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Exploring Biostimulant Efficacy Under Limited Fertilizer and Water in Utah\u27s Watermelon Production
No full textThe western U.S. has recently experienced some of the driest conditions on record, and Utah has been in a multi-year drought (2019-2023) that affected the agricultural sector, including vegetable producers. While vegetables are not a primary agricultural crop in Utah, they are still an important part of the horticultural economy with 763 farms growing 6,138 acres. As the fourth largest acreage vegetable crop in Utah (almost 10% of the acreage) watermelon and related crops in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae (nearly 36% of total vegetable acreage) are important to vegetable growers. Watermelon is a water-intensive crop and requires an adequate supply of water for good yield and fruit quality and is very sensitive to water stress. An additional challenge is that watermelons need access to adequate nutrients for proper growth and high yields, which has become more difficult with the recent rise in fertilizer prices
Transpiração e Conteúdo Relativo de Água do Feijão-Caupi Consorciado com Plantas Forrageiras sob Limitação Hídrica
No full textConhecer como as relações interespecíficas afetam o desenvolvimento das plantas em sistemas consorciados serve de base para traçar estratégias de manejo agrícola que visem aumento na qualidade e na produtividade das culturas. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar ao longo do tempo a transpiração e o conteúdo relativo de água do feijão-caupi consorciado com plantas forrageiras sob condição de limitação hídrica. O estudo foi desenvolvido na área experimental do Centro de Ciências Agrárias e da Biodiversidade (CCAB) da Universidade Federal do Cariri (UFCA), no Crato, CE, no período de maio a gosto de 2024. As espécies utilizadas foram o feijão-caupi (C), sorgo (S), milho (M), capim-braquiária (CB) e capim-colonião (CC). O delineamento empregado foi em blocos ao acaso, com parcela subdivida no tempo com três repetições, sendo o primeiro fator o sistema de cultivo (solteiro e consorciado) e segundo fator o tempo (28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 77 e 84 dias após a semeadura). A transpiração e o conteúdo relativo de água do feijão-caupi reduziram com o tempo, refletindo o aumento do estresse pela restrição hídrica devido ao cultivo em sequeiro, bem como ao aumento da competição interespecífica com as plantas forrageiras. O feijão-caupi consorciado com sorgo apresentou menor redução na taxa de transpiração ao longo do tempo e no conteúdo relativo à água, evidenciando uma maior complementariedade entre as espécies o que pode resultar em maiores retornos ao produtor
Golden Eagle Predation of Greater Sage-Grouse on Diamond Mountain Plateau
No full textPredation and the perceived risk of predation can have major impacts on prey populations. Golden Eagles are considered one of the main predators of adult greater sage-grouse. Sage-grouse populations have been declining for decades throughout the West and wildlife managers are concerned about the impacts of golden eagles on sage-grouse. We investigated the nonconsumptive effects of golden eagles on sage-grouse by conducting observational surveys for golden eagles, sage-grouse, and other predators at sage-grouse lek sites near Vernal, Utah during the sage-grouse breeding season from 2022–2024. Additionally, we examined the prevalence of sage-grouse in golden eagle diet using DNA metabarcoding of fecal samples, dissection of pellet samples, and the installation of nest camera traps. The presence of flying golden eagles had a significant effect on lek counts and reduced the count by 56.5%. Sage-grouse flushing events were strongly associated with golden eagles and golden eagles were responsible for 48.4% of the flushing events that occurred. Golden eagles also caused more ceased strutting events than other predators. Our results from the three methods investigating golden eagle diet were in agreement that sage-grouse is not prevalent in the diet of golden eagles. Sage-grouse were present in 18.2% of fecal samples and 8.6% of pellet samples, but no sage-grouse were delivered to nests. Our results support previous literature that mammals, specifically lagomorphs and rodents, represent the largest proportion in golden eagle diet. Although golden eagle significantly impacted sage-grouse lek counts and behavior, they were only present 14.22% of the total time surveyed. Sage-grouse and golden eagles evolved alongside one another and given the lek period occurs for several weeks, it is likely a daily disturbance doesn’t limit reproductive success
Sensitivity Analysis of Piano-Key Weirs Design: Optimizing Discharge Performance Through CFD Modeling and Empirical Insights
No full textPiano-key weirs (PKWs) are widely recognized for their efficiency in enhancing spillway discharge capacity while maintaining a compact footprint. This study focuses on a parametric and sensitivity analysis of PKW discharge performance, exploring the influence of key design parameters on hydraulic behavior. By integrating experimental data with advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling using the open-source code_saturne software, we aim to refine predictive capabilities and establish guidelines for effective PKW design. The analysis emphasizes understanding the interplay between PKW geometry and flow characteristics. The analysis considers a range of geometrical configurations, including variations in key width ratios, and inlet-to-outlet dimensions, to quantify their impact on discharge efficiency. Results of the parametric study offer insights into hydraulic optimal design strategies for maximizing performance under various hydraulic conditions. The outcomes of the study aim to support the development of design guidelines that improve both functionality and sustainability in spillway applications
Deaf Parents’ Infant-Directed Touch with their Hearing and Deaf Babies: Intuitive, Cultural, or in Need of Instruction?
