Selling just preservation

Treves et al. argue for better representation of voiceless groups in current policy decisions. We agree with the argument but believe it will be challenging to convince enough people of its importance to change policy — especially those political groups who are not predisposed to agreeing with these kinds of arguments. We draw on the social psychology literature to recommend three principles for increasing the persuasiveness of the argument to the public: pre-suasion, framing, and tailoring for the audience. We apply these principles to make concrete recommendations for framing the argument to persuade the American political right

Isotopes from Fecal Material Provides Evidence of Recent Diet of Prairie Deer Mice

Prairie deer mice are important predators in many agricultural systems, and through their diet they can help to regulate pest insect and weed populations. Our objective was to test whether fecal material is an effective means of detailing the foraging ecology of small mammals. We conducted three studies to evaluate the efficacy of this technique: 1) field-collected fecal material from unknown deer mice from late winter to early spring, 2) fecal material collected in an enclosure with mice fed a mix of C3 and C4 plant seeds, and 3) fecal material from tagged female mice in the field. We detected significant shifts in δ13C in one study and δ15N in another relative to spring thaw (δ13C: –13.34 vs. –10.72, P = 0.01, δ15N: 4.92 vs. 4.09, P = 0.03), a significant correlation between the relative amounts of two seed types and δ13C (slope = 5.46, SE = 1.82, P \u3c 0.01), and a significant decrease in δ15N due to nursing (4.57 ± 0.19 vs 3.28 ± 0.47, P = 0.02). Use of this technique will help to clarify foraging of this economically important species in agroecosystems

Isotopes from Fecal Material Provides Evidence of Recent Diet of Prairie Deer Mice

Prairie deer mice are important predators in many agricultural systems, and through their diet they can help to regulate pest insect and weed populations. Our objective was to test whether fecal material is an effective means of detailing the foraging ecology of small mammals. We conducted three studies to evaluate the efficacy of this technique: 1) field-collected fecal material from unknown deer mice from late winter to early spring, 2) fecal material collected in an enclosure with mice fed a mix of C3 and C4 plant seeds, and 3) fecal material from tagged female mice in the field. We detected significant shifts in δ13C in one study and δ15N in another relative to spring thaw (δ13C: –13.34 vs. –10.72, P = 0.01, δ15N: 4.92 vs. 4.09, P = 0.03), a significant correlation between the relative amounts of two seed types and δ13C (slope = 5.46, SE = 1.82, P \u3c 0.01), and a significant decrease in δ15N due to nursing (4.57 ± 0.19 vs 3.28 ± 0.47, P = 0.02). Use of this technique will help to clarify foraging of this economically important species in agroecosystems

Sunflower Seeds in Rations for Beef Cattle

In 1981, North Dakota was the US leader in sunflower seed production. Prior research on sunflower seeds did not indicate the nutritional value of hybrid flowers with oil content. The article covers three trials. Steers that received sunflowers gained weight more quickly. Their coats were richer and fuller. However, there is a cap of 1 pond of oil seeds per day without inferring with their digestive systems. Those heifers fed three pounds of sunflower seed never consumed as much feed. It was concluded that sunflowers should be fed as an energy supplement rather than a protein supplement. While high in protein, high oil sunflower seeds were a poor protein supplement for cattle

Library Design in Combinatorial Chemistry by Monte Carlo Methods

Strategies for searching the space of variables in combinatorial chemistry experiments are presented, and a random energy model of combinatorial chemistry experiments is introduced. The search strategies, derived by analogy with the computer modeling technique of Monte Carlo, effectively search the variable space even in combinatorial chemistry experiments of modest size. Efficient implementations of the library design and redesign strategies are feasible with current experimental capabilities.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Optimizing crop production through control of water and salinity levels in the soil

