Morphological and Ecological Investigations of Species of Bulrush (Scirpus) in Illinois

Two closely related species of bulrush, Scirpus atrovirens (Green bulrush) and Scirpus georgianus (Georgia bulrush), are widely distributed in Illinois. They are difficult to separate in the field, but readily distinguishable under magnification in the lab. These two species have been found in moist meadows, shallow marshes, edges of wet forests, and ditches. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological and ecological distinctness of the species with the aim toward discovering and describing other features to distinguish them reliably. Eighty plants of Scirpus atrovirens and 80 of Scirpus georgianus were examined. Fifty S. atrovirens and 50 S. georgianus were collected in the field at different counties in Illinois. Thirty S. atrovirens and 30 georgianus specimens were measured from Stover-Ebinger Herbarium at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL, University of Illinois in Champaign herbarium, and the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. Parameters measured on both species were spikelet length/width (mm), culm width (mm), rachilla length (mm), scale length/width (mm), plant height (cm), and achene length/width (mm). A t-test performed showed a significant difference between the species in spikelet length and width, rachilla length, scale length and width, culm width, and achene length and width. There was no significant difference in plant height. Scirpus atrovirens was larger in several morphological characteristics than S. georgianus. Analysis of field data showed that within 30 m of S. atrovirens, 61 different plant species were found. Thirty-four different plant species were found within 30 m of S. georgianus. Only five plant species were found within 30 m of both S. atrovirens and S. georgianus: Glyceria striata, Phalaris arundinacea, Agrostis alba, Juncus dudleyi, and Carex lupulina. Soil data was examined for numerous collections sites. Seventy- nine percent of Scirpus atrovirens examined occurred in silty loam, while 88% of Scirpus georgianus examined occurred in silty loam. There were 31 families that were found within 30 m of S. atrovirens, and 16 families that were found within 30 m of S. georgianus. Poaceae had the highest percentage (29%) of plant species found within 30 m of S. georgianus. Cyperaceae had the highest percentage (24%) of plant species found within 30 m of S. atrovirens. Herbaceous perennials had the highest percentage (51%) of each type of plant species found within 30 m of S. atrovirens. Herbaceous perennials had the highest percentage (76%) of each type of plant species found within 30 m of S. georgianus. Native species had the highest percentage (90%) present compared to non native species (10%) of plant species found within 30 m of S. atrovirens. Native species had the highest percentage (85%) present compared to non-native species (15%) found within 30 m of S. georgianus. The Sorensen Index was used to measure the similarity in communities between S. atrovirens and S. georgianus. The Sorensen Index between the aggregate communities around each of the two species was 0.3. The Sorensen Index of 0.3 from this study indicates that the plant community was significantly different between the two species. Scirpus atrovirens and Scirpus georgianus are different from each other morphologically and ecologically

Effect of Outside Employment on Academic Success Among Full-Time Associate Degree Nursing Students

Large portions of the United States are experiencing a shortage of nurses in the workplace. In 2001 the American Hospital Association reported that there were 126,000 vacancies for RNs nationwide. Sixty percent of all U.S. educated RNs who entered the field in 2000 received their education at the associate degree level and 79% of these associate degree recipients graduated from a community college. Improving completion rates in nursing programs is one major strategy in the effort to relieve this shortage of nurses. The intent of this research was to study the effect of various factors on the academic achievement of students in associate degree nursing programs. The researcher collected data from participants at five Virginia community colleges who maintained nursing programs. All of the selected colleges were in rural or suburban areas in the western portion of the Commonwealth. Consistent with the literature for the general college population, the researcher expected that full-time nursing students\u27 GPAs would be most affected by the number of weekly hours of outside employment they maintained. Differences in traditional and non-traditional students, career-related and non career-related employment, social support, and perceived stress levels were also considered as contributing factors. This research study\u27s findings indicated that, contrary to the findings in previous literature, the positive influence of social support and the negative impact of stress affected GPA more than outside employment among this specific population. Social support explained seven percent of the variance among mean grade point average and perceived stress level explained an additional three percent

Rethinking our understanding of the pathogenesis of necrotic enteritis in chickens

For decades, low doses of antibiotics have been used widely in animal production to promote growth. However, there is a trend to reduce this use of antibiotics in feedstuffs, and legislation is now in place in Europe to prohibit their use in this way. As a consequence, economically important diseases, such as necrotic enteritis (NE) of chickens, that are caused by Clostridium perfringens have become more prevalent. Recent research is creating a paradigm shift in our understanding of the pathogenesis of NE and is now providing information that will be necessary to monitor and control the incidence of NE in poultry

Effects of remote annual forcing in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean

An ocean model is used to study the effects of remote annual forcing in the eastern tropical Atlantic. The model is linear, viscid and continuously stratified. The ocean basin is an idealized version of that of the tropical Atlantic, and the wind stress forcing the model is an idealized representation of the annual variation of the equatorial trades in the western Atlantic. Solutions are represented as expansions of the baroclinic modes of the system. The response of each mode is found numerically, not by integrating the equations of motion forward in time, but at a fixed frequency (2π year–1) using techniques that are typically used in models of the tides. Prominent features of the solution are the following. When the remote trades strengthen, sea level drops and the pycnocline rises markedly throughout the Gulf of Guinea. At 4W the annual response is tightly trapped to the equator and to the coast of Africa near 5N. In contrast, the response propagates offshore along the southern coast of Africa near 10E. Events propagate upward everywhere in the Gulf of Guinea and poleward (nearly) everywhere along the coast of Africa. These features compare favorably with observations. A single baroclinic mode does not dominate the response. Instead, waves associated with several modes superpose to form beams that propagate energy vertically as well as horizontally (McCreary, 1984). Along the equator the response is predominantly a combination of a beam of equatorial Kelvin waves and a lowest order (l – 1) Rossby beam. Along the coast of Africa at 5N it is primarily a beam of coastal Kelvin waves

Goodyear As a service Project Plan

This paper summarizes the research conducted on how the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company can utilize the as-a-service business model. The research consisted of a survey, focus group, and a secondary research report. The primary research was focused around the consumers\u27 opinions of tire-buying, car maintenance, and current subscription services that the participants used. Thus data led to the recommendation for Goodyear to implement a subscription service that includes text reminders for car maintenance, a meet your technician feature, and tire credits

CONSISTENCY AND VALIDITY OF ACUTE FOOT-STRIKE PATTERN ALTERATIONS DURING LABORATORY-BASED RUNNING

Due to the limited learning time allotted in most foot strike pattern modification studies, the reliability of pattern alterations may be jeopardized. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the reliability and validity of requested acute alteration of foot strike patterns performed by participants in a laboratory environment. Participants employed a high degree of consistency within foot strike pattern conditions and across the steps within a condition (average within subjects 95% confidence interval = 0.5° - 4°). On a group level, participants accurately performed all foot strike conditions with the exception of the midfoot strike pattern. Thus, even with the alteration of foot strike pattern, a generally reliable and valid foot strike angle performance is evidenced