Influence of cover crops on vine performance at two Willamette Valley vineyards

It is estimated that 50-75% of Oregon vineyards cultivate at least every other alley in order to 1) reduce water stress 2) increase vineyard canopy temperatures and 3) increase nutrient availability. Because many vineyards are situated on steep hillsides, frequent tillage could result in increased soil erosion, decreased soil quality and potential pollution of watersheds. Seven cover crop treatments were established at two commercial vineyards in the northern Willamette Valley in the fall of 2003 and monitored for establishment and their impact on grapevines in 2004 and 2005. Treatments were as follows: 1) winter annuals (oats, rye and vetch), 2) clover mix (subclovers, clovers and medic), 3) native grass mix (Willamette Valley upland prairie species), 4) native meadow mix (forbs plus grasses), 5) perennial grass mix (sheep fescue, dwarf perennial rye and hard fescue), 6) resident vegetation, and 7) a clean cultivated control. Each treatment was replicated four times at each of the vineyards in a randomized complete block design. Treatments were applied to four adjacent alleys flanking 8 or 10 vines in three vine rows with one clean cultivated boarder dividing blocks. Cover crop establishment was measured by destructively removing biomass during the growing season. Weeds were sorted from cover crops, and both were dried, weighed and measured for nitrogen (N) content. Over the course of the growing season, soil water was measured in the vine row and alleys with time domain reflectometry, and midday vine leaf water potential was measured with a pressure bomb. Shoot lengths were measured twice during the season. Vine leaf blades were collected at bloom and veraison for nutrient analysis (N,P,K, S, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, B, Zn and Fe). Root samples were taken at bloom and post harvest in the vine row and alley in three treatments (winter annuals, perennial grass mix and clean cultivated) and analyzed for colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). At harvest, fruit yield was measured and fruit quality assessed by measuring soluble solids (BRIX), titratable acidity, pH and N content. Shoot prunings were collected and measured after vine dormancy. We expected to see 1) a higher amount of water in the soil, less vine water stress and more vigorous vine growth in the clean cultivated treatment compared to the others and 2) either an increase in vigor or concentration of N in vine tissues in response to the clover mix treatment. Biomass production and coverage of the soil by cover crops, as well as responses to treatments in the soil and vine often varied between sites. In general, cover crop treatments, including the clean cultivated control, had little effect on soil water content, vine water status, or vine vegetative growth. There was, however, a clear N affect from the clover mix treatment on vines, even without mechanical incorporation of cover crop residues. Vine leaf N and juice YANC both increased, and yield per vine and cluster weights both decreased in the clover mix treatment. However, the yield reductions were more pronounced in year two and only at one site. The increase in juice N was possibly an indirect effect of the lower yield, concentrating N in the remaining fruit. Results from this two year study indicate no apparent advantage to keeping the alleyways of established vineyards weed free with cultivation

Components of Inclusive Education at a Public Charter School in the Northwestern United States

Examining the components of the inclusive educational setting at Public Charter School is important for its positive impact in its community and being an example to other schools in the northwestern region of the United States. The problem is that the school’s surrounding area and region are underserved in inclusive charter school options. The school is an example to other charter schools that would like to engage in a more inclusive academic setting and seeks to explore replication. To gain a better understanding of the impacts of the school’s inclusive setting on the students, families, and community, as well as the educators’ needs and perspectives, the purpose of this study was to identify, explore, and understand the components of Public Charter School’s inclusive academic setting through qualitative methods using interviews with key participants. The analysis process of this study involved categorizing data and recognizing emerging themes from data collected through interviews. The data identified three components: supportive administration in attitude and operational leadership, environment conducive to inclusion, and teacher supports and collaboration. This study will provide the organization with information to continually improve the inclusion model through training and policy and may also be used to make informed decisions regarding replication in the future. The school provides guidance in the region and nationwide and may serve schools that want to implement or improve inclusion. Student success in inclusive academic settings can support acceptance and tolerance, which may lead to more students pursuing higher education and in turn lead to positive social change in communities and beyond

saltPAD: A New Analytical Tool for Monitoring Salt Iodization in Low Resource Settings

We created a paper test card that measures a common iodizing agent, iodate, in salt. To test the analytical metrics, usability, and robustness of the paper test card when it is used in low resource settings, the South African Medical Research Council and GroundWork performed independent validation studies of the device. The accuracy and precision metrics from both studies were comparable. In the SAMRC study, more than 90% of the test results (n=1704) were correctly classified as corresponding to adequately or inadequately iodized salt. The cards are suitable for market and household surveys to determine whether salt is adequately iodized. Further development of the cards will improve their utility for monitoring salt iodization during production

