Evaluation of Herbicides in Corn and Soybean

Experiments were conducted during the 2000 growing season to demonstrate the performance of several herbicides available for use in corn and soybeans. Only the soybean experiment will be discussed in this report

Teachers’ Perceptions of the Federal Definition of Gifted and Talented

The Tennessee state law as it refers to the gifted and talented is not as specific in the characteristics found in the Federal definition. The purpose of this study was to find if the perceptions of the local teachers agreed with the Federal characteristics. A survey of 80 middle Tennessee teachers was completed. The total number of schools surveyed was 4 public and one private school. The survey was rated using a 5 point Linker scale. The results were analyzed using the SPSS statistical program. A paired samples test was used in the data analysis. It was found that while the majority of the teachers stated that they knew the law, few agreed on the characteristics from the Federal definition

The promise and peril of intensive-site-based ecological research: insights from the Hubbard Brook ecosystem study

Abstract. Ecological research is increasingly concentrated at particular locations or sites. This trend reflects a variety of advantages of intensive, site-based research, but also raises important questions about the nature of such spatially delimited research: how well does site based research represent broader areas, and does it constrain scientific discovery?We provide an overview of these issues with a particular focus on one prominent intensive research site: the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), New Hampshire, USA. Among the key features of intensive sites are: long-term, archived data sets that provide a context for new discoveries and the elucidation of ecological mechanisms; the capacity to constrain inputs and parameters, and to validate models of complex ecological processes; and the intellectual cross-fertilization among disciplines in ecological and environmental sciences. The feasibility of scaling up ecological observations from intensive sites depends upon both the phenomenon of interest and the characteristics of the site. An evaluation of deviation metrics for the HBEF illustrates that, in some respects, including sensitivity and recovery of streams and trees from acid deposition, this site is representative of the Northern Forest region, of which HBEF is a part. However, the mountainous terrain and lack of significant agricultural legacy make the HBEF among the least disturbed sites in the Northern Forest region. Its relatively cool, wet climate contributes to high stream flow compared to other sites. These similarities and differences between the HBEF and the region can profoundly influence ecological patterns and processes and potentially limit the generality of observations at this and other intensive sites. Indeed, the difficulty of scaling up may be greatest for ecological phenomena that are sensitive to historical disturbance and that exhibit the greatest spatiotemporal variation, such as denitrification in soils and the dynamics of bird communities. Our research shows that end member sites for some processes often provide important insights into the behavior of inherently heterogeneous ecological processes. In the current era of rapid environmental and biological change, key ecological responses at intensive sites will reflect both specific local drivers and regional trends

Longitudinal changes in juvenile and adolescent body mass indices before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown in New Zealand.

This study uses longitudinal data from school children in Dunedin, New Zealand, to evaluate impacts of COVID-19 lockdown measures on changes in body mass (BMI, kg/m ). Impacts are assessed using two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses. The "structured days" hypothesis holds that children tend to alter sleep patterns, reduce activity and increase snacking when not in structured environments. The bidirectional hypothesis proposes that over-weight or obese children are predisposed to further gains in unstructured settings. Juveniles and adolescents (n = 95, 60% female) were recruited from Dunedin schools. Repeated measures analyses assessed variation in intra-individual change in BMI during four periods: P1 (before summer break), P2 (during summer break), P3 (during the COVID-19 lockdown), and P4 (after the lockdown ended). The model also examined if these changes were influenced by participants' sex or body size early in the first period assessed using log-transformed BMI, log-transformed weight, height, or lower leg length. Repeated measures analyses of per month gains in BMI (kg/m ) during the four periods revealed consistent period (p ≤ .001), period by sex (p ≤ .010), and period by body size (p ≤ .001) interactions across all four body size proxies. Both sexes experienced the greatest gains during the lockdown (P3), but differed in response to their summer break (P2). Results are mostly consistent with the "structured days" hypothesis, but challenge the bidirectional hypothesis as defined. Further research better characterizing risks of gains in adiposity are needed. [Abstract copyright: © 2023 The Authors. American Journal of Human Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Factors influencing weed spatial distribution

