An insight into the impact of arable farming on Irish biodiversity: A scarcity of studies hinders a rigorous assessment

peer-reviewedTo help understand and counteract future agronomic challenges to farmland biodiversity, it is essential to know how present farming practices have affected biodiversity on Irish farms. We present an overview of existing research data and conclusions, describing the impact of crop cultivation on biodiversity on Irish arable farms. An extensive literature review clearly indicates that peer-reviewed publications on research conducted in Ireland on this topic are quite scarce: just 21 papers investigating the effect of conventional crop cultivation on Irish biodiversity have been published within the past 30 years. Principally, these studies have concluded that conventional crop cultivation has had an adverse impact on biodiversity on Irish farms, with 15 of the 21 studies demonstrating negative trends for the taxa investigated. Compared to other EU states, the relative dearth of baseline data and absence of monitoring programmes designed to assess the specific impacts of crop cultivation on Irish biodiversity highlight the need to develop long-term research studies. With many new challenges facing Irish agriculture, a research programme must be initiated to measure current levels of biodiversity on arable land and to assess the main farming ‘pressures’ causing significant biodiversity loss or gains in these systems.This work was funded under the EPA ERTDI Research Programme (Grant 2006-B-MS-46)

A study of the effects of size-controlling rootstocks on spurring, blooming and fruiting habits of two apple varieties

Size-controlling apple rootstocks have been known and used for centuries. At present, there is considerable interest in smaller than standard size trees because they allow almost all orchard operations from pruning to harvesting to be done easier and perhaps with less labor. The smaller trees also present more opportunity for mechanical harvesting. Some methods besides rootstocks that may be used to dwarf apple trees are as follows: (1) scoring or ringing the trunk, (2) scion variety selection such as spur types, (3) chemicals such as Alar or B-9, (4) severe pruning, (5) low fertility levels, and (6) site selec-tion such as shallow, infertile or sandy soils. Although all these methods have potential, dwarfing by rootstock is most satisfactory at pre-sent. Dwarfing of apple trees offers possible improvement in fruit color and fruit characteristics. Evidence indicates dwarf trees are more open than standard trees. This makes possible more efficient use of sunlight. Therefore, more sugars may be manufactured with better fruit color resulting and more spurs developing. Openness of the tree is probably related to Auxin factors which relates to branch angles. Apple flowers are usually formed from buds on short shoots known as spurs. Spurs are usually formed from leaf buds on wood in its second growing season. Spurs usually produce flower buds the year they are formed and every other year thereafter. Fruit set usually occurs with blooming. Annual production is related to numbers of live vigorous spurs on various aged wood throughout the tree and the fruiting of these spurs. Past studies with dwarfing apple rootstocks have been on tree size, yields and performance of scion varieties with various soils and climates. The objectives of this investigation were to determine the effects of eight size-controlling rootstocks on leaf bud numbers, and number of spurs developing, blooming, and fruiting on wood of various ages

Effects of size-controlling apple rootstocks on certain fruit characteristics of two apple varieties

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of size-controlling apple rootstocks on fruit characteristics of two apple cultivars. Rootstocks selected were EM VII, MM 106, EM II5 MM 104, MM 111 and MM 109. Cultivars grown on these rootstocks were Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. Factors studied were firmness, soluble solids, weight, pH, titratable acidity and reducing sugars. These factors were determined for fruits at harvest, and after six and twelve weeks storage at 34°F. Fruits from trees on MM 109 rootstock were generally more firm than fruits from trees on the other rootstocks at harvest. This was thought to be associated with tree density. No differences in firmness was found after six and twelve weeks storage. Statistically significant differences in fruit soluble solids due to rootstock were found. Due to wide differences between years, however, it is concluded that rootstocks had no influence on soluble solids. Rootstock had no major effect on fruit weight. Little weight was lost during the storage period. Fruits from trees on EM VII had a low pH whereas fruits from trees on MM 111 had a high pH. Titratable acidity was not greatly affected by rootstock. Acidity decreased with length of storage. Reducing sugars of fruits were not greatly influenced by rootstock at harvest. However, fruits from trees on MM 104 showed a fast rate of decline in reducing sugars with six weeks of storage. This was much more prominent with Golden Delicious than with Red Delicious fruits

A Phenomenological Study of Participation in Specialized and Inclusive Recreation Programs

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand whether participation in specialized recreation programs, which are designed for individuals with disabilities, increases opportunities for participation in inclusive programs, which are designed for both individuals with and without disabilities. Regardless of the popularity and growth of inclusive services, specialized programs persevere in numerous recreational service settings and continue to be used by individuals with disabilities and their families. This study helps to clarify why individuals with disabilities and their families choose to participate or not participate in these programs. The research questions focused on the connection between participation in specialized and inclusive recreation programs. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY), a classification of the health components of functioning and disability, provided the conceptual framework for the study and facilitated the interpretation of the findings. This study should help recreational service providers and educators create and develop programs, both specialized and inclusive, and promote the concept of choice in recreation. The research participants were selected using purposive sampling wherein individuals who possessed specific characteristics of importance to this study were selected by the researcher. The findings as well as the implications and conclusions from this study provide understandings that could have a direct impact on participation in specialized and inclusive recreation programming

