Emergence and mortality of native prairie forbs seeded into an established stand of grasses

Thousands of hectares of warm-season grass plantings in Iowa have few to no native forbs. Diversifying these species poor plant communities with native prairie forbs could result in increased resistance to climatic extremes, increased biodiversity, reduced noxious weedy plant invasion, and reduced geographic isolation between existing native prairie remnants. I hypothesized that frequent mowing in the first one or two years after broadcasting forb seed into an established stand of warm-season grasses can increase forb emergence and reduce forb mortality. I further hypothesized that fall seeded forbs would establish better that those seeded in spring. To test my hypothesis, I seeded 23 forb species at a rate of 3.7 kg/ ha or 350 viable seeds/ m2. I assessed and compared forb emergence and mortality using three mowing treatments and two seeding treatments; fall seeding with frequent mowing the first growing season (mow-1), spring seeding with frequent mowing the first growing season (mow-ls) winter seeding with frequent mowing two consecutive growing seasons (mow-2), and fall seeding without mowing (no-mow). I also destructive sampled forb plants to assess growth differences between mow-1 and no-mow treatments. Over time, forb emergence was significantly (p\u3c0.020) higher in mowed plots in year one. Year two forb emergence was not significantly different among treatments. Seeding time was not a significant factor in forb emergence in year one and in year two. Species richness was significantly (p\u3c0.031) higher in no-mow plots in year one. Species richness was not significantly different among mowing treatments in year two. Seeding time was not a significant factor in species richness in year one and in year two. Over time, forb mortality was significantly (p\u3c0.047) greater in no-mow plots in year one. In addition, forb mortality was significantly (p\u3c0.038) greater in no- mow plots over-winter (between year one and year two). Over-winter mortality in no-mow plots was 24.3% compared to 2.3% in mow-1 and 3.9% in mow-2 plots. Year two mortality was not significantly different among mowing treatments. Forbs in mow-1 plots destructive sampled in September of both years had significantly (p\u3c0.001) taller shoots and deeper roots and significantly (p\u3c0.001) greater root and shoot mass than no-mow plants. By September year two, forbs in mow-1 plots averaged 223% taller shoots and 45% deeper roots over forbs sampled in no-mow plots. In year two, there were 46 times more flowering plants in mow-1 plots than in no-mow plots

A Systematic Review of the Health Impacts of Mass Earth Movements (Landslides)

Background. Mass ground movements (commonly referred to as ‘landslides’) are common natural hazards that can have significant economic, social and health impacts. They occur as single events, or as clusters, and are often part of ‘disaster’ chains, occurring secondary to, or acting as the precursor of other disaster events. Whilst there is a large body of literature on the engineering and geological aspects of landslides, the mortality and morbidity caused by landslides is less well documented. As far as we are aware, this is the first systematic review to examine the health impacts of landslides. Methods. The MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS databases and the Cochrane library were systematically searched to identify articles which considered the health impacts of landslides. Case studies, case series, primary research and systematic reviews were included. News reports, editorials and non-systematic reviews were excluded. Only articles in English were considered. The references of retrieved papers were searched to identify additional articles. Findings. 913 abstracts were reviewed and 143 full text articles selected for review. A total of 27 papers reporting research studies were included in the review (25 from initial search, 1 from review of references and 1 from personal correspondence). We found a limited number of studies on the physical health consequences of landslides. Only one study provided detail of the causes of mortality and morbidity in relation a landslide event. Landslides cause significant mental health impacts, in particular the prevalence of PTSD may be higher after landslides than other types of disaster, though these studies tend to be older with only 3 papers published in the last 5 years, with 2 being published 20 years ago, and diagnostic criteria have changed since they were produced. Discussion. We were disappointed at the small number of relevant studies, and the generally poor documentation of the health impacts of landslides. Mental health impacts were better documented, though some of the studies are now quite old. Further research on the health impacts of landslides needs to be undertaken to support those responding to landslide disasters and to aid disaster risk mitigation advocacy

Engaging the Men of Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church in Building Authentic Relationship with Other African American Men

