A study of the adaptation of cereals and forage-crops in Kansas

Citation: Thompson, Charles L. A study of the adaptation of cereals and forage-crops in Kansas. Senior thesis, Kansas State Agricultural College, 1905.Morse Department of Special CollectionsIntroduction: The object of this study is to determine what crops are best adapted to the conditions existing in the different sections of the state. The accompanying tables which have been compiled from data found in the "Fourteenth Biennial Report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture," give the acreage and value per acre in each county of the state for the year 1904, of each of the several more important crops, viz.; wheat, corn, oats, flax, sorghum, millet, kafir-corn, alfalfa and prairie hay. As alfalfa is classed with other tame grasses it is impossible in most cases to determine its value per acre. Wheat - As spring wheat is not raised to any great extent, and only in a few of the western counties, it has been entirely ignored in this paper. Wheat is grown in each and every county in the ;state, the entire acreage for 1904 being 5,816,495 acres, with an average value of $8.75 per acre, or a total value of$51,149,917.12. The Central and west central portion of the state shows the greatest acreage and the greatest value per acre. Sumner County heads the list with 294,434 acres, yielding an average value of p10.66 per acre. Barton County is second, with 262,667 acres and an average value per acre of $10.40. Harper County comes third, with 171,240 acres, and an average value of 13.94 per acre. Wheat seems to be especially adapted to Kansas soil and climate and there is a growing tendency, especially in the western portion of the state, to increase the acreage at the expense of the other cereals. In the last, four years the acreage for the state has been increased over 900,000 acres. It is true however, as must necessarily be the case where crop after crop is taken from the land and nothing given in return, that the yield per acre is steadily decreasing

A Geoarcheological Survey of the Proposed Plainview Hike and Bike Trail, Hale County, Texas

In March of 2005, the Texas Department of Transportation issued work authorization #575-01-SA005 to the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at the University of Texas at San Antonio to conduct a survey of areas affected by proposed improvements to the Plainview hike and bike trail in southern Plainview, Hale County, Texas. The survey was conduced under Texas Antiquities Permit #3707 between March 31 and April 7, 2005. Steve Tomka and Raymond Mauldin served as Principal Investigators. Trail construction included 2.0 miles of additional construction and 1.3 miles of improvements to existing trails. The Right-of-Way is 50 feet and extends from one to three feet below ground surface. Archeological services included a pedestrian survey, excavation of fifty-five auger tests placed no more than 100 m apart, and twenty-one Gradall trenches. Two of these trenches exposed the stratigraphy of Running Water Draw near the Plainview Site, 41HA1. Bulk samples were collected for OSL dating, diatoms analysis, and lithologic analysis for further examination of the age and stratigraphic context of the Plainview Site, which is a State Archeological Landmark, a National Landmark, and a National Register of Historic Places property. Site 41HA12 was re-examined with 10 mechanical auger tests and 1 trench, which found only recent alluvial and cultural deposition. No additional archeological sites were recorded. This report includes descriptions of the fieldwork, results of the special analyses performed on bulk sediment samples collected, and a discussion of the geomorphology of Running Water Draw with specific focus on the results from trenches excavated near the Plainview Site. The single artifact and all documents and photographs generated from this project are curated at the Center for Archaeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio

Delayed Photoionization Feedback in a Super Star Cluster in SBS0335-052E

SBS0335-052 is a well studied Blue Compact Dwarf galaxy with one of the lowest metallicities of any known galaxy. It also contains 6 previously identified Super Star Clusters. We combine archival HST NICMOS images in the Pa alpha line and the 1.6 micron continuum of the eastern component, SBS0335-052E, with other space and ground based data to perform a multi-wavelength analysis of the super star clusters. We concentrate on the southern most clusters, designated S1 and S2, which appear to be the youngest clusters and are the strongest emitters of Pa alpha, radio, and x-ray flux. Our analysis leads to a possible model for S1 and perhaps S2 as a cluster of very young, massive stars with strong stellar winds. The wind density can be high enough to absorb the majority of ionizing photons within less than 1000 AU of the stars, creating very compact HII regions that emit optically thick radiation at radio wavelengths. These winds would then effectively quench the photoionizing flux very close to the stars. This can delay the onset of negative feedback by photoionization and photodissociation on star formation in the clusters. This is significant since SBS0335-052E resembles the conditions that were probably common for high redshift star formation in galaxies near the epoch of reionization.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Functional and Homeostatic impact of Age-Related Changes in Lymph node Stroma

Adults over 65 years of age are more vulnerable to infectious disease and show poor responses to vaccination relative to those under 50. A complex set of age-related changes in the immune system is believed to be largely responsible for these defects. These changes, collectively termed immune senescence, encompass alterations in both the innate and adaptive immune systems, in the microenvironments where immune cells develop or reside, and in soluble factors that guide immune homeostasis and function. While age-related changes in primary lymphoid organs (bone marrow, and, in particular, the thymus, which involutes in the first third of life) have been long appreciated, changes affecting aging secondary lymphoid organs, and, in particular, aging lymph nodes (LNs) have been less well characterized. Over the last 20 years, LN stromal cells have emerged as key players in maintaining LN morphology and immune homeostasis, as well as in coordinating immune responses to pathogens. Here, we review recent progress in understanding the contributions of LN stromal cells to immune senescence. We discuss approaches to understand the mechanisms behind the decline in LN stromal cells and conclude by considering potential strategies to rejuvenate aging LN stroma to improve immune homeostasis, immune responses, and vaccine efficacy in the elderly.113Ysciescopu

Results of Archeological Significance Testing at 41TV410 and 41TV540 and Associated Geomorphological Investigations on a Segment of Onion Creek in Travis County, Texas

In late 2005, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) contracted the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio (CAR-UTSA) to conduct significance testing at 41TV410 and 41TV540, two prehistoric archeological sites located in the floodplain of Onion Creek in southeast Austin in Travis County. The work was conducted in advance of a borrow pit excavation related to the construction on State Highway (SH) 130. The borrow pit represented a project specific location (PSL). PSLs are normally not part of the project per Federal Highway Administration policy. PSLs are the responsibility of the contractor in most cases. However, the testing reported here was mandated by language of the SH 130 comprehensive development agreement. Significance testing was performed late in 2005 and early in 2006. For 41TV540, Dr. Raymond Mauldin served as Principal Investigator and Jennifer Thompson served as the Project Archeologist. At 41TV410, Dr. Mauldin served as Project Archeologist and Dr. Steve Tomka served as Principal Investigator. The archeological work at these sites was not under the purview of either Section 106 or the Antiquities Code of Texas. The work was not conducted under a Texas Antiquities Permit. However, testing at both sites was conducted in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation and guidelines provided by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). CAR completed fieldwork in early January of 2006. At 41TV410, 11 features were uncovered with radiocarbon dates that fell in the Early/Middle Archaic and in the Late Archaic. Recovery of artifacts and ecofacts was extremely low. The 41TV540 work also produced a low density of chipped stone artifacts and tools, and exposed 17 features, many of which dated to the close of the Early Archaic. Preliminary observations on flotation returns suggested good quantities of burned material and faunal remains were present at 41TV540. CAR prepared post-field reports summarizing the work and provided recommendations for both sites. Because both locations appeared to contain intact deposits that could, in our view, contribute to an understanding of the prehistoric cultural development of the region, CAR recommended that the sites were eligible to the NRHP under criterion d. TxDOT agreed with CAR recommendations that 41TV540 was eligible for listing in the NRHP, though they did not request any additional work at the site. TxDOT concluded that site 41TV410 was not eligible for listing on the NRHP. At TxDOT’s instruction, CAR prepared a research design for the analysis of the testing data from 41TV540, as well as a summary of the 41TV410 work. That document (Tomka et al. 2007), which outlined a series of analyses including several new geomorphic studies and a project area geomorphic synthesis, served as a guideline for the present document. Since the archeological and geomorphological investigations reported here, the construction of SH 130 has been completed and deposits containing the sites discussed have been removed. All artifacts, notes, photos, and other material associated with the project are stored at CAR. At this time, decisions regarding the disposal of selected artifact classes, as well as the location for permanent curation of the remaining artifacts and associated records, have not been made. However, it is expected that all project related records and artifacts retained will be permanently curated at CAR

Effects of Biases in Virial Mass Estimation on Cosmic Synchronization of Quasar Accretion

Recent work using virial mass estimates and the quasar mass-luminosity plane has yielded several new puzzles regarding quasar accretion, including a sub-Eddington boundary on most quasar accretion, near-independence of the accretion rate from properties of the host galaxy, and a cosmic synchronization of accretion among black holes of a common mass. We consider how these puzzles might change if virial mass estimation turns out to have a systematic bias. As examples, we consider two recent claims of mass-dependent biases in MgII masses. Under any such correction, the surprising cosmic synchronization of quasar accretion rates and independence from the host galaxy remain. The slope and location of the sub-Eddington boundary are very sensitive to biases in virial mass estimation, and various mass calibrations appear to favor different possible physical explanations for feedback between the central black hole and its environment. The alternative mass estimators considered do not simply remove puzzling quasar behavior, but rather replace it with new puzzles that may be more difficult to solve than those using current virial mass estimators and the Shen et al. (2008) catalog.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Ode to the Sea: Art from Guantanamo

Exhibition catalogue for “Ode to the Sea: Art from Guantánamo” (October 16, 2017-January 26, 2018, President\u27s Gallery, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York). Detainees at the United States military prison camp known as Guantánamo Bay have made art from the time they arrived. The exhibit displays some of these evocative works, made by eight men: four who have since been cleared and released from Guantánamo, and four who remain there. They paint the sea again and again although they cannot reach it. The catalog includes contributions by Trevor Paglen, Solmaz Sharif, Natasha Trethewey, Jericho Brown, and current and former detainees