Hierarchical position of individual captive western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla and its impact on neighbour associations and behaviour

This study investigated the social relationships observed within a captive breeding group of western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla at a European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) accredited facility: Blackpool Zoo, UK. Gorillas are complex and intelligent primates, and the western lowland sub-species is popular in zoo collections. Captivity can raise issues for gorillas which, in the wild, live in large family groups with a distinct hierarchy forming the basis of group stability. Studying captive groups can help facilities make informed decisions for gorilla captive management. This study considered if and how captive gorilla behaviour could be influenced by social positioning. It was carried out in May–July 2018 and focused on social behaviour, nearest neighbour and position in the enclosure recorded for focal individuals with notes on enclosure design taken. Interval focal sampling was used to record gorilla (n=6; two adult females, one adult male, two juvenile females and one infant male) social behaviour, their nearest neighbour (the animal physically closest to the focal individual) and position in the enclosure simultaneously every 10 min, during six-hour observation periods over two months. A different individual was observed daily. Data on independent and social behaviours were collected to determine activity budgets using an ethogram. Data on independent behaviours can demonstrate if there are variations in behaviour when gorillas are in social proximity. Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted on mean frequencies of independent (n=10) and social (n=5) behavioural categories for each individual. Independent inactive behaviours were most common (n=53.6) with adult gorillas displaying increased levels of sitting and lying in comparison with younger individuals. There is a difference among the gorillas in their social behaviour. Nearest neighbour data were analysed using cluster analysis. The silverback was most closely associated to his youngest offspring and lactating female. The sub-adult female has the weakest associations in comparison to the rest of the group. The results suggest individual preferences for social associations, with younger individuals associating closely with their mothers, and a mother and infant associating closely with the silverback. A sub-adult female was less associated with all individuals, which could suggest her readiness to transfer. This study emphasises the influence that hierarchical social organisation within a captive setting has on captive gorilla behaviour monitoring in general, relating to how individual gorillas manage their position in a hierarchical group. This study also provides specific suggestions for gorilla management within the centre and in conjunction with BIAZA guidelines, including a suggestion to relocate the sub-adult female to a new group and considerations for aggression mitigation

The ANU WiFeS SuperNovA Program (AWSNAP)

This paper presents the first major data release and survey description for the ANU WiFeS SuperNovA Program (AWSNAP). AWSNAP is an ongoing supernova spectroscopy campaign utilising the Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS) on the Australian National University (ANU) 2.3m telescope. The first and primary data release of this program (AWSNAP-DR1) releases 357 spectra of 175 unique objects collected over 82 equivalent full nights of observing from July 2012 to August 2015. These spectra have been made publicly available via the WISeREP supernova spectroscopy repository. We analyse the AWSNAP sample of Type Ia supernova spectra, including measurements of narrow sodium absorption features afforded by the high spectral resolution of the WiFeS instrument. In some cases we were able to use the integral-field nature of the WiFeS instrument to measure the rotation velocity of the SN host galaxy near the SN location in order to obtain precision sodium absorption velocities. We also present an extensive time series of SN 2012dn, including a near-nebular spectrum which both confirms its "super-Chandrasekhar" status and enables measurement of the sub-solar host metallicity at the SN site.Comment: Submitted to Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA). Spectra publicly released via WISeREP at http://wiserep.weizmann.ac.il

A Transdisciplinary Collaboration and Innovation Education Model and Experience

As the interconnectedness of the world grows, the need to prepare college students capable of addressing complexity likewise grows. In this context, the University of Dayton has developed and tested a transdisciplinary model for education. This model links multiple classes from different disciplines via a common theme and within a common space. It also employs an educational model premised on the following trajectory: disciplinary content development / transdisciplinary observation (empathy); transdisciplinary disruption leading to “A-Ha” observations which transform the disciplinary directions; and lastly transdisciplinary informed design and research. Central to this model is a 3,500 square foot common space used only by the classes participating in the experience. In this space classes share their reflections and content with other classes via both personal linkages and analog communications. The other classes respond to these from their disciplinary and personal perspectives. Thirteen classes, fourteen faculty, and over three-hundred students participated in a themed experience centered on the addiction crisis in Dayton, Ohio. Participants included faculty in applied creativity, engineering, health and sport science, education, theater, and religious studies. Also serving as co-teacher were community stakeholders. Assessment of the experience revealed variable student takeaways. Most prominent among these was student recognition that the experience had expanded their perspectives of the other disciplines. Most suggested that it had improved their ability to collaborate in a transdisciplinary environment and that it had significantly impacted their career aspirations. Fewer acknowledged the experience had improved their ability to create