Collection of data on aboveground invertebrates in the Jena Experiment (time series since 2002)

This collection contains measurements of abundance and diversity of different groups of aboveground invertebrates sampled on the plots of the different sub-experiments at the field site of a large grassland biodiversity experiment (the Jena Experiment; see further details below). In the main experiment, 82 grassland plots of 20 x 20 m were established from a pool of 60 species belonging to four functional groups (grasses, legumes, tall and small herbs). In May 2002, varying numbers of plant species from this species pool were sown into the plots to create a gradient of plant species richness (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 60 species) and functional richness (1, 2, 3, 4 functional groups). Plots were maintained by bi-annual weeding and mowing. The following series of datasets are contained in this collection: 1. Measurements of ant abundance (number of individuals attracted to baits) and ant occurrence (binary data) in the Main Experiment in 2006 and 2013. Ants where sampled using two types of baited traps receiving ~10g of Tuna or ~10g of honey/Sucrose. After 30min the occurrence (presence = 1 / absence = 0) and abundance (number) of ants at the two types of baits was recorded and pooled per plot.

Collection of vegetation and soil surface cover in the Jena Experiment (time series since 2002)

This collection contains measurements of vegetation and soil surface cover measured on the plots of the different sub-experiments at the field site of a large grassland biodiversity experiment (the Jena Experiment; see further details below). In the main experiment, 82 grassland plots of 20 x 20 m were established from a pool of 60 species belonging to four functional groups (grasses, legumes, tall and small herbs). In May 2002, varying numbers of plant species from this species pool were sown into the plots to create a gradient of plant species richness (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 60 species) and functional richness (1, 2, 3, 4 functional groups). Plots were maintained by bi-annual weeding and mowing. The following series of datasets are contained in this collection: 1. Measurements of vegetation cover, i.e. the proportion of soil surface area that is covered by different categories of plants per estimated plot area. Data was collected on the plant community level (sown plant community, weed plant community, dead plant material, and bare ground) and on the level of individual plant species in case of the species that have been sown into the plots to create the gradient of plant diversity.

Collection of measurements on physical soil properties in plots of the Jena Experiment (time series since 2002)

This collection contains measurements on physical soil properties of the plots of the different sub-experiments at the field site of a large grassland biodiversity experiment (the Jena Experiment; see further details below). In the main experiment, 82 grassland plots of 20 x 20 m were established from a pool of 60 species belonging to four functional groups (grasses, legumes, tall and small herbs). In May 2002, varying numbers of plant species from this species pool were sown into the plots to create a gradient of plant species richness (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 60 species) and functional richness (1, 2, 3, 4 functional groups). Plots were maintained by bi-annual weeding and mowing

Collection of measurements on environmental conditions in plots of the Jena Experiment (time series since 2002)

This collection contains measurements of environmental conditions measured on the plots of the different sub-experiments at the field site of a large grassland biodiversity experiment (the Jena Experiment; see further details below). In the main experiment, 82 grassland plots of 20 x 20 m were established from a pool of 60 species belonging to four functional groups (grasses, legumes, tall and small herbs). In May 2002, varying numbers of plant species from this species pool were sown into the plots to create a gradient of plant species richness (1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 60 species) and functional richness (1, 2, 3, 4 functional groups). Plots were maintained by bi-annual weeding and mowing. The following series of datasets are contained in this collection: 1.Soil temperature measurements on plots of the Main Experiment; 2. Quantification of the duration that individual plots of the Main Experiment were submerged during a flooding event occurring in June 2013

NON-FULL-TIME COLLEGE PROFESSORS: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY INTO THE NON-FULL-TIME FACULTY ROLE

The rate of non-full-time faculty members has increased rapidly over the last decade (Louis, 2009; MacKay, 2014; Meranze & Newfield, 2013), as the post-secondary landscape of fluctuating enrolment, fiscal and operational challenges, and the requirement to hire specialized skill sets have required institutions to rely heavily on this demographic. In the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAATs) system, institutions have tried to preserve and enhance educational quality with fewer resources through greater reliance on non-full-time faculty. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of teaching and support of non-full-time faculty at one Eastern Ontario college. Employing a narrative inquiry methodology, data were collected from four participants through their writing three individual letters at the end of each month and participating in one interview at the end of the contract period. The data were analyzed and coded. This analysis revealed five themes: motivation, connection and engagement, compensation, teaching and development, and performance evaluation. Differences in the participants’ perceptions tended to reflect divergences across career stage: retired versus early career. The compensation package provided to non-full-time faculty was considered inadequate for those in the early career stage, especially comparing it to that of full-time faculty. In addition, the amount of previous teaching experience was an important indicator for the appropriate level of teaching resources and support provided by the institution. The newer faculty members required a higher level of support to combat feelings of role isolation. The temporary nature of the role made it difficult to establish a feeling of a strong connection to the institution and subsequently opportunities to engage further to deepen the relationship. Despite these differences across participants, autonomous motivators were consistent across all narratives, as participants expressed their desire to teach and share their knowledge to help students achieve their goals. Participants concluded their narratives by sharing future advice for faculty interested in pursuing the role. The narratives provided areas for improvement that would help increase the level of job satisfaction for non-full-time college faculty members: (a) establishing a more thorough performance evaluation process to align with institutional supports, (b) offering more diverse teaching resources to better prepare faculty and enhance teaching practices, (c) overhauling the compensation package to better recognize the amount of time and effort spent in the role and aligning with the compensation provided to full-time faculty, and (d) including rewards and incentives as part of the compensation package to enhance the level of commitment and availability for the role. These changes might well increase the job satisfaction and improve the retention of non-full-time faculty members.

Effects of time-controlled and continuous grazing on total herbage mass and ground cover

Grazing practices in rangelands are increasingly recognized as a management tool for environmental protection in addition to livestock production. Long term continuous grazing has been largely documented to reduce pasture productivity and decline the protective layer of soil surface affecting environmental protection. Time-controlled rotational grazing (TC grazing) as an alternative to continuous grazing is considered to reduce such negative effects and provides pasture with a higher amount of vegetation securing food for animals and conserving environment. To research on how the grazing system affects herbage and above ground organic materials compared with continuous grazing, the study was conducted in a sub-tropical region of Australia from 2001 to 2006. The overall results showed that herbage mass under TC grazing increased to 140% in 2006 compared with the first records taken in 2001. The outcomes were even higher (150%) when the soil is deeper and the slope is gentle. In line with the results of herbage mass, ground cover under TC grazing achieved significant higher percentages than continuous grazing in all the years of the study. Ground cover under TC grazing increased from 54% in 2003 to 73%, 82%, and 89% in 2004, 2005, and 2006, respectively, despite the fact that after the high yielding year of 2004 herbage mass declined to around 2.5 ton ha^(−1) in 2005 and 2006. Under continuous grazing however there was no significant increase over time comparable to TC grazing neither in herbage mass nor in ground cover. The successful outcome is largely attributed to the flexible nature of the management in which grazing frequency, durations and the rest periods were efficiently controlled. Such flexibility of animal presence on pastures could result in higher water retention and soil moisture condition promoting above ground organic material.

Good year, bad year: changing strategies, changing networks? A two-year study on seed acquisition in northern Cameroon

Analysis of seed exchange networks at a single point in time may reify sporadic relations into apparently fixed and long-lasting ones. In northern Cameroon, where environment is not only strongly seasonal but also shows unpredictable interannual variation, farmers’ social networks are flexible from year to year. When adjusting their strategies, Tupuri farmers do not systematically solicit the same partners to acquire the desired propagules. Seed acquisitions documented during a single cropping season may thus not accurately reflect the underlying larger social network that can be mobilized at the local level. To test this hypothesis, we documented, at the outset of two cropping seasons (2010 and 2011), the relationships through which seeds were acquired by the members of 16 households in a Tupuri community. In 2011, farmers faced sudden failure of the rains and had to solicit distant relatives, highlighting their ability to quickly trigger specific social relations to acquire necessary seeding material. Observing the same set of individuals during two successive years and the seed sources they solicited in each year enabled us to discriminate repeated relations from sporadic ones. Although farmers did not acquire seeds from the same individuals from one year to the next, they relied on quite similar relational categories of people. However, the worse weather conditions during the second year led to (1) a shift from red sorghum seeds to pearl millet seeds, (2) a geographical extension of the network, and (3) an increased participation of women in seed acquisitions. In critical situations, women mobilized their own kin almost exclusively. We suggest that studying the seed acquisition network over a single year provides a misrepresentation of the underlying social network. Depending on the difficulties farmers face, they may occasionally call on relationships that transcend the local relationships used each year.

Cost-Efficient Spatial Placement of Water Retention Sites (WRS) to Reduce Sediment in Le Sueur River Watershed,MN

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Seed and vegetative propagation methods for the rare Florida native species Chionanthus pygmaeus (pygmy fringetree)

