Patrick J. Clinton to James Meredith (3 October 1962)

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/mercorr_pro/1888/thumbnail.jp

INITIAL UNDERSTORY RESPONSE TO GAP-BASED REGENERATION METHODS FOR MATURE UPLAND OAK FORESTS

Problems with oak regeneration, and concerns by environmental and conservation organizations, are driving interest in longer rotations and in reproduction methods that retain the overstory for an extended time period. Clearcutting and shelterwood regeneration methods are providing mixed results for oak seedling development and recruitment due to the increased abundance of shade tolerant midstory species. The irregular group shelterwood (Femelschlag) system has been used in Central Europe to address these issues, and may provide the basis for a gap-based system in the Central Hardwood Forest Region. This study examines the two-year effects of a gap-based regeneration method featuring 60m diameter gaps (0.72 ac), and associated midstory removal 30m into the surrounding forest matrix, on natural oak and competitor tree species reproduction as well as on planted white oak seedlings (Quercus alba L.). In addition to seedling growth and survival, the study also characterizes the spatial patterning of light transmittance from gap centers into the forest matrix beyond gap margins. Results from this study can serve as a basis for oak management addressing recruitment issues and providing a regeneration method compatible with a range of forest ownership objectives

High Fat Diet Induced Obesity in a Mouse Model for Colorectal Cancer

Obesity is widely correlated with the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC). The exact mechanisms that link obesity to CRC risk have not yet been fully established, and only a limited number of animal models are available to study pathways involved in obesity-related colon carcinogenesis. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of HFD-induced obesity on AOM/DSS-mediated colorectal tumorigenesis, tumor proliferation, and symptom severity. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed a novel high fat diet, designed to mimic the standard American diet (12 % saturated fat & 28 % unsaturated fat), at 4 weeks of age until 16 weeks of age to induce obesity. At 16 weeks of age HFD-fed mice had significantly increased mean body mass compared to LFD-fed mice. Thus, mice were obese prior to initiation of CRC. Following treatment with AOM/DSS, study results indicated no significant changes in tumor number or size with obesity. Similarly, obesity did not increase the severity of symptoms in this model. These findings challenge previously published data, with the caveat that the low number of tumors detected in the present model limits translational implications for tumor characteristics and symptom severity in obesity

Autonomic response and behavioral performance of avid video game players on a decision-making task

Avid video gaming is proposed as a term for individuals that play video games for prolonged periods of time. These individuals were predicted to show similar performance on a MineHunter, an analogue to the Iowa Gambling Task, comparable to the performance of pathological gamblers reported in the literature. Comparisons have been made between gamblers and video gamers based on similarities in the interaction level of the activity, as well as similarities in demographics and reported detriments in social and employment areas. The results of the study do not support a comparison. Avid gaming may be a hobby rather than a psychopathology like pathological gambling. The study does provide support for the use of MineHunter instrument. Advantages, limitations, and potential improvements for MineHunter are discussed

Influencing the confirmation bias on a matchmaker task through manipulation of the feeling of rightness

The confirmation bias occurs when an individual ignores potentially disconfirming evidence and gives greater attention to apparent confirming evidence. The confirmation bias is theorized to result from rapid, automatic and unconscious processing. Such processing generates decisions that are considered to be “good enough” to meet the demands of a situation. Although such judgments are guided by unconscious processing, the individual may have conscious awareness of the generated hypothesis while still failing to systematically consider important information. Previous attempts to counter the confirmation bias have focused on directly instructing individuals to use systematic decision making. This method has had some success in laboratory tasks but has shown little transfer to real-world, everyday decision making. Systematic processing requires cognitive resources and more time than reliance on automatic processing. Therefore, individuals may refuse to engage in systematic processing unless they have a strong belief that their hypothesis is flawed. The experiments described in this paper attempt to increase participant’s doubt in their flawed hypothesis by calling attention to failure and by increasing the apparent difficulty of the task. Such doubts were expected to increase systematic processing. While focusing attention on failed decisions did increase the time participants spent making decisions, such increased deliberation time did not translate to improved accuracy. However, the experiments support the use of the Matchmaker Task to create a specific bias that can persist over numerous trials

