Bedded Pack Management System Case Study

Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Farm Management,

Fine-scale Genetic Structure and Social Organization in Female White-tailed Deer

Social behavior of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can have important management implications. The formation of matrilineal social groups among female deer has been documented and management strategies have been proposed based on this well-developed social structure. Using radiocollared (n = 17) and hunter or vehicle- killed (n = 21) does, we examined spatial and genetic structure in white-tailed deer on a 7,000-ha portion of the Savannah River Site in the upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA. We used 14 microsatellite DNA loci to calculate pairwise relatedness among individual deer and to assign doe pairs to putative relationship categories. Linear distance and genetic relatedness were weakly correlated (r = –0.08, P = 0.058). Relationship categories differed in mean spatial distance, but only 60% of first-degree-related doe pairs (full sibling or mother–offspring pairs) and 38% of second-degree-related doe pairs (half sibling, grandmother–granddaughter pairs) were members of the same social group based on spatial association. Heavy hunting pressure in this population has created a young age structure among does, where the average age is4.5 years old. This—combined with potentially elevated dispersal among young does—could limit the formation of persistent, cohesive social groups. Our results question the universal applicability of recently proposed models of spatial and genetic structuring in white-tailed deer, particularly in areas with differing harvest histories

Optical Sensors for Planetary Radiant Energy (OSPREy): Calibration and Validation of Current and Next-Generation NASA Missions

A principal objective of the Optical Sensors for Planetary Radiance Energy (OSPREy) activity is to establish an above-water radiometer system as a lower-cost alternative to existing in-water systems for the collection of ground-truth observations. The goal is to be able to make high-quality measurements satisfying the accuracy requirements for the vicarious calibration and algorithm validation of next-generation satellites that make ocean color and atmospheric measurements. This means the measurements will have a documented uncertainty satisfying the established performance metrics for producing climate-quality data records. The OSPREy approach is based on enhancing commercial-off-the-shelf fixed-wavelength and hyperspectral sensors to create hybridspectral instruments with an improved accuracy and spectral resolution, as well as a dynamic range permitting sea, Sun, sky, and Moon observations. Greater spectral diversity in the ultraviolet (UV) will be exploited to separate the living and nonliving components of marine ecosystems; UV bands will also be used to flag and improve atmospheric correction algorithms in the presence of absorbing aerosols. The short-wave infrared (SWIR) is expected to improve atmospheric correction, because the ocean is radiometrically blacker at these wavelengths. This report describes the development of the sensors, including unique capabilities like three-axis polarimetry; the documented uncertainty will be presented in a subsequent report

Corrosion fatigue of a superduplex stainless steel weldment

Superduplex stainless steels have superior mechanical and corrosion properties compared to austenitic stainless steels such as the grade 300 series. This is a result of a microstructure consisting of roughly equal percentages of austenite (y) and ferrite (a) and negligible inclusion content. As a result, super duplex stainless steels are increasingly being used in the offshore oil and gas industries. It is also envisaged that they will find application in the emergent renewable energy sector in areas such as offshore wind, wave and tidal electricity / hydrogen generation. Corrosion fatigue (CF) conditions are expected in such applications. Of critical concern are weld joints where inherent sub critical surface/embedded flaws diminish crack initiation resistance enhancing the probability of subsequent crack propagation. The current research investigates the CF crack propagation performance of weld metals produced by two welding techniques. Since sub sea components are always cathodically protected, this condition was simulated in the CF tests. In addition, high positive potentials were simulated, as this condition is possible in the absence of cathodic protection. One weldment was completed using the expensive and relatively slow gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding method. The other weldment was achieved using the GTA method for the root pass and subsequently filled using the cheap and relatively quick shielded metal arc (SMA) welding method. The resultant crack propagation life was derived from the crack propagation tests by means of a numerical model. Fatigue life of the weld metals (assuming negligible residual stress influence) is similar to standard design curves for class D, carbon and carbon-manganese structural steel butt welds. Thresholds for the onset of crack growth in Zeron 100 base and weld metals are similar and were shown by means of the numerical model to correspond with the endurance limit specified in the standard design curve. Cathodic over protection is much more deleterious than high positive potentials above a critical stress level for Zeron 100 base and weld metals leading to an increase in crack propagation rates on average by a factor of 4.3 over rates in air. The GTA root/SMA fill weld metal performs equally well as the GTA root/GTA fill weld. Therefore, a potential economic saving is evident. Finally, a new model for hydrogen assisted subcritical brittle crack propagation in ferrite is proposed

Reengineering of the national organization of the General Association of General Baptists

