A study of the effect of modern agricultural practice on the growth physiology of two crop plants, with special reference to fertilizer treatments

Samples of 'tic' field beans and 'Atle' wheat from the separately farmed Organic, Mixed and Stockless sections of Haughley Research Farms have been examined, in order to determine whether any physiological differences have been evolved as a result of the three different farming methods over twenty nine years. There were shown to be significant differences in germination success, the M seeds being only half as successful as seeds from the other two sections, a result which was probably dependent on the degree of fungal attack on the seeds. There were some significant differences in plant growth rates, and response to fertilizer. In general, plants showed the greatest growth rates but no response to fertilizer, whereas M and S plants showed poorer growth and required the stimulus of fertilizer to attain the same growth rate as the 0 plants. M and S plants without fertilizer showed a time-lag of some two weeks before growth began to increase rapidly, but subsequently over-topped the fertilized M and S individuals. Potassium added as fertiliser was taken up, the highest concentrations being found in M tissues; nitrate concentrations of wheat shoots were double those of bean shoots and M plants consistently showed the highest levels. The implications of these results for agricultural practice are considered; but it is pointed out that the hypotheses must be tested and all results repeated and confirmed by extensive fertilizer trials and growth analyses of plants in the field and in constant environment chambers

Continuing Professional Development Program on Second-Generation Antipsychotics for Psychiatric-Mental Health Staff Nurses

The lack of continuous professional development education regarding second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) at a regional state acute care psychiatric hospital limits the ability of psychiatric-mental health (PMH) staff nurses to provide care for patients with or at risk for metabolic syndrome and other medical problems. The goals of the evidence-based program were to (1) examine PMH staff nurses’ knowledge of treatment guidelines for schizophrenia and SGAs; (2) provide education on schizophrenia, SGAs, and metabolic syndrome; and (3) provide continuous professional development training modules on schizophrenia and SGAs electronically for PMH staff nurses in an acute care mental health hospital. The effectiveness of the evidence-based program was measured by pre and posttest to assess acute care PMH staff nurses’ knowledge of the intervention and by an evaluation of the presenter and presentation of the educational program. The participants (n = 10) for the continuing professional development (CPD) program were RNs (n = 5) and LPNs (n = 5). A statistically significant change was noted in the knowledge enhancement among the 10 PMH staff nurses after the implementation of the evidence-based educational intervention (t (9) = 5.395, p \u3c .001). The project enhanced acute care PMH staff nurses’ knowledge to not only provide medication education to patients that are taking SGAs but also to monitor and care for patients with or at risk for metabolic syndrome associated with taking SGA medications. The psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student assumed the role as leader in this practice change initiative in order to enhance the knowledge of staff nurses and improve patient outcomes. The educational module will be completed by all nurses online yearly and updated quarterly based on scientific evidence. The Capstone Project provided knowledge for closing the gap between PMH staff nurses and care of patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia who are taking SGAs

The future of accessibility in disaster conditions: How wireless technologies will transform the life cycle of emergency management

By describing a transformed life cycle of emergency management, this paper re-envisions how emergency managers may prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against disaster impacts in the future. Additionally, this paper also reveals how the broader social, political, economic, and cultural levels must change to foment a culture of safety with and for people with disabilities. The authors use the framework to identify how future wireless technologies can empower people with disabilities with regards to individual (or household) emergency preparedness and in coping with the drastic life changes following a disaster

Cryptosporidium rubeyi n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) in multiple Spermophilus ground squirrel species.

