Agricultural Research at the Central Substation, Highmore, South Dakota: A Progress Report

Central Substation has been serving central South Dakota for over 50 years. It was established in 1901 on land deeded to the state by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Drew in 1899. There are 117.15 acres, and the location is immediately northwest of Highmore on Highway 14. For many years the research was conducted under the watchful eye of the late Steve Sussex. He served as superintendent from 1908 to 1948. After Mr. Sussex retired, he and Mrs. Sussex continued to live at the substation. I became superintendent in 1950 and found his counsel very helpful in carrying on the research activities. Gerald Keehn had served as superintendent from 1948 to 1950. Much has been accomplished at the station since the original one-tenth-acre plots were laid out permanently in 1908. In July 1932, crop yields over a 19-year period were summarized in Experiment Station bulletin 272. Four types of crop rotations were started in 1912 and have been continued ever since. The fruits of these trials are perhaps just being realized. That is the great value of your experiment stations. They formulate recommendations from results obtained over 5 or 10 or even 40 years or more of research-not just a year or two. Extreme care must be taken to avoid errors in our results. That is why we use long-time research results and repeat each trial a number of times and at various locations. Highly trained scientists of the State Experiment Station staff help us conduct the research. We find that people of this area have a friendly feeling toward the substation and its activities. Results of the research have been brought to their attention through field days and reports in newspapers and publications. When Mr. Drew donated the Janel for the substation he said that knowledge secured from this land would serve as a basis for farming. We should keep his foresight in mind

Criterion validity of a 10-category scale for ranking physical activity in Norwegian women.

BACKGROUND: Accurate measurement of physical activity (PA) is critical to establish dose-response relationships with various health outcomes. We compared the self-administered PA questionnaire from the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study (NOWAC) with a criterion method in middle-aged Norwegian women. METHODS: A sample of 177 randomly recruited healthy women attended two clinical visits approximately 4-6 months apart. At each visit, the women completed the NOWAC PA questionnaire (NOPAQ), rating their overall PA level on a 10-category scale (1 being a "very low" and 10 being a "very high" PA level) and performed an 8-minute step-test to estimate aerobic fitness (VO2max). After each visit, the women wore a combined heart rate and movement sensor for 4 consecutive days of free-living. Measures of PA obtained from the combined heart rate and movement sensor, which were used as criterion, included individually calibrated PA energy expenditure (PAEE), acceleration, and hours/day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA). These were averaged between visits and compared to NOPAQ scores at visit 2. RESULTS: Intra-class correlation coefficients for objective measures from both free-living periods were in the range of 0.65-0.87 (P < 0.001), compared to 0.62 (P < 0.001) for NOPAQ. There was a moderate but significant (P < 0.001) Spearman's rank correlation coefficient in the range of 0.36-0.46 between NOPAQ and objective measures of PA. Linear trends for the association between the NOPAQ rating scale with PAEE, hours/day of MVPA and VO2max (P < 0.001) were also demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported PA level measured on a 10-category scale appears valid to rank PA in a female Norwegian population.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

La criminalidad juvenil en Galicia. Análisis de los datos estadísticos referidos al trienio 2004-2006

El presente trabajo tiene por objeto el análisis estadístico de diversos datos relativos a la delincuencia juvenil en nuestra Comunidad Autónoma gallega, datos que corresponden a los años 2004, 2005 y 2006 y que, sin lugar a dudas, pueden contribuir al mejor entendimiento de este sector de la criminalidad. Para ello, los referidos datos estadísticos, en cada uno de los años indicados, se examinan de forma aislada, para, finalmente, concluir con un estudio comparativo entre dichas fechas con el propósito de establecer la evolución de diversos indicadores relativos a la criminalidad juvenil en nuestra Comunidad Autónoma. Y es que, efectivamente, el análisis de los datos correspondientes a la delincuencia juvenil tiene gran importancia, en primer lugar, por su peso específico en el contexto de la criminalidad, y, en segundo lugar, porque suponen un indicio de la posible evolución criminológica en los próximos años

Material from harvested Svalbard reindeer: evaluation of the material, the data and their areas of application for research and management

This report evaluates biological material from reindeer harvested in Svalbard and discusses application areas for research and management. A collection of lower jaws located at the University of Oslo (UiO) covers most of the period 1984–2009. Some material is, however, currently missing from the collection. The available samples have been analysed for jaw length and age (based on tooth set and counts of cementum annuli) by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA). A subset of the material has also been analysed previously (by different personnel) for molar height and dressed weight. The hunting material has broad applicability for research and management and represents an important resource for studying jaw lengths (i.e. body growth) in relation to climate, population density, hunting area, and sex and age structure of the harvested population. Based on preliminary analyses, there is clear variation between subpopulations and also clear climate signals in body growth. Though limited by a smaller sample size, similar information can be obtained from molar heights (e.g. tooth wear variation with sex, age, and climate) and dressed weights. Furthermore, the hunting statistics reflect spatiotemporal variation in sex-age distribution (of harvested animals) that could be of great interest for the management of this species on Svalbard. A standardised procedure for collection and handling of the material, including continuous sample analysis, is highly recommended

