Winter 1975

Tall and Hard Fescues: Variety Trial Summary 1974-1975 (page 3) Red Fescue Variety Trial (4) Kentucky Bluegrass Variety Trial 1974 (4) Perennial Ryegrass Variety Trial (5) Kentucky Bluegrass Variety Trial (7) Lawn Specialists Find Liquids Fit the Bill for Urban Customers (8) Back and Beyond (10) Impact of Chemical and Mechanical Site Preparation on Wildlife Habitat (14) UMass Turfgrass Research Fund (20

Efficacy of an Acoustic Hailing Device as an Avian Dispersal Tool

Bird strikes are a major safety and financial concern for modern aviation. Audible stimuli are common bird dispersal techniques, but their effectiveness is limited by the saliency and relevance of the stimulus. Furthermore, high ambient sound levels present at airfields might require that effective audible stimuli rely more on total volume (i.e., exceeding physiological tolerances) than ecological relevance. Acoustic hailing devices (AHD) are capable of sound output with a narrow beamwidth and at volumes high enough to cause physical discomfort at long distances. We tested the effectiveness of anAHD as a dispersal tool on freeranging birds recognized as hazardous to aviation safety at the Savannah River Site and Phinizy Swamp Nature Park in South Carolina and Georgia, USA, respectively, between October 2013 and March 2015. Our study design included experimental trials with timed-interval counts of birds directly before and after AHD treatment. For most species, counts of birds associated with treatment periods (use of AHD) and control periods (no use of AHD) occurred on different days. Sound treatments yielded variable success at dispersing birds. Specifically, AHD treatment was effective for dispersing vultures (Coragyps atratus and Cathartes aura) and gulls (Laridae), but ineffective for dispersing blackbirds (Icteridae), diving ducks (Aythya spp., Bucephala spp., Oxyura spp.), and coots (Fulica americana). Trials were conducted in a relatively quiet environment with birds that were unhabituated to excessive noise; thus, we cannot unequivocally recommend an AHD as a universally effective avian dispersing tool. However, future research should consider AHD testing integrated with other methods, as well as investigation of treatments that might be salient to specific target species

Student costs and enrollment in private, less than highly competitive, baccalaureate institutions

Private, not-for-profit, Baccalaureate institutions have played an important role in the history of American higher education. These institutions have their beginnings in the traditional liberal arts institutions that were established for training clergy and community leaders. These institutions still play a vital role in the higher education landscape. This study explored the relationship between institutional characteristics, student cost, and enrollment in an effort to document the trends from 1988 to 2008 and to determine any predictive value based upon those trends. A study population that included private, not-for-profit, less than highly competitive institutions was examined and disaggregated into cohorts based upon geographic region, Carnegie 2005 Basic Classification, and HBCU status. The results of descriptive statistics and data analyses show that enrollments remained relatively stable among this sector of higher education while the costs increased. The characteristics shown to have the greatest impact on cost were being located in the Northeast region, being a Baccalaureate Arts and Sciences institution, and not having designation as an HBCU. Enrollments were slightly negatively correlated with the mean cost changes. Findings, conclusions and recommendations are discussed at the end of the study. By examining this sector of higher education, the researcher sought to gain a better understanding of the relationship among institutional characteristics, student cost, and enrollment. Increased knowledge of this sector of higher education can assist higher education professionals to be better prepared for institutional planning and public policy discussion. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

The DESI experiment part I: science, targeting, and survey design

DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) is a Stage IV ground-based dark energy experiment that will study baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and the growth of structure through redshift-space distortions with a wide-area galaxy and quasar redshift survey. To trace the underlying dark matter distribution, spectroscopic targets will be selected in four classes from imaging data. We will measure luminous red galaxies up to $z=1.0$. To probe the Universe out to even higher redshift, DESI will target bright [O II] emission line galaxies up to $z=1.7$. Quasars will be targeted both as direct tracers of the underlying dark matter distribution and, at higher redshifts ($2.1 < z < 3.5$), for the Ly-$\alpha$ forest absorption features in their spectra, which will be used to trace the distribution of neutral hydrogen. When moonlight prevents efficient observations of the faint targets of the baseline survey, DESI will conduct a magnitude-limited Bright Galaxy Survey comprising approximately 10 million galaxies with a median $z\approx 0.2$. In total, more than 30 million galaxy and quasar redshifts will be obtained to measure the BAO feature and determine the matter power spectrum, including redshift space distortions

The DESI Experiment Part II: Instrument Design

DESI (Dark Energy Spectropic Instrument) is a Stage IV ground-based dark energy experiment that will study baryon acoustic oscillations and the growth of structure through redshift-space distortions with a wide-area galaxy and quasar redshift survey. The DESI instrument is a robotically-actuated, fiber-fed spectrograph capable of taking up to 5,000 simultaneous spectra over a wavelength range from 360 nm to 980 nm. The fibers feed ten three-arm spectrographs with resolution $R= \lambda/\Delta\lambda$ between 2000 and 5500, depending on wavelength. The DESI instrument will be used to conduct a five-year survey designed to cover 14,000 deg$^2$. This powerful instrument will be installed at prime focus on the 4-m Mayall telescope in Kitt Peak, Arizona, along with a new optical corrector, which will provide a three-degree diameter field of view. The DESI collaboration will also deliver a spectroscopic pipeline and data management system to reduce and archive all data for eventual public use