Establishment of a field school for weed ecology and management

Multiyear field experiments using three crop rotations, two of which were low-external-input (LEI) systems, showed that cropping systems can be designed to achieve large reductions in agrichemical use while providing effective weed control and high yields and profits

Perspectives on Policing in Nineteenth-Century America

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50951/1/176.pd

Velvetleaf Responses to 2-Year and 4-Year Crop Rotation Systems

In 1938, C.E. Leighty described crop rotation as “the most effective means yet devised for keeping land free of weeds.” Despite the accumulation of a considerable amount of evidence to support this assertion, little has been learned over the past six decades about why, mechanistically, cropping system diversity suppresses weeds. The field experiment and modeling work described here were initiated to address this issue and focused particularly attention on the question of whether diverse rotations can achieve effective weed control through greater reliance on ecological interactions, such as seed predation, rather than herbicides

Most, but not All, Yeast Strains in the Deletion Library Contain the [PIN+] Prion

The yeast deletion library is a collection of over 5100 single gene deletions that has been widely used by the yeast community. The presence of a non-Mendelian element, such as a prion, within this library could affect the outcome of many large-scale genomic studies. We previously showed that the deletion library parent strain contained the [PIN+] prion. [PIN+] is the misfolded infectious prion form of the Rnq1 protein that displays distinct fluorescent foci in the presence of RNQ1–GFP and exists in different physical conformations, called variants. Here, we show that over 97% of the library deletion strains are [PIN+]. Of the 141 remaining strains that have completely (58) or partially (83) lost [PIN+], 139 deletions were able to efficiently maintain three different [PIN+] variants despite extensive growth and storage at 4 °C. One strain, cue2Δ, displayed an alteration in the RNQ1–GFP fluorescent shape, but the Rnq1p prion aggregate shows no biochemical differences from the wild-type. Only strains containing a deletion of either HSP104 or RNQ1 are unable to maintain [PIN+], indicating that 5153 non-essential genes are not required for [PIN+] propagation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

What Happens When Mediation is Institutionalized?: To the Parties, Practitioners, and Host Institutions

The Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Association of American Law Schools presented a program, at the 1994 AALS Conference, on the institutionalization of mediation – through courtconnected programs and otherwise. The topic is an important one, because this phenomenon has become increasingly common in recent years. Moreover, the topic seemed especially appropriate for the 1994 program, since Florida – the host state for the conference – was one of the first states to adopt a comprehensive statute providing for court-ordered mediation (at the trial judge\u27s option) in civil disputes of all kinds. The move toward institutionalizing mediation has raised many questions, and this program was designed to highlight those questions, and provoke this discussion about them. The panel for the program was composed of mediation scholars, teachers and practitioners, from eight diverse jurisdictions around the country, with expertise on many different aspects of the institutionalization issue. The program was organized by Professor Baruch Bush (Program Chair), together with Professor Carol Liebman (Section Chair) and Dean James Alfini (Panel Moderator). This article presents an edited transcript of the panelists\u27 comments

The Effect of Natural Mulches on Crop Performance, Weed Suppression and Biochemical Constituents of Catnip and St. John\u27s Wort

Because of expanding markets for high-value niche crops, opportunities have increased for the production of medicinal herbs in the USA. An experiment was conducted in 2001 and 2002 near Gilbert, IA, to study crop performance, weed suppression, and environmental conditions associated with the use of several organic mulches in the production of two herbs, catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) and St. John\u27s wort (Hypericum perforatum L. ‘Helos’). Treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design and included a positive (hand-weeded) control, a negative (nonweeded) control, oat straw, a flax straw mat, and a nonwoven wool mat. Catnip plant height was significantly greater in the oat straw than the other treatments at 4 wk through 6 wk in 2001; at 4 to 8 wk in 2002, catnip plant height and width was significantly lower in the negative control compared with the other treatments. Catnip yield was significantly higher in the flax straw mat than all other treatments in 2001. In 2002, St. John\u27s wort yields were not statistically different in any treatments. All weed management treatments had significantly fewer weeds than the non-weeded rows in 2002. Total weed density comparisons in each crop from 2 yr showed fewer weeds present in the flax straw and wool mat treatments compared with positive control plots. There was no significant weed management treatment effect on the concentration of the target compounds, nepetalactone in catnip and pseudohypericin–hypericin in St. John\u27s wort, although there was a trend toward higher concentrations in the flax straw treatment

Integrating Organic Soybean Production following Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Land into Sustainable Farming Systems

Organic farming has increased to an $8 billion industry in the United States and continues to expand approximately 20% annually. In Iowa alone, organic acreage has increased from 13,000 acres in 1995 to 150,000 in 1999. Across the North Central region, there has been great interest in planting organic soybeans on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land, where up to a 400% premium can be obtained compared with conventionally raised soybeans. Regulation of soil organic matter through additions of plant residues and proper crop rotations will determine the long-term sustainability of the system

What Happens When Mediation is Institutionalized?: To the Parties, Practitioners, and Host Institutions

The Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Association of American Law Schools presented a program, at the 1994 AALS Conference, on the institutionalization of mediation – through courtconnected programs and otherwise. The topic is an important one, because this phenomenon has become increasingly common in recent years. Moreover, the topic seemed especially appropriate for the 1994 program, since Florida – the host state for the conference – was one of the first states to adopt a comprehensive statute providing for court-ordered mediation (at the trial judge\u27s option) in civil disputes of all kinds. The move toward institutionalizing mediation has raised many questions, and this program was designed to highlight those questions, and provoke this discussion about them. The panel for the program was composed of mediation scholars, teachers and practitioners, from eight diverse jurisdictions around the country, with expertise on many different aspects of the institutionalization issue. The program was organized by Professor Baruch Bush (Program Chair), together with Professor Carol Liebman (Section Chair) and Dean James Alfini (Panel Moderator). This article presents an edited transcript of the panelists\u27 comments