Responses to Nitrogen Fertilizer in Dairy Pastures with Differing Phosphorus Fertility in South Eastern Australia

The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer to temperate pastures is an increasingly popular management tool for boosting pasture production on dairy farms in Australia. However, limited information is available about N fertilizer responses that can be obtained from pastures with varying levels of phosphorus (P) fertility. A field experiment examining the initial and residual response of pasture growth to urea was carried out within a large dairy farmlet study, in October 1998. The four P fertility treatments (Olsen P values) ranged from 9 to 32 mg/kg. Dry matter yields increased with increasing N rates in all treatments, at both harvests. Only pastures with Olsen P values of \u3c 12 mg/kg had a significantly lower response to N fertilizer

Employee characteristics: resilience and self-efficacy as protective factors

This study will explore the relationship between self-efficacy and resilience as they affect stress-related outcomes in the workplace. The study will first measure all participant’s self-efficacy and resilience. The experimental group will then receive feedback mirroring that of a negative performance appraisal. The feedback will suggest the participant performed below average on a trivia test. Participants in the control group will receive neutral feedback on the same trivia test. Lastly, all participant’s resilience will be measured a second time. This study will seek to recruit students from a local South-Eastern university. The results of this study will further clarify the relationship that exists between self-efficacy and resilience as well as further demonstrating the value of resilience as a protective factor

The effects of self-efficacy, perceptions of ethical misconduct, and guilt-proneness on CWBs

This study examined the relationship between generalized self-efficacy, perceptions of ethical misconduct, guilt-proneness, and counterproductive work behaviors. We first hypothesized that self-efficacy would be negatively related to counterproductive work behaviors. Secondly, we hypothesized that perceptions of ethical misconduct and levels of guilt-proneness would mediate the negative relationship between generalized self-efficacy and counterproductive work behaviors. We surveyed 190 undergraduate students. To test our hypotheses, we used serial mediation (self-efficacy perceptions of ethical misconduct Guilt CWBs). Results supported our first hypothesis. However, we did not find support for the mediated relationship proposed in our second hypothesis

Lactate dehydrogenase expression modulates longevity and neurodegeneration in Drosophila melanogaster

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) catalyzes the conversion of glycolysis-derived pyruvate to lactate. Lactate has been shown to play key roles in brain energetics and memory formation. However, lactate levels are elevated in aging and Alzheimer\u27s disease patients, and it is not clear whether lactate plays protective or detrimental roles in these contexts. Here we show that Ldh transcript levels are elevated and cycle with diurnal rhythm in the heads of aged flies and this is associated with increased LDH protein, enzyme activity, and lactate concentrations. To understand the biological significance of increased Ldh gene expression, we genetically manipulated Ldh levels in adult neurons or glia. Overexpression of Ldh in both cell types caused a significant reduction in lifespan whereas Ldh down-regulation resulted in lifespan extension. Moreover, pan-neuronal overexpression of Ldh disrupted circadian locomotor activity rhythms and significantly increased brain neurodegeneration. In contrast, reduction of Ldh in neurons delayed age-dependent neurodegeneration. Thus, our unbiased genetic approach identified Ldh and lactate as potential modulators of aging and longevity in flies

Instability and Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Alternans in Paced Cardiac Tissue

We derive an equation that governs the spatiotemporal dynamics of small amplitude alternans in paced cardiac tissue. We show that a pattern-forming linear instability leads to the spontaneous formation of stationary or traveling waves whose nodes divide the tissue into regions with opposite phase of oscillation of action potential duration. This instability is important because it creates dynamically an heterogeneous electrical substrate for inducing fibrillation if the tissue size exceeds a fraction of the pattern wavelength. We compute this wavelength analytically as a function of three basic length scales characterizing dispersion and inter-cellular electrical coupling.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR

Decision Making: Do People with Dark Triad Traits Utilize Advice?

This research study seeks to gain a better understanding of the effects of the dark triad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) on advice taking. This research examined whether or not the dark triad traits result in working professionals being more or less likely to accept advice when making a decision. Past research has shown that outcomes are generally more favorable when the person who is making the decision takes the advice of another person into consideration. Despite this fact, I hypothesized that people with higher narcissistic or psychopathic traits will not accept advice when making a decision. Additionally, I hypothesized that Machiavellians may be the exception in the dark triad and would be more likely to utilize advice. Results indicated that narcissists were less likely to utilize advice and Machiavellians were more likely to utilize advice. There were no significant findings regarding those with psychopathic tendencies. Organizations could benefit from these findings when considering how much their advice may be considered when an employee with narcissistic or Machiavellian tendencies is making a decision

Separation of v-Src-induced mitogenesis and morphological transformation by inhibition of AP-1

v-Src activity results in both morphological transformation and reentry of quiescent chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF) into cell cycle. We have previously used temperature-sensitive v-Src mutants to show that enhanced activity of cellular AP-1 in the first few hours after activation of v-Src invariably precedes the biological consequences. Here we have investigated whether the early activation of AP-1 is essential for any or all of the v-Src responses by using a mutant c-Fos that comprises the leucine zipper and a disrupted basic region. Expression of the c-Fos mutant partially reduced cellular AP-1 activity in exponentially growing cells. However, in CEF that had been made quiescent by serum deprivation, v-Src-induced stimulation of AP-1 DNA binding activity was substantially reduced. In addition, quiescent CEF stably transfected with this mutant show an impaired mitogenic response to v-Src, indicating that the AP-1 stimulation is a necessary prerequisite for cell-cycle reentry. The ability of v-Src to morphologically transform quiescent CEF was not impaired by the inhibition of AP-1 stimulation, indicating that the mitogenic and morphological consequences of v-Src have distinguishable biochemical mediators. Focal adhesion kinase, a recently identified determinant of cell morphology, undergoes a gel mobility shift, characteristic of its hyperphosphorylated state, in response to v-Src activation in cells expressing the inhibitory AP-1 protein. This provides further evidence that the pathways that regulate morphological transformation are independent of AP-1