Getting More Farm Output per Man

We all know there are wide differences in yields per acre among different areas of Iowa. But there are differences in another type of yield that are not so apparent-yield per worker. And output per worker is a very important measure of productivity. It generally is a good indicator or how efficiently the farm production process is being carried on

Does Perceptual Learning Suffer from Retrograde Interference?

In motor learning, training a task B can disrupt improvements of performance of a previously learned task A, indicating that learning needs consolidation. An influential study suggested that this is the case also for visual perceptual learning [1]. Using the same paradigm, we failed to reproduce these results. Further experiments with bisection stimuli also showed no retrograde disruption from task B on task A. Hence, for the tasks tested here, perceptual learning does not suffer from retrograde interference

Metal Oxide Core-shell Nanoparticles And Applications Thereof

In an aspect, a method of making a composite core-shell nanoparticle comprises forming a nanoparticle core comprising nickel oxide or iron oxide via thermal decomposition of a nickel complex or an iron complex; and forming an oxide shell over the core, the oxide shell comprising nickel, iron or a mixture thereof. In another aspect, a method of making composite nanoparticles comprises providing a mixture comprising nickel complex and iron complex; and thermally decomposing the nickel and iron complexes to provide the composite nanoparticles comprising (Ni,Fe)O.sub.x alloy. In yet another aspect, a composition comprises composite nanoparticles, the composite nanoparticles including a nickel oxide core and oxide shell, the oxide shell comprising a mixture of nickel and iron

Metal Oxide Core-shell Nanoparticles And Applications Thereof

In an aspect, a method of making a composite core-shell nanoparticle comprises forming a nanoparticle core comprising nickel oxide or iron oxide via thermal decomposition of a nickel complex or an iron complex; and forming an oxide shell over the core, the oxide shell comprising nickel, iron or a mixture thereof. In another aspect, a method of making composite nanoparticles comprises providing a mixture comprising nickel complex and iron complex; and thermally decomposing the nickel and iron complexes to provide the composite nanoparticles comprising (Ni,Fe)O.sub.x alloy. In yet another aspect, a composition comprises composite nanoparticles, the composite nanoparticles including a nickel oxide core and oxide shell, the oxide shell comprising a mixture of nickel and iron

Brain imaging in a patient with hemimicropsia

Hemimicropsia is an isolated misperception of the size of objects in one hemifield (objects appear smaller) which is, as a phenomenon of central origin, very infrequently reported in literature. We present a case of hemimicropsia as a selective deficit of size and distance perception in the left hemifield without hemianopsia caused by a cavernous angioma with hemorrhage in the right occipitotemporal area. The symptom occurred only intermittently and was considered the consequence of a local irritation by the hemorrhage. Imaging data including a volume-rendering MR data set of the patient’s brain were transformed to the 3-D stereotactic grid system by Talairach and warped to a novel digital 3-D brain atlas. Imaging analysis included functional MRI (fMRI) to analyse the patient’s visual cortex areas (mainly V5) in relation to the localization of the hemangioma to establish physiological landmarks with respect to visual stimulation. The lesion was localized in the peripheral visual association cortex, Brodmann area (BA) 19, adjacent to BA 37, both of which are part of the occipitotemporal visual pathway. Additional psychophysical measurements revealed an elevated threshold for perceiving coherent motion. which we relate to a partial loss of function in V5, a region adjacent to the cavernoma. In our study, we localized for the first time a cerebral lesion causing micropsia by digital mapping in Talairach space using a 3-D brain atlas and topologically related it to fMRI data for visual motion. The localization of the brain lesion affecting BA 19 and the occipitotemporal visual pathway is discussed with respect to experimental and case report findings about the neural basis of object size perception

Impairment in preattentive visual processing in patients with Parkinson's disease

We explored the possibility of whether preattentive visual processing is impaired in Parkinson's disease. With this aim, visual discrimination thresholds for orientation texture stimuli were determined in two separate measurement sessions in 16 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. The results were compared with those of 16 control subjects age-matched and 16 young healthy volunteers. Discrimination thresholds were measured in a four-alternative spatial forced-choice paradigm, in which subjects judged the location of a target embedded in a background of distractors. Four different stimulus configurations were employed: (i) a group of vertical targets among horizontal distractors (`vertical line targets'); (ii) targets with varying levels of orientation difference on a background of spatially filtered vertically oriented noise (`Gaussian filtered noise'); (iii) one `L' among 43 `+' signs (`texton'), all of which assess preattentive visual processing; and (iv) control condition, of one `L' among 43 `T' distractors (`non-texton' search target), which reflects attentive visual processing. In two of the preattentive tasks (filtered noise and texton), patients with Parkinson's disease required significantly greater orientation differences and longer stimulus durations, respectively. In contrast, their performance in the vertical line target and non-texton search target was comparable to that of the matched control subjects. These differences were more pronounced in the first compared with the second session. Duration of illness and age within the patient group correlated significantly with test performance. In all conditions tested, the young control subjects performed significantly better than the more elderly control group, further indicating an effect of age on this form of visual processing. The results suggest that, in addition to the well documented impairment in retinal processing, idiopathic Parkinson's disease is associated with a deficit in preattentive cortical visual processing

Ecological Role of Blue Catfish in Chesapeake Bay Communities and Implications for Management

Rapid increase in abundance and expanded distribution of introduced blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus populations in the Chesapeake Bay watershed have raised regional management concerns. This study uses information from multiple surveys to examine expansion of blue catfish populations and document their role in tidal river communities. Originally stocked in the James, York, and Rappahannock River systems for development of commercial and recreational fisheries, blue catfish have now been documented in adjacent rivers and have expanded their within-river distribution to oligo- and mesohaline environments. Range expansions coincided with periods of peak abundance in 1996 and 2003 and with the concurrent decline in abundance of native white catfish I. catus. Blue catfish in these systems use a diverse prey base; various amphipod species typically dominate the diet of smaller individuals ([FL]), and fishes are common prey for larger blue catfish (\u3e300 mm FL). Recent studies based on stable isotope analyses suggest that adult blue catfish in these systems are apex predators that feed extensively on important fishery resources, including anadromous shads and herrings Alosa spp. and juvenile Atlantic menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus. Minimizing effects on Chesapeake Bay communities by controlling high densities of blue catfish populations is a primary goal of management, but conflicting demands of the commercial and recreational sectors must be resolved. Further, low market demand and human consumption concerns associated with purported accumulation of contaminants in blue catfish pose additional complications for regulating these fisheries.https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1009/thumbnail.jp

Assessment of Critical Habitats for Recovering the Chesapeake Bay Atlantic Sturgeon Distinct Population Segment

The states of Virginia and Maryland along with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) partnered to assess critical habitat for recovering the Chesapeake Bay Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) distinct population segment. The primary objectives were to assess reproductive habitat in the James River, nursery habitat in the James and York Rivers and the degree of dependence of those populations to habitat in the Chesapeake Bay