Forestry Extension in Iowa- Present Focus and Future Trends

Forestry extension in Iowa has thoroughly reexamined its educational role in recent years. Traditionally, extension programs have focused on woodlot management for timber production, windbreak establishment and care, Christmas plantation establishment, and timber processing. During the past 10 years, a program element relating to proper use of wood in building construction was added. Beginning in 1974, major program emphasis has shifted and now presents some differences both in type or program and in concentration of resources

Iowa Public Tree Management

A variety of benefits are realized from street trees in Iowa, Larger towns in Iowa often have programs and departments involving the urban forest while the smaller towns do not. Management needs in small towns include maintenance, tree planting, species diversity, and uniformity and continuity of tree programs. A second study is being conducted to deal with the larger towns

The Shape, Multiplicity, and Evolution of Superclusters in LambdaCDM Cosmology

We determine the shape, multiplicity, size, and radial structure of superclusters in the LambdaCDM concordance cosmology from z = 0 to z = 2. Superclusters are defined as clusters of clusters in our large-scale cosmological simulation. We find that superclusters are triaxial in shape; many have flattened since early times to become nearly two-dimensional structures at present, with a small fraction of filamentary systems. The size and multiplicity functions are presented at different redshifts. Supercluster sizes extend to scales of ~ 100 - 200 Mpc/h. The supercluster multiplicity (richness) increases linearly with supercluster size. The density profile in superclusters is approximately isothermal (~ R^{-2}) and steepens on larger scales. These results can be used as a new test of the current cosmology when compared with upcoming observations of large-scale surveys.Comment: 33 pages, 15 figures, accepted to ApJ; minor content changes, some figures removed to shorten pape

Iron bioavailability from commercially available iron supplements

Purpose: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a global public health problem. Treatment with the standard of care ferrous iron salts may be poorly tolerated, leading to non-compliance and ineffective correction of IDA. Employing supplements with higher bioavailability might permit lower doses of iron to be used with fewer side effects, thus improving treatment efficacy. Here, we compared the iron bioavailability of ferrous sulphate tablets with alternative commercial iron products, including three liquid-based supplements. Methods: Iron bioavailability was measured using Caco-2 cells with ferritin formation as a surrogate marker for iron uptake. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA followed by either Dunnett’s or Tukey’s multiple comparisons tests. Results: Spatone Apple® (a naturally iron-rich mineral water with added ascorbate) and Iron Vital F® (a synthetic liquid iron supplement) had the highest iron bioavailability. There was no statistical difference between iron uptake from ferrous sulphate tablets, Spatone® (naturally iron-rich mineral water alone) and Pregnacare Original® (a multimineral/multivitamin tablet). Conclusion: In our in vitro model, naturally iron-rich mineral waters and synthetic liquid iron formulations have equivalent or better bioavailability compared with ferrous iron sulphate tablets. If these results are confirmed in vivo, this would mean that at-risk groups of IDA could be offered a greater choice of more bioavailable and potentially better tolerated iron preparations

Oak regeneration response to thinning from below

Most of the nation\u27s productive forests are in nonindustrial, private ownership. To meet projected demands, timber harvests will need to increase on these lands. Iowa, which has 0.61 million hectares (ha) or approximately 1.5 million acres of commercial forestland, could benefit from capitalizing on this demand. However, the state\u27s timber resource has been generally under-utilized. For example, Iowans have not harvested poletimber and low-grade sawlog materials from their woodlots because the market for such products has been lacking. Killing such trees to make room for better quality material involves costs that do not immediately increase net returns; thus, incentive to manage these woodlands has not been high

Behavioural activation for overweight and obese adolescents with low mood delivered in a community setting : feasibility study

Background Mood and weight problems are common in young people, yet few treatments address both conditions concurrently. Behavioural activation (BA) has shown promise as a treatment for adults with comorbid obesity and depression. This study aimed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a manualised BA treatment targeting weight and mood problems in young people. Methods Young people with low mood and weight difficulties were identified via a school-based screening process. Following a diagnostic interview, young people with clinically significant mood problems and concurrent overweight/obesity were invited to participate. A total of 8–12 sessions of BA were delivered by a graduate therapist to eight adolescents (four male) aged 12–15 years. Weight, mood and functioning were assessed before, during and after treatment, and a semistructured qualitative interview was conducted, along with selected outcome measures at 4 months’ follow-up. Results Low attrition and positive qualitative feedback suggested the intervention was acceptable. Trends towards a reduction in reported depression symptoms and improved functioning scores were observed at follow-up, with more mixed results for change in body mass index. Of those attending the 4-month follow-up, 57% (4/7) no longer met the screening threshold for major depressive disorder. However, low screening and baseline recruitment rates would pose challenges to executing a larger trial. Conclusions BA delivered by a graduate therapist in a British community setting is an acceptable, feasible treatment for comorbid mood and weight problems in adolescence, and its effectiveness should be evaluated in an adequately powered randomised controlled trial

Agroforestry Systems for the Midwest

The purposes of this article are to present the concept of “Agroforestry and to introduce two agroforestry projects that have been initiated by researchers from the Department of Forestry and other departments in the Colleges of Agriculture, Design, and Engineering at Iowa State University. A more detailed discussion of these two projects follow a general discussion of agroforestry

The quantity and composition of household food waste during the COVID-19 pandemic: A direct measurement study in Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic may have amplified the environmental, social, and economic implications of household food waste. A better understanding of household food wasting during the pandemic is needed to improve the management of waste and develop best practices for municipal waste management programs under crisis circumstances. A waste composition study was undertaken with 100 single-family households across the city of London, Ontario, Canada to determine the quantity and composition of household food waste disposed in June 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines how household demographic, socioeconomic, and neighbourhood food environment characteristics influence household food wasting. On average, each household sent 2.81 kg of food waste to landfill per week, of which 52% was classified as avoidable food waste and 48% as unavoidable food waste. The quantity and composition of household food waste was found to be strongly influenced by the number of people and children in a household, and somewhat influenced by socioeconomic factors and neighbourhood food environment characteristics, including the availability, density, and proximity of retail food outlets

Land Application of Sludge to Forest and Herbaceous Energy Crops

A cooperative study involving the City of Ames, Iowa State University, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been initiated to utilize municipal sludge as “fertilizer” to increase the productivity of fast-growing trees and herbaceous crops. The tree and herbaceous crops are grown to produce renewable biomass useful as energy feedstock. The design of the planting and the growth characteristics of the tree and herbaceous biomass system are expected to effectively minimize the contamination potential of the sludge to surface and groundwater. Located at the new Ames Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant, this system can be called an “agroforestry energy system. An arrangement using alternating strips of forage crops and trees is designed to produce greater yields of both crops than if each crop is grown individually. The tree crop benefits the agricultural crop by reducing wind and, therefore, water losses, whereas the herbaceous crop, next to the trees, increases the amount of sunlight able to reach the trees along the edges, therefore, increasing the woody biomass productivity. Approximately 40 acres of prime agricultural land will be devoted to the study. The tree species being used is a cottonwood hybrid (Populous x euramericana-clone NC-5326). The herbaceous crops consist of switch grass, forage sorghum and rye, and crambe (an industrial oil seed crop). The herbaceous crops are planted between the tree strips to provide the benefits mentioned above. The spacing arrangement is also designed to allow access for the sludge application truck (see figure 1). Three plantings will be made, one each in 1990, 1991, and 1992. Various agronomic rates of sludge will be applied starting the spring of 1991