No full textThe Follow-up Gap: Racial Disproportionality and Social Determinants of Health in New Jersey’s Hearing Detection and Intervention Program
No full textObjectives. To assess how race/ethnicity and social determinants of health are related to loss to follow-up (LTF) from NJ’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program.
Methods. All infants born in NJ between June 2015 and June 2017 referring for additional hearing healthcare after hospital discharge were considered for inclusion in this study. The sample consisted of 4,141 babies, 10.7% of which received no follow-up care. Step-wise multi-level logistic regression was used to determine how race/ethnicity, family-level, and community-level social determinants of health (SDOH) were predictive of LTF.
Results. In each model, the odds of being LTF were significantly higher for infants of Black mothers compared to infants of White mothers. Family-level SDOH predictive of LTF included maternal age, WIC participation, and maternal education. While specific community-level SDOH were not predictive of LTF, they did improve model fit and reduced the amount of variance attributable to the counties in which infants were born and received initial hearing healthcare.
Conclusions. Family-level SDOH explain some, but not all, of the differences in racial/ethnic disproportionality in follow-up from New Jersey’s EHDI program. Community-level SDOH exacerbated disproportionality for infants of Black mothers. Facilitators to follow-up include WIC participation and being Hispanic
White Horse Village: A Northern Utah UFO Narrative
No full textIn the early 1960\u27s a group of UFO believers, called Christ Brotherhood Inc., established themselves in Smithfield Canyon, UT and called their commune White Horse Village. A main house was built where the leader of the group lived and two or three smaller cabins were erected for the believers. Without running water they used an outhouse among them and built a small church where they would meet for lectures. Their beliefs centered around the popular movement of New Age spirituality of the time, which included scientific explanations for Christian beliefs including a belief in benevolent aliens as modern angels. Their leader, Wallace Halsey, received messages from extraterrestrials while in a sleep-like trans and then lectured to small groups in his home, in the church they built, or by invitation in other intimate settings. After Halsey went mysteriously missing, only a few years after moving to Cache Valley, Christ Brotherhood Inc. disbanded and White Horse Village transformed into a counter culture commune of hippies in the mid 60’s to early 70’s. The evolution of the landscape, however, remained a space for “othering,” which became a source of legend tripping within the community. There is very little recorded about this UFO folk group so the main purpose of this project will be to create a history that can be used for future researchers and historians. It will also illustrate the contribution Cache Valley, UT has in the National UFO narrative of the mid twentieth century. This research will cover the philosophy of Wallace Halsey and the spiritual group known as Christ Brotherhood Inc., it will explore the influence Christ Brotherhood Inc, and the counter-culture commune, had on the residents in Smithfield Canyon. It will also give understanding to the impact the local religion had on the UFO group and the impact the group had on the local religion. The majority of this research will be archival and library work, though informal conversation with local residents will also be a valuable contribution
