Ammonia volatilization in no-till system in the south-central region of the State of Paraná, Brazil

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization can reduce the efficiency of urea applied to the surface of no-till (NT) soils. Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the magnitude of NH3 losses from surface-applied urea and to determine if this loss justifies the urea incorporation in soil or its substitution for other N sources under the subtropical climatic conditions of South-Central region of Paraná State, Brazil. The experiment, performed over four harvesting seasons in a clayey Hapludox followed a randomized block design with four replicates. A single dose of N (150 kg ha-1) to V5 growth stage of corn cultivated under NT system was applied and seven treatments were evaluated, including surface-applied urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, urea with urease inhibitor, controlled-release N source, a liquid N source, incorporated urea, and a control treatment with no N application. Ammonia volatilization was evaluated for 20 days after N application using a semi-open static system. The average cumulative NH3 loss due to the superficial application of urea was low (12.5 % of the applied N) compared to the losses observed in warmer regions of Southeastern Brazil (greater than 50 %). The greatest NH3 losses were observed in dry years (up to 25.4 % of the applied N), and losses decreased exponentially as the amount of rainfall after N application increased. Incorporated urea and alternative N sources, with the exception of controlled-release N source, decreased NH3 volatilization in comparison with surface-applied urea. Urea incorporation is advantageous for the reduction of NH3 volatilization; however, other aspects as its low operating efficiency should be considered before this practice is adopted. In the South-Central region of Paraná, the low NH3 losses from the surface-applied urea in NT system due to wet springs and mild temperatures do not justify its replacement for other N sources.

Report on the Iowa Judicial Branch – County Clerks of District Courts, a part of the State of Iowa, for the year ended June 30, 2010

Report on the Iowa Judicial Branch – County Clerks of District Courts, a part of the State of Iowa, for the year ended June 30, 2010

Audit report on the Student Health Facility Revenue Bond Funds of Iowa State University of Science and Technology for the year ended June 30, 2011

Audit report on the Student Health Facility Revenue Bond Funds of Iowa State University of Science and Technology for the year ended June 30, 2011

Agreed-upon procedures report on the Iowa State Center Business Office of Iowa State University of Science and Technology for the year ended June 30, 2011

Agreed-upon procedures report on the Iowa State Center Business Office of Iowa State University of Science and Technology for the year ended June 30, 2011

Inauguration of the state capitol at Des Moines, Iowa : address delivered before the twentieth General Assembly by Hon. John A. Kasson, upon the invitation of the governor and General Assembly, January 17, 1884.

This brochure is the printed copy of the speech made by Hon. John A. Kasson to the Twentieth General Assembly for the Inauguration of the Iowa State Capitol

Iowa Department on Aging, Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Annual Report 2012 (Federal Fiscal Year October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011), January 2012.

The State Long-Term Care Ombudsman program (SLTCOP)operates as a unit within the Iowa Department on Aging. Duties of all long-term care ombudsmen are mandated by the Older Americans Act. This office serves people living in nursing, skilled nursing, residential care, and nursing facilities in hospitals as well as elder group homes and assisted living facilities. In order to carry out all of the mandates of the Older Americans Act this office recommends to establish a fully functioning volunteer ombudsman program that meets the criteria set forth in the Federal Older Americans Act as well as to strengthen family & resident councils, and to increase collaboration between the SLTCOP and Iowa’s Aging Network.

Audit report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting of the State University of Iowa as of and for the year ended June 30, 2011

Audit report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting of the State University of Iowa as of and for the year ended June 30, 2011

Independent auditor’s report of the State of Iowa on internal control over financial reporting and on compliance and other matters based on an audit of financial statements performed in accordance with government auditing standards for the year ended June 30, 2011

Independent auditor’s report of the State of Iowa on internal control over financial reporting and on compliance and other matters based on an audit of financial statements performed in accordance with government auditing standards for the year ended June 30, 2011

Potential acidity estimated by SMP pH in soils of the state of Pará

The use of SMP pH to estimate the potential acidity (H + Al) is more practical than the method of 0.5 mol L-1 calcium acetate for routine laboratory analyses. The objective was to fit an equation to estimate the H + Al from SMP pH values of soils of the State of Pará. From various regions of the state, 177 soil samples were collected, in which the SMP pH was determined in 0.01 mol L-1 CaCl2 solution and H + Al in 0.5 mol L-1 calcium acetate and the results were related by regression analysis. The equation H + Al = 77.77 + 20.61 SMP pH - 1.435 SMP pH² (R² = 0.90) expressed the H + Al values (in cmol c dm-3) best. When the SMP pH values were used in equations referring to other regions or states in Brazil, the H +Al values were over- or underestimated. The potential acidity in soils of Pará can be estimated by the method of SMP pH.

