39 research outputs found

    Potential Control of Invasive Mesquite Through Improving the Consumer’s Understanding of Liquid Smoke Applications.

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    Mesquite trees continue to invade forests and range lands in many countries across the world. The cost to remove these trees is staggering. In Texas, landowners spent 25millionovera10−yearperiodtoclear300,000haofmesquitetrees,afractionofthe22millionhaofTexaslandaffectedbythisinvasion.EstimatesarethatthemesquitecontinuestonegativelyimpactonetotwopercentofadditionallandinselectedcountieseachyearinTexas.However,theproblemisnotuniquetoTexas,butrathertothe44speciesofmesquitetrees,belongingtothegenusProsopisfoundinthepeafamily,theFabaceae,introducedacrossthesouthernUnitedStates,SouthAsia,Africa,theMiddleEast,SouthAmerica,andtheCaribbean.Inresponse,researchersaresearchingforeconomicallyviableusesforharvestedtreesandseedstoprovideanalternativetothehighcostofremoval.Ifviableusesforharvestedmesquitetreesandseedsarefound,thensustainedpressurewilllimitandultimatelyreducethenegativeimpactfromtheseinvasivetrees.Onekeyfactortocontrollingthisinvasivespeciesistofindeconomicallyandenvironmentallysustainableusestohelppaythecostsofremovalorperhapsmakeremovallessnecessary.Traditionalusesofmesquiteareasabuildingmaterial,asasourceoffoodforbothanimalsandhumansandaswoodforcharcoal.Emergingusesofmesquitearenewapplicationsasabiofuelandasabio−filtermediumforwater.Moreover,forestrylandmanagementofmesquitehasadaptedtoincludethetreeasacomponentofhuntinglands.Newcontrolmethodologiesandtechnologiesarebasedonanincreasedunderstandingofmesquitegrowthpatterns,usingrecommendedpracticesthatreducecontrolanderadicationcostswhileimprovingtheefficiencyoflandmanagement.Previouslandmanagementpracticeshaveproventhatexcessiveapplicationofherbicides,physicalremovalofmesquitetrees,orhuman−inducedbrushfires,ifnotcarefullyplanned,onlyworsenmesquiteinfestations.Thegrowingproblemofmesquitelandmanagementprovidesanopportunityforcontinuedresearchintonovelwaystoutilizemesquitebiomass,ofbothwoodandseedpods.Forexample,liquidsmokeapplicationforpoultryproducts.Boneless,skinlesschickenbreastscomprisealmost3025 million over a 10- year period to clear 300,000 ha of mesquite trees, a fraction of the 22 million ha of Texas land affected by this invasion. Estimates are that the mesquite continues to negatively impact one to two percent of additional land in selected counties each year in Texas. However, the problem is not unique to Texas, but rather to the 44 species of mesquite trees, belonging to the genus Prosopis found in the pea family, the Fabaceae, introduced across the southern United States, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America, and the Caribbean. In response, researchers are searching for economically viable uses for harvested trees and seeds to provide an alternative to the high cost of removal. If viable uses for harvested mesquite trees and seeds are found, then sustained pressure will limit and ultimately reduce the negative impact from these invasive trees. One key factor to controlling this invasive species is to find economically and environmentally sustainable uses to help pay the costs of removal or perhaps make removal less necessary. Traditional uses of mesquite are as a building material, as a source of food for both animals and humans and as wood for charcoal. Emerging uses of mesquite are new applications as a biofuel and as a bio-filter medium for water. Moreover, forestry land management of mesquite has adapted to include the tree as a component of hunting lands. New control methodologies and technologies are based on an increased understanding of mesquite growth patterns, using recommended practices that reduce control and eradication costs while improving the efficiency of land management. Previous land management practices have proven that excessive application of herbicides, physical removal of mesquite trees, or human-induced brush fires, if not carefully planned, only worsen mesquite infestations. The growing problem of mesquite land management provides an opportunity for continued research into novel ways to utilize mesquite biomass, of both wood and seed pods. For example, liquid smoke application for poultry products. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts comprise almost 30% of total poultry sales and poultry remains US consumers’ protein of choice. This research sought to determine whether consumers of chicken would pay a premium for a smoked chicken breast that was healthier and produced with less of a negative impact on the environment. Two balanced consumer panel groups were presented with information on the two value prospects of smoked chicken prepared with liquid smoke. The order of presentation of the health claims and the environmentally friendly claims were reversed to measure the impact of the order of presentation on consumers’ willingness to pay. An Nth type auction showed that health claims elicited a greater premium; the highest average premium was approximately 7 including the baseline price following the health claims for the liquid smoked chicken. The order of presentation of the information did not affect the results

    Potential Control of Invasive Mesquite Through Improving the Consumer’s Understanding of Liquid Smoke Applications.

    Get PDF
    Mesquite trees continue to invade forests and range lands in many countries across the world. The cost to remove these trees is staggering. In Texas, landowners spent 25millionovera10−yearperiodtoclear300,000haofmesquitetrees,afractionofthe22millionhaofTexaslandaffectedbythisinvasion.EstimatesarethatthemesquitecontinuestonegativelyimpactonetotwopercentofadditionallandinselectedcountieseachyearinTexas.However,theproblemisnotuniquetoTexas,butrathertothe44speciesofmesquitetrees,belongingtothegenusProsopisfoundinthepeafamily,theFabaceae,introducedacrossthesouthernUnitedStates,SouthAsia,Africa,theMiddleEast,SouthAmerica,andtheCaribbean.Inresponse,researchersaresearchingforeconomicallyviableusesforharvestedtreesandseedstoprovideanalternativetothehighcostofremoval.Ifviableusesforharvestedmesquitetreesandseedsarefound,thensustainedpressurewilllimitandultimatelyreducethenegativeimpactfromtheseinvasivetrees.Onekeyfactortocontrollingthisinvasivespeciesistofindeconomicallyandenvironmentallysustainableusestohelppaythecostsofremovalorperhapsmakeremovallessnecessary.Traditionalusesofmesquiteareasabuildingmaterial,asasourceoffoodforbothanimalsandhumansandaswoodforcharcoal.Emergingusesofmesquitearenewapplicationsasabiofuelandasabio−filtermediumforwater.Moreover,forestrylandmanagementofmesquitehasadaptedtoincludethetreeasacomponentofhuntinglands.Newcontrolmethodologiesandtechnologiesarebasedonanincreasedunderstandingofmesquitegrowthpatterns,usingrecommendedpracticesthatreducecontrolanderadicationcostswhileimprovingtheefficiencyoflandmanagement.Previouslandmanagementpracticeshaveproventhatexcessiveapplicationofherbicides,physicalremovalofmesquitetrees,orhuman−inducedbrushfires,ifnotcarefullyplanned,onlyworsenmesquiteinfestations.Thegrowingproblemofmesquitelandmanagementprovidesanopportunityforcontinuedresearchintonovelwaystoutilizemesquitebiomass,ofbothwoodandseedpods.Forexample,liquidsmokeapplicationforpoultryproducts.Boneless,skinlesschickenbreastscomprisealmost3025 million over a 10- year period to clear 300,000 ha of mesquite trees, a fraction of the 22 million ha of Texas land affected by this invasion. Estimates are that the mesquite continues to negatively impact one to two percent of additional land in selected counties each year in Texas. However, the problem is not unique to Texas, but rather to the 44 species of mesquite trees, belonging to the genus Prosopis found in the pea family, the Fabaceae, introduced across the southern United States, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America, and the Caribbean. In response, researchers are searching for economically viable uses for harvested trees and seeds to provide an alternative to the high cost of removal. If viable uses for harvested mesquite trees and seeds are found, then sustained pressure will limit and ultimately reduce the negative impact from these invasive trees. One key factor to controlling this invasive species is to find economically and environmentally sustainable uses to help pay the costs of removal or perhaps make removal less necessary. Traditional uses of mesquite are as a building material, as a source of food for both animals and humans and as wood for charcoal. Emerging uses of mesquite are new applications as a biofuel and as a bio-filter medium for water. Moreover, forestry land management of mesquite has adapted to include the tree as a component of hunting lands. New control methodologies and technologies are based on an increased understanding of mesquite growth patterns, using recommended practices that reduce control and eradication costs while improving the efficiency of land management. Previous land management practices have proven that excessive application of herbicides, physical removal of mesquite trees, or human-induced brush fires, if not carefully planned, only worsen mesquite infestations. The growing problem of mesquite land management provides an opportunity for continued research into novel ways to utilize mesquite biomass, of both wood and seed pods. For example, liquid smoke application for poultry products. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts comprise almost 30% of total poultry sales and poultry remains US consumers’ protein of choice. This research sought to determine whether consumers of chicken would pay a premium for a smoked chicken breast that was healthier and produced with less of a negative impact on the environment. Two balanced consumer panel groups were presented with information on the two value prospects of smoked chicken prepared with liquid smoke. The order of presentation of the health claims and the environmentally friendly claims were reversed to measure the impact of the order of presentation on consumers’ willingness to pay. An Nth type auction showed that health claims elicited a greater premium; the highest average premium was approximately 7 including the baseline price following the health claims for the liquid smoked chicken. The order of presentation of the information did not affect the results