Previously we reported the unique Cryptosporidium sp. "c" genotype (e.g., Sbey03c, Sbey05c, Sbld05c, Sltl05c) from three species of Spermophilus ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi, Spermophilus beldingi, Spermophilus lateralis) located throughout California, USA. This follow-up work characterizes the morphology and animal infectivity of this novel genotype as the final step in proposing it as a new species of Cryptosporidium. Analysis of sequences of 18S rRNA, actin, and HSP70 genes of additional Cryptosporidium isolates from recently sampled California ground squirrels (S. beecheyi) confirms the presence of the unique Sbey-c genotype in S. beecheyi. Phylogenetic and BLAST analysis indicates that the c-genotype in Spermophilus ground squirrels is distinct from Cryptosporidium species/genotypes from other host species currently available in GenBank. We propose to name this c-genotype found in Spermophilus ground squirrels as Cryptosporidium rubeyi n. sp. The mean size of C. rubeyi n. sp. oocysts is 4.67 (4.4-5.0) μm × 4.34 (4.0-5.0) μm, with a length/width index of 1.08 (n = 220). Oocysts of C. rubeyi n. sp. are not infectious to neonatal BALB/c mice and Holstein calves. GenBank accession numbers for C. rubeyi n. sp. are DQ295012, AY462233, and KM010224 for the 18S rRNA gene, KM010227 for the actin gene, and KM010229 for the HSP70 gene

Research data sharing: what the FRIC?

Poster presented by Brenda Phillips and Rachel Proudfoot (both of Research Data Leeds at the University of Leeds) at RepoFringe 2016. The poster subtitle reads: "Lots of cooperation is needed to help researchers share data safely and make sure institutions have a consistent and coherent approach to data management. Here are some of the key players and policies...

Visualizing biological data in museums : Visitor learning with an interactive tree of life exhibit

In this study, we investigate museum visitor learning and engagement at an interactive visualization of an evolutionary tree of life consisting of over 70,000 species. The study was conducted at two natural history museums where visitors collaboratively explored the tree of life using direct touch gestures on a multi-touch tabletop display. In the study, 247 youth, aged 8-15 years, were randomly assigned in pairs to one of four conditions. In two of the conditions, pairs of youth interacted with different versions of the tree of life tabletop exhibit for a fixed duration of 10minutes. In a third condition, pairs watched a 10minute video on a similar topic. Individual responses on a 53-item exit interview were then compared to responses from a fourth, baseline condition. Contrasting with the baseline condition, visitors who interacted with the tabletop exhibits were significantly more likely to reason correctly about core evolutionary concepts, particularly common descent and shared ancestry. They were also more likely to correctly interpret phylogenetic tree diagrams. To investigate the factors influencing these learning outcomes, we used linear mixed models to analyze measures of dyads' verbal engagement and physical interaction with the exhibit. These models indicated that, while our verbal and physical measures were related, they accounted for significant portions of the variance on their own, independent of youth age, prior knowledge, and parental background. Our results provide evidence that multi-touch interactive exhibits that enable visitors to explore large scientific datasets can provide engaging and effective learning opportunities

ALMA 1.3 Millimeter Map of the HD 95086 System

Planets and minor bodies such as asteroids, Kuiper-belt objects and comets are integral components of a planetary system. Interactions among them leave clues about the formation process of a planetary system. The signature of such interactions is most prominent through observations of its debris disk at millimeter wavelengths where emission is dominated by the population of large grains that stay close to their parent bodies. Here we present ALMA 1.3 mm observations of HD 95086, a young early-type star that hosts a directly imaged giant planet b and a massive debris disk with both asteroid- and Kuiper-belt analogs. The location of the Kuiper-belt analog is resolved for the first time. The system can be depicted as a broad ($\Delta R/R \sim$0.84), inclined (30\arcdeg$\pm$3\arcdeg) ring with millimeter emission peaked at 200$\pm$6 au from the star. The 1.3 mm disk emission is consistent with a broad disk with sharp boundaries from 106$\pm$6 to 320$\pm$20 au with a surface density distribution described by a power law with an index of --0.5$\pm$0.2. Our deep ALMA map also reveals a bright source located near the edge of the ring, whose brightness at 1.3 mm and potential spectral energy distribution are consistent with it being a luminous star-forming galaxy at high redshift. We set constraints on the orbital properties of planet b assuming co-planarity with the observed disk.Comment: accepted for publication in A

Analysis of URL references in ETDs: a case study at the University of North Texas

Article discussing a case study at the University of North Texas (UNT) on an analysis of URL references in electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs)

Analysis of URL References in ETDs: A Case Study at the University of North Texas

Article discussing a case study at the University of North Texas (UNT) on an analysis of URL references in electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs)