Can I Afford to Spray for Weeds?

A common question among managers of grazing operations is “At what level of weed pressure does it become economical to apply herbicides on pastures?” Unfortunately there isn’t just one answer to this question as production goals and practices differ between operations and even within an operation over time. Regardless, the real question being ask is if weed control will increase profit per acre

Corn production with perennial ground covers: evaluation of cover species and their effects on corn growth and development

The use of perennial ground covers (PGC) in corn production may offer a long term and ecological solution to soil conservation issues while allowing the removal of corn stover for biofuel production. This system has historically offered many challenges as yields have been quite variable among studies, and management practices required for PGC production systems vary from modern day practices. Issues of using perennial ground covers appear to encompass a complex genetic x environmental x management interaction that deals with availability of nutrients and light quality, as well as timing and types of management practices used with ground cover species. The overall focus of the following chapters is to elucidate certain aspects of this three-way interaction and to expand scientific knowledge of the corn and perennial ground cover production systems to expedite the development of a successful system

USING NDVI AS A PASTURE MANAGEMENT TOOL

Maintaining forage availability is challenging for managers of grazing systems, especially in spatially heterogeneous swards. Remote sensing may help to overcome this problem. The objectives of this study were to (i) determine a method by which NDVI may be calibrated to estimate biomass, (ii) determine if NDVI can be used to assess spatial variability of yield in extensive grasslands, and (iii) to determine if NDVI can be used to evaluate grazing systems. We found that the calibration of NDVI values for the estimation of biomass was better correlated with the destructive harvesting procedure (R2 = 0.68) but far more laborious and time-consuming than estimation of biomass from the rising plate meter (R2 = 0.54). Semivariograms revealed that sampling at a 0.76 m distance provided information about the spatial variability structure of NDVI values from grazed swards. Frequency distributions of sward biomass derived from NDVI reflected foraging strategies of cattle. Negative skewness and high kurtosis of histograms indicated selective grazing, while positive skewness and low kurtosis indicated the opposite. Histograms also allowed for estimation of available forage within each field. We concluded that grassland biomass may be derived from high resolution NDVI and RPM data and used to evaluate condition of grassland landscapes and aid decision-making of managed grazing systems

The Role of Weed Control in Profitable Pastures

Pasture weeds compete for resources such as space, water, and nutrients. This competition reduces forage yield which in turn reduces the carrying capacity of a pasture. Although herbicide applications are needed to gain a quick upper hand on weed control most producers are deterred due to cost, the potential loss of pasture legumes, labor, or the belief that herbicide applications are required frequently to keep weed population under control. However, herbicide use in pastures should not be looked at in this manner but instead as an investment that can pay for itself very quickly and easily, and be long-term especially under good pasture management

Screen-printed flexible MRI receive coils.

Magnetic resonance imaging is an inherently signal-to-noise-starved technique that limits the spatial resolution, diagnostic image quality and results in typically long acquisition times that are prone to motion artefacts. This limitation is exacerbated when receive coils have poor fit due to lack of flexibility or need for padding for patient comfort. Here, we report a new approach that uses printing for fabricating receive coils. Our approach enables highly flexible, extremely lightweight conforming devices. We show that these devices exhibit similar to higher signal-to-noise ratio than conventional ones, in clinical scenarios when coils could be displaced more than 18 mm away from the body. In addition, we provide detailed material properties and components performance analysis. Prototype arrays are incorporated within infant blankets for in vivo studies. This work presents the first fully functional, printed coils for 1.5- and 3-T clinical scanners

Image-based abuse: Gender differences in bystander experiences and responses

Image-based abuse (IBA) refers to the non-consensual taking, sharing or threat to share nude or sexual images. Research suggests people who witness IBA behaviours can reduce the extent and impacts of its harm by taking action to intervene. However, there is limited research available on the attitudes, experiences and role of bystanders in the prevention of IBA. This paper presents findings from a national study examining bystanders’ experiences of, and responses to, witnessing IBA. Informed by a survey of 245 Australian adults in four jurisdictions, this paper shows that while witnessing IBA is common, few respondents reported taking action to intervene, and there are gender differences in bystander readiness to intervene. The findings have important implications for the development of bystander intervention and education programs

Preventing image-based abuse in Australia: The role of bystanders

This report examines image-based abuse and bystander intervention in Australia. Image-based abuse involves three main behaviours—non-consensually taking/creating nude or sexual images, non-consensually sharing/distributing nude or sexual images, and threatening to share/distribute nude or sexual images. In this report, we present data from an online survey of 245 Australian residents (aged 18–71 years), 35 face-to-face focus groups with 219 participants and a review of available resources on bystander intervention and image-based abuse. Ultimately, we found that many people do not intervene when witnessing image-based abuse. While 64.1 percent of respondents had witnessed image-based abuse, only 45.6 percent reported that they said or did something. We also discuss a range of barriers to and facilitators of intervention, such as the social and physical safety risks of intervention, potential impacts on interpersonal relationships, gender, the potential for escalation, and whether participants perceived they would receive support from others. The report also shows that participants have limited knowledge of existing image-based abuse resources and supports. We argue that improved education and awareness of image-based abuse is needed to actively discourage it and highlight its harms and consequences, alongside education on how bystanders can safely and effectively intervene and/or support victims when witnessing image-based abuse

Victim-blaming and image-based sexual abuse

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is a growing, global problem. This article reports on a mixed-methods, multi-jurisdictional study of IBSA across the United Kingdom, Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand. Attitudes of blame and minimisation of harms among a sample of the general population (n=6,109) were analysed using two multiple regression analyses that assessed the ability of three demographic and three experiential characteristics to predict attitudes. Interviews were also conducted with 43 stakeholders and analysed thematically. Survey respondents who attributed more blame and minimised harms to a greater extent tended to be men, heterosexual, and had experienced or perpetrated more IBSA behaviours. Those who reported greater engagement in sexual self-image behaviours were also more likely to minimise harms. Interview participants suggested attitudes of blame and minimisation may be linked to broader problematic attitudes around sexual violence and sexual double standards, with women more likely to experience blame for IBSA. Our findings are of international relevance and highlight the need for multifaceted policies, education campaigns and training that challenge these attitudes