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Analyzing the Use of Agricultural Literacy Assessments: A Descriptive Study of the Implementation of the Judd-Murray and the Longhurst-Murray Agricultural Literacy Instruments
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive snapshot of how the JMALI and LMALI agricultural literacy assessment instruments have been implemented within the United States. It was concluded that the greatest number of respondents used the assessment instruments as formal assessment diagnostic tools to determine agricultural knowledge and improve instruction. When assessments are used as intended, the likelihood they will effectively achieve their intended goals increases.
This study was the first step in determining how agricultural literacy assessments are currently being used. However, future research should focus on improving the collection of agriculture literacy assessment scores and on how the scores can be used to accurately determine gaps in knowledge and support filling those gaps
Exploring Farmers\u27 Willingness to Accept Payment for Agricultural Conservation in Utah
Get PDFIn view of Utah’s drought situation and the need for conservation of water use, this thesis tries to calculate the compensation required for farmers to switch from cultivating alfalfa-which requires a lot of water, to less water-consuming crops like wheat, hay and even pasture. It proposes a new technique for this calculation using big data, including satellite images from National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), agricultural statistics from National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), climate data from Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) climate group and land use data from the state of Utah. These data are integrated into a geographical database (geodatabase). The database is then used to create mathematical models that calculate the compensations. This is only one application of the database, which can be used for analysis to develop policies among other things. The process proposed here can give versatile support to policymakers and is much less time-consuming than commissioning and executing surveys or other manual modes of data collection
Aspen and Spruce Densities Affect Tree Size, Future Stand Volume, And Aboveground Carbon Following Precommercial Thinning
Get PDFData collected over a 30-year period from an experiment replicated across 21 locations in western Canada are used to explore the effects of precommercial thinning of trembling aspen to a range of densities in combination with three initial white spruce densities on tree growth and stand dynamics. Increasing differentiation amongst the 15 treatments was observed with age after thinning for both spruce and aspen responses. Spruce height and diameter declined with increasing aspen density. At age 10 spruce diameter with no aspen was 1.5× that of spruce in unthinned while it was 2.6× that of spruce in unthinned at age 28. Following thinning aspen DBH and crown width declined with increasing density of retained aspen while slenderness and height to crown base of aspen increased. Thinning to 1500 aspen·ha−1 resulted in aspen DBH that was 22% larger relative to the unthinned at age 28. Spruce volume and stemwood biomass at age 90, estimated using the Mixedwood Growth Model (MGM21), declined with increasing initial aspen density, with the complete removal of aspen resulting in nearly double the spruce volume of unthinned plots. However, total stand volume, total stand biomass, and stemwood carbon at age 90 are predicted to be largest in mixed stands with aspen densities of 1500 stems·ha−1 or higher
Airborne Investigations of Atmospheric Emissions (0.9 - 1.6 µm) Using an InGaAs Camera
No full textNovel image measurements of OH mesospheric emissions and Leonid meteors were made using a sensitive Indium-Gallium-Arsenide (InGaAs) intensified camera during two NASA airborne campaigns; the Leonid MAC mission (November 2002), and the SOLVE II campaign (January 2003), using the NASA DC-8 Airborne Laboratory. For the Leonid mission three types of intensified cameras were operated, tow narrow band imagers to investigate the ablation signatures of meteors, and an InGaAs imager to study gravity wave variability over a large range of longitudes (two trans-Atlantic flights). The SOLVE II airborne mission was based in Kiruna, Sweden, and several extended nighttime flights were made into the high arctic region to measure ozone concentrations in conjunction with the SAGE III satellite instrument. As part of this mission we were given the opportunity to extend our InGaAs measurement of mesospheric airglow wave structure and IR emissions to polar latitudes. This mission also coincided with the NASA MaCWave rocket campaign that was conducted from Esrange, Sweden during this period. In this poster we present initial data and results primarily of the InGaAs measurements, obtained during these two missions