Sizable investments have been made and continue to be made throughout the world to develop irrigation potentials. Recent food shortages have heightened the concern for obtaining greater returns to irrigation through improved water management and use. A knowledge of how plant growth cycles relate to moisture and salinity levels in the root zone is prerequisite to developing practical ways of maintaining optimum conditions for maximum production per unit of water concerned. This research further defines the role of irrigation timing and salinity management on crop production, and proposes practical techniques for predicting the crop response to management measures. Some of the advantages and special features of the research program outlined by the report are listed as follows: 1. The experimental design is unique in that a sprinkler line is used as a single source of water. This approach provides large volumes of yield data as influenced by water supplies available to the crop. These data will provide information on the following: a. Accurate evaluation of the basic water requirements of crops. b. The optimal sequencing of deficits during crop growth stages. c. The establishment of yield versus evapotranspiration relationships over the entire range of wter supply from rainfall (dryland) to over-irrigation. d. An evaluation of soil water holding capacities in terms of its contributions to the water needs of the crop. This information provides guidance on how to best utilize the root system of a given crop type as a water gathering tool in terms of time during the growing season. For example, planting date, plant spacing, and fertilizer practices will be influenced by this information. 2. The experimental layout is versatile in that it lends itself to a study of the effects on plant growth of input parameters other than water, such as fertility levels and plant spacing. 3. The design can be readily adapted to accommodate several varieties and/or species in the same experiment. 4. The research results are practical and generally applicable to a wide range of crop, climate, soil, and water supply (non site specific and site specific) conditions. 5. The research provides a clear demonstration (both visual and quantitative) of the beneficial effects of proper management practices on crop production. 6. The research deals with both domestic and international water problems involving crop production, namely, the influence of available soil measure and soil salinity on plant yields. 7. The research techniques are readily adaptable to application in developing countries. a. A sprinkler system for irrigation is not necessary though desireable. b. The research procedures are simple, inexpensive, easy to perform, and yet provide much information. 8. The research involves the join efforts of several institutions and utilizes highly experienced research principal investigators who have a proven record of effectively working together as an integrated team. 9. The validity of the research approach and the viability of the results have been demonstrated by current research. The main tasks remaining are to broaden the crop base and to test and demonstrate the applicability of the results to other areas throughout the world

Developing an observational design for epibenthos and fish assemblages in the Chukchi Sea

Accepted manuscript version, licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Published version available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2018.11.005.In light of ongoing, and accelerating, environmental changes in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean, the ability to track subsequent changes over time in various marine ecosystem components has become a major research goal. The high logistical efforts and costs associated with arctic work demand the prudent use of existing resources for the most comprehensive information gain. Here, we compare the information that can be gained for epibenthic invertebrate and for demersal fish assemblages reflecting coverage on two different spatial scales: a broader spatial coverage from the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (AMBON, 67 stations total), and the spatial coverage from a subset of these stations (14 stations) that reflect two standard transect lines of the Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO). Multivariate cluster analysis was used to discern community similarity patterns in epibenthic invertebrate and fish communities. The 14 stations reflecting the two DBO lines captured about 57% of the epibenthic species richness that was observed through the larger-scale AMBON coverage, with a higher percentage on the more southern DBO3 than the northern DBO4 line. For demersal fishes, both DBO lines captured 88% of the richness from the larger AMBON spatial coverage. The epifaunal assemblage clustered along the south-north and the inshore-offshore axes of the overall study region. Of these, the southern DBO3 line well represented the regional (southern) epifaunal assemblage structure, while the northern DBO4 line only captured a small number of the distinct assemblage clusters. The demersal fish assemblage displayed little spatial structure with only one coastal and one offshore cluster. Again, this structure was well represented by the southern DBO3 line but less by the northern DBO4 line. We propose that extending the coverage of the DBO4 line in the northern Chukchi Sea farther inshore and offshore would result in better representation of the overall northern Chukchi epifaunal and fish assemblages. In addition, the multi-annual stability of epifaunal and, to a lesser extent also fish assemblages, suggests that these components may not need to be sampled on an annual basis and sampling every 2–3 years could still provide sufficient understanding of long-term changes. Sampling these assemblages every few years from a larger region such as covered by the AMBON project would create the larger-scale context that is important in spatial planning of long-term observing