Distribution of Fluorine in Utah County, Utah, Soils and Uptake of Fluorine by Plants

Fluorine released from industrial operations is eventually deposited on the surface of the earth, intercepted by plants, or absorbed in open bodies of water. the term fluorine as used in this thesis will be considered to refer to fluorine in combined form. Industrial expansion has caused atmosphere pollution from fluorine in many parts of the United States. Utah County, Utah, is one of the affected area, and is the principal area of concern in this thesis. In the spring of 1951, Utah Agricultural Experiment Station initiated a broad investigation on soil, water, plant, and animal problems arising from fluorine atmospheric pollution. The study of the soil in the affected area is, part of the broader investigations jointly, conducted by the departments of Chemistry, Veterinary Science, Botany, and Agronomy

Fiber Probe

Author Institution: Lawrence Livermore National LaboratorySlides presented at the 7th Annual Photonic Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) Workshop held at Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, New Mexico, October 22-23, 2012

Predation risk for reptiles is highest at remnant edges in agricultural landscapes

1. Preventing biodiversity loss in fragmented agricultural landscapes is a global problem. The persistence of biodiversity within remnant vegetation can be influenced by an animal’s ability to move through the farmland matrix between habitat patches. Yet, many of the mechanisms driving species occurrence within these landscapes are poorly understood, particularly for reptiles. 2. We used scented and unscented plasticine lizard models and wildlife cameras to (1) estimate predation risk of reptiles in four farmland types (crop field, pasture paddock, restoration tree planting and areas with applied woody mulch) relative to the patch edge and remnant vegetation, and (2) examine how predation risk was influenced by temporal change in the matrix (crop harvesting). 3. Birds (55.1%), mammals (41.1%), reptiles (3.4%) and invertebrates (0.5%) attacked models, of which 87% were native species. Mammalian predators were 60.2% more likely to attack scented models then unscented models. Bird predators were not influenced by scent. 4. We found predator attacks on models were highest at edges (49%, irrespective of adjacent farmland type, with a reduced risk within farmland (29%) and remnant patches (33%) (P<0.01). Both mammal and bird predators contributed to high numbers of predation attempts at edges. 5. Removal of crops did not increase predation attempts in crop fields or other farmland types, although predation attempts were significantly lower along the crop transect after harvesting, compared to the woody debris transect. However, numbers of predation attempts were higher in edge habitats, particularly prior to harvesting. 6. Synthesis and applications. Reptiles are at risk of predation by birds and mammals in both remnant patches and the farmland matrix, particularly in edge habitat. Our results demonstrate that edge habitats are potentially riskier for lizards than the farmland. Vulnerability to predation may be increased by a lack of shelter within edge habitats such as by increasing visibility of reptiles to predators. Therefore, to benefit reptiles, land managers could provide shelter (rocks, logs and grasses), particularly between remnants and linear plantings which could improve landscape connectivity.Funding was provided by the Central Tablelands Local Land Services, Lake Cowal Foundation, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Environmental Trust and the Lake Cowal Foundation

Amphibians in agricultural landscapes: the habitat value of crop areas, linear plantings and remnant woodland patches

Mitigating the negative impacts of agriculture on amphibians requires knowledge of how different land uses affect species distribution and community composition. In the case of frogs, there is currently insufficient information on their use of terrestrial habitats in cropping landscapes to inform conservation planning. We examined how four different farmland types (linear plantings, cereal crops, grazing paddocks and woody mulch) and crop harvesting influenced amphibian abundance, richness, body condition and movement. We found the abundance of frogs was significantly higher in linear plantings compared to grazing paddocks and adjacent patches of remnant woodland vegetation. However, species richness and abundance of three individual species did not vary significantly between farmland types. For the most common frog Uperoleia laevigata, body condition was higher at the edges of the woody debris treatment (coupled with higher abundance) and lower in farmland with debris and linear plantings. The body condition of Limnodynastes tasmaniensis and L. interioris was not influenced by farmland type. Frog abundance and condition was largely unaffected by crop harvesting. However, frogs were less common after harvesting at the edges of farmland and within remnant patches. Movement patterns did not suggest mass movement out of crops after harvest, where almost half of all individuals recaptured remained within the farmland. These results suggest that some generalist frog species may have an affinity for habitats within agricultural paddocks, particularly when key habitat features like plantings are present. However, we found overall frog richness was low and did not differ between remnant patches, edges and farmland which may be an indication of habitat degradation within terrestrial habitats across the landscape. Although protection of remnant native vegetation is important, conservation strategies for the protection of amphibians will be ineffective if they do not consider the variety of land uses and the relationships of different species and their microhabitats within and outside of patches.Funding was provided by the Australian Government Research Training Program, Central Tablelands Local Land Services, NSW Environmental Trust and the Lake Cowal Foundation

Surface chemistry considerations for enhanced vapor deposition of metals

textElectrolessly deposited CoWP capping layers have been demonstrated to effectively reduce electromigration of Cu at the interconnect/dielectric-barrier cap interface while reducing resistivity relative to SiCN. However, as device dimensions scale, the need for alternative methods for the selective deposition of sub-5 nm, ultrathin, conformal Co capping layers is apparent. To develop methods for area-selective atomic layer deposition (AS-ALD) of Co caps for next-generation Cu interconnects, the ALD behavior of bis(N-tert-butyl-N’-ethylpropionamidinato) cobalt(II) (CoAMD) is evaluated on Cu, SiO₂, and a porous low-k ( ~2.6) dielectric, CDO. The first and second ALD half reactions of CoAMD on the respective substrates is evaluated with H₂ coreactant by adsorbing the precursor on the substrates under ALD cycling conditions at 265 °C with and without coreactant exposure. The adsorption studies indicate that CoAMD preferentially deposits most on Cu and least on CDO. Further, CoAMD, like other amidinate precursors, readily dissociates on the Cu transition metal surface but the ultimate per-cycle coverage is self-limited by the slow desorption of amidinate ligands and fragments from the Cu surface. Co films deposited by ALD from CoAMD on Cu at 265 °C indicate that Co burrows into the lower energy Cu surface as the film grows in order to reduce the free surface energy. The Cu remains as a surfactant-like layer on the topmost Co surface up to film thicknesses of at least 16 nm. Moreover, considerable intermixing at the Co/Cu interface and Cu concentration several nm into the Co films are observed indicating high surface mobility of the two materials and Cu diffusion at polycrystalline Co grain boundaries. Finally, employing low-tempurature ALD and selectively passivating the dielectric surfaces with OH targeting passivants leads to enhanced selectivity of CoAMD for deposition on Cu versus SiO₂ and CDO. Depositing Co from CoAMD on Cu and CDO at 165 °C after 500 kTorr-s exposure to trimethylchlorosilane at 50 °C leads to a 30:1 preference for Co accumulation on Cu, a twelve times improvement compared to deposition on cleaned Cu and CDO at 265 °C.Chemical Engineerin

The Iowa Homemaker vol.29, no.2

Make Yours Distinctive Glassware, Katherine Williams, page 3 Storybook Farmhouse, Janet Sutherland, page 4 Vicky Plans For Summer Travel, Margaret Wallace, page 5 Focus on Photography, Margaret Leveson, page 6 It’s Your Dream Home, Patricia Close, page 10 What’s New, Virginia Foth, page 12 Stop That Moth!, Gretchen Hall, page 14 It’s a Track Meet, Don Hansen, page 16 Just What Is Success?, page 18 New Curriculum, Patricia Durey, page 2

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Veterans’ spouses: a cross sectional analysis

Background COVID-19 has negatively impacted the mental health and well-being of both Canadians and the world as a whole, with Veterans, in particular, showing increased rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Spouses and common-law partners often serve as primary caregivers and sources of support for Veterans, which may have a deleterious effect on mental health and increase risk of burnout. Pandemic related stressors may increase burden and further exacerbate distress; yet the effect of the pandemic on the mental health and well-being of Veterans’ spouses is currently unknown. This study explores the self-reported mental health and well-being of a group of spouses of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans and their adoption of new ways to access healthcare remotely (telehealth), using baseline data from an ongoing longitudinal survey. Methods Between July 2020 and February 2021, 365 spouses of Veterans completed an online survey regarding their general mental health, lifestyle changes, and experiences relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also completed were questions relating to their use of and satisfaction with health-care treatment services during the pandemic. Results Reported rates of probable major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), alcohol use disorder (AUD), and PTSD were higher than the general public, with 50–61% believing their symptoms either directly related to or were made worse by the pandemic. Those reporting being exposed to COVID-19 were found to have significantly higher absolute scores on mental health measures than those reporting no exposure. Over 56% reported using telehealth during the pandemic, with over 70% stating they would continue its use post-pandemic. Conclusions This is the first Canadian study to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic specifically on the mental health and well-being of Veterans’ spouses. Subjectively, the pandemic negatively affected the mental health of this group, however, the pre-pandemic rate for mental health issues in this population is unknown. These results have important implications pertaining to future avenues of research and clinical/programme development postpandemic, particularly relating to the potential need for increased support for spouses of Veterans, both as individuals and in their role as supports for Veterans

Fabry-Perot / PDV Comparison

Measures the fast pulses seen with exploding bridge flyers by PD

Sustainable Development Under Competing Claims on Land: Three Pathways Between Land-Use Changes, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being

Competition over land is at the core of many sustainable development challenges in Myanmar: villagers, companies, governments, ethnic minority groups, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations from local to the international level claim access to and decision-making power over the use of land. Therefore, this article investigates the actor interactions influencing land-use changes and their impacts on the supply of ecosystem services and human well-being. We utilise a transdisciplinary mixed-methods approach and the analytical lens of the social-ecological systems framework. Results reveal that the links between land-use changes, ecosystem services and human well-being are multifaceted; For example ecosystem services can decline, while human well-being increases. We explain this finding through three different pathways to impact (changes in the resource systems, the governance systems or the broader social, economic and political context). We conclude with implications of these results for future sustainable land governance