Chionanthus pygmaeus Small (pygmy fringetree) (Oleaceae) is an endemic and rare Florida species, which has an attractive, small habit giving it great potential for use in managed landscapes. Members of the genus Chionanthus are difficult to propagate via cuttings and possess complex seed dormancies that are not well understood. Conservation of pygmy fringetree and its potential for commercial propagation for use in managed landscapes is contingent on a better understanding of its complex seed dormancy and enhancement of its propagation. I conducted two experiments to assess sexual and asexual propagation methods for pygmy fringetree. The first experiment was conducted to determine what factors are involved in overcoming seed dormancy. Various scarification treatments, which mimicked conditions seeds are exposed to in the wild, were investigated to determine their effects on germination of 20-year-old seeds originally collected from the species’ native range. Treatments included endocarp removal, sulfuric acid, boiling-water, and smoke-water treatments. Prior to treatment initiation, seed viability was estimated to be 12%. Treated seeds went through two cold- and two warm-stratification periods of 4°C and 25°C, respectively, in a dark growth chamber. After 180 days, none of the treatments induced early germination. Seeds were then tested for viability, which was 11%. Seed dormancy of the species is apparently complex, allowing some of the seeds to retain some degree of viability, but without dormancy requirements satisfied. The second experiment was conducted to assess if pygmy fringetree could be successfully propagated via hardwood or root cuttings if the appropriate combination of environmental conditions and hormones were applied. Hardwood and root cuttings were treated with either 1000 ppm IBA talc, 8000 ppm IBA talc, or inert talc. All cuttings were placed on a mist bench in a greenhouse for 9 weeks. Hardwood cuttings were supplemented with bottom heat at 24 °C. No treatments were successful in inducing adventitious root formation. I conclude that pygmy fringetree seeds possess complex dormancy that was not able to be overcome by the treatments utilized. However, this result is confounded by the age of the seeds used in the experiment. I also conclude that vegetative propagation of pygmy fringetree is highly dependent on the time of year cuttings are harvested. Further research of both seed and asexual propagation methods need to be explored before pygmy fringetree can be propagated on a commercial scale.

Seed layer technique for high quality epitaxial manganite films

We introduce an innovative approach to the simultaneous control of growth mode and magnetotransport properties of manganite thin films, based on an easy-to-implement film/substrate interface engineering. The deposition of a manganite seed layer and the optimization of the substrate temperature allows a persistent bi-dimensional epitaxy and robust ferromagnetic properties at the same time. Structural measurements confirm that in such interface-engineered films, the optimal properties are related to improved epitaxy. A new growth scenario is envisaged, compatible with a shift from heteroepitaxy towards pseudo-homoepitaxy. Relevant growth parameters such as formation energy, roughening temperature, strain profile and chemical states are derived.

REDUCING TEACHER ATTRITION: THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF BUILDING PRINCIPALS IN A LARGE URBAN DISTRICT TO SUPPORT TEACHER RETENTION

The high rate of teacher attrition in urban schools is well documented. While this does not seem like a problem in Carter County, this equates to hundreds of teachers that need to be replaced annually. Since school year (SY) 2007-08, Carter County has lost over 7,100 teachers, approximately half of (50.1%) of whom resigned, often going to neighboring, higher-paying jurisdictions as suggested by exit survey data (SY2016-2020 Strategic Plan). Included in this study is a range of practices principals use to retain teachers. While the role of the principal is recognized as a critical element in teacher retention, few studies explore the specific practices principals implement to retain teachers and how they use their time to accomplish this task. Through interviews, observations, document analysis and reflective notes, the study identifies the practices four elementary school principals of high and relatively low attrition schools use to support teacher retention. In doing so, the study uses a qualitative cross-case analysis approach. The researcher examined the following leadership practices of the principal and their impact on teacher retention: (a) providing leadership, (b) supporting new teachers, (c) training and mentoring teaching staff, (d) creating opportunities for collaboration, (d) creating a positive school climate, and (e) promoting teacher autonomy. The following research questions served as a foundational guide for the development and implementation of this study: 1. How do principals prioritize addressing teacher attrition or retention relative to all of their other responsibilities? How do they allocate their time to this challenge? 2. What do principals in schools with low attrition rates do to promote retention that principals in high attrition schools do not? What specific practices or interventions are principals in these two types of schools utilizing to retain teachers? Is there evidence to support their use of the practices? The findings that emerge from the data revealed the various practices principals use to influence and support teachers do not differ between the four schools.

“To be or not to be retained… Thats' the question!” Retention, self-esteem, self-concept, achievement goals, and grades

This Document is Protected by copyright and was first published by Frontiers. All rights reserved. It is reproduced with permission.

Enrolment, student retention and attrition in the tourism management program.

