Weed management in soybean with a special focus on the control of purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus)

Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus L.) is globally an important perennial weed. Infestations from this species lead to significant losses in yield and quality of crop production. A field study was conducted at Kopaida region in Greece, to evaluate the efficacy of different herbicides for the weed management in soybean. The evaluation of the herbicides was based on the efficacy against purple nutsedge and the effect on soybean biomass production and crop seed yield. Treatments included an untreated control, two pre-emergence applications (with S-metolachlor and pendimethalin), as well as three post-emergence applications (with trifloxysulfuron, bentazone and pyrithiobac sodium). A single application of S-metolachlor maintained the density of purple nutsedge at 15 plants per m2 in soybean and allowed the crop to compete adequately with the weed. S-metolachlor also resulted in a seed yield of 3.26 tn ha-1 , a value 52% higher than the untreated control and 38–45% higher than the other herbicides. The results from this study demonstrated that a combination of high seed density in soybean and effective application of herbicides like S-metolachlor can lead to economically acceptable yields

Remote sensing research for agricultural applications

Materials and methods used to characterize selected soil properties and agricultural crops in San Joaquin County, California are described. Results show that: (1) the location and widths of TM bands are suitable for detecting differences in selected soil properties; (2) the number of TM spectral bands allows the quantification of soil spectral curve form and magnitude; and (3) the spatial and geometric quality of TM data allows for the discrimination and quantification of within field variability of soil properties. The design of the LANDSAT based multiple crop acreage estimation experiment for the Idaho Department of Water Resources is described including the use of U.C. Berkeley's Survey Modeling Planning Model. Progress made on Peditor software development on MIDAS, and cooperative computing using local and remote systems is reported as well as development of MIDAS microcomputer systems

A practical, multiplatform app for climate stress to aid animal producers and science education

Project Leaders: Michael McKean: Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI)/Missouri School of Journalism; Dale Musser: Director of the IT Program in the College of Engineering; Ray Massey and Pat Guinan: Commercial Agriculture Program; Ben Gallup: 4-H Center for Youth Development; David Kemp: Future Farmers of America; John Travlos: Electronic Bulletin Board (AgEBB); Stacey Hamilton, Southwest Center, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources"Climate variability is a concern in a number of sectors, particularly in the Agriculture industry. The National Climatic Data Center for the US announced on September 9, 2011 that last summer was the hottest in 75 years, with the greatest impact in Texas and neighboring states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Missouri. The result was daily appearance of news stories regarding losses of livestock and productivity, which during a normal year amount to $897, 369, and 299 million for dairy, beef, and swine industries, respectively. Thermal stress indices have existed for years for these groups, but are underutilized because they require elaborate combinations of environmental (e.g., weather) and physiological (e.g., body temperature) data. There is also increased concern that student interest in science, at both high school and college levels, is declining, and that the United States could be at a disadvantage in solving complex problems of the future such as climate variability due to a lack of qualified scientists. It has been suggested, that the traditional read, recite, regurgitate models for teaching science are ineffective ways to motivate students to learn science, and help them understand and retain science concepts. D.A. Kolb noted that an experiential approach increases interest of youth in science. Experiential learning in the sciences includes gathering the facts surrounding a problem, reflecting on the findings, formulating ideas, and finally testing them, and generating new knowledge. A mechanism to facilitate this process using advanced instructional technologies that are more engaging to a technology-oriented generation of learners will stimulate interest in and learning of science. Our proposal is to develop a native smart phone app (Apple and Android) that combines weather information (both current and projected) with individual animal information to aid the producer in the decision-making process to reduce heat strain and improve animal welfare. At the same time, the app will be a learning device that attracts and stimulates student interest in climate and environmental stress related to themselves and their production animals. Our approach will use students in the "Team-Based Mobile Application Development" course (College of Engineering, IT Program, and School of Journalism) together with CAFNR undergraduate students trained in environmental physiology to develop the prototype. The educational component will require input from a select group of high school/college students in 4-H and FFA (and related agricultural youth organizations), with backgrounds in animal science and a strong interest in using technology to improve animal production and welfare. These students will collaborate with others in the app design and evaluation course for a truly multidisciplinary learning experience. This product will then be promoted, displayed, and tested in select venues, such as CAFNR field days and at the Missouri State Fair." --DescriptionMU Interdisciplinary Innovations Fun

Surface morphology of low temperature grown GaAs on singular and vicinal substrates

Abstract The evolution of the surface morphology of epitaxial GaAs layers grown at low substrate temperatures (LT-GaAs) on singular and vicinal (001) GaAs substrates is studied by means of kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations. The simulation model includes the effects of Ehrlich-Schwoebel barriers at step-edges as well as anisotropic surface diffusion. We find that the surface morphology is dominated by a pattern of elongated growth mounds, which are organized into columns parallel to [1( 10]. The formation of this pattern is gradually suppressed on vicinal substrates as the misorientation angle increases. Simulated surface morphologies are compared to atomic force microscopy measurements on LT-GaAs epilayers grown on singular GaAs(001) substrates at different temperatures and good quantitative agreement is found. We propose to use vicinal substrates for LT-GaAs growth in order to overcome the known problem of epitaxial breakdown above a certain epitaxial thickness

Climacteric Lowers Plasma Levels of Platelet-Derived Microparticles: A Pilot Study in Pre-versus Postmenopausal Women

Background: Climacteric increases the risk of thrombotic events by alteration of plasmatic coagulation. Up to now, less is known about changes in platelet-(PMP) and endothelial cell-derived microparticles (EMP). Methods: In this prospective study, plasma levels of microparticles (MP) were compared in 21 premenopausal and 19 postmenopausal women. Results: No altered numbers of total MP or EMP were measured within the study groups. However, the plasma values of CD61-exposing MP from platelets/megakaryocytes were higher in premenopausal women (5,364 x 10(6)/l, range 4,384-17,167) as compared to postmenopausal women (3,808 x 10(6)/l, range 2,009-8,850; p = 0.020). This differentiation was also significant for the subgroup of premenopausal women without hormonal contraceptives (5,364 x 10(6)/l, range 4,223-15,916; p = 0.047; n = 15). Furthermore, in premenopausal women, higher plasma levels of PMP exposing CD62P were also present as compared to postmenopausal women (288 x 10(6)/l, range 139-462, vs. 121 x 10(6)/l, range 74-284; p = 0.024). This difference was also true for CD63+ PMP levels (281 x 10(6)/l, range 182-551, vs. 137 x 10(6)/l, range 64-432; p = 0.015). Conclusion: Climacteric lowers the level of PMP but has no impact on the number of EMP in women. These data suggest that PMP and EMP do not play a significant role in enhancing the risk of thrombotic events in healthy, postmenopausal women. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Target company cross-border effects in acquisitions into the UK

We analyse the abnormal returns to target shareholders in crossborder and domestic acquisitions of UK companies. The crossborder effect during the bid month is small (0.84%), although crossborder targets gain significantly more than domestic targets during the months surrounding the bid. We find no evidence for the level of abnormal returns in crossborder acquisitions to be associated with market access or exchange rate effects, and only limited support for an international diversification effect. However, the crossborder effect appears to be associated with significant payment effects, and there is no significant residual crossborder effect once various bid characteristics are controlled for

IGF-I and IGFBP-3 Polymorphisms in Relation to Circulating Levels among African American and Caucasian Women

Circulating insulin-like growth factor-one (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) levels have been associated with common diseases. Although family-based studies suggest that genetic variation contributes to circulating IGF-I and IGFBP-3 levels, analyses of associations with multiple IGF-I and IGFBP-3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been limited, especially among African Americans. We evaluated 30 IGF-I and 15 IGFBP-3 SNPs and estimated diplotypes in association with plasma IGF-I and IGFBP-3 among 984 premenopausal African American and Caucasian women. In both races, IGFBP-3 rs2854746 (Ala32Gly) was positively associated with plasma IGFBP-3 (CC versus GG mean difference among Caucasians = 631 ng/ml, 95% confidence interval: 398, 864; African Americans = 897 ng/ml, 95% confidence interval: 656, 1138), and IGFBP-3 diplotypes with the rs2854746 GG genotype had lower mean IGFBP-3 levels than referent diplotypes with the CG genotype, while IGFBP-3 diplotypes with the CC genotype had higher mean IGFBP-3 levels. IGFBP-3 rs2854744 (−202 A/C) was in strong linkage disequilibrium with rs2854746 in Caucasians only, but was associated with plasma IGFBP-3 in both races. Eight additional IGFBP-3 SNPs were associated with 5% or greater differences in mean IGFBP-3 levels, with generally consistent associations between races. Twelve IGF-I SNPs were associated with 10% or greater differences in mean IGF-I levels, but associations were generally discordant between races. Diplotype associations with plasma IGF-I did not parallel IGF-I SNP associations. Our study supports that common IGFBP-3 SNPs, especially rs2854746, influence plasma IGFBP-3 levels among African Americans and Caucasians, but provides less evidence that IGF-I SNPs affect plasma IGF-I levels