Investigating Seasonal Variability in Short-Period Gravity Waves Over Bear Lake Observatory, Utah
No full textThe Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences has operated a sensitive digital camera at Bear Lake Observatory (41.6° N 111.6° W) since 1999 recording images of structure in the visible and near infrared airglow emissions which occur naturally in layers within the earths upper atmosphere (altitude range 80 - 100 km). Atmospheric gravity waves, generated in the lower atmosphere by strong weather disturbances1 propagate upwards and can be observed in the different airglow emissions (which occur at different heights) as wave patterns. Analysis of these image data enables us to investigate the characteristics of these waves (horizontal wavelength, velocity and direction of motion) as well as their occurrence frequency and duration. This study focuses on characterizing seasonal properties of these waves during a one year period (October 2003 - September 2004) and has revealed copious gravity wave events exhibiting a strong seasonal variability in their direction of propagation
Multi-Instrument Measurements of Noctilucent Clouds in Coordination with the AIM Satellite
No full textNotilucent clouds (NLC) are beautiful high-latitude summer time phenomena that were first reported over 100 years ago. They are visible to the naked eye only during twilight when the sun in between 6-16° below the horizon. NLC are very tenuous, consisting of microscopic ice particles (typically 40 nm) that nucleate and grow in the dynamically driven, extremely cold (\u3c150 K) summer mesopause region. NLC appear silver blue or white in color and are often characterized by gravity waves and instabilities. Satellite observations (termed Polar Mesospheric Clouds, PMC\u27s) have extended these clouds measurements into the northern and southern polar cap regions (where they are most frequently observed). Over the past 3 decades, satellite measurements of PMCs have revealed significant increase in their frequency of occurrence and brightness (e. g. Deland et al, 2007) raising speculation concerning possible links with climate change in the upper atmosphere
Characterization of the Semi-Annual-Oscillation in Mesospheric Temperatures at Low-Latitudes
No full textThe semi annual oscillation (SAO) was first identified by REED (1962) in the stratospheric temperature The SAO in the upper stratosphere and lower mesosphere in both temperature and wind was confirmed by later observations mainly using meteorological rockets (e.g. Angell and Korshover, 1970; Belmont et al., 1975; Cole and Kantor, 1978). Hirota (1978) showed that, in addition to the SAO peaking at stratopause, the equatorial mesospheric wind SAO also peaks at mesopause. SAO characteristics in mesospheric temperatures were first identified using solar mesospheric explorer (SME) data. However, investigations on mesospheric SAO signatures in temperatures are rather sparse till date
Comparison of Various Theoretical Measures of Aromaticity Within Monosubstituted Benzene
Get PDFThe effects of monosubstitution on the aromaticity of benzene are assessed using a number of different quantitative schemes. The ability of the mobile π-electrons to respond to an external magnetic field is evaluated using several variants of the NICS scheme which calculate the shielding of points along the axis perpendicular to the molecule. Another class of measures is related to the drive toward the uniformity of C-C bond lengths and strengths. Several energetic quantities are devised to approximate an aromatic stabilization energy and the tendency of the molecule to maintain planarity. There is a lack of consistency in that the various measures of aromaticity lead to differing conclusions as to the effects of substituents on the aromaticity of the ring
Adaptively Managing Lake Powell Releases to Respond to Reservoir Inflow and Evaporation
Get PDFAcross the Western U.S., reservoir levels are declining towards protection elevations because of aridity amplified by long-standing operations that release more water than inflow. This paper has the purpose to sketch the effects of reservoir operations that release less water than inflow and evaporation. We use the case of Glen Canyon Dam/Lake Powell on the Colorado River, U.S.A. We programed a new rule in the trusted basin simulation model maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The rule releases 95% of inflow in each time step. The 5% reduction is typically greater than reservoir evaporation. Lake Powell levels stabilize and recover in a few years across a range of assumptions for hydrology and upstream diversions. There remain challenges technically and politically to implement into existing operations the idea to release less water than inflow and evaporation
Full-Body Stretches
Get PDFThis one-page guide provides stretching ideas for the whole body. A QR code is also included to access a video that you can follow as you move through the different stretching activities