Control of Three Invasive Annual Grasses in Utah Using Herbicides Including Indaziflam

Invasive grasses pose a threat to rangeland ecosystems in Utah. Three grasses in particular: downy brome, medusahead, and ventenata can push out native plants and prevent other vegetation from germinating. These grasses can also degrade grazing lands for cattle and act as kindling for wildfires. The use of herbicides is the most common way to rid a site of invasive plants. Herbicides that prevent germination for many years work well to keep annual grasses at bay while not harming the many long-living native plants that are already growing. A study was designed on a site infested with downy brome to test how well native plants tolerate a variety of herbicides. The main objective was to test for lone herbicides or combinations that do minimal damage to the native vegetation with maximum damage to downy brome. Ventenata is an invasive grass that is new to Utah; thus, not much is known about how to control it. An experiment was designed to test different herbicides on a site invaded by ventenata and observe the effects on the surrounding native and weedy plants. A concurrent greenhouse study was designed to test three different herbicides on downy brome, ventenata, and medusahead to see how they react differently in controlled conditions compared to field conditions. An experiment was designed to restore a site that had been completely overtaken by medusahead using herbicides. The site was sprayed with a variety of different herbicides. Native and other desirable plants were planted using a drill into the site in order to see which herbicides prevented medusahead germination while allowing maximum establishment of the plants that were seeded

Table of Contents

This document includes the front matter and table of contents for this issue of Anthós

Letter from the Editor

Letter from Hailey Brink, Editor-in-Chief, offering a brief background of this issue of Anthós and thanking people who have been instrumental in its publication

Amygdala reactivity predicts adolescent antisocial behavior but not callous-unemotional traits.

Recent neuroimaging studies have suggested divergent relationships between antisocial behavior (AB) and callous-unemotional (CU) traits and amygdala reactivity to fearful and angry facial expressions in adolescents. However, little work has examined if these findings extend to dimensional measures of behavior in ethnically diverse, non-clinical samples, or if participant sex, ethnicity, pubertal stage, and age moderate associations. We examined links between amygdala reactivity and dimensions of AB and CU traits in 220 Hispanic and non-Hispanic Caucasian adolescents (age 11-15; 49.5% female; 38.2% Hispanic), half of whom had a family history for depression and thus were at relatively elevated risk for late starting, emotionally dysregulated AB. We found that AB was significantly related to increased right amygdala reactivity to angry facial expressions independent of sex, ethnicity, pubertal stage, age, and familial risk status for depression. CU traits were not related to fear- or anger-related amygdala reactivity. The present study further demonstrates that AB is related to increased amygdala reactivity to interpersonal threat cues in adolescents, and that this relationship generalizes across sex, ethnicity, pubertal stage, age, and familial risk status for depression

Incorporating engineering design challenges into STEM courses

Successful strategies for incorporating engineering design challenges into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses in American high schools are presented in this paper. The developers have taken the position that engineering design experiences should be an important component of the high school education of all American youth. In most instances, these experiences in engineering design are infused into instruction programs in standards-based courses in science, technology, or mathematics. Sometimes the courses are designated as engineering courses and the engineering design component is emphasized. A growing number of researchers seek to understand whether the development of engineering habits of thought and action in high school STEM courses leads to improvements in problem solving abilities, systems thinking, integration of STEM content, increased interest in engineering, and feelings of self- efficacy about pursuing additional engineering activities. We have attempted to integrate these findings, to draw inferences that reflect the current body of knowledge, and to call attention to promising contemporary practices. This paper is intended to provide guidelines for the development of authentic engineering design challenges, to describe instructional strategies for introducing engineering design experiences to high school students, and to offer suggestions for the assessment of the outcomes of engineering design activities. The information is intended to be useful in planning, organizing, and implementing the infusion of engineering design challenges in high school STEM courses. The paper is not intended as a detailed guide for curriculum development, comprehensive instructional design, or the assessment of achievement across the range of high school STEM courses

The State of Child Welfare in America: 2009

In terms of physical and emotional suffering, an estimated 905,000 children were determined to be victims of child abuse or neglect in 2006 according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From the fiscal perspective, Prevent Child Abuse America has estimated that child abuse and neglect in the U.S. costs over $284 million dollars per day. This report also includes statistics on adoption and foster care

The State of Children and Families: 2009

This report contains information on current trends in the United States in areas including poverty, violence and crimes, unwed and teen pregnancy, education, nutrition, child health, child welfare, and housing

The State of Early Childhood Programs: 2009

Enriching experiences in the context of high quality early childhood programs give young children an enhanced chance at success in school. Poor children, who are particularly at risk for academic failure, can benefit greatly from early childhood programs that include not only education but other wide-ranging services for themselves and their families. Benefits of high quality early childhood experiences have been found to extend far beyond the young years, as they include a marked decrease in the likelihood children will some day engage in criminal activity or be dependent on public welfare programs

THE DESIGN OF A DIGITAL SCHEDULING SOLUTION FOR HEALING ALTERNATIVES

The focus of this senior project is to assist Healing Alternatives, an acupuncture clinic located in San Luis Obispo, in developing a business management software to fit their needs and boost their overall organization. The approach to finding the right fit for this business included assessing their current system while simultaneously investigating other providers. Once alternatives were found that met all of Healing Alternatives’ initial requirements, trial demos were generated in order to perform user experience testing. The presented final solution, a scheduling software called Acuity Scheduling, was implemented in a three-phase move plan that occurred over the period of a few weeks. This software solution was able to support all their necessary business requirements while saving them 31% on their annual operating expenses. Additionally, Healing Alternatives is able operate with increased employee efficiency in terms of client booking and inventory management