Weeds are commonly distributed as patches within agricultural fields. These patterns may be associated with soil characteristics (water drainage, pH, nutrient availability, etc.) or with past or current management practices (sprayer skips, weed seed movement, etc.) In most situations it is difficult to determine what factors are responsible for the weed distribution observed. A field study was initiated in the spring of 1998 at the Sorenson Research Farm in central Iowa and continued in 1999 and 2000 to examine factors that influence spatial distribution of weeds. Weed infestations were comprised primarily of giant foxtail (Setaria faberi) and common waterhemp (Amaranthus rudis). Giant foxtail population means remained constant between years (12-15 plants m−2) while common waterhemp mean populations increased from 1.5 plants m−2 in 1998 to 27 plants m−2 in 2000. Giant foxtail seed banks were significantly different between years although mean densities only ranged from 0.7-1.8 seeds per 600 grams of soil, whereas common waterhemp seed bank densities increased from 1.2 seeds per 600 grams of soil in 1998 to 19.9 seeds per 600 grams of soil in 2000. Distribution of both species seed bank and population were similar in space each year. All three years were significantly correlated (P[less than or equal to symbol] 0.01) with correlation values ranging from 0.39 to 0.69. Many soil factors were correlated with weed seed banks and populations; and soil parameters commonly related to herbicide availability (pH, organic matter and cation exchange capacity) exhibited the strongest and most consistent correlations all three years. Unlike natural ecosystems in which soil characteristics may strongly influence weed spatial distribution, weed management practices (tillage, herbicides) place the greatest selection pressure on weed populations in agroecosystems and may override soil influences.</p

The use of full -spectrum lighting to enhance academic achievement, attendance, sense of well being, and on -task behavior in the special education student population

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of full spectrum lighting as a way of enhancing academic achievement, attendance, sense of well being, and on task behavior in the special education middle school student population. The study lasted thirty days and involved six resource classrooms from two middle schools located in the southeastern region of the United States. The sample consisted of eighty eight students, thirty five in the control group and fifty three in the experimental group. Data was collected in the following areas: individual scores on pre and post test in all academic subjects, individual weekly grade averages in all academic subjects, individual daily attendance records, individual weekly totals of off task behaviors, and a bi-monthly survey covering nine areas relating to the students perception of their environment and sense of well being. The Statistical Program for the Social Sciences was used to analyze the data. Tests ran include an MANOVA, ANOVA, single and two tailed t tests. The MANOVA was used due to the unequal sample sizes and the large number of dependent variables measured. The study examined and tested four hypotheses for significance at the .05 level. The first hypothesis, which stated that there will be no significant difference between the academic achievement of special education students who are exposed to full spectrum lighting and those special education students exposed to regular cool white fluorescent lighting was partially accepted and partially rejected. The hypothesis was accepted for the curriculum subjects of English, Math, and Reading. The hypothesis was rejected for the curriculum subjects of Science and History. The second hypothesis, which stated that there will be no significant difference between the on task behavior exhibited by the special education students who are exposed to full spectrum lighting and those special education students exposed to regular cool white fluorescent lighting, was rejected. The third hypothesis, which stated that there will be no significant difference between the attendance rate of special education students who are exposed to full spectrum lighting and those special education students exposed to regular cool white fluorescent lighting, was accepted. The forth hypothesis, which stated that there will be no significant difference between the over-all sense of wellness and the positive thought process of self, of special education students who are exposed to full spectrum lighting and those special education students exposed to regular cool white fluorescent lighting was accepted

Evaluation of Herbicides in Corn and Soybean

Experiments were conducted during the 2000 growing season to demonstrate the performance of several herbicides available for use in corn and soybeans. Only the soybean experiment will be discussed in this report.</p