Innovative Approach to Active Learning

Presentation on a course redesign and project plan given at the American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting, Cincinnati, OH

Application of certain statistical techniques to the analysis of core samples.

The author has attempted to illustrate in a somewhat brief manner the application of certain statistical techniques to the analysis of core sampling data. The statistical areas of frequency distributions, analysis of variances, and to a lesser degree, sampling, provide the basis for the study.http://www.archive.org/details/applicationofcer00van

Phase I clinical trial of a chlorhexidine diacetate intraoral delivery system in medically healthy gingivitis subjects

Chlorhexidine diacetate (CDA) was incorporated into an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) mouthguard. This single center, 5-week, open-label trial, evaluated six medically healthy subjects with moderate gingivitis. Subjects wore the mouthguard 12 hrs/day for 21 days. Adverse events were recorded and the pharmacokinetic profiles of CDA in serum and saliva were evaluated. Plaque samples were evaluated for changes in microbial susceptibility to CDA, bacterial counts characterized under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, and specific subgingival microorganisms. Results show limited adverse events, minimal systemic exposure to CDA, prolonged intraoral delivery, and no evidence of microbial CDA resistance. A reduction in the total bacterial counts of aerobic and anaerobic microbes, and an improvement in clinical signs of periodontal inflammation occurred. Data suggest that the CDA-EVA mouthguard is safe for human use with minimal systemic exposure. Additionally, CDA treatment does not alter the CDA-susceptibility of the oral flora and may reduce total bacterial counts

Pre-Plant Anhydrous Ammonia Placement Consequences on No-Till Versus Conventional-Till Maize Growth and Nitrogen Responses

With the advent of precision guidance systems, maize (Zea mays L.) farmers in various tillage systems have more options in pre-plant nutrient banding relative to the intended crop rows. Anhydrous ammonia (NH3) placement during pre-plant application is of interest because of concerns for possible ammonia toxicity to maize seedlings when high NH3 rates are applied too close to the seed row and the need to improve plant-nitrogen (N) use efficiencies. Field studies were conducted between 2010 and 2012 near West Lafayette, IN, to compare traditional angled (diagonally) vs. precision-guided parallel NH3 applications (the latter was offset 15 cm from the future row) in no-till and conventional tillage systems. The NH3 was injected to depths of about 12 cm at N rates of 145 and 202 kg N ha−1. Maize was planted with additional starter N (20 kg N ha−1) within 6 d of NH3 application. Neither NH3 application placement resulted in significant maize seedling mortality. Conventional tillage increased mean grain yields across N rates and placement treatments from 10.6 to 11.6 Mg ha−1. Tillage did not impact reproductive-stage leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD), or whole-plant N content at maturity when NH3 was parallel applied, but these plant responses were significantly lower in no-till after diagonal application. Lowering the pre-plant N rate to 145 from 202 kg N ha−1 significantly lowered maize whole-plant biomass and N accumulation at maturity with diagonal application, but not when NH3 was parallel applied

Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences (Isee) – Mapping a New Approach to Teaching and Learning Soil Science

The purpose of the Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences project is to develop the ability of our students to use digital maps: (1) to learn how and why soils and landscapes vary spatially at scales ranging from fields, to counties, states, and globally and (2) to learn how the spatial distribution of soils and landscapes impacts the distributions of land use, and environmental and ecosystem services across various scales. Our immediate audience is undergraduate students in soil, crop, natural resource, and environmental science curricula in colleges and universities, but the products created by this project will have broader uses for outreach to other clientele. Products to support teaching and learning include: (1) a revised and expanded Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences (Isee) web site, (2) maps of soil properties for Indiana, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Texas, (3) a community of practice dedicated to Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences in soil science education on STEMEdhub.org, and (4) lessons, worksheets, exercises, and experiences shared with the Isee community of practice

The association of health literacy with adherence in older 2 adults, and its role in interventions: a systematic meta-review

Background: Low health literacy is a common problem among older adults. It is often suggested to be associated with poor adherence. This suggested association implies a need for effective adherence interventions in low health literate people. However, previous reviews show mixed results on the association between low health literacy and poor adherence. A systematic meta-review of systematic reviews was conducted to study the association between health literacy and adherence in adults above the age of 50. Evidence for the effectiveness of adherence interventions among adults in this older age group with low health literacy was also explored. Methods: Eight electronic databases (MEDLINE, ERIC, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, DARE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Knowledge) were searched using a variety of keywords regarding health literacy and adherence. Additionally, references of identified articles were checked. Systematic reviews were included if they assessed the association between health literacy and adherence or evaluated the effectiveness of interventions to improve adherence in adults with low health literacy. The AMSTAR tool was used to assess the quality of the included reviews. The selection procedure, data-extraction, and quality assessment were performed by two independent reviewers. Seventeen reviews were selected for inclusion. Results: Reviews varied widely in quality. Both reviews of high and low quality found only weak or mixed associations between health literacy and adherence among older adults. Reviews report on seven studies that assess the effectiveness of adherence interventions among low health literate older adults. The results suggest that some adherence interventions are effective for this group. The interventions described in the reviews focused mainly on education and on lowering the health literacy demands of adherence instructions. No conclusions could be drawn about which type of intervention could be most beneficial for this population. Conclusions: Evidence on the association between health literacy and adherence in older adults is relatively weak. Adherence interventions are potentially effective for the vulnerable population of older adults with low levels of health literacy, but the evidence on this topic is limited. Further research is needed on the association between health literacy and general health behavior, and on the effectiveness of interventions