This paper examines the factors motivating students to enrol in the Tourism Management program at Champlain College, St-Lambert and why a large number of students abandon the program before obtaining their DEC. There is a great deal of literature on student attrition, however there is little consensus on why students withdraw from college programs and the results cannot be easily generalized to this particular set of students at this time. Understanding the factors that influenced the students to choose Tourism Management at Champlain, St-Lambert and why they then leave before completing the six semesters will help with student success and with the marketing of the program.||Résumé : Ce travail s'intéresse aux facteurs qui motivent les étudiants à s'inscrire au programme de tourisme offert au Collège Champlain de St-Lambert. Il cherche à établir les raisons qui font en sorte qu'un si grand nombre d'étudiants abandonnent le programme avant d'obtenir leur DEC. Plusieurs recherches ont été effectuées sur l'abandon scolaire, mais il n'y a pas de consensus quant aux raisons pour lesquelles les étudiants se retirent du programme collégial. Actuellement, il est difficile d'établir des liens entre les résultats de ces recherches et ce groupe d'étudiants. La compréhension des facteurs qui influencent les étudiants à choisir le tourisme au Collège Champlain et les raisons qui font en sorte qu'ils quittent avant d'avoir complété leur formation, nous permettront d'améliorer le taux de rétention des étudiants dans ce programme. De plus, cela favorisera le marketing du programme.

Characterization of the volatile profile of Brazilian Merlot wines through comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection.

Wine aroma is an important characteristic and may be related to certain specific parameters, such as raw material and production process. The complexity of Merlot wine aroma was considered suitable for comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCGC), as this technique offers superior performance when compared to one-dimensional gas chromatography (1D-GC). The profile of volatile compounds of Merlot wine was, for the first time, qualitatively analyzed by HS-SPME-GCxGC with a time-of-flight mass spectrometric detector (TOFMS), resulting in 179 compounds tentatively identified by comparison of experimental GCxGC retention indices and mass spectra with literature 1D-GC data and 155 compounds tentatively identified only by mass spectra comparison. A set of GCGC experimental retention indices was also, for the first time, presented for a specific inverse set of columns. Esters were present in higher number (94), followed by alcohols (80), ketones (29), acids (29), aldehydes (23), terpenes (23), lactones (16), furans (14), sulfur compounds (9), phenols (7), pyrroles (5), C13-norisoprenoids (3), and pyrans (2). GCxGC/TOFMS parameters were improved and optimal conditions were: a polar (polyethylene glycol)/medium polar (50% phenyl 50% dimethyl arylene siloxane) column set, oven temperature offset of 10ºC, 7 s as modulation period and 1.4 s of hot pulse duration. Co-elutions came up to 138 compounds in 1D and some of them were resolved in 2D. Among the coeluted compounds, thirty-three volatiles co-eluted in both 1D and 2D and their tentative identification was possible only due to spectral deconvolution. Some compounds that might have important contribution to aroma notes were included in these superimposed peaks. Structurally organized distribution of compounds in the 2D space was observed for esters, aldehydes and ketones, alcohols, thiols, lactones, acids and also inside subgroups, as occurred with esters and alcohols. The Fischer Ratio was useful for establishing the analytes responsible for the main differences between Merlot and non-Merlot wines. Differentiation among Merlot wines and wines of other grape varieties were mainly perceived through the following components: ethyl dodecanoate, 1-hexanol, ethyl nonanoate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl decanoate, dehydro-2-methyl-3(2H)thiophenone, 3-methyl butanoic acid, ethyl tetradecanoate, methyl octanoate, 1,4 butanediol, and 6-methyloctan-1-ol.

The Cratylia Mollis Seed Lectin Induces Membrane Permeability Transition In Isolated Rat Liver Mitochondria And A Cyclosporine A-insensitive Permeability Transition In Trypanosoma Cruzi Mitochondria.

Previous results provided evidence that Cratylia mollis seed lectin (Cramoll 1,4) promotes Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes death by necrosis via a mechanism involving plasma membrane permeabilization to Ca(2+) and mitochondrial dysfunction due to matrix Ca(2+) overload. In order to investigate the mechanism of Ca(2+) -induced mitochondrial impairment, experiments were performed analyzing the effects of this lectin on T. cruzi mitochondrial fraction and in isolated rat liver mitochondria (RLM), as a control. Confocal microscopy of T. cruzi whole cell revealed that Cramoll 1,4 binding to the plasma membrane glycoconjugates is followed by its internalization and binding to the mitochondrion. Electrical membrane potential (∆Ψm ) of T. cruzi mitochondrial fraction suspended in a reaction medium containing 10 μM Ca(2+) was significantly decreased by 50 μg/ml Cramoll 1,4 via a mechanism insensitive to cyclosporine A (CsA, membrane permeability transition (MPT) inhibitor), but sensitive to catalase or 125 mM glucose. In RLM suspended in a medium containing 10 μM Ca(2+) this lectin, at 50 μg/ml, induced increase in the rate of hydrogen peroxide release, mitochondrial swelling, and ∆Ψm disruption. All these mitochondrial alterations were sensitive to CsA, catalase, and EGTA. These results indicate that Cramoll 1, 4 leads to inner mitochondrial membrane permeabilization through Ca(2+) dependent mechanisms in both mitochondria. The sensitivity to CsA in RLM characterizes this lectin as a MPT inducer and the lack of CsA effect identifies a CsA-insensitive MPT in T. cruzi mitochondria.