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Transport of Nutrients by Overland Flow on Sites Containing Beef Cattle Manure
Get PDFIn an inductive metastudy, we investigated the effects of varying rates of overland sheet flow on the transport of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) from sites containing beef cattle manure. The analyzed data were collected during previously reported field rainfall simulation investigations conducted on cropland sites and a beef cattle feedlot in the US state of Nebraska. During the experiments, inflow was incrementally added to the top of the experimental plots to simulate runoff rates occurring at greater downslope distances. Runoff rates on the experimental plots ranged from 2.9 to 22.9 Lmin−1, and the maximum equivalent downslope distances varied from 5.3 to 42.3 m. The findings revealed that P and N transport rates increased linearly with runoff rate on sites where N was applied at rates ≤ 151 kgha−1 (Condition 1). Nutrient transport rates were influenced by the quantity of nutrients released to overland flow and the amount of runoff available to transport these nutrients. Interestingly, on sites where N was added at rates \u3e 151 kgha−1 (Condition 2) and on beef cattle feedlots (Condition 3), maximum transport rates for P were not affected by runoff rate, but N transport rates again increased linearly with runoff rate. The following hypotheses were formulated: Hypothesis 1 states that P transport rates can be directly related to runoff rates for Condition 1; Hypothesis 2 states that for Condition 2, the maximum rate at which beef cattle manure can release P to overland flow can be estimated from the P content of the applied manure; and Hypothesis 3 states that transport rates for total N can be directly related to runoff rates for Conditions 1, 2, and 3. Hypothesis testing using the student’s t-test affirmed each hypothesis. However, further assessment of these hypotheses is needed at other field sites with varying soil, cropping, and management conditions
Research Report: Insights into Community
Get PDFRural Nebraskans are more positive about the current change in their communities this year but are less positive about its future. Starting three years ago, the proportion believing their community changed for the worse was more than the proportion believing it had changed for the better (similar to what occurred in 2003 and 2009). However, last year that trend reversed back to the typical pattern and continued this year. This year, more people believe their community has changed for the better than has changed for the worse. When asked about what they expect ten years from now, this year more people believe their community will be a worse place to live ten years from now than a better place.
Despite that, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community by many different measures. Most rural Nebraskans rate their community favorably on its social dimensions, as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans also say it would be difficult to leave their community and have a positive attachment to their community. Finally, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future.
Differences in perceptions of their community are evident by community size. Persons living in or near larger communities are more likely than persons living in or near smaller communities to get what they need in their community. However, persons living in or near the smallest communities are more likely than persons living in or near larger communities to have an attachment to their community.
Rural Nebraskans support community investment in jobs, K -12 education, and entertainment or culture. Most rural Nebraskans believe their communities should invest somewhat more or much more in the following areas: local and regional job opportunities, K- 12 education (infrastructure and people), and entertainment and cultural events. Many rural Nebraskans also support increased investment in the area’s natural resources and medical services. And, many rural Nebraskans say their community frequently promotes medical services and the area’s K-12 educational system
Additional geographic records of Dekay’s Brownsnake (\u3ci\u3eStoreria dekayi\u3c/i\u3e) in Nebraska, including a late seasonal observation and likely range expansion
Get PDFDekay’s Brownsnake (Storeria dekayi) occurs across much of eastern North America, inhabiting diverse environments such as marshes, woodlands, woodland edges, and urban areas. In Nebraska, recent studies documented its presence beyond the extreme southeastern region of the state, indicating a potential range expansion to the west and north. Our study continues to update its distribution with four additional county records. Two counties, Franklin and Harlan, represent the farthest west observations for Dekay’s Brownsnake in the state, further indicating a likely westward expansion. An observation from 6 December 2023 also represents the latest seasonal observation in the state. Despite being listed as vulnerable in Nebraska, our data suggested a widespread presence and greater abundance than originally inferred by the Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, which we find prompts a reevaluation of its current conservation status. Most of our observations coincided with fall migratory movements towards hibernacula, with individuals observed on roadways late in afternoons on warm autumn days. Proliferation of trees along prairie rivers and in upland habitats in the region likely has influenced the distribution and/or the abundance of this species. Continued research is needed for informed conservation assessments and for monitoring further potential distributional shifts by Dekay’s Brownsnake in Nebraska
When One Door Closes: Legal Education and Racial Justice after \u3ci\u3eStudents for Fair Admissions\u3c/i\u3e
Get PDFIn Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, the Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited colleges and universities from using race as a factor in admissions decisions. Many have feared that this ruling portends the end of racial diversity in higher education. Law schools, however, can choose to treat this decision as creating a fresh opportunity to pursue racial justice in a comprehensive and meaningful way. Most of the early scholarly writing on Students for Fair Admissions focused on either its shortcomings or the narrow issue of academic admissions policies. These initial analyses did not examine two critical facts. First, prior to the Court’s decision, most law school practices were far from ideal and frequently reinforced structural racism. Second, law schools can use Students for Fair Admissions as an impetus for making changes to those harmful practices.
