Renovating grass sods with legumes (1993)

Many Missouri pastures have adequate grass stands, but they need legumes. If the soil is capable of growing them, legumes should be established in grass sods. Establishing clovers is cheaper than topdressing the grass with nitrogen. Legumes have long been recognized for furnishing nitrogen to a companion grass. However, they have many other equally important qualities that are often overlooked. This publication provides information about renovating grass sods with legumes

Marketers’ Use Of Alternative Front-Of-Package Nutrition Symbols: An Examination Of Effects On Product Evaluations

How front-of-package (FOP) nutrition icon systems affect product evaluations for more and less healthful objective nutrition profiles is a critical question facing food marketers, consumers, and the public health community. We propose a conceptually-based hierarchical continuum to guide predictions regarding the effectiveness of several FOP systems currently used in the marketplace. In Studies 1a and 1b, we compare the effects of a broad set of FOP icons on nutrition evaluations linked to health, accuracy of evaluations, and purchase intentions for a single product. Based on these findings, Studies 2 and 3 test the effects of two conceptually-different FOP icon systems in a retail laboratory in which consumers make comparative evaluations of multiple products at the retail shelf. While there are favorable effects of each system beyond control conditions with no FOP icons, results show that icons with an evaluative component that aid consumers’ interpretations generally provide greater benefits (particularly in product comparison contexts). We offer implications for consumer packaged goods marketers, retailers, and the public policy and consumer health communities

Tall fescue (1993)

Tall fescue is well adapted to the soil and weather conditions of Missouri. It is especially adapted to the hazardous growing conditions of southern Missouri and will produce more forage on acid, wet soils of sandstone and shale origin than other cool-season grass. Fescue is one of the more drought-resistant field plants grown in Missouri. It also will maintain itself under rather limited fertility conditions. Fescue may be used not only as a forage, but is ideal for waterways, ditch and pond banks, and farm lots and lanes. This publication provides further information about tall fescue

Factor Structure of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI): Findings From a Large Incarcerated Sample

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; S. O. Lilienfeld, 1990; S. O. Lilienfeld & B. P. Andrews, 1996) with a community sample has suggested that the PPI subscales may comprise 2 higher order factors (S. D. Benning, C. J. Patrick, B. M. Hicks, D. M. Blonigen, & R. F. Krueger, 2003). However, substantive and structural evidence raises concerns about the viability of this 2-factor model, particularly in offender populations. The authors attempted to replicate the S. D. Benning et al. 2-factor solution using a large (N= 1,224) incarcerated male sample. Confirmatory factor analysis of this model resulted in poor model fit. Similarly, using the same EFA procedures as did S. D. Benning et al., the authors found little evidence for a 2-factor model. When they followed the recommendations of J.-W. van Prooijen and W. A. van der Kloot (2001) for recovering EFA solutions, model fit results provided some evidence that a 3-factor EFA solution could be recovered via confirmatory factor analysis

Positive risk-taking in intermediate care: a study of risk-related decision making in occupational therapy