Problem According to the Pew Study (2009), the majority of African Americans are Protestants (78%) as compared to 51% of the United States population as a whole. However, African American men (16%) are more likely than African American women (9%) to be unaffiliated with any religion. The Pew Study also noted that nearly one-in-five African Americans under age 30 (19%) are unaffiliated with any religion. Pastoral observation further reveals a disproportionate number of women attending regular church services compared to men at Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is a historical problem not only with the Bethel Church, but also in many churches across denominational communities. The consequence of a large imbalance in the ratio of men-to-women within the congregation presents a need for a ministry directed toward reaching men, especially within the urban context. Purpose The purpose of this project is to identify a prescriptive approach in relationship authoring among African American men. Utilizing a small group of men who are members of Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church, it is desired that in the formulation of authentic male relationships, church growth will be a by-product of friendship evangelism. Additionally, men within Bethel church will experience deeper, more meaningful relationships with one another and be able to disciple other men in relationship-building experiences. Method In order to create a robust healthy church environment of African American (AA) men, male members of Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church (BSDAC) were invited to participate in an intervention project. This proposed project involved a process of establishing a curriculum for training, discipling, and integrating men into a community of authentic relationship building (ARB). Participants were asked to journal their experience, views, and reflections of Bible studies, socials, community engagement, and outreach opportunities. The journals would be part of the process of compiling and evaluating a qualitative research strategy that also included interviews of participants. Result The project was successful in partially completing the task I originally desired. However, my expectation regarding church growth was not realized in the outcomes. I believe the main factor affecting this was the length of time needed to develop trusting and equitable friendships with men outside the church, so that participants could then invite them to a church encounter. The interviews and reflections of participants indicate the men experienced the following: a) Increased sensitivity to personal reflection in relationship authoring; b) Increased priority to build relationships; c) Greater awareness of male leadership; and d) Clear opposition to journaling. Conclusion This project has demonstrated that there is no one method for achieving a greater representation of African American men in churches. It can, perhaps, be used in conjunction with a number of other intentional initiatives to reach the objectives set forth by a congregation to grow male participation in church, as well as enrich the relational lives of men already in attendance. Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church has the potential to be a groundbreaking congregation in Kansas City, Kansas, that reaches out to African American men. Considering the population of men in the community and the dearth of churches with a specific initiative to invest in this community, makes it a church with no rival in ministering to men

There\u27s A Little Bit Of Irish Everywhere

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/6654/thumbnail.jp

Growing up in the new age

This issue of Fieldstudy was published as part of the Growing up in the New Age project. It features the archive photographs of Dave Walkling, made in a 1970s' squatted house in South London and at the Kirkdale Free School. It also presents the photographs of Marjolaine Ryley, who was a child in living in the collective housing photographed by Walkling. Ryley has collected Walkling's photographs, and her own new series is a mediation on history and memory

Afro-Caribbean Immigrant Faculty Experiences in the American Academy: Voices of an Invisible Black Population

Afro-Caribbean immigrants have been an integral part of the history and shaping of the United States since the early 1900s. This current study explores the experiences of five Afro-Caribbean faculty members at traditionally White institutions of higher education. Despite the historical presence and influence of Afro-Caribbean communities and the efforts within education systems to address the needs of Afro-Caribbean constituents, Afro-Caribbean faculty members continue to be rendered indiscernible in higher education and to be frequently and erroneously perceived as African–Americans. The study examines the lived experiences of these individuals in the hegemonic White spaces they occupy at their institutions with both White and Black populations. Through their narratives, issues of stereotyping, microaggression, and isolation are addressed. The participants also offer solutions to address these issues by university administrators, department heads, faculty development professionals, diversity officers, policy makers, and other stakeholders. The voices in this study shed light on an overlooked, misunderstood, and under-researched population within our faculty ranks in the American Academy

Avoiding emissions versus creating sinks-Effectiveness and attractiveness to climate finance

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Start Meeting to Stop Violence

In the session “Start Meeting to Stop Violence”, the educator will be an active participant in understanding the importance classroom meetings. These meetings such as Morning Meeting from The Responsive Classroom have proven to decrease various forms of aggressive, violent, and unmotivated behavior. During the workshop the learner will observe a classroom meeting and then discuss their findings. The educator will paricipate in a simulated morning meeting with a facilitator and then debrief their experience. In this session they will hear from a former kindergarten teacher who is now an administrator on how these meetings transformed his classroom as well as his title I school from a place of bullying into a place of compassion and empathy. We will compare the Morning Meeting with the general classroom meeting and see how each can fit into the day and oppose to take away from instructional time, will actually give the teacher more time on task. This session is geared for all educators K- 12 who are looking for that “Silver Bullet to curb challenging behavior

The effects of seeding rate of prairie grasses and forbs on native plant establishment in a prairie reconstruction. Iowa Department of Transportation final report.

The Iowa DOT is seeking ways to improve practices associated with revegetation projects to increase establishment of native grasses and forbs. Iowa DOT has developed various seed mixes for re-vegetation projects (Iowa DOT 2005). Each seed mix has the potential to result in a different plant community. Results from this research project will provide information on the seeding rates for species needed for optimal establishment of grasses and wildflowers in future Iowa DOT prairie plantings as well as determine if current seeding practices are adequate. This information can be used to revise or develop seeding rate recommendations for revegetation projects