Effect of soil moisture stress on uptake and recovery of tagged nitrogen by wheat

Includes bibliographical references (pages 42-43).Labelled 15NH4NO3 was used in a growth chamber to study the effect of moisture stress on the utilization of nitrogen by wheat. This made it possible to determine the recovery of nitrogen (N) in the soil-plant system of two Chernozemic soils. Moisture stress effects were less evident in a clay soil than in a loam. Approximately 55% of the N utilized by the growing plants came from organic soil-N mineralized during the growing period. From 59 to 71% of the initial fertilizer plus soil mineral-N was utilized by the plants. Twenty to 36% remained in the soil, and 1 to 17% was lost. Losses were greatest in soils exposed to high moisture stress and were related to the residual NO3-N levels in the soil. They were attributed to denitrification. Immobilization of N was highest at low moisture stress where plant growth was the greatest, but mineralization was unaffected by the moisture stress applied. It was estimated that 5.0 to 6.2 kg N were required to produce 100 kg of wheat, the highest efficiency of N utilization being obtained at low soil moisture stress

Use of woodchip for agricultural livestock bedding

Straw price increases due to biofuel demand have created a perceived need within the agricultural industry to investigate and develop alternative bedding materials for housing ruminant livestock. This thesis addresses the suitability of woodchip, as such an alternative, indoor bedding material for livestock, focusing particularly on management of the soiled bedding, its nutrient composition, its use as an agronomic resource and its economic viability within the Welsh farming sector. In all studies, straw was used as the benchmark to which the woodchip treatments were compared. Many studies have investigated the use of woodchip in out-winter pads (OWP), but the material’s indoor performance and in particular, its potential for re-use, is not well documented. Two independent housing trials, both including sheep and cattle, were conducted. The first trial (ADAS) assessed the effect of different initial woodchip moisture contents on the performance of the bedding material and its subsequent composting. The second trial (IGER) evaluated the effects of hay and silage diets on woodchip’s bedding and composting performance. The ADAS trial showed that woodchip’s absorbency capacity and physical shape were critical in determining its bedding and composting success. In comparison to differences determined by bedding materials and livestock characteristics, the IGER trial suggested that dietary inputs had little influence on the woodchip’s bedding and composting performance. Overall, the results indicate that composting of spent woodchip bedding was less effective than that of straw bedding, due to the lack of available N which limited microbial activity. The limited breakdown of the woodchips during composting, however, does potentially allow the re-use of the bedding materials for further housing cycles. Barley sown growth trials, amended with composted bedding materials showed that woodchip composts yielded reduced biomass in comparison to conventional NPK based fertilisers and straw bedding compost. When the coarse woody fraction of the compost was removed (>8 mm in diameter), leaving just the fine (< 8mm) nutrient-enriched fraction, plant growth performance was slightly enhanced at application rates equivalent to 100 t ha-1. Estimates of N loss from woodchip treatments were high during housing, but limited during composting due to a generic lack of available nutrients, compared to straw. Using economic modelling, a cost/benefit analysis of woodchip bedding versus straw showed that woodchip is more cost efficient than straw on the condition it is re-used. In summary, the thesis concludes that woodchip is a potentially viable alternative to straw bedding for Welsh farmers, on condition of specific management practices. Future work is required to identify and mitigate N losses during the woodchip bedding phase

REVIEWS: Professional Materials

Jerry L. Johns (1991). Basic Reading Inventory; Children\u27s Books: Merry Christmas, Amanda and April; Chicken Man; All the Lights in the Night; Jack and the Beanstalk; The Swineherd; The Worst Person\u27s Christmas; That\u27s Exactly the Way it Wasn’t; An Auto Mechanic, A Carpenter, A Potter; Meredith\u27s Mother Takes the Trai

In Stories We Trust: Studies of the Validity of Autobiographies

There is a dearth of research addressing the validity of life stories, or autobiographies. In part, this is because it is unclear how such data sources might be validated. This article recommends two differ-ent perspectives for obtaining evidence relevant to the validity of autobiographical data. A study is conducted from each of these perspectives, and multiple validity estimates are obtained in each in-vestigation. The construct validity of standard psychological constructs (e.g., assertiveness, trustwor-thiness) obtained in Study 1 from autobiographies was equal to that of standard instruments designed to assess these constructs. Evidence for the validity of life themes, extracted from autobi-ographies in Study 2, was also apparent. Because life histories, autobiographies, and case studies are relied on heavily in the practice of counseling psychology and are rapidly regaining popularity in scientific studies, these positive findings suggest the wisdom in this increasing use of life history data

In Stories We Trust: Studies of the Validity of Autobiographies

There is a dearth of research addressing the validity of life stories, or autobiographies. In part, this is because it is unclear how such data sources might be validated. This article recommends two differ-ent perspectives for obtaining evidence relevant to the validity of autobiographical data. A study is conducted from each of these perspectives, and multiple validity estimates are obtained in each in-vestigation. The construct validity of standard psychological constructs (e.g., assertiveness, trustwor-thiness) obtained in Study 1 from autobiographies was equal to that of standard instruments designed to assess these constructs. Evidence for the validity of life themes, extracted from autobi-ographies in Study 2, was also apparent. Because life histories, autobiographies, and case studies are relied on heavily in the practice of counseling psychology and are rapidly regaining popularity in scientific studies, these positive findings suggest the wisdom in this increasing use of life history data

Tachyons, Supertubes and Brane/Anti-Brane Systems

We find supertubes with arbitrary (and not necessarily planar) cross section; the stability against the D2-brane tension is due to a compensation by the local momentum generated by Born-Infeld fields. Stability against long-range supergravity forces is also established. We find the corresponding solutions of the infinite-N M(atrix) model. The supersymmetric D2/anti-D2 system is a special case of the general supertube, and we show that there are no open-string tachyons in this system via a computation of the open-string one-loop vacuum energy.Comment: 1+23 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX. V2, 1+28 pages: Further generalization to non-planar cross-sections and addition of an entirely new section with the explicit supergravity solutions. V3, 1+30 pages: Bound on the angular momentum added, other minor changes in Section

Spirituality, Faith, and Mild Alzheimer\u27s Disease

There is some evidence for a positive association between spirituality, cognitive, and behavioral functioning in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, to our knowledge there is no published data to date that provides an explanatory model for these findings. Twenty-eight individuals with mild AD received in-depth interviews and measures of cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and spiritual functioning to gain insight into this question in this mixed methods study. Findings revealed that people with mild AD can actively engage in meaningful discussion about how spirituality influences their experience of living with AD; that they remain deeply devoted to a relationship with the transcendent (i.e., God, higher power, spirit) and their spiritual communities; that they value and benefit from the sacred aspects of their day-to-day lives; and that their core spiritual values, beliefs, and practices can be activated to help them adapt to the uncertainty of living with AD. Additionally, persons with AD who are experiencing spiritual struggle tend to experience a greater degree of anxiety, depression, and behavioral changes as compared to those who do not, suggesting that spiritual struggle is a risk factor for poorer outcomes in this population. Implications for future research, clinical practice, and community care are provided including how researchers and clinicians can effectively adapt traditional measures of spirituality for use with this population; the importance of integrating spirituality into the assessment and treatment of people with AD; and the role spiritual communitie