Knowledge and Perceptions of Agricultural Communications Pilot Curriculum in Arkansas Secondary Agricultural Classrooms

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to assess the effectiveness of agricultural communications curriculum developed and incorporated into a semester-long agricultural leadership and communications course for secondary agricultural education programs in Arkansas. Students (N = 297) participated in newly developed instructional modules addressing four categories of agriculture-themed curricula predetermined by a committee of agricultural education and communications faculty at the University of Arkansas (careers, writing, design, and multimedia). Student agricultural communications knowledge change was assessed using pre- and post-test instruments in each module of study. Additionally, content analysis of participating teachers’ journals was used to identify emergent themes related to teachers’ experiences teaching the curriculum throughout the semester. Overall, the findings from this study indicated students’ knowledge increased after instruction for each curriculum module: careers (16.2%), writing (23.1%), design (35.7%), and multimedia (31.3%). Lack of time, limited technology, teacher training, and curriculum content were the most common emergent themes among teachers. Based on findings from this study, it was concluded future efforts should be made to provide technology for agricultural education instructors to improve agricultural communications program effectiveness and reach

Understanding Acre for Cotton

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 was passed into law on May 22, 2008 with veto override votes in the House of Representatives and the Senate (House 2008). A difference between the 2002 and the 2008 bills is the newly instituted revenue-based counter-cyclical program called the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program available beginning crop year 2009. The ACRE program is offered as an alternative to the counter-cyclical payment (CCP) program that was in place during the 2002-2008 period. Beginning with the 2009 crop year, producers will have the option to enroll their farm in either the CCP program or the ACRE program. If ACRE is elected, producers cannot change program participation for the duration of the 2008 farm bill (ERS 2008). This is a very complex decision due to the number of variables that must be considered and depends on the individual farm situation. It requires that farms, rather than crops or commodities, enter the program, so that the decision relies on the impacts of program choice on farm income. That aside, understanding commodity situations is a first step toward understanding and making decisions on individual farm situations. The purpose of this briefing paper is to provide assistance in understanding the differences between the ACRE and CCP programs for one crop, cotton, in one state, Texas. The briefing paper will also show the results of a comparison between CCP and ACRE payments using a sample of actual farm data.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Habitat Characteristics of Northern Bobwhite Quail-Hunting Party Encounters: A Landscape Perspective

Landcover data and bobwhite hunting records were used to assess both hunter habitat preferences and the frequency of northern bobwhite encounters by hunting parties in relation to habitat composition during the 1994-1995 and 1995-1996 hunting seasons at the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center in southern Georgia. Patterns of habitat use by hunters, and the frequency of bobwhite encounters varied within and between years, depending on habitat quality, food availability, and other factors. Landscape-scale analyses of standardized bobwhite covey densities (based on coveys pointed in the field) and habitat composition and configuration for the 1994-1995 hunting season revealed that bobwhite densities were: (1) positively associated with the overall percentage agriculture and food plot habitat (reaching a maximum at 30-35% agriculture); and (2) positively associated with edge complexity, and positively associated with agricultural mean patch size [reaching a maximum at 2-3 hectares (5-6 acres)]. Consequently, larger food plots may be more important for increasing bobwhite encounter rates than numerous very small food plots [ \u3c 0.1 hectares (0.25 acres)]. Results of this, and related ongoing studies, have important implications for both landscape design and multiple use resource management. activities in the context of northern bobwhite habitat management in southern upland pine forest ecosystems

Effects of Endotracheal Administration of Epinephrine in Cardiac Arrest of Adult and Pediatric Swine

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the effects of hypovolemia on area under the curve (AUC) and the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) comparing adults and children in cardiac arrest.AIMS: To compare the epinephrine endotracheal (ET) administration relative to AUC, rate, time to, and odds of achieving ROSC between hypovolemic adult and pediatric cardiac arrest models.METHODS: This was an experimental study using male Adult ET and Pediatric ET swine. Pediatric ET pigs (N=7) weighed 20-30 kg representing the average weight for a child between 5 and 6 years of age. Adult ET pigs (N=7) weighed 60 to 80 kg. All were exsanguinated 35% of their blood volume. Swine were put into arrest for 2 minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated for 2 minutes; epinephrine was then administered. Blood samples were collected over 5 minutes. RESULTS: No significant difference occurred in AUC between the groups (p > 0.05). The Pediatric ET group had higher rates of ROSC and a shorter time to ROSC (p < 0.05). Pediatric ET group had a 15 times greater odds of achieving ROSC compared to the Adult ET group. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, we recommend epinephrine administration via ET within the pediatric arrest model, but not for the adult

A Star Catalog for the Open Cluster NGC188

We present new BVRI broad-band photometry for the old open cluster NGC188 based upon analysis of 299 CCD images either obtained by us, donated by colleagues, or retrieved from public archives. We compare our results on a star-by-star basis with data from eleven previous photometric investigations of the cluster. We homogenize and merge the data from all the photometric studies, and also merge membership probabilities from four previous proper-motion studies of the cluster field. Fiducial cluster sequences in the BV (Johnson) RI (Cousins) photometric system of Landolt (1992, AJ, 104, 340) represent the principal result of this paper. These have been compared to reference samples defined by (a) Landolt's standard stars, (b) the old open clusters M67 and NGC6791, and (c) stars within 25 pc having modern photometry and precise Hipparcos parallaxes. In a companion paper we show that our derived cluster results agree well with the predictions of modern stellar-interior and -evolution theory, given reasonable estimates of the cluster chemical abundances and foreground reddening. The individual and combined datasets for NGC188 have been made available through our web site.Comment: Accepted for PAS

Crossing boundaries with action research: A multinational study of school-family-community collaboration

When it began in 1990 with funds from the US Department of Education, the Center on Families, Communities, Schools, and Children's Learning established an International Network of Scholars as a forum of researchers around the world who were studying various aspects of the topic. The Center sponsored an informal journal, Unidad, and International Roundtables in the USA and Europe to promote exchange of ideas and research plans. Out of these exchanges, the idea for a multinational action research project grew. The multinational study, which began in 1992 and involved more than 40 researchers in eight projects in five countries (Australia, Chile, The Czech Republic, Portugal, and Spain), is based on the conceptual framework of the Center which views the inter-institutional connections of the school, family, and community as a set of overlapping spheres of influence on children's learning and …info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Namib Desert edaphic bacterial, fungal and archaeal communities assemble through deterministic processes but are influenced by different abiotic parameters

The central Namib Desert is hyperarid, where limited plant growth ensures that biogeochemical processes are largely driven by microbial populations. Recent research has shown that niche partitioning is critically involved in the assembly of Namib Desert edaphic communities. However, these studies have mainly focussed on the Domain Bacteria. Using microbial community fingerprinting, we compared the assembly of the bacterial, fungal and archaeal populations of microbial communities across nine soil niches from four Namib Desert soil habitats (riverbed, dune, gravel plain and salt pan). Permutational multivariate analysis of variance indicated that the nine soil niches presented significantly different physicochemistries (R 2 = 0.8306, P ≤ 0.0001) and that bacterial, fungal and archaeal populations were soil niche specific (R 2 ≥ 0.64, P ≤ 0.001). However, the abiotic drivers of community structure were Domain-specific (P < 0.05), with P, clay and sand fraction, and NH4 influencing bacterial, fungal and archaeal communities, respectively. Soil physicochemistry and soil niche explained over 50% of the variation in community structure, and communities displayed strong non-random patterns of co-occurrence. Taken together, these results demonstrate that in central Namib Desert soil microbial communities, assembly is principally driven by deterministic processes.The South African National Research Foundation (Grant Number N00113-95565) and the University of Pretoria (UP).http://link.springer.com/journal/7922018-01-31hb2017Genetic

Perspectives and impact of a parent-child intervention on dietary intake and physical activity behaviours, parental motivation, and parental body composition: A randomized controlled trial

Adults and children in Canada are not meeting physical activity guidelines nor consuming sufficient nutrient-rich foods. High engagement in these unhealthy behaviours can lead to obesity and its associated diseases. Parent-child interventions aimed at obesity prevention/treatment have assisted families with making positive changes to their nutrition and physical activity behaviours. Given that the home environment shapes early health behaviours, it is important to target both parents and children when addressing diet and physical activity. One method that has been shown to improve health outcomes is co-active coaching. The current study explored the impact of a threemonth co-active coaching and/or health education intervention on the dietary intake and physical activity behaviours of parents with overweight/obesity and their children (ages 2.5–10; of any weight). Body composition (i.e., body mass index [BMI] and waist circumference), changes in parental motivation with respect to physical activity and dietary behaviours, and parental perceptions of program improvements were collected. A concurrent mixed methods study comprised of a randomized controlled trial and a descriptive qualitative design was utilized. Fifty parent-child dyads were recruited and randomly assigned to the control (n = 25) or intervention (n = 25) group. Assessments were completed at baseline, mid-intervention (six weeks), postintervention (three months), and six-month follow-up. A linear mixed effects model was utilized for quantitative analysis. Inductive content analysis was used to extract themes from parent interviews. No significant results were observed over time for the dependent measures. Parents in both control and intervention groups reported varied program experiences, including developing changes in perspective, increased awareness of habits, and heightened accountability for making positive changes in themselves, and consequently, their families. Parents also shared barriers they faced when implementing changes (e.g., time, weather, stress). Qualitatively, both groups reported benefitting from this program, with the intervention group describing salient benefits from engaging in coaching. This research expands on the utility of coaching as a method for behaviour change, when compared to education only, in parents with overweight/obesity and their children