Systems to Attract and Feed Pollinators in Warm-Season Lawns

Pollinating insects are responsible for the production of many agricultural crops and they require floral resources to fulfill their life-cycle. Ideally, pollinating insects will encounter a diversity of floral resources across their entire season of activity, and those floral resources can include both herbaceous and woody plant species. Managed turfgrass areas have been identified as potential locations for creating pollinator-friendly habitats. In the transition zone, where both warm- and cool-season turfgrass species are present, the persistence of herbaceous plants in warm-season turfgrasses such as bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) and buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides), may be affected not only by the competitive nature of the turfgrass, but by the cultural practices associated with turfgrass management. While exhibiting prolific growth throughout the growing season, warm-season turfgrasses experience an extended dormancy period from late fall to spring. Loss of green color during dormancy might be countered with a display of color from flowering bulbs. Many early-spring bulbs emerge, flower, and senesce before warm-season turfgrass breaks dormancy, and are potential sources for pollinator nutrition at a time when few nutritive resources are available. Additionally, many broadleaf perennial plants commonly found in lawns throughout the season may provide nutrition to pollinating insects during spring, summer, and fall months. A series of field trials were conducted in Arkansas over two years (2016-2017), testing 30 cultivars of early-spring flowering bulbs and eight flowering, broadleaf perennial plants (forbs) in warm-season lawns. The overall goal of the project were to identify bulbs and forbs which would persist in warm-season lawns and provide season-long floral resources for pollinating insects. Five species of flowering bulbs exhibited persistence in both bermudagrass and buffalograss lawns, with flowering times ranging from January-May. Several bulb species were also used as early-season food sources for pollinating insects. Five species of forb also persisted in a bermudagrass lawn and provided pollinator forage in the spring, summer and fall months. In conclusion, a combination of early-spring flowering bulbs and flowering, broadleaf perennials can persist in warm-season turfgrasses and supply nutrition to pollinating insects. The benefit to pollinators confirms another potential ecosystem service of turfgrasses in both urban and rural environments

Information security, compliance and the grant life cycle

These slides support the oral presentation by Beth Chancellor, Jeremy Cox, Jennifer Duncan, Jennifer May, and Michelle Wisdom on October 10, 2013 at Cyberinfrastructure Day 2013 on the University of Missouri campus

Practice Considerations for Adapting In-Person Groups to Telerehabilitation

The Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has shifted research and healthcare system priorities, stimulating literature on implementation and evaluation of telerehabilitation for a variety of patient populations. While there is substantial literature on individual telerehabilitation, evidence about group telerehabilitation remains limited despite its increasing use by rehabilitation providers. Therefore, the purpose of this manuscript is to describe our expert team’s consensus on practice considerations for adapting in-person group rehabilitation to group telerehabilitation to provide rapid guidance during a pandemic and create a foundation for sustainability of group telerehabilitation beyond the pandemic’s end. &nbsp

The effect of motor load on planning and inhibition in developmental coordination disorder

Previous research has reported mixed findings regarding executive function (EF) abilities in developmental coordination disorder (DCD), which is diagnosed on the basis of significant impairments in motor skills. The current study aimed to assess whether these differences in study outcomes could result from the relative motor loads of the tasks used to assess EF in DCD. Children with DCD had significant difficulties on measures of inhibition and planning compared to a control group, although there were no significant correlations between motor skills and EF task performance in either group. The complexity of the response, as well as the component skills required in EF tasks, should be considered in future research to ensure easier comparison across studies and a better understanding of EF in DCD over development

Relating health policy to women's health outcomes

Individuals' social and economic circumstances, including socioeconomic status and medical care availability, are central to health outcomes, particularly for women. These factors are often mediated by governmental policies. This exploratory study found associations between women's health outcomes and state-level policies related to women's health. Outcomes were mortality rates for four leading causes of death for women in the US (heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and breast cancer), infant mortality, and a mental health outcome variable. State policies on key women's health issues were evaluated on the degree to which they adequately protected women's health. Our regression models accounted for significant variance in mortality rates and substantial variance in the mental health outcome. Policies affecting access to care (Medicaid eligibility and efforts to expand Medicaid) and community (environmental health tracking and violence against women) were significantly associated with mortality outcomes. State health policies should be examined further for their relationship to health outcomes.Mortality rates Women's health Chronic disease Infant mortality State-level health policy, USA