Attitudes and General Knowledge of Affirmative Action in Higher Education Admissions At One Historically Black University in Tennessee

The purpose of this study was to examine attitudes and general knowledge of Affirmative Action in higher education admissions at one HBCU in Tennessee. The researcher used a modified version of the Echols’s Affirmative Action Inventory (EAAI) to assess attitudes and general knowledge of all administrators, faculty, staff, and students at this institution. At the conclusion of the collection period, 269 surveys were deemed usable. Of these, 31 surveys were completed by administrators, faculty completed 62 surveys, 55 surveys were completed by staff, and 121 surveys were completed by students. The dependent variables for the study were individual survey questions (1-9) and three dimensions created by transforming the data from sets of survey questions. The independent variables were participant group (administrators, faculty, staff, and students), gender, race, and academic discipline. Two-way contingency tables and c2 were used to examine the associations between each independent variable and the dependent variable for each of the individual survey questions. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the mean differences between the dimensions and pairs of independent variables. The quantitative findings indicated that the independent variable, participant group, was found to differ in five of the 11 research questions significantly. Administrators hold positive attitudes and exhibit greater general knowledge on the topic of Affirmative Action compared to faculty, staff, or students. Of the other independent variables, only race and academic discipline resulted in significant differences. Respondents who identified as Non-White exhibited positive attitudes towards the dimension that assessed whether Affirmative Action was moral and ethical over respondents who identified as White. Respondents who were classified as belonging to the humanities (academic discipline) were more likely to exhibit positive attitudes toward support of Affirmative Action over respondents who were classified as belonging to business

THE PROFITABILITY OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE ON A REPRESENTATIVE GRAIN FARM IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION, 1981-89

A long-term whole-farm analysis compared conventional and low-input farming systems. Data from a nine-year agronomic study at the Rodale Research Farm, Kutztown, Pennsylvania, were used to analyze profitability, liquidity, solvency, and risk on a representative commercial grain farm. Conventional and low-input farms participating in government programs are the most profitable scenarios, followed by conventional and low-input farms not participating in government programs. All farms increased their net worth. The low-input approach is advantageous for risk-averse farmers using a safety-first criterion.Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Weekly Versus Monthly Testosterone Administration On Fast and Slow Skeletal Muscle Fibers in Older Adult Males

Context: In older adults, loss of mobility due to sarcopenia is exacerbated in men with low serum T. T replacement therapy is known to increase muscle mass and strength, but the effect of weekly (WK) vs monthly (MO) administration on specific fiber types is unknown. Objective: To determine the efficacy of WK vs MO T replacement on the size and functional capacity of individual fast and slow skeletal muscle fiber types. Design, Setting, and Patients: Subjects were randomized into a 5-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. All subjects (ages, 61–71 y) were community-dwelling men who had T levels \u3c 500 ng/dL. Intervention: Subjects were dosed weekly for 5 months, receiving continuous T (WK, n = 5; 100 mg T enanthate, im injection), monthly cycled T (MO, n = 7; alternating months of T and placebo), or placebo (n = 7). Muscle biopsies of the vastus lateralis were obtained before and after treatment. Main Outcome Measures: Main outcomes for individual slow and fast fibers included fiber diameter, peak force (P0), rate of tension development, maximal shortening velocity, peak power, and Ca2+ sensitivity. Results: Both treatments increased fiber diameter and peak power, with WK treatment 5-fold more effective than MO in increasing type I fiber P0. WK effects on fiber diameter and force were 1.5-fold higher in slow fibers compared to fast fibers. In fast type II fibers, diameter and P0 increased similarly between treatments. The increased power was entirely due to increased fiber size and force. Conclusions: In conclusion, T replacement effects were fiber-type dependent, restricted to increases in cell size, P0, and peak power, and dependent on the paradigm selected (WK vs MO)

Free amino acids in cultured higher marine fungi

The free amino acid content of the intracellular pools in higher marine fungi was determined by thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography. The organisms investigated include: Ascomycetes; Nais inornata, Leptosphaeria oraemaris, Corollospora maritima, Haligena elaterophora, Halosphaeria mediosetigera, Halosphaeria appendiculata, Halosphaeria quadriremis, Lignincola Laervis and Remispora hamata, and Fungi Imperfecti; Zalerion maritimum and Culcitalna archraspora. All organisms investigated were found to contain: alanine, glycine, valine, proline, leucine, isoleucine, serine, threonine, hydroxyproline, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, methionine, phenylalanine, ornithine, lysine, tyrosin, tryptophan, cystine, cysteine and histidine. The widespread occurrence of hydroxyproline is of particular interest. This compound was identified in all species examined and since it has been reported to occur only rarely in terrestrial fungi, it may have chemotaxonomical value in delineating obligate marine fungi from terrestrial forms. The detection of hydroxyproline was considered in light of the experimental procedures employed. The use of water as the extracting solvent, a long extraction period (48 hours) and two different analytical procedures facilitated the identification of the compound. The role of fungi in the chemical ecology of the marine environment was considered