Purdue University Libraries & Press: From Collaboration to Integration

These are the slides from an invited joint presentation given at the Ithaka Sustainable Scholarship Conference, held in New York on October 22, 2013. It was part of a session entitled “The Evolving Digital Landscape: New Roles and Responsibilities in Higher Education. More about the meeting is available at: http://www.ithaka.org/conference/ithaka-sustainable-scholarship-201

On the Nesting of Snowbirds: A Question About Seasonal and Permanent Migrants

This essay asserts that seasonal and permanent migration may be connected, although there is no direct evidence for this relationship in the current research literature. We draw circumstantial and incomplete evidence for this proposition from findings of a recent survey of Canadian snowbirds in Florida and a parallel study of Canadian-Americans using the 1980 census public use sample migrant file. Other researchers are encouraged to settle the issue by including appropriate items in surveys of snowbirds that would determine whether or not some of the permanent migrants from the same origin serve as an unofficial reception committee for winter visitors, providing for them a socially receptive place to "nest" for the season.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68251/2/10.1177_073346489101000203.pd

‘Rekindling couplehood’ using a multisensory suitcase of memories:A pilot study of people living with moderate dementia and their partners

Creating individualised activities in partnership with people who have moderate dementia and their partners at home has rarely been achieved, as such interventions are usually pre planned and prepared by researchers or professionals. The academic gap is in the activity design being led by the person who has dementia and their partner and how to pragmatically engage them in a meaningful manner which rekindles positive joint memories and improves the quality of their current relationship. This explores the meaning and significance of recalling holiday memories for people living with moderate dementia and their partners, using multisensory reminiscence. A sensory ethnography research methodology was employed to overcome the challenges of engaging individuals with cognition, decision making and communication difficulties and to enhance co-production of the activity with the person living with dementia and her spouse. This processual and longitudinal methodology allowed individuals, who are often excluded from research, to express themselves and co-design activities over 5 home visits using multisensory reminiscence of shared holiday memories. The co-produced research culminated in the creation of a digital story, the sharing of food and drink and re-enactment through exploration of their holiday memorabilia: which formed their “suitcase of memories” (SOM). The study extends the current academic debate in the subjects of co-produced interventions and identifies the critical themes of Holidays as life; Freedom; View seen, viewpoint heard and Strengthened self-identity with younger self emerged from the research. Such areas of sensory reminiscence have supported positive recollections, discourse, and, when combined, resulted in a beneficial impact on the partners shared relationship. A significant research outcome was the transition from a negative life view dominated by dementia to positively rekindling their relationship as a result of the SOM intervention and sensory methodology. Future research will continue to work with new couples to see if similar results are achieved with more case studies. Key WordsDementia, Couplehood, Reminiscence, Tourism, Sensory, Memories, “Sensory Ethnography

A Robotics Systems Design Need: A Design Standard to Provide the Systems Focus that is Required for Longterm Exploration Efforts

The United States is entering a new period of human exploration of the inner Solar System, and robotic human helpers will be partners in that effort. In order to support integration of these new worker robots into existing and new human systems, a new design standard should be developed, to be called the Robot-Systems Integration Standard (RSIS). It will address the requirements for and constraints upon robotic collaborators with humans. These workers are subject to the same functional constraints as humans of work, reach, and visibility/situational awareness envelopes, and they will deal with the same maintenance and communication interfaces. Thus, the RSIS will be created by discipline experts with the same sort of perspective on these and other interface concerns as human engineers

Synergistic Effects of Road Closure, Climate and Vegetation Change on Elk Counts: Implications for Management

Increasing our understanding of the effects motor vehicles have on elk populations is vital to their management and past research has consistently shown that elk avoid roads and traffic. However, the fine-scale impact of traffic volume is rarely quantified and the environmental context experienced by elk at the time of disturbance is systematically ignored in these studies. We use an experimental design where roads are opened or closed to motorized traffic at specific times of year, and where motorized traffic has been quantified. We provide an environmental context to the study of the impacts of road closure on elk counts by accounting for climatic and vegetation changes over the course of the study. We specifically quantify the impact of road access, vegetation green-up, and snow dynamics on Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis nelsoni) counts along the main road in the Gros Ventre River drainage, WY, before and after two gates were sequentially opened to the public during the spring and early summer of 2010–2014. Elk counts increased with snow depth along the main road, and counts decreased as snow receded and vegetation greened over a 5-year period (p < 0.001). An increase in vehicle traffic resulted in a significant decline in elk counts (p < 0.001), which decreased at a rate of 1.42% for each unit increase in vehicle traffic. Our results indicate that gate closures in the Gros Ventre River Drainage decreased vehicle-related anthropogenic disturbance for elk, and that environmental variables affect elk counts and distribution further. Wildlife managers should consider both motorized vehicle traffic and the environmental context elk experience when managing road access in elk habitat