Preparation of Glycerol Carbonate Esters by using Hybrid Nafion-Silica Catalyst

Glycerol carbonate esters (GCEs), which are valuable biomass-deriv. compds., have been prepd. through the direct esterification of glycerol carbonate and long org. acids with different chain lengths, in the absence of solvent, and with heterogeneous catalysts, including acidic-org. resins, zeolites, and hybrid org.-inorg. acids. The best results, in terms of activity and selectivity towards GCEs, were obtained using a Nafion-silica composite. A full reaction scheme has been established, and it has been demonstrated that an undesired competing reaction results in the generation of glycerol and esters derived from a secondary hydrolysis of the endocyclic ester group, which is attributed to water formed during the esterification reaction. The influence of temp., substrate ratio, catalyst-to-substrate ratio, and the use of solvent has been studied and, under optimized reaction conditions and with the adequate catalyst, it was possible to achieve 95 % selectivity for the desired product at 98 % conversion. It was demonstrated that the reaction rate decreased as the no. of carbon atoms in the linear alkyl chain of the carboxylic acid increased for both p-toluenesulfonic acid and Nafion-silica nanocomposite (Nafion SAC-13) catalysts. After fitting the exptl. data to a mechanistically based kinetic model, the reaction kinetic parameters for Nafion SAC-13 catalysis were detd. and compared for reactions involving different carboxylic acids. A kinetic study showed that the reduced reactivity of carboxylic acids with increasing chain lengths could be explained by inductive as well as steric effects.The authors wish to acknowledge the Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry (Consolider Ingenio 2010, CTQ-2011-27550 and MULTICAT CSD2009-00050 projects) and the Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo program) for their financial support. S.M. thanks the Ministerio de Educacion for a FPI fellowship.Climent Olmedo, MJ.; Corma Canós, A.; Iborra Chornet, S.; Martínez Silvestre, S.; Velty ., A. (2013). Preparation of Glycerol Carbonate Esters by using Hybrid Nafion-Silica Catalyst. ChemSusChem. 6(7):1224-1234. doi:10.1002/cssc.201300146S1224123467BUDRONI, G., & CORMA, A. (2008). Gold and gold–platinum as active and selective catalyst for biomass conversion: Synthesis of γ-butyrolactone and one-pot synthesis of pyrrolidone. Journal of Catalysis, 257(2), 403-408. doi:10.1016/j.jcat.2008.05.031Climent, M. J., Corma, A., & Iborra, S. (2011). 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Racial differences in influenza vaccination among older americans 1996–2000: longitudinal analysis of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) survey

BACKGROUND: Influenza is a common and serious public health problem among the elderly. The influenza vaccine is safe and effective. METHODS: The purpose of the study was to determine whether frequencies of receipt vary by race, age group, gender, and time (progress from 1995/1996 to 2000), and whether any racial differences remain in age groups covered by Medicare. Subjects were selected from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (12,652 Americans 50–61 years of age (1992–2000)) and the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) survey (8,124 community-dwelling seniors aged 70+ years (1993–2000)). Using multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders, we estimated the relationship between race, age group, gender, time and the main outcome measure, receipt of influenza vaccination in the last 2 years. RESULTS: There has been a clear increase in the unadjusted rates of receipt of influenza vaccination for all groups from 1995/1996 to 2000. However, the proportions immunized are 10–20% higher among White than among Black elderly, with no obvious narrowing of the racial gap from 1995/1996 to 2000. There is an increase in rates from age 50 to age 65. After age 70, the rate appears to plateau. In multivariate analyses, the racial difference remains after adjusting for a series of socioeconomic, health, and health care related variables. (HRS: OR = 0.63 (0.55–0.72), AHEAD: OR = 0.55 (0.44–0.66)) CONCLUSIONS: There is much work left if the Healthy People 2010 goal of 90% of the elderly immunized against influenza annually is to be achieved. Close coordination between public health programs and clinical prevention efforts in primary care is necessary, but to be truly effective, these services must be culturally appropriate