Hedgerow Systems and Livestock in Philippine Grasslands: GHG Emissions

Hedgerow systems are widely adopted in the smallholder farms in the sloping grassland areas of Claveria, Mindanao, Philippines. The system is effective in addressing soil erosion problems and in conserving the topsoil. Gmelina arborea and Eucalyptus deglupta are two fast-growing timber species that are planted in hedgerow systems while maize is planted in the alley areas in between the hedgerows. Livestock holdings are widespread in Claveria, with 74% of the households having livestock. Cattle and carabao are the most common livestock in smallholder farms providing draught power for land preparation and transportation. In hedgerow systems, fodder tree leaves and crop residues are fed to livestock, while animal manure is added to the soil. Thus, these systems may serve as both a source and sink of methane and nitrogen oxides, depending on the management practices and component trees and crops of the system. This study aims to estimate methane emissions from livestock holdings and nitrogen oxide emissions through fertilization, tree litterfall and decomposition, maize residue incorporation and livestock manure from G. arborea and E. deglupta hedgerow systems

Working Memory And Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an early onset, highly heritable and chronic neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by clinically impairing levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The disorder affects an estimated 3.5 million children in the United States at an annual cost of approximately ․20.6 billion, the majority of which is allocated for outpatient care/education related costs (63.9%) and pharmaceutical (35.4%) costs (Bui et al., 2016)

Applied Problem Solving In Children With Adhd: The Mediating Roles Of Working Memory And Mathematical Calculation

The difficulties children with ADHD experience solving applied math problems are well documented; however, the independent and/or interactive contributions of cognitive processes underlying these difficulties are not fully understood and warrant scrutiny. The current study examines two primary cognitive processes integral to children’s ability to solve applied math problems: working memory (WM) and math calculation skills (i.e., the ability to utilize specific facts, skills, or processes related to basic math operations stored in long-term memory). Thirty-six boys with ADHD-combined presentation and 33 typically developing (TD) boys aged 8–12 years old were administered multiple counterbalanced tasks to assess upper (central executive [CE]) and lower level (phonological [PH STM] and visuospatial [VS STM] short-term memory) WM processes, and standardized measures of mathematical abilities. Bias-corrected, bootstrapped mediation analyses revealed that CE ability fully mediated between-group differences in applied problem solving whereas math calculation ability partially mediated the relation. Neither PH STM nor VS STM was a significant mediator. When modeled together via serial mediation analysis, CE in tandem with math calculation ability fully mediated the relation, explained 79% of the variance, and provided a more parsimonious explication of applied mathematical problem solving differences among children with ADHD. Results suggest that interventions designed to address applied math difficulties in children with ADHD will likely benefit from targeting basic knowledge of math facts and skills while simultaneously promoting the active interplay of these skills with CE processes

ADHD and hyperactivity: The influence of cognitive processing demands on gross motor activity level in children

Excessive gross motor activity is a prominent feature of children with ADHD, and accruing evidence indicates that their gross motor activity is significantly higher in situations associated with high relative to low working memory processing demands. It remains unknown, however, whether children’s gross motor activity rises to an absolute level or accelerates incrementally as a function of increasingly more difficult cognitive processing demands imposed on the limited capacity working memory (WM) system–a question of both theoretical and applied significance. The present investigation examined the activity level of 8- to 12-year-old children with ADHD (n = 36) and Typically Developing (TD) children (n = 24) during multiple experimental conditions: a control condition with no storage and negligible WM processing demands; a short-term memory (STM) storage condition; and a sequence of WM conditions that required both STM and incrementally more difficult higher-order cognitive processing. Relative to the control condition, all children, regardless of diagnostic status, exhibited higher levels of gross motor activity while engaged in WM tasks that required STM alone and STM combined with upper level cognitive processing demands, and children with ADHD were motorically more active under all WM conditions relative to TD children. The increase in activity as a consequence of cognitive demand was similar for all experimental conditions. Findings suggest that upregulation of physical movement rises and remains relatively stable to promote arousal related mechanisms when engaged in cognitive activities involving WM for all children, and to a greater extent for children with ADHD

Hedgerow Systems and Livestock in Philippine Grasslands: GHG Emissions

Hedgerow systems are widely adopted in the smallholder farms in the sloping grassland areas of Claveria, Mindanao, Philippines. The system is effective in addressing soil erosion problems and in conserving the topsoil. Gmelina arborea and Eucalyptus deglupta are two fast-growing timber species that are planted in hedgerow systems while maize is planted in the alley areas in between the hedgerows. Livestock holdings are widespread in Claveria, with 74% of the households having livestock. Cattle and carabao are the most common livestock in smallholder farms providing draught power for land preparation and transportation. In hedgerow systems, fodder tree leaves and crop residues are fed to livestock, while animal manure is added to the soil. Thus, these systems may serve as both a source and sink of methane and nitrogen oxides, depending on the management practices and component trees and crops of the system. This study aims to estimate methane emissions from livestock holdings and nitrogen oxide emissions through fertilization, tree litterfall and decomposition, maize residue incorporation and livestock manure from G. arborea and E. deglupta hedgerow systems