Multiple models and experiments underscore large uncertainty in soil carbon dynamics

Soils contain more carbon than plants or the atmosphere, and sensitivities of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks to changing climate and plant productivity are a major uncertainty in global carbon cycle projections. Despite a consensus that microbial degradation and mineral stabilization processes control SOC cycling, no systematic synthesis of long-term warming and litter addition experiments has been used to test process-based microbe-mineral SOC models. We explored SOC responses to warming and increased carbon inputs using a synthesis of 147 field manipulation experiments and five SOC models with different representations of microbial and mineral processes. Model projections diverged but encompassed a similar range of variability as the experimental results. Experimental measurements were insufficient to eliminate or validate individual model outcomes. While all models projected that CO efflux would increase and SOC stocks would decline under warming, nearly one-third of experiments observed decreases in CO flux and nearly half of experiments observed increases in SOC stocks under warming. Long-term measurements of C inputs to soil and their changes under warming are needed to reconcile modeled and observed patterns. Measurements separating the responses of mineral-protected and unprotected SOC fractions in manipulation experiments are needed to address key uncertainties in microbial degradation and mineral stabilization mechanisms. Integrating models with experimental design will allow targeting of these uncertainties and help to reconcile divergence among models to produce more confident projections of SOC responses to global changes. 2

State Education Agency curriculum consultants' perceptions of the principalship in North Carolina

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of State Education Agency (SEA) curriculum consultants based in regional education centers in North Carolina concerning the role of the principal. This investigation considered the independent variables of region of the state where the consultant was employed, length of service as a curriculum consultant, gender and age of the consultant, highest degree earned by the consultant, existence of prior experience as a principal by the consultant, and the self-perception held by the consultants as to their role in a regional education center. Data were obtained from 41 responses to a survey mailed to the total population of 47 regional SEA curriculum consultants in North Carolina exclusive of the writer. Data were analyzed according to nine specific research questions asked by the study regarding perceptions of the population members as to the role of the principals with whom they work and of those in the rest of the state. This information was analyzed according to the seven independent variables used in the study. In addition, interviews were conducted with 16 curriculum consultants. The interview data were analyzed to give information about the desired relationship between principal and consultant

Leadership styles of small, private, liberal arts college presidents in North Carolina

Although there has been much written about the leadership role of today's college president, there remains a lack of consensus about the value and distinctiveness of the president's leadership style. Vet, the effectiveness of the institution and the viability of its programs are projected by the image and leadership of its president. The purpose of this study was to investigate the leadership styles of small, private, liberal arts college presidents. Through this study, elements of the presidents' motivational patterns, leadership characteristics, performance behaviors, and leadership roles were explored. The president of each of the twenty-four small, private, liberal arts colleges in North Carolina was asked to complete Elias Porter's Strength Deployment Inventory and the Job Interactions Inventory. To serve as a counterpoint to each president's perception about his/her leadership style, five colleagues (the chief academic officer, chief student affairs officer, chief business officer, and two senior faculty members selected by the president) were asked to complete Porter's Strength Deployment Inventory: Feedback Edition

Influence of leaf trichome type, and density on the host plant selection by the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Host selection by adult greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) was assessed on two pelargonium plant cultivars, Pelargonium x domesticum (regal) and P. x hortorum (zonal) using Petri dish bioassay chambers in choice and no-choice tests. Plant characteristics which could influence the oviposition preference of the whitely i.e., type and density of trichomes on the abaxial leaf surface was determined. A strong host preference was observed for the regal compared to the zonal pelargonium by the adult whiteflies. In no-choice tests, adults laid a significantly higher number of eggs on regal than on zonal leaves both at 24 and 48 hours post-exposure, respectively. After exposure to the adult whitefly, the number of 42 eggs in choice tests were similar between cultivars at 24 hours, but were higher for regal at 48 and 72 hours. The total number of trichomes (sng: straight non-glandular + sg: straight glandular) per 0.50 cm2 44 was significantly less on regal (Mean ± SE sng + sg; 43.1 ± 1.5) than on zonal leaves (60.5 ± 1.2); however, the sng trichomes were significantly higher on the zonal (49.4 ± 0.96) than the regal leaves (28.6 ± 1.00). Also, the number of sg trichomes was slightly higher for the regal cultivar leaves compared to the zonal, being 14.4 ± 1.2 and 11.2 ± 0.5, respectively. Results suggest that the trichome density, type and the ability to express glandular exudates can affect adult whitefly Pelargonium cultivar preference and plays an important role in their host plant selection for oviposition

Favorability of representative and visionary leaders following an organizational crisis

Effective leaders are critical in ensuring the success of organizations. Particularly in crisis situations, employees look to leaders to guide the organization through hardships and achieve success in the face of challenges. I discuss and explore two main types of leadership style: visionary leadership and representative leadership. The present research consists of two experiments that investigate group members’ preference for one type of leader over another. Experiment 1 replicated Halevy et al.’s (2011) research exploring general preferences for visionary and representative leaders, comparing Halevy et al.’s (2011) original leader profiles and revised versions of leader profiles that equalize competence across the visionary and representative leaders. Results partially supported the hypothesis, showing that when competence is equalized across leadership styles, there is no significant difference in favorability between a visionary and representative leader. Experiment 2 explored people’s preferences for these two types of leaders in both an intragroup crisis and an intergroup crisis, extending the existing research. Results did not support the hypothesis, revealing no significant differences in leader style favorability in either an intragroup crisis or an intergroup crisis. In the control (no crisis) condition, participants significantly preferred a representative leader. However, when crisis condition was collapsed across type of condition, participants significantly preferred a representative leader. This preference was less robust than in a no crisis scenario, indicating a possible openness to a visionary leader in a crisis compared to no crisis

