Pricklypear Cactus Control in Western South Dakota

In a range improvement study, both liquid and pelleted forms of Picloram were effective in controlling pricklypear cactus. Higher rates of chemical hastened control and gave more complete control. At lower rates, cactus was recovering in 1985, the fourth year of study, suggesting that higher rates may be most cost effective. In 1983 noncactus vegetation response was minor. In 1984, all perennial grass production increased by more than 50% (312 lb/A) at higher rates of Picloram. Shifts in cool season and “warm season grass components were nonsignificant. In 1985, cool season grass was not generally affected by treatments, but warm season grass increased at several rates of Picloram. Cactus continued to decrease. Grass utilization by cattle in 1984 increased greatly at higher rates of Picloram. It appears likely that desirable grazable forage can be increased when cactus is decreased. Access to forage appears t o improve substantially as cactus pads collapse. Based only on 1984 livestock grazing utilization estimates and on 1984 increases in perennial grass production, potential reductions in acreages required for livestock grazing ranged from 49 t o 72%. Economic analyses will be conducted a t the end of the study

Should science educators deal with the science/religion issue?

I begin by examining the natures of science and religion before looking at the ways in which they relate to one another. I then look at a number of case studies that centre on the relationships between science and religion, including attempts to find mechanisms for divine action in quantum theory and chaos theory, creationism, genetic engineering and the writings of Richard Dawkins. Finally, I consider some of the pedagogical issues that would need to be considered if the science/religion issue is to be addressed in the classroom. I conclude that there are increasing arguments in favour of science educators teaching about the science/religion issue. The principal reason for this is to help students better to learn science. However, such teaching makes greater demands on science educators than has generally been the case. Certain of these demands are identified and some specific suggestions are made as to how a science educator might deal with the science/religion issue. © 2008 Taylor & Francis

Genetic insights into biological mechanisms governing human ovarian ageing

Reproductive longevity is essential for fertility and influences healthy ageing in women, but insights into its underlying biological mechanisms and treatments to preserve it are limited. Here we identify 290 genetic determinants of ovarian ageing, assessed using normal variation in age at natural menopause in approximately 200,000 women of European ancestry. These common alleles were associated with clinical extremes of age at natural menopause; women in the top 1% of genetic susceptibility have an equivalent risk of premature ovarian insufficiency to those carrying monogenic FMR1 premutations. The identified loci implicate a broad range of DNA damage response (DDR) processes and include loss-of-function variants in key DDR-associated genes. Integration with experimental models demonstrates that these DDR processes act across the lifecourse to shape the ovarian reserve and its rate of depletion. Furthermore, we demonstrate that experimental manipulation of DDR pathways highlighted by human genetics increases fertility and extends reproductive life in mice. Causal inference analyses using the identified genetic variants indicate that extending reproductive life in women improves bone health and reduces risk of type 2 diabetes, but increases the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms that govern ovarian ageing, when they act, and how they might be targeted by therapeutic approaches to extend fertility and prevent disease

A Travel Cost Analysis of the Value of Special Events: Gemfest in Central Queensland

Special events play an important part in tourism and recreation choices in Australia, and many receive funding from various levels of government. However, the economic case for funding special events often focuses on estimates of expenditure, employment and indirect impacts rather than estimates of economic benefit or consumer surplus. The study discusses the application of the travelcost method for estimating consumer surplus associated with a special event. The event studied is the annual four-day ‘Gemfest’ in the sapphire fields of Central Queensland. Surveys were conducted in 1998 and 2002, and the derivations of the appropriate models,welfare calculations and comparisons over time are outlined

Triangulation and integration : Processes, claims and implications

Copyright 2006 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Researchers who advocate the use of multiple methods often write interchangeably about 'integrating', 'combining' and 'mixing' methods, sometimes eliding these descriptors with 'triangulation', which itself encompasses several meanings. In this article we argue that such an elision is problematic since it obscures the difference between (a) the processes by which methods (or data) are brought into relationship with each other (combined, integrated, mixed) and (b) the claims made for the epistemological status of the resulting knowledge. Drawing on the literature for examples, we set out different rationales for using more than one method, then we develop a definition of integration of methods as a specific kind of relationship among methods. We also discuss different places in the research process where integration can occur: for instance, data from different sources can be integrated in the analysis stage, or findings from different sources at the point of theorizing.Peer reviewe