Intermediate care services support people at the interface between hospital and home and its services are mostly accessed by older adults with complex needs. There are many risks associated with discharging older adults from hospital to home. Employing positive risk-taking in occupational therapy intermediate care interventions is necessary to ensure safety and autonomy. In this context, it is likely that positive risk-taking barriers can impact discharge decisions, especially those made by students of occupational therapy or newly qualified practitioners who have been shown to be more risk averse than experienced practitioners. This research investigated the effect strength of positive risk-taking barriers at different levels of occupational therapy experience in relation to discharging older adults from hospital to home in occupational therapy intermediate care and other occupational therapy community services. To achieve this, a scoping review, a consensus study by Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and a factorial survey were undertaken. A scoping review of twenty-five articles (n=25) investigated the common areas of risk and their characteristics from an occupational therapy intermediate care perspective. It found ten risk domains: falls, discharge, practice errors, activities of daily living, pressure care, frailty management, patient handling, loneliness, nutritional care and language barriers. Three risk characteristics were identified, these were, ‘risk awareness and identifying risk’, ‘decision-making under risk’ and ‘improving safety’. Additionally, it was found that risk control, reconciliation with occupation, and facilitation of positive risk-taking were implicit and not directly addressed within the literature. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) convened experienced intermediate care occupational therapists to determine the most prevalent risks and barriers to positive risk-taking. Nineteen (n=19) areas of risk and sixteen (n=16) positive risk-taking barriers were identified. ‘Falls’ and ‘Comorbidities’ were rated the most common areas of risk. ‘Different risk perception for organisations/providers’ was rated the highest positive risk-taking barrier. Based on the findings from the scoping review and the NGT, vignettes were constructed to approximate occupational therapy intermediate care discharge to home scenarios and the prevalent responses were organised into positive risk-taking barriers and facilitators. The factorial survey was employed to investigate the barriers to positive risk-taking at different levels of experience. Seventy-four (n=74) participants self-categorised their older adult occupational therapy experience into Novice, Semi-expert, Expert before answering a total of 281 vignettes. Those barriers that were found to be statistically significant in reducing the likelihood to recommend a home discharge for an older adult were ‘No Support’, Novices (β = -.315, p=0.002), Semi-experts (β = -.313, p=0.001) Experts (β = -.254, p=0.009); ‘Limited Capacity’, Novices (β = -.305, p<0.003), Semi-experts (β = -.254, p=0.006) Experts (β = -.376, p=0.001) and ‘Blame Culture’ Semi-experts (β = -.240, p=0.010). Novices were found to be less likely to recommend a home discharge by comparison, Semi-experts were the group most affected by the ‘Blame Culture’ factor and Experts considered the ‘Limited Capacity’ factor as the most relevant in this context. These findings are important to direct future research and could be used as a targeted approach to training occupational therapists at pre-registration level, inform intermediate care practice and benefit occupational therapists who are new to discharge risk assessment and positive risk-taking

Use of Foliar Chemical Treatments to Induce Disease Resistance in Rhododendrons Inoculated with Phytophthora ramorum

A field study was conducted at the National Ornamental Research Site at Dominican University California (NORS-DUC). The study goal was to evaluate three chemical inducers applied as foliar treatments for controlling Phytophthora ramorum, on Rhododendron x ‘Cunningham’s White’ nursery plants. The inducers were chlorine dioxide (ElectroBiocide), hydrogen peroxide (OxiDate 2.0), and acibenzolar-s methyl (Actigard). Water samples from the electrostatic sprayer were measured for three physicochemical water properties. Visual assessment of plant foliage, based on the Horsfall- Barratt scale, was conducted at three and five months after chemical treatments. Foliar fluorescence (Fv/Fm) was measured over three dates. The success of P. ramorum inoculations were determined using qPCR methods. Visual assessment across both months showed no signs of P. ramorum infection or chemical injury symptoms. However, P. ramorum infection vis-à-vis qPCR analysis was confirmed. The September Fv/Fm results revealed that all the chemical inducer treatments were equivalent to the water treatment, except for Actigard. The qPCR results were in general agreement with the Fv/Fm results indicating that the rhododendrons were successfully inoculated with P. ramorum but were non-symptomatic. The electrostatic sprayer ionized the water droplets, resulting in increased Fv/Fm values for the water treatments 90 days after application. There was a three-month delay in fluorescence responses to the most effective chemical applications, indicating that woody plants may need to be monitored over the long term to determine accurate responses to foliar treatments

Design, characterization, and control of the NASA three degree of freedom reaction compensation platform

Increasing research is being done into industrial uses for the microgravity environment aboard orbiting space vehicles. However, there is some concern over the effects of reaction forces produced by moving objects, especially motors, robotic actuators, and astronauts. Reaction forces produced by the movement of these objects may manifest themselves as undesirable accelerations in the space vehicle making the vehicle unusable for microgravity applications. It is desirable to provide compensation for such forces using active means. This paper presents the design and experimental evaluation of the NASA three degree of freedom reaction compensation platform, a system designed to be a testbed for the feasibility of active attenuation of reaction forces caused by moving objects in a microgravity environment. Unique 'linear motors,' which convert electrical current directly into rectilinear force, are used in the platform design. The linear motors induce accelerations of the displacer inertias. These accelerations create reaction forces that may be controlled to counteract disturbance forces introduced to the platform. The stated project goal is to reduce reaction forces by 90 percent, or -20 dB. Description of the system hardware, characterization of the actuators and the composite system, and design of the software safety system and control software are included

