Texas Business Review, November 1975

The Business Situation in Texas; Marketing in Mexico; Texas Construction: Using Solar EnergyBureau of Business Researc

METATAGS: Seeking to Evade User Detection and the Lanham Act

You hop on the World Wide Web ready to do some Internet surfing. You decide to check the scores from last night\u27s football game. You head to your favorite search engine and then pause . . . where will the scores be you ask yourself. You decide upon ESPN, because you know they have it all when it comes to sports. So, you type in ESPN and click on the SEARCH button. You eagerly await the return of the results to head out to the ESPN homepage to find out if your alma mater beat the in-state rival in the big Thanksgiving Weekend match-up. The results return, and the first result the engine returned as matching your search request is the CNNSI site, not the ESPN site. The second entry in the results appears to be a sporting goods retailer named Herman. The third seems to be the site for the Ginsu Knife Company. The fourth is some adult site selling photographs of a different sport

Development and Field Evaluation of an Elevated Bait Station for Control of Deer Mice in Almonds

Deer mice (Peromyscus spp.) have been identified as a serious pest in almonds in portions of the San Joaquin Valley of California. Broadcast anticoagulant bait is normally used to control deer mice, but is prohibited in areas where the endangered giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens) occurs, leaving growers with no practical means of control. The objectives of this study were to design and test in the laboratory a disposable, spill-resistant, bait station for deer mice, and to field test the bait station in almond orchards. We obtained 20 captive-bred deer mice and observed them interact with prototype bait stations in an observation chamber and in simulated almond trees in outdoor pens. Mouse activity was videotaped in the pens and food consumption measured. Field efficacy trials were conducted in July 2002 in 2 almond orchards, Meyers Block 3 and Cantua, both in Fresno County, California. We used an activity index based on sign left in the crotch of almond trees to estimate efficacy. Mice entered and fed in the prototype bait stations in the observation chamber. Review of 315 hr of videotapes from the pens revealed that the mice readily climbed the almond tree stumps and entered the bait stations to feed. The mice were nocturnal and most active from about 2020 hr through 0530 hr, with virtually no activity during the daylight hours. Use of the bait stations averaged up to 39 entries /mouse/night. The average daily consumption of clean grain per mouse for males was 2.6 gm (SE = 0.39, range = 1.1 - 3.6 gm) and for females was 2.2 gm (SE = 0.26, range = 1.4 - 3.0 gm). Feeding behavior appeared normal and food consumption was not inhibited by the bait stations. The field efficacy trial consisted of 1-week pretreatment period, 2 weeks of treatment with 0.005% diphacinone on oat groats, and a 1-week posttreatment period. Each study area included a treated area of ∃1150 trees and a control (nontreated) area of ∃435 trees. We deployed bait stations filled with 100 gm of bait or clean grain in a grid pattern of every 3rd row and 3rd tree within a row, 119 stations for treated plots and 47 or 48 stations on the control plots. Based on activity indices, efficacy was 72% at Meyers Block 3 and 33% at Cantua. Consumption of diphacinone bait on the treated plots averaged 0.6 and 3.2 gm/station for the 2- week treatment period, at Meyers 3 and Cantua, respectively. Consumption of clean grain on the control plots averaged 1.2 and 5.1 gm/station for the 2-week treatment period, or 0.08 and 0.36 gm/day, at Meyers 3 and Cantua, respectively. Consumption of clean grain did not approach levels recorded in our pen tests. These findings suggest poor bait acceptance. We speculate that almonds were preferred over oat groats, and that bait acceptance might improve if the grain bait was offered during the winter or early spring when the supply of almonds would be reduced

Earned Value Management (EVM) Implementation Handbook

The purpose of this handbook is to provide Earned Value Management (EVM) guidance for the effective application, implementation, and utilization of EVM on NASA programs, projects, major contracts and subcontracts in a consolidated reference document. EVM is a project management process that effectively integrates a project?s scope of work with schedule and cost elements for optimum project planning and control. The goal is to achieve timely and accurate quantification of progress that will facilitate management by exception and enable early visibility into the nature and the magnitude of technical problems as well as the intended course and success of corrective actions

Report of Responses to the 2004, 2006, and 2008 Physician Assistant Re-Licensure Surveys

