The properties and environment of primitive solar nebulae as deduced from observations of solar-type pre-main sequence stars

The following topics were discussed: (1) current observation evidence for the presence of circumstellar disks associated with solar type pre-main sequence (PMS) stars; (2) the properties of such disks; and (3) the disk environment

The evolution of young stellar object disks and their environment

The main efforts were directed towards determining the frequency of disk occurrence and the timescales for disk evolution for solar-type and intermediate mass stars. The results of the investigation showed that optically thick disks are accretion disks. The projected accomplishments are also discussed

Cenozoic evolution of the eastern Black Sea: a test of depth-dependent stretching models

Subsidence analysis of the eastern Black Sea basin suggests that the stratigraphy of this deep, extensional basin can be explained by a predominantly pure-shear stretching history. A strain-rate inversion method that assumes pure-shear extension obtains good fits between observed and predicted stratigraphy. A relatively pure-shear strain distribution is also obtained when a strain-rate inversion algorithm is applied that allows extension to vary with depth without assuming its existence or form. The timing of opening of the eastern Black Sea, which occupied a back-arc position during the closure of the Tethys Ocean, has also been a subject of intense debate; competing theories called for basin opening during the Jurassic, Cretaceous or Paleocene/Eocene. Our work suggests that extension likely continued into the early Cenozoic, in agreement with stratigraphic relationships onshore and with estimates for the timing of arc magmatism. Further basin deepening also appears to have occurred in the last 20 myr. This anomalous subsidence event is focused in the northern part of the basin and reaches its peak at 15–10 Ma. We suggest that this comparatively localized shortening is associated with the northward movement of the Arabian plate. We also explore the effects of paleowater depth and elastic thickness on the results. These parameters are controversial, particularly for deep-water basins and margins, but their estimation is a necessary step in any analysis of the tectonic subsidence record stored in stratigraphy. <br/

Improving Livelihoods through Youth-Adult Partnerships involving School-based,Agripreneurship Projects: The Experiences of Adult Partners in Uganda

The increasing number of unemployed and underemployed youth across the globe, especially indeveloping countries, has reached alarming levels. In Africa, for example, this phenomenon hasled to some youth making treacherous journeys across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe and other parts of the world in search of better livelihoods. Such an influx of immigrants, primarily to Europe and North America, has caused resentment and outcries by many citizens of the affected nations. Some of these challenges, however,could be allayed by engaging youth in income-generating projects, including agricultural entrepreneurship, i.e., agripreneurship,tocreate jobs and improve livelihoods. This maybe achieved through Youth-Adult Partnerships (Y-APs) by which youth and adults work together on agricultural projects of mutual interest. This study explored the experiences of adult partners in Uganda who collaborated with youth on their school-based, agripreneurial projects (SAPs) involving the raising of broiler chickens. Because of their partnership working on SAPs, both the youths’and adults’ knowledge and understanding of concepts related to agripreneurship and raising of broilers chickens improved. The need exists to provide an enabling environment to promote an agripreneurial culture among youth through Y-APs if we seek to inspire them to pursue agripreneurship and related opportunities for job creation while also enabling the food security of communities and improved livelihoods for their citizens

Agricultural Extension in Sub-Saharan Africa During and After Its Colonial Era: The Case of Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Kenya

Agricultural extension services the world over have been instrumental in ensuring agriculturists stay abreast of new developments to improve their productivity and economic livelihoods. This historical study describes the origin and practice of agricultural extension in the former British colonies of Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Kenya before their independence and during the decades afterward, and identifies some of the challenges impacting extension services in these countries. Over time, in a bid to improve their agricultural sectors, these countries employed a number of approaches to providing extension/advisory services. Some methods, however, were coercive and little more than the enforcement of laws and customs prejudicial to the nations’ Black farmers. This often resulted in cruel treatment, exploitation, and oppression of these farmers, especially during the colonial era. In the post-colonial era, no single approach to extension delivery has been without shortcomings (Davis, 2008). To that end, a pluralistic paradigm has shown promise in mitigating the limitations of any single approach. Additional research should be conducted to determine the longstanding impact of using chiefs and other law enforcers as extension agents on individuals’ present-day perceptions about extension and its potential for meeting the needs of smallholder, resource-poor farmers in the future

Still\u27s Disease in Adults

In 1897, Dr. George F. Still described 22 children with a form of chronic joint disease which differed from rheumatic fever. Twelve of these children had a syndrome characterized by glandular and splenic enlargement which, with a characteristic fever pattern, rash, and arthritis, has become known as Still\u27s disease. Subsequent investigators have described patients over age 16 presenting with similar signs and symptoms suggesting that this syndrome is not specific for children. We recently studied a patient in whom the diagnosis of adult onset Still\u27s disease was made

Students’ Acquisition of Agricultural and Entrepreneurship (Agripreneurship) Knowledge and Skills: Does Instructional Approach and their Sex Matter?

Agricultural and Entrepreneurship education are interdisciplinary due to amalgamating the natural sciences and social sciences. These disciplines have gained the interest of those looking to equip youth with skills for self-reliance. Teachers employ various instructional approaches, including student-centric approaches such as project-based learning (PjBL) and teacher-centric methods, for example, the lecture method, to facilitate learning. Existing research, however, suggests that students’ learning can be influenced by other factors, for example, learning styles, socio-cultural norms, sex stereotypes, and the instructional approach(es) used. We examined the impact of using the lecture method (counterfactual group) versus PjBL (treatment group) approaches on student acquisition of agricultural knowledge in the context of poultry science and their intentions to become agripreneurs. A statistically significant disordinal interaction with a medium effect size was found at p \u3c .05 between groups and student sex for poultry science knowledge. The female students performed better under the PjBL, while the males did so under lecture-based instruction. We also found a statistically significant and positive (p \u3c .05) association between students’ sex and their intent to become agripreneurs for the treatment group. More female students than males in the treatment group indicated they were either likely or highly likely to become agripreneurs in the future. These findings imply that females in the treatment group benefited more from the intervention, PjBL, than their male peers. Additional research should be conducted to measure the long-term impact of using various teaching approaches on students’ learning of agriculture and entrepreneurship content depending on their sex