Exploring the Applicability of the Science Communication Research Agenda to Agricultural Communications Scholarship

Agricultural communications scholars do not use a national research agenda to guide their research, which could be limiting the impact and rigor of the discipline. In this commentary, we argue that agricultural communications scholars should adopt the science communication research agenda published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2017 because the goals of science communication, outlined in the agenda, are relevant to agriculture. Members of the committee who developed the agenda study science communication in contexts of food, agriculture, life sciences, the environment, political science, health, nutrition, and psychology, among others. They developed the agenda with the intent for it to inform and guide research in all science communication sub-disciplines or areas involving contentious public issues. We provide examples of studies that have used the agenda to inform research in agricultural and natural resources communications. We also explain how research priorities outlined in the science communication research agenda align with agricultural communications scholarship. Recognizing there are challenges unique to agriculture, we recommend agricultural communications scholars use the science communication research agenda as a research guide and adapt the relevant research recommendations for agricultural communications

Investigating Students’ Career-Readiness in the Agricultural Sciences: A Phenomenological Case Study

The agricultural industry lacks qualified workers, suggesting students may not participate in opportunities that effectively develop their employability skills. We used a phenomenological case study approach to investigate Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students’ career-readiness and factors influencing career-readiness. We conducted interviews with 19 juniors and seniors. Open coding procedures revealed five emergent themes—Career Advice-Seeking Behavior,Employability Skills Development, Network Establishment, Relevant Experiences, and Personal Growth. Findings indicate that students do not take advantage of University resources to help them with career preparation. Findings also revealed a lack of employability skills development, especially relating to students’ communication and science communication skills. Students identified high-impact experiences they believed improved their employability skills. We recommend strategies for educators to improve agriculture students’ career- readiness and offer research recommendations to examine career-readiness factors that may help prepare students to meet 21st century agricultural workforce demands

Measuring the magnetic axis alignment during solenoids working

A method for monitoring the misalignment of the magnetic axis in solenoids is proposed. This method requires only a few measurements of the magnetic field at fixed positions inside the magnet aperture, and thus overcomes the main drawback of sturdy moving mechanics of other Hall sensor-based methods. Conversely to state-of-the-art axis determination, the proposed method can be applied also during magnet operations, when the axis region and almost the whole remaining magnet aperture are not accessible. Moreover, only a few measurements of the magnetic field at fixed positions inside the magnet aperture are required: thus a slow process such as the mapping of the whole aperture of a magnet by means of moving stages is not necessary. The mathematical formulation of the method is explained, and a case study on a model of a multi–layer solenoid is presented. For this case study, the uncertainty is assessed and the optimal placement of the Hall transducers is derived

Curvas de maturação de cultivares de sorgo sacarino.

Nos últimos anos houve um aumento expressivo no interesse pelo sorgo sacarino como cultura alternativa e complementar à cana-de-açúcar na obtenção de etanol como biocombustível. Devido a este fato, existe a necessidade de se analisar as propriedades do sorgo afim de se atender às demandas da agroindustria. No presente trabalho buscou-se desenvolver e analisar curvas de maturação para três cultivares de sorgo sacarino em oito epocas de amostragem. Os resultados mostram que houve diferença significativa para cultivares e épocas de colheita para todas as variáveis analisadas (p≤0,01). Quanto aos teores de açúcares, a cultivar BRS508 apresentou as maiores médias para as variáveis ART, ATR e AT. As cultivares XBSW80147 e Sugargraze apresentaram menor período de utilização industrial e menores teores de açúcares redutores totais e açúcares totais recuperáveis

Fito-hormônios no desenvolvimento vegetativo e germinação das sementes de sorgo sacarino.

Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de doses e das épocas de aplicação de diferentes reguladores de crescimento no sorgo sacarino e sua influência sobre o desenvolvimento da planta e a germinação das sementes produzidas, foi instalado em setembro de 2011, em Sete Lagoas, MG, Brasil, na Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, um experimento em casa de vegetação com três ingredientes ativos comerciais (trinexapac-ethyl, paclobutrazol e daminozida), testando-se seis doses para cada produto em duas épocas de aplicação ao longo do ciclo. Observou-se que o ingrediente trinexapac-ethyl foi o mais efetivo na redução do desenvolvimento vegetativo das plantas de sorgo sacarino, quando aplicado duas vezes ao longo do ciclo da cultura, mas com grave prejuízo sobre a qualidade das sementes produzidas

New retrieval of BrO from SCIAMACHY limb: an estimate of the stratospheric bromine loading during April 2008

We present a new retrieval of stratospheric BrO (bromine monoxide) from channel 2 SCIAMACHY (SCanning Imaging Absorption spectrometer for Atmospheric CHartographY) limb observations. Retrievals are shown to agree with independent balloon observations to within one standard deviation of the retrieval noise. We retrieve BrO profiles for all of April 2008, and apply simulated [BrO]/[Br_y] (bromine monoxide : stratospheric inorganic bromine) ratios to estimate the stratospheric Br_y loading. We find 23.5 ± 6 ppt Br, suggesting 7 ppt Br from short-lived bromocarbons to be at the high end of the current best estimate (3–8 ppt). The 6 ppt Br uncertainty estimate is dominated by the 21% uncertainty in the simulated [BrO] / [Br_y] ratio due to propagation of errors from the underlying chemical kinetics