Impacts of Cattle Grazing Management on Sediment and Phosphorus Loads in Surface Waters

In 2001 (yr 1), 2002 (yr 2), and 2003 (yr 3), three blocks of five 1-ac paddocks were grazed by beef cows on hills at the Iowa State University Rhodes Research and Demonstration Farm to determine the effects of grazing management on phosphorus (P) and sediment runoff from pastureland. Grazing management treatments included an ungrazed control (UG), summer hay harvest with winter stockpiled grazing (HS), grazing by continuous stocking to a residual sward height of 2 in. (2C), rotational stocking to a residual sward height of 2 in. (2R), and rotational stocking to a residual sward height of 4 in (4R). At four times (late spring, mid-summer, early autumn, and early the subsequent spring) in each year, rainfall simulations were conducted at 6 sites within each paddock. Rainfall simulators dripped at a rate of 2.8 in./hr over a 5.4-ft2 area for a period of 1.5 hours. Runoff was collected and analyzed for total sediment, total P, and total soluble P. Simultaneous to each rainfall simulation, ground cover, penetration resistance, surface roughness, slope, the contents of P and moisture of the soil, sward height and forage mass were measured. Sediment flow was not affected by forage management practice. There was no difference between UG, HS, 4R in the amount of total P or soluble P lost in runoff, but greater amounts of total and soluble P were lost from 2C and 2R than from the other management practices (P\u3c0.05). A greater amount of sediment was lost from the pastures during the late spring period than during other parts of the year (P\u3c0.05). Losses of sediment, total P, and soluble P from pastures can be controlled by suitable grazing management practices

Mind the gulfs: An analysis of medication-related cognitive artifacts used by older adults with heart failure

Medication management is a patient health-related activity characterized by poor performance in older adults with chronic disease. Interventions focus on educating and motivating the patient with limited long-term effects. Cognitive artifacts facilitate cognitive tasks by making them easier, faster, and more effective and can potentially improve medication management performance. This study examined how older adult patients with heart failure use cognitive artifacts and how representational structure and physical properties facilitated or impeded medication-related tasks and processes. Interview, observation, medical record, and photographic data of and about older patients with heart failure (N = 30) and their informal caregivers (N=14) were content analyzed for cross-cutting themes about patient goals, representations, and actions. Results illustrated patient artifacts designed from a clinical rather than patient perspective, disparate internal and external representations threatening safety, and incomplete information exchange between patients and clinicians. Implications for design were the need for bridging artifacts, automatic information transfer, and cognitive artifacts designed from the perspective of the patient

Tillage and Herbicide Incorporation Effects on Runoff Losses

The 1995 Food Security Act required producers with highly erodible land to develop erosion control plans to be eligible for farm program benefits. Conservation tillage was a part of many of those plans; however, mechanical incorporation of herbicides to reduce runoff losses can be a problem while trying to maintain crop residue. Soil, water, and herbicide losses (with water and sediment) were measured from continuous com runoff plots (1.7 x 12.0 m) in 1993 and 1994 under natural rainfall conditions. Four tillage/herbicide application treatments were studied: notill/herbicide broadcast sprayed (NT); fall chisel plow-spring disk/herbicide broadcast sprayed after disking (DS); fall chisel plow-spring disk/herbicide broadcast sprayed before disking (SD); and fall chisel plow-spring mulch master /herbicide applied with John Deere\u27s Mulch Master (MM). Residue measurements after tillage and planting generally showed NT with the greatest percent residue cover, MM second, and SD together with DS the least. By storm event, NT generally had the least erosion and the lowest runoff volumes. For the herbicides studied, atrazine, metolachlor, and cyanazine, concentrations in sediment and runoff water were generally in the order NT\u3eDS\u3eMM\u3eSD. Lack of incorporation and/or application to more crop residue with NT was believed responsible for the higher concentrations with that system. Total losses for all three herbicides each year were generally less than 2% of that applied. Because the herbicides used are not strongly adsorbed and have similar adsorption coefficients, over 95% of the runoff loss in each case was associated with runoff water. Depending primarily on runoff volumes, which in turn were dependent on the storm and the time of year, relative losses for notill were variable, sometimes being the greatest, sometimes the least; however, for the other three treatments, losses were usually in the order DS\u3eMM\u3eSD

Bose-Einstein Condensation of 88^{88}Sr Through Sympathetic Cooling with 87^{87}Sr

We report Bose-Einstein condensation of $^{88}$Sr, which has a small, negative s-wave scattering length ($a_{88}=-2$\,$a_0$). We overcome the poor evaporative cooling characteristics of this isotope by sympathetic cooling with $^{87}$Sr atoms. $^{87}$Sr is effective in this role in spite of the fact that it is a fermion because of the large ground state degeneracy arising from a nuclear spin of $I=9/2$, which reduces the impact of Pauli blocking of collisions. We observe a limited number of atoms in the condensate ($N_{max}\approx 10^4$) that is consistent with the value of $a_{88}$ and the optical dipole trap parameters.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Degenerate Fermi Gas of 87^{87}Sr

We report quantum degeneracy in a gas of ultra-cold fermionic $^{87}$Sr atoms. By evaporatively cooling a mixture of spin states in an optical dipole trap for 10.5\,s, we obtain samples well into the degenerate regime with $T/T_F=0.26^{+.05}_{-.06}$. The main signature of degeneracy is a change in the momentum distribution as measured by time-of-flight imaging, and we also observe a decrease in evaporation efficiency below $T/T_F \sim 0.5$.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Long-term performance of Aanderaa optodes and Sea-Bird SBE-43 dissolved-oxygen sensors bottom mounted at 32 m in Massachusetts Bay

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 24 (2007): 1924-1935, doi:10.1175/JTECH2078.1.A field evaluation of two new dissolved-oxygen sensing technologies, the Aanderaa Instruments AS optode model 3830 and the Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc., model SBE43, was carried out at about 32-m water depth in western Massachusetts Bay. The optode is an optical sensor that measures fluorescence quenching by oxygen molecules, while the SBE43 is a Clark polarographic membrane sensor. Optodes were continuously deployed on bottom tripod frames by exchanging sensors every 4 months over a 19-month period. A Sea-Bird SBE43 was added during one 4-month deployment. These moored observations compared well with oxygen measurements from profiles collected during monthly shipboard surveys conducted by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. The mean correlation coefficient between the moored measurements and shipboard survey data was >0.9, the mean difference was 0.06 mL L−1, and the standard deviation of the difference was 0.15 mL L−1. The correlation coefficient between the optode and the SBE43 was >0.9 and the mean difference was 0.07 mL L−1. Optode measurements degraded when fouling was severe enough to block oxygen molecules from entering the sensing foil over a significant portion of the sensing window. Drift observed in two optodes beginning at about 225 and 390 days of deployment is attributed to degradation of the sensing foil. Flushing is necessary to equilibrate the Sea-Bird sensor. Power consumption by the SBE43 and required pump was 19.2 mWh per sample, and the optode consumed 0.9 mWh per sample, both within expected values based on manufacturers’ specifications.This work was funded by the MWRA and USGS

A current review of causation and management of functional myopia

A current review of the proposed causes and controls concerning the management of functional myopia is discussed. Nutritional-Disease, Mechanical-Anatomical, Environmental, and Genetic theories are reviewed. Topics concerning the controls of myopia include orthokeratology, vision training, surgery, pharmaceuticals and bifocals. A macroscopic theory of myopia development is presented and the merits of the various methods of control are evaluated

Medication-related cognitive artifacts used by older adults with heart failure

OBJECTIVE: To use a human factors perspective to examine how older adult patients with heart failure use cognitive artifacts for medication management. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of data collected from 30 patients and 14 informal caregivers enrolled in a larger study of heart failure self-care. Data included photographs, observation notes, interviews, video recordings, medical record data, and surveys. These data were analyzed using an iterative content analysis. RESULTS: Findings revealed that medication management was complex, inseparable from other patient activities, distributed across people, time, and place, and complicated by knowledge gaps. We identified fifteen types of cognitive artifacts including medical devices, pillboxes, medication lists, and electronic personal health records used for: 1) measurement/evaluation; 2) tracking/communication; 3) organization/administration; and 4) information/sensemaking. These artifacts were characterized by fit and misfit with the patient's sociotechnical system and demonstrated both advantages and disadvantages. We found that patients often modified or "finished the design" of existing artifacts and relied on "assemblages" of artifacts, routines, and actors to accomplish their self-care goals. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive artifacts are useful but sometimes are poorly designed or are not used optimally. If appropriately designed for usability and acceptance, paper-based and computer-based information technologies can improve medication management for individuals living with chronic illness. These technologies can be designed for use by patients, caregivers, and clinicians; should support collaboration and communication between these individuals; can be coupled with home-based and wearable sensor technology; and must fit their users' needs, limitations, abilities, tasks, routines, and contexts of use