics are employed to indicate the central tendency of time-of-year values for each station, a six-season analysis gives more detailed information, and the seasonality of large peaks is compared with that of full POT series. Finally, a classification analysis is used to summarise these patterns. These patterns are related to five catchment characteristics: the seasonality of rainstorms; soil moisture deficit lengths; catchment size; lake storage and snowmelt, although the effect of the last of these is unclear as suitable data were not available for analysis. A discriminant analysis is employed to relate the five physical factors to flood seasonality. The study concludes with a discussion on the implications of its findings. A method of assessing seasonal flood risk using POT series is presented, offering an accurate means of relating flood magnitude to recurrence interval for any period of less than one year. The implications of seasonal heterogeneity, both within and between flood records, are also discussed. The suitability of the exponential model for use with POT records is questioned and it is suggested that explicit recognition of the seasonality of flooding may be necessary in order to make accurate design flood estimates

Evidence of resilience to past climate change in Southwest Asia: early farming communities and the 9.2 and 8.2 ka events

Climate change is often cited as a major factor in social change. The so-called 8.2 ka event was one of the most pronounced and abrupt Holocene cold and arid events. The 9.2 ka event was similar, albeit of a smaller magnitude. Both events affected the Northern Hemisphere climate and caused cooling and aridification in Southwest Asia. Yet, the impacts of the 8.2 and 9.2 ka events on early farming communities in this region are not well understood. Current hypotheses for an effect of the 8.2 ka event vary from large-scale site abandonment and migration (including the Neolithisation of Europe) to continuation of occupation and local adaptation, while impacts of the 9.2 ka have not previously been systematically studied. In this paper, we present a thorough assessment of available, quality-checked radiocarbon (14C) dates for sites from Southwest Asia covering the time interval between 9500 and 7500 cal BP, which we interpret in combination with archaeological evidence. In this way, the synchronicity between changes observed in the archaeological record and the rapid climate events is tested. It is shown that there is no evidence for a simultaneous and widespread collapse, large-scale site abandonment, or migration at the time of the events. However, there are indications for local adaptation. We conclude that early farming communities were resilient to the abrupt, severe climate changes at 9250 and 8200 cal BP

Symthons reveal how fluorine disrupts π–π stacking in halobenzene crystal structures

Symmetry-forming closest approaches of aromatic rings; ‘Symthons’, are usually the strongest interactions in halobenzene crystal structures. Where they combine to create π–π stacking, they are as strong as hydrogen bonds. This π–π stacking is disrupted when fluorine is present, as revealed in this analysis of all 290 closest aromatic approaches in the crystal structures of halobenzenes. Closest aromatic approaches involving fluorine show fewer examples of ‘Symthon I’ π–π stacking, and more examples of offset translations with larger displacements. Edge⋯face approaches are also more common in the presence of fluorine, frequently accommodating fluorine atoms in the ‘edges’. Some edge⋯face approaches do not embody any symmetry. These findings are consistent with lower melting points and favourable connections between fluorine and positively charged carbon atoms

The death penalty in Barbados: Reforming a colonial legacy

This article explores the death penalty in Barbados. Drawing on the historical context and the punishment’s colonial origins, we seek to make sense of its more recent history, particularly a 2018 landmark legal judgment that has finally forced reform of the sanction in Barbados. The article explores the bifurcated penological history of the death penalty; while laws enacted in London were extended to colonial nations such as Barbados, suggesting a continuation of norms, the tools of criminal justice were wielded for different purposes in the metropole compared with the periphery. We consider the trajectory of this colonial imposition and the retention of repressive punishments after independence, the Caribbean resistance to international abolitionist pressure from the 1990s and the recent reform. The role of the death penalty as a political and symbolic tool is examined, considering especially the colonial legacy of capital punishment in Barbados and the extent to which this factor has shaped contemporary public debates on punishment