    PEARLS: A Potentially Isolated Quiescent Dwarf Galaxy with a TRGB Distance of 31 Mpc

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    A wealth of observations have long suggested that the vast majority of isolated classical dwarf galaxies (M∗=107M_*=10^7-10910^9 M⊙_\odot) are currently star-forming. However, recent observations of the large abundance of "Ultra-Diffuse Galaxies" beyond the reach of previous large spectroscopic surveys suggest that our understanding of the dwarf galaxy population may be incomplete. Here we report the serendipitous discovery of an isolated quiescent dwarf galaxy in the nearby Universe, which was imaged as part of the PEARLS GTO program. Remarkably, individual red-giant branch stars are visible in this near-IR imaging, suggesting a distance of 3131 Mpc, and a wealth of archival photometry point to an sSFR of 2×10−122\times10^{-12} yr−1^{-1}. Spectra obtained with the Lowell Discovery Telescope find a recessional velocity consistent with the Hubble Flow and >1500{>}1500 km/s separated from the nearest massive galaxy in SDSS, suggesting that this galaxy was either quenched from internal mechanisms or had a very high-velocity interaction with a nearby massive galaxy in the past. This analysis highlights the possibility that many nearby quiescent dwarf galaxies are waiting to be discovered and that JWST has the potential to identify them.Comment: Submitted to ApJ Letters. Comments welcome

    PEARLS: A potentially isolated quiescent dwarf galaxy with a tip of the red giant branch distance of 30 Mpc

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    A wealth of observations have long suggested that the vast majority of isolated classical dwarf galaxies (M* = 107–109M⊙) are currently star forming. However, recent observations of the large abundance of "ultra-diffuse galaxies" beyond the reach of previous large spectroscopic surveys suggest that our understanding of the dwarf galaxy population may be incomplete. Here we report the serendipitous discovery of an isolated quiescent dwarf galaxy in the nearby Universe, which was imaged as part of the JWST PEARLS Guaranteed Time Observation program. Remarkably, individual red-giant branch stars are visible in this near-IR imaging, suggesting a distance of 30 ± 4 Mpc, and a wealth of archival photometry point to an sSFR of 2 × 10−11 yr−1 and star formation rate of 4 × 10−4M⊙ yr−1. Spectra obtained with the Lowell Discovery Telescope find a recessional velocity consistent with the Hubble Flow and >1500 km s−1 separated from the nearest massive galaxy in Sloan Digital Sky Survey suggesting that this galaxy was either quenched from internal mechanisms or had a very high-velocity (≳1000 km s−1) interaction with a nearby massive galaxy in the past. This analysis highlights the possibility that many nearby quiescent dwarf galaxies are waiting to be discovered and that JWST has the potential to resolve them.T.M.C. is grateful for support from the Beus Center for Cosmic Foundations. R.A.W., S.H.C., and R.A.J. acknowledge support from NASA JWST Interdisciplinary Scientist grants NAG5-12460, NNX14AN10G and 80NSSC18K0200 from GSFC. J.M.D. acknowledges the support of project PGC2018-101814-B-100 (MCIU/AEI/MINECO/FEDER, UE) Ministerio de Ciencia, InvestigaciĂłn y Universidades. This project was funded by the Agencia Estatal de InvestigaciĂłn, Unidad de Excelencia MarĂ­a de Maeztu, ref. MDM-2017-0765. C.C. is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Nos. 11803044, 11933003, 12173045. This work is sponsored (in part) by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), through a grant to the CAS South America Center for Astronomy (CASSACA). We acknowledge the science research grants from the China Manned Space Project with No. CMS-CSST-2021-A05. R.A.B. gratefully acknowledges support from the European Space Agency (ESA) Research Fellowship. C.J.C. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Investigator Grant EPOCHS (788113). C.N.A.W. acknowledges funding from the JWST/NIRCam contract NASS-0215 to the University of Arizona. M.A.M. acknowledges the support of a National Research Council of Canada Plaskett Fellowship, and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3D), through project number CE17010001.Peer reviewe