This Article demonstrates how law schools can take full advantage of that opportunity. First, it explains how the Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions preserves law schools’ ability to pursue racial justice, especially with schools no longer needing to restrict their actions to meet the Court’s previous constrained diversity model. Next, this Article details the need for changing the ways in which most law schools currently contribute to the legal profession’s status as America’s “whitest profession.” Finally, it provides a wide range of actions, in areas including student recruitment, admissions policies, law school culture, faculty hiring, bar exams, U.S. News rankings, and law firm practices, that law schools can undertake to advance racial justice in a post–Students for Fair Admissions world
Politics, Traditional Librarianship, Progressive Librarianship, and Conflicting Visions of Services for Children
Get PDFThe paper addresses the ongoing challenges within public library youth services between programs of Traditional Librarianship, heavily influenced by local religious and political realities, and Progressive Librarianship, a secular approach aiming to remedy perceived past library failures. At the risk of oversimplification, Traditional Librarianship, the original American public library philosophy, long prioritized helping youth develop into educated citizens with a strong moral foundation. Within the limits of generalizing, Progressive Librarianship can be considered a change-oriented philosophy seeking to provide youth services committed to social justice and a reversal of power relationships to the benefit of those previously underserved. The effects of both philosophies on library collections and services are addressed in light of contemporary cultural divisions, as well as their political realities and legal enforcement. Considerations of how the guiding principles of each library philosophy can be viewed by library users and political leaders in state and local communities are addressed. The advice of a public library’s attorney and political expertise in a library director are deemed crucial in the process of formulating and adopting library policies and services likely to face legal challenges
Habitat Definition for \u3cem\u3ePepsis elegans\u3c/em\u3e Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae)
Get PDFRecent (2024) photographs of Pepsis elegans Lepeletier (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae) females searching through plant litter disclosed no clues about its nesting behavior or host spider. However, coupled with geographic site locations, they reveal important habitat information. The various site locations are specifically defined as part of the Eastern Temperate Forests Level I Ecoregion of North America, numerous Level III Ecoregions of the Continental United States, several United States Forest Type Groups, and natural habitat designation of mesic open woodland
Living a Lie: The Truth Behind \u3cem\u3eIsohydnocera curtipennis\u3c/em\u3e (Newman) and Other Historically Confused Species of \u3cem\u3ePhyllobaenus\u3c/em\u3e Dejean, with the Description of the \u3cstrong\u3eNew Genus\u3c/strong\u3e \u3cem\u3eNeohydnocera\u3c/em\u3e (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae: Hydnocerini: Hydnocerina)
Get PDFTaxonomic changes in the New World Hydnocerina (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae: Hydnocerini) at the species and genus level are presented. Phyllobaenus suturalis (Klug, 1842) and Hydnocera limbata Spinola, 1844 are designated junior synonyms of P. pallipennis (Say, 1825), new synonymy. Phyllobaenus nigrescens (Schaeffer, 1909) is designated a junior synonym of P. verticalis (Say, 1835), new synonymy. Isohydnocera curtipennis (Newman, 1840), P. lineaticollis Spinola, 1844, and Clerus brachypterus Klug, 1842, are re-established as junior synonyms of P. verticalis (Say, 1835), status reinstated, and I. curtipennis is accordingly reassigned to Phyllobaenus Dejean as P. curtipennis, new combination. Cephaloclerus Kuwert, 1893 is removed from synonymy under Phyllobaenus and re-elevated to genus rank, status resurrected. The genus Isohydnocera Chapin, 1917 is designated a junior synonym of Phyllobaenus Dejean, 1833, new synonymy, and I. liebecki Wolcott, 1928 is designated a junior synonym of I. tabida (LeConte, 1849), new