Investigating the behavioural effects of a mobile-phone based home telehealth intervention in people with insulin-requiring diabetes: Results of a randomized controlled trial with patient interviews

INTRODUCTION: Evidence supporting home telehealth effects on clinical outcomes in diabetes is available, yet mechanisms of action for these improvements remain poorly understood. Behavioural change is one plausible explanation. This study investigated the behavioural effects of a mobile-phone based home telehealth (MTH) intervention in people with diabetes. It was hypothesized that MTH would improve self-efficacy, illness beliefs, and diabetes self-care. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial compared standard care to standard care supplemented with MTH (self-monitoring, data transmission, graphical and nurse-initiated feedback, educational calls). Self-report measures of self-efficacy, illness beliefs, and self-care were repeated at baseline, three months, and nine months. MTH effects were based on the group by time interactions in hierarchical linear models and effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Interviews with MTH participants explored the perceived effects of MTH on diabetes self-management. RESULTS: Eighty-one participants were randomized to the intervention (n = 45) and standard care (n = 36). Significant group by time effects were observed for five out of seven self-efficacy subscales. Effect sizes were large, particularly at nine months. Interaction effects for illness beliefs and self-care were non-significant, but effect sizes and confidence intervals suggested MTH may positively affect diet and exercise. In interviews, MTH was associated with increased awareness, motivation, and a greater sense of security. Improved self-monitoring and diet were reported by some participants. DISCUSSION: MTH empowers people with diabetes to manage their condition and may influence self-care. Future MTH research would benefit from investigating behavioural mechanisms and determining patient profiles predictive of greater behavioural effectiveness

Blood Protein Residues on Lithic Artifacts from Two Archaeological Sites in the De Long Mountains, Northwestern Alaska

Immunological analysis of blood residues was performed on 25 lithic artifacts from two archaeological sites (DEL-166 and DEL-168) in the De Long Mountains of northwestern Alaska. Blood residues occur on five artifact types: retouched flakes; end scrapers; flake burins; bifaces; and wedge-shaped microblade cores. Fourteen (56%) of the 25 analyzed artifacts react positively to six animal antisera and to human blood. Besides human blood, identified residues include the blood of sturgeon (Acipenseridae), deer (Cervidae), rabbit (Leporidae), bear (Ursus), "cat" (Felidae) and "mouse" (Rodentia). Although the application of blood residue analysis to archaeological problems is a relatively new application of an old forensic method, it may provide useful information about artifact function and animal procurement from sites where faunal remains are not preserved.On a procédé à une analyse immunologique de résidus sanguins sur 25 artefacts lithiques provenant de deux sites archéologiques (DEL-166 et DEL-168) dans les monts De Long du nord-ouest de l'Alaska. On a trouvé des résidus sanguins sur cinq types d'artefacts: éclats retouchés; grattoirs sur lame; burins faits d'éclats; bifaces; et nucléus microlames cunéiformes. Quatorze (56 p. cent) des 25 artefacts analysés ont réagi positivement à six antisérums de provenance animale et à du sang humain. Outre le sang de provenance humaine, les résidus identifiés comprennent le sang d'esturgeon (Acipenseridae), de chevreuil (Cervidae), de lapin (Leporidae), d'ours (Ursus), de «chat» (Felidae) et de «souris» (Rodentia). Bien que l'application de l'analyse de résidus sanguins à des questions d'ordre archéologique soit une application relativement nouvelle d'une ancienne méthode médico-légale, elle peut fournir des renseignements utiles sur la fonction de l'artefact et sur l'approvisionnement en animaux dans les cas de sites où les vestiges de la faune n'ont pas été conservés