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/1106/thumbnail.jp

Politics And Culture Of The Great Plains: An Introduction

In April 1996 the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln sponsored its twentieth interdisciplinary symposium, Politics and Culture of the Great Plains. From papers and presentations by scholars from the United States and Canada, dealing with Indian rights, women\u27s suffrage, education, the economy, elections, social movements, and historical and contemporary personalities, four are presented in this issue of Great Plains Quarterly. Treaty Seven and Guaranteed Representation: How Treaty Rights Can Evolve into Parliamentary Seats deals with relations between sovereign nations-the Blackfoot Confederacy of southern Alberta and the national government of Canada. Kiera Ladner argues that the Indians had a fundamentally different view than national authorities of Treaty Seven. Concerned about rapid westward expansion in the US in the 1870s, Canadian authorities encouraged their own westward expansion. Authorities viewed treaties as a way to secure title to the land and bring the Indians under control, but the tribes intended to protect their land and life style. What is the legal standing and meaning of treaty rights today? How can the tribes maintain peace and good order as they agreed to do in the treaty? Ladner suggests one way: guaranteed representation in Parliament. The indigenous peoples of North America were and continue to be sovereign nations. Agreements negotiated between them and national governments are still valid, and national governments are obligated to honor them, albeit in a contemporary context. Guaranteed parliamentary representation is an intriguing idea, though perhaps unlikely to be implemented. Ladner\u27s essay encourages us to consider this and other alternatives that will enable national governments to fulfill their obligations to North America\u27s first peoples. National boundaries rarely prevent people and ideas from moving in or out. Ideas, of course, are the most mobile. In Liberal Education on the Great Plains: American Experiments, Canadian Flirtations, 1930-1950, Kevin Brooks focuses on the spread of liberal education to American and Canadian universities of the Great Plains in the 1930s and 1940s. He distinguishes between the oratorical tradition, dedicated to inculcating traditional values and insuring social stability, and the philosophical tradition of seeking new knowledge in the hope of improving society. Universities in the Midwest and Prairies sought to make education useful, combining the philosophical liberal education tradition with vocational and professional training. In spite of the strong commitment of the universities in eastern Canada to the oratorical tradition and the recruitment of college educators from these institutions to oversee the development of prairie universities, it was the midwestern model, with its emphasis on the practical as well as the general, that took hold. Brooks argues lack of resources, distance, and the demand that education focus on the practical foreclosed other options. His study suggests that regional identities are sometimes as important as national ones in explaining the spread and adoption of ideas. The study also helps define the Great Plains as a distinct region, where environmental constraints ensure common responses to social problems, in this case sufficient to overcome the power of national identity and national boundaries

Improvements in Raman Lidar Measurements Using New Interference Filter Technology

Narrow-band interference filters with improved transmission in the ultra-violet have been developed under NASA-funded research and used in the Raman Airborne Spectroscopic Lidar (RASL) in ground-based, upward-looking tests. Measurements were made of atmospheric water vapor, cirrus cloud optical properties and carbon dioxide that improve upon any previously demonstrated using Raman lidar. Daytime boundary and mixed layer profiling of water vapor mixing ratio up to an altitude of approximately 4 h is performed with less than 5% random error using temporal and spatial resolution of 2-minutes and 60 - 210, respectively. Daytime cirrus cloud optical depth and extinction-to-backscatter ratio measurements are made using 1 -minute average. Sufficient signal strength is demonstrated to permit the simultaneous profiling of carbon dioxide and water vapor mixing ratio into the free troposphere during the nighttime. A description of the filter technology developments is provided followed by examples of the improved Raman lidar measurements

Disinnovation in the American States: Policy toward Health Systems Agencies

Requiring the states to involve consumers in health planning through local health planning boards (HSAs) was an attempt by the federal government to control health care costs. Elimination of this requirement more recently has meant some states have discontinued the program. The elimination of HSAs can be considered a case of policy disinnovation. Drawing on the innovation literature, the following variables were expected to correlate, although negatively, with elimination of HSAs: value added to manufacturing, average acre value of farms, per capita income, population living in metropolitan areas, and party competition. All were found to correlate negatively. Predisposition to spend reflected in per capita state expenditures was also correlated negatively with elimination of HSAs, as was the average daily hospital room charge and average hospital cost per stay

Female athletes\u27 perceptions of racism and sexism of sport mascots and nicknames

The purpose of this study was to explore how female athletes at the intercollegiate level perceive racism and sexism inherent in sport, specifically, the language usage and naming practices involved with sport mascots and nicknames. A review of literature revealed that there were high levels of racism and sexism involved with the selection and usage of these symbols. A selected group of 104 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I female basketball players were sent the survey. Seventy-three questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 70.1%. The results indicate that a majority of female athletes believe racially and sexually offensive mascots and nicknames should be changed. However, a majority of those same female athletes do not believe their own institution’s mascot or nickname should be changed even when it was found to be sexist. The information provided in this study may be useful to athletic administrators who are confronted with similar issues. In conclusion, this study suggested that female athletes need education and awareness to issues of racism and sexism in sport