synonymy. The new genus Neohydnocera is described to accommodate species formerly known as Isohydnocera Chapin. Hydnocera longicollis Zeigler, 1844 is removed from synonymy under I. curtipennis, status resurrected, and recognized as Neohydnocera longicollis, new combination. The following new combinations for species previously considered Isohydnocera are presented: Neohydnocera aegra (Newman, 1840), new combination, Phyllobaenus albocinctus (Horn, 1871), new combination, N. brunnea (Chapin, 1917), new combination, N. californica (Barr, 1966), new combination, N. chiricahuana (Knull, 1949), new combination, P. cryptocerinus (Gorham, 1883), new combination, N. gerhardi (Wolcott, 1910), new combination, N. mima (Wolcott, 1928), new combination, N. nigrina (Schaeffer, 1908), new combination, N. ornata (Wolcott, 1908), new combination, N. pusilla (Schaeffer, 1909), new combination, P. schusteri (LeConte, 1866), new combination, N. tabida (LeConte, 1849), new combination, and P. tricondylae (LeConte, 1849), new combination
He\u27s a Pirate: Greco-Roman Pirates in the Eastern Mediterranean
Get PDFFor as long as people have traveled by sea, pirates have looked to rob and steal from them. This danger was especially true for travelers in Ancient Greece and Rome. While many ancient sources mention pirates, it is usually just in passing. However, even those few small references allude to a far more important role in history. Through the use of the ancient written sources, inscriptions, and archeological evidence, it becomes apparent that the pirates were an integral part of local economies and politics. Many city-states employed their own sailors in piratical raids against their enemies in and out of war. Yet, depending on the point of view of whoever wrote about the pirates, their actions could be either praised or demonized. The difference between the private pirate and state-sponsored pirate was also an important difference in how they were viewed. A common political tactic was also to label one’s enemies as pirates in order to justify aggression against them. There were definitely pirates in the Eastern Mediterranean, but they were also used by the city-states who hypocritically used their own piratical strategies to expand their power
Role of Academic Libraries complicated function in supporting the integration of Information Literacy: Critical Thinking skills in the Digital Era
Get PDFAs libraries give people free access to books, research materials, and cultural events, libraries have long been an essential component of society. However, as a result of the rise of the internet and other forms of digital technology, the purpose of libraries has become far more complex. Despite this, libraries continue to serve as an essential centre for a large number of people and locations. They offer digital resources like as databases, e-books, and streaming media, in addition to tangible goods such as books, magazines, and newspapers, which are not available anywhere else. In addition to serving as a calm environment in which to study, work, or interact with others, libraries also provide community events that further literacy, education, and cultural enrichment. Nevertheless, libraries have significant challenges as they seek to keep up with the development of new technology and the interests of its users. It is becoming increasingly challenging for many libraries to keep up with the demand from customers for both traditional and innovative services as the use of digital media and e-books continues to grow in popularity. In addition, as libraries have become more ingrained in their respective communities, they have taken on additional responsibilities. These new responsibilities include the promotion of digital literacy and instruction about technology, the provision of basic healthcare services, and the supply of job training and information regarding employment. The purpose of this discussion is to make an attempt to clarify the roles that libraries play in today\u27s society. In the backdrop of globalization, the information and communications technology (ICT) revolution, and the knowledge economy, this lecture investigates the potential role that libraries might play in India. In this presentation, the researcher has evaluated and tested a technique for achieving success in the information-based economy of the contemporary day