    Congenital prepubic sinus presenting with abdominal pain: A case report

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    Introduction: Congenital prepubic sinuses are rare congenital anomalies of the urogenital tract with a varied presentation, but pain is an uncommon presenting symptom. Case presentation: This report describes a 14-year-old male who presented to the emergency department following five days of intermittent pain associated with a small opening superior to the base of the dorsum of the penis and superficial to the pubic symphysis. Surgical excision of the sinus tract revealed the sinus coursed towards the pubis and did not connect to the bladder. The histology of the tract revealed transitional epithelium surrounded by smooth muscle. Conclusion: Management of congenital prepubic sinuses relies upon prompt recognition, diagnosis, and surgical intervention to prevent complications

    IIT Sustainability Branding (Semester Unknown) IPRO 311: IITSustainableBrandingIPRO311BrochureSp09

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    This is a continuing IPRO with the overall aim of improving and enhancing the image of Illinois Institute of Technology, both as an institution and a physical campus, in regards to sustainability and “green” practices. To that end, the current semester is focused on several design projects based on concepts generated in the previous semesters along with input from the current semester to enhance a new “green” campus. We will also be providing information on how IIT is currently acting in a sustainable fashion and how students on campus can contribute to our image as a sustainable campusDeliverable

    IIT Sustainability Branding (Semester Unknown) IPRO 311: IITSustainableBrandingIPRO311AbstractSp09

    No full text
    This is a continuing IPRO with the overall aim of improving and enhancing the image of Illinois Institute of Technology, both as an institution and a physical campus, in regards to sustainability and “green” practices. To that end, the current semester is focused on several design projects based on concepts generated in the previous semesters along with input from the current semester to enhance a new “green” campus. We will also be providing information on how IIT is currently acting in a sustainable fashion and how students on campus can contribute to our image as a sustainable campusDeliverable

    IIT Sustainability Branding (Semester Unknown) IPRO 311: IITSustainableBrandingIPRO311ProjectPlanSp09_redacted

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    This is a continuing IPRO with the overall aim of improving and enhancing the image of Illinois Institute of Technology, both as an institution and a physical campus, in regards to sustainability and “green” practices. To that end, the current semester is focused on several design projects based on concepts generated in the previous semesters along with input from the current semester to enhance a new “green” campus. We will also be providing information on how IIT is currently acting in a sustainable fashion and how students on campus can contribute to our image as a sustainable campusDeliverable

    IIT Sustainability Branding (Semester Unknown) IPRO 311: IITSustainableBrandingIPRO311MidTermPresentationSp09

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    This is a continuing IPRO with the overall aim of improving and enhancing the image of Illinois Institute of Technology, both as an institution and a physical campus, in regards to sustainability and “green” practices. To that end, the current semester is focused on several design projects based on concepts generated in the previous semesters along with input from the current semester to enhance a new “green” campus. We will also be providing information on how IIT is currently acting in a sustainable fashion and how students on campus can contribute to our image as a sustainable campusDeliverable
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