The Role Social Influence Has On Dormitory Residents\u27 Responses to Fire Alarms

Public response to fire alarms has been a major concern for decades. In particular, college dormitories pose a real threat for a catastrophic event if proper fire protocol is not carried out. Social influences may play a role in the decision dorm residents make when a fire alarm is sounded. More specifically, this research addresses to what degree does an authority figure, like a community advisor (CA), a friend, an unknown resident, or being alone, influence self-reported responses to fire alarms. Significant evidence was found confirming our hypothesis that participants in an alone condition reported being more likely to exit than participants in the presence of others while in their dorm room. In addition, we found that participants did not equally report a CA, a friend, or an unknown resident as having the same influence on their decision to exit or not to exit during an alarm. We found evidence that participants are significantly more likely to believe a dorm fire alarm is false as opposed to real, however we were unable to show a biased informational search via confirmation bias. Finally, two video clips of different fire situations were shown to participants to see if suggestion had an effect on intended behavior. The responses given to a video suggesting a real alarm did not significantly differ to the responses given to a video suggesting a false alarm

A global database of methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia emission factors for livestock housing and outdoor storage of manure

Livestock manure management systems can be significant sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) emissions. Many studies have been conducted to improve our understanding of the emission processes and to identify influential variables in order to develop mitigation techniques adapted to each manure management step (animal house, outdoor storage, and manure spreading to land). The international project DATAMAN (http://www.dataman.co.nz) aims to develop a global database on greenhouse gases (N2O, CH4) and NH3 emissions from the manure management chain to refine emission factors (EF) for national greenhouse gas (GHG) and NH3 inventories. This paper deals with the housing and outdoor storage components of this database. Relevant information for different animal categories, manure types, livestock buildings, outdoor storage and climatic conditions were collated from published peer reviewed research, conference papers and existing databases published between 1995 and 2021. The storage database contains 654 NH3 EF from 16 countries, 243 CH4 EF from 13 countries and 421 N2O EF from 17 countries. Across all gases, dairy cattle and swine production in temperate climate zones are the most represented animal and climate categories. In the housing database, 2024 EF were collated (63% for NH3, 19.5% for CH4 and 17.5% for N2O). As for the storage database, the number of EF for the tropical climate zone is under-represented with only 8 values included. The DATAMAN database can be used for the refinement of national inventories and better assessment of the cost-effectiveness of a range of mitigation measures

Using seed recovery methods to determine causes of failed germination in native prairie species

Prairie restorations are expensive and emergence rates as low as ten percent are often observed. This could be because seeds are exposed to dangers from microbial and fungal attack, as well as predation from granivores after planting. Our experiment aimed to determine the post-dispersal seed fates of four native prairie species after they had been planted in the soil and covered with an exclosure to limit vertebrate predation. It was performed in a prairie restoration on the University of Northern Iowa Campus in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I coated five sets of 100 seeds of each species (Elymus canadensis, Oligoneuron rigidum, Eryngium yuccifolium, and Desmodium canadense) with fluorescent Glogerm™ and planted them at a depth of five millimeters in four rows (one row of 100 seeds per species, per exclosure) inside five wire mesh exclosures. After five weeks, seedling emergence data was collected and the top layer of soil from each row was excavated from within the exclosures. Collected soil was examined under a UV lamp and recovered seeds were tested for viability. I hypothesized that a majority of the seeds planted would be recovered, and that most of those recovered would be viable. Seed fates differed among the four species and were identified as emerged in the field, died during emergence, viable, and non-viable. Only 10-27% of the seeds planted were accounted for after the first recovery date and 4-10% after the second, and the majority tested were non-viable. Out of those recovered, 39% emerged as seedlings with D. canadense and E. canadensis demonstrating the highest emergence rates of the four species. It is evident that finding seeds after planting is still an obstacle that must be overcome in order to better understand post-dispersal seed fates

Validation of NH3 observations from AIRS and CrIS against measurements from DISCOVER-AQ and the Magic Valley

Ammonia is one of the most common forms of reactive nitrogen and the primary alkaline gas in the atmosphere. Intended and unintended releases of ammonia into the environment over the last century have significantly altered the natural nitrogen cycle, so that the current emission levels of ammonia are about four times higher than in previous centuries. Ammonia is the dominant base in the atmosphere, and it plays a significant role in the formation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) which can penetrate deep into the lungs and severely impact the respiratory and circulatory systems. In situ measurement of ammonia remains a challenge as ammonia is easy to detect, but it is hard to measure accurately. The high spatial and temporal variability of ammonia exacerbates the lack of continuous, spatially well sampled data over extensive regions. Satellite data, even though they come with their own uncertainties, provide by virtue of their spatial and temporal density, another option for quantifying ammonia emissions. Our objective was to add to the satellite validation record at the single pixel scale, using aircraft and ground ammonia measurements with satellite retrievals from both the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) instruments. The AIRS and CrIS profiles individually have large uncertainties, which are driven by local conditions, most significantly temperature profiles and sub-pixel heterogeneity. However, average biases between satellite and aircraft data, after smoothing errors are accounted for, are below or close to 1 ppbv. Use of ground base measurements for validation clearly demonstrate the importance of having more than a few dozen data points to obtain useful information from space-based retrievals of ammonia. With 464 observations over three years, over a small region, it was possible to obtain a clear picture of the source distribution in the region through the application of a physics based oversampling algorithm

Nutrient Availability to Corn From Dairy Manures and Fertilizer in a Calcareous Soil

The expansion of the dairy industry in southern Idaho has lead to increased application of manures to meet crop nutrient demands which can alter the uptake pattern of both macro- and micro-nutrients. A greenhouse study was conducted to determine the effects of dairy manure, composted dairy manure, and fertilizer (mono-ammonium phosphate, MAP) application on soil test phosphorus (P), microbial activity, and nutrient uptake by silage corn. Two Portneuf soils, having either a low or high soil test P concentration, were amended with the three treatments at four application rates (25, 50, 100, and 200 mg P kg-1) with four replications of each treatment in a randomized complete design. Treatments were incubated for two weeks, then planted with corn grown for approximately three weeks. Soil samples were analyzed prior to planting, whereas plant samples were analyzed at the end of the growing period. Increases in Olsen P from P additions were greatest in the MAP and least in the manure treated soils. Plant dry matter production and tissue P concentration did not differ with treatment. Tissue K increased with manure and compost addition while tissue Ca decreased; there was also a decrease in tissue Mg with compost application. Tissue Zn increased with manure applications, while tissue Mn decreased with manure and compost application on the Low-P soil. It is important to consider plant nutrient interactions when applying manure and compost to feed-crops as imbalances in K, Ca, and Mg can have a negative impact on animal health

The characterization of microorganisms in dairy wastewater storage ponds

Dairy wastewaters from storage ponds are commonly land applied to irrigate silage crops. Given that diverse microbial populations are associated with cattle feces, the objective of this study was to use a culture-independent approach to characterize Bacteria and Archaea in dairy wastewaters. Using domain-specific primers, a region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified from pooled DNA extracts from 30 dairy wastewaters and subsequently used to create a clone library. A total of 152 bacterial clones were examined and sequence matches were affiliated with the following groups: Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Synergistetes. Firmicutes was identified as the largest phylum representing up to 69% of the clone sequences. Of 167 clones representing Archaea, 7 genera were found to be closely related (91–100% sequence similarity) to isolates obtained from sediments and feces. Most of the putative sequence matches (98%) represented members from the class Methanomicrobia. With respect to the archaeal clones, only one of the putative sequence matches was affiliated with a methanogenic bacterium known to inhabit the rumen. Our results suggest that the dairy wastewater ponds do not support populations of methanogenic bacteria normally found in the cattle rumen

Removing soluble phosphorus in irrigation return flows with alum additions

ABSTRACT: Phosphorus (P) losses from irrigated cropland transferred to surface waters via irrigation return flows, can impair regional water quality. Best management practices to reduce soil erosion on fields and sediment concentration in return flows do little to reduce soluble P concentrations, which can exceed total maximum daily load (TMDL) limits for total P. Laboratory and field tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of alum on soluble P concentration in return flow water from an irrigation tract in southern Idaho. The laboratory study used two water sources (tap and irrigation), three sediment concentrations (0, 100 and 1000 mg L-1), two added P concentrations (0 and 1 mg L-1), and five alum concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg L-1). Field tests were conducted at sediment ponds on two irrigation drains with 20 to 500 mg L-1 sediment and 0.09 to 0.19 mg L-1 dissolved P in inflow water. Regression analysis of laboratory data showed a 53 percent reduction in soluble P concentration with 20 mg L-1 alum, which was similar to field data. Applying 40 mg L-1 alum to irrigation water reduced soluble P concentrations up to 98 percent in the field. Achieving 50 percent soluble P reduction would cost about $0.007 m-3 ($8.25 per ac ft) at the current alum cost of $0.33 kg-1 ($0.15 lb-1). Although alum effectively reduced soluble P in irrigation return flow, the cost of applying alum may be too high for routine use in many irrigation districts

Environmental implications of inositol phosphates in animal manures

Animal production in the USA is valued at more than $100 billion and has consolidated significantly during the last 20 years, with a larger number of animals being produced on an increasingly smaller land base (Kellogg et al., 2000). Manure generated from animal production is currently estimated to exceed 335 million t of dry matter per year in the USA, while global manure production is estimated at —13 billion t of dry matter per year (Mullins et al., 2005). Manures contain significant amounts of phosphorus, with values between 6.7 and 29.1 g P/kg on a dry weight basis reported for several species of animals (Barnett, 1994). This phosphorus includes inorganic and organic forms, with the latter constituting between 10°/a and 80% of the total (Peperzak et al., 1959; Gerritse and Zugec, 1977). Inositol phosphates are one of the primary organic phosphorus species found in manures, with myo-Inositol hexakisphosphate typically being the most abundant (Peperzak el al., 1959; Barnett, 1994; Turner and Leytem, 2004)

Fecal phosphorus excretion and characterization from swine fed diets containing a variety of cereal grains

Twenty crossbred barrows weighing 35.8±3.1 kg, were fed 1 of 5 diets (N = 4) to determine the effects of different cereal grains on fecal P excretion and composition. The diets contained 97.15% corn, wheat, high fat-low lignin oat, normal barley or low phytate barley with the cereal grain supplying the sole source of dietary phosphorus. The diets were fed for a 7 day acclimation period followed by a three-day fecal collection. Total tract digestibility coefficients were determined for dry matter, phosphorus and phytate using the indicator method. Fecal phosphorus was characterized using solution state Phosphorus Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (31P-NMR). Water Soluble Phosphorus (WSP) and the ratio of WSP to total phosphorus (WSP:TP) were determined in the feces. Digestibility coefficients for phosphorus and phytate ranged from 0.11 (corn) to 0.46 (wheat) and 0.94 (oat) to 1.00 (corn and low-phytate barley), respectively. There was very little phytate phosphorus excreted in the feces regardless of the type of cereal grain fed (< 6% of total phosphorus) and phytate degradation was not related to the level of endogenous phytase in the diet. There was a negative relationship between the fecal WSP:TP ratio and the concentration of phosphate monoesters in the feces. In summary, our results indicate that the majority of the phosphorus in the feces of pigs fed cereal grains is present in the form of inorganic phosphate and only trace amounts of phytate are excreted intact. The amount of phytate in the excreta was not related to the amount of phytate or endogenous phytase in the grain. Further research should be conducted with diets more typical of those used in commercial swine production to confirm these findings, as the high inorganic phosphate content and WSP:TP ratio in manure from swine could increase the potential for off-site phosphorus losses when swine feces are applied on agricultural lands