Herbicides for corn

"Federal regulations regarding herbicide use change frequently, so keep informed about the status of label registration. Based upon available information this guide sheet conforms to laws and regulations in effect at the time it was written. It is essential that you read and understand the label of the herbicide you plan to use."--First page.L.E. Anderson, O. Hale Fletchall, David Guethle, Harold Kerr, E.J. Peters, Zane Helsel, James Schaeffer (Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture)Revised 1/84/15

The fossil record of early tetrapods: worker effort and the end-Permian mass extinction

It is important to understand the quality of the fossil record of early tetrapods (Tetrapoda, minus Lissamphibia and Amniota) because of their key role in the transition of vertebrates from water to land, their dominance of terrestrial faunas for over 100 million years of the late Palaeozoic and earlyMesozoic, and their variable fates during the end−Permian mass extinction. The first description of an early tetrapod dates back to 1824, and since then discoveries have occurred at a rather irregular pace, with peaks and troughs corresponding to some of the vicissitudes of human history through the past two centuries. As expected, the record is dominated by the well−sampled sedimentary basins of Europe and North America, but finds from other continents are increasing rapidly. Comparisons of snapshots of knowledge in 1900, 1950, and 2000 show that discovery of new species has changed the shape of the species−level diversification curve, contrary to earlier studies of family−level taxa. There is, however, little evidence that taxon counts relate to research effort (as counted by numbers of publications), and there are no biasing effects associated with differential study of different time intervals through the late Palaeozoic and Mesozoic. In fact, levels of effort are apparently not related to geological time, with no evidence that workers have spent more time on more recent parts of the record. In particular, the end−Permian mass extinction was investigated to determine whether diversity changes through that interval might reflect worker effort: it turns out that most records of early tetrapod taxa (when corrected for duration of geological series) occur in the Lower Triassic

Evaluation of Two Triplex One-Step qRT-PCR Assays for the Quantification of Human Enteric Viruses in Environmental Samples

Articles not assigned to an issueInternational audienceHuman enteric viruses are responsible for waterborne and shellfish-associated disease outbreaks worldwide. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is often used to assess the health risks associated with shellfish and environmental water, but viral titres in sediments are less commonly investigated. In this study, we developed and validated two multiplex qRT-PCR assays for aquatic sediment and shellfish samples targeting viruses that are a common cause of gastroenteritis (norovirus GI, GII and hepatitis A virus), two emerging viruses (sapovirus and hepatitis E virus), along with mengovirus (MgV), which is often used as a sample process control for the assessment of RNA extraction efficiency. Singleplex and multiplex assays demonstrated comparable PCR efficiencies and gave reliable results over a wide concentration range. The multiplex assays showed remarkable sensitivity with a limit of detection of 1 RNA copy/µL nucleic acid extract for all target viruses and limits of quantification of 3-18 RNA copies/µL for the targeted human pathogenic viruses and 20-40 RNA copies/µL for MgV. The results demonstrated the veracity of multiplex qRT-PCR for the estimation of viral titres in sediment and shellfish, allowing the rapid assessment of viral infection risks associated with environments exposed to wastewater contamination

A Visual Impact Assessment Methodology for the National Park Service

As the National Park Service (NPS) set out to create a visual resource management program, the first major component was the development of a robust visual resource inventory (VRI) process to identify, locate, and assess high value views, both within and near NPS units, based on both scenic quality and the importance of the view to the visitor experience. The next component in the program has been the development of a visual impact assessment (VIA) process to understand how changes in the landscape— whether inside the park or beyond its boundaries—could impact the scenic quality of valued views and visitor experience of those views. This presentation will discuss the NPS VIA process and highlight results of field-testing. Units of the National Park System encompass a wide variety of landscape types and visual settings. Particular views are enjoyed not only for scenic qualities but also appreciated for their historic and cultural values. NPS incorporates visible elements of views into their interpretive and educational activities. As a result, the NPS VRI was designed to identify not only the visual qualities of views but also the other values that make views important to NPS and park visitors. The NPS VRI was also built to support VIAs, both for NPS projects and actions within NPS unit boundaries, and projects and activities beyond NPS unit boundaries, where NPS is a stakeholder rather than a permitting agency. The detailed information from the VRI provides a sound basis for articulating the full effects of a proposed project or activity, which may go far beyond measuring visual contrast and other more purely scenic aspects of visual impact. Building on the inventory process the NPS visual impact assessment (VIA) methodology identifies the expected level of visual change from a proposed project or activity, and assesses the likely effects of the change on scenic quality as determined in the VRI. The NPS VIA approach provides parks with information to pursue better planning and design for park projects and credible support for understanding and communicating the potential impacts of changes beyond park boundaries