Process parameter influence on high cycle fatigue life of direct metal laser sintered parts

Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is a relatively new additive manufacturing (AM) technique. This manufacturing process involves fusing powdered metal layer by layer by using a high-powered laser. Although AM is expected to significantly transform the manufacturing process, there are some limitations that restrict the speed at which parts can be manufactured through the DMLS process. This study focuses on comprehending the influence of process parameters, and parameter interactions, involved in additive manufacturing by using an EOS M290 DMLS machine. A design of experiments is conducted to investigate process parameter in order to determine adequate parameters, or interactions, that can assist in comprehending the DMLS manufacturing process. The parameters tested in this study are layer thickness, laser scan speed, and laser hatch distance. These parameters have been primarily chosen because of their influence on build time. The response variables of the design of experiments include results from dynamic testing through cyclic fatigue. Fatigue testing data is obtained from a custom fatigue testing machine built specifically for this study. Additionally, tensile testing has been conducted to determine ultimate tensile strength.It can be concluded from the results of this study that layer thickness is a significant parameter that needs to be carefully evaluated for fatigue life consideration. The other two parameters tested in this study, scan speed and hatch distance, are seen to be statistically insignificant. Out of all possible parameter interactions tested in this study, the only statistically significant interaction between parameters is that of layer thickness and scan speed. Results from tensile tests conclude that ultimate tensile strength does not seem to be significantly affected by any process parameter. These results highlight the fact that while the static material properties may not be affected by different process parameters, the same conclusion cannot be made about the influence of process parameters on high cycle fatigue characteristics

“The Hush In The High Country”

The past year and a couple months have been globally tumultuous with the COVID-19 virus outbreak and pandemic. Following the outbreak of the virus, the college careers we had as students and faculty dramatically changed right before our very eyes. When I began this semester remotely, the second semester that would be online due to the pandemic, I was faced with the choice of what to base my departmental honors thesis on. I ultimately decided to write a series of flash-fiction stories that captured a few individual members of the Boone community’s experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. I began with creating a short survey and posting it on the Boone community Facebook group, App State Classifieds. The first survey question asked if the individual lived in Boone. If they did not, their survey was immediately not considered for the project, as this was to be representative of the members of the town. Other questions included if the individual had tested positive with COVID-19 at any point, whether or not they experienced symptoms if diagnosed, their pronouns, and they were asked to describe a moment of complete happiness or sadness during the pandemic for me to base a piece off of. Each story was promised anonymity if the individual so choosed, and I have received clear consent of each individual to use their experiences for my creative liberty. There was some difficulty with the survey, however. Some people refused to give their consent to me, making their surveys immediately null. Some respondents gave nothing more to their explanation about their pandemic experience than “I was sad that I couldn’t see my friends.” In instances like this, I decided against using these responses because I would be forcing a story to come from nothing, and I feared it would not be representative of the Boone locals’ experience, making my thesis have less substance and truth to it. Due to these factors, I ultimately had less usable material for my thesis presentation than I originally thought. In parallel to our coronavirus journey so far, though, we must press on. In the end, I have a total of seven unique stories of Boone locals. My goal ultimately was to depict the lives and struggles of individuals throughout this entire situation. I chose a vignette style for these pieces of flash fiction, because I wanted to create the effect of peering into a moment in time in these subjects’ lives. As some respondents to the survey preferred anonymity, I have decided to title the individual pieces with their survey numbers, adding credit at the end for their allowance of me to use their stories. We’ve been tackling the virus this entire time as a whole, and we often forget that collective and shared experiences affect everyone a little differently

An examination of devaluation of alternatives beyond physical attractiveness

Individuals in romantic relationships often encounter threats to the longevity of their current romantic relationship, such as noticing attractive alternative partners. To protect against such threats, committed individuals engage in a devaluation process in which they evaluate physically attractive individuals as less attractive than objectively warranted. The present study examines how individuals in romantic relationships evaluate attractive alternatives that possess desirable qualities beyond just physical attractiveness. One hundred and fifty-six participants were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and my university’s research participation pool for this study. Participants completed the commitment subscale of the Investment Model Scale (Rusbult et al., 1998) to measure commitment and evaluated fake dating profiles that independently varied in physical attractiveness, intelligence, status, and friendliness. Participants rated targets in accordance with their objective coding, creating a set of validated dating profiles. Surprisingly, this study also found that highly committed individuals devalued low status alternatives; however, no other devaluation effects were found. Future research can use these profiles to further study how individuals rate strangers

An Investigation Of The Arithmetical Disabilities Of Beginning Ninth Grade Pupils In Appalachian High School

No abstract available