Progress in Agricultural Research at the North Central Substation

Thousands of acres of farm land in the north central part of South Dakota have their productive future tied up with the 240 acres used for experimental research at the Substation at Eureka. Established nearly 50 years ago by the state legislature, which set aside state school lands for agricultural research, the North Central Substation is the proving ground for new agricultural methods and a living record of the accumulative effects of the old. As early as 1908, rotation experiments were started which became the first historical record in the northern plains area of the effects of cropping practices on the soil. At that time, the entire surrounding country was in wheat. There were no crop rotations, since the organic matter of the soil was good and the fertility level high. Also, there was no weed problem then. Later, the Experiment Station was to be accused of scattering weeds in one of the most interesting stories to be uncovered in the development of experimental research in this area. Foreseeing the time when the fertility of the land might become dangerously lowered by the practice of continuous cropping which was being carried on at that time, the Substation set up experimental plots. These included the basic crops of rotation-cultivated crops, small grain and legumes. In this case, the legume was sweet clover. (See more in Text

The assessment of efforts to return to work in the European Union

Background: Assessment of efforts to promote return-to-work (RTW) includes all efforts (vocational and non-vocational) designed to improve the work ability of the sick-listed employee and increase the chance to return to work. Aim of the study was to investigate whether in 13 European countries these RTW efforts are assessed and to compare the procedures by means of six criteria. METHODS: Data were gathered in the taxonomy project of the European Union of Medicine in Assurance and Social Security and by means of an additional questionnaire. RESULTS: In seven countries RTW efforts are subject of the assessment in relation to the application for disability benefits. Description of RTW efforts is a prerequisite in five countries. Guidelines on the assessment of RTW efforts are only available in the Netherlands and no countries report the use of the ICF model. Based on the results of the additional questionnaire, the assessor is a social scientist or a physician. The information used to assess RTW efforts differs, from a report on the RTW process to medical information. A negative outcome of the assessment leads to delay of the application for disability benefits or to application for rehabilitation subsidy. Conclusion: RTW efforts are assessed in half of the participating European countries. When compared, the characteristics of the assessment of RTW efforts in the participating European countries show both similarities and differences. This study may facilitate the gathering and exchange of knowledge and experience between countries on the assessment of RTW efforts

Twenty Years of Soil Management Studies at Central Substation, Highmore, South Dakota

Current soil studies at the Central Substation, Highmore, concern improved methods of management for Williams soils. This soil is a major series on the Missouri Coteau. The Missouri Coteau is an uneven upland in the north central part of the state between the Missouri River and the James River lowland

Home and Work Physical Activity Environments: Associations with Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Physical Activity Level in French Women

The influence of the physical activity environment in the home and at work on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and objectively-measured physical activity has not been extensively studied. We recruited 147 women with a (mean ± SD) age of 54 ± 7 years and without evidence of chronic disease. The physical activity environment was assessed by self-report (Assessing Levels of PHysical Activity or ALPHA questionnaire), CRF using a submaximal step test, usual physical activity using combined heart rate and accelerometry, as well as by a validated questionnaire (Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire). Summary scores of the home environment and the work environment derived from the ALPHA questionnaire were positively correlated with CRF after adjustment for age ($r$ = 0.18, $p$ = 0.03 and $r$ = 0.28, $p$ < 0.01, respectively). Women owning a bicycle or having a garden (which may prompt physical activity) had higher CRF; those with a bicycle at home also had a higher physical activity energy expenditure. Similarly, women who had access to fitness equipment at work had higher CRF. In conclusion, these results provide new insights into potential environmental influences on physical capacity and physical activity that could inform the design of physical activity promotion strategies.European Union (Integrated Project LSHM-CT-2006-037197 in the Framework Programme 6 of the European Community), Medical Research Council (Grant ID: MC_UU_12015/3

Optogalvanic Spectroscopy of Metastable States in Yb^{+}

The metastable ^{2}F_{7/2} and ^{2}D_{3/2} states of Yb^{+} are of interest for applications in metrology and quantum information and also act as dark states in laser cooling. These metastable states are commonly repumped to the ground state via the 638.6 nm ^{2}F_{7/2} -- ^{1}D[5/2]_{5/2} and 935.2 nm ^{2}D_{3/2} -- ^{3}D[3/2]_{1/2} transitions. We have performed optogalvanic spectroscopy of these transitions in Yb^{+} ions generated in a discharge. We measure the pressure broadening coefficient for the 638.6 nm transition to be 70 \pm 10 MHz mbar^{-1}. We place an upper bound of 375 MHz/nucleon on the 638.6 nm isotope splitting and show that our observations are consistent with theory for the hyperfine splitting. Our measurements of the 935.2 nm transition extend those made by Sugiyama et al, showing well-resolved isotope and hyperfine splitting. We obtain high signal to noise, sufficient for laser stabilisation applications.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure