Light Quality Effects on Grass Seedling Growth and Development

The poor establishment success of Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys juncea Fisch. Nevski) limits its use. Our hypothesis was that Russian wildrye (RWR) was more sensitive to light competition than crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum Fischer ex Link) or Dahurian wildrye (Elymus dahuricus Turcz. Ex Grieseb.). Seedlings were grown under plastic filters that altered both quantity and quality of light. Tiller counts, leaf counts, leaf area, light intensity and red:farred light ratio (above and beside each seedling) were recorded each week for four weeks after planting. Seedling dry weights were determined at four weeks. Low light intensity significantly reduced tiller number and seedling dry weight for all three species. Within similar light intensity treatments, there was a tendency for larger seedling dry weight at higher r:fr ratio treatments. Site filling at week three was correlated to r:fr light ratio (side) for all three species. Site filling of RWR was lowest but responsive to increased r:fr light ratio. New RWR pastures should be seeded without companion crops

Public perceptions of sharks: Gathering support for shark conservation

With increasing evidence of the destructive impacts of human activities on the ocean there is a growing call for stronger public engagement in marine governance. An understanding of marine issues and pro-environmental values are key elements that influence an individual[U+05F3]s engagement in conservation and pro-environmental behaviour. This paper presents a study on public perceptions of sharks and shark conservation in the UK. The study investigated knowledge of and attitudes towards sharks of a group of individuals with a clear interest in the marine environment, as well as possible factors that might influence their perceptions of sharks, in order to make recommendations on how to foster engagement in shark conservation. The key finding was that important prerequisites for engagement in shark conservation exist among parts of the UK public. However, this does not seem to be enough to motivate actual engagement. The study discusses a number of specific challenges with regard to sharks which might be influencing the way in which society connects to shark related issues. It concludes with priority recommendations for further investigation into potential catalysts for public engagement in shark conservation. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Marine governance in the English Channel (La Manche): Linking science and management.

The English Channel is one of the world's busiest sea areas with intense shipping and port activity juxtaposed with recreation, communications and important conservation areas. Opportunities for marine renewable energy vie with existing activities for space. The current governance of the English Channel is reviewed and found to lack integration between countries, sectors, legislation and scientific research. Recent developments within the EU's marine management frameworks are significantly altering our approach to marine governance and this paper explores the implications of these new approaches to management of the English Channel. Existing mechanisms for cross-Channel science and potential benefits of an English Channel scale perspective are considered. In conclusion, current management practices are considered against the 12 Malawi Principles of the ecosystem approach resulting in proposals for enhancing governance of the region through science at the scale of the English Channel

Adult participation in children’s word searches: on the use of prompting, hinting, and supplying a model

Although word searching in children is very common, very little is known about how adults support children in the turns following the child’s search behaviours, an important topic because of the social, educational and clinical implications. This study characterises, in detail, teachers’ use of prompting, hinting and supplying a model. From a classroom dataset of 53 instances, several distinctive patterns emerged. A prompted completion sequence is initiated by a ‘word retrieval elicitor’ (‘fishing’) and is interpreted as a request to complete the phrase. Non-verbal prompting is accomplished through a combination of gaze and gesture and, also, as a series of prompts. Hinting supplies a verbal clue, typically via a wh-question, or by specifying the nature of the repairable. In contrast, the strategies that supply a linguistic model include both embedded and exposed corrections and offers of candidates. A sequential relationship was found between prompting, hinting and supplying a model which has implications for how clinicians and teachers can foster self-repair

Establishment of short rotation forage crops

Non-Peer ReviewedForages could provide annual crop producers with a cash hay crop as a viable option in rotation. However, traditional perennial forage crop species that are difficult to establish and left in for many years are not the best option for short rotations of forage (1-3 years) and annual crops. Short-lived grass species that establish quickly and produce more forage for one to three years would provide traditional crop producers with a cash crop that would fit in their crop rotation system. New annual crops have not been tested as companion crops for establishment of grasses with high seedling vigour. The objective of the project is to determine the establishment success (risk) and first year production of fast-establishing forage grasses as affected by soil zone, companion crop, and legume associate

Early Surgery for Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Where Are We Now?

Study Design: Narrative review. Objective: There is a strong biological rationale to perform early decompression after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). With an enlarging clinical evidence base, most spine surgeons internationally now favor early decompression for the majority of SCI patients; however, a number of pertinent questions remain surrounding this therapy. Methods: A narrative review evaluating the status of early surgery for SCI. In particular, we addressed the following questions: (1) Which patients stand to benefit most from early surgery? 2) What is the most appropriate time threshold defining early surgery? Results: Although heterogeneity exists, the evidence generally seems to support early surgery. While the best evidence exists for cervical SCI, there is insufficient data to support a differential effect for early surgery depending on neurological level or injury severity. When comparing thresholds to define early versus late surgery-including a later threshold (48-72 hours), an earlier threshold (24 hours), and an ultra-early threshold (8-12 hours)-the 2 earlier time points seem to be associated with the greatest potential for improved outcomes. However, existing prehospital and hospital logistics pose barriers to early surgery in a significant proportion of patients. An overview of recommendations from the recent AOSpine guidelines is provided. Conclusion: In spite of increasing acceptance of early surgery post SCI, further research is needed to (1) identify subgroups of patients who stand to derive particular benefit-in particular to develop more evidence-based approaches for central cord syndrome and (2) investigate the efficacy and feasibility of ultra-early surgery targeting more aggressive timelines

A Study on the Parallelization of Terrain-Covering Ant Robots Simulations

Agent-based simulation is used as a tool for supporting (time-critical) decision making in differentiated contexts. Hence, techniques for speeding up the execution of agent-based models, such as Parallel Discrete Event Simulation (PDES), are of great relevance/benefit. On the other hand, parallelism entails that the final output provided by the simulator should closely match the one provided by a traditional sequential run. This is not obvious given that, for performance and efficiency reasons, parallel simulation engines do not allow the evaluation of global predicates on the simulation model evolution with arbitrary time-granularity along the simulation time-Axis. In this article we present a study on the effects of parallelization of agent-based simulations, focusing on complementary aspects such as performance and reliability of the provided simulation output. We target Terrain Covering Ant Robots (TCAR) simulations, which are useful in rescue scenarios to determine how many agents (i.e., robots) should be used to completely explore a certain terrain for possible victims within a given time. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Previous Grass-Lucerne Mixtures Affect Barley Yield and Quality in a Semiarid Location of the Canadian Prairie Region

In the semiarid region of the Canadian prairies perennial forages are not rotated with annual crops because previous experiments reported negative impacts (Kilcher and Anderson 1963; Campbell et al. 1990). However, previous research used persistent species while short-lived species could have less adverse effect. Our objective was to compare three grass species in three lucerne mixtures terminated with tillage or herbicide for effects on barley grain, N concentration, and N uptake