Comparisons between Tennessee dairy producers that continued or discontinued DHI in 1983 and analysis of reasons for doing so and relationships between reasons and selected producer and herd characteristics

Concern over a leveling off of DHI participation led to a comparison of Tennessee dairy producers who either continued or discontinued the use of DHI in 1983. Comparisons between the groups included producer and herd characteristics, number of Extension contacts and use of recommended management practices. Reasons for using or discontinuing DHI were sought and comparisons made between reasons and producer and herd characteristics. Data was collected through mail surveys of producers who discontinued DHI and randomly selected producers who remained on DHI. Comparison of the two groups revealed that producers who continued DHI had been in dairying more years, on DHI more years, had higher education levels and had higher present herd averages than did producers who discontinued DHI. Those who continued also used more of the recommended management practices than did those who discontinued. No difference was found in the number of Extension contacts for each group. Producers who discontinued indicated that they left because the program had become too expensive. Producers who continued DHI indicated that they used DHI to provide a guide for culling cows and as a means to increase production levels. Implications of the study were that producer characteristics and possibly use of recommended practices could be used to flag producers likely to continue or discontinue DHI. Costs need to be reduced to encourage producers to continue DHI. Also efforts should be made to emphasize the benefits of using DHI to encourage continued use of DHI

Using satellite remote sensing to model and map the distribution of Bicknell\u27s thrush (Catharus bicknelli) in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper satellite imagery was used to model Bicknell\u27s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli) distribution in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The proof-of-concept was established for using satellite imagery in species-habitat modeling, where for the first time imagery spectral features were used to estimate a species-habitat model variable. The model predicted rising probabilities of thrush presence with decreasing dominant vegetation height, increasing elevation, and decreasing distance to nearest Fir Sapling cover type. To solve the model at all locations required regressor estimates at every pixel, which were not available for the dominant vegetation height and elevation variables. Topographically normalized imagery features Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and Band 1 (blue) were used to estimate dominant vegetation height using multiple linear regression; and a Digital Elevation Model was used to estimate elevation. Distance to nearest Fir Sapling cover type was obtained for each pixel from a land cover map specifically constructed for this project. The Bicknell\u27s Thrush habitat model was derived using logistic regression, which produced the probability of detecting a singing male based on the pattern of model covariates. Model validation using Bicknell\u27s Thrush data not used in model calibration, revealed that the model accurately estimated thrush presence at probabilities ranging from 0 to \u3c0.40 and from 0.50 to \u3c0.60. Probabilities from 0.40 to \u3c0.50 and greater than 0.60 significantly underestimated and overestimated presence, respectively. Applying the model to the study area illuminated an important implication for Bicknell\u27s Thrush conservation. The model predicted increasing numbers of presences and increasing relative density with rising elevation, with which exists a concomitant decrease in land area. Greater land area of lower density habitats may account for more total individuals and reproductive output than higher density less abundant land area. Efforts to conserve areas of highest individual density under the assumption that density reflects habitat quality could target the smallest fraction of the total population

Comparisons between Tennessee dairy producers that continued or discontinued DHI in 1983 and analysis of reasons for doing so and relationships between reasons and selected producer and herd characteristics

Concern over a leveling off of DHI participation led to a comparison of Tennessee dairy producers who either continued or discontinued the use of DHI in 1983. Comparisons between the groups included producer and herd characteristics, number of Extension contacts and use of recommended management practices. Reasons for using or discontinuing DHI were sought and comparisons made between reasons and producer and herd characteristics. Data was collected through mail surveys of producers who discontinued DHI and randomly selected producers who remained on DHI. Comparison of the two groups revealed that producers who continued DHI had been in dairying more years, on DHI more years, had higher education levels and had higher present herd averages than did producers who discontinued DHI. Those who continued also used more of the recommended management practices than did those who discontinued. No difference was found in the number of Extension contacts for each group. Producers who discontinued indicated that they left because the program had become too expensive. Producers who continued DHI indicated that they used DHI to provide a guide for culling cows and as a means to increase production levels. Implications of the study were that producer characteristics and possibly use of recommended practices could be used to flag producers likely to continue or discontinue DHI. Costs need to be reduced to encourage producers to continue DHI. Also efforts should be made to emphasize the benefits of using DHI to encourage continued use of DHI

Field Data Report Lake Ontario Tributaries 2005-2006

The Lakewide Management Plan for Lake Ontario has identified six critical pollutants which contribute to lakewide beneficial use impairments due to their toxicity, persistence in the environment, and/or their ability to bioaccumulate. The six critical pollutants are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, DDT, dieldrin, mirex, and dioxins. Approximately 80% of the surface water flow to Lake Ontario is from the Niagara River. A long term monitoring program conducted by Environment Canada, as a component of the Niagara River Toxics Management Plan, has provided good estimated loadings of pollutants from the Niagara River and the upstream Great Lakes. However, definitive current information regarding loadings from other U.S. tributaries to Lake Ontario had been lacking. In 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a program to regularly monitor U.S. tributaries for the critical pollutants. Previous reports have provided program results for 2002 through 2004. This report adds changes and results from 2005 through 2006

The Focal plane Detector Package on the TUNL Split-pole Spectrograph

A focal plane detector for the Enge Split-pole Spectrograph at Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory has been designed. The detector package consists of two position sensitive gas avalanche counters, a gas proportionality energy loss section, and a residual energy scintillator. This setup allows both particle identification and focal plane reconstruction. In this paper we will detail the construction of each section along with their accompanying electronics and data acquisition. Effects of energy loss throughout the detector, ray tracing procedures, and resolution as a function of fill pressure and bias voltage are also investigated. A measurement of the $^{27}\!$Al$(d,p)$ reaction is used to demonstrate detector performance and to illustrate a Bayesian method of energy calibration

Energy systems for multifamily housing : an urban case study

Thesis. 1979. M.Arch.A.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.Includes bibliographical references.by Stephen Hale.M.Arch.A.S

World tour golf links

This travel article from the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism describes the World Tour Golf Links in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Golf pros' favorite holes

This travel article from the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism describes the best golf holes at various courses in South Carolina. They include Harbour Town Golf Links No.18, Wild Dunes Links Course No.12, The Dunes Golf & Beach Club No.13, Patriot’s Point Links No.17, Timberlake Golf Club No.15, Northwoods Golf Club No.14, Furman University Golf Course No.17 and many more

Nothing but the best

This travel article from the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism tells about the many golf courses in South Carolina. Golf Week Magazine’s listing of their “Top Courses in the United States” features 10 great courses in South Carolina

The PGA knows where to play

This travel article from the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism highlights the PGA in South Carolina. The Carolinas PGA has almost 2,000 members working at more than 725 golf facilities to promote enjoyment and involvement in the game. Covering both Carolinas and a small portion of Virginia, the Carolinas PGA is the largest of 41 sections that make up the Professional Golfers’ Association of America