Pedotransfer functions to estimate retention and availability of water in soils of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Studies on water retention and availability are scarce for subtropical or humid temperate climate regions of the southern hemisphere. The aims of this study were to evaluate the relations of the soil physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties with water retention and availability for the generation and validation of continuous point pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for soils of the State of Santa Catarina (SC) in the South of Brazil. Horizons of 44 profiles were sampled in areas under different cover crops and regions of SC, to determine: field capacity (FC, 10 kPa), permanent wilting point (PWP, 1,500 kPa), available water content (AW, by difference), saturated hydraulic conductivity, bulk density, aggregate stability, particle size distribution (seven classes), organic matter content, and particle density. Chemical and mineralogical properties were obtained from the literature. Spearman's rank correlation analysis and path analysis were used in the statistical analyses. The point PTFs for estimation of FC, PWP and AW were generated for the soil surface and subsurface through multiple regression analysis, followed by robust regression analysis, using two sets of predictive variables. Soils with finer texture and/or greater organic matter content retain more moisture, and organic matter is the property that mainly controls the water availability to plants in soil surface horizons. Path analysis was useful in understanding the relationships between soil properties for FC, PWP and AW. The predictive power of the generated PTFs to estimate FC and PWP was good for all horizons, while AW was best estimated by more complex models with better prediction for the surface horizons of soils in Santa Catarina.

Accumulation of phosphorus fractions and contamination potential in vineyard soils in the southern region of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil

In vineyards, if phosphate is applied both before planting and at intervals during growth without consideration of technical criteria, the soil P fractions may be increased and their proportions altered. This study was carried out to evaluate the accumulation of P fractions and the parameters of the adsorption isotherm in a sandy Typic Hapludalf soil in vineyards with a history of successive and excessive phosphate fertilization. In December 2010, two vineyards were selected, one 4 and the other 15 years old, in Urussanga, State of Santa Catarina (Brazil). Three trenches were dug in each area and soil was collected from the 0-5, 5-10 and 10-20 cm depth ranges. The soil samples were dried in a forced-air oven, sieved and subjected to chemical analyses, P chemical fractionation and P adsorption isotherms. Excessive phosphate fertilization, before and during cultivation, particularly in the older vineyard and, consequently, with a longer history of phosphate fertilization, increased the inorganic P concentrations to the depth of 20 cm, especially in labile fractions extracted by anion exchange resin and NaHCO3 in the non-labile fraction, as well as in the non-labile fraction extracted by 1.0 mol L-1 HCl. The application of phosphate fertilizers and the long cultivation period increased the P levels in the organic labile fraction extracted by 0.5 mol L-1 NaHCO3, and especially in the moderately labile fraction extracted by 0.1 and 0.5 mol L-1 NaOH. Phosphate fertilization of older vineyards, i.e., cultivated for 15 years, increased the amounts of P desorbed in water, indicating a risk of contamination of surface waters and groundwater. The phosphate fertilization before planting, without considering the results of soil analysis, and during cultivation, disregarding the results of soil analysis, leaf analysis and expected yield, led to a reduction in the maximum P adsorption capacity in the 0-5 cm layer of vineyard 2, indicating saturation of part of the reactive particle adsorption sites.

Water retention and availability in soils of the State of Santa Catarina-Brazil: effect of textural classes, soil classes and lithology

The retention and availability of water in the soil vary according to the soil characteristics and determine plant growth. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate water retention and availability in the soils of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, according to the textural class, soil class and lithology. The surface and subsurface horizons of 44 profiles were sampled in different regions of the State and different cover crops to determine field capacity, permanent wilting point, available water content, particle size, and organic matter content. Water retention and availability between the horizons were compared in a mixed model, considering the textural classes, the soil classes and lithology as fixed factors and profiles as random factors. It may be concluded that water retention is greater in silty or clayey soils and that the organic matter content is higher, especially in Humic Cambisols, Nitisols and Ferralsol developed from igneous or sedimentary rocks. Water availability is greater in loam-textured soils, with high organic matter content, especially in soils of humic character. It is lower in the sandy texture class, especially in Arenosols formed from recent alluvial deposits or in gravelly soils derived from granite. The greater water availability in the surface horizons, with more organic matter than in the subsurface layers, illustrates the importance of organic matter for water retention and availability.

Contexts and typologies in the analysis of welfare state legitimacy : a social psychological approach to political opinion formation

This dissertation analyses public opinion towards the welfare state across 29 European countries. Based on an interdisciplinary approach combining social psychological, sociological, and public opinion approaches to political opinion formation, it investigates how social position and shared beliefs shape perceived legitimacy of welfare institutions, and how social contexts impact on the processes of opinion formation. Drawing on social representations theory, as well as socialization and self-interest approaches, the dissertation analyses the role of social position in lay support for institutional solidarity. Normative beliefs-defined as preferred views regarding the organisation of social relations-mediate the effect of social position on welfare support. In addition, drawing on public opinion literature, the dissertation analyses opinion formation as a function of country-level structural (e.g., level of social spending, unemployment) and ideological factors (e.g., level of meritocracy). The dissertation comprises two theoretical and four empirical chapters. Three of the empirical chapters use data from the European Social Survey 2008. Using multilevel and typological approaches, the dissertation contributes to welfare attitude literature by showing that normative beliefs, such as distrust or egalitarianism, function as underlying mechanisms that link social position to policy attitudes (Chapter 3), and that characteristics of the national contexts influence the processes of political opinion formation (Chapters 3 and 4). Chapter 5 proposes and predicts a typology of the relationship between attitudes towards solidarity and attitudes towards control, reflecting the two central domains of government intervention. Finally, Chapter 6 examines welfare support in the realm of action and social protest, using data from a survey on Spanish Indigados activists. The findings of this dissertation inform contemporary debates about welfare state legitimacy and retrenchment. - Cette thèse avait pour but d'analyser l'opinion publique envers l'Etat social dans 29 pays européens. Basée sur une approche interdisciplinaire qui combine des perspectives psycho-sociales, sociologiques et d'opinion publique sur la formation d'opinion politique, la thèse étudie comment la position sociale et les croyances partagées façonnent la légitimité perçue des institutions de l'Etat social, et comment les contextes sociaux influencent les processus de formation d'opinion. Basée sur la théorie des représentations sociales, ainsi qu'une approche de socialisation et d'intérêt propre, cette thèse analyse le rôle des positions sociales dans le soutien envers la solidarité institutionnelle. Les croyances normatives-définies comme les visions préférées de l'organisation des rapports sociaux-médiatisent l'effet de la position sociale sur le soutien pour l'Etat social. De plus, s'inspirant de la littérature sur l'opinion publique, la thèse analyse la formation d'opinion en fonction des facteurs structurels (ex. le taux de dépenses sociales, le chômage) et idéologiques (ex. le degré de méritocratie). Cette thèse est composée de deux chapitres théoriques et quatre chapitres empiriques. Trois chapitres empiriques utilisent des données provenant de l'enquête European Social Survey 2008. Appliquant des approches multi-niveux et typoloqiques, la thèse contribue à la littérature sur les attitudes envers l'Etat social en montrant que les croyances normatives, telles que la méfiance ou l'égalitarisme, fonctionnent comme des mécanismes sous-jacents qui relient la position sociale aux attitudes politiques (Chapitre 3), et que les caractéristiques des contextes nationaux influencent les processus de formation d'opinion politique (Chapitres 3 et 4). Le chapitre 5 propose et prédit une typologie sur le rapport entre les attitudes envers la solidarité et celles envers le contrôle, renvoyant à deux domaines centraux de régulation étatique. Enfin, le chapitre 6 examine le soutien à l'Etat social dans le domaine de l'action protestataire, utilisant des données d'une enquête menée auprès des militants espagnols du mouvement des Indignés. Les résultats de cette thèse apportent des éléments qui éclairent les débats contemporains sur la légitimité de l'Etat social et son démantèlement.

Quantification of permanent and variable charges in reference soils of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil

The electrical charges in soil particles are divided into structural or permanent charges and variable charges. Permanent charges develop on the soil particle surface by isomorphic substitution. Variable charges arise from dissociation and association of protons (H+), protonation or deprotonation, and specific adsorption of cations and anions. The aim of this study was to quantify the permanent charges and variable charges of Reference Soils of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. To do so, 24 subsurface profiles from different regions (nine in the Zona da Mata, eight in the Agreste, and seven in the Sertão) were sampled, representing approximately 80 % of the total area of the state. Measurements were performed using cesium chloride solution. Determination was made of the permanent charges and the charges in regard to the hydroxyl functional groups through selective ion exchange of Cs+ by Li+ and Cs+ by NH4+, respectively. All the soils analyzed exhibited variable cation exchange capacity, with proportions from 0.16 to 0.60 and an average of 0.40 when related to total cation exchange capacity.

Memorial exercises in honor of William Boyd Allison : in Hall of House of Representatives, State Capitol, Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday, September 8, 1908

Program of the memorial in honor of William Boyd Allison, senior Senator of the State of Iowa, who died at his home in Dubuque, Iowa, August 4, 1908. It includes full text of remarks presented at the memorial by dignitaries in attendance.