Intelligent Vision Systems Independent Research and Development (IR&D) 2006

This report summarizes results in conduct of research sponsored by the 2006 Independent Research and Development (IR&D) program at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The focus of this IR&D is neural network (NN) technology provided by Imagination Engines, Incorporated (IEI) of St. Louis, Missouri. The technology already has many commercial, military, and governmental applications, and a rapidly growing list of other potential spin-offs. The goal for this IR&D is implementation and demonstration of the technology for autonomous robotic operations, first in software and ultimately in one or more hardware realizations. Testing is targeted specifically to the MSFC Flat Floor, but may also include other robotic platforms at MSFC, as time and funds permit. For the purpose of this report, the NN technology will be referred to by IEI's designation for a subset configuration of its patented technology suite: Self-Training Autonomous Neural Network Object (STANNO)

Demonstration of Self-Training Autonomous Neural Networks in Space Vehicle Docking Simulations

Neural Networks have been under examination for decades in many areas of research, with varying degrees of success and acceptance. Key goals of computer learning, rapid problem solution, and automatic adaptation have been elusive at best. This paper summarizes efforts at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center harnessing such technology to autonomous space vehicle docking for the purpose of evaluating applicability to future missions

MOCCA College: An assessment of inferential narrative and expository comprehension

[ES] MOCCA-C is an assessment of adult reading ability designed for early diagnosis of reading problems, for formative assessment in reading intervention planning, for assessment of reading improvement over time, and for assessment of reading intervention outcomes. It uses both narrative and expository reading passages and it currently has four forms. Two goals of this research were to compare narrative and expository passages on (a) their difficulty and (b) their ability to discriminate between good and poor readers. An additional goal was to assess whether narrative and expository passages measure the same or different comprehension dimensions. A final goal was to assess the reliability of forms. We randomly assigned students to forms with between 274 – 279 college students per form. Across the several forms, results suggest that narrative passages are easier and better discriminate between good and poor readers. However, both narrative and expository passages measure a single dimension of ability. MOCCA-C scores are reliable. Implications for research and practice are discussed.Davison, ML.; Seipel, B.; Clinton, V.; Carlson, S.; Kennedy, P.; Kennedy, PC. (2020). MOCCA College: An assessment of inferential narrative and expository comprehension. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):417-425. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11081OCS41742530-05-202

A potential gross sales test for farmland: the synthesis and application of a rural resource planning tool

Due to recent changes in Oregon land-use regulations, agricultural resource lands within exclusive farm-use zones are being designated as high-value, important, or small-scale farmland according to their relative potential for commercial agriculture. Potential gross agricultural sales are used as a threshold in the designation of small-scale farmlands; however, the regulations are not clear on what form a test for the gross agricultural sales potential of land would take, nor are they clear on how it would be applied. The purpose of this research project was to develop a systematic procedure to estimate the annual potential gross sales of agricultural parcels. The research project had three major objectives: first, to identify data sources that are commonly available at the county level that could be used in a test of agricultural gross sales capability; second, to develop a potential gross sales procedure that would be easy to apply, parcel-specific, replicable, and defensible; and third, to apply the procedure in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the potential gross sales test as a land-use planning tool. The research found that the structure of assessors' rent schedules along with assessors' inventories of the type and acreage of soils within ownership parcels present the means to disaggregate county-level gross sales estimates derived from Extension data in order to estimate potential gross sales at the farm-unit scale

The importance of BIM capability assessment: An evaluation of post-selection performance of organisations on construction projects

Purpose: The emergence of building information modelling (BIM) has led to the need for pre-qualification and selection of organisations capable of working within a BIM environment. Several criteria have been proposed for the assessment of an organisation’s BIM capability during the pre-qualification and selection phase of projects. However, no studies have sought to empirically establish whether organisations selected on the basis of such criteria have actually been the most successful at delivering BIM on projects. The purpose of this paper is to address the aforementioned gap through a comparison of predicted BIM capability and post-selection performance. Design/methodology/approach: BIM capability of firms in a case study was predicted using 28 BIM pre-qualification and selection criteria, prioritised based on their perceived contribution to BIM delivery success from a survey of practitioners on BIM-enabled projects. The comparison of predicted BIM capability and post-selection performance was, on the other hand, achieved through the application of the Technique to Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution and fuzzy sets theory (Fuzzy-TOPSIS). Findings: Findings underscore the reliability of the 28 BIM pre-qualification and selection criteria as well as the priority weightings proposed for their use in predicting BIM capability and likelihood of performance. The findings have highlighted the importance of criteria related as previous BIM use experience as well as information processing maturity as critical indicators of the capability of organisations, particularly design firms. Originality/value: Overall, the findings highlight the need for prioritisation of BIM pre-qualification and selection criteria on the basis of their actual contribution to delivery success from post-selection evaluation of performance