The Indiana State Department of Health and the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency developed a collaborative partnership to collect data through the licensing process to better understand the health professions workforce within the state. Beginning in 2004, physician assistants were asked to participate in voluntary surveys when renewing their licenses ever y two years. The purpose of this report is to summarize the participants’ responses to the survey items. The responses provide a detailed description of the physician assistant workforce in the state of Indiana to aid in the development of policies and programs to recruit and retain these health professionals where they are needed in Indiana

Evaluation of a Floating Bird Diverter

Hazing at oil spills can reduce bird mortalities. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Firefly Pond Diverter™ (Firefly Diverters LLC, Grantsville, UT), a device that floats on the water and is claimed to use motion, reflectivity, and ultraviolet (UV) and visible light emissions to alert and repel birds. The diverter could be useful at a spill, but little is known about how waterbirds would respond. The objectives of this study were to determine if waterbirds were repelled to a greater degree by the diverter compared to a simple novel object (a life ring), to identify the species that responded to the diverter, and determine if birds habituate to the diverter. The study was conducted in December 2007 in a stormwater retention basin in Woodland, California. We divided the study into a 3-day pretreatment period and a 6-day treatment period and counted birds in the morning and afternoon each day. On each day during the treatment period we randomly selected 2 areas of the basin and anchored 2 diverters in one area and 2 life rings in a second area. We moved the diverters and the life rings to new locations daily. During the bird counts we recorded all birds within 15.2 m of each diverter or life ring. For the basin as a whole, we found the temporal pattern of use (fewer birds present in the morning than the afternoon) and number of birds using the basin did not change with the deployment of the diverters and life rings. Species composition was similar during the pretreatment and treatment periods. Gulls, geese, and diving ducks accounted for over 90% of the birds, with gulls most numerous. We observed 7 and 9 species of birds within 15.2 m of the diverters and life rings, respectively. Gulls represented 91% and 81% of the birds near the diverters and the life rings, respectively. There was no difference in the number of birds within 15.2 m of the diverters or the life rings. There also was no difference in the number of birds within 15.2 m of the diverters or \u3e 15.2 m from the diverters. We found the same relationship for the life rings. After field work concluded we were informed that rotation of the flappers on the diverters and an ultraviolet index (UVI) \u3e2 were critical for the diverter to function. During the treatment period there was wind sufficient to spin the flappers during 7 of 12 counts. We observed birds within 15.2 m of the diverters on 6 out of 7 counts with wind. As reported in local newspapers, the UVI was never \u3e2 during the treatment period. If UV radiation has any effect on performance, then December, a month with low UVI values in northern California, was not the optimum time to test. The diverters did not repel birds during this study. It is not known if the diverters will repel birds during conditions of higher UVI. Additional research should be undertaken

A model to predict the likelihood of cliff swallow nesting on highway structures in northern California

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are colonially breeding migratory birds that frequently nest on highway structures. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, people cannot harm swallows or their active nests. This restriction causes problems and delays for construction and maintenance divisions of many departments of transportation. In planning future projects, it would be useful for these divisions to have a habitat selection model that can predict the likelihood of cliff swallow nesting on a particular highway structure. We used logistic regression on data collected from 206 highway structures and 2 different land cover data sets to develop habitat selection models for northern California. The models indicated that low urban development and structure undersurfaces with multiple junctures were the 2 most important predictors of cliff swallow occupancy. Both the presence of water under a structure and a large underpass opening were also factors included in the models. The models correctly predicted 59% of sites occupied by cliff swallows and 88% of sites not occupied. The occupancy classification rate may offer departments of transportation useful insight into the nesting behavior of cliff swallows

A Community Needs Assessment of the Physical Activity and Food Environment in a Predominantly Hispanic U.S. City

Introduction: Hispanics suffer disproportionately compared with non-Hispanic Whites from health conditions that are affected by physical inactivity and poor dietary habits. Method: A needs assessment was conducted in Hialeah, Florida, the largest enclave of Cubans in the United States, to assess the perspectives of community stakeholders and members regarding the roles of physical activity and nutrition environments. Interviews were performed with community stakeholders (n = 21), and responses were grouped into major themes. Surveys were conducted with community members (n = 85). Descriptive analyses were used to categorize responses and potential differences across responses were explored. Results: Both community members and stakeholders reported that the local park system was a major asset to healthy living in Hialeah and agreed that traffic issues and a lack of walkability were major barriers to being physically active; however, there was variability in the response to the quality of the food environment. Conclusion: The perspectives of the community members and stakeholders will be valuable in highlighting pathways to enhancing the health and wellness of the residents of Hialeah