Oat Yields Depend on Seed Quality, Too!

Cost of the seed itself is a minor part of the cost of producing a crop. Once planted, it costs just as much to produce and harvest a poor crop as a good one. It\u27s part of good management to start with high-quality seed

Information Sharing for Collective Sensemaking

Group decision tasks that require pooling of information to reach the best decision have been studied across a variety of disciplines over the past thirty years. The crucial question of what makes these tasks so difficult, however remains unanswered. Various hypotheses include inefficiency in sharing information leading to decisions based on incomplete information or cognitive inefficiencies in processing and storing information arriving in a piecemeal fashion. The present study attacks this problem from two directions. Human experiments are used to compare decisions between groups manipulated to receive and share information in raw and aggregated forms and mixed groups comprised of humans and software agents. To shed light on cognitive limitations that may affect performance, an ACT-R cognitive model of group members was constructed and its results compared to human data

Analytical Representations for Characterizing the Global Aviation Radiation Environment Based on Model and Measurement Databases

The Nowcast of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation for Aviation Safety climatological model and the Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety (ARMAS) statistical database are presented as polynomial fit equations. Using equations based on altitude, L shell, and geomagnetic conditions an effective dose rate for any location from a galactic cosmic ray (GCR) environment can be calculated. A subset of the ARMAS database is represented by a second polynomial fit equation for the GCR plus probable relativistic energetic particle (REP; Van Allen belt REP) effective dose rates within a narrow band of L shells with altitudinal and geomagnetic dependency. Solar energetic particle events are not considered in this study since our databases do not contain these events. This work supports a suggestion that there may be a REP contribution having an effect at aviation altitudes. The ARMAS database is rich in Western Hemisphere observations for L shells between 1.5 and 5; there have been many cases of enhanced radiation events possibly related to effects from radiation belt particles. Our work identifies that the combined effects of an enhanced radiation environment in this L shell range are typically 15% higher than the GCR background. We also identify applications for the equations representing the Nowcast of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation for Aviation Safety and ARMAS databases. They include (i) effective dose rate climatology in comparison with measured weather variability and (ii) climatological and statistical weather nowcasting and forecasting. These databases may especially help predict the radiation environment for regional air traffic management, for airport overflight operations, and for air carrier route operations of individual aircraft

The Freshman, vol. 5, no. 3

The Freshman was a weekly, student newsletter issued on Mondays throughout the academic year. The newsletter included calendar notices, coverage of campus social events, lectures, and athletic teams. The intent of the publication was to create unity, a sense of community, and class spirit among first year students

Fifty years of reduction in sulphur deposition drives recovery in soil pH and plant communities

1. Sulphur deposition through rainfall has led to species loss and ecosystem degradation globally, and across Europe huge reductions in sulphur emissions since the 1970s were expected to promote the recovery of acidified ecosystems. However, the rate and ecological impact of recovery from acidification in terrestrial ecosystems is still unclear as is the influence of management and climate, as to date there has been no long-term spatially extensive evaluation of these changes. 2. Here, we present data from thousands of sites across Great Britain (pH range 3.3–8.7) surveyed repeatedly from 1978–2019 and assess change in soil pH and plant acidity preference (Ellenberg R) in response to atmospheric deposition of sulphur and nitrogen. We analyse change in grasslands managed for pasture, referred to as high-intensity habitats, and compare to seminatural habitats comprising rough grassland, broadleaved woodland, bog and heathland, referred to as low-intensity habitats. 3. Soil pH increased from 1978 to 2007 but then decreased between 2007 and 2019, resulting in a net increase of ~0.2 pH units in low-intensity habitats but no change in high-intensity habitats. The community average Ellenberg R increased in seminatural habitats by ~0.2 units but remained stable in intensive grasslands. 4. In seminatural habitats, but not intensive grasslands, these changes in plant community composition were associated with the soil pH changes which were in turn linked to decreasing sulphur deposition and differences in rainfall. 5. Nitrogen deposition, which was relatively stable over the survey period, showed no additional effect upon soil acidity once sulphur deposition was accounted for. 6. Synthesis: Our results provide conclusive evidence that reductions in acid emissions are stimulating the gradual recovery of chronically acidified terrestrial ecosystems at a whole-country scale, while also suggesting this recovery is being compromised by changing climate and land management

The Freshman, vol. 5, no. 3 [issue misnumbered]

The Freshman was a weekly, student newsletter issued on Mondays throughout the academic year. The newsletter included calendar notices, coverage of campus social events, lectures, and athletic teams. The intent of the publication was to create unity, a sense of community, and class spirit among first year students. Included in this edition is an editorial authored on behalf of The Co-eds of \u2738 commenting on the divisive nature of Freshman Rules imposed by upper classmen and requesting first-year students be treated with respect

The Freshman, vol. 5, no. 7

The Freshman was a weekly, student newsletter issued on Mondays throughout the academic year. The newsletter included calendar notices, coverage of campus social events, lectures, and athletic teams. The intent of the publication was to create unity, a sense of community, and class spirit among first year students. Featured in this issue is an article by librarian L. T. Ibbotson (Lewis T. Ibbotson), about the impact of the Great Depression on book circulation

The Freshman, vol. 5, no. 8

The Freshman was a weekly, student newsletter issued on Mondays throughout the academic year. The newsletter included calendar notices, coverage of campus social events, lectures, and athletic teams. The intent of the publication was to create unity, a sense of community, and class spirit among first year students

The Freshman, vol. 5, no. 6

The Freshman was a weekly, student newsletter issued on Mondays throughout the academic year. The newsletter included calendar notices, coverage of campus social events, lectures, and athletic teams. The intent of the publication was to create unity, a sense of community, and class spirit among first year students

The Freshman, vol. 5, no. 10

The Freshman was a weekly, student newsletter issued on Mondays throughout the academic year. The newsletter included calendar notices, coverage of campus social events, lectures, and athletic teams. The intent of the publication was to create unity, a sense of community, and class spirit among first year students