Golf Couse Tree Planting

Patrick Reinhardt, Golf Course Superintendent, Campus Recreation and Intramurals ($4,300) Tree plantings on the golf course provide an opportunity to increase tree populations, as well as providing an opportunity to increase the diversity of trees found on the golf course. The trees selected are a variety of different Oaks, Maples, Redbuds, Magnolias, Pines, and Crape Myrtles. The trees selected were either a native variety, with the exception of the Crape Myrtles which were selected to help pollinating insects during the summer months while providing color interest. The increased tree populations are beneficial by creating additional carbon sequestration for the environment, as well increased wildlife habitat

Golf Course Moisture Meters

Patrick Reinhardt, Golf Course Superintendent, Campus Recreation and Intramurals ($3,000.00) The use of moisture meters in the management of golf courses is becoming increasingly more popular. Traditionally, this has been accomplished by looking and feeling the soil, which provides for a large amount of variability, resulting in areas that are over-watered so that they do not dry out too much

Operation Pollinator Wildflower Plots

Proposed by Patrick Reinhardt, Golf Course Superintendent, Campus Recreation and Intramural. ($2,700.00

Georgia Southern University Gold Course Operation Pollinator

Georgia Southern University Gold Course Operation Pollinator Patrick Reinhardt, Golf Course Superintendent ($2,378.80) Operation Pollinator is an international effort designed to increase the population of pollinating insects by creating diverse habitat tailored to local conditions and insect populations. Pollinating insects are crucial for the success of many natural habitats and the production of many food crops. The program was introduced to the golf course by converting out of play areas from bahia grass and Bermuda grass to a blend of native wildflowers

On the Impact of Information Provided to Employees on their Intention to Disclose Data Collected by Smart Watches to their Employers

Companies are increasingly equipping employees with smart watches to improve employees\u27 performance, health, or safety. Thus employers can collect sensitive employees\u27 data using smart watches, including, e.g., employees\u27 health and emotions. This paper investigates the effects of employers\u27 provided information on the employees\u27 intention to share information like activity, health, and location when equipped with a smart watch, considering the privacy calculus. To this end, we have conducted a scenario-based online survey with 1,214 participants in which they have to imagine being equipped with a smart watch by their employer. The scenario was changed in a post-test by increasing employers\u27 provided information to measure the impact of this change on the participants\u27 decisions. Our results indicate that the more information employers provide, the less the participants are willing to disclose data. Therefore, employees who obtain transparent information tend to weigh risks significantly higher in the associated cost-benefit analysis

A novel bioinformatics pipeline to discover genes related to arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis based on their evolutionary conservation pattern among higher plants

Genes involved in arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis have been identified primarily by mutant screens, followed by identification of the mutated genes (forward genetics). In addition, a number of AM-related genes has been identified by their AM-related expression patterns, and their function has subsequently been elucidated by knock-down or knock-out approaches (reverse genetics). However, genes that are members of functionally redundant gene families, or genes that have a vital function and therefore result in lethal mutant phenotypes, are difficult to identify. If such genes are constitutively expressed and therefore escape differential expression analyses, they remain elusive. The goal of this study was to systematically search for AM-related genes with a bioinformatics strategy that is insensitive to these problems. The central element of our approach is based on the fact that many AM-related genes are conserved only among AM-competent species.Results: Our approach involves genome-wide comparisons at the proteome level of AM-competent host species with non-mycorrhizal species. Using a clustering method we first established orthologous/paralogous relationships and subsequently identified protein clusters that contain members only of the AM-competent species. Proteins of these clusters were then analyzed in an extended set of 16 plant species and ranked based on their relatedness among AM-competent monocot and dicot species, relative to non-mycorrhizal species. In addition, we combined the information on the protein-coding sequence with gene expression data and with promoter analysis. As a result we present a list of yet uncharacterized proteins that show a strongly AM-related pattern of sequence conservation, indicating that the respective genes may have been under selection for a function in AM. Among the top candidates are three genes that encode a small family of similar receptor-like kinases that are related to the S-locus receptor kinases involved in sporophytic self-incompatibility.Conclusions: We present a new systematic strategy of gene discovery based on conservation of the protein-coding sequence that complements classical forward and reverse genetics. This strategy can be applied to diverse other biological phenomena if species with established genome sequences fall into distinguished groups that differ in a defined functional trait of interest

High overtone Bulk Acoustic Resonators: application to resonators, filters and sensors

International audienceAcoustelectric devices have been used now for several decade to stabilize oscillators, to filter radio-frequency signals or to allow for physical and even chemical detection and measures.Among all the structures that have been developed in that purpose, one has been revealing particularly interesting for the development of high quality factor resonator on an extended range of frequency. It is based on the generation of high overtones in bulk acoustic wave resonant structure and therefore are currently called HBARs. These devices may be fabricated along various approaches but they always consist of a thin (or thinned) piezoelectric layer deposited or bonded onto a high quality single crystal material. The spectral response of this kind of device exhibit a periodic comb of peaks modulated by the transducer response, yielding resonances on a very large spectrum with various characteristics and properties. We present here the basic principles of such devices, their remarquable properties, the etchnologies required to manufacture them and the various applications they can be applied for. A focus is partcularly dedicated to oscillator stabilization and to wirelss sensor development

The quantification of absolute myocardial perfusion in humans by contrast echocardiography Algorithm and validation

ObjectivesWe sought to test whether myocardial blood flow (MBF) can be quantified by myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) using a volumetric model of ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) kinetics for the description of refill curves after ultrasound-induced microsphere destruction.BackgroundAbsolute myocardial perfusion or MBF (ml·min−1·g−1) is the gold standard to assess myocardial blood supply, and so far it could not be obtained by ultrasound.MethodsThe volumetric model yielded MBF= rBV·β/ρT, where ρTequals tissue density. The relative myocardial blood volume rBV and its exchange frequency βwere derived from UCA refill sequences. Healthy volunteers underwent MCE and positron emission tomography (PET) at rest (group I: n = 15; group II: n = 5) and during adenosine-induced hyperemia (group II). Fifteen patients with coronary artery disease underwent simultaneous MCE and intracoronary Doppler measurements before and during intracoronary adenosine injection.ResultsIn vitro experiments confirmed the volumetric model and the reliable determination of rBV and βfor physiologic flow velocities. In group I, 187 of 240 segments were analyzable by MCE, and a linear relation was found between MCE and PET perfusion data (y = 0.899x + 0.079; r2= 0.88). In group II, resting and hyperemic perfusion data showed good agreement between MCE and PET (y = 1.011x + 0.124; r2= 0.92). In patients, coronary stenosis varied between 0% to 89%, and myocardial perfusion reserve was in good agreement with coronary flow velocity reserve (y = 0.92x + 0.14; r2= 0.73).ConclusionsThe volumetric model of UCA kinetics allows the quantification of MBF in humans using MCE and provides the basis for the noninvasive and quantitative assessment of coronary artery disease

A 3D cell culture system for bioengineering human neuromuscular junctions to model ALS

The signals that coordinate and control movement in vertebrates are transmitted from motoneurons (MNs) to their target muscle cells at neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). Human NMJs display unique structural and physiological features, which make them vulnerable to pathological processes. NMJs are an early target in the pathology of motoneuron diseases (MND). Synaptic dysfunction and synapse elimination precede MN loss suggesting that the NMJ is the starting point of the pathophysiological cascade leading to MN death. Therefore, the study of human MNs in health and disease requires cell culture systems that enable the connection to their target muscle cells for NMJ formation. Here, we present a human neuromuscular co-culture system consisting of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived MNs and 3D skeletal muscle tissue derived from myoblasts. We used self-microfabricated silicone dishes combined with Velcro hooks to support the formation of 3D muscle tissue in a defined extracellular matrix, which enhances NMJ function and maturity. Using a combination of immunohistochemistry, calcium imaging, and pharmacological stimulations, we characterized and confirmed the function of the 3D muscle tissue and the 3D neuromuscular co-cultures. Finally, we applied this system as an in vitro model to study the pathophysiology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and found a decrease in neuromuscular coupling and muscle contraction in co-cultures with MNs harboring ALS-linked SOD1 mutation. In summary, the human 3D neuromuscular cell culture system presented here recapitulates aspects of human physiology in a controlled in vitro setting and is suitable for modeling of MND

The Leadership Processes of Pacific Public Servants in Aotearoa, New Zealand

This dissertation presents research focused on leadership processes among Pacific public servants at multiple levels in the New Zealand Public Service. The current study was guided by this research question: What are the leadership processes currently employed by Pacific public servants in the New Zealand Public Service? This study also explored participants' views on the effect of Pacific cultural backgrounds and organisational contexts on their current experience of leadership processes. The exploration of the topic was developed within a post-positivist research paradigm, using phenomenological methodology to examine the leadership processes of Pacific public servants. It employs qualitative case studies of two New Zealand Public Service organisations in the Wellington region. I employed two data collection tools in these case studies. The first was the use of in-depth interviews, and the second was an analysis of relevant organisational documents. A total of sixteen Pacific public servants participated in my study, eight from each case organisation. The findings indicated that the Pacific participants understood leadership as a social process of collective influence within a context. Participants perceived participating, networking and relationship building, learning about leadership from cultural contexts, and practising the Pacific value of va as important leadership processes for their performance in the organisations in which they were working. This study also found that the organisations' key roles and leadership values, which are embedded in Pacific cultures, shaped participants' experiences of the leadership processes. The findings also highlight some factors that contribute to and constrain the Pacific public servants' leadership processes. This emphasises the need for diverse policies to encompass leadership development. This study also highlights the need for leadership support for Pacific public servants at all levels in their New Zealand organisations. Practical and future research recommendations gained from the findings are discussed. The study contributes to the field of leadership research on Pacific public servants in New Zealand, and provides a different perspective on leadership processes in general leadership theory