Nitrogen and tillage management for corn following alfalfa

Rotating alfalfa with corn can increase corn yield potential through improved soil physical properties that enhance water infiltration and root extension, a reduction in disease and pest pressure (i.e., corn rootworm), and an enhanced soil microbial community

Pinyon jay movement, nest site selection, nest fate, and renesting in central New Mexico

Pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) are an avian species of conservation concern in the southwest U.S. Due to habitat elimination and degradation, pinyon jay numbers have decreased approximately 3.5% per year since 1960. Pinyon jay reproductive rates are low, making it difficult for populations to recover. While numerous studies on pinyon jays have been conducted in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest, research has only recently taken place in pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) and juniper (Juniperus monophylla) woodland. Therefore, my objectives were to investigate pinyon jay flock movement, nest site selection, nest fate, and renesting in pinyon-juniper habitat. I trapped and affixed VHF radio transmitters to pinyon jays on Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) in central New Mexico from December to April in 2017 and 2018. I used radio telemetry to compare seasonal flock movements and core activity areas as well as find pinyon jay nesting colonies. Habitat surveys that recorded vegetation type, species, size, and foliage cover were performed at every nest site (n=42) as well as a similar number of randomized locations (n=41) within pinyon-juniper habitat. Movement data was analyzed using kernel density estimates to identify core activity areas. Nest site selection habitat data were compared to habitat at random sites using generalized linear models (GLMs) evaluated with Akaike's Information Criterion corrected for small sample size (AICc). Variables that affected nest fate were used in GLMs with a logistic exposure function, then evaluated using AICc.Results suggest that there were 2 flocks on KAFB and spatial analyses should be conducted for each flock to determine accurate home ranges. Pinyon jays selected nest sites with fewer dead juniper trees and nest trees that were larger than surrounding trees in the same survey plot. Nest fate models did not perform better than the null model. Pinyon jays in this study did not renest as much as in ponderosa pine forest, perhaps due to lack of food and water availability. Furthermore, pinyon jays did not nest in satellite colonies as in other studies. Management recommendations are to remove smaller, less healthy trees in pinyon jay habitat when tree thinning occurs and leaving larger, healthier trees

A new look at the housing antecedents of separation

BACKGROUND Research connecting partnership dissolution to housing dynamics usually concentrates on the adverse and gendered effects of separation on housing careers. Much less is known about whether housing circumstances are also influential antecedents of separation. OBJECTIVES This paper examines how three dimensions of housing circumstances are associated with separation: (1) legal arrangements of housing tenure and gendered housing contracts; (2) the lived environment (space) within dwellings; and (3) couples’ ability to meet housing payments. METHODS This theoretical framework is tested using event history probit models of separation among a large sample of couples drawn from the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). RESULTS The results show that all three dimensions of housing circumstances are associated with separation. Crucially, mortgage or rent arrears strongly increase the risk of partnership dissolution, especially among married couples who otherwise typically have a low propensity to separate. The risk of partnership dissolution is greater for renters than homeowners and greater female control over housing predicts separation, with partnership dissolution more likely when only the woman is written into the dwelling contract as compared to when both partners or only the man hold contractual rights. CONTRIBUTION These results suggest that growing difficulties obtaining secure and affordable housing could have negative consequences for partnership stability. We therefore call for researchers to engage more thoroughly with housing as a potential driver of demographic change

Unravelling the mechanisms of vibrational relaxation in solution

We present a systematic study of the mode-specific vibrational relaxation of NO(2) in six weakly-interacting solvents (perfluorohexane, perfluoromethylcyclohexane, perfluorodecalin, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, and d-chloroform), chosen to elucidate the dominant energy transfer mechanisms in the solution phase. Broadband transient vibrational absorption spectroscopy has allowed us to extract quantum state-resolved relaxation dynamics of the two distinct NO(2) fragments produced from the 340 nm photolysis of N(2)O(4) → NO(2)(X) + NO(2)(A) and their separate paths to thermal equilibrium. Distinct relaxation pathways are observed for the NO(2) bending and stretching modes, even at energies as high as 7000 cm(–1) above the potential minimum. Vibrational energy transfer is governed by different interaction mechanisms in the various solvent environments, and proceeds with timescales ranging from 20–1100 ps. NO(2) relaxation rates in the perfluorocarbon solvents are identical despite differences in acceptor mode state densities, infrared absorption cross sections, and local solvent structure. Vibrational energy is shown to be transferred to non-vibrational solvent degrees of freedom (V-T) through impulsive collisions with the perfluorocarbon molecules. Conversely, NO(2) relaxation in chlorinated solvents is reliant on vibrational resonances (V-V) while V-T energy transfer is inefficient and thermal excitation of the surrounding solvent molecules inhibits faster vibrational relaxation through direct complexation. Intramolecular vibrational redistribution allows the symmetric stretch of NO(2) to act as a gateway for antisymmetric stretch energy to exit the molecule. This study establishes an unprecedented level of detail for the cooling dynamics of a solvated small molecule, and provides a benchmark system for future theoretical studies of vibrational relaxation processes in solution

Articles Storytelling as Pedagogy: An Unexpected Outcome of Narrative Inquiry

ABSTRACT This study examines how the use of narrative research methods can serve as pedagogical strategies in preservice teacher education. In this study, we see the intersection of narrative inquiry and storytelling-as-pedagogy. The two often intersect, but rarely has that intersection been examined in a systematic manner. This study examines data collected as one ESL preservice teacher and one Bilingual preservice teacher were followed from their language arts methods class into student teaching and then their first year of teaching to see how they reflected on, questioned, and learned from their experiences. Incidents where narrative inquiry served as pedagogical tools were examined. Although storytelling-as-pedagogy was not a goal in this study, we found that it was an outcome of utilizing narrative inquiry as a methodology. Narrative inquiry is widely recognized as a viable approach to conducting qualitative research. Narrative and storytelling have long been perceived as pedagogical tools. In this study, we see the intersection of narrative inquiry and storytelling-as-pedagogy. Although storytelling-as-pedagogy was not a goal, we found that it was an outcome of utilizing narrative inquiry as a methodology in this study. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY In education, stories or narratives have been used in two different ways: first, storytelling as a pedagogical strategy and second, narrative as a research method. As a pedagogical strategy, "teachers themselves [can] gain insights into their practices and set new directions for their ongoing professional development" (Wood, 2000, p. 426). While as a research method, it is important that "narrative inquiry must question the 'truth' status of teacher narratives and seek multiple critical (re)readings from a variety of analytic approaches" (Johnson, 2001, p. 199). The two often intersect, but rarely has that intersection been examined in a systematic manner. The purpose of this article is to conduct such an examinationspecifically, how the use of narrative research methods can also serve as pedagogical strategies in preservice teacher education to help teachers reflect on, question, and learn from their experiences. In the study, one ESL preservice teacher and one Bilingual preservice teacher were followed through their language arts and reading methods course, through student teaching and their first year of teaching. In this paper, we examine those segments of raw data that elicited storytelling from the participants. We address all three segments of data collection (i.e., the methods course, student teaching, and first year of teaching), but concentrate on those incidents in which participation in the narrative methods of this study also served as pedagogical practices. What follows is a brief review of the literature in two parts. First, we focus on narrative or storytelling as a pedagogical strategy, that is, who has used it as such a strategy and how, and why storytelling is an appropriate pedagogical practice in preservice teacher education. Second, we examine the field of narrative research addressing issues such as what is narrative inquiry, who conducts this research, how they conduct it, and why it is particularly suited to the study of preservice teacher education. Following the review of the literature, we provide background information about the study including who the participants were, how they were chosen, and how and when data were collected, interpreted, and presented. Then, we describe the process by which we analyzed the data looking for those incidents in which the narrative inquiry also served as a pedagogical tool. We turn now to the review of the literature. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Storytelling as a Pedagogical Strategy A story is a beautiful means of teaching religion, values, history, traditions, and customs; a creative method of introducing characters and places; an imaginative 104 CATHY COULTER ET AL. way to instill hope and resourceful thinking. Stories help us understand who we are and show us what legacies to transmit to future generations. (Schram, 1994, p. 176

Diversity of methyl halide-degrading microorganisms in oceanic and coastal waters

Methyl halides have a significant impact on atmospheric chemistry, particularly in the degradation of stratospheric ozone. Bacteria are known to contribute to the degradation of methyl halides in the oceans and marine bacteria capable of using methyl bromide and methyl chloride as sole carbon and energy source have been isolated. A genetic marker for microbial degradation of methyl bromide ( cmuA ) was used to examine the distribution and diversity of these organisms in the marine environment. Three novel marine clades of cmuA were identified in unamended seawater and in marine enrichment cultures degrading methyl halides. Two of these cmuA clades are not represented in extant bacteria, demonstrating the utility of this molecular marker in identifying uncultivated marine methyl halide-degrading bacteria. The detection of populations of marine bacteria containing cmuA genes suggests that marine bacteria employing the CmuA enzyme contribute to methyl halide cycling in the ocean

Standardizing kilonovae and their use as standard candles to measure the Hubble constant

The detection of GW170817 is revolutionizing many areas of astrophysics with the joint observation of gravitational waves and electromagnetic emissions. These multimessenger events provide a new approach to determine the Hubble constant, thus, they are a promising candidate for mitigating the tension between measurements of type-Ia supernovae via the local distance ladder and the cosmic microwave background. In addition to the "standard siren"provided by the gravitational-wave measurement, the kilonova itself has characteristics that allow one to improve existing measurements or to perform yet another, independent measurement of the Hubble constant without gravitational-wave information. Here, we employ standardization techniques borrowed from the type-Ia community and apply them to kilonovae, not using any information from the gravitational-wave signal. We use two versions of this technique, one derived from direct observables measured from the light curve, and the other based on inferred ejecta parameters, e.g., mass, velocity, and composition, for two different models. These lead to Hubble constant measurements of H0=109-35+49 km s-1 Mpc-1 for the measured analysis, and H0=85-17+22 km s-1 Mpc-1 and H0=79-15+23 km s-1 Mpc-1 for the inferred analyses. This measurement has error bars within ∼2 to the gravitational-wave measurements (H0=74-8+16 km s-1 Mpc-1), showing its promise as an independent constraint on H0