933 research outputs found
Evaluating White Clover for Resistance to Cylindrocladium Root Rot
A rapid screening technique was developed for use in evaluating white clover (Trifolium repens L.) for resistance to Cylindrocladium root rot incited by Cylindrocladium crotalariae. Culture plates of the fungus were evaluated for number of infective propagules after four weeks of growth on potato dextrose agar, and no differences were detected among plates. Seedlings of ‘Osceola’ white clover were exposed in the greenhouse to four levels of inoculum over a six-week period, with resistance based on percent survival of uninoculated controls. It was shown that suspending 1 culture plate in 100ml of water and rating plants four weeks after inoculation was suitable for screening seedlings. A field test was conducted to verify greenhouse results. Results indicated that the greenhouse technique gave similar results, and would be sufficient to use in a breeding program to develop resistance to this disease
Synthesis of atomically thin hexagonal boron nitride films on nickel foils by molecular beam epitaxy
Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a layered two-dimensional material with
properties that make it promising as a dielectric in various applications. We
report the growth of h-BN films on Ni foils from elemental B and N using
molecular beam epitaxy. The presence of crystalline h-BN over the entire
substrate is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy is used
to examine the morphology and continuity of the synthesized films. A scanning
electron microscopy study of films obtained using shorter depositions offers
insight into the nucleation and growth behavior of h-BN on the Ni substrate.
The morphology of h-BN was found to evolve from dendritic, star-shaped islands
to larger, smooth triangular ones with increasing growth temperature
Enhancing Compliance with Allergic Rhinitis Therapy
Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common chronic conditions in the US, surpassing even heart disease. Over 639 million related to lost work days and diminished work performance.
If not effectively treated, allergic rhinitis may lead to potential complications such as otitis media, sinusitis, facial and dental abnormalities, hearing loss, poor speech development, and recurrent upper respiratory tract infections. Ineffective treatment often the result of intentional or unintentional noncompliance and inadequate patient education. Therefore, it is imperative that the clinician effectively educate the patient and tailor the treatment regimen so it enhances compliant behavior
Selection of morphological traits to improve forage characteristics of Setaria sphacelata grown in Florida.
A genetically diverse population of Setaria sphacelata was developed at Gainesville, Florida by intercrossing the cultivars ?Narok?, ?Kazungula? and ?Solander? and a local persistent population. To determine heritability of traits that may improve setaria as a forage plant in Florida, progeny of the intercrossed population underwent two cycles of selection for inflorescence number and one cycle for leaf width. The selected populations, together with cultivars and introductions, were evaluated for morphological characters, yield and forage quality in field experiments with close- and wide-spaced plants. Increase of inflorescence number was not obtained by selection but resulted in decreased plant height, inflorescence length, yield, leaf width, and leafiness. Leaf width was increased by selection and was associated with increased leafiness and whole-plant crude protein content. The results suggest good prospects for selection of setaria cultivars suited to Florida with improved yield and quality providing they tolerate winter cold and reliably produce seed
A Comprehensive Comparative Test of Seven Widely-Used Spectral Synthesis Models Against Multi-Band Photometry of Young Massive Star Clusters
We test the predictions of spectral synthesis models based on seven different
massive-star prescriptions against Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey (LEGUS)
observations of eight young massive clusters in two local galaxies, NGC 1566
and NGC 5253, chosen because predictions of all seven models are available at
the published galactic metallicities. The high angular resolution, extensive
cluster inventory and full near-ultraviolet to near-infrared photometric
coverage make the LEGUS dataset excellent for this study. We account for both
stellar and nebular emission in the models and try two different prescriptions
for attenuation by dust. From Bayesian fits of model libraries to the
observations, we find remarkably low dispersion in the median E(B-V) (~0.03
mag), stellar masses (~10^4 M_\odot) and ages (~1 Myr) derived for individual
clusters using different models, although maximum discrepancies in these
quantities can reach 0.09 mag and factors of 2.8 and 2.5, respectively. This is
for ranges in median properties of 0.05-0.54 mag, 1.8-10x10^4 M_\odot and
1.6-40 Myr spanned by the clusters in our sample. In terms of best fit, the
observations are slightly better reproduced by models with interacting binaries
and least well reproduced by models with single rotating stars. Our study
provides a first quantitative estimate of the accuracies and uncertainties of
the most recent spectral synthesis models of young stellar populations,
demonstrates the good progress of models in fitting high-quality observations,
and highlights the needs for a larger cluster sample and more extensive tests
of the model parameter space.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS (14 Jan. 2016). 30 pages, 16
figures, 9 table
Jupyter notebooks as discovery mechanisms for open science: Citation practices in the astronomy community
Citing data and software is a means to give scholarly credit and to
facilitate access to research objects. Citation principles encourage authors to
provide full descriptions of objects, with stable links, in their papers. As
Jupyter notebooks aggregate data, software, and other objects, they may
facilitate or hinder citation, credit, and access to data and software. We
report on a study of references to Jupyter notebooks in astronomy over a 5-year
period (2014-2018). References increased rapidly, but fewer than half of the
references led to Jupyter notebooks that could be located and opened. Jupyter
notebooks appear better suited to supporting the research process than to
providing access to research objects. We recommend that authors cite individual
data and software objects, and that they stabilize any notebooks cited in
publications. Publishers should increase the number of citations allowed in
papers and employ descriptive metadata-rich citation styles that facilitate
credit and discovery
‘Speak at this’: An approach to the completion of speech acts during interactive Shakespeare performances in schools
It is 2014 in a secondary school in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. A performance of Romeo and Juliet is taking place in the school hall. An audience of teenagers are sitting on plastic blue chairs arranged in-the-round. During the ‘balcony scene’ the performer playing Romeo asks a member of the audience, ‘Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?’, this audience member urges him to ‘hear more’.
This article interrogates this moment in performance, the process that was required to achieve it and the validity of it as a successfully completed Speech Act. Speech Act Theory has been used as a valuable method for Shakespearean textual analysis but this article investigates the merits of its application as a rehearsal technique: What training methods augment the performative nature of audience address? How can current theoretical concerns in audience studies temper the application of Speech Act Theory in this context to provide an open and interactive Shakespeare performance atmosphere for young people?
In order to address these questions, the argument will draw upon media and data from a large scale PaR project based produced by Hull University and the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Yorkshire in 2014
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