Erodibility of hill peat

peer-reviewedThe project was funded by the European Union Structural Funds EAGGF distributed under the Department of Agriculture and Food Stimulus Fund.The energy necessary to entrain soil in water depends on the soil strength. Once entrained, the settling velocity of the eroded soil in water is of fundamental importance to the processes of sediment transport and deposition. In this paper, stream power theory and transport concepts coupled with the equation of continuity were used to derive a transport-limited peat concentration. The ratio of the log of the actual sediment concentration in surface run-off to the log of the transport-limited sediment concentration was the index of erosion used. The value of this index is a measure of the sensitivity of peat to erosion by sheet flow. Four peats were subjected to a range of overland flow rates under two slopes in a laboratory flume. The peats represented peat farmed in a sustainable manner (Leenane), overgrazed peat (Maam), peat undergoing erosion (Newport) and peat which had undergone weathering following exposure by a landslip (Croagh Patrick). Both in situ and surface damaged slabs were studied. The results indicate that shearing and remoulding of a wet peat surface (e.g., by animal treading) and weathering of exposed drained peat surfaces predispose peat to erosion. Defoliation by overgrazing is considered to be of secondary importance.Department of Agriculture, Food and the MarineEuropean Union Structural Funds EAGG

Land Applicaiton of Organic Manures and Silage Effluent

End of Project ReportIn recent times there is increasing interest in the hydraulic properties of free-draining unsaturated soils and on the fate of slurries, sludges, effluents and fertilisers applied to these soils. This is especially so where relatively thin soils overlie bedrocks such as limestones with fissures and solution channels (karstic aquifers). Irish soils are commonly gravelly and stony and present special problems in determining their hydraulic properties. In this project, various field and laboratory methods were employed to measure the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated gravelly and stony soils overlying karstic limestone with a watertable 25 m below ground surface at the Teagasc Centre at Athenry. In parallel with these measurements, cattle and pig slurries and silage effluents were applied at normal and very heavy rates in summer and in winter to a series of experimental plots. A chloride tracer was also used. Rainfall and soil moisture contents and hydraulic potentials of the soil of the various plots were measured. Samples of soil water were collected in suction tubes and analysed for nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N). In addition, samples of groundwater were taken from a nearby well and analysed for NO3-N and a number of other parameters. Finally, a finite difference computer model was used to predict contaminant transport to the groundwater.European Union Structural Funding (EAGGF

Reducing windthrow losses in Farm Forestry

End of Project ReportThe study comprised a field and laboratory investigation on the stability of Sitka spruce trees planted on a surface water gley. The field-testing was conducted at Ballyfarnon Forest in County Sligo in the north west of Ireland. Nine destructive monotonic pulling tests were conducted on trees selected from three different site preparations, namely, mole drained, double mouldboard ploughed and an uncultivated control. Dynamic testing, using a mechanical rocking device, was performed on a tree selected from the uncultivated control. A simple shear apparatus was used to conduct monotonic and cyclic tests on reconstituted samples of the Ballyfarnon soil. This allowed a comparison of soil behaviour under monotonic and cyclic loading. A computer software package was used to model the behaviour of groundwater for soil mole drained at two drain spacings. Results from this mathematical modeling were compared to experimental data gathered during a previous study. Results indicate that the use of mole drainage as a site preparation technique produces more stable trees than either double mouldboard ploughing or no cultivation.European Union Structural Funding (EAGGF

Effects of canine-assisted intervention on the mental health of higher education students: a systematic review

The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate existing literature exploring the effects of canine assisted intervention (CAI) on the mental health of Higher Education (HE) students. A literature search was performed on 14th January 2021 for studies that investigated the effects of CAI on HE students. Thirty three papers (6093 participants) encompassing 37 studies were included in this review. Study design varied in research objective, intervention type, timing, procedure, and measures. The Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool found studies ranged in quality from moderate (n=7) to weak (n=30). The review identified CAI has a positive effect on levels of anxiety and stress in HE students. Key limitations of the studies include confounding influences during the intervention as well as a lack of control groups and standardized measures. Furthermore, intervention and procedures ranged substantially in design and application making direct comparisons difficult. The authors conclude two main outcomes from the review. Firstly, CAI improves mental health in HE students, in particular anxiety and stress. Secondly, CAI has a social benefit, encouraging communication and a shared experience. However, a number of methodological limitations of the studies are identified and reviewed. To conclude, this systematic review reveals strong support for the use of CAI in HE students as a form of therapy

Climate Change Impacts on Iowa, 2010

Climate change is already affecting the way Iowans live and work. Without action to mitigate these effects, our future responses will become more complex and costly . The following policy recommendations are offered as initial steps to help safeguard our state’s economy, environment, and residents

Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Technology Demonstration: Prephase A Government Point-of-Departure Concept Study

The primary purpose of this study was to define a point-of-departure prephase A mission concept for the cryogenic propellant storage and transfer technology demonstration mission to be conducted by the NASA Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT). The mission concept includes identification of the cryogenic propellant management technologies to be demonstrated, definition of a representative mission timeline, and definition of a viable flight system design concept. The resulting mission concept will serve as a point of departure for evaluating alternative mission concepts and synthesizing the results of industry- defined mission concepts developed under the OCT contracted studie

Differences in the Pathways of Proteins Unfolding Induced by Urea and Guanidine Hydrochloride: Molten Globule State and Aggregates

It was shown that at low concentrations guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) can cause aggregation of proteins in partially folded state and that fluorescent dye 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS) binds with these aggregates rather than with hydrophobic clusters on the surface of protein in molten globule state. That is why the increase in ANS fluorescence intensity is often recorded in the pathway of protein denaturation by GdnHCl, but not by urea. So what was previously believed to be the molten globule state in the pathway of protein denaturation by GdnHCl, in reality, for some proteins represents the aggregates of partially folded molecules

Lynx Mission Concept Status

Lynx is a concept under study for prioritization in the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Providing orders of magnitude increase in sensitivity over Chandra, Lynx will examine the first black holes and their galaxies, map the large-scale structure and galactic halos, and shed new light on the environments of young stars and their planetary systems. In order to meet the Lynx science goals, the telescope consists of a high-angular resolution optical assembly complemented by an instrument suite that may include a High Definition X-ray Imager, X-ray Microcalorimeter and an X-ray Grating Spectrometer. The telescope is integrated onto the spacecraft to form a comprehensive observatory concept. Progress on the formulation of the Lynx